okay, so i was wrong... the Celtics really showed the Lakers who was boss... more about that a little later... it's been a busy week and a half or so... i'd like to say that i was on vacation like some people, but that's not the case... we did call that thing last week a retreat, but it wasn't exactly restful... i ended up sleeping in spurts of maybe 30-45 minutes at a time and getting worn out during the day...

Anyway, i've been back since Wednesday night... last Wednesday night, working a lot, went to the lake and got some primo sunburn... did church... headed back to work and yadda yadda yadda... it's already late on Thursday evening and i don't have much to show for the week... so here's a few somethings and we'll see if i can't do better tomorrow...

IN OTHER WORDS
to the tune of You Make It Look So Easy - Stavesacre

Simplicity by Mark Salomon...

have you ever started reading a book and wondered why you hadn't read it before?... as i'm reading through these pages, i can't help but think of all the time it spent on that silly bookshelf over in the corner waiting to be read... and i think to myself, man, this could've been the second or third time i've read this instead of just now being my first time through... i'm resonating with a lot of the questions raised, nodding along to the lessons learned and anticipating the next chapter... i'm currently about halfway through and there are no signs of me slowing down...

also worth noting, this is apparently the LAST WEEK that it will be available at the Relevant Book Store for FOUR DOLLARS... i'll probably end up changing the link the next time i update depending on where it ends up being cheapest...

THE READING ROOM
to the tune of If You Could Read My Mind - Johnny Cash

so i think i need to keep track of the books that i'm reading for the sake of Mark Lee's Summer Reading Club... i have a feeling i'm going to get smoked in this thing, but who knows... anyway, here's a list of what i'm currently reading and what i'll hopefully be reading soon...

- It All Goes Back in the Box (Ortberg)
- Simplicity (Salomon) [about 120 pages left]
- Character Makes a Difference (Huckabee) [about 200 pages left]
- Searching for God Knows What (Miller)
- New Way to Be Human (Peacock) [about 200 pages left]
- At the Crossroads (Peacock)
- Deliver Us from Evelyn (Wells)
- The Two Towers (Tolkien)
- Quiet Strength (Dungy)
- UnChristian (Kinnaman & Lyons)
- Prince Caspian (Lewis)
- The Word of Mouth Manual (Balter) [about 110 pages left]

and the list goes on, but if we're rational and reasonable, i think we all realize that i'll be fortunate to finish two or three of these in the next three months... FULL LIST HERE...

AND WITH THAT...

it's time to go... you can head over to the main page and check out the Boomin' Beyond Measure concert review... thanks for peeping that...

peace... love... bdg...

Well, it's Sunday and i've managed to complete another wonderful training / instructional manual... i'm turning into quite the technical writer while still maintaining the normal duties of my actual job title... i'm still pretty tired and all, but i'm glad to have those both behind me for now... i'm sure there's more coming and all, but right now there's something of a lull... a break in the action... a chance to catch my breath... and, since it looks like i'll be completely offline for the next three days while we frolic and play at the all-staff retreat (really sit around and listen to an endless string of presentations only to retire to a shared room assignment with none of the comforts of home), i'm imagining that my day job will be pretty slow at the beginning of the week...

So what on earth will i do with myself if i have no access to the grand old internet and no television and no privacy?... well, hopefully, i'll manage to get a number of interviews transcribed, get a number of other things written, get a little bit of reading done and, hey, maybe even sleep... i'm actually trying not to think about it too much, since it begins early tomorrow with a four-hour car ride with three coworkers...

Anyway, it's Sunday and, since i'll be out-of-pocket the next few days, i figured that i should get a few things written down to have something to show for myself in my absence... playing behind me at the moment is an episode of Mrs. Columbo which is a bonus feature of the Complete Third Season of Columbo... pretty fun... i love me some Columbo... but now let's move on...

ROCK WHAT YA GOT
to the tune of Hey Hey - Superchic[k]

So, we'll start with some music... i got the new Superchic[k] album the other day and have listened to it a few times... my boys actually enjoy it quite a bit too... they've even informed me that the song "Hey Hey" sounds very much like the modern version of "Cruella De Vil" from the 101 Dalmations DVD... could be... anyway, it's a pretty fun album and everything you'd expect from the group, but part of me thinks it could've been better...

THE BIGGER PICTURE
to the tune of Ignition (live) - TobyMac

so, i wrote this heading in the other day and had no idea what i was supposed to write about... but now i remember... TobyMac is taking a cue from U2 and hitting the big screen... apparently, tomorrow, the Alive and Transported video will be playing limited engagements in theaters... around here, there's one showing at 7:30 PM... but check your local listings if you're into that sort of thing... it's probably a cool idea... my boys enjoy the DVD a lot and it's better for their ears than a live show...

AND LOVING IT...
to the tune of Get Smart - Bob Crane & His Drums And Orchestra

i for one am really excited about the upcoming movie version of Get Smart... i think that Steve Carell is a great choice for Agent 86 and i always enjoy a good dose of The Rock... not so sure about Anne Hatheway or the lack of the 70s era, but i think it's going to be great... until it's ready though, i'm going to sit back and enjoy one of my latest silly acquisitions... the entire original series on DVD, complete with a collector's box that opens in three different directions like the command center of Control...

ONLY ONE
to the tune of Sirius - Alan Parsons Project

So, the NBA Finals are on and man, can they draw games out or what?.... i finally ended up watching game one between the Lakers and the Celtics the other night and i'm pretty tired of hearing about what a storied rivalry it is... great, i get it... i saw some of it growing up... and none of those guys are playing in this series... now, THAT might be something interesting... anyway, it looks to be a good series and i say that as someone who rarely watches the NBA anymore because it's just, i don't know, off... as i see it, it had it's hey day and that's now in the past... doesn't seem to be reviving itself anytime soon... i'll watch these games - all on a DVR delay - and i'll probably enjoy it... and i'm picking the Lakers in seven... (tonight they'll win by about 17)...

IT'S POTTY TIME...

Mute Math is working on a new album (cheers all around)... and they seem to be recording a lot of it in the bathroom... i guess we all potty break the same... (har-har)... anyway check out this preview video...

IN OTHER WORDS
to the tune of The End - Derek Webb

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg... Well, i finally finished this book... actually i finished it maybe a week and a half ago, but i'm finally wrapping up this coverage... the final section of the book tells us how to win... it reminds us that we need to focus on collecting the right types of trophies and then, in the last chapter it tells a story about a painting... the painting is called "Check Mate" and the story tells of a chess expert perturbed by the painting's title because, "the King has one more move"... (of course, there's a typo in the chapter title as it's printed on the page headers - "the kind has one more move")...

this really stood out to me because i was playing a game of chess at work and i was informed with a great deal of pride and boasting that i was in check mate... now, i hadn't paid much attention to the game up to that point because there's been a lot of things going on at work and chess wasn't exactly the most important thing to worry about much less strategize for... but, something about the snideness of this guy's voice... "check mate, but you must've known that was coming"... all of a sudden, something within me wanted to win... i had been resolved to lose and chalk it up to distraction... but now... oh, i wanted to win... suddenly the game mattered... and fortunately, when i went to check out the board, i discovered that he was wrong... there was another move... in fact, five moves later, i had taken his rook, bishop, knight and queen... and two moves after that, he conceded to defeat... check mate... that was music to my ears...

it doesn't really relate to the book, but it made me happy... anyway, i thought the book ended rather abruptly, but it's not like the ending was a surprise or anything... it was a good book overall...

NEXT UP
to the tune of You Make It Look So Easy - Stavesacre

Simplicity by Mark Salomon...

so, i've already begun the next book and i'm not sure how much opportunity i'll have to blog about it, because methinks that i'll be done with it rather quickly... i'm about 50 pages in already and i'm totally hooked... and what, with my downtime coming up this week, i may just plow through the whole thing... also worth noting, it's available at the Relevant Book Store for FOUR DOLLARS... normally, i'd be using an affiliate link to try and poach a few pennies from anyone kind enough to buy it, but it's such a good deal and Relevant is such a good place to support that it's the link i chose...

SUMMER READIN'
to the tune of Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

I'm also using those two books as my entry into Mark Lee's Summer Reading Club... it's supposed to be really laid back and i don't have much of a clue what the rules are, but since i stumbled upon it and i have a hard time saying no... i'm IN...

AND WITH THAT...

it's time to go... but wait... there's more... a quick glance at the front page will reveal a splendid little interview with Paul Alan... thanks for peeping that...

i'm getting so bad at this... it's like i never know what's happening because i'm too busy doing stuff all the time... sometimes i don't even know what i'm doing... that's when it gets nice and crazy... anyway... had a nice little breather at work, but things have kind of swollen back up and i'm far more than knee deep again... it's going to be a trying time the next few months at least and i'm sure it'll be a while before everything is aright... and i'm sure that i'm gonna be extremely tired when it's all said and done... i'm already at least halfway there...

Anyway, how about some TV talk, music chatter, and a little bit of other stuff...

CLEAR EYES... FULL HEARTS... CAN'T LOSE....
to the tune of Game On -Disciple

we've been going back through and watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS on DVD... we had watched Season One while it was happening, but by the time Season Two came on, i'm not sure what happened... i guess our DVR was overbooked or on the fritz or something and we ended up missing a bunch of the episodes and that coupled with the far-reaching murder subplot really turned me off to the show... Now that season two is out on DVD, i thought it was a good time to give it a second chance... and, thanks to good old netflix... it's pretty much risk free...

Anyway, i'm very glad we did because the writing (other than the whole murder thing) is just phenomenal... and it's reminded me of the most fascinating character on television... Tim Riggins... yeah that's right... and by fascinating, i mean that whenever he's on the screen, it's worth watching... he's easily the most complex character... and his reactions to life's problems, which tend to be numerous in his case, are always memorable... as easy as it would've been to make him a stock character with stereotypical reactions, i'm so glad they put more thought into him than that...

FASCINATION
to the tune of Fascination - Lester Lanin

Yeah, that's right.... Big Band... that's good stuff...

Anyway, since i've gone and declared Riggs as the most fascinating character on television, i thought i'd go ahead and list a few others that always grab my attention when they're on screen... Despite being numbered, this is my official, unordered list of last year's most fascinating characters on television...

• Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
• Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
• Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
• Brenda Johnson (The Closer)
• Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
• Robert Hawkins (Jericho)
• Peter Petrelli (Heroes)
• Sylar (Heroes)
• Robert Goren (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
• Adrian Monk (Monk)
• Benjamin Linus (Lost)
• Daniel Faraday (Lost)
• Michael Scofield (Prison Break)

I'm sure that i've missed plenty... i don't watch every show obviously and, in some instances, i don't even watch the cool ones... You may also notice that there's no one from The Office on the list... trust me, that's still my favorite comedy by far, but i think as far as characters go, each character draws far too much strengh from how the entire ensemble acts and reacts... though, if forced into a corner, i'd probably be deciding between Toby and Creed since they have two of the smaller roles, but can, with a single line completely define the scene that they're in...

WIDE-EYED AND DIGITIZED
to the tune of The Invitation - downhere

Downhere has partnered with MusiChristian.com (who i used to use as my primary affiliate partnership) and they're giving away Wide Eyed and Mystified for the price of an email address... the album has amazingly been out for two years and the group has apparently mined it completely of all it's monetary value (what with a B-Sides and an acostic remix version among other things) and they really want you to remember their name when the release their next album, reportedly titled Ending is Beginning and may be released in late September... (currently, they're planning for the 23rd)...

So, you go to the page, enter your email address, and download a nice zip file with the full album in mp3 format complete with a 10-page that contains the liner notes and a cutout to make your CD insert and pretend that you bought a real copy of the album... and i jest, but it's really a good album and i think the vocal work on the album is some of the best that the past few years has to offer...

ANOTHER DEATH IN THE FAMILY
to the tune of Part the Waters Lord / I Need the Every Hour - Selah

And, now on a more serious note... actually, an extremely serious note... Nicol Sponberg (Selah) and her husband, Greg, recently had their life tragically interrupted with the death of their son, Luke who was, i beleve about three months old... It's my understanding that they also lost a nephew recently in the third hour of his life... clearly this is a difficult time for the family and prayers will be greatly appreciated... I'm told that they'll be establishing a Luke Sponberg Foundation and I'm sure that more details about that will be available in the near future...

AND WITH THAT...

Well, i had some other things to talk about, but it hardly seems like the best time to do that, so i'll close this out right now with a few links and a fond farewell for now...

- Third Day Walk TRu
- Phil Stacey Album Review

peace... love... bdg...

well, i'm still alive... i haven't gotten to sleep before 2 AM in a while now, but i'm still kicking and making it through each day... and i can see the light of a possible three-day weekend off in the distance... unfortunately, i can't talk about what's been keeping me up at night as i'm contractually obligated not to, but for those of you that i spoke with privately, thanks for the prayers and everything else... i find it interesting that the word of the day, which i have emailed to me, is "tartuffe"... the good news is that i've written my first book... the bad news is that it's a training manual for a proprietary software that is for internal use... so, i've become something of a technical writer... perhaps i should add that to my resume...

Anyway, there are plenty of things to talk about but since i'm exhausted and i've been in and out of meetings all day, i'll be in and out of this as well... who knows what we'll get to...

EDIT: okay, that didn't work... it's now Monday, let's try again... I'm currently watching a silly movie called NEXT... which stars Nicholas Cage as a magician who can see a few minutes into the future... and the FBI recruits him to help them stop the transportation of a nuclear weapon... yeah... it's like that... anyway... what else is on my radar...

NOW WE'RE COOKING
to the tune of Dream Big -David Cook

So they picked David Cook... and by now, you should realize that i could really care less... it became clear to me that i wouldn't be interested in buying any of the finalists' albums since none of them really did anything for me... as far as David Cook goes, i suppose he'll have a decent career as far as music careers go these days, but i think in a year or so, most people with discerning tastes will be thinking to themselves and perhaps asking out loud, who in the world told this guy that he could sing and why do they hate the rest of them so very much... just my opinion...

BACK IN 3D!
to the tune of Call My Name - Third Day

So, i've been killing this new Third Day album.... i mean, it just flat out rocks... it's like everything you ever wanted Third Day to do with an album all comes together now... (get it, Come Together?)... Let me just say that Revelation is easily the best Third Day album and it's likely going to rank in the top albums of the year list for 2008... i'm just saying is all... expect a Walk TRu of this sometime later this week, but for now, you can check out their EPK online...

MOVING ON

Foolish Things have disbanded... I'm a little slow on this since their final show was 11 May, but the band has cited this as "the last season" for Foolish Things via their MySpace page... MySpace, by the way, seems to be the medium of choice for announcing a band's breakup... Anyway, more from the announcement:

"Although we are grieving, and semi-anxious about what lies ahead we are excited that a new chapter is beginning. Babies are on the way, different job opportunities are opening, and ministry opportunities are in each of our futures."

What really bothers me about this announcement is that i interviewed them a few months ago and they didn't mention this at all... (yes, that's sarcastic, no, i don't think the world revolves around me)...

ANTS!!!

yeah, i'm SICK OF ANTS!... they're all over my kitchen and the ant trap thingies that i've been setting out seem to work for a while, and then i get a resurgence of the little critters...it's driving me NUTS... i even see them out of the corner of my eye when they aren't even there... apparently i need some sleep... speaking of bugs though, isn't this the most strangely appealing and appalling site you've ever seen? maybe it's just me... some of those bugs though, literally scare the heck out of me...

PLENTY TO PEEP...

despite my crazy schedule, i've managed to drop some splendid content on the front page... this includes part three of my GMA Reflections and interviews with Salvador and Stephanie Smith... As i mentioned, i'm planning a Third Day Walk TRu, another chapter of the GMA Reflections, a few more interviews, and i'm hoping to pick up the album reviews gauntlet again... i've got some thoughts brewing about Chris Sligh, Phil Stacey, The Myriad and more...

peace... love... bdg...

i promised myself that i'd write again before it was time to do the whole American Idol thing and yet, here it is again... Tuesday staring me square in the face laughing at my lack of discipline... mocking me with my own voice... well... anyway... it is Tuesday but it's not time for Idol... not just yet anyway... and i've not been idle in the meanwhile... in fact, i've been so busy that i'm ready to burst...

in the past week (though it feels like one long day), i worked on building out a new site for my brother and sister in law, i transcribed a lengthy interview, i wrote two feature articles, i wrote a couple reviews, i did a walk TRu, and i sketched out some work on a few other projects i have whirling around in my head... all this on top of my day job, the duties of which have exploded over the last five days or so... this is going to be one hectic week, i'll tell you that much... so much so that i missed out on having a sabbath this past weekend and i'm a little discombobulated... anyway... my time is probably short, so let's go ahead and dig in...

MOVIE MONDAY
to the tune of Assets and Targets - John Powell (from The Bourne Ultimatum)

Well, i finally got around to watching the third installation of the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and all i have to say is woah... not like a Keanu Reaves, Matrix, "woah"... a serious, have i taken a single breath this entire movie, woah... i normally try to do some work or whatever on my laptop while the movies are playing, but not while Jason Bourne was on... i had a tough time taking my eyes off the screen the entire time and that's how an action movie should be... if i'm watching an action flick, i want to be completely taken in by it... i want the little boy in me to be acting out the fight scenes for the next few days after watching it... bottom line, The Bourne Ultimatum gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me...

RETURN OF THE TALK
to the tune of Jesus is Just Alright -dc Talk

So i've realized that i don't talk music enough here on the old blog, which is genuinely odd since this is primarily a music website... if i made any bread and butter, you could say that music is where i've made it... and since i enjoy the older stuff too, when i saw this headline... dc Talk Reunites. . . i naturally had to check it out and share it with you all... i knew we'd all be excited together... (note: yes, i realize that it is what it is)...

WHERE IS THE LOVE
to the tune of Love Is Here - Tenth Avenue North

And now for perhaps some more serious musical news... hot new band Tenth Avenue North who's debut record is set to release next week has released a video for their lead single... the video for Love Is Here seems to pay a bit of tribute to The Beatles and U2... or maybe i'm reading into it too much... anyway, the song's really good....

IN OTHER WORDS
to the tune of Violet Hill - Coldplay

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg... Well, i've moved onto the final section of this book, which means it's time for me to talk about Hazards (the second to last section)... the first chapter in this section jumped off the pages to me... "BEWARE, THE SHADOW MISSION" discusses what i'm far too familiar with... distractions... distractions keep you from accomplishing your mission... shadow missions seem like worthy causes sometimes... like, hey, can i really beat my previous high score in that game?... but they occupy your time and prevent you from making progress on what actually matters in the long term... it's somthing that i can honestly admit to struggling with just about every day...

the rest of the section is good, too, reminding us that competition isn't necessarily a bad thing... more stuff will never make us more of an actual success... and what's really important in terms of our physical existence is how we react to, cohabitate with and most importanty love those around us... all in all, a number of good lessons in this book so far... and as i've rounded the last bend as they say (i have about 20 pages to go), it's earning my recommendation more and more with each page turned... stay tuned for the finale sometime (most likely) next week...

PEEP INSTEAD OF SLEEP

okay and there are a few things to check out over on the main page... first, a Walk TRu of WOW Hits [1]... part two of my GMA Reflections and Responses... and an album review of Meredith Andrew's debut album, The Invitation... right around the corner, you can expect some more reviews, 2 interviews (Salvador and Stephanie Smith), an iTRunes playlist and a handful of other things...

peace... love... bdg...

So, it's another Idol night already and that means i've not updated in a week... what a jerk... anyway... i've been trying to readjust to life and a bunch of other excuses that you don't care about, i'm sure... and man, have my allergies been driving me nuts lately... my eye has been twitching for about a month and my nose has been twitching on and off as well... the littles are starting to struggle with the pollen counts, too, which really makes like fun... anyway... lots to get to, so let's get getting...

MOVIE MONDAY

i meant to go post this yesterday, but i didn't post anything so, here it is now... i finally, (read: FINALLY), saw Oceans Thirteen... and for me, it was goooood... i really like the series and i thought this one fit very nicely into the mix... you gotta love crooks who steal to make other people happy... and they're all just the epitome of cool... a couple odds and ends notes... as expected there were a number of twists and turns in the plot line... i say expected because it seems like every movie now has to have these crazy twists at the end nowadays... i think that eventually, we'll get to the point where a straightforward movie - one where what you expect to happen actually happens - is going to be the new suspense thriller... just a thought... Also, and i'm not one to force spiritual meanings into things, but at the end of the movie, all i could think about was that verse in the Bible about man making all the plans that he wants, but it's only God's plans that actually matter in the long run... yeah... i should figure out where that's from exactly... i'm guessing Proverbs...

FOUR MORE (A.K.A. THE AI COMMENTARY)
to the tune of Roll over Beethoven -Chuck Berry

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night... i... wanna rock and roll all night.... and party every day... okay... so i'm not going to guess the songs this week, but anyone wanna bet that Brooke tries to crash the stage and sing Piano Man or something... anyone? anyone?... okay... the show's underway after Ryan specifies when the judges are allowed to speak...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran... i remember the video for this song more than anything else about it... i think some dude was wandering around the woods trying to catch a girl dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood and he's wearing a wolf skin... i remember that video more then i expect to remember this performance actually... Randy says it was just okay... Paula says she's hungry for some David Cook and then she rambles on about something odd... Simon says it's probably good enough, but nothing special...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): Syesha's dress has been designed by Kristy Lee Cook... or something... oh, i like the hat... Tina... i thought she might sing some Tina or Aretha, but i don't know who's in the HOF... wow... she's trying to look like Tina... she's definitely working it... she has the clear advantage of being the only official girl left in the competition... and this song is alright... her vocal isn't that great, but the performance is very strong indeed... she knows how to use the stage... Randy says she was in the zone... (no, i didn't just copy that from last week)... Paula says she looks like a star... Simon says he has to put a slight damper on it... shrieky, bad impersonation of Tina Turner... the song was Proud Mary, by the way...

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: i think Carley's drunk... so, go figure, Jason Castro is singing a Bob Marley tune... I Shot the Sheriff... props right off the bat to the band... they're fantastic... he's alright... well... i mean, this really... well... um... he looks the part at least... he needs to take into account the dynamics and meaning of the song... Randy plays the karaoke card... Paula says he played to the crowd... Simon says it was utterly atrocious and he has no idea what Jason was thinking...

{Little) David Archuleta: singing Stand By Me... and he actually looks like the kids walking on the train tracks during this movie... i remember singing this song in like fifth grade or something... i think i sounded about the same... well, i didn't sing it solo or anything... but come on... if anyone deserves the karoake card, it's him right here... that's just... bah... Randy says he broght the hot man vocals... or hot mad vocals... or something like that... Paula says she admires that he kept his eyes open... Simon says whistling would've been better than Jason's song, that he struggled a little bit, but it was the best performance so far...

REALLY? YOU WANT MORE?
to the tune of A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

So far i'm not really impressed with any of them (surprise), but as of halfway through, Archy and Jason seem to be battling for the boot...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: singing something from The Who... Baba O'Riley?... i never listened much to The Who... it seemed really short, which isn't a baad thing... i've decided that he sounds like Todd Agnew... slow build and now he's screaming up the end of the tune... whatever... it's alright... Randy says it was really good, the David Cook they like... Paula says she wants a happy meal with a David Cook toy to hug and squeeze and hang from her rear view mirror... Simon says welcome back...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): oh no she isn't... she's singing my boy Sam Cooke... Change is Gonna Come... look, if you can't mess with a Bob Marley song, i'm not sure you can mess with Sam... well, this is an entirely new arrangement... and she's belting out the words here and there... that's a strong finish, but i'm not sure that the whole thing was that great... not as much soul to it as the original... Randy says he didn't like the arrangement and you shouldn't mess with Sam... Paula says she did a great thing with her vocals... Cry-esha is still reeling from Randy's harsh comments... Simon takes pity and sides with Paula, noting that Randy got it entirely wrong...

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: oh gosh... Jason didn't shoot the sheriff, he shot himself in the foot, head and heart... BOB DYLAN???? and we don't know the lyrics... somebody call Wayne Brady up on stage... i don't even know what to say... sort of like Jason... wah wah waaaah wah wah waaaaah.... well, needless to say, it was terrible and he's going to get trashed... he might not get voted off though... Randy just kind of giggles... Paula is smelling her feet... Simon tells him to pack his suitcase...

{Little) David Archuleta: oh... good grief... he really IS trying to beat Jason for the lamest performance... Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley... and he's, well, he's saving himself quite nicely actually... the vocal is pretty solid... why does the dude who can sing really well have to be so annoying?... Randy says he was carressing the lyrics... Paula says he's so sweet... Simon says he CRUSHED all those who oppose...

Well, i'll say that the Davids are safe and Jason will go home despite the possibility of pretending to forget the lyrics for the sake of getting sympathy... Syesha will probably be left on stage with Jason, but should be safe...

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

So, lots of new stuff to peep over on the main page... first up, a Walk TRu of the Jars of Clay Greatest Hits project... part one of my GMA Reflections and Responses... an interview with Poems (formerly Sharlok Poems, Sharlok P, etc from LA Symphony)... and an album review of Salvador's latest, Aware... and there's plenty more to come...

peace... love... bdg...

and it's Tuesday... and that means that i should talk about television... so here's a quick rundown of my comments... Barney? NO, he's the best character... at 31 she DID live there?... "It's not happening if you don't look at it" "Kind of like Poverty?"... okay, i'm out of thoughts... everything is kind of jumbled together right now... anyway... it's time for American Idol...

FIVE ALIVE
to the tune of Cracklin' Rosie - Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond night... TODAY... we comin' to America... i'm sure someone will sing that tonight... Kristy Lee would've definitely done it, but i'd bet on Archy... anyway, here we go...

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: don't forget the lyrics, dude... off we go... singing Forever in Blue Jeans... with the guitar... and he's doing alright... Simon is entirely disinterested... why is that violinist wearing shades?... why does this sound like a really sleepy tune... that's right, it's the slacker singing it... you think that eye color is fake or what?... i didn't mind it too much... Iron Man looks pretty good... Bret Michaels, not so much...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: goofing off with Ryan, goosing Neil... man, this guy is just too comfortable... i've never heard a Neal Diamond song sung in monotone before... what's up with that jacket?... is he the DC that completes the AC that's on his jacket and guitar?... is that his mom's gear? is he peddling her line of wares illegally on the show?... he sang I'm Alive and it was alright, i suppose... i thought it was kind of boring myself, but i'm probably alone in that...

Brooke White (The Piano Whisperer): singing I'm a Believer by the Monkees... or, by Neal Diamond... well, she's playing the guitar, but the real band is playing loud enough to drown her out... now, if only they could do something about her vocal... it's not that good... i've totally flipped on her since the beginning of this competition... she's... oh, greay leather pants... no thanks...

{Little) David Archuleta: HA!... he IS gonna sing it... anyway... he's such a dork in Neil's presence... own a piece of Archuleta... no thanks... first son is Sweet Caroline... it seems like he forgot the words there... maybe it was just a dramatic pause... well, this just isn't working for me... he's just too drama queen for this song... and it's too Brady Bunch for me... the crowd goes wild and i go to get something to munch on...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): singing Hello Again... she's doing the Kat McPhee sit on the steps routine... and well... i like her voice, i've always thought it was good when she stays in her range... this song is pretty slow and some people may think it's boring... but she's doing a nice job... she just wanted to show off her vocal control probably... i hope the next one is more memorable...

Randy says, Jason: OK, Cook: Solid, Brooke: Karaoke, Archy: DaBOMB, Syesha: in the zone
Paula says: Jason: lower register, David: something about his second song... what? he only sang once? what? oh he's fabulous
Simon (amen) says: forgettable, just above average, nightmare, amateurish, old fashioned

ENCORE, ENCORE?
to the tune of Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: singing September Mourn... i think this is the Frank Sinatra version... you know how Frank pretty much just says, "screw your arrangement, I'm singing it Myyyyyy waaaaaay..." this is a really slow version and i'm falling asleep... sorry castro... it's just not cutting it... Randy says, dude, it was just okay, whatever... Paula says it was the same liberty, too safe... Jason says, guh-huh, guh-huh, i was choking.... SImon says no one will remember him or something to that effect...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: "the rocker's second outing"... with something... the bag of chips was crinkling too loudly for me to hear... i'll tell you one thing though... it's not a rock song... All I Really Need Is You... and now he's trying to rock out like he's Jeremy Camp or something... he's really shouting... and really, he's reminding me that i will not buy any of the season seven albums... seriously... for reals... Randy says... you know what, i'm a huge fan, you rocked the house... Paula is proud of him because he pulled off the lesser known songs... Simon says, to be honest, one was okay, that was brilliant... BAH!

Brooke White (The Piano Whisperer): like totally, that wasn't a nightmare, giggle giggle... singing I Am, I Said with the lyrics on her hand facing the piano keys... silly... i actually like this song... this one fits her pretty well... much better than the apparently debatable nightmare that was her first performance... she's much more comfy behind the piano... Randy says... nice job... Paula says she is vulnerable and everyone loves her... it worked... Simon says he really hated the first one, but this was the one we like...

{Little) David Archuleta: back again with the money, "how can you vote against AMERICA" song... David Archy with his voice cracking and everything... they better hope that he doesn't hit puberty during this competition... i think even the background singers are boring on this one... let freeedom riiiiiiiiiiiiing.... bah, that was a very campy version of the song... blah... Randy says he was in the zone, Paula says he was on point and she loves him... Simon points out the contrived choice of song...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): ooh, i could go for some arby's... singing Thank the Lord for the Night time and... aw, Syesha, why'd you take it this direction?... maybe she's going for the Motown, Shirelles type of vibe, but it's coming across as very High School Musical... i think she lost her shoes too... i didn't mind it, but it could've been much better... and that's the one they'll remember... Randy says it could've been on Broadway... Paula fumbles through some random words about magic and theatrics... Simon asks Paula if she liked it or not... then he says she's more of an actress than a singer and she might be in trouble...

Bottom Three: Brooke, Jason, Syesha (going home)

AND THEN...

So, i did some stuff on the old site today... tidied up a few things... redesigned the reviews page, added two reviews... (After Edmund and Leeland), added in a bit under the AbouTRu section and added a way to sign up for a newsletter that i'll explain more about later... more coming soon...

peace... love... bdg...

EDIT ADD:

some links that may interest you...
GMA Week 08 blog entries
InTRuview with Braille
Left to Write

well folks, the time has come... next time i write, i'll be either on my way or in Nashville for this week's festivities... as always, i'll be updating the blog with events and such from the week and if you're not already reading this at theTRu, then i can't promise that you'll see any of it... time is generally short during the week and cross-posting isn't exactly quick... i'll see what i can do, but for now, it's time to rest up for my early flight tomorrow and gear up for my wild ride...

peace... love... bdg...

Here's to hoping that your weekend went well... mine wasn't too bad... little boy got the first trophy of what i'm sure will be a long and storied atheletic career... this one was for participating in the Upward Basketball League... the ceremony was accompanied by puppets and a magissionary... yes... anyway, he's extremely proud of his trophy, that's for sure...

a few things before we dig in... first, i was stuck in traffic this morning and i read through Psalm 91... i'd like to dig into it a bit further, but not today... today, i'm just working on digesting the though of "dwelling" in God's presence...

Next, i joined up with Technorati and unless i misunderstood, i think they're supposed to make me famous, but it all starts with you adding me to your favorites... i think... also... well... i forget... so let's just get going...

MARCH MADNESS
to the tune of We're So Far Away - Mae

The big news of the weekend is that the fields have been narrowed down to just four... Davidson, the last hope for a Cinderella story, put on a spectacular show up until the last 6 seconds of their game against Kansas... which leaves us with a Final Four consisting of all the #1 seeds... this is the first time that the selection committee has gotten all four correct... this will either make it a fantastic final three games or a very uninteresting one if you like underdogs... i'm undecided, but i'm not sure i'll even be around to watch anyway...

MOVIE TIME (brought to you by Netflix)
to the tune of Teacher's Pet - Doris Day

two more movies this week... hopefully quickly as my time is short... first up... SPIDERMAN 3... i finally got around to watching this, even though i've had it for a while... as expected, the special effects and the fight scenes were spectacular and the storyline was pretty well done as well... i enjoyed seeing the cocky Peter Parker strutting around the streets... very nice touch... the notion of forgiveness was nicely done and relayed to the audience in a powerful and entertaining way... bottom line... i give Spiderman 3 an A...

next up, i dig deep into the archives of Netflix (actually, my wife picked it)... and we come up with TEACHER'S PET starring Doris Day and Clark Gable... obviously, this is a romantic comedy, but Gable is a grizzled newspaper man and he stumbles upon a night school class teaching journalism... the story revolves around the romantic attraction between the two of them as well as a discussion about what journalism is and what it should be as well as whether or not it can be taught... it plays out very interestingly and i'm not ashamed to say that i enjoyed it... i'd give it a B+

THE WORLD AROUND ME
to the tune of Work - Jars of Clay

Well, with just under three weeks left, my GMA Week is shaping up to be pretty busy... i've booked somewhere between 20 and 26 interviews over the course of 2 days (waiting to hear back on a few, still) and i've been staring at the showcase schedules for a while, trying to decide which ones will be the most appealing... one thing's for sure, Robert Randolph is scheduled to play and i'm going to do anything i can to make sure i don't miss that one... it's already what i'm looking forward too most...

Other than that and my day job, i'm working on a number of writing projects including a concert review of the Tobymac, Jeremy Camp, and Matthew West show i went to a couple weeks ago, a few, yes few issues of Left to Write, a number of album reviews, a handful of interviews, and even more... all this and my "o" key is sticking... actually, it's been working pretty well tonight... maybe i fixed it... anyway... that's all for now, kiddos... remember to favorite me so i can get really famous or something...

peace... love... bdg...

well, it's Friday and you may be thinking that, hey, i guess the new schedule means that he blows off Wednesday and Thursday... well... you'd be wrong... sure, i did blow off the last two days kind of, but it wasn't entirely intentional, it was just life... Wednesday i was in a fog most of the day and yesterday, among other things, i had to do an interview that i had pretty much forgotten about... and then amidst all the preparations for GMA Week which is now officially less than a month away... it's just been pretty crazy around here... so i'll try to make up for it with a fantastic post today, but be forewarned... i'm listening to talk radio and it's kind of difficult to write while doing that... but let's give it a go...

ONE. DOVE-ING IT
to the tune of We Won't Be Quiet - David Crowder Band

So, they've announced the first batch of performers for this year's Dove Awards and we care because i'll be there and i'll have to watch them... Anyway, it looks like an alright mix... we've got Casting Crowns, The Clark Sisters, Michael W Smith, Amy Grant, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Trin-i-tee 5:7, David Crowder*Band, Israel Houghton and Charlie Daniels with Mac Powell... i've bolded the ones i'm particularly interested in seeing... but, i think it's a pretty nice variety so that most people will enjoy at least, i don't know, maybe 5 minutes of the telecast...

oh, yeah, they're going to be telecasting the Dove Awards live on Gospel Music Channel

TWO. BUSSED-ED
to the tune of Gypsy Flat Road - Sandra McCracken

So i kind of laughed out loud when i read this story about flattened bus tires... not because i think it's a good idea, but because i clearly remember a time when some guys i knew did something similar during my high school days... i don't think they were successful, and they certainly didn't keep a secret well, because everyone knew about it by the day's end... this case, however included other vandalism to the busses including graffiti... i've also, in looking for a better article about this, learned that this has become quite an epidemic across the country, with recent occurrences in Boston, Chicago, Colorado, New Jersey and probably a lot more... that's the power of the internet, kids...

one side note... i remember when graffiti was about giving a voice to the voiceless... now it's just about degredation of society and it really irritates me...

THREE. NEW DAY???
to the tune of Come Together - Third Day

Third Day is planning a new album and by golly it actually sounds pretty exciting... given that i haven't heard a note of it, i'm basing this solely on the press release that i received not too long ago... here's the gist... they're bringing in Howard Benson (Daughtry, POOD, Flyleaf) for production and they guest list includes Chris Daughtry, Lacey Mosely (Flyleaf) and Robert Randolph...

I'm not saying this is going to be the best rock album of the year, but REVELATION may just be the best Third Day album in many, many years...

FOUR. Syncast
to the tune of The IV - Braille

consider me a somewhat late whistle-blower, but if you dig hip hop and you do the whole podcast thing, you've got to check out The Syncast... i guess it's once a month, but it's generally packed with good tunes a brief interview or other feature and it really rolls along well... They're on #37 and i've listened to the last three (they're about a half hour each) and i'm definitely recommending it right now...

Check it out in iTunes now or figure out how to subscribe other ways at TheSyncast.com

FIVE. BIG BEN
to the tune of Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood

So Ben Stein has gotten behind and in front, center stage of a documentary about evolution, creationism and the suppression of free thought in the scientific world... the trailer, despite the loud, blaring music and the silly outfit, makes the movie look pretty interesting... i got a leaders packet a couple weeks ago about it, but unfortunately not a screener, so i can't tell you if it actually is as good as it looks or if it's just the magic of creating a captivating 3 minute trailer... either way, it's an interesting concept and maybe, just maybe, it will get some people realizing that everyone who believes in the Creation isn't a complete imbecile...

HAPPY WEEKEND

and that's that... i've got a new Walk TRu posted for those that are interested... Ampersand EP by Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken... hopefully i'll have some more for you soon... 'til then...

peace... love... bdg...