Sweet and Simple

I just got done watching Steve Carell in "Dan in Real Life". I wasn't quiet sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to find a sweet, simple love story. It was refreshing to see Steve Carell in such a low key performance. We are big Steve Carell fans at this house. Often times when you get personalities, say like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey, they have a hard time turning off their in your face personalities. Not so with this movie. It is a love story about a widower with 3 daughters and a hope for more to life than what he is currently living. Dan makes for a sympathetic, lovable character who you really want to see succeed. His extended family also makes for a good/fun part to the story. With James working graveyard right now, he watched it last night while he stayed up late to prep for his weekend of work. He enjoyed it as well for all you fellas out there. If you haven't seen this flick it is worth looking into.

P.S. The soundtrack adds a lot to the movie and was sweet and simple just like the story. I quickly downloaded my favorites.

Over the Top, Indulgent Blue Cheese Burgers

Here is the recipe for the burgers my little sis made the other night. Don't let the amount of ingredients overwhelm you. They are definitely worth it. Whitney tweaked it to her liking when ingredients weren't available (she left out the wine). Feel free to tweak away.

Caramelized Chipotle Onions:
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon spicy chipotle pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
1 tablespoon beef broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed fresh garlic
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Point Reyes Blue Cheese Spread:
6 1/2 ounces light garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese (Whits just used regular cream cheese)
4 ounces blue cheese (recommended: Point Reyes) or other favorite blue cheese, crumbled

Burgers:
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground sirloin
1/3 cup minced sweet onion
1/4 cup zinfandel wine (recommended: Sutter Home Zinfandel)
3 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, thyme, and basil leaves (any combination)
1 tablespoon spicy chipotle pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons spicy seasoned salt
Vegetable oil, for brushing grill rack
12 California avocado slices (prepare at the last minute, brushing with balsamic vinegar and sprinkling with spicy seasoned salt before grilling)
12 pre-cooked bacon slices
6 soft kaiser rolls (about 4 1/2 inches in diameter), split
Romaine lettuce leaves
6 large tomato slices, about 1/4-inch thick

In a grill with a cover, prepare a medium-hot fire for direct-heat cooking.
For caramelized onions, combine onion, pepper sauce, broth, vinegar, oil, garlic, and brown sugar in a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a lid. When coals are ready, place covered pan on grill rack. Cook onion mixture for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and most of liquid is evaporated. Remove pan from grill and set aside.

For spread, combine spreadable cheese and blue cheese in a saucepan; cover and set aside.

For burgers, place ground beef in a large bowl. Add onion, Zinfandel, herbs, pepper sauce, and seasoned salt; mix gently. Shape beef mixture into 6 round patties.

Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on grill rack, cover, and cook about 4 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until cooked to desired doneness.

Meanwhile, place saucepan with cheese spread on outer edge of grill rack to warm cheese mixture just until it reaches a very soft, spreading consistency. Remove saucepan from grill and set aside.

During final minutes of grilling patties, arrange avocado slices on a rimmed nonstick perforated grilling pan coated lightly with oil, and grill alongside patties for 1 to 2 minutes, turning as necessary. During final 30 seconds, add bacon slices to pan. When avocados are nicely grilled and bacon is crisp, remove from grill. When patties are cooked, remove from grill, stacking to keep warm. Place rolls, cut side down, on outer edges of grill to toast lightly.

To assemble burgers, spread a generous amount of cheese spread over cut sides of rolls. On the bottom of each roll layer lettuce, a tomato slice, beef patty, caramelized onions, grilled avocado, and bacon. Add top and serve.

Because What I Think Matters

Yes I know everyone has been checking in religiously to see what the Grand PooBah of AI has to say about last nights performances. I regret I don't have a lot of time today to fully elaborate on my musings. Needless to say, it was another so-so night with my favorite performance coming in from my crush of the season Michael Johns. He finally wailed on a song and did a fabulous job at it. Am I the only one who likes how he holds the microphone with both hands? It hints at a take charge kinda guy to me. I'm weirdo, I know. He seems like a singer who could front a band really well. He's not really a solo guy. I loved his ode to Queen and how he kept it in his voice range and didn't try to Freddy Mercury the song. Nobody can do Freddy Mercury, like Freddy himself.

Bullet list of thoughts:

• Surprised about last weeks bottom 3. Boy was I off! I'm not sad at the results, but highly surprised by Carley's chance to dwell so low.
• Paula please fire your stylist! You looked like a drill team dancer from 1991 last night.
• Ramiele: Possible bottom 3. Ditch the high waisted pants already!
  
• Jason C: Still love him. Still shares a spot for my favorite 3. I will download last nights song "Fragile".
• Sayesha:Blah-Didn't like the song choice or performance.
• Chikezie: I'm drawing a blank............
• Brooke White: Fine, not wow. Still shares a spot in my fav 3.
• Carly Smithson: She seems to be loosing it. I thought it was an OK performance, but she doesn't seem to have the same umph that she use to. She looked really nervous.
  
• David A.: His obscure song choice sounded like a song from one of my EFY tapes from way back when or a song for a Christian Rock compilation cd. Terrible!!! We all admit he is a great singer, but he needs to do better with his song choice. I haven't liked him for quite awhile now.
• Kristy Lee Cook: I thought "God Bless the USA" was the 2nd weirdest song choice of the night. She did good with it, but it was not idol potential to me. The only thing keepin' her alive is the country vote.
• David C. : I've already said everything I need to say about this guy. I might like him a little more if he would keep his face shaved. I know people really like him, but he has not captured my heart or my money like others have.

There you go folks! My AI night in a nutshell. I will watch it again today and maybe I will rethink my position of some of them, but I always hold to 1st impressions being the most important.

Spring Comes to Burley

I'm so happy that Spring Break for our kids does not involve a trip to Mexico, Florida or some other unsavory party location. They were quite content to be here in good ol' Burley, Idaho and Twin Falls. We split our time between the 2 locations and had a cousins spring break. Fun for one and all! I love the idea of my children and their cousins being able to say, "We were raised like brothers and sisters." This last week could certainly attest to that. Whits and I were amazed at the lack of conflict that existed, which of course does not prove there won't be next time we are all together! We just happened to get them at a good time.

For the most part the kids watched Scooby Doo and did Perler beads (http://www.perlerbeads.com/). I'm telling you if you have kids from about 4 on up, these bead sets are the thing to have and thus get our stamp of approval. They literally played with these for a week straight. I'm adding them to my birthday gift list for kids as they have been such a hit with ours. I bought ours and a set for Ali Belle's b-day at Wal-mart. Now Scooby Doo on the other hand has been a whole other story. My kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Scooby Doo. It sucks them in every time and it doesn't matter how many times they've seen it, they still laugh like it's brand new. The only problem is, Shaggy and Scooby have a small problem with bodily noises and dedicate 5 min. scenes to such matters. Nate, thinking that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, cannot quit copying them. It doesn't matter when or where, he finds it highly funny, as do his brother, sister and daddy. Shame on you three!!!

We celebrated Tess' b-day in high style with a messy cake and lots of attention. She was a b-day princess and very ladylike about eating her cake. She picked at it and kept looking at me like, "Are you sure about this?" We had great fun helping her celebrate. Being #4 in line there wasn't really anything she needed, but I did find this great little bongo set from Fisher Price that plays music when she hits the top of it. Her little hips just start a shakin' when she hears the music. This too was a good buy and gets the Sellick stamp of approval.

We went to Hopkins on Saturday for an egg hunt and BBQ...good times. My sister, being the awesome gal she is, made the BEST, MOST DELICIOUS blue cheese hamburgers for us. They had avocado, lettuce, chipotle grilled onions and tomato on them. YUMMY! They will be added to our next cookbook for sure, but I will request a recipe so I can post it on this blog. I was full after 1/2 of it, but kept right on eating because it tasted so good. Naughty yes, but I could not set it down. I worked out extra on Monday ; ) I'm also very embarrassed to admit I didn't get any pictures of the kids in their Easter garb. They will however be in the same garb on Saturday for the baptism and we will take some 'pretend' Easter pictures...

All in all it was a good break and the kids were sad to head back to school. I am happy to be back on a schedule though. I am very undisciplined sometimes and need my kids to have to get up for school so that I will actually get on the elliptical. When they are not in school its very tempting to just stay in bed and boss them around.

This week:
Tuesday: AI and The Other Boleyn Girl with Whits
Saturday: Ali Belle's baptism

Joy Defined

I've said this before and I'll just keep right on saying it. There is nothing like having a baby in the house, especially when she is Tess Alayna. Our family has thoroughly enjoyed having this little pink darling in our home for the last year. After 5 years of blue stripes, plaids and khakis and promising Olivia a baby sister, we were really ready for this little girl. James' patriarchal blessing told him he would have 'daughters and a son'. Go figure! We knew we had another girl at some point coming to us! She turns 1 today and in her honor here is a look back in pictures of her 1st year with us. She has hardly changed, yet changed a lot. Is that possible? You blink your eyes and they are a different baby. She is walking, attempting to talk and dances at the slightest hint of music. Of our 4 she has been the most determined yet. When she is toddling around and falls, she gets right back up and tries again. Our other babies would just say, "What the heck, I'm down here anyway, I'll just crawl it out." We're pretty sure she is the polar opposite to her sister. I think we're in for a ride with this one! Tess has been an incredible blessing and she is joy defined.

"Beating" My Head Against the Couch

So I woke up this morning whistling a happy tune. I always wake up in this manner on AI day. It's a bright light in the midst of my otherwise same ol' same ol' week. Weird as it may seem, I think about it all day. Some may say I need a hobby...but I've got plenty of hobbies. I just LOVE AI night. Tonight I drove to Twin to watch it with Whitney and her friend Nicole. I'm sure I looked like a BIG nerd with my notepad taking notes, as I watched and sighed as the night turned into a bust. I was pretty excited about another Beatles night since last week was so "Wow". I downloaded 4 of last weeks songs, which is saying a lot about the talent. I was willing to throw a little bit of money their way I liked them so well. Tonight was a much tougher night in comparison to last week. Not so "Wow" I'm afraid. While not one singular performance was a standout, fabulous performance for me, I did like, heavy use of like, not love, a few of the performances. Here is how the night shaped up for me:

Jason Castro and Brooke White share the spot for favorite. While Jason's rendition of "Michelle" was rather corny, I couldn't help but love him. His interviews are endearing and I still love his voice, style and mannerisms, which carry over to his performances. Did you love his little French hand move during the song? That is why I find him so endearing. I also love Brooke for the same reasons. Her quirky, awkwardness is charming, plus she is talented and pretty. I didn't think she did terrible with "Here Comes the Sun", but I also didn't find it particularly memorable either. She also gave an awkward twirl and 'woo' in the middle of her song that made us all laugh and talk about how much we like her. I would be very happy if either of these two win the whole shebang, however I think David A. is going to give them a run for their money. Little girls LOVE David A. I've chatted with quite a few over the last week and the consensus is all "DAVID A. is soooo cute!"

Amanda Overmyer: I think she is getting pretty close to being in the bottom three, maybe not this week, but soon. She was predictable singing "Back in the U.S.S.R." and she will only ever be successful on songs she can yell her way through.

Kristy Lee Cook: Definite bottom 3. My prediction for going home tomorrow.

David A.: He is definitely a VERY good singer, but I am neutral on tonight's performance and will probably continue to be so. My favorite of his is still "Imagine" and I haven't felt the same again since.

Michael Johns: We all know the guy isn't going to win, but I will cross my fingers he sticks around for awhile. I just like the guy. Plain and simple. He is very nostalgic for me. I think he is fun to watch and I would buy his stuff. I didn't think he did all that bad with "A Day in the Life". I viewed it more favorable than the judges.

David Cook: To quote my sister "I want to get down to the bottom of his hair!" We share this opinion and just can't get past his hair to even give his singing any merit. He combs it clear from the back of his head to get it to come down past his forehead! Weird, weird, weird! He completely reminds me of my pals in high school who had a band and played little concerts for us on the weekends at parks and in warehouses. For me he is a "Tries to hard". I remember one concert where my drummer pal brought out the gong for a Led Zeppelin song. Can you say "Voice box?" I will give a shout out to Whitney's friend Nicole who does like his vocal talent and style. So there are people out there not as petty as Whits and I and can look past his obvious shortcomings and give the guy the credit he probably deserves. I agree with the judges, he does act smug about it all and there is a huge difference between smug and confident.

Carly Smithson: Yikes what an ugly shirt! I was so tuned into the shirt I could hardly focus on her version of "Blackbird". I have always liked this song and was excited to hear it. Two words: Nothing. Special. Nicole says that Sarah McLachlan has a much better version of the song and thus it was hard to give Carly credit for her attempt. I will be checking out Sarah McLachlan's version tomorrow.

Sayesha: She looked beautiful, but was forgettable with "Yesterday". She is also one of my predictions for bottom 3 this week.

Chikezie: Not as great as last week. I was looking forward to him tonight, but was not as jazzed as I was hoping. I did like the bluegrass vibe to "I've Just Seen a Face" though. He is a possible bottom 3 this week.

Ramiele: This was a terrible, hokey performance. I hated it, hated it! From her outfit, to the song, to her stage presence, blah! Possible bottom 3.

In conclusion! I will not be downloading anything this week, except possibly Sarah McLachlan's "Blackbird". I made a few predictions that will be interesting to see if they happen. Top 4 finalists: David A., Brooke White, Jason Castro and Carly Smithson with Michael Johns and David C. as #'s 5 and 6. I can't even begin to predict what could happen after the final 4. They are all so different and talented, although I will I bet a bag of m & m's that David A. will be in the final 2. AI is driven by tweens and teens and they all seem to love him. Anyone up for the challenge? I'll even send the m & m's 1st class if David isn't in the top 2.

Stamped

Target had a few of their 'Junior' games on sale this week for $7. Mark has been bugging me for a couple of weeks to get Clue Jr. so I was pleased to bump into this sale. We bought it and Monopoly Jr. These games have been a HUGE hit with Mark and are perfect for his age and skill level. For the last 3 nights we have put Nate and Tess to bed and played each game a couple of times. They are even entertaining for adults! With Olivia gone to Hopkins and James at work, it has been nice to spend some time with Mark and be able to enjoy his quirky little personality. We've used the game time to discuss taking turns (still hard even at almost 6), being a good winner, being a gracious looser (a HUGE problem), having a system/plan, thinking ahead and cheating. Often times you need the one on one moments to teach such ideas, instead of in the heat of the moment! Generally when Olivia and Mark play a game together it ends in tears because she always wins. These games are great for that purpose alone. The older, smarter kids aren't always the winner, yet they will still be challenged by the game. Mark has felt in control with these and is happy that we are trying to figure out who ate the cake versus who killed someone. What a character!

These games have the Sellick Stamp of Approval

Spa Day

My sister Whitney really knows how to throw a birthday party! For Ali Belle's 8th birthday she passed out brochures to invite her guests to "La Maison des Belle" or the "House of Beauty" for pedicures, facials and sweet treats. The guests were to come dressed in their comfiest clothes and be prepared to be pampered. Whitney, my mom and I provided the pampering and girls had a fabulous time. It was great fun to hear them "Ooh" and "Aah" over everything. I thought this was such a clever idea and it went over really well with the girls. ALL girls love to be pretty and feel spoiled and this b-day party accomplished that. Thanks Whits for a fun time. It's our turn next...

Called to Serve

Mark's kindergarten class is doing a Flat Stanley project and we decided to send his to Hawaii to serve a mission with our brother and Uncle Brant. These are the fun pictures we got surprised with in the mail today. I love this sweet brother of mine and his willingness to humor a 5 year old. Mark is thrilled with these pictures, especially Elder Stanley getting a wash.

Heads are a Rolling

Between my parents, my brothers, my sister and their spouses, there are always several books being read and discussed. It's one of my favorite things about us. I was raised in a home where books were always laying around, next to beds, next to the toilet and stuffing bookshelves. I've always appreciated my parents for instilling a love of reading in us. One of my 1st memories as a child is my mother teaching me to read and being able to call my dad at work and tell him I had sounded out the word 'cat' all by myself. My mother also taught Olivia to read and I was able to watch how she did it and then in turn teach Mark to read. I felt I had really accomplished something! My family will read most anything. If one reads a book and liked it we will recommend it to the others and then we're off. My dad got us all going on the Da Vinci Code...what a great read! Now that we are adults its even better to be a reader, because we can discuss the books we are reading and send them around to each other. My favorite reading time is when we are all on a Harry Potter kick. There are of course books my brother Ryan and Dad will read about WWII and Hitler that I am not all that interested in, but that's OK, because I doubt they would be that interested in last night's finish.

I love a good historical fiction book, keeping in mind the 'fiction' part of the description. Gregory tells a wonderful story of deceit, ambition and irony in "The Other Boleyn Girl". She takes the reader to Henry VIII England during the reigns of his 1st and 2nd wives, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn respectively. This is essentially the story of 2 sisters, Mary and Anne, and their disposable usage by their family. During this time period women at court were only good for 3 things, sex, bearing sons and gaining power. It was interesting to read about this lifestyle for many reasons. Women were pushed before the King in hopes of gaining his favor, crowds of people attended to the King and Queen to basically make them laugh, compose songs and poetry about them and flirt with and compliment them. All the while, behind their backs plotting their downfalls or how to beguile them into doing their own political bidding. It is Mary's turn 1st to catch the King's favor as his mistress and in turn bears him two children (historically proven with at least one of those children). He quickly looses interest and turns his sights on Anne. The way Henry is written in this book, he comes across as a spoiled, self centered pig and with 6 wives, 2 divorced, and 2 beheaded its easy to believe. He is obsessed with providing a boy heir to the throne. This and the intertwined relationship of the 3 Boleyn siblings is what the story circles around. The part I found most interesting was the obvious love the siblings had for each other, but the even more obvious hatred that existed between them. The heady notion of power ruled Anne, while loyalty and in the end love, ruled Mary. If you know history you know all about Anne and her fate. I however never knew of the 'other Boleyn' Mary, their brother George or their heartless elders. Gregory does a wonderful job introducing them to the reader and making their world real in one's mind. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I would never picture in my mind's eye Scarlett Johansen as Mary or Natalie Portman as Anne, so I'm curious to see how it plays out.

For a further and more eloquent synopsis of the book click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_other_boelyn_girl

Side note: On the 4th disc of the BBC series the "6 Wives of Henry VIII" in the bonus features is the made for television version of Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl". It is currently on its way to my house through Netflix and it will be interesting to see a comparison between the book, the film and the t.v versions.

Beatles: American Idol Style

I could have been one of those personal clips shown about each idol, "I grew up listening to the Beatles. My mom owned all of their albums!" Yep, so did mine. I literally grew up listening to each and every one of the songs performed tonight. My mom would pop one of her albums on the record player, turn it up way tooooo loud and jam out as she cooked, cleaned and did the mom thing. Due to this upbringing some of my all time most beloved songs come from the 60's and 70's. My mom had a wicked album collection that I was sad to learn found itself at the D.I. with their move last fall. Oh the lucky SOB that happened upon her Beatles White Album! I don't have a record player and would not have known what to do with the records, but it seems like a part of my childhood disappeared into a cardboard box. I am her music dopple ganger. My kids already roll their eyes at me when the music comes on. They know some out of tune singing is coming their way. Anywho-I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's performances. I'm running out of adjectives, (me and Katie Holmes) so please forgive the over usage of love, liked, fabulous, great, nice, fun, awesome, incredible, etc. A few thoughts:
FAVORITE PERFORMANCES:
Chikeize gets A++ for tonight. He was so fun to watch and he sounded good too. I never thought I would give this guy much thought, but he had my eyes open tonight. I will be downloading his "She's a Woman" tomorrow.


Brooke continues to wow me. I'm impressed with her humble, genuine, girl next door personality. Did anybody else tear up at her joy about being on stage? I know her voice isn't the strongest, but I still like the quality of it and will continue to vote for her.

Carley also gave a memorable performance tonight. She changed the song just enough to make it new and interesting, but it still kept it's style.



Michael did not get much love from the judges tonight, but I liked his low key performance. To sound like Paula, I felt the song....I still want to hear him wail on a song though!



Nothing to Shout About:

Syesha-Forgettable

Ramiele-Pretty voice, but forgettable.

Jason-Big Sigh! I love this guy, but not that great a performance. He is still one of my favs though.

David H-Nah. Possibly going home tomorrow.

Amanda-Nothing special.

David Cook-Midgrade performance for me personally.

David A.-Did you see his Dad's g's in his personal video? Too funny! Blah performance! I have never liked that version of "We Can Work it Out".

Kristy Lee-Too busy an arrangement. I did not like it at all and I can see her going home tomorrow.

Backwards Week-Backwards Boy

Mr. Independent is convinced he can dress himself. This is last weeks sad attempts to do just that. James and I argue back and forth whether this is the Neider or the Sellick coming out in him. I'm claiming Sellick on this one, although Neider boys and men are renowned for their 'pants optional' dress code at home. We think he must hold his clothes facing towards him and think, "Here is the front" and then put them on with an air of pride. At least he dresses himself I say! I still have to cajole Mark into getting dressed everyday. We especially liked his King Tut Day and his ability to get those unders pulled up just right.

Teething with Tess

Tess is teething on a nonstop basis and our last few nights have been filled with tears and drama. When she is like this she does NOT want any comfort. She wants to sit right by you and cry and have you be a part of her pain. If you try and talk to her or help her feel better she throws herself about. I couldn't pass up the camera moment. We discovered last night though that apples erase all the pain and cause her to forget she was trying to make a scene. We got a solid whole hour out of this one apple. I think we've struck a gold mine!

My American Idol Top 6 Girls

I am pretty indifferent about all of the girls with the exception of Brooke. I don't have many thoughts on this list of girls. Pretty boring I know, but I'm just not that 'into them'. My list in order from greatest to least are as follows:

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY (shout out to Zoolander) love Brooke. It will be between her and Jason Castro for me every week I'm sure. They are my top 2 favorites and I will surely struggle with my votes until we get down to about the final 5-6 when my ultimate favorite has been formed. She did wicked awesome with "Love is a Battlefield" last night.

Carly is a powerful and talented singer and I will enjoy watching her. Can I just say though that I wish the girls would ALL quite wearing those high waisted pants! They do nothing for their figures and look terrible on television.

Syesha is very pretty and fun to watch. I would be satisfied with her doing well.

The rest of these girls are all talented. I wish Kady would show a little bit more personality, because I think I could really like her. She turns into stone when she is singing. You'll notice Amanda is off my list. After 3 weeks I've come to the conclusion the girl cannot sing and I've decided to cut her free. I personally didn't think her performance was all that great last night and is simply not good enough for AI. My regrets Amanda! I will however predict that she will be in the top 12 though, with one of these 3 girls heading home. Maybe she will change my mind as the season goes along. Let's see how close I come to my ideal lineup tonight. Happy watching fellow AI'ers.

My American Idol Top 6 Boys

Jason Castro-FAVORITE of the night. I got chills as I listened to him sing "Hallelujah". I have always loved this song and promptly downloaded Jeff Buckley's version from iTunes. I'm still trying to figure out why I didn't have it in my repertoire before tonight. Jason is just the whole package, charming personality, easy on the eyes and a talented, unique singer. I would buy his music. He is now endorsed by me, Emily Sellick. I'm sure it will be announced on The Drudge Report tomorrow.

Oh Michael Johns my heart laments for you to really wail on a song. I know you can. I quickly downloaded Simple Mind's version of "Don't You Forget About Me" after he was done. Again, why has it not been on my playlist? I LOVE this song. Sooooo 80's! Back to Michael...I'm still waiting for his 'moment'. I know I sound like Simon, but I think it before he says it!

I still like David, but so far the only thing we have heard from him are ballads and I have yet to buy an album of all ballads. Ripping my mother's "Bad Boy Ballads" doesn't count...






Though he has generally not been my favorite David Cook did really good tonight and I did enjoy his version of Lionel's "Hello". It was the 2nd best performance of the night. He deserves a place in the top 12 for this performance alone and kudos for shaving the fuzz off of his face. His looks improved 100 fold.



Our gay stripper David Hernandez is a talented singer and will surely be in the top 6. Not my favorite, but he will be an easy watch during the rest of the season.






The same thoughts for Chikezie, not my favorite, still talented and will be fine to watch during the rest of the season.








After 3 weeks my favorite as of tonight is Jason Castro. The rest in order of preference are as follows, Michael Johns, David Archuletta, David Cook, David Hernandez and Chikezie. There is room for an upset in my ideal top 6 list, as many people do like Daniel Noreaga and he is also the contestant "Vote for the Worst.com" is having people vote for. Of my listed 6 I can see either David H. or Chikezie being replaced by Daniel. Daniel is a good singer, but I truly do not like his over the top personality. It is too in your face. So there you have it! Let's see what happens Thursday! I do reserve the right to change my opinion as the season develops and the contestants grow as singers and performers.

Movies Worth a Peek

As mentioned in previous posts James and I are movie addicts. We indulge ourselves in Netflix and I think it is one of the greatest inventions ever. We always have a movie waiting for us, which comes in great on slow t.v. nights and rerun summers. We take turns choosing the movies, but is so happens that the last 4 (accident!) we watched were all of my choosing. Here are a few thoughts about these movies. I will also review our other movies as we watch them because I know you crave my wit and opinion.

Becoming Jane * * * * *
I have always enjoyed a good Jane Austen novel and this movie encompassed all of her irony, love and humor. While it is loosely based on her relationship with Thomas Lefroy it is still very romantic and heart wrenching and had me in tears at the end. I find it very interesting that Jane's life closely followed the majority of her characters, with the exception of the happy ending. She herself died unmarried at the age of 42. Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy are superb in their roles and watching them alone makes it time well spent.

Waitress* * * *
Disregarding the immorality running rampant through this film, it is a quirky and funny watch. Keri Russell, whom I have not much experience with, plays Jenna, a pregnant waitress in a dead end, abusive marriage. She vents her frustrations out by making a brand new pie everyday and on her baby doctor. While James and I are an easy laugh, we did find many, many parts to laugh about in this tale and the heartwarming ending. Watch out for her obnoxious husband! I was literally uncomfortable every time he had a scene.


The Nanny Diaries * * *
This was an OK watch. We did laugh (again, we are any easy laugh). I've never been a big Scarlett Johansen fan. It might be because I get sick of hearing about how 'sexy' she is. I have a different standard than those who have given her such a label. Woody Allen is sooooo far from an authority or someone I would trust. What James and I found the most interesting was the people this story is about. Annie is hired as a nanny for the 'X Family' to essentially raise their only son, who happens to be a pretty cool kid. People like the 'X's' have to really exist. There are people out there who have kids for the 'show' factor and not to truly parent them. They are an accessory. It's weird to analyze your own life and realize there are many people in this world who live a completely different lifestyle than your own.

As You Like It -Blah!
I feel sad about this review as one of mine and James favorite movies is Much Ado About Nothing. Gotta love Michael Keaton as Dogberry. The idea of another Shakespeare comedy tickled our fancy. I only made it about 20 min in before I had to sadly turn it off. After about 10 min I get into the groove of the Shakespeare speak and understand 95% of the dialog. I just could never get this one down. Bryce Dallas Howard is beautiful as Rosalind, but I still couldn't catch the story or feel invested enough to finish it. Much Ado About Nothing is a much better watch and highly recommended. I will leave you with our favorite quote from the movie:

Dogberry: Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down an ass. But masters, remember that I am an ass: though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass. And Master, sir, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall assert, that I am an ass.