On vacation

Will return during the first week of June - thanks for stopping by!

Idol finale

The "American Idol" finale was last night as Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis sang their way through two karaoke tunes and a sappy first single.

The single's ballad form favored Jordin. While, as Simon put it, Blake was clearly the better performer.

So, who should win? I don't think it matters aside from the paycheck.

Chris Daughtry came out last night and showed you don't have to win to hit it big.

Jordin's the better singer, but Blake brought something different to the competition and kept people entertained.

As I sit back and wonder why the finale is two hours long, I'll have my TV safely tuned in....to....Lost over on ABC.

I'm sure someone will tell me who won when it's over.

Summer anthem or horrible song?

Apparently, all you need is a catchy rhythm and some stupid lyrics to be a hit.

They're saying that Lil Mama's song "Lip Gloss" is going to be the hit of the summer.

To this, I say, are you freakin' kidding me?

The state of the music industry must be hurting.

This is not the way to sell albums. How about putting out music that will still be relevant in 10 years let alone 10 days.

I weep for the future:

This week's new releases (5/22)

Here's a look at some of this week's new releases:

Battles "Mirrored" - Former Helmet guy joins others for mathematical adventures in music.

Erasure "Light at the End of the World" - The "What Year is This?" CD of the week.

Maroon 5 "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" - Sure, they're all over TV - SNL and Idol - but something tells me the new album won't be as much of a hit as the first one.

Ozzy Osbourne "Black Rain" - Glad to see he's still making new music, but is it really the same after watching him clean up after his dog and stammer his way around the house?

And what would it be without a list of the bands with animal-related names who are releasing albums this week? Here they are: Astrid Swan, Beardfish, Birds of Avalon, Dog Day, Handsome Furs,

Diddley recovering

Great news - , four days after a stroke that left his speech slightly impaired.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Idol shocker, Diddley ill

I can't say I predicted Melinda would be the one going home, but I did have my hopes that it would be the case.

So, it's down to Jordin and Blake - the better singer vs. the more contemporary personality. I think both of them have good possibilities for a strong career.

Bo Diddley suffers stroke

Sad news... Bo Diddley, 78, suffered a stroke and is in intensive care.

Tests have indicated that his speech and speech recognition have been affected.

Sad, sad news for the rock and roll legend. I once had the honor of a 10 minute phone interview with him... I can only wish him a quick and complete recovery.

Idol's top 3

The karaoke contest is almost over...

Last night, each of the final three contestants sang three songs and it's just about anybody's guess who will be in the final two.

While popular opinion says Melinda will win it all, I'm hoping she's the one to go home tonight.

Jordin has the most fun, relaxed and powerful voice of the group. She's also the most marketable.

Blake, while not the best singer, definitely has the most contemporary abilities. Sure, the beatboxing gets old, but it's better than hearing the same ballads over and over.

Melinda is a good singer, but she doesn't stand out. It's solid vocals, but no personality. Any album she were to make would disappear...and not in a good way.

I think Blake has the best chance at mass appeal, Jordin is a question mark, but could turn out like Kelly Clarkson. Melinda will be placed alongside Ruben or Fantasia as winners that were never heard from again.

This week's new releases (5/15)

Here's a look at some of this week's new releases:

Dolores O'Riordan "Are you listening?" - The former frontwoman for The Cranberries releases a solo album.

George Thorogood "Taking Care of Business" - Still making new records? Who knew?!

Linkin Park "Minutes to Midnight" - They're steering away from the rap-rock thing. It'll be interesting to hear how they've changed.

What would it be without the list of bands with animal-related names releasing albums this week? Fish, Snapper

This sucks...

There's no other way to put it.

This sucks...

American Idol - Final 4

So, we're down to four contestants on the country's biggest karaoke contest and they went with the Bee Gees...

Ugh, there are so many things I don't like about this show.

Anyway, I've grown tired of Melinda's ballads, Lakisha's screaming and Blake's beatboxing.

This is Jordin's chance to win it. If she gets voted out - most likely because people assume she's safe - it's pointless to pay attention to who wins.

I think Melinda and Lakisha would disappear into the Fantasia, Ruben and Taylor world of former Idol winners.

Melinda is too dime-a-dozen. There are plenty of good singers, but she's missing the "Wow" factor. I've also seen the spit fly out of her mouth too many times for her to be visually appealing.

Lakisha looks like she'd putting a hurtin' on me if I say something bad, but I've said it since week one - she screams. Like Jennifer Hudson before her, she needs to tone it down a notch and relax. We can hear you just fine - it's called a microphone. It's also that lisp and strange way her mouth curls up for the letter 's' that ruins any appeal the singer might have.

Blake can beatbox, we get it. I didn't think his songs last night sounded bad, but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. I thought he changed it up nicely with the falsetto - probably the first time it hasn't made me cringe on this show.

Jordin - she's got style, poise, presense, beauty and a naturally gifted voice. She's young and would probably put out a better, hipper album than Melinda or Lakisha.

I'm guessing that tonight, Lakisha is gone.

New releases (5/8)

Here's a look at some of the new releases for this week:

Paula Abdul "Greatest Hits - Straight Up!" - With all of the success of "American Idol," I'm surprised it took so long to get this out.

Paris Bennett "Princess P" - The former "American Idol" finalist release of the week.

Bjork "Volta" - I'm guessing she abandoned the human-voices-only theory from the last album and brought instruments back into the mix.

Jethro Tull "Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull" - From the former winners of "Best Heavy Metal Band."

As always, a list of bands with animal-related names releasing albums this week: Circus, Fuckpony, Glass Tiger, Hudson Falcons, Mice Parade, Neon Horse, Sea Wolf

Karaoke and lip synching

The world's most popular karaoke contest continued last night as the top six left sang Bon Jovi hits on "American Idol."

Phil actually got things off to a good start, and then I was more surprised by watching Jordin struggle.

Blake modernized a classic and showed why he should win, while Fantasia, oops, I mean LaKisha, and Fantasia, oops, I mean Melinda, had their own problems. I thought LaKisha continues to scream and Melinda's R&B style didn't fit the song.

Chris put an r&b style on "Dead or Alive" and it was painful to listen to - especially after hearing Chris Daughtry tear it up.

I'd boot off Chris and Lakisha.

In Synch

While most people watched "Idol," a few in California had their eyes on the brief return of Britney Spears.

Who are the idiots who payed $125 to see the pop tart lip synch five songs? This girl should never be labeled as a singer. She's an entertainer...that's about it.