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...

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...

So there are reviews i could be writing... there is a Left to Write i could be working on... there's a few features that i could be putting together... there's a lot that i could be doing right now... but, since i'm currently caught up in listening to Tesla's Great Radio Controversy which is one of my all time favorite rock albums... and since i've promised to write more here this week... i'm here, right now, working on that... i've got a lot to cover in between my coughing fits (what's up with that?)... so i suppose we should get to it... off we go...

GOOD LUCK, HUCK

So it is official, my boy Mike has left the building... the campaign run has ended... the GOP is flooding my inbox with requests for donations to the McCain campaign... All that's fine and well... i will support McCain over either of the Democratic nominees... but since this is the first time that i really got behind a candidate, much less followed the election progress this early in the process, it's pretty sad to see this result...

Don't get me wrong, i'm not one of those one-issue, my President must be a devout Christian who can recite the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Prayer forwards and backwards or else our country is doomed forever... i like Mike's stance on family values, i like Mike's stand against abortion, i like that Mike isn't afraid to talk about Creation vs. Evolution even though it has nothing to do with the office of the President... i like all these things and more, but that's not entirely why i supported him and would've really liked to see him become President...

I was more impressed by his attitude of humility, his commitment to character, his persistence, his practicality and his ability to balance hope and reality... Look at the remaining candidates: Obama is running on the platform of hope... audacious hope to be exact... and that's great, but the problem is that he's so far skewed towards that sense of hope (at least the character he plays on TV is) that he and the media are completely ignoring the reality that surrounds him... this makes him naive and vulnerable... on the other side of things you have Hillary and McCain, both seasoned veterans in politics and life (i think that's a nice way to say "old" actually, but it's more than that)... they're both running on a platform of experience and realism... which is important, but somewhere along the line, they lost their sense of hope... the sense of wonder that draws people by the millions to this nation... they're so skewed in the direction of realism that they struggle to inspire others around them... if it comes down to the two of them, it'll be like a civil cold war (Hillary of course would represent communism in that analogy)... Mike exhibits both a sense of hope as well as a recognition of reality... that allows him to both inspire others as well as effectively handle the problems facing the day...

As far as policies, i agree with the idea of a fair tax... i agree with his desire to restore the US military and make certain that it is always seen as an honorable force to be reckoned with... i agree with his commitment to education and more specifically encouraging that the arts aren't pushed out of the educational experience... i love how, despite constantly getting skewered as a anti-science kook for believing in Creation, his policies on energy independence call for loads of scientific research and implementation in order to relieve the strain of rising oil prices... i mean, man, there's a lot that i agree with... reflecting on all this just makes me sadder, but even more than policies, i appreciated that Mike presents them all not as a politician, per se, but more as a fellow citizen, because truly, our president is first and foremost a citizen just like you and me...

So, rather than being depressed about this, and at the risk of being called one of those Bible-thumpers, i'm just going to drop in a bit of Scripture here, which came to mind on the day i voted in my state and has run through my head during the better part of this entire process...

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
- Romans 13:1-2 (NIV, emphasis mine)

BARGAIN OF THE DAY

here's a TRu-light special for all you iTunes shoppers... Fresh Tunes - Winter 2008... seven songs from Sparrow Records including new songs from Shawn McDonald, Delirious and Starfield as well as current singles from Brit Nicole, Daniel Doss Band, Robbie Seay Band and Josh Wilson all for less than a buck... okay, so it's one penny less, but still, 99 cents for 7 songs isn't bad... better than a kick in the teeth...

WHAT'S (HHH) BEEF?

So, my attention was drawn to this article by Wut Metaphysical about the rift within Christian hip-hop (a.k.a. Holy Hip Hop or HHH) circles... basically, there are two "sects" of HHH - those who preach to the choir in a sense and those who reach through the fire, maybe... i might've stretched that a bit to make it rhyme, but you have groups like Cross Movement, Timothy Brindle, and a host of others with the primary intention of edifying believers through their music... the other side of this "civil war" consists of groups like Deepspace5 and LA Symphony among others that focus more on creating the best art possible with lyrics that speak more about life experiences than Biblical teaching... i think that's a decent way of putting it...

While taken at face value, it doesn't seem like this should be an issue, since we are all gifted in different ways and that's Biblical...

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."
- 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 (ESV)

However, it is an issue since insults and accusations have been lobbed back and forth between camps and it seems like it won't ever be resolved... this article is a good background on the subject, pointing out some of the hypocrisies from both sides and offering a nice plea for reconciliation...

i would add, however, that it's not an issue that's exclusive to hip-hop... it exists within the Christian rock community, within all of CCM, and within the whole of the collective Church... it just seems like hip-hop is easier to focus on because it's already got a bad reputation and these types of disputes or "beef" sell well in mainstream hip-hop... (mainstream hip-hop., by the way, faces this same rift, in a sense as there's quite a difference between the likes of Mos Def, Common, etc and the likes of 50 Cent, Young Jeezy and others... )

as Talib Kweli says in a recent single "Hip-hop's the new WWF, what do you rap or do you wrestle?"... i suppose HHH would add the line, "and against whom are you wrestling?"

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 6: 12-14

Days 2-6

As if the first day of craziness wasn't enough for the members of Joshua's army... you have to wonder what was going on in the camp during these 5 days... it's a very short little section of Scripture with a lot of room to speculate... very similar to the account of the tower of Babel in my mind... but, the pattern is established... Joshua leads his troops in submission and obedience to God's commands... still, i wonder why sone repetitive passages are drawn out in the Bible and others, like this one, are quickly brushed over... anyway...

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg...

It seems like this book is taking a long time to get through... i'm further along than i'll be writing about today, but i'm still short of halfway through... i think i'll change this section up a bit and it'll be less details in the future... hopefully it'll help me get through more books...

Chapter seven is about taking your turn... it's not so much about sharing and waiting in line, but it's about making sure that when you get the call, you're rolling the die and not phoning it in as they say... Ortberg holds up Daniel as an example of someone who took as much control of his life as was possible while remaining in submission to God...

Chapter eight reminds us that all this stuff is just stuff... it can't make us happy, we can't take it with us when we die, it's not going to pet our cat... and there's a really interesting section contrasting the richness of having and the richness of being... i liked that a lot...

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU...

okay, so i'm moving on for today... i've got some more things to talk about including some more about politics (but not too much on that subject)... probably some more TV talk... some music talk because last week was pretty big as far as album releases go... and a bunch of things i'm working on for theTRu...

BUT BEFORE I GO...

it's almost time for Gospel Music Week down in Nashville where i head down and watch a lot of shows and conduct a lot of interviews... here's my question for you, the people who read things that i write... who do you want to me to interview? what do you want me to write about? let me know please...

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

i can't believe it's Wednesday or that it's so late on Wednesday... i'm going to cover a bit and cover it quickly so let's get getting...

THE ICE STORM COMETH...

well, last night it took me over two hours to get home and i passed by an accident count in the double digits... these silly people driving too fast in icy rain... what are you thinking? so many cars on the side of the road... i sincerely hope they're alright and that they remember not to do that again... this morning everything seemed pretty much resolved even though it was still below freezing outside and icicles adorned pretty much everything in sight...

OVER AND OVER AND OVER

at least that was pretty... the results from last night's voting also hung like the icicles as the pundits described the life of my boy Mike's chances dripping away... in fact... McCain's camp actually send a memo over to Huckabee's camp asking them to give it up, citing mathematical impossibilities... i heard people in the media call Huckabee "a professional irritant", "an annoyance" and many other non-flattering terms, but, as silly and unprofessional as that all is, at least they're talking about him somewhat...

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!

Bill O'Reilly, someone i can handle in small doses (usually the 3 minute Talking Points podcast), was pleading the case of Hillary Clinton the other day... yes, that Hillary... addressing the Senator's complaints that the media has turned against her and has been unfairly representing her and her family... she was also concerned that the media outlets had already handed over the Democratic nomination to Obama despite it continuing to be a tight race... sounds to me like the monster Dr. Frankenstein built in years past has come to life and turned on its master... and, might i add, how hypocritical of O'Reilly, not only to chime in on Hillary's side, but also to complain about "secular" media doing to Hillary exactly what he and Fox News have done to my boy Mike for the ENTIRE CONTEST...

CHEESEHEADS, ROLL OUT

Next up for my boy Mike is Wisconsin... i think he can take the state and gain some momentum going into the big block of contests on March 4th... as far as whether or not he should give up and leave the election, i say, in the words of General Anthony McAuliffe, "Nuts!"... later this week, i'll talk more about why i like Mike...

NUTS!

speaking of which... Jericho is back on the air and i missed the premiere yesterday... i'll watch it online or on demand later this week... pretty bummed about missing it though...

CLEMENS.... SEE?

The Rocket testified in congress today and it's really not looking too good for Clemens... i said before that i lean towards the side of believing him over McNamee, but there is this nagging notion of motive... and then Pettite reportedly said that Clemens had admitted it to him... i just don't know... i did work out a scenario where McNamee has motive though... it involves years of blackmail, a bluff, and a battle of wills... regardless, now that they've both testified to opposing accounts under oath, one of them is pretty much screwed... and Clemens never had a very good screwball...

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 6: 6-11

Day One

I'm not sure how the conversation entirely went, or if Joshua really explained the full battle plan to his people, but he managed to convince them all to follow him... and they set out on day one of the week-long plan of attack... i'm sure that everyone was pretty antsy and i imagine that there was a lot of whispers after they got back to camp that night as they all tried to figure out what happened... and why they didn't yell at all, why they didn't attack at all, why they were sitting back at camp again...

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg...

Chapter 6: Master of the Board... again

the next section of this chapter hits you like a cold wet sock across the face... or, like the reality it's asking you to face... the reality that you're not actually the master of the board... we're not in control of our lives and by pretending that we are, it's more than a lie, it's more than disillusionment, it's even more than sad... it's dangerous, it's destructive, it's really, really depressing... this chapter is something of a downer so far... ha!

AND IT JUST DON'T STOP

Okay, here's the links from last time... the Mr. J Interview and a walk TRu of How Great Thou Art... looking at the old calendar, i see that i have some more interviews coming up with Kevin Max, Poems, and more including some year in re:TRu stuff too... also tomorrow is Valentine's Day and they're announcing the Dove Nominees, so i might talk about that, too...

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

Got a few updates over on theTRu... last week, i got some album reviews knocked out (still have a few more coming)... you can check out my thoughts on Building 429 and The Sound of New Breed... in the coming days, i'll be putting down thoughts on Neon Horse, Rush of Fools, Article One, Newsboys, Theory Hazit, and Flatfoot 56... so stay TRu-ned for that...

There's also a brand new iTRu-nes playlist loaded up on the front page and as an iMix over at iTunes... definitely check that out as this month's list include TobyMac, K-Os, Derek Webb, Lovedrug and more.... and don't forget to head over to iTunes and rate the playlist so i can keep up with your tastes and keep the coverage in line with that...

And finally (for this update)... i dug back a little bit to December when i interviewed Urban D... just last week saw the release of Urban D's book, CD and DVD all titled Un.Orthodox and i had spoken with him about the projects and balancing cultural relevance with spiritual accountability... Since the interview was initially intended used in a piece i wrote for the pages of HM Magazine, there's also a bit of history behind Urban D and Crossover Community Church, where he is currently the Sr. Pastor... pretty good conversation all in all...

Plenty more coming down the pike... so, as always, keep it locked...

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