American Idol-The Moment of Truth

On the American Idol results show, 2 of the 3 "retreads" found themselves in the bottom 3: Carly Smithson and Kristy Lee Cook. I have to admit, I was surprised Carly was in the bottom 3 and I'm not sure what to chalk it up to. Could it be a backlash against one of the foreigners left on the show (the other is Michael Johns, the "retread" and Australian whose real name is Michael Lee. who made the top 10)? Could it be everyone thought she was a shoo in so they didn't bother voting? Who knows!

In the end, I kinda hated to see Amanda go. I was surprised too. I thought she had carved enough of a niche for herself to set herself apart from the rest, but alas her streak on American Idol ends, even as the streaks in her hair remain. So we're left with 3 of the original 4 "retreads."

It was great to see the performance by one of my favorites from the past Idols, Kelly Pickler. She's turned into a great performer, and you can just tell, she's still "a real hoot" to hang out with! She cracks me up!

Prior to the show, I had to sit through another thoroughly boring "The Moment of Truth." Note to the producers: Speed this show up or take it off the air! This thing is like watching paint dry, and it almost seems like the contestants are over-coached, and getting sleazier and sleazier. (Of course, if the contestants were as boring as me, it wouldn't be much of a show!) In case you don't know, the polygraph is administered way in advance of the actual taping, and also, in case you don't know, polygraphs are so unreliable, we still don't know if the contestants are lying or not.

PS: Get well soon, Candye!

American Idol-More Beatles

Tonight American Idol took on the Beatles for the second week in a row. (Did I mention earlier that I'm a Stones guy and not a Beatles guy....but I digress) I found myself wondering if the royalties paid on these past 2 weeks figure into the settlement for the Heather Mills-Paul McCartney divorce. Anywho....here's my take:

Amanda Ovemeyer: I thought the rocker girl did pretty good, but not great. To me, she still has the aura that she's posing a bit, to what she thinks a rocker girl should be. Simon wants her to step outside her comfort zone. I think she needs to stretch a bit, but she also needs to be very careful that she doesn't get stretched out of sorts! Note to Amanda: "Back In The USSR" is NOT a blues song.

Kristy Lee Cook: Better than last week, but this retread (someone who had a record deal earlier in their career, but lost it) is still standing on shaky ground. I guess it's a monument to my advancing age that I found it surprising that she had never heard of the song, prior to the show.

David Archuleta: David was also better than last week, although I wasn't as amazed and mesmerized as Simon. I still think he's probably punched his ticket to the final two because he does have talent and because of the TBF (Teeny Bopper Factor).

Michael Johns: Johns, another of the retreads, did a dreadful rendition of "A Day In The Life" from the Sgt. Pepper album. The singing was off key at times, and the arrangement was too close to the original, which leads to the inevitable comparisons with the original version. John's version was woefully wanting. Simon aptly called it "a mess." Johns (used to be known as Michael Lee) still strikes me a phony, as he strikes all the poses, but it seems so calculated and choreographed. The only person who could be smiling after that is Heather Mills, who envisions the settlement pot growing higher from the royalties.

Brooke White: I thought Brooke was ho-hum and very forgettable. Simon was spot on with his negative assessment. Not a great arrangement, not a great performance of "Here comes the Sun." Simon likes to compare her to Carly Simon, but methinks she's more of a Juice Newton.....not that there's anything wrong with that.

David Cook: The "Critter Club Kid" did a pretty good job. Not as good as the previous 2 weeks, but solid. Like Simon, I thought the "talk box" was a bit of a gimmick which didn't work that well, but I thought overall, it was very good, when compared to the others this evening. FYI, talk boxes are pretty much passe....they're so....so...Frampton. On the downside, they can rattle your fillings loose. I once built one, which amused me, for a few weeks. Then I moved on. BTW, Frampton and I have a lot in common: In the 7os, we both had long, wavy hair, played guitar and goofed with talk boxes, nowadays our better days, and long, wavy hair are long behind us. Maybe that's why I kinda like him more these days!

Carly Smithson (Hennessey): Carly, the retread, turned in the best performance of the night, even though I was not "moved" by any means. Great singing, great inflection and of course, great tattoo. Am I imagining it, or is the huge tattoo on her arm getting colored in more as the show progresses. Line of the night came from Bridget,"By the time she's voted off, she'll be completely covered."

Jason Castro: His WORST performance of the competition and maybe the night. I kinda like this kid, but......oh my. I think Jason's a good kid, and I think he'll skate on through, especially with the TBF, but this night, he was really bad, especially compared to his recent performances.

Syesha Mercado: I thought she did a good job and had a nice arrangement. Didn't blow me away, but no one did tonight. In the interview, prior to her singing, she went 3rd person on us, which I abhor, but when it came to the singing, I agreed with Simon that it was her best performance in the entire competition so far.

Chikezie: Kinda a reverse of what he did last week. Loved the first part, hated the harmonica, hated the last part. Started out with a great idea, but goofed it a third of the way through. Seems like a good kid, but he lost me on this one by going "Appalachian" at the end. Looking on the positive, he could be the next Charlie Pride. I like Chikezie. I just hope some producer gets a hold of him, straightens him out, and that Chikezie listens to him.

Ramiele Malubay: WORST performance of the show tonight. She seems like a nice girl, and I'm sure she has a good heart, but my goodness, what a horrible song choice and horrible performance....which came up so very short.

Overall: I agree with Simon. It was a BAD idea to do Beatles songs 2 weeks in a row. It was kinda cute the first week, but then, it got somewhat ugly and boring.

Theme Weeks that SHOULD be: I would love a Stones week, or better yet, a Jerry Lee Lewis week. Maybe they could have the Killer there in person, where even at his advanced age, I'm sure he'd scare the Hell out of them and give them a brush with real rock n roll that would change their lives. Just like the "Catcher in the Rye," "Great Balls of Fire" should be required reading for students. They'd get a lesson in rock n roll they wouldn't soon forget. Linda Gayle Lewis could guest star.

*Who should be voted off: Michael Johns, Ramiele or Kristy

Speaking of Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time. Although he hasn't won as many times as the great Jack Nicklaus, and he hasn't won 11 tournaments in a row like the great Bryon Nelson, he'll easily surpass the former, and has more than a passing shot at passing the latter. He very likely will go down, when it's all said and done, as the greatest professional athlete of all time, in any sport. We knew he'd be good, but to say he surpassed expectations is like saying Antarctica is kinda cool.

I read an column earlier this week from a respected sports writer in Orlando, Mike Bianchi, which agreed that Tiger was a great golfer, but also tried to make the point that he wasn't THAT great. That the vast majority of the time Tiger was a loser. That a local TV sports anchor who bet him that Tiger would win the Arnold Palmer Invitational was a fool....as most "TV folks" are, I believe is the way he put it. They bet a dinner on the outcome, with Bianchi taking the field, and the foolish TV sportscaster taking Tiger. Oooops....I'll guess Bianchi's dinner will be crow.

Bianchi went to great lengths to point out that Tiger had not won the majority of his tournaments against the 125 or so other golfers or so he faces each week. Over the course of his career, he's ONLY won almost 30 PERCENT OF THEM. He made some good points, especially about Byron Nelson's streak. He also left out some facts, including the fact that during a lot of his career, Tiger has been refining and retooling his swing to where it is now. Right now, I'd say it's pretty good! It also doesn't include the fact that with every tournament, Tigers gains even more valuable experience. It also doesn't include that fact that the prime age for golfers are the thirties.....which Tiger is just entering. Now reporters are natural skeptics, and that's a good thing, but on this one.....well Bianchi, and there are others like him, simply refuse to buy into the fact that Tiger is as good as he is. He is. Add to that the fact that each and every time he "does what he does so well," his confidence grows. Experience leads to confidence which leads to calm expectation which leads to......routine. That's why he "routinely" trounces the competition when he's close to the lead during final rounds. It works in reverse too. His competitors EXPECT him to beat them, and they EXPECT to lose. Does Tiger have a weakness? Yes, his driver. If he ever gets that straightened out, he might very well be invincible. Right now, if he drives the ball well, he's damn near invincible. If he drives the ball bad, he STILL has a shot a winning. That's saying something.

That leads to to this year, or one of those in the near future. Tiger has the best chance of anyone since the great Bobby Jones, of winning all four majors, the grand slam. Of course, when Jones did it, it wasn't what it is now, and the competition wasn't what it is now. Bianchi, and so many others, should simply give Tiger his due and marvel at what they're being blessed to witness. The combination of natural talent, drive and sheer will is so very, very rare.

In the meantime, I'll bet Bianchi will have an easier time admitting Tiger's greatness, than admitting that maybe, at least one of those "TV folks," aren't so stupid and foolish after all.

Tidbits:

Played the Kenny Rogers Telethon in Sikeston, Missouri over the weekend. I LOVE playing telethons because they're always for such worthy causes and because it's a chance to renew friendships and acquaintances and get "caught up" with so many friends. It was good to see my old buddies Reid Howell, Terry Mike Jeffrey, Larry Carroll, Kevin Synan, Mike, Dan, Kenny, Gaylon, Gilbert, Scott, Neal and many others from WPSD, along with Mike Smythe of KFVS and Steve McPheters, who used to work at KFVS.

The NCAA Tournament seeds were announced. I thought that overall, there were not too many surprises. To those "bubble teams" that got left out, well you shoulda won more games. I thought Memphis as a #1 was expected. I thought Tennessee as a #2 was about right, although I wished they were a #1 seed. I really love Bruce Pearl and think he's done a GREAT job at UT. One of my friends used to cover him at Southern Indiana and can attest to what a great coach he is. The Vols are great offensively, but they better learn how to play better defense, or I fear they won't go too far. I'd LOVE to see Memphis (Tiger High) and Tennessee play for the National Championship, but both are not so good at shooting free throws, and this is the time of year that becomes pretty important with more and more teams playing half court games. Why are kids today so HORRIBLE at free throws? Maybe it's because they work so hard on their dunks, but quit playing "21" on the playgrounds! "21" was a popular game when I was growing up. Even today, I can walk to a free throw line at hit 8 out of ten. Remember the rules? If you make a basket, with EVERYBODY guarding you, you go to the free throw line and shoot until you miss. If you were a really good free throw shooter, you could win a lot! You could win even more if you were a good free throw shooter AND rebounder. I remember Popeye Jones who I covered in high school before going on to a great career at Murray State and then a relatively long career in the NBA being asked once about what made him such a good rebounder and free throw shooter, and he responded about the hours he spent as a kid, playing "21." Maybe more college coaches should require their players to play "21!"

VJ's....No, Not the MTV variety

Video Journalists. That's what they're called. Another phrase for the term is "One Man Band," or nowdays, a "Backpack Journalist." It's a TV reporter who goes out by himself to cover a story, shoots his own video and then returns to the station to edit his own story. All of this instead of sending out a reporter and a photographer. It's a cost cutting measure to provide greater coverage quantity-wise, with half the payroll normally expended. It's a relatively new concept....or is it.

When I broke in TV news in the early 80s in Jackson, Tennessee, I did it all the time. We had some photographers, but not enough to go around. Many stations still use a mix of crews and "one man bands," including at least one in Knoxville, among other markets. In Jackson, the few photographers we had went with the female reporters and mosts of the time, I shot my own stories. To be sure, in some ways it was a hassle and sometimes it probably resulted in a lesser quality story. After all, 2 heads are better than one, especially if the reporter gets to work with a really talented, bright photographer. The upside is that I learned a lot about the photography end of the process and became a better photographer myself. I even shot my own stand-ups (the part where you see the reporter on screen talking in the field). I simply set up a light stand to about my height, put it where I was going to stand, focused on it, then started the camera, moved the stand out of the way, stood in it's place and spoke that part of the story. The VJ concept has always been around.

These days, more and more stations are doing it to save money. It's not always enough. Just this week, a station in Reno dropped its newscasts and fired the entire news staff because they weren't making enough money off the shows. Most larger stations make a lot of money off their local news advertising revenue. Some smaller stations though, are going the VJ route to try to keep their profits as high as possible. In some cases, they're doing it simply to keep their operations profitable. With increasing competition from cable, satellite dish TV and the internet it's a real scrap to compete for the almighty advertising dollar. Add to that the state of the economy in general. Will we see more of this? Probably. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's indicative of the changes ahead in broadcast journalism. In other words, "Kids, better learn how to shoot!" I'll let you borrow my light stand so you can still see yourself on teevee!

Speaking of competition between stations, this is one of the best videos I've seen in a while. It comes from El Paso, Texas and features 2 of those big, bulky, SLOW microwave news vans involved in....a drag race! Hilarious! This could have been used in a "promo" about getting to the story first.



Sadly, I heard at least one of the photographers operating/driving one of the "Live Units" was fired because of this video. Oh well, I guess we've now got at least one more reporter having to work as a VJ.

American Idol Update: We bid farewell to David Hernandez, who lap-danced his way into America's hearts, if only for a few weeks. Oh well, I guess now, for David, it's back to the daily "Bump and Grind."

Duh Beatules...& more Madness

American Idol took on the Beatles tonight. As I've stated before, I'm more of a Stones guy than a Beatles guy, cause I'm more of a Rocker than a Popper. Nevertheless, here's my impressions:

Syesha: Not bad, but not outstanding. Very workmanlike. (workwomanlike?)

Chikezie: Brilliant arrangement and I thought he did a great job of delivering! BEST performance of the night.

Ramiele: I like this girl, but this performance was kinda "ho hum." As Simon said, "You're better than that. Kinda like when my arthritic Lab, Mazie tries to chase my car, Bless her heart......she tries so hard....but she can't keep up.

Jason: He's better than that too, but ho hum, a step down from the week before when he did a great job with a Jeff Buckley arrangement.

Carly (retread): Not bad, BUT...... she's a good enough singer. I'd love her more if she could flex her bicep and make the tattoo face on her arm sing, but keep in mind, that I have high expectations, and high standards. Maybe she's saving the "singing tattoo" til the finals. If she pulls it off...I'll be in awe....and heaven forbid....dialing in.

David Cook: The "Critter Club Vet" (Elks, Eagles Moose Lodge, etc) from Missouri did fine. Not the best, but not the worst. I have yet to buy into his "brilliance" which Paula, Simon, etc have heralded, but hey, he deserves to hang around another week..

Brooke: Not overwhelming, but I thought she did an above average job! Is she as genuine as she seems?

David Hernandez ( The former male lap dancer....not that there's anything wrong with that): I think he's got some talent, but I think he topped out talent-wise. WORST performance of the night. He was ripped by Randy and when you get ripped by a guy who used to play with Journey when they were on the decline...you're in big trouble. When Paula was down on it....oh my....you know that you really screwed up.

Amanda (the Harley-riding, oxygen-selling nurse from Indiana): I actually think this girl could be really good when she matures.....but she hasn't yet. She's in danger of being labeled a "poser." Randy says she has a "southern bar" thing going......but me southern-self thinks in a southern bar....she might get her butt whipped (you gotta learn how to dodge the flying bottles).

Michael Johns (Australian retread): Poser....Yawn. Paula thought it was brilliant. More proof that drugs are not answer.

Kristy (retread): I don't know if it totally worked, but it wasn't a total flop either. Paula didn't get it. Simon thought it was horrendous. I didn't think it was that bad. I didn't think it was that good. I thought it was very courageous, but very average.

David Archuleta: I don't like "child prodigies, but this kid is good. He forgot the lyrics a couple of times and the arrangement was so "Vegas lounge." Things that make you go Hmmmm. It was his WORST performance, although he should skate through to the next week.

Based on this week:
Who needs to GO: Syesha and/or David Hernandez
Who needs to STAY: Chikezie & Brooke

* They need a Stones night....

My alma mater, the largest college by enrollment in Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State (surprised?), FAILED to get into the NCAA tournament by losing to Western KY in the Sunbelt Conference finals, but that's the breaks. Great game, and really reminded me of the "old days" when both battled in the Ohio Valley Conference. Still proud that the state of Tennessee gets FIVE in the NCAA tournament.

LOVE Bruce Pearl's orange jackets. Obviously an inspiration from the old Coach Ray Mears, whose acquaintance I treasured and still do. Do I think the Vols deserve a high seeding? YES! Do I worry their poor free throw shooting and streakiness might give them an early exit from the NCAA Tournament? YES!

On the other hand, could they get hot and wind up in the Final Four? YES! That's what makes March Madness so cool! In my dreams Tennessee and Memphis meet for the Nat'l Championship...but we have a ways to go. Let the Madness begin!


Blues Singer Prayer List:
Big Larry Allbritton (Williams), who has survived with pancreatic cancer longer than anyone I've ever heard of, has a new CD out, which is fantastic! I always thought a lot of Big Larry. These days, he's even more larger than life to me. He always had a smile and a word of encouragement for me. I always wished I had a fraction of his talent. I played a few gigs several years ago when he opened for me and he was so gracious. I couldn't believe it, since it was HE who was one of MY heroes.

Candye Kane: A slight acquaintance who's waiting to hear if her biopsy comes back pancreatic cancer, or another form of cancer. She doesn't deserve this. She's paid her dues. She deserves a break. I pray she gets one. Please God, give her a break. Such a fighter. Such an optomist. Such an inspiration. She's up for a Blues Music Award this year from the Blues Foundation. She got my vote.

Let's stick together.

Paying For Viewers

Recently, there's been a little mini-brew-ha-ha in some TV markets during ratings periods about some stations running contests and giving away cash during their newscasts. Some think this is borderline unethical and beneath the "lofty" standards of "good journalism." I'm not one of them. These days, with the economy and increased competition for viewers from cable, satellite tv and the internet, it's an all out grab for all these businesses can dream up to hang on to their increasingly shrinking number of viewers. It's nothing that radio stations haven't tried for years to lure listeners. Applying that tactic to local tv news seems like a no-brainer to me. They need viewers, and us viewers need cash!

Those with a "holier than thou" attitude toward the practice should realize that the broadcasting businesses is indeed a business, first. Conscientious journalists should continue to do their best to uphold their standards, but in between, lighten up, and give me the cash! In fact, I think the practice should be expanded to non-sweeps times too!

Snowstorm Postmortem-March Madness!

In the aftermath of the March 7th snowstorm, the forecasting award goes to......John Champion of WPSD. Champion correctly forecast 3-6 inches for the area, while so many others predicted much more. I'm so old! Champion was still in high school when he interned under us and wanted to be a meteorologist when he "grew up." He turned out to be a really good one!

In the meantime, with the snow on the ground, I took time to watch the Ohio Valley Conference tournament on ESPN-U and get a little "March Madness " flowing. The opening game was UT-Martin against Austin Peay (the top seed). UTM has two of the most exciting players in the country, in my opinion, in scoring machine Lester Hudson (4th in the nation), and Freshman phenom, and local kid, Marquis Weddle, of nearby Union City, TN. I think it's great to have a "local" doing so well for UT Martin. I remember, not so long ago, when passing on a local kid did NOT bode well for a former UT Martin coach. The local kid was Popeye Jones, from nearby Dresden, who went on to a stellar career at Murray State and then a long career in NBA.

This game matched two of my favorite coaches: Brett Campbell of UT Martin and Dave Loos of Austin Peay. I think Campbell is one of the brightest young coaches in the nation, and I'll always be in debt to him for NOT throwing me off the sidelines at one game a year ago. My wife, Bridget and I went to a UT Martin game and I was wearing my Middle TN State windshirt (instead of my usual Skyhawks sweatshirt) and preparing to sit way up in the rafters, when the UT Martin Sports Information Director said we could sit on Press Row if we wanted. I didn't care to (been there-done that), but Bridget really wanted to see a game "up close," so we did. I got some funny looks, but we were accommodated. On the other hand, I mean, it's not like I haven't thrown off a sideline before. I was thrown off the sideline at the '94 Peach Bowl, but that's another story!

I was a friend of Cal Luther's when he coached at UTM and LOVED UT Martin, even though I didn't go there to school (I was raised in nearby Trenton). I used to head to Martin and see many friends on weekends in MY college days, at Cadillac's, Maggie's, the Hourglass and more.

I went to MTSU and will admit, when I went to school, our players used to run through a huge poster of a commode as the crowd chanted "Flush Peay (pronounced pee) when we played Austin Peay. Those were the "good ole days" of the OVC. Later though, I covered Dave Loos when he coached at Christian Brothers in the NAIA and always admired him as one of the best, and classiest coaches I'd ever been around. I covered many battles between Christian Brothers and Lambuth and Union University. Later, I covered Loos at AP with clashes against Murray, UTM and more. Ironically, Campbell tutored under Loos at Austin Peay before moving to his job at UT Martin. Austin Peay won this game 78-77. It was a great game, although I'm sad for the Skyhawks, even though I'm so proud of them for advancing so far and having a chance to win! May I be the 1st to beg Hudson to come back for another year! Don't you know there are so many big schools which are so sorry they passed on Hudson. If Hudson comes back, UT Martin, with Hudson and Weddle, has to be a favorite for the OVC next year. I guess I need to toast them at Cadillac's sometime soon!

Murray also bowed out of the OVC Tournament this year, to Tennessee State, so I guess it's over for the locals, although they were great games!

The OVC Tournament was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, a place dear to my heart, too. I went to SO many shows there when I was in college (ZZ Top, Rush , Sammy Hagar and AC/DC with Bon Scott among many others), although my most endearing memory of Municipal was attending a Bob Dylan concert there a few years ago, when my wife leaned over, smiled and said, "I can't understand a ______word he's saying" I replied, "yeah, but it's Dylan, baby!" What a house! OK...I'm ready for March Madness. Let me reach for that bracket. I need to fill it out!