Lizard Lick Towing Returns On June 11

Ron Shirley, Amy Shirley and Bobby Brantley of Lizard Lick Towing.

Lizard Lick Towing will return to TLC on June 11. The show will be broadcast at 10PM EDT on Mondays.

Some critics of the show say it not a reality show, but instead is a fake reality show. They may be right, but it still shows a humorous side of repossessing vehicles and the lengths owners will go to so they can keep their vehicles from being repossessed. Former pro basketball star Charles Barkley is a fan of the show.

Ron Shirley and his wife Amy are the owners of Lizard Lick Towing and Recovery with Bobby Brantley assisting Ron in the repossessions. Ron and Bobby rarely can hook a vehicle up, without the owners knowing what is going on. Instead there is almost always a confrontation, with the owners before the vehicle is towed away.

Even Bobby Brantley has admitted some scenes are staged. If that is correct, then the show stops being realistic and instead is being manipulated by the producers, to make the viewers believe, that whatever is being shown really happened.

It is amazing how many times the lobby of the Lizard Lick Towing has been damaged by irate owners, returning to the office to pick up their vehicle. You would think that they wouldn’t bother to redecorate after the lobby has been trashed several times.

The show is a mixture of laughter and serious situations, where gunshots have been directed at Ronny before.

First show of the new season will be airing in only 11 days. Tune in June 11 to see the first show of the new season.

Brother-In-Law of Buddy Velastro (Cake Boss) Receives 9 Year Sentence

Remy Gonzalez brother-in-law of Buddy Velastro of Cake Boss fame has been sentenced to a nine year sentence for child sexual assault.

Those who have been watching Cake Boss since the first show, on TLC network have noticed that Remy Gonzalez who was shown working in the bakery often has been missing from the show, for the last two or three years.

It will be interesting to see if his former boss and brother-in-law makes a comment regarding the situation.

Remy could often be seen in the background during the Cake Boss shows. There has been no mention of the reason for him not being on the show that I know of.

He could be deported after his nine year sentence is served. 

 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/former_cake_boss_cast_member_g.html

Classic Television: Shindig

Sept. 16, 1964, January 8, 1966

Shindig was a show featuring many of the best known singers of that era, that was first televised on the ABC television network on September 16, 1964. The Beatles had started the British invasion, in February of 1964 and the show featured many British singers.

The show featured regular singers like Bobby Sherman, Jackie DeShannon and Donna Loren and Teri Garr was one of the dancers and went to be a movie actress.

Guest hosts on the show were a strange mix of Boris Karloff, Mickey Rooney, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ed Wynn, Hugh O’Brian, Jackie Leonard and others, who were not known for their musical talent.

This video features Herman’s Hermits singing I’m Into Something Good. The harmony from the background singers reminds me of the Beach Boys sound. The next song is Doo Wah Diddy sang by the Manfred Mann. Gerry and the Pacemakers close out the video with Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying, their signature hit.

 

The Isley Brothers sing Shout in this video, that also features the Shindig dancers.

 

Bobby Sherman singing the Frankie Ford hit Sea Cruise.

 

Jackie DeShannon sings her hit song What the World Needs Now, which peaked at No.7 in 1965.

 

Donna Loren singing Shakin’ All Over which also features the Shindig dancers.

 

Bobby Vinton singing his classic Mr. Lonely.

 

The Supremes singing Stop in the Name of Love.

 

The Beach Boys singing Do You Wanna Dance.

 

Patty Duke singing Say Something Funny, the only time I have ever seen her sing.

 

The Temptations featuring David Ruffin sing My Girl.

 

Shindig may have ended 46 years ago, but we can still enjoy the videos of the singers from those shows, that lets us go back in time. I had a little portable TV while in the Army in Hawaii and was able to see some of the Shindig shows. Ironically the show went off the air, about the same time that I was boarding a troop ship for Vietnam.

It is just my opinion but the music of today doesn’t come close to the music of the middle 1960′s.

Chicago White Sox Win 8th Consecutive Game

The Chicago White Sox won their eighth consecutive game yesterday, with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The win came on a day when Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko were 1-10 and struck out a combined five times.

Adam Dunn is currently in a 1-14 slump in his last four games, but the White Sox won all of those games. It is a given that Dunn will strike out a lot, but his power numbers are about normal for him. He only hit 11 home runs in 2011, but has already hit 16 in less than a third of the 2012 season.

Dayan Viciedo has taken up some of the slack, having hit .425 in his last ten games. He also has hit four home runs and driven in 13 runs in his last seven games. Viciedo started slow this season, with a .206 batting average in April, but has rebounded to hit .351 in May.

Paul Konerko has hit .447 in his last ten games, while Alex Rios has hit .342 in his last 10 games. Alexei Ramirez has hit .297 in his last ten games. He was 2-18 in the first five games of that stretch, but has been 9-19 in the last five games.

Chris Sale is currently leading the AL in ERA with a 2.34 mark and struck out 15 earlier this week and has posted a 6-2 record.

Robin Ventura the White Sox manager made an excellent choice, in adding Chris Sale to the starting rotation. He was briefly sent back to the bullpen, but looks like he is in the starting rotation to stay. Sale and Derek Lowe have allowed the fewest home runs (3) of any pitchers with at least six wins in the AL. 

Sale and Jake Peavy have a combined 12-3 record this season. Peavy has a $22 million option for the 2013 season. It looked like a no-brainer that the White Sox would decline that option, during the coming postseason, but now Peavy is making that decision more difficult for the White Sox. If he wins 20 games he will make that decision even more difficult.

While Sale and Peavy have a combined 12-3 record in 2012, the other six starters have a combined 10-12 record. Jose Quintana is the only other White Sox starter with a winning record with a 1-0 record.

The other three starters in the rotation, Gavin Floyd, Phillip Humber and John Danks are 12th, 13th and 14th among all 15 White Sox pitchers this season. Floyd has posted a 5.02 ERA while Humber has an ERA of 5.37 and Danks has an ERA of 5.70. 

Floyd has allowed 21 runs and 28 hits in his last 14.2 innings, while Humber hit a wall after his perfect game, by allowing 20 runs and 21 hits over the next three starts. It took 38 days after the perfect game, to win another start.

Danks is currently on the disabled list, but hadn’t pitched well, when he was healthy. He has only won twice since April 11. 

The White Sox offense has scored the fourth most runs in the AL, while the pitchers have allowed the third least runs. The White Sox are second in opponent’s batting average at .232, with only the Los Angeles Angels better allowing opponents a .231 average.

Even though three starters have ERA’s over 5.00, the Sox still have allowed the third least runs in the AL, so that tells me the White Sox should compete all season long for the AL Central title. 

Captain and Tenille: Love Has Kept Them Together

Captain & Tenille both played keyboard for the Beach Boys, early in their careers and Tenille was the only Beach Girl.

It doesn’t seem possible that Toni Tenille was 72 last month and her husband Daryl Dragon will be 70 in August. Daryl was a keyboardist for the Beach Boys. Toni later would play the keyboard for the Beach Boys and was their only Beach Girl. They were married on December 11, 1975.

Their first hit single Love Will Keep Us Together went to No.1 on both the pop charts and the adult contemporary charts. The song won a Grammy for Record of the Year. It  was unusual in that it was their first single and for it to win a Grammy and go to No.1 made it their signature song.  The Way I Want To Touch You also reached No.1 in 1975.

Captain & Tenille had three singles, Shop Around, Muskrat Love and Lonely Night (Angels Face) , that went to No.1 in 1976.  It would be three years later in 1979, when they recorded their last No.1 song in Do That To Me One  More Time.

It has been 33 years now since their last No.1 hit and they haven’t even a song make the charts since 1980, when Love On A Shoestring went to No.27 on Hot 100 chart  and Happy Together peaked at No.27 on Adult Contemporary chart.

There are some performers that you instantly like and Toni Tenille and Captain Daryl Dragon were prime examples.

Toni Tenille singing Love Will Keep Us Together with Captain Daryl Dragon on the keyboard.

Toni Tenille singing Shop Around in a lower quaility video but only video found of it.

Captain and Tenille are still together after 37 years of marriage. Toni has recorded some jazz standards on albums.

There was a six year span, when they were at the height of their popularity from 1975-1980. They may not have not have had the longest career in music, but for six years it was magic when Captain and Tenille took the stage.

Captain and Tenille’s website:

http://captainandtennille.net/

Toni Tenille’s website:

http://tonitennille.net/

2012 American Idol Tour Schedule

The 45 date American Idol tour kicks off in Detroit, Michigan, on July 6 at the Joe Louis Arena. The tour will end on  September 11 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Bradley Center. Phil Phillips should be on the tour, when it starts, barring any medical complications from his surgery, but he may miss significant rehearsal time.

The ten singers on the 2012 tour:

Heejun Han

DeAndre Brackensick

Elise Testone

Hollie Cavanagh

Phil Phillps

Joshua Ledet

Skylar Laine

Colton Dixon

Erika Van Pelt

Jessica Sanchez

The American Idol singers on tour last year reportedly received $1,000, for each of the 49 dates. There has been no indication, of how much the singers will earn in 2012, that I know of. The American Idol contracts change from year to year, so the singers could earn more or less than the singers on the 2011 tour. There are reports that the singers will earn $50 spending money on days, that they don’t perform.

Joshua Ledet will be happy to return to Louisiana for the show at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana, which is about 80 miles from his hometown of Westlake, Louisiana.

Those attending the last four concerts, in the following cities should see the singers at their best,  as they will have already been singing for two full months:

9/7 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall

9/8 Reading, PA Sovereign Center

9/10 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena

9/11 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center

Complete Tour Schedule

The complete tour schedule:

http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/8237

Recording Contracts

Some of the singers may be working on recording projects during the tour, but they probably won’t be able to finish any projects, till the tour ends on September 11.

I think it is safe to say that Heejun Han and DeAndre Brackensick won’t be offered recording contracts. Hollie Cavanagh, Colton Dixon and Erika Van Pelt could possibly be offered recording contracts, in the future but  Phil Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Skylar Laine, Elise Testone and Joshua Ledet are almost sure, to have albums recorded before any of the other singers.

Ticket Prices

Prices for American Idol tour tickets will vary from venue to venue. An example of the pricing is the concert at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The seats furthest from the stage are priced at $41.25. Seats a little closer to the stage are $58, The seats in the center section on the floor have been sold out, but the sections on both sides, of the center section are priced at $79.85.

The center section up front, may be reserved for American Idol VIP ticket holders who will be charged $277 and have the following privileges.

American Idol Live! Tour VIP Package

American Idol Live! returns this summer for another hit tour to showcase this season’s talented top 10 finalists. Get the ultimate fan experience when you choose the American Idol Live! Tour VIP Package, which includes:- Premium Seat in the 1st 15 rows
- Exclusive tour laminate and tour lanyard
- A signed 8×10 photo of the 2012 Idols
- An American Idol tour program
- An approximately 45 minute meet and mingle with the Idols from the 2012 season (all 10 Idols may not be present at the meet and mingle)

Received Blogger Award

It was a pleasant surprise to find a very inspiring blogger award in the email inbox this morning. I started blogging at Blogger.com in 2004, before moving to WordPress.com.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD

1. Display the award logo on the blog.

2.Link to blog of the one nominating you.

3. State seven things about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs.

5.Let those bloggers know they have been nominated and what is expected of them.

7 Things About Me

1. Was born in West Lafayette, Indiana on October 14, 1944, just four months and eight days after the D-Day invasion. Moved to Pineville, Louisiana in 1946 when my dad left Purdue University to teach at Louisiana College.

2. Have always had a passion for baseball, from an early age and have been fortunate enough to see Ted Williams in 1959 shortly before he retired from baseball. I played three years in Little League and one year in Pony League, before retiring at the age of 13.

3. Struggled through high school, spending three summers in summer school and missing out on family vacations those three years, since my dad, who was a chemistry professor at Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana worked those three summers at the nuclear institution in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

4. Joined the Army in October of 1962, right in the middle of the Cuban missile crisis and singing this song while marching in basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana:

I DON’T KNOW, BUT I BELIEVE

I’LL BE IN CUBA BY CHRISTMAS EVE

5. Arrived at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in June of 1963, where I saw many musical acts at Conroy Bowl, the outside arena on the base. Saw Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Beach Boys, Sue Thompson, Jimmy Wakely while in Hawaii, plus others I can’t think of some 49 years later. Will never forget the beautiful sunsets on Waikiki Beach and want to thank Uncle Sam for my two and-a-half year vacation, but didn’t like being sent to Vietnam in January of 1966. The soldier that took my place died,  when a mortar shell hit the post office two months after I was discharged.

6. Returned home from Vietnam and was hired by newspaper, after the previous worker at my position had died in a drowning accident. Worked there for eight years, then Elvis Presley indirectly found me another job, when we attended one of his concerts in another city and we happened to pass the newspaper office and eventually was hired there. Then returned to previous newspaper two years later and worked another 28 years there before retiring, on Halloween night of 2004.

7. Have learned to appreciate having a steady job for 38 years, since I have had numerous jobs, since leaving the newspaper. Am finding employers are not lining up, to hire 67 year-old workers. Am looking for work again now.

Favorite Bloggers

Maryanne Mistrietta writes very interesting blogs and I particularly enjoyed the one she recently wrote about seeing Butch Patrick of the Munsters and Candy Clark who appeared in American Graffiti movie. I also enjoy reading her accounts of attending concerts.

The one thing that stands out about her blogs is that they are very well written and capture your interest from the first word. Maryanne posts great photos with her blog. It is always exciting to see that she has written another blog, knowing that she consistently writes excellent articles.

http://maryannemistretta.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling

You Jivin’ Me Turkey is a great place to read quotes of famous people in history. You are able to read quotes from such diverse people as Napoleon, Robert Frost, Abraham Lincoln, Groucho Marx and Harry Truman.Brad also writes very interesting posts about baseball.

http://youjivinmeturkey.com/

Lesley Carter has an excellent blog and this recent blog has many photos of her mother and her. In a time when so many mothers and daughters don’t get along well, it is refreshing to know that mothers and daughters can still have a great relationship.

http://lesleycarter.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/reasons-why-i-love-my-mother-happy-birthday-mom/

This blog is called Just Another Day and currently the writer is revealing her thoughts, about whether to have the baby or have an abortion.

http://louise1710.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/im-going-to-be-a-mummy/

This lady writes one of the best nostalgic blogs out there and I can guarantee it will bring memories flooding back from the past. The blog is written sporadically, but each blog is worth the wait. If you love nostalgia, this blog is for you.I particularly liked her article on soda fountains.

http://lovelyshadesofnostalgia.com/

Kris Allen: May Be Time To Pull Plug On American Idol

American Idol producers can’t be too happy with Kris Allen, after he said it may be time to pull the plug on American Idol. It is surprising that he would say that, considering that without American Idol he probably would be singing at grocery store grand openings. It wasn’t that long ago that Lee DeWyze sang at a bowling alley opening, which is not saying much for how the career of Allen and DeWyze is going.

To his credit Allen’s latest album Thank You Camellia has 12 reviewers giving it a 5 star rating out of 15 reviewers.

The following article and video from TMZ.com includes a poll at bottom, that is showing that 74 percent of the voters think American Idol should be canceled, which has to be troubling for American Idol producers and may signal more losses in viewership in Season 12. This is a fairly large sampling of over 51,000 voters, so this tells me there is still some backlash, after Phil Phillips became the fifth guy in a row to win American Idol.

kris-allen-american-idol-finale

After viewing the video, am not sure that Allen said what he reportedly said in the article, unless he made some remarks, not shown in the video. Anyway, the alarming poll results have to be a huge concern.

We can’ t help but wonder if X-Factor and The Voice are killing the American Idol reality star.

Steven Tyler Mug Shot From 45 Years Ago

Steven Tyler shown after a fall in a Paraguay hotel room in December of 2011. The two missing teeth have been replaced.

Knew Steven Tyler had experimented with drugs in the past, but had no idea it goes back 45 years.The 18 year-old Tyler was in the midst of doing a drug test on a new batch of pot, when the arrest was made.

He enjoyed drug tests, since it gave him a chance to test the latest drugs. The mugshot in the article linked to below looks much better than the one after the fall.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/celebrity/music/steven-tyler

 

Man With Gun Cuts McDonald’s Drive-Thru Line

A Florida man apparently didn’t want to wait in the drive-thru line at McDonalds, so he pulled a gun on three women to cut in front of them. 

The man probably didn’t consider the fact that by pulling ahead of the victims, that they could write down his license plate number.

He must have wanted a Big Mac really bad, to risk being sent to prison for a felony. Hope he enjoyed his Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets or whatever he ordered, because they don’t serve that kind of food in prison.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/mcdonalds/mcdonalds-drive-thru-pistolero-675839

The Shift: Homicide Detectives At Work

The Shift is a television reality show that uses no actors. It isn’t 100 percent reality due to names being changed, in some shows to protect witnesses and investigation which is mentioned as the shows open.

It is close to reality as possible for a homicide detective show. The part I like best is that the show lets you follow a case, from the crime scene, to the investigation, to the questioning of witnesses.

All of the shows are about the homicide detectives, working for the Indianapolis Police Department. When they receive a call to go to a crime scene, they drop whatever they are doing, including leaving half-eaten meals on the table at a restaurant.

Birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions come second, once the detectives are called to a crime scene. These detectives start their investigation, as soon as they are called to a crime scene. Looking at a gruesome scene of a crime is no fun, but these detectives have to be there to gather facts and interview any witnesses.

The hardest job for the homicide detectives is notifying the family of the victim. There is no good way to let a family know, that a family member has died, but it has to be done.

The Shift is different from First 48 in that there is usually only one crime being investigated. The First 48 is a good show, but it gets confusing as they switch from one city to another often during the show. After watching a few shows, you almost feel like you know the detectives, since they don’t change from week to week like First 48.

The detectives have to interview grieving family members, to find out what may have caused the murder of the victim. It is not easy asking questions of a distraught family member, who is so overcome with grief, that they can’t focus on the questions and give coherent answers.

One particular show was baffling in that they heard a call from a jail to the two suspects. The two suspects were heard telling the inmate, that they were about to kill someone. Apparently they neglected to notice the recording that said phone calls would be monitored.

The criminals are talking to the inmate after arriving at the crime scene and you can hear the gunshots in the background.  One of the suspects is telling the other to shut off the phone. The detectives are talking about how the jurors will love to hear those phone calls.

However, when the outcome is shown at the end of the show, they tell us that one had the charges dismissed against him and the other guy is found not guilty. So instead of sending these two guys to prison, they are set free and walking the streets of Indianapolis. It would have been interesting to have been at the trial, to see how it played out and if there was a problem with the taped evidence from the conversations of the alleged criminals.

I watched one show in which the detectives separated two suspects and told the other suspect that the other suspect had implicated the one they were interviewing, when in fact the other suspect had refused to talk to the detectives.

The worst case scenario for the homicide detectives is for a suspect to ask for a lawyer, which ends the interview abruptly and leaving the detectives to search for more evidence, since they couldn’t get a confession.

It is surprising though how many suspects, will break down and confess the crime, when they could have asked for a lawyer and avoided further questioning. The detectives will tell the suspects to tell the truth, because they will feel better, when in fact they are more or less sending themselves to prison by admitting they were the killer.

The detectives read the rights of the suspects, before questioning them, so their confession will stand up in courtroom.

The Shift is currently on Netflix, but no new shows have been made recently. Their Facebook page is full of viewers wanting the show brought back. It is my favorite show of that type and can be addictive, since it interesting, to see how police go about their investigation and how the suspects try to manipulate the police by lying to them, which really infuriates the detectives and you can’t blame them for being upset. The detectives if they have enough evidence will have the suspect tell their side. If they refuse to co-operate, then they will return them to their cell.

The show follows the homicide detectives, when they pay a surprise visit to a suspect’s home and wherever they are living at the time. One show followed the detectives to Minneapolis, when they found out the suspect had left the state, but came back empty-handed, when the suspect didn’t confess, so they had no choice, but to let them go.

Will A Girl Ever Win American Idol Again?

Phillip Phillips became the fifth consecutive boy to win the title of American Idol last night in Hollywood defeating Jessica Sanchez.

It really was no surprise when Ryan Seacrest announced, that Phillip Phillips was the Season 10 American Idol. He became the fifth consecutive boy to win the coveted title. He joins David Cook, Season 7 winner, Kris Allen, Season 8 winner, Lee DeWyze, Season 9 winner and Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner as American Idol winners, since Jordin Sparks won in Season 6.

Kelly Clarkson won Season 1, while Fantasia Barrino won Season 3, Carrie Underwood won Season 4 and Jordin Sparks was the Season 6 winner and are the only girls to win American Idol in 11 seasons.

The girls won three of the first four seasons, but the guys have won six of the last seven seasons. Jessica Sanchez was a much better singer, than Phillip Phillips, yet saw her American Idol dreams dashed last night.

American Idol needs to address the voting issue, to keep this trend of guys winning from continuing, whether they are best singer or not. The more votes cast, then the more chance of a guy winning. 

I have a feeling that the girls are voting early and often for the guys, especially when 132 million votes were cast on Wednesday night. It may be time to forget about announcing these huge vote totals and allow one vote per person. That change should give the girls a better chance of winning.

Taylor Hicks and Lee DeWyze are two guys that may have never been voted as American Idols, if the voters had been limited one vote. I know that American Idol doesn’t want the final vote for each singer released, but it would give us an idea of how the voting is slanted toward the guys.

Just my opinion but I think Josh Ledet and Jessica Sanchez should have been the two finalists last night, but Phillips voters kept Josh from having a chance to make the final two. 

Jessica was very fortunate that the judges hadn’t used their save on someone like Heejun Han, or she wouldn’t have been saved. It is difficult to believe that she received the fewest votes that week, since she was showing week after week, that she was the best female singer on the show.

American Idol lost almost six million viewers, compared to the 2011 final performances. The final performance show drew a record 31.78 million viewers in Season 5, but only 14.85 million voters tuned in on Wednesday night, a drop of almost 17 million viewers from the record.

The ratings for the finale last night have not been announced, but I look for it to be lowest total for a finale night.

The Voice and X-Factor have caused a huge dent in American Idol ratings. With The Voice and X-Factor returning in September, viewers may have tired of watching reality singing competitions even more, by the time American Idol returns next January. X-Factor is hoping to increase their ratings with the addition of Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, as judges to replace the departed Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.

American Idol producers will be making changes to the show, hoping to slow the declining ratings. American Idol isn’t the juggernaut it once was, but it is usually near the top in the ratings.

Now American Idol has to deal with Phil Phillips having surgery very soon, since he will need four to six weeks to recover from his surgery and ma y not even be available for rehearsals for the summer tour.

Will Best American Idol Singer Win Tonight?

The next American Idol may not have anything to do with which singer is the better singer, but more about  how many of their supporters voted for them  last night.

Now that the final votes have been cast, we can only speculate, on who will actually become the next American Idol on the Fox television network reality finale show, when Ryan Seacrest announces the winner at about 8:55 PM tonight.

The judges seemed to favor Phil Phillips last night. I have a feeling that the teenyboppers and girls past that stage, texted and voted online to make the Phillips the next American Idol.

It is still possible that Jessica Sanchez could win, but I expect Ryan to announce after a long pause, that Phil is the new American Idol.

Musical Guests Tonight

Among the musical guests according to the Hollywood Reporter will be Gloria Gaynor, Thelma Houston, Gladys Knight along with Nelly Furtado, Sheila E., Jennifer Holliday and Kristin Chenoweth offering a tribute to the late Donna Summer, who passed away last week. Chenoweth will join Jessica in a duet of Enough is Enough. The female singers from Season 11 will also appear in the tribute to Summer.

Phil and the other male singers will pay tribute to the late Robin Gibb, who died of cancer last week by singing songs made famous by the Bee Gees. 

In addition, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival will sing a duet with Phil, Reba McIntire will join Skylar Laine in a duet, while Joshua Ledet and Fantasia will also sing a duet.

Jessica and Jennifer Holliday will team up to sing I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, while Hollie Cavanagh and Jordin Sparks, the last girl to win American Idol will sing a song from a Broadway show.

As if that is not enough star power for one show, Neil Diamond will sing a song with the boys, while Aerosmith and Rihanna will also make an appearance in the star-studded finale.

After all those singers sing, it will be almost anti-climatic when Ryan announces the winner. Even those who don’t care who wins tonight, still will be able to see some of the best singers in the music business, making watching the show worthwhile.

I have no doubt that Jessica will be a successful singer and should have a long career. However, Phil may need to win to have a chance to be a star, since I can’t see him releasing an album that would sell in the millions.

In conclusion, if Jessica doesn’t win tonight, I will feel the best singer didn’t win. It could create a problem for American Idol if Phil wins, since he reportedly will be undergoing surgery very soon and might miss rehearsals for the summer tour and might join the tour after it started. The recovery time has been mentioned as taking as long as six weeks, which wouldn’t allow Phillip to join the concert tour till July.

So if Phil does win, American Idol producers will have to wait until after his surgery, before the publicity engine of American Idol can go full throttle on the Phil Phillips train.

But all that is conjecture, since the winner hasn’t been announced. The announcement will be made in about ten hours, as to who will be the next American will be.

The show starts in eight hours and forty-three minutes, so we can start the official countdown….right now.

Enjoy the show !!!

Lindy Hop Fast Dance Finals 2006

This post is being posted again since so few visitors saw it the first time. With at least 500 visitors a day now even more can see Lindy Hop Fast Dance Liberation Finals of 2006.

Dick Haymes: Great Singer Wed Six Times, Plagued By Alcoholism and Debt

Dick Haymes seen singing I Wish I Knew in Diamond Horseshoe (1945)

Fans of music from the 1940′s remember Dick Haymes as the singer, who never reached the name recognition of  his contemporaries, of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, but still possessed one of the best baritone voices of that era.

Haymes was born September 13, 1918 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and died in Los Angeles, California on March 28, 1980 at the age of 61 of lung cancer.

His first big break was when he was signed as the soloist for the Harry James Orchestra in the early 1940′s. He went on to sing with the big bands of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.

Next he would become a major recording star and appeared in 13 movies in the 1940′s, while also having his own radio program.

While his career was going well, he encountered marital problems in all of his six marriages, including the last one to Wendy Smith. She didn’t even attend his funeral, since she had filed for divorce before his death.

Wikipedia lists his six marriages:

Edith Harper
(1939; annulled) annulled when Haymes found out Harper was not pregnant, after Harper had told Haymes she was pregnant, causing him to marry her.
Joanne Dru
(1941-1949)
Nora Eddington
(1949-1953)
Rita Hayworth
(1953-1955)
Fran Jeffries
(1958-1965)
Wendy Smith
(1966-1980)

The six marriages produced six babies with three of them coming from his marriage with Joanne Dru.

Fran Jeffries was divorced from Haymes at the age of 28 and is 75 today and never remarried. She is famous for appearing in the movie The Pink Panther singing Meglio Stasera in the following scene.

Haymes had a serious drinking problem that plagued him for years. Then when his career took a downturn he began experiencing financial difficulties, due to his record and film contracts being canceled.

No matter how bad things were going for him, Haymes continued to possess one of the best baritone voices, ever heard in American music in songs like these:

Dick Haymes singing The Nearness of You.

Dick Haymes singing The More I See You to Betty Grable in the movie Diamond Horseshoe.

Life didn’t always treat Haymes well, but he never lost that rich, golden baritone voice, that he used for almost 40 years to entertain on radio, records, appearing with big bands and in the movies.

The world lost a great singer when Haymes died, but we can listen to his albums like this one that I have in my collection.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Always-Dick-Haymes/dp/B00002MMYD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337698065&sr=8-1

Spotify users that like music from the 1940′s will find a long list of  Dick Haymes music by just typing Dick Haymes in the search box.

If there is a listing for the word Easy Listening in the encyclopedia, it should be accompanied by a photo of Dick Haymes, since he best epitomizes what a easy listening singer should sound like.

His music is the kind of music you want to listen to after having a bad day, as you forget the troubles of the day and listen to the soothing music of Dick Haymes.

Dick Haymes may be gone, but he surely is not forgotten.

If You Could Read My Mind – Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot is one of the best singer-songwriters who is still singing 33 years after this video was filmed in 1979.

Was thinking of doing an article on his career, but his music is so outstanding, that it speaks for itself.

Robin Gibb of Bee Gees Dies At 62

Robin Gibb 1949-2012

Robin Gibb has died in London at the age of 62 of colorectal cancer. Gibb had been in a coma in April and was reported close to death by some media sources. However he emerged from the coma but died Sunday morning.

His death leaves Barry Gibb as the only surviving member of the Bee Gees. Andy Gibb had died at the age of 30, from a heart condition, in 1988 and Robin’s fraternal twin brother Maurice had died of a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 53.

The Bee Gees singing How Can You Mend A Broken Heart with Robin and Barry Gibb featured in their first No.1 song on U.S. charts which was recorded in June of 1971.

Robin Gibb as a solo artist singing How Deep Is Your Love

Bee Gees singing their classic hit How Deep Is Your Love

My favorite Bee Gees songs were How Can You Mend A Broken Heart and How Deep Is Your Love.  Their harmonic sound reminds me of the Beach Boys.

Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb may have passed away, but as long as music fans love great harmony, their music will live on forever.

 

 

 

 

Poll Asks If Readers Will Watch American Idol Finale Next Week

Reblogged from Nostalgia and Now:

Now that Josh Ledet has been sent home by American Idol fans who voted on Wednesday night, this poll question asks if readers still plan to watch the finale next week.

The last poll question asks readers if they hope Jessica Sanchez or Phil Phillips win next week.

Poll Update Shows Jessica Sanchez with 71.79 percent of the votes, with Phil Phillips with 17.95 percent of the votes. These numbers can change, since this is an active poll.

Sundown – Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot singing Sundown in 1974 at the age of 35.

 

These are some of the comments under the video:

 

I can see her lookin fast in her faded jeans. She’s a hard lovin woman. Got me feelin mean…perhaps the best lyric ever written!

TheBurf1 6 months ago

 

Neil Young Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. Collect all three today, before it’s to late.

KISSarmyist 6 months ago

 

Lightfoot rules, Dion and Adams drool and Bieber as a blight on the face of the universe. I actually like some of Nickelback’s stuff but only to the point of being lukewarm on them.

Trunker21 4 months ago

 

I thought it was a warning about staying away from his ex-girlfriend Cathy Evelyn Smith. The same Cathy Smith that confessed to injecting John Belushi with the a fatal speedball.

fidwap 3 months ago 2 

 

49 people better take care Gordon don’t find ‘em creepin’ round his back stair.

tesubcalle 7 months ago

Frankie Lymon

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers sing their first and most successful hit Why Do Fools Fall in Love on the Frankie Laine show in 1956.

The Premiers, the original name used before they became The Teenagers were working on a song Why Do Birds Seem So Gay, when Frankie Lymon one of the members of the group decided to change the name, of the song to Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The song became their first single and peaked at No.6 on the pop charts, but was No.1 on the R&B charts.

The group then became known as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. The group broke up the next year, as Lymon became a solo act. Lymon caused Alan Freed’s Big Beat television show to be canceled, when he was dancing with a white girl during a performance, which didn’t set well with television stations in the south.

His records didn’t sell as well as his voice changed and he picked up a heroin habit at the age of 13. Lymon lost his record contract with Roulette in 1961. Then he was married for the first time in 1964, but his only child died two days after her birth. To compound matters, he had married his wife, while she was still married to her husband.

He then married Zola Taylor of The Platters, but the marriage didn’t last long due to his drug habit. He then married his third wife in a three and-a-half year period in June of 1967.

Lymon had not taken heroin for three years, before having a big promotion scheduled to help his career. However, he went back to heroin, to celebrate what he thought was going to be a return to fame. However the celebration didn’t last long, as he died of a heroin overdose on February 28, 1968 at his grandmother’s house.

His legal problems followed him even in death, as all three lives tried to gain access to his estate. Part of the problem was that Lymon had never got around to divorcing his first two wives. His third wife Emira Eagle was finally awarded the right to Lymon’s estate. Lymon had never received a penny for co-writing Why Do Fools Fall in Love, but Emira Eagle did begin to receive royalties from the song.

The following tribute shows his grave and tells about his influence on Motown music at Find A Grave website.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9929

Poll Asks If Readers Will Watch American Idol Finale Next Week

Now that Josh Ledet has been sent home by American Idol fans who voted on Wednesday night, this poll question asks if readers still plan to watch the finale next week.

The last poll question asks readers if they hope Jessica Sanchez or Phil Phillips win next week.

Angel Food Ministries Founders Indicted On Fraud Charges

Linda and Joe Wingo have been charged with fraud in a 49 count indictment listed in a 71 page document that details their misuse of funds in the name of the Angel Food Ministries that provided food at affordable prices for those in need.

The Angel Food Ministries organization has helped less fortunate families put food on their table at reasonable prices.The organization was founded in 1994 by Joe and Linda Wingo. They provided groceries for struggling families for about half the price, of what they could be bought at a grocery store.

However due to the Wingos being indicted on fraud charges, the ministry no longer exists. Greed seems to be the motivating  factor that caused the Wingos to focus more on themselves, than the people they were supposed to be helping.

Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia made this statement about the charges:

 “As alleged in the indictment, these Defendants raised money in the name of Christian charity, and then used a number of schemes to defraud the organization.”

The ministry reportedly had expenses of $17,000, while reporting revenue of $96,000 in 2006. Meanwhile the Wingos and their two sons reported income of $2.1 million for the  year. One of the more egregious law violations was that Joe Wingo set up a corporation to buy a personal jet, then leased the jet to Angel Food Ministries for a $10,000 a month profit.

Menus were posted on website to show what foods were on the menu for a certain month. The following menu shows the food items on the September 2010 menu:

http://www.brownwoodnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3025:angel-food-ministries-september-2010-menu-&catid=36:life&Itemid=59

If convicted of the fraud charges Joe Wingo could receive a 105 year prison sentence, while his wife Linda would receive a 85 year sentence. Linda also told an employee to remove a hard drive from a computer and destroy it to thwart a federal grand jury investigation.

I was doing a search for Angel Food Ministries to see they had a local distribution point, when I encountered many articles about the Wingos being indicted.

Could find no information about a trial, so the prosecutors are probably still gathering evidence and should announce a trial date sometime in the future.

It is sad that a Christian ministry was enriching their own bank accounts, while seemingly concerned about those who couldn’t afford to pay exorbitant prices, for their groceries at local supermarkets.

Angel Food Ministries no longer is an active ministry, thanks to the Wingos who founded the ministry 17 years ago. Instead of focusing on the ministry the Wingos were busy padding their bank account, by using unscrupulous methods to enrich themselves.

The ministry was a good one, until the Wingos saw there was money to be made through the ministry. They funneled money to themselves instead of the ministry, but justice may have finally caught up with them. Wearing shackles to the courtroom may have given them the message, that they are in serious trouble, even though they deny any wrongdoing.

For more information on Angel Food Ministries and the charges against the Wingos:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/angel-food-ministries-founders-indicted-on-fraud-charges-64054/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Food_Ministries

American Idol Voters Got It Wrong Again: Josh Ledet Goes Home

Josh Ledet finishes third in American Idol voting.

American Idol voters have sent Joshua Ledet home, when he was clearly the best singer among the final three.

His departure almost guarantees low ratings, since in effect it will be the second and third best singers Jessica Sanchez and Phil Phillips battling next week for the title of American Idol.

 

Josh Should Sell More Albums

Josh should outsell both Jessica and Phil in record sales. Neither of them delivers a song, with the passion of Josh and neither is the entertainer that Josh has shown himself to be.

It wasn’t a total shock that Josh was sent home tonight, since voters tend to not vote for the front-runner when they feel that a contestant has a commanding lead.

Jessica is a better singer than Phil in my estimation, but if Phil wins American Idol I would be shocked, if he sells a million albums like Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery did.

 

Carrie Underwood Last Idol To Win Grammy

No American Idol winner has won a Grammy Award since Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood won five from 2007-2010, with two Grammy Awards won in 2007.

Josh Ledet could be another Chris Daughtry, who sells more albums than the winner. We will be listening to albums recorded by Josh for years to come.

The Lake Charles American Press was planning on having a special section for Josh Ledet, but those plans probably went out the window, after Ryan Seacrest announced the vote on Thursday night.

 

Sanchez Rebounds From Last Place 

Jessica Sanchez does deserve credit for rebounding from having the fewest votes earlier in the season, to finish in the final two, after the judges used their save to keep her in the competition.

Josh took being sent home well,  as he seemed more concerned about Hollie Cavanagh being sent home last week, then being sent home himself on Thursday night.

I think a lot of people who would have watched the finale next week will now find something else to watch instead, since the two best singers won’t be competing for the title of American Idol.

Donna Summer Dies at 63 of Cancer

Last Dance was one of the best known songs sang by the late Donna Summer.

Donna Summer has died at the age of 63 in Florida, after a long battle with cancer. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 31, 1948. She is best known as the Queen of Disco and won five Grammy awards and was nominated for 17 Grammys.

Summer recorded her first No.1 hit with her rendition of MacArthur Park in 1978. She followed that up with three No.1 hits in 1979, which were Hot Stuff, Bad Girls and No More Tears (Enough is Enough). She hasn’t had a No.1 hit in the last 32 years.

Disco wasn’t popular with everyone, but it is still part of our musical heritage and Donna Summer was a huge part of the disco era.

American Idol Final 2 To Be Revealed Tonight

Josh Ledet seems to be the front-runner as the voting tonight will determine who the final two remaining contestants will be.

Josh Ledet almost looks like he is sure to be the next American Idol. However, there are no locks when it comes to American Idol voting. Ryan Seacrest will announce the voting tonight and I have a feeling the final two will be Joshua Ledet and Phil Phillips,but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jessica Sanchez competing against Josh, to be the next American Idol next Tuesday night.

There is even a chance that Josh could be leaving the show tonight, if his fans don’t take the time to vote for him, thinking it is a done deal that he will be the next American Idol.

I was only able to see the last half hour of the show last night, after coming home from church. We don’t have a DVR so there was o way to record the whole show.

Anyway, we saw all three singers sing the songs, that Jimmy Iovine had picked for them during that half hour.

Josh Ledet did his usual great job of singing No More Drama and the judges continued to praise his singing and his performance.

Jessica Sanchez sang I’ll Be There as the song Jimmy had chosen for her. I thought she did a good job, but Randy Jackson said it was OK for him and the song didn’t have a “moment, moment” . For me that song doesn’t have a “moment, moment” in the first place, but that is only my opinion and nothing more.

Phil Phillips sang  We’ve Got Tonight, the first song of Phil’s that I really liked. I like the classic ballads, so may be why I liked it so much.

Josh still looks like he should be in the final two, but with American Idol you never know till the votes are announced. I have a feeling that Phil has a huge fan base that may keep him from going home tonight. It could even be a Jessica and Phil finale next week, if the fans of Josh didn’t take time to vote for him last night.

For a recap of the complete show:

 http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20596396,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

 

We will know who the next American Idol will be in six days. I can see Josh Ledet selling millions of albums, but not so well for Jessica and Phil, when it comes to record sales. Album sales for Phil should not go well, if he is the next American Idol nor for Jessica. I can’t see either of them selling enough albums to go gold or platinum.

Personally, I will be rooting for Josh as long as he is in the competition, since he lives so close to our house. In addition to that though, he is clearly the best singer on American Idol this season.

Elvis Presley: From Rags To Riches

The 450 square foot birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Elvis Presley may have achieved fortune and fame as the most famous rock and roll singer, but overcame very humble beginnings to become one of the wealthiest entertainers ever.

Presley entered the world on January 8, 1935 in a 450 square foot house in Tupelo, Mississippi. His father Vernon Presley had built the house for only $185.

It is unlikely that anyone imagined the baby boy born 77 years ago would achieve stardom, as a rock and roll singer and actor and in my estimation the best entertainer to walk on a stage.

Six No.1 Hits in 1956

Elvis re-released I Forgot To Remember To Forget in 1956 and it went to No.1 on the country charts, but didn’t make the pop charts. However Heartbreak Hotel, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Hound Dog and Don’t Be Cruel topped both the pop charts and country charts. Love Me Tender climbed to No.1 on the pop charts in 1956, but just missed being No.1 on the country charts, topping out at No.3.

Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in 1957, which was twenty times larger than his Tupelo, Mississippi birthplace that was 450 square feet and cost $185 to build.

Purchases Graceland For $100,000

Elvis had bought a house in Memphis for him and his parent for $40,000m but the neighbors complained about the crowds of Elvis fans congregating around his house. So Elvis told his parents to find a farm home for $100,000 and they chose Graceland as the place they wanted to live. Elvis bought the house in 1957 and lived there the last 20 years of his life.

Fame had enabled Elvis to move from a 450 square foot house in Tupelo and a $35 a month apartment in Memphis into a 10,266 square foot house in Graceland. Elvis had moved during his life from a house that cost $185 to build, into a palatial mansion costing $100,000.

As rich as Elvis had become, his manager Colonel Tom Parker prevented him from being even richer, by taking a 50 percent agent’s fee off the top.  For more on the life of Colonel Parker:

http://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/colonel-parker-from-dancing-chickens-to-elvis/

Elvis Presley is a prime example of how even the poorest kid can become wealthy in the United States. Elvis Presley didn’t just live at Graceland after becoming famous. He lived in several homes, while still maintaining his home in Graceland:

http://www.elvispresleypedia.com/epedia/of%20all%20kinds/homes.htm

Only in America can someone like Elvis grow up in a 450 square foot home and move into a home 20 times larger 22 years after his birth. Elvis was happy to share his wealth with the less fortunate, sometimes giving new cars to complete strangers, who just happened to be at a car dealership, while Elvis was looking for a new car of his own.

People can still go from rags to riches, if they get the right breaks like Elvis Presley did. He followed his dream from recording a song for his mother, to appearing on Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen shows, to starring in movies for several years. He then went on to appear in Las Vegas and resume touring after making 31 movies and was preparing to leave on another tour at the time of his death.

I was fortunate to have seen him appear in concert in Alexandria, Louisiana in March of 1977. He was not the same Elvis we had seen in three years earlier in Monroe, Louisiana, when he was at the top of his game.

The local newspaper, the Alexandria Town Talk ran this review after the first show of a two night concert stand:

http://www.elvisconcerts.com/newspapers/press230.htm

Son-In-Law Meets Skylar Laine On Las Vegas Flight

My son-in-law shown on left with Skylar Laine on right when they both wound up on a flight to Las Vegas.

My daughter and her husband boarded a flight yesterday for Las Vegas and noticed Skylar Laine was on the same flight. She was on her way back to Hollywood to attend the next American Idol show this week. 

What are the odds of boarding a flight with someone famous?

Skylar finished fifth in the American Idol voting, but I personally thought she should have been in the top three, since she is a better singer, than Hollie Cavanagh and Phil Phillips, but that is just my opinion.

My opinion and $2 will get you on most city busses.

Anyway, it was fun knowing my daughter and husband got to see Skylar Laine in person, even if it was a few thousand feet up in the air.

Josh Ledet Comes Home

Courtney Braxton was one of many fans to see Josh Ledet in Westlake and Lake Charles, Louisiana. However she actually had a closer connection with Josh than most fans, since he had taken her to the high school prom last year at Sulphur High School, which is only about two or three miles from our house.

Local television station KPLC-TV of Lake Charles telecast the parade honoring Josh. It wasn’t a long parade, but these fans didn’t care, since they had come to see their hometown hero and that was all that really mattered to them.

We could tell he was enjoying every minute of the parade, as he waved to his fans. The parade was over soon, but the memories of Josh Ledet fans will be seeing the American Idol star in person.

Pep Rally Also Telecast

Fox 29, the local Fox station in Lake Charles, televised the pep rally from Lake Charles. It started about an hour, before Josh actually took the stage.

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience worked the crowd into a fevered frenzy, by telling them to say Josh over and over, while giving out beads to the crowd. His cousin Brandon Ledet and Creole Touch zydeco band preceded Zydeco Experience, but weren’t shown during the televised portion of the rally.

Josh Takes Stage

Then after a long wait Josh took the stage waving to the crowd and kept saying “This is ridiculous” showing his humbleness since he couldn’t believe all the excitement was over him.

Anyone watching Josh on stage, could sense his genuine love for everyone who attended the pep rally. Then he sang When A Man Loves A Woman and five other songs.

We will know in less than two weeks if Josh Ledet is the next American Idol, but his fans acted like he had already won yesterday in the Louisiana cities of Westlake (the hometown of Josh) and nearby Lake Charles.

Just my opinion, but I think Josh will sell millions of albums in the coming years, regardless of whether he is the next American Idol or not. I can’t see Jessica Sanchez or Phil Phillips selling anywhere close to the number of albums, that Josh will sell when he records his debut album.

The following articles give even more details of the events yesterday honoring Josh Ledet:

http://theadvocate.com/news/2809671-123/idol-finalist-feted

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120512/NEWS01/120512007/-Idol-contestant-Ledet-returns-Westlake?odyssey=nav%7Chead

American Idol: Hollie Cavanaugh Goes Home, Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez, Phil Phillips Are Final 3

Hollie Cavanagh received the fewest number of votes and was sent home on American Idol on Thursday night.

Hollie Cavanagh was sent home last night on American Idol. Nine other singers had been sent home before her, so she lasted longer on the show than expected.

She received some harsh criticism from Jimmy Iovine, who said she crashed and burned, while singing on Wednesday night’s competition show.

You could tell she was not shocked to be going home and kept her composure, while singing her farewell song last night. Joshua Ledet was visibly moved while Holly sang her goodbye song. Hollie may never be a recording star on the level of some previous American Idols, but could still carve out a nice career for herself.

It was no surprise that Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez and Phil Phillips made the final three and will be rewarded with trips to their hometown this weekend.

Right now, it looks like Joshua and Jessica will be the last two singers left on finale night. However Phil Phillips could have something to say about that if he performs well next week.

I can see Joshua winning the title of the American Idol of Season 11, but we have seen a lot of surprise votes, when the final two face each other in their showdown.

Regardless of how the voting goes in the next two weeks, Joshua should be a successful recording artist and should have no problem being signed to recording contract, probably by Jimmy Iovine.

Last night’s show really had no drama since the voting was almost a foregone conclusion. 

By this time next week we will know who the final two are. It appears that Joshua Ledet has to be one of the finalists, after such great feedback from the judges and Jimmy Iovine. However, even that is not a sure thing, since fans sometimes don’t vote on their favorite, if they think their favorite is so far ahead, that they don’t bother voting for them.

I can see Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet going far if they are the next American Idol, but Phil Phillips may have more problems trying to sell his albums if he becomes the next American Idol.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-hollie-cavanagh-eliminated-jimmy-iovine-323203

Jermaine Paul is The Voice For Season 2

Jermaine Paul is The Voice for Season Two.

Jermaine Paul who won The Voice last night will try to outsell last year’s winner Javier Colon, who sold only 10,000 albums of Come Through For You, when it debuted last November on the Billboard charts. 

It is presently No. 1007th in sales at Amazon.com compared to Scotty McCreery being currently ranked 319th in sales after his Clear Day album debuted seven months ago in October of 2011.

I predict that Jermaine will outsell Javier Colon by a large margin, after his debut album is released later this year. 

The Voice needs Jermaine to sell a lot of albums, to gain some momentum in record sales. He has more stage presence than Javier. The Voice will not be taken seriously, until one of their winning contestants can sell more albums, or close to as many albums as the American Idol winner.

My main complaint with The Voice is that they have a now you see them, now you don’t when it comes to their contestants.

Contestants chosen at the first Blind Auditions won’t be seen again till several weeks later, at the Battle Round competitions. There is no continuity, which it makes it difficult for The Voice fans to identify with singers they see only sporadically.

Blake Shelton was the coach the winner Jermaine Paul, while last year’s winner Javier Colon had Adam Levine as coach. 

There is a chance that The Voice will return for a third season this fall.

George Lindsey Dies At Age Of 83: Famous As Goober On Andy Griffith Show

George Lindsey 1928-2012

George Lindsey died yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 83. Lindsey was the latest Andy Griffith Show regular to die, as fewer and fewer of the regulars from the show are still surviving.

He was seen in 86 episodes of Andy Griffith and  58 episodes of Mayberry RFD. Only Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Francis Bavier and Don Knotts appeared in more episodes than George “Goober” Lindsey.

It was quite a feat for Lindsey to appear in so many episodes, considering he didn’t appear in his first episode till the fourth year of the show. Lindsey had been a serious actor before joining the show, but his portrayal of Goober made it more difficult to secure serious roles in later years.

Lindsey in real life was much smarter than the automobile mechanic Goober, that he portrayed on the Andy Griffith Show. In fact Lindsey graduated from University of North Alabama with a degree in bioscience. He was a science teacher, before becoming an actor.

It is a little known fact that Lindsey was the first choice of Gene Roddenberry creator of Star Trek to play Mr. Spock in the television series.  He also appeared on Hee Haw from 1972-1992.

These are some of the comments made after his death by his friends from the Zap2it.com website:

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/05/george-goober-lindsey-dies-at-83.html

We have lost another member of the Andy Griffith cast who made it the special show it was.

George Lindsey brought a lot of laughter into our lives. He will be missed greatly.

The First 48: Realistic Portrait of Homicide Investigations

The First 48 is one of the most realistic reality shows on television. The homicide detectives on the show race against the clock, to solve cases in the first 48 hours, after the crime has been committed.

It makes sense to act swiftly, before the suspect or suspects can find a hiding place from the homicide detectives or leave town. Another reason is that the perpetrators of the crime if there are more than one suspect are likely, to concoct a story so that if questioned by the detectives their stories will be the same.

Complaints About Predominantly Black Suspects

There has been some criticism of the show, for showing cases with mostly black criminals as the suspects. They probably could do a better job on that score, since the show has many more cases with black suspects.

Once the filming begins the show is not going to stop filming, because they find out a suspect is black.

One Suspect Fan of Show

One suspect in a show I watched yesterday looked into the camera and said he was a fan of the show and then said “Hello America”.

You would think a criminal that watches the show would ask for a lawyer from the start of the interrogation, since the detectives are able to obtain confessions if given the chance.

Suspects Forget About Miranda Rights

It is almost like the suspects have forgotten their Miranda rights which say:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.

However, suspect after suspect will forget about the Miranda rights and forget the part about anything they say could be used against them. Instead they freely give information about a crime

The detectives are smart to not even mention attorneys during the interrogation. You can tell on the show that when a suspect asks for an attorney, that the detectives hate to see a suspect ask for an attorney.

If they are not allowed to ask any more questions, then the suspect is more or less useless to them, because the suspect’s attorney will  tell them to not talk to anyone about the case. They then have to try to find other evidence or witnesses, if the case is not strong enough to take to court.

One suspect on a recent show tired of being yelled at by the detectives and told them he is through and that they can yell at his lawyer.

Pit One Suspect Against Another

Sometimes the homicide detectives on the  will pit one suspect against another, by telling the suspect they are interviewing, that the other suspect or suspects have already told them the truth and that the suspect will find it is to their benefit to tell the truth.

On one show a suspect was being interviewed and says he only knocked on the door of the crime scene house. Later on it was revealed he was the shooter, while he portrayed himself  as an innocent bystander, when first interviewed.

More Than One Crime Scene

Most of the shows have more than one crime being investigated, but some shows do only have one crime investigated. Some of the same detectives will be seen on many shows.

The shows are centered on metropolitan areas like Cincinnati, Memphis, Miami, Houston and other large cities.

Summary 

The First 48 to me is a realistic look at how a homicide investigation is conducted. It shows how leads and tips that are called in, are followed up.

A witness in a homicide case told the detectives where the marijuana was thrown out off an interstate. Traffic was stopped on that side of the interstate, till they could search for the marijuana, but eventually the detectives called off the search.

Then when that witness is questioned again, he reveals that the marijuana was thrown in a garbage can in the neighborhood, where the crime was committed, so the interstate was closed down for nothing and the witness wound up being a suspect and was charged with murder.

Some people may think the show reveals too much about how homicide detectives solve cases and question suspects. A criminal watching the show may learn what not to do, by watching the detectives question suspects. The detectives tell the suspects to tell the truth, but if they do tell the truth they are only incriminating themselves and helping the detectives solve the case.

Anyone watching this show should be forewarned, that it can be very habit-forming, because these are real cases, that are shown from the crime scene till they are charged with murder in most shows.

Joshua Ledet Makes Final Four On American Idol

There are never any sure things on American Idol, but Joshua Ledet is one week from being able to return to his hometown of Westlake, Louisiana, which has a population of 4,568. The celebration may be in Lake Charles if Ledet advances next week to the final three, since Lake Charles has a population of 71,993 and probably better suited for a parade and is only a few miles away from Westlake.

Hollie Cavanagh just missed making the top 24 in Season 10, but is now in the final four in Season 11. I look for her or Phil Phillips to leave the show. Going strictly by talent, we should see Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet on finale night.

Anything can happen though, so we could see any combination of two,  of the four remaining singers, facing each other on finale night.

Next Week: Contestants Sings Songs Of California Artists

The Top 4 contestants will sing songs by California artists next week. This could be interesting since a lot of California music has been by groups. However there should still be plenty of songs to sing by California solo artists.

Phil Phillips is only singer that has never been in the bottom two or the bottom three in the voting. Next week should change that, since he is likely to be in the bottom two next week.

Jessica Sanchez fans have rallied to support her after she was voted off the show, but saved by the judges and has not been in bottom two or three since that night.

 

 

Who Will Go Home Next on American Idol?

Joshua Ledet seems to be the one to beat in American Idol this season after his performance last night. However, we know American Idol voters can shock us sometimes. If Joshua Ledet winds up in the bottom three tonight, then all bets are off as to who will win Season 11 of American Idol.

Skylar Laine and Jessica Sanchez seem to be gaining momentum after their performances last night. I look for Hollie Cavanagh or Phillip Phillips to be going home tonight, but it depends on how strong of a voter base that Skylar has after her Wednesday night’s performances.

I will continue to support Joshua Ledet, as long as he remains in the competition. My favorite singer after Ledet is Hollie Cavanagh, but she could be exiting the show tonight, despite singing very well last night.

American Idol has reached the point of the competition, where a very good singer will go home every night till finale night, so Hollie  may be a victim of the numbers game tonight. Personally, I think Hollie is a much better singer, than Phillip Phillips but feel like his fanbase is probably stronger than her fan base.

We didn’t get home from church till the show was half over, so this recap from the Los Angeles Times has more details of performance night:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/05/american-idol-recap-top-5-60s-brits.html