Joshua Ledet The Next American Idol?

Joshua Ledet from Westlake, Louisiana is another step closer to becoming the Season 11 American Idol.

 

Joshua Ledet seems to be gaining momentum in his quest to be the American Idol. He got the best feedback from the judges and from Jimmy Iovine.

Ledet sings with emotion, which goes a long way in having a successful music career. I think he has the talent to be one of the more successful American Idols, but not sure how strong his voting base is having come from a smaller city in Westlake, Louisiana.

It was no surprise that Elise Testone was sent packing after all the negative feedback on Wednesday night. She had some really good nights and some really bad nights, but still has the talent to become a successful singer.

Jessica Sanchez has rebounded from her last place finish two or three weeks ago to stay in the competition, but can’t see her becoming the next American Idol, but if Joshua has a bad night, she could be the favorite to win it all. 

Phillip Phillips may find himself in the Bottom 3 next week, unless he makes a better impression on the judges and American Idol fans. Just my opinion for what little it is worth, but he doesn’t seem to be improving from week to week.

Hollie Cavanaugh keeps hanging around, but now she may the next to go home if Phillip Phillips doesn’t go home next week.

It was a huge surprise that Skylar Laine was in the Bottom 3 last night, after the judges had such positive feedback after she sang on Wednesday night. That raises the question of how strong her voter base is and if she is in Bottom 3 again next week, her time on the show could be nearing an end. 

There should be a lot of competition the next two weeks, as the singers try to make it to the Final 3 so they can visit their hometowns.

Living just a few miles from Joshua’s hometown of Westlake, Louisiana has me pulling, for him to be in the final three.

Oklahoma City Lady Calls In Bomb Threat After Receiving $14 Electric Bill

Most people would be ecstatic to receive a $14 electric bill, but Deidra Reed an Oklahoma City lady called in a bomb threat, after receiving her bill. Her threat resulted in her receiving a felony charge. 

She threatened to blow up Oklahoma Gas and Electric saying that she didn’t use enough electricity to have a $14 bill.

This reminds me of a episode of the Honeymooners, when Ralph Kramden went ballistic, when he found out the electric bill was $9. He went on and on about how they were going to have to cut back because of the huge electric bill.

The Oklahoma City lady also stated she is paying $40 a month for rent. When you add the $14 electric bill, that would be a total of $54 for rent and electricity.

Oklahoma City should see an influx of people, now that they know they can rent a place and pay for electricity for only $54. 

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/NATL-Oklahoma-Woman-Threatens-Electricity-CompanyOver-14-Bill-149030635.html?2

 

George Jones Embroiled In Family Feud With Daughter

George Jones and his daughter Georgette Lennon have engaged in a family feud. Jones has said he is tired of helping his daughter and is tired of her talking about him on the internet and Facebook.

His daughter Georgette has responded by saying she never made negative statements about her dad, so the public is left to wonder if she or Jones are telling the truth.

This article explains the situation:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/george-jones-public-family-feud/story?id=16219349#.T5mUw7PY-nc

What TV Shows Are Returning, Canceled or On the Bubble?

TV.com has assembled a list of shows that have already been renewed, canceled or on the bubble which could mean they will return or be canceled in the near future.

The complete list:

http://www.tv.com/news/whats-renewed-whats-canceled-and-whats-still-in-between-2012-edition-28304/?page=2

Ryan Seacrest Signs $30 Million American Idol Contract

Ryan Seacrest has signed a new two year contract to host American Idol for $30 million in 2013 and 2014.

Ryan Seacrest who is finishing a three-year contract of $45 million for hosting American Idol has signed a new contract for $30 million.

Seacrest will have earmed $75 million for hosting American Idol from 2010-2014. Seacrest is similar to the late Dick Clark in that he is a disc jockey, television host and producer, so the American Idol salary only represents part of his yearly income.

He will have to slow down sooner or later, because he has so many irons in the fire. Seacrest now 35, may still be able to handle the present load, but with him being a host during the Olympics this summer, it should curtail his Entertainment News hosting and his radio show workload.

I don’t know for a fact, but imagine that Seacrest has learned a lot from his late friend Dick Clark, not only about hosting, but about how to be a successful producer.

The value of Seacrest was evident when Steve Jones hosted X-Factor and seemed very uncomfortable and asked contestants and judges some very foolish questions. Meanwhile, Seacrest is very comfortable on television and in particular when hosting American Idol

American Idol wouldn’t be the same without Seacrest and nobody could really replace him. There are many television hosts, but Ryan Seacrest is the host other hosts need to emulate.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-24/seacrest-said-to-sign-2-year-idol-deal-for-30-million

Was LBJ Mastermind Behind JFK Assassination?

I have often considered Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson as the architect behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The following article says that LBJ told his mistress Madeleine Duncan Brown that those SOB’s will never embarrass me again the night before the assassination.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/300806jfk.htm

It makes sense why LBJ was quick to have the Warren Commission Report say that the assassination was by a lone gunman. That is why Lee Harvey Oswald was silenced two days after the assassination by a bullet from the gun of Jack Ruby.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, that LBJ was involved in the assassination, but he sure had motive, which was that he would become the president, since he was first in line for the presidency.

We may never know the truth about what happened on that day in Dealey Plaza, but so far nobody has proved to me conclusively that Lee Harvey Oswald was acting on his own. He may have fired the fatal shots that killed JFK that day, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t part of a conspiracy to assassinate JFK.

2013 will be the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F.Kennedy, Hundreds of books have been written about the JFK assassination, which makes it difficult to sort out fact from fiction. The only thing we know for sure is that President Kennedy was shot down in cold blood on a Dallas street, but I still can’t believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted on his own.

Mary’s Mosaic Tells Story Behind Murder of JFK Mistress, JFK’s Use of LSD

Peter Janney, the author of Mary’s Mosaic: The Conspiracy to Murder, John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer and Their Vision of World Peace may have written one of the best murder mysteries in his new non-fiction book released earlier this month.

It seems like there is no end to books about JFK’s affairs and this is one more such book. Janney attempts to show that Mary Pinchot Meyer was the mistress of JFK and when she started her personal investigation of his assassination she may have got too close to the truth.

The book tells of a CIA hitman named William Mitchell who shot and killed Meyer on a walking path in Georgetown, Maryland. Mitchell has reportedly vanished off the face of the earth and can’t be located, after telling investigative reporter Leo Damore that the murder of Meyer was standard operating procedure for the CIA. 

Janney leaves us to believe that JFK and Meyer experimented with drugs, but no concrete evidence of this is revealed. Meyer was very good friends with Dr. Timothy Leary and Leary had been interviewed by Damore before Damore committed suicide. Janney was able to purchase Damore’s notes and audio tapes in 2004, and apparently used those notes and tapes to write this book.

So once again JFK who was assassinated 49 years ago next November 22 is the subject of yet another book that portrays him,  as a adulterer who for the first time I know of, also reportedly using drugs.

Reviews of the book at Amazon.com are very favorable with 23 readers of 27 giving it five stars. No reader gave it the lowest ranking of one star.

Just when we think nothing new can come out about the assassination of JFK, this book shows us that there is still a lot we don’t know about our former president.

Ernest Tubb Story:

The Ernest Tubb Story album recorded on the MCA label was released in 1959 and was in my record collection at one time.. Like most record albums it eventually wound up being sold in a garage sale, but the record can still be bought today at eBay with nine copies available.

I can remember listening to the great older songs sung by Ernest Tubb including his signature song Walking the Floor Over You, Driftwood on the River, Let’s Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello, Filipino Baby, Rainbow at Midnight, Blue Christmas and many other songs sung by Tubb in his earlier days of being a recording artist.

Tubb would have been 97 years old in February if still alive, but died in 1984 at the age of 70. It was exciting to see Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn in concert, when they were singing together in a concert at the Rapides Parish Coliseum and bought albums of both singers and they both autographed their albums, which unfortunately were victims of garage sales too. 

I can remember listening to the Grand Ole Opry on WSM radio from Nashville, then the Ernest Tubb Record Shop show would follow the Opry broadcast. 

His idol was the singing brakeman Jimmie Rodgers and he emulated his style of singing, until his tonsils were removed and he no longer could yodel, so developed his own singing style.

There are mono and stereo copies of the album for sale. The album can be bought for as little as $8.79 with a $4.00 shipping charge for a total of $12.79. The most expensive copy sells for $30.00 with a $4 shipping charge for a total of $34.00.

The songlist for the Ernest Tubb Story LP record album:

http://allmusic.com/album/the-ernest-tubb-story-with-the-texas-troubadors-r94389

 

A few years ago I found a Texas Troubador Ernest Tubb CD online and it had a lot of the same song that were on the Ernest Tubb Story record album. 

The CD album includes 99 tracks of some of his best known songs, mostly from the 1940′s. Some of the songs apparently recorded during World War II, give a feeling of what it was like to be away from home, while serving in the miltary service.

The entire list of 99 songs can be found at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Troubadour-Ernest-Tubb/dp/B000083EHV/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1335204626&sr=8-11

Dick Clark Legacy: Part 3: New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Dick Clark hosting the 2002 New Year's Rockin Eve show.

Dick Clark hosted the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve from 1975-2004, but after suffering a stroke Regis Philbin hosted the 2005 show. Ryan Seacrest would take over the main hosting duties from 2006-2011. Dick Clark still appeared on the show, but the stroke had done so much damage to his voice, that he was no longer able to host the entire show.

It was sad to see the Dick Clark we knew from American Bandstand having problems speaking, but it seemed like his voice had improved somewhat in the last show. 

We had a family tradition of having chips and dip and ice cream sherbet and ginger ale punch on New Year’s Eve. Dick Clark was part of that tradition as he counted down the last seconds, till when the ball would drop, indicating a new year had begun.

Dick and his wife Kari would kiss to celebrate the new year, which was another tradition of New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.

Ryan Seacrest would host the show starting in 2005, but the real attraction to most of us was to see Dick Clark, who was seldom seen during the rest of the year after his stroke.

These posts could go on forever about how Dick Clark influenced the history of television as a host and as a producer. 

This list at imdb.com shows better than anything I could write, just how involved Dick Clark was involved in television. It lists every show he produced during his career.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0163863/

The following article at imdb.com tells even more than Dick Clark:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0163863/bio#trivia

Dick Clark appeared in five movies, including Because They’re Young and Spy Kids and appeared in many television series including Perry Mason and Lassie. He appeared in the episode filmed of Perry Mason.

Dick Clark may be gone but his legacy will continue for years to come. It would be nice to see the early American Bandstand shows from Philadelphia again, so we could once again see the disc jockey Clark, that became a multi-millionaire producer of television shows.

Frank Sinatra – The Nearness of You

The Nearness of You is heard in this 1947 recording of That Old Feeling recorded by Frank Sinatra.. I bought the album The Nearness of You which was released in 1967 and even though I thought I had lost it, my sister found it over 40 years later.

The album includes standards like Laura, It Could Happen To You, That Old Black Magic, Blue Hawaii, Just in Time and I Get Along Without You Very Well. It is fun listening to the same album in 2012, that I listened to 1967, which was 45 years ago.

There is no compact disc version of this album, that I know of but 48 of these records are for sale at eBay, with many of them being sold for less than $10, including shipping.

If you want to hear Frank Sinatra at his best, listen to this album if you ever get the chance.

I am going to play both sides tonight, as I go back once more to 1967, when the Beatles and Elvis Presley may have been the kings of rock n’ roll but Frank Sinatra was Chairman of the Board.

Levon Helm – Ophelia

Levon Helm singing Ophelia during the last concert of The Band which was made into the movie The Last Waltz.

American Idol: And Now There Are Six

Joshua Ledet singing Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come on American Idol.

Colton Dixon received the fewest votes on American Idol and was sent home on Thursday’s show. The apparent favorite to win now is Joshua Ledet, the 20-year-old singer from Westlake, Louisiana.

However, we all know to expected the unexpected on American Idol, after Jessica Sanchez was saved by the judges, after receiving the fewest votes a week ago.

Phillip Phillips, Skylar Laine and Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet were safe on Thursday night, with Colton Dixon, Holllie Cavanagh and Elise Testone in the bottom three.

It will be interesting to see which one of the contestants that were safe last night will be in the bottom three last night. I think Phillip Phillips showed he is not just a one-dimensional singer, by singing In The Midnight Hour, which was released by Wilson Pickett 47 years ago in 1965.

Still the highlight of the night for me was when Joshua sang A Change is Gonna Come composed and recorded by Sam Cooke in 1963. Joshua poured so much emotion into the song, that the judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler couldn’t help but give Joshua a standing ovation.

The song has been sung on American Idol many times in the past, but never with the emotion and passion, that Joshua showed while he was singing it. The song is #12 in the Rolling Stone magazine’s 500th Greatest Songs of All-Time.

Elise Testone’s rendition of Let’s Get It On was sang well, but Elise is having problems with the judges, similar to the problems of Haley Reinhart experienced in Season 10. No matter how well she sings, it seems like the judges find fault with her singing, song selection or her emotional connection with the song.

Right now Joshua and Elise are the only contestants, to me that could interest me in buying their album. Before last week’s shocking vote, it looked like Jessica Sanchez was on her way to being the next American Idol. Now all bets are off as we have four girls and two boys remaining in the competition.

Just my opinion, but I think voters should be limited to one vote per voter, which would be fairer to all the contestants. The way it is now a texter that can text fast can vote many times for one contestant, while non-texters or slow texters are at a definite disadvantage.

Hollie is still my favorite should Joshua be voted off the show, but I wouldn’t mind Elise winning since I think she has the passion to be successful in the music industry. Skylar Laine poured every ounce of emotion and energy into her songs on Wednesday night and she seems to be coming on strong now.

This post includes the following poll asking readers who they think will be the next American Idol:

 

 

 

Dick Clark Legacy: Part 2: $10,000 Pyramid

The late Dick Clark hosted the $10,000 Pyramid which debuted on March 26, 1973.

Dick Clark was the first host of the $10,000 Pyramid which was first seen on the CBS television network on March 26, 1973. Clark who was still hosting American Bandstand at the time, was now able to add game show host to his resume.

The first celebrity guests were June Lockhart and Rob Reiner, who teamed up with contestants to try to reach the top of the pyramid.

The name of the show was changed to $20,000 Pyramid on January 19, 1976.

William Shatner who was a semi-regular guest on the show never returned, after screaming and throwing a chair out of the winner’s circle, when he was unable to help a contestant win a bonus round.

Many celebrities appeared on the show multiple times with Teresa Ganzel appearing 125 times, Betty White 90 times, Patty Duke in 70 episodes and Michael J. Fox appearing in 30 episodes.

Dick Clark hosted a total of 1,065 episodes from 1973-1988.

Clark also hosted Scattergories which was televised for less than five months from January 18, 1993 to June 11, 1993.

NEXT: PART 3 NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE

Dick Clark Dies At 82, Leaving Legacy of Television Entertainment Behind: Part One: American Bandstand

Dick Clark 1929-2012

Dick Clark became the host of American Bandstand in 1956, the year that rock and roll music took over the music world, so he was a big part of the early days of rock and roll.

I can remember coming home from high school and watching American Bandstand in the 50′s and 60′s. Our high school (Pineville High in Pineville, Louisiana) had a band named the The Capris who would have one of their records rated on the show.  The kids dancing at that show rated their record higher than a Rolling Stones record. You can imagine how excited the band was to receive national exposure, that American Bandstand and Dick Clark made possible.

American Bandstand was first telecast on a local Philadelphia television station in 1952. Sam Horn who was the host before Clark, was fired for drunken driving, opening the way for Clark to become the host and who would host the show till 1989. 33 years had passed since he took over the show in 1956 and by 1989 MTV was the rage of the music world.

Next: Part 2: $10,000 Pyramid

 

 

American Idol: No Save This Week For Jessica Sanchez

Jessica Sanchez finished last in the voting on American Idol and will try to stay out of the bottom three this week.

American Idol fans were shocked last week to find out that Jessica Sanchez received the fewest votes of the remaining seven singers.

She was more or less considered the favorite to be the next American Idol, but now it looks like she will have to struggle to avoid going home this week.

It looks like Jessica may face the fate of Pia Toscano, who was regarded as one of the best singers in Season 10, yet left early in the competition.

The voting last week makes the show this week more important than ever, since Jessica may actually have the least chance of winning of any of the remaining seven singers.

It surprised me that Joshua Ledet was in the bottom three along with Elise Testone, since they have the best stage presence of the remaining singers.

Colton Dixon, Skylar Laine, Phillip Phillips and Hollie Cavanagh had to be encouraged, to know they received more votes, than Jessica, Joshua and Elise.

American Idol producers surely didn’t want the show to turn into a popularity contest, but apparently that is exactly what is happening, since the three best singers received the least votes.

The question now is if Jessica can receive enough votes to stay out of the bottom three this week. If she continues to finish in the bottom three, it will be a sign, that she will not be the next American Idol.

My favorite is still Joshua, but I feel being from a smaller town may prevent him, from having the fan base to become the next American Idol.

Hollie Cavanagh is my next favorite if Joshua is sent home. The show has reached the stage, where good singers will be going home until the last singer goes home on finale night.

Votefortheworst.com is now trying to have voters vote for Phillip Phillips and claim their support kept him from being in the bottom three last week.

It is hard for me to believe that Jessica Sanchez actually received the fewest votes last week, but will assume American Idol is giving us the votes as they are cast. 

Jessica is a good singer, but not sure if she or any other singer this year can sell a million albums like Scotty McCreery has done. Skylar Laine may sell a lot of albums, if she becomes the American Idol, since it seems like American Idol winners, who are country artists sell more albums than a singer like Lee DeWyze who won Season 9 but sold few albums.

Randy Jackson was shocked to find out that Jessica received the least votes last week:

http://www.rickey.org/randy-jackson-says-jessica-sanchez-is-one-of-the-best-singers-in-america-ever-are-you-kidding-me/

The Voice Ratings Continue To Tumble, American Idol Slipping

The Voice producers need to revamp the show after attracting over 37 million viewers, when being shown after the Super Bowl, but losing 28 million of those viewers since then. Nobody expected the show to attract that many viewers again, but the 28 million drop in viewers has to be a concern to the producers.

The second show drew over 17 million viewers, but the show has been hovering from 8.45 million to 10.67 million viewers in the last four shows. Last Tuesday’s results show only drew 9 million viewers.

American Idol Numbers Also Dropping

American Idol is still drawing big numbers, but the show which drew over 20 millions fans in almost all of the Season 10 shows, has only went over 20 million once this season and that was the first show of the season.

There were 13 weeks in Season 10 when American Idol was the No.1 rated show of the week, but there have been only four times when American Idol was the No.1 show of the week during Season 11.

Summary: The Voice needs to revamp the show, so that we don’t go weeks without seeing singers, preventing them getting name recognition. You see a singer or singing group once during the blind auditions, then once during the battle rounds. So by the time the live shows begin the contestants have been seen a total of two times in nine weeks.

I seriously doubt whether anyone could name even two of the remaining 20 singers on The Voice, except for the most ardent fan.

In contrast, there has to be millions of American Idol fans who can give you the name of all the remaining seven singers.

It is all about name recognition for the singers and letting the viewers know the singers, but The Voice has failed miserably in that department.

The Voice may be making a huge mistake by bringing the show back in the fall, when X-Factor returns for their second season. They will be not only competing directly or indirectly against X-Factor, but will also be competing against the new fall programming, which could draw viewers from both shows.

Scotty McCreery the winner of American Idol Season 10 has his Clear As Day album ranked 138th in sales at Amazon six months after its release.

Meanwhile Javier Colon’s debut album Come Through For You released five months ago is currently ranked 5,641st in sales, after he won Season 1 of The Voice.

While both The Voice and American Idol are seeing their ratings numbers drop, American Idol is winning the battle of album sales.

On the Brink of Being Homeless

When we lived in Knoxville, Tennessee we saw what it was like to be homeless. I will never forget seeing a boy about 8 or 9 years old sleeping on the sidewalk. We saw the homeless walking up and down the sidewalks of the homeless area of town, where there were shelters for the homeless.

This last week reminded me of those homeless people, as we are in the same danger of being homeless as early as next week. We no longer get a check that we were used to receiving every month and we didn’t adjust well to the situation. Now we are at risk of not having a place to live, as an eviction notice could be posted in the next two or three days.

We have been in contact with the VA homeless program online, but so far the programs take too long to institute to help us in our case. There are one or two more options with VA we are exploring, but time is running out fast as the people working the homeless hotline are swamped with calls, so we have no more hope of a solution, that we had three days ago, when we first contacted the VA.

Relatives have sent money to help, but whether it will be enough to pay the rent is still unknown. If we should get help from the VA, we could use the money sent by relatives to get through the rest of this month and to start saving early for next month.

I have been hired for a crossing guard job, but so far have not been able to work, due to problems getting the equipment needed for the job.

Have often wondered how people evicted from their homes choose what to keep and what to leave behind. We may be finding out in the next few days. Our state from what I can tell online, only has a five-day waiting period, from the eviction notice being posted till having to evacuate the premises.

So if there are no posts made to Nostalgia and Now for the next few days, weeks and months, the readers will know why.

 

Thank you to all the readers of these 745 posts since April of 2009, who have made 325,000 visits to this website. Your taking the time to read the posts is very much appreciated. We may be writing again next week or it could be a long time in the future before another post is made, depending on how things work out in the next few days.

Andrew

American Idol: Jessica Sanchez Saved By Judges

American Idol Season 11 had the most shocking vote of the season last night, when Jessica Sanchez tallied the least votes of any of the remaining seven contestants.

This development reminded me of Pia Toscano being voted off the show early in Season 10 last year. However, this is an even bigger shock, since it was a given that Jessica would be the next American Idol. The vote shows her fanbase is not as solidly behind her as thought or they thought she was so safe, that they didn’t vote for her. It will be interesting to see where she is in the voting on next Thursday night.

Most fans if they are honest, would admit that they assumed Hollie Cavanagh, Phillip Phillips and Colton Dixon were in the bottom three. I am happy that Skylar Laine refused to say which group was the bottom three and which group was safe. You would think Ryan Seacrest would stop asking that question, now that nobody wants to answer it. 

Anyway, Skylar is told she is in the group with Colton, Hollie and Phillip, then is told she is safe along the others in the group.

Randy Jackson said America got it wrong and maybe they did, but he may have angered the other four contestants by telling America to vote for the best.

After the judges criticized Hollie on Wednesday night, it was almost a foregone conclusion she would be in the bottom three and voted off the show. But instead, she wasn’t even in the bottom three and could have possibly received enough votes, to have finished among the leaders in the voting. We have no way of knowing, how many votes she polled so can only guess at the voting outcome.

Phillip Phillips didn’t get much praise from the judges on Wednesday night or from Jimmy Iovine. It is almost like he is singing the same song every week and he is beginning to look like a one-trick pony. So it was a surprise that he wasn’t in the bottom three either.

It is almost like the fans are voting in large numbers, for the contestants criticized the most by the judges. After the voting fiasco last night, it wouldn’t surprise me to see fewer fans watch the show next week, or it could have the opposite effect and draw more fans to the show, since Jessica is not the clear-cut winner she appeared to be before last night.

Hang on because it looks like it could be wild ride, on the way to finale night of Season 11. 

 

 

Reality Radio : Broadway Evening 7-25-36

It is amazing that we can hear the sounds of New York City during the summer of 1936 seventy-six years later. 

This is reality radio long before the reality shows of today were even dreamed of. You can hear conversations between the people on the sidewalks in the Broadway area. 

You can hear the sounds of sirens and honking horns, not to mention the many other sounds heard in the Broadway Evening old time radio program, which was an episode of the Columbia Workshop in the summer of 1936.

A lady can be heard ordering two fried eggs and bacon and the clerk repeats order to cook saying two eggs over and bacon well. 

You can hear other orders being made. It almost makes you feel like you are there. The noise is a little chaotic with all the orders being made.

Later, you can hear someone tell about seats being available in the balcony for a play. Then you can hear the actors speaking their parts in the play.

Some might be bored with this kind of program but to me it is reality radio, which takes us back to a better time.

The show can be heard by going to Broadway Evening the second show on list of Columbia Workshop shows:

http://matineeclassics.com/radio/1936/columbia_workshop/

 

Discombobulated Mess of a Start to 2012 MLB Season

The more I think about it, the more upset I get that MLB started the baseball season in Japan, then finally played another regular season game six days later. Then one game was played on Wednesday, seven games played on Thursday and nine games on Friday. Then today on the tenth day of the season, all 30 teams play on the same day for the first time.

In other words, 19 games were played before all 30 teams played on the same day. It all added up to a discombobulated mess to me. I have ranted long enough, since we do have major league baseball again. I didn’t think spring training would ever end.

Pena Spring Training Failure, Opening Day Hero

Carlos Pena of the Blue Jays had hit .107 in spring training with one homer and 2 RBI. He must have been saving it for the regular season, because he hit a grand slam homer in the first inning, then drove in the winning run, with a walk-off single in the ninth inning in a 7-6 Rays win over the Yankees. It looked the Yankees were set to win the game with Mariano Rivera coming in from the bullpen to try to hold the 6-5 Yankees lead. Instead he only retired one batter while allowing 2 runs, 3 hits and 2 walks as he blew the save for C.C. Sabathia and saw his ERA balloon to 54.00.

Looking at Stats

Yoenis Cespedes is the home run leader after having hit his second home run of the season yesterday. However he also leads in strikeouts with 5 strikeouts in 10 at bats….Rafael Furcal is the early season leader in hits with 6.

Dalton Trumbo is not adjusting to playing third base well for the Angels with 2 errors in 3 chances for a .333 fielding percentage. 

Yovani Gallardo had a nightmare of an outing for an opening day pitcher. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowed 6 runs, 7 hits, 5 BB and 4 home runs and left the game with a 14.63 ERA as the Cardinals pummeled the Brewers 11-5.

Team Stats

The Cardinals were 24th in runs scored during spring training, but lead the majors in runs scored with 15 after their first two games.

They also lead in hits with 29, doubles 7, tied with Athletics for home runs with 4 home runs each, batting average with a .377 mark, .623 slugging percentage and 1.072 OPS.

Reds, Phillies, Angels and Mets are only team to hold their opponents scoreless this season. The Phillies WHIP is 0.22, while they are holding opponents to a 0.71 batting average.

Games in progress at 2:14 ET

Nationals are leading the Cubs 2-1 in the top of the fourth. Adam LaRoche hit his first home run of the season in the game.

Mets are leading the Braves 3-0 in the fourth inning as the excellent Mets pitching continues. David Wright and Lucas Duda have hit solo home runs…. Jason Kipnis has hit a two run home run home run to give the Indians a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning against the Blue Jays.

Jamie Moyer will try for his 268 major league win as he takes the mound for the Rockies at 7:05 ET in Houston as he makes his 629th major league start.

 

Yahoo Sports is featuring Full Count this season, which shows highlights of games in action and will be also showing live look-ins at the games.

 

 

American Idol: Hollie Cavanagh Next To Go Home?

With the departure of DeAndre Brackensick on last week’s show, it appears that Hollie Cavanagh may be leaving American Idol next Thursday night.

Unless she can recover from the scathing criticism from the judges last week, she seems to be close to going home. On the other hand though she was the first one of bottom three to be sent to safety, so Elise Testone may also be in jeopardy.

Jessica Sanchez, Skylar Laine, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Colton Dixon seem like they will be in the Top 5 right now, but you never know how the voting will go from one week to the next.

Poll Looking For Worst Singer

Votefortheworst.com is in the process of choosing another worst singer after DeAndre went home. After 7,103 voters their poll shows that 2,234 voters with 31 percent of the vote think Hollie should be the next singer to have the dubious honor of being supported by votefortheworst.com.

Elise Testone is second worst according to the poll with 1,406 votes, while garnering 20 percent of the vote. Sklyar Laine is next with 890 votes and 13 percent of the votes.

Phillips One Trick Pony

Phillip Phillips makes the Top 4 with 838 votes and 12 percent of the votes.Phillips may be a talented singer and musician but he seems to be a one trick pony, that seems to be playing the same song week after week. His comment about not liking to touch the hands of the fans crowding the stage, probably won’t help him in next week’s voting. Joshua Ledet with 795 votes and 11 percent of the vote is next.

Colton Dixon only drew 675 votes and 10 percent of the vote, showing he is a strong candidate to win American Idol. Jessica Sanchez continues to be the favorite to win, with only 265 voters in the poll thinking it is time for her to go home and only 4 percent of the voters thinking she is the worst singer.

Votefortheworst.com

2010-2012 Songs Theme for Next Week

Older American Idol fans like me won’t enjoy next week’s show much, with the contestants singing songs from 2010-2012, since there won’t be any recognizable songs, except for fans who are attuned to the music scene today.

My personal favorite is still Joshua Ledet, but have a feeling his fan base is not that strong, since he lives in a smaller city. He is in a position where he has to knock it out of the park week after week, to even make the Top 3.

Skylar Back On Track

Skylar Laine stepped up her game last week, with her stirring rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings. Laine still might be better off to focus on her country music background, to sing a country music tune next week. Country music fans are more likely to vote for her, if she sings a country music song.

Colton Dixon is making his move to be a serious contender for the American Idol title in 2012. It is amazing that Jessica Sanchez at the age of 16 has done so well so far this season. She would have to stumble badly to not win American Idol this year, but with American Idol everything can change with a good or bad week.

The judges are now more likely to use their save, now they are down to their last weeks of being able to use their save. Everyone knew they weren’t going to use their save on Heejun Han or DeAndre Brackensick, in the last two weeks but they still may not use it on Hollie Cavanagh next week, They might not even use it till they have to use it or lose it.

Results Show Lowest Rated in 2012

The ratings for American Idol tumbled to 14.34 million, the lowest total for any of the 25 shows, that have been telecast in 2012. In contrast, last year only one show drew less than 20 million viewers. Only the 2012 premiere show drew more than 20 million viewers this year.

It seems to me that the reality singing competition star has died. Shows like American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor may still draw well in comparison, to the scripted shows going against them, but we may never see 20 million fans tune into another singing competition show, except for maybe a finale night.

Lizard Lick Towing Averages 2.5 Million This Season

TruTV network’s Lizard Lick Towing drew the largest audience in the 18-34 age demographics, in the first quarter of 2012. The show featuring Ron and Amy Shirley and their co-worker Bobby Brantley average 2.5 million fans per show this last quarter.

Only Hardcore Pawn, which average 3.2 million fans a show, attracted more fans per show than Lizard Lick Towing among TruTV shows in the first quarter.

Lizard Lick Towing fans will be glad to know that there will be new episodes of the show returning on June 11.

Big Juicy Coming To Clayton, Louisiana

Big Juicy will be appearing at Clayton Park in Clayton, Louisiana on May 5 at 10:00 AM, then will be appearing as part of All Star Pro Wrestling’s Last Man Standing match.  Big Juicy will partner up with Hank Wiley better known as Pretty Boy George against Giant Kamala, Jr. and his manager Jounger Jean.

It is two months away but Big Juicy is looking forward to the new season starting June 11, making these comments about the return of the show:

TO ALL OF THE LICK NATION!!!! WE WILL BE BACK IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SO BE PATIENT, GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT AND TRUST US, THIS NEXT SEASON OF LIZARD LICK TOWING IS GOING TO BE CRAZIER THAN A THREE EYED DOG IN A HUBCAP FACTORY!!!!!

Lizard Lick Trivia: Bobby Brantley started working at Lizard Lick Towing after Ron had repossessed his truck.

To stay up to date with what is going on with Ron, Amy and Bobby you can go to the website to see if they are appearing in your area:

http://www.lizardlicktowing.com/

There are a lot of towing shows on television, but none of them are as much fun as Lizard Lick Towing. Ron, Amy, Bobby and Big Juicy like to have fun, but they take care of business when someone tries to cross them.

This is a list of all the episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 of Lizard Lick Towing:

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/lizard-lick-towing/episodes-season-1/328821