It was the second consecutive week that Big Bang Theory topped American Idol in the ratings. The Voice and X-Factor may have played in a part in the American Idol decline in ratings.

Too Many Singing Competition TV Shows?

Apparently music fans don’t like the idea of three singing competition shows, when considering that American Idol drew over 20 million fans in almost every show last year, but this year is floundering around the 15 million mark lately. Most shows would be happy to have 15 million tuning in, but for Idol it is a staggering blow to attract only 15 million fans.

Now the question is if the three judges really disagreed on the talents of some of the singers on the show last night, or was it a ploy to increase ratings in the future. Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson have got along well, for the most part since the three became the judging team in Season 10. Maybe it was a one-time thing, but it seems like the American Idol judges, may be trying to emulate the tension between Simon Cowell and the other judges on X-Factor.

Producers May Be Contemplating Changes

The producers are probably re-evaluating the show, now that the show is not No.1 in its time slot. American Idol has been a juggernaut in the ratings, but now Big Bang Theory has shown they can post even better ratings.

The Voice Returns on Super Bowl Sunday

The Voice will return on Super Bowl Sunday for another season. That could make things worse for American Idol having two singing competition shows on each week.

I don’t think anyone thought we would see a situation comedy beating the No.1 singing competition show, but Big Bang Theory has done just that.

Ratings May Jump During Hollywood Week

American Idol may regain the top spot when they get into Hollywood week, with all the drama that comes with Hollywood week. I still remember someone tell Scotty McCreery he wasn’t good enough for his group, then Scotty went on to become the American Idol, showing he was more than good enough for their group.

The ratings should be even better when the singers for the live show are chosen, then once they are chosen viewers may pick a favorite and watch till their favorite is voted off.

American Idol doesn’t seem to be that different from past years. It may just be the victim of overkill when it comes to singing competition shows and American Idol is paying the price by receiving lower ratings.

Map depicting Civil War battles fought in Louisiana from Americancivilwar.com.

Erika Van Pelt a DJ and wedding singer was the best singer on the Thursday night American Idol show.

Hallie Day had one of the most impressive auditions on American Idol on Thursday night’s show and has a great chance of being in the Final 12 in Season 11. Hallie should go far in the competition, if she can get past Hollywood week which has been known to end singing careers, before they even get off the ground.

Fewer Viewers Than Last Year

American Idol drew less fans on Thursday night, than they drew in any audition or Hollywood show last year. 21.89 million was the lowest number of viewers, in the auditions before the final 24 show last year. 

Only 14 million viewers tuned into American Idol last night, which was less than any show last year. It could be that fans are experiencing singing competition burnout after a heavy dose of American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor. It will be interesting to see if The Voice makes a dent into the American Idol franchise, when it debuts on Feb. 5 on Super Bowl night.

The magic was still there for me in both American Idol shows telecast this week. However, The Voice and X-Factor fans may not be as likely to watch American Idol as in the past.

There is still little likelihood that Javier Colon and Melanie Amaro, who won The Voice and X-Factor respectively, will come close to having the name recognition of Scotty McCreery, who may have won only $250,000 but has sold over a million albums in three months.

It is not likely that The Voice and X-Factor have killed off the American Idol star, since American Idol drew over 20 million in almost every show in 2011, while X-Factor maxed out at 12.59 million on finale night. The American Idol finale drew 29.29 million when Scotty McCreery was voted the American Idol.

The American Idol franchise may be a little shaky, but I look for ratings to get better as fans choose their favorites and follow them as long as they survive the cuts during Hollywood week.

Shaun Kraisman was one of the most interesting contestants, as he did an excellent Ryan Seacrest impression, but didn’t advance to Hollywood despite singing very well in my book, but the judges didn’t agree.

My personal favorite was Shannon Magrane, the daughter of former major league pitcher and MLB Network analyst Joe Magrane. The judges coaxed Shannon into bringing her family to the audition room, so they learned, that she was going to Hollywood the minute the judges told her the good news.

The last singer at the Savannah, Georgia audition was Phillip Phillips, who impressed the judges so much that he was asked to sing a second song. Phillip will be a singer to watch when the Hollywood week round starts.

American Idol was a breath of fresh air after The Voice and it’s chairs that turned around, to reveal the singer that was singing, if  the judge liked the song, plus it reminded us how much we disliked the constant bickering of the X-Factor judges. The bickering between Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul was a huge distraction, not to mention the annoying host Steve Jones, who seemed to annoy the judges, as much as the fans.

There is no doubt that American Idol is still the best singing competition. It may be difficult to follow-up the success of Season 10, when Scotty McCreery won the title of American Idol. Even more impressive was that Scotty sold a million copies of his debut album, only three months after being released. His sales far eclipsed those of Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze, whose record sales never did take off.

It is safe to say that Scotty is the most successful recording artist, after winning American Idol, since 2005 when Carrie Underwood won Season 4.

We won’t know until May who wins Season 11 of American Idol, but fans will have fun watching the shows, till the winner is revealed by Ryan Seacrest.

It may never draw the viewers garnered by the original Pawn Stars on the same channel.

There have even been reports, that the owners of the original Pawn Stars show, filmed in Las Vegas, were less than pleased, when they found out about the spinoff show.

They reportedly had not been notified by the network, that the Cajun Pawn Stars show was even in the works. They claim to have  in their contract, that there would be no spinoffs, from the original Pawn Stars shows.  They are probably concerned, that with two reality pawn shop shows, on the air will lower the rating for their original Pawn Stars show.

For those who don’t get the History Channel on their cable service, they will be pleased to know, that the shows can be viewed, in their entirety at the History channel website.

I recently watched the first two shows and the main difference, between the two shows is that DeRamus offers more money for items brought to his pawn shop. DeRamus even offered twice the value for one item. That is not normal practice for most pawn shops.

Having grown up across the river from Silver Dollar Pawn Shop it makes it more interesting to watch. Folks from the area are probably seeing people, that they actually know on the show. I have been in the store a couple of times myself.

DeRamus really wanted the first record ever made by Jerry Lee Lewis, that the expert verified was authentic, but the owner, who just happens to be married to Jerry Lee’s sister, decided he couldn’t part with the record, even though the offer by DeRamus was more, than what the record had been valued at.

He also tried to buy a pair of $5,000 and $10,000 sister bills, but came up empty, when the owner turned down his $500,000 offer, then DeRamus upped that offer, but it was no deal.

The pygmy goat that was leaving souvenirs, for someone to clean up was sold for $40, after DeRamus declined to buy it for $60.

The show to me was an excellent representation, of life in Central Louisiana. It may not be able to compete with the flashy Pawn Stars reality show, being filmed in Las Vegas, but I look for it to catch on, as the weeks go by. This show seems to give more background on the customers, than the Las Vegas based Pawn Stars show, which for the most part, doesn’t come close to offering the money,  that is offered on Cajun Pawn Stars.

It was almost like going home again for me, since we live 125 miles from Alexandria now.

The photo above makes me wonder what these soldiers were thinking, before leaving the landing craft on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Some of them would be dead minutes later, as they came under intense German gunfire from beyond the beach. They could see their fellow soldiers being shot, before they even left the landing craft.

I saw a PBS program about veterans returning to Normandy, France and telling their stories of what they experienced that day. One soldier was helping wounded soldiers, but then was hit himself several times. He had just told another soldier that he was too weak to help with the wounded soldiers and at that moment the other soldier was hit by a bullet that went in one side of his head and exited on the other side.

He assumed the soldier had died, but he encountered him at an Army reunion later and saw the man and his wife there. He told him that he thought he was dead and the other soldier thought the other soldier was dead. So both soldiers, had thought the other soldier was dead, when in fact both had survived their wounds from D-Day.

A 18 year old soldier on D-Day would be 86 years old today. The 70th anniversary of D-Day will be held on June 6, 2014. Any soldier that was 30 or older that day, probably would have died by that date.

Even though President Roosevelt had declared war on Germany on December 8 of 1941, it would be two-and-a- half years before American forces entered the European theater.

The French civilians on the program today, are still thankful for the Americans freeing them from German rule. They spoke of passing the torch to each generation of  the French people, to let them know that the American soldiers, were the reason that they regained their freedom.

Hitler’s harebrained military plans, enabled the Americans to gain inroads to other French cities, since he had 157 divisions on the Russian front, while having only 59 in France.

13,000 American paratroopers were dropped from the sky, as part of the D-Day invasion,  but the paratroopers were very fragmented and only 2,500 of them had joined up with their units, 24 hours after being dropped. One of the veterans on the PBS special said they wrapped up dead American paratroopers in their parachutes and buried them.

The allied forces were outnumbered 380,000 to 175,000 but still they still won the Battle of Normandy. Allied casualties at Normandy totaled close to 10,000 with 2,500 making the ultimate sacrifice for the allied forces.

Words can’t express our gratitude for the soldiers, who stepped out of their landing craft, facing death immediately and those that survived the onslaught at the beach, as they began their trek through France, as they liberated the French people, from the clutches of Adolf  Hitler.

The Voice had the gimmick of the judges hearing the singers, without seeing them and then would turn around to see the singers if they liked them.

To me that was the highlight of the show, but once they got into the battle rounds, it seemed to be more of a contest to see who could sing the loudest, instead of who could sing the best.

When Javier Colon became The Voice, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would not receive near the publicity of the American Idol winner and that is exactly what happened.

While the internet was full of stories about Scotty McCreery the American Idol winner and the runner-up Lauren Alaina, there was little mention of Javier Colon or any of the contestants from The Voice.

The contestants from the The Voice more or less disappeared from the scene, after the finale, while McCreery and Alaina were making news by singing at the Grand Ole Opry and signing record deals. They did receive some negative publicity, for McCreery not holding the mike up, while lip-synching during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and Alaina forgetting the words, of the National Anthem, but it was publicity.

Before that they had toured the country, with nine other singers from American Idol, during the summer, exposing them to thousands of American Idol fans.

X-Factor seemed to focus on big production numbers, with strobe lights flashing across the stage, more than the singers themselves, sometimes overshadowing the vocals.

Steve Jones, the host of X-Factor, was clearly out of his element on the show. He bordered on the obnoxious, most of the season, asking questions of singers and judges, at the most inopportune times. It was awkward when he received no response to those questions.

The producers made him look even worse, when they made him wait forever, to announce which contestants were going home. I doubt that Simon Cowell will invite Jones to return for the 2012 shows. Nicole Scherzinger should never have been chosen, to be on the judge’s panel. She was too indecisive, to make the judgements a judge has to make. Her indecision resulted in Rachel Crow going home, because she didn’t want to decide, whether Marcus Canty or Crow should go home.

The harsh words that L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell exchanged seemed to be staged, but they probably really didn’t get along well, with both of them being record executives.

Cowell made a huge mistake, by predicting that X-Factor would attract 20 million viewers, but in reality the show never came close to the 20 million mark.

In contrast, American Idol stayed above the 20 million mark and had no problems with judges, except when Jennifer Lopez broke down, while making her decision about Chris Medina, before the live shows began. The chemistry between Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler was clearly the best among the judges on the three shows.

Christina Aguilera seemed to be intent on using sexual entendres, while talking to the other judges on The Voice. Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine seemed to be more focused on their singers, than making snarky comments like Aguilera had made.

If you stopped someone on the street and asked them who won American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor, most of them could tell who won American Idol, but not the other two shows.

Scotty McCreery may have won only $250,000 for winning American Idol, while Melanie Amaro won $5 million recording contract for winning X-Factor, but McCreery is the one that will see his name mentioned on internet more than Amaro.

For instance, McCreery’s album Clear as Day is listed No.9 at Amazon.com in sales among country albums, after being on the charts for 140 days, with 110 listeners rating his album with five stars and only two giving it one star.

Javier Colon the winner of The Voice, on the other hand has a new album Come Through For You that is ranked 1,296th in sales.

There is no reason for American Idol producers to worry about The Voice or X-Factor. American Idol is still king of  the hill among singing competitions and after the Lee DeWyze debacle of 2010, which saw his debut album Live It Up currently listed 4,949th in sales at Amazon, the show seems now back on course.

It seems like country music singers from American Idol sell better than from other genres. Even runner-up Lauren Alaina’s Wildflower album is listed 275th in sales at Amazon, which is far better than first place winner DeWyze from 2010.

The American Idol juggernaut is alive and well and we can expect it be around for many years to come.

Population Predictions For 2000

The magazine predicts there will be 350 million to 500 million people, living in the United States in the year 2,000. There was a population of 76 million, when this prediction was made in 1900. Actually the U.S. population in 2000 was 281 million, so the magazine’s prediction was 69 million off, on the low side and 219 million off on the high side.

Presently as of today the U.S. population stands at 312 million, so it will be much longer before the 350 million prediction is reached. However, due to smaller families for the most part today, that probably skewered their numbers.

Americans Projected To Live To 50 Years Old

The magazine goes on to predict that Americans will be one or two inches taller and will live to be 50 years old, compared to living to be 35, during the year 1900.

Cost a Penny For Transportation To Work

One of the worst predictions is that it will cost a penny for Americans to arrive at work each day. It costs more than a penny to back out of a driveway today.

Noiseless Cities

Another absurd prediction is that cities will be free of all noises. Guess they never took into account, drivers screaming at each other while in traffic jam, at rush hour in downtown New York City.

Cigar-Shaped Locomotives

Trains will be powered by cigar-shaped locomotives hauling long trains of freight cars.

Air-Ships Used Only In War

There will be air-ships but won’t be used for passenger transportation, but as war vessels. These air-ships will fire deadly thunderbolts toward their enemies. Rifles will all have silencers.

No Mosquitoes Or Flies

This prediction definitely failed to materialize as mosquitoes and flies, still exist today, as annoying as ever. A lot of campers wish their 1900 prediction had been accurate.

Strawberries As Large As Apples

I have never seen a strawberry as large as an apple, so the prediction that children would be eating large strawberries, for Christmas dinner hasn’t come true.

No More C,X, or Q In Alphabet

This prediction obviously was wrong as keyboards today still have all three letters.

Free University Education For Everyone

College students still paying on student loans, twenty years after graduating can attest to the fact, that this prediction was wrong. Poor children will be taken on vacations to many places in the world.

Communicate By Phone All Over The World

The magazine got this one right, when it said we would be able to talk to someone from China on the telephone. It also predicted the demise of the telephone operator, which was needed to plug-in calls.

No Wild Animals

Wild animals won’t be roaming the woods and countryside, since they will be living in menageries. There will be no rats or mice, since they will no longer exist. Tell that to a family, that has a house infested by rats and/or mice.

Fast Electric Ships To Travel Mile Every Minute

I think it is safe to say there are no ships traveling a mile a minute, between New York and England, as mentioned in the magazine. The troop ship I was on, during the 7,000 mile trip from Hawaii to Vietnam in 1966 was only traveling 500 miles a day. If it had been going a mile a minute, we would have been traveling 1,400 miles a day, turning our 14 day trip into a 5 day trip. But then why would anyone want to get to Vietnam any sooner, than they did?

Summary: There were some outlandish predictions made in the Ladies Home Journal article, but when considering that this was 1900, when the predictions were made, it is hard to find fault with the predictions.

It still was fun looking back at these predictions, like the one that predicted no wild animals in 2000. There are probably millions of wild animals roaming loose in the world today. I wish the no mosquitoes and no flies prediction had materialized. The manufacturer of OFF mosquito repellent is happy, that there are still mosquitoes in the world today.

For those readers interested in reading the entire Ladies Home Journal article listing all the predictions:

http://www.yorktownhistory.org/homepages/1900_predictions.htm

Predictions For Year 2000 From 1969

This list of predictions from the July 22, 1961 edition of Weekend Magazine, predicts the advent of indoor swimming pools, which has been realized. Thankfully, the refrigerated garbage prediction has not come to fruition.

One prediction which sadly has not come to fruition, is that there will be no cancer, common colds, tooth decay or mental illness in the year 2000.

Another prediction that is way off base, is that it would be possible to fly to any point in the world, within an hour after taking off. I am sure a passenger on a flight from New York City to Los Angeles, can personally verify, that they can’t reach Los Angeles an hour after taking off.

To read the complete  article:

http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/2000/

Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik will vie to become the first winner of X-Factor in its inaugural season. The three singers will compete this week with the winner being announced on Thursday, Dec. 22.

The best singer remaining in the running, for the coveted $5 million recording contract, in my estimation is Melanie Amaro. My personal favorite is Chris Rene, since he has overcome many obstacles, to be competing to be the winner of the X-Factor. Going from being a garbage collector with a serious drug problem, to the brink of winning a $5 million recording contract, makes me want to root for him.

However, I expect to see either Josh Krajcik or Amaro take the top prize on Thursday night, on finale night. Krajcik has a powerful voice, but his mentor Nicole Scherzinger did nothing to change his stage persona or his appearance during the season. Rene changed his look during the season, due to L.A. Reid’s advice or did it on his own. Either way I think it increased his appeal. He commands the stage and seems to be enjoying entertaining the audience. Rene is by far the best entertainer, remaining in the running to win X-Factor.

Krajcik looks as unkempt as he did during the auditions and has made no attempt to clean up his look. Who would want to buy an album of his with his look, unless he changes it this week? It is sad to see a singer with such a great voice, look like he bought his clothes at a Goodwill store, with scraggly looking hair, that looks like it hasn’t encountered a brush or comb in months. I apologize to his fans for my criticism, but am only pointing this out, to say that a singer’s appearance is crucial to their success.

I look for Steve Jones to announce Amaro, as the winner on Thursday night. I still can’t believe that Simon Cowell chose four other female singers ahead of her.

Speaking of Jones, there are rumors that he will not return for the second season. He is opposite of Ryan Seacrest who seems to run a tighter ship, without all the drama. Jones has several times asked questions to singers or judges, that were emotionally distraught and refused to talk to him.

Jones seems to be obviously reading from a cue card, during X-Factor. I can’t see X-Factor bringing him back and will find a host, who is less annoying.

Shocking Eliminations

The most shocking elimination this season was when Rachel Crow was sent home, due to Scherzinger not being able to make a choice between Marcus Canty and Crow. The judges are paid to judge and her refusal to judge, resulted in Crow going home, since it was her only chance, to remain on the show.

Drew seemed to be a lock for the final three along with Crow, but Cowell’s insistence on her singing in a chair, for an entire song resulted in her being voted off the show.

The animosity between Cowell and Reid speeded up Drew’s departure from the show.

Summary of first season as of today: My personal opinion is that X-Factor went overboard, on the big production numbers. I can’t remember this many big production numbers, on American Idol. Their focus was more on the singers and not the staging of the songs.

X-Factor did well in the ratings, but didn’t come close to approaching the ratings numbers for American Idol. I look for American Idol to continue draw more than 20 million viewers in its 2012 season. Cowell had predicted 20 million viewers for X-Factor, but was 9 to 10 million off most of the season.

Jones, the host was a major distraction during the inaugural season. Know he was being hurried by producers, but then those same producers slowed down the show, by the dead air when announcing who was staying on the show.

X-Factor did alright for a first season, but it seems like they could have come up, with a better final three, than that competing on Thursday night for the big prize.

The fighting between the mentors, took the focus off the singers and onto the judges. Cowell and Reed were particularly disrespectful to the singers, in the other mentor’s tutelage.

One of the singers will have a $5 million recording contract, after the show on Thursday night. Amaro to me, has the best chance of becoming a recording star.

The first three acts mentioned above, that were sent home were no surprises, but to see Drew sent home last week, tells me that the voters will have an even tougher decision, each week the rest of the way.

Before looking at the final five acts remaining, would like to congratulate Astro, on handling his elimination so well. After acting very childish two weeks ago, when he found himself in the bottom two and threatened to not even sing, he has acted much better, but the damage probably had already been done.

Astro was a one trick pony for the most part, working his rapping into whatever the theme was for a particular week, without really singing. However, Astro was very good at writing and rapping, which should result in his being signed by a record label.

Final Five Singers

Chris Rene – Chris will probably suffer the fate of Astro this week, unless he can come up with two great performances, with each contestant being required to sing two songs this week. Chris is my personal favorite, since it would be a great story if he won, since he would be going, from being a drug addict picking up garbage, to winning a $5 million recording contract. He may pick up some of Astro’s voters, since he is only remaining rapper on the show.

Marcus Canty – Marcus has been living on the edge lately, finding himself in the bottom two often, but his ballad that saved him last week, was one of the best performances of the entire season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the bottom two again next week. I look for Marcus and Chris to be in the bottom two this week.

Melaine Amaro- Melanie is the best singer in my book, that remains in the competition. I can see her winning on finale night in two weeks. She is definitely the best female singer remaining.

Rachel Crow – Rachel is another that just may win this competition, because of her likeability factor. She sings well, but not at the level of Melanie or Josh. Rachel will be a star in some form of entertainment world, in the near future. She is tailor-made for the Disney Channel and may wind up there, if she doesn’t receive the $5 million recording contract.

Josh Krajcik – Josh has a powerful voice, which could be his ticket to winning the recording contract. However I can’t see him drawing more votes than Rachel or Melanie. I am surprised that Nicole Scherzinger, the mentor for Josh hasn’t had him adopt a cleaner look, as far as facial hair is concerned. His fan base probably won’t come close to that of someone like Rachel.

Predicted Winner

My prediction is that Rachel Crow will win the $5 million recording contract, unless she falters badly in the last two weeks. Melanie is by far a better singer and can belt a tune with the best of them, but I have a feeling that Rachel’s voters are very loyal and could propel her to victory.

Summary

Simon Cowell’s gaffe of having Drew remain seated in a chair, probably cost Drew her dream of winning X-Factor. My personal thought is that the singers should be able, to choose their own songs. Simon knows he is the reason, that Drew made an early exit from the show.

If the singers choose the wrong song, at least they will know, that  they didn’t lose because of a mentor making a bad song choice. It was heartbreaking to see Drew so upset, about being eliminated and it hurt Simon too, since he knew it was his fault.

The ratings prediction by Simon that predicted 20 million viewers, for X-Factor never materialized. The show is drawing about half that many viewers, with rating numbers close to the 10 million mark.

X-Factor may never be the ratings juggernaut, that American Idol has been, but it is still drawing well enough to win the nights, on which it appears.

EDITORS NOTE: I am now working a full-time job, after being retired for the last year, so the posts will be sporadic, as long as I am working. Thank you to the readers for understanding the situation.

Andrew Godfrey

Matter of fact only 8.51 million viewers watched the results show last Wednesday night. The CMA awards hammered X-Factor in the ratings with 16 million viewers to 10 million viewers for X-Factor.

American Idol drew at least 20 million viewers to every show in 2011, while X-Factor has topped out around 12 million viewers for the entire season.

It was thought that reuniting Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul as judge-mentors would attract viewers, However, that has not seemed to make much difference in the ratings. It is clear that there is a lot of work that needs to be done, since right now X-Factor is not drawing half the fans of American Idol.

Steve Jones has been a major disappointment as the host of X-Factor, with his tendency to rush the judges, while they are giving their opinions of the singers. He definitely is not attracting viewers to the show, especially with his annoying personality. He is making Ryan Seacrest look much better, in contrast. Seacrest is a much smoother host and seems to really care about the contestants, but we don’t get that impression from Jones.

Jones is by far the most obnoxious host of any television show I have ever watched. Why Simon Cowell would hire this clown is beyond me. The most annoying thing, which may or may not be his fault, is the long pauses between telling which singers are advancing in the competition to the next week. It may be a case of him waiting on the producers to tell him the names of those advancing. Regardless, it looks silly to have so much dead air, while announcing the safe singers, then a few minutes later saying “We have to move on” incessantly as Jones rushes the judges, to make their decisions a few minutes later.

Paula Abdul’s groups have all been sent home and only Josh Krajcik remains of the over 30 singers, which Nicole Scherzinger has been mentoring.

I think the groups category should be eliminated next season, since voters don’t think in terms of groups, as much as solo acts. It was only a matter of time before LeRoy Bell and Stacy Francis were sent home, so that was no surprise.

So that leaves Simon Cowell with all three of his female singers still in the competition:

Rachel Crow has a real chance to win the competition, since she is one of the most likeable contestants on any singing competition show ever. Melanie Amaro to me is a better singer than Drew, but Simon seems to be pushing for Drew to win the competition. Amaro has the most powerful voice remaining in the competition, with maybe the exception of Krajcik, who can belt a song with the best of them.

L.A. Reid also has all three of his remaining singers,  in the competition in Marcus Canty, Chris Rene and Astro. I think it is safe to say that Astro removed himself from the competition, with his childish behavior two weeks ago, when finding himself in the bottom two. He said all the right things last week, but the damage has been done. It is not a matter of if he is going home, but when he is going home. I just wonder what Astro will do, if they have a country music theme one week. Chris Rene may have the same problem, since I can’t picture him singing country music, nor can I picture Astro singing I Stopped Loving Her Today.

 My personal favorite to win the competition is Chris Rene, but that is mainly because of his back story, not his singing ability. It would be the American dream story if he wins, going from being a garbage collector with a drug habit, to winning a $5 million recording contract, but it is not likely to happen. Marcus Canty found himself in the bottom two last week, so it may mean his time on X-Factor may be drawing to a close.

Josh Krajcik may be the best singer on the show, but I can’t see him having the kind of fan base to actually win the show. Melanie Amaro may have the same problem. My prediction to win the inaugural season of X-Factor is Rachel Crow. It is hers to lose.

It is hard to comprehend that 48 years have passed, since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, a Friday morning that will live forever in history.  I was subbing for the company postal clerk, who was on vacation, for the 25th Administration Company of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii on that date and was the first to tell the company commander about the president being shot, after hearing the news on the radio. Meanwhile the regular postal clerk was flying military standby back to the mainland. He was trying to make a connection to New York City, from California, but was routed to Dallas, Texas of all places, arriving there about the time of the assassination.

Reading Warren Commission Report

I had a copy of the Warren Commission Report, that I had never really read until this last week. President Johnson commissioned the report a week after the assassination.

President Johnson was eager to have the Warren Report released, as soon as possible, to avoid having it contain any conspiracy theories, that might create doubt among the American public.

There is plenty of circumstantial evidence, that makes it appear that Lee Harvey Oswald fired the rifle, from the six floor window, of the Texas Schoolbook Depository building. Some witnesses on the ground reportedly saw a figure holding a gun, but as far as I know, nobody identified that figure as being Oswald. It is doubtful anyone could see someone inside a sixth story window, then be able to identify that person, since only their arms and the gun would be seen.

I am not saying that Oswald didn’t fire the shots, that killed President Kennedy and also wounded Texas Governor John Connally. He just appeared to be the one most likely to have fired the shots.

Lee Harvey Oswald: Portrait Of An Assassin

Lee Harvey Oswald had all the credentials of an assassin. He was a loner, that was an activist in liberal causes. He was a frustrated individual, who never really fit in with most political groups. He was living in Russia, thinking he had found a better way of living, but left when he saw their government didn’t care about the little people like him.

It wasn’t until after the assassination, that it was found out, that Oswald had attempted to shoot General Edwin Walker in his Dallas home on May 10, 1963. This shooting and the Kennedy assassination, proved that Oswald would just as soon shoot a conservative like Walker as well as a liberal like Kennedy.

By now everyone knows, that Oswald who never had a driver’s license told his co-worker Wesley Frazier, that he needed to go to Irving, Texas to pick up some curtain rods. He normally went to Irving on Fridays, but he needed those “curtain rods” for work on Friday, ostensibly to kill the president of the United States. Everyone also knows now, that those “curtain rods’ turned out to be the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle found inside the sixth story window, of the Texas Schoolbook Depository building.

Why was Oswald in Mexico City two months before the assassination? It is still a mystery, to my knowledge, what he was doing in Mexico City. It is known that he was trying to secure a visa to Cuba through the Cuban embassy, but there is little record of what he was actually doing in Mexico City. There are even reports that another individual, had used Oswald’s name, during the time he was in Mexico City. If there was a conspiracy, this may have been where it was planned.

Patrolman M.L. Baker was in the Texas Schoolbook Depository, looking for the shooter, when he encountered Oswald in the lunchroom. Oswald from the reports I have read, showed no signs of being under duress, while Baker was holding a gun on him. His coolness in that situation sealed the fate of both Officer J.D. Tippit, who would be killed less than an hour later, when he stopped Oswald on a Dallas street. If Oswald had exhibited any fright or seemed to be in distress, it is likely that Patrolman Baker would have arrested him in the lunchroom.

Oswald would have been without a weapon and presumably would have been taken to the police station without incident. However, Oswald may have tried to take the policeman’s gun, which could have been deadly.

There are so many incidents that day that could have changed history. Officer Tippit could have just as easily killed Oswald, instead of being gunned down himself by Oswald. That would have prevented the circus that ensued at the police station, after Oswald was arrested at the theater. History would have changed if Officer Tippit had stopped Oswald before he had a chance to receive his gun from the North Beckley residence.

Oswald allegedly fired his first shot at President Kennedy at 12:30 PM Dallas time. He encounters Patrolman Baker in the lunchroom and is leaving the Texas Schoolbook Depository by 12:33 PM. The building is reportedly sealed at 12:48, enabling Oswald to make his getaway. President Kennedy arrives at Parkland Hospital at 12:38 PM. Dallas Police homicide chief, who is awaiting the arrival of President Kennedy calls at 12:51 to ask if Kennedy is still coming to the Trade Mart for the luncheon in his honor, but is told it is very doubtful and in reality, Kennedy was dead nine minutes later.

By 1:00 Oswald has killed Officer Tippit and is seen entering the Texas Theater, while President Kennedy is being pronounced dead at that same minute.

Dallas police car #207 honks horn twice outside the Oswald house. This doesn’t sound very believable, so may not have even happened. Since when do police warn a criminal that they are outside their house?

The following timeline gives an interesting look at the events of that day. However, it can’t be taken too seriously accuracy wise, as it has Oswald arriving at the Texas Theater,  ten minutes before Officer Tippit is found dead in the street, which doesn’t sound right to me.

http://roswell.fortunecity.com/angelic/96/pctime.htm

Rose Cheramie was en route to Dallas with some other criminal types and said this about her reasons for being in Dallas:

“She said she was going to, number one, pick up some money, pick up her baby, and to kill Kennedy.” (p. 9 of Fruge’s 4/18/78 deposition)

While at the hospital Cheramie predicted the precise moment the assassination would take place:

At the hospital, Cheramie again predicted the assassination. On November 22nd, several nurses were watching television with Cheramie. According to these witnesses, “…during the telecast moments before Kennedy was shot Rose Cheramie stated to them, ‘This is when it is going to happen’ and at that moment Kennedy was assassinated. The nurses, in turn, told others of Cheramie’s prognostication.” (Memo of Frank Meloche to Louis Ivon, 5/22/67. Although the Dallas motorcade was not broadcast live on the major networks, the nurses were likely referring to the spot reports that circulated through local channels in the vicinity of the trip. Of course, the assassination itself was reported on by network television almost immediately after it happened.) Further, according to a psychiatrist there, Dr. Victor Weiss, Rose “…told him that she knew both Ruby and Oswald and had seen them sitting together on occasions at Ruby’s club.” (Ibid., 3/13/67) In fact, Fruge later confirmed the fact that she had worked as a stripper for Ruby. (Louisiana State Police report of 4/4/67.)

To read the complete article:

http://www.ctka.net/pr799-rose.html

There is reportedly no mention of Cheramie in the Warren Report. You would think someone who accurately predicted the moment President Kennedy would be shot, would be taken more seriously by the Warren Commission, but then that would back up the conspiracy theorists, which the Warren commission avoided at all costs.

It is not so much a matter if Oswald shot Kennedy but more of a matter, of was he aided by a conspiracy. Kennedy had a myriad of enemies, who wanted him dead. They included the unions, mobsters, Castro, KGB, possibly the CIA who were peeved at Kennedy for withdrawing air support for the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Even President Johnson has been mentioned as someone, who would like to see Kennedy dead, since he had the most to gain (the presidency). One online report even states that Oswald was seen at Johnson’s ranch in Mexico. That may be a false report, but worth looking into.

Jack Ruby Becomes Prosecutor and Jury, Killing Oswald

Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby, showed up at the police station on the Friday night of the assassination, to see the Oswald press conference. Ruby became emotionally distraught over the death of Kennedy and decided the American people would never have the chance to know if there was a conspiracy, behind the assassination of Kennedy.

Ruby singlehandedly started a wave of books about the assassination, since Americans would never know about any conspiracies, since Oswald was dead and dead men tell no tales.

Hundreds of books have been written about the assassination. The Warren Commission Report has focused on proving that Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas 48 years ago. They seemed to have glossed over any conspiracy theories. Oswald was a very shady character, who was all over the place and may have been covering up for some sinister group of conspiracists.

It is still a mystery of how Ruby was in the basement of the Dallas Police station on Sunday, November 24 and how he got in there. He reportedly arrived in the basement a couple of minutes before Oswald was to be moved to another facility.

Ruby said he killed Oswald, because he hated that Jackie Kennedy would have to return to Dallas for the trial of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Summary

I am not saying that the Warren Commission was a complete cover-up, but it seemed to be intent, on promoting the lone gunman theory. By not admitting a conspiracy was possible, it took a lot of the enemies of Kennedy off the hook, including the new president Lyndon B. Johnson, who was relegated to being a do-nothing vice president, until Kennedy’s death, propelled him to the presidency.

He was no longer the second banana to President Kennedy and his inner circle. The only reason Kennedy chose Johnson as a running mate, was so that he could garner some southern votes, attracted by Johnson being on the ticket as vice-president.

After 48 years, there is still no smoking gun that I know of that points to anyone besides Oswald being the assassin. I have heard for years about shots coming from the grassy knoll, but don’t think it is even mentioned in the Warren Report.

There are a lot of what-ifs that came into play on November 22, 1963:

What if it had rained that day and the bubble-top would have been down, ruining any chance of any assassin shooting the president?

What if Patrolman Baker would have arrested Oswald before leaving the schoolbook depository, which would have saved the life of Officer Tippit?

What if someone had walked in on the shooter from the sixth floor window seconds before the first shot?

What if the Dallas Police department had kept the crowds under control at the police station, during the interrogation of Oswald?

What if someone had stopped Ruby from entering the basement of the police station?

What if someone had taken Rose Cheramie seriously and prevented the assassination?

JFKLancer.com has some very interesting observations about what the Warren Commission Report failed to tell the American people:

http://www.jfklancer.com/LNE/report35.html

Song From Moulin Rouge by Percy Faith Orchestra was the No.1 song in 1953.

It was hard to believe that the first major rock and roll song, Shake, Rattle and Roll by Bill Haley and the Comets, would break into the Top 30 list, the next year 1954 ending in the No.26 spot. Bill Haley would come back in 1955, for his monster hit Rock Around the Clock, which went to No.2 on the chart.

The country had gone from an easy listening orchestra song in 1953, to two of the rocking and rollingest songs ever, in the space of two years.

These are some of the songs that were on the 1953 list, that began the end of the easy listening music era:

No. 2:  Vaya Con Dios – Les Paul and Mary Ford

No. 3:  How Much Is That Doggie In The Window – Patti Page….It was a novelty song that I can remember from Your Hit Parade Days.

No.8:  No Other Love – Perry Como

No.9:  Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes – Perry Como….Como had a third song on the list also Say Your Mine at No.21

No.12:  Ebb Tide – Frank Chacksfield Orchestra….One of the classic easy listening songs of all time. The orchestra  also had the No.27 song Limelight on the 1953 chart.

No.19:  Rags To Riches – Tony Bennett….One of the few singers who had a long career despite rock and roll taking over the charts.

No.22:  Dragnet – Ray Anthony Orchestra….Theme song from the television show Dragnet.

One of my favorite singers Joni James singing Why Don’t You Believe Me which was No.25 in 1953. She also had No.26 Your Cheating Heart and No.30 Have You Heard.

1953 chart represented a smorgasbord of musical tastes, from orchestra music, to novelty tunes, to the great crooners like Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, groups like Hilltoppers, Ames Brothers and Gaylords, up and coming stars like Joni James, who would miss years of singing, while taking care of her very sick husband.

At the end of 1953, nobody probably even thought, that in 1956 Elvis Presley would have five songs in the Top 30, with Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent,  also having rock and roll songs, plus Bill Doggett had his instrumental hit Honky Tonk, which clearly was not an easy listening recording.

1956 emphasized even more that the easy listening era, was coming to an end. There were still some crooners and orchestras on the 1956 list. It is safe to say that 1957 was the year that rock n’ rollers took over the charts, 25 rock and roll songs making the top 30.

The easy listening era was over. We can still listen to old records and cassettes from the past, but it looks like rock n’ roll is here to stay, until the next best thing comes along.

The Bobhorst.com website lists the Top songs of each year from 1946-2010. The list expanded from Top 30 to Top 100. The link will take readers to the 1953 charts, but it can be switched to any year easily.

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/top-100-songs-of-the-year/?year=1953

Sinnes is now living 230 miles away, after her landlord almost tripled, her $700 a month rent. What kind of person would force an 82-year-old woman, to leave the community she grew up in? A person who is a greedy, money-loving scumbag, who lets the mighty dollar rule his or her life, ignoring the effect it has on those, who can’t afford the exorbitant rent being charged. This landlord even had the nerve, to charge a $2,000 security deposit, to clients already living in the apartments.

There could still be a happy ending for Sennes, since she owns mineral rights, in the area and could sell those rights to drillers. She says she will return one way or the other, since she will be buried in town next to her husband. For right now, she is living in a town 230 miles away and doesn’t know what the future holds.

Some two bedroom apartments, in the area, are being rented for $2,000 a month. An ordinary mobile home is on the market for $149,500.  There is not nearly enough housing, for the influx of oil workers, so some workers are living in their cars and tents.

Compassionate Landlord

Mayo Miller 80, is fortunate that her landlord hasn’t raised her rent. She is paying $550 a month and delivers her rent check in person to thank her landlord, who is showing that there are some compassionate landlords left in the area.

It is good to know that money is not what drives her landlord. Otherwise, her landlord would be gouging the renters, like the slumlords who couldn’t care any less than they do, about the seniors being forced to leave their residences. Her landlord who realizes, not everyone is getting rich off the oil boom, could be charging Miller $3,000 a month for the apartment, but is doing the right thing, by letting her stay in her apartment.

Oil Boom Providing Jobs

The oil boom is providing jobs to thousands of workers, who are moving into the area. That is the main positive of the oil boom. However there is a huge negative, in that the oil boom encourages price gouging, knowing that the oil workers are being well-paid. Their gouging is not hurting the oil workers, once they get a few paychecks in the bank, but the people living on fixed incomes are seeing their dreams, of living their golden years peacefully,  in their hometown, being shattered by unscrupulous landlords.

To Gouge Or Not To Gouge?

Decisions are being made everyday, in the oil patch area. Landlords are having to decide, whether to do the right thing or join the crowd and start gouging their tenants, to inflate their bank accounts.

Senior Citizens Making Tough Decisions

The senior citizens and other tenants are having to make life-changing decisions, like finding a place to live, in another city or state, knowing their lives will not end the way they planned. Instead they are the victims of an oil boom, that creates job, but also creates victims of that oil boom.

Some of these landlords may later regret driving these senior citizens, from their residences, but it won’t make things any better, for the residents who are now living hundreds of miles away, from the hometown that they grew up in.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45292504/ns/local_news-clarksburg_wv/t/oil-boom-raises-rents-nd-pushes-seniors-out/

Photos from the wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries: Was anything about this wedding real?

When Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries exchanged wedding vows on August 20,2011, it looked they were headed, to a lifetime of happiness. However, that happiness came to a screeching halt when Kim Kardashian, decided 72 days later, that she didn’t really want to be married to Kris Humphries and filed for divorce.

Now Kim’s former publicist Jonathan Jaxson says, that the wedding was staged for the benefit, of the E channel which was televising the nuptials. Jaxson who says Kardashian didn’t pay money owed to him, so it may be a case of sour grapes, but then it could have been, only a ploy for ratings.

Jaxson is quoted in this article revealing how Kim loved to be the center of attention, to the point of creating unreal situations:

The publicist explained of their previous working relatinship, “I staged so many paparazzi moments for her…I arranged for her to be coming out of a jewelry store and made it look like Reggie was planning to propose to her.

“She would call and tell me to alert the press so there were cameras there whenever anything happened,” he revealed to the Radar. “Reggie cottoned onto it and he didn’t like it, that was part of the reason they split up. He couldn’t handle the fame and her desire for it.”

Kim’s mom Kris Jenner, has denied that the wedding was staged, but that is hard to believe, knowing her history of  promoting the Kardashian name. There is no way she is going to admit it was staged, whether it was or not.

 Ratings of Kourtney and Kim Take New York

The ratings of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, will be closely watched by the E channel executives and by Ryan Seacrest, who created the show. If ratings tumble after an apparently staged wedding for television purposes, then the Kardashians may slowly disappear from cable television.

We soon should know some answers when the show debuts in its new season later this month. Kim Kardashian may have sensed, that living in Minnesota, with Humphries would diminish her popularity and chose divorce over settling down with her husband.

Kim Voted Most Annoying By Parade Magazine

It was no surprise that a Parade magazine poll listed Kim Kardashian as the most annoying person with 29 percent of the vote compared, to second place Charlie Sheen, with 27 percent of the vote. Snooki came in third, with 21 percent of the vote.

E channel is bombarding us with three Kardashian series which rotate during the year, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe and Lamar and the aforementioned Kourtney and Kim Take New York.

The wedding may or not have been staged, but a lot of fans will wonder if it was, after the sudden divorce, after 72 days of marriage.

This is just my opinion, but I think that the Kardashians have killed the reality television star, showing us that nothing about the Kardashians is real. Producers know viewers don’t want, to see the Kardashian family sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows, so they give us drama and a lot of it.

It makes me wonder now if Scott Disick even really hurt his hand, as badly as shown on television. The Las Vegas incident in which Disick stuffs bills in the mouth of a waiter, seems staged to me. If that really happened, it seemed like he would have been escorted out of the building, which I don’t remember happening.

If the Kardashian producers and other reality television show producers, are playing viewers for fools, they better hold on to their money, because their money train could be coming to a screeching halt very soon.

The reality TV star may not be dead, but could be in its death throes today.

It is surprising that they would want another baby, after the problems experienced last time, for both mother Michelle and daughter Josie as detailed in this paragraph from the article at msnbc.com.

Michelle Duggar’s last pregnancy was fraught with danger. She suffered from gall-bladder problems as well as preeclampsia. In order to save her life, doctors delivered daughter Josie three and a half months prematurely – she weighed only one pound, six ounces at birth, and endured a series of health emergencies, including a perforated bowel. Josie eventually went home with the rest of the Duggar family, and is now a healthy toddler who will celebrate her second birthday in December.

It is hard to believe that they would take the chance  of  losing the mother or baby again, after what happened last time.

http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/07/8684372-20-kids-and-counting-michelle-duggar-announces-shes-pregnant-again

 Josh Krajcik one of the 11 finalists remaining on X-Factor, has been told by his doctor, to stop drinking and smoking if he wants to have a chance of winning X-Factor. 

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/08/josh-krajcik-x-factor-smoking-drinking-doctor/

Rachel Crow’s adoptive mother Barbara Crow has related to the New York Post that Rachel of X-Factor, was born a crack baby.  She lived in a crack house and suffered abuse. It was good to know that she was taken out of that environment, then overcame that to have a chance of winning a $5 million recording contract on X-Factor.

http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2011/11/08/x-factor-rachel-crow-crack-baby/

His blog tells about how it was like to walk into rehab and his experiences while there. He mentions he will be released from prison in 2012.

As always, the usual disclaimer applies, that warns readers of bad language in the blog, but if it stops one drug user, from pursuing a life of using drugs, his blog will serve a good purpose.

http://mattymcdonald.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/the-longest-walk-of-my-life/