Oh good, since you outed yourself, I can ‘fess up.  Haven’t missed one of AI shows this season.  I am totally and completely hooked--have been since about season 3 if truth be told.  I liked the contestants better overall last year, but this season had it’s moments.  Taylor grew on me as the season went on (you might appreciate this--my 90 year old mom got hooked on the show while she was with us this winter. Went back to western MA where there are few if any stations and most definitely not Fox and in a rare--extremely rare--moment of frivolity got a satellite dish--even she can’t believe she did it.  ANd now she is faithfully watching AI!! I don’t think she votes, but then nothing would surprise me anymore...)

I agree about Kat--I think what bothers me most about her is the absolute lack of emotion in her eyes except when she looks at Daddy and his tears--she seems almost, well empty inside.  Sounds weird, but it is like looking into a mirror not into her soul when they show her expressions.  I don’t know, am not explaining it very well.
Read something this morning where someone is suggesting they should have yet another reality show--Best Songwriter’s show--to run concurrently with AI - public votes on favorite songs - new songs and then the AI finalists sing the songs WE choose.  Makes a lot of sense to me--I can’t believe they haven’t thought of it.  And, those two “specially written for” songs last night were beyond cheesy.  Thank goodness Taylor knows how to sing and put his own spin on it, saving it from being more cheesy than it was!!

Oh m’god, I can’t believe I just took up all this space babbling about nothing--NOTHING - mind you!!

LOL! We’re discussing popular culture. That’s a valid subject.

Kat seems like she’s all show and short on substance. I don’t know what it is about her either, but when she’s singing she’s like a machine that looks beautiful and sings the right notes and has a lovely voice, but she’s not projecting personality as much as an image. She does glamour really well. Taylor, of course, is a ham and really comfortable in front of the cameras and people. He projects warmth and personality very well.

I agree, the last two songs were just awful. I read one article this morning that said they were treacly. Exactly. Bleh.

American Songwriter would be an interesting reality show. ;)

Did your mom get DirecTV? They offer a great deal for TiVo. It might seem like a terrible frivolity, but it sure is handy to be able to pause and rewind to catch things you didn’t quite get the first time. (Or listening to the Idols songs over again.) Great for bathroom breaks, phone interruptions, and fridge raiding, too.

A-HA! Some closet AI watchers out there.  Since I absolutely cannot stand Kat, if she wins tonight I’m blaming you!  Knowing my luck, she’ll not only win but do another rendition of “Jesus Take The Wheel.” Oh, my head hurts already. 

LOL! Well, the other possibility is that Taylor’s phone line was broken and we’ll have another face-off night—in which Kat wipes the stage with Taylor *and* sings “Jesus Take the Wheel”—so we can try voting again. Wouldn’t that be fun???

Your last paragraph gives one pause. Another blog I read was lamenting all of the attention being given to the race horse that broke his leg while most Americans have never even heard of Darfur.

Well, 51% (allegedly) of the voting public also elected George Bush. If people wanted to know about Darfur or George Bush, the facts are and were readily available. Some of the people like to hide from unpleasant realities while another contingent will bust their butts to give them reasons and excuses to hide from reality. But, just about everyone can get behind an injured horse, which isn’t a bad thing. I’d be more worried if no one cared. At least worrying about an injured animal is a good sign that there is still hope for humanity. It would be more hopeful, however, if people cared about people as much. The last paragraph was meant to give pause.

I also read an article this morning in which some expert seriously stated that the American Idol voting is currently America’s purest form of democracy. Think on that one for a minute or two. There’s a lot of meat to gnaw off that bone.

I don’t think she got DirecTV--in fact I am positive.  She would freak about having to learn how to record, stop, back up and all of that. Heck, we gave her a computer a few years ago and she gave it right back!!  This lady is a marvel, but when I say she is your typical, tightfisted, stingy, thrifty Yankee, that may be understated.  For her to do whatever she did is beyond amazing to me!!  I swear she said it was something like $99 and then $20 something a month which is not half bad.  Of course, she also hinted that perhaps my brother and I would want to pay for it as birthday/Christmas gifts etc.  Hmmmmmm The funniest part is that she needed a credit card for the initial stuff anyway, and she doesn’t have one, so my brother--HA!!--happened to be there and she used his.  YES!!

Hey, one more comment on AI--did you enjoy last night?  I thought it was the best finale show they have had.  The two hours almost--key word, almost - flew by.  For the most part, it really was fun.  My son and his girlfriend were here watching it with me (bonding??) and about 3/4 of the way through she said she had nearly forgotten it was the results show!!

And I was so thankful that we were spared more of “daddy’s tears” when Katherine didn’t win..........and did you catch “mommy’s” dress??  Yeeeccchh....I guess she was going for the mother-daughter look.  Didn’t work!!

Sun’s out...........enjoy it!!

Yep, I TiVod it so I could fast forward through the dull parts and started watching about 10:30. The only things I fast forwarded through were the commercials. It was a really good program. The announcement of the winner at the end was almost anti-climactic.

I thought for sure Kat was going to fall out of her dress(es). Good grief. And I appreciated that they didn’t focus on her parents for once. I didn’t notice what her mother wore, but her sense of style didn’t do much for me through most of the shows. And I still think Elliot was robbed. He was so good last night. Why couldn’t he have been that relaxed and on fire during the competitions?! He had charisma to burn last night. Oh well, it’s over for another year.

It’s funny that TiVo scares people. Whoever designed it was a genius. The format is so simple and easy to use. Nothing at all computerish about it and way easier to use than your regular every day remote control.  My TiVo costs $6 a month with DirecTV and it’s definitely worth it. Simplifies TV and remote control use by magnitudes. But good for your Mom for grabbing what she wanted and getting it done. I think splitting the satellite subscription between your brother and you for Christmas is a great idea!