coolmite

Seriously? Kris Allen? Really?

I mean he’s palatable, I guess, as a coffeehouse-”The Blend”-VH1 Classic-Jack Johnson kind of singer. At least that’s what I see and hear.

But American Idol? Really?

I don’t see it. Today. Tomorrow. Any other day of the week.

I gotta say that the bloom is off the rose for Danny Gokey, too. He’s light-years ahead of Kris vocally. Probably not as good of a performer, but that can be taught. He needed to be ganked just for that last note on Dream On. Oof.

I don’t know how this isn’t Adam Lambert’s show to lose. Seriously. Unless all the voters are Gokey and Allen enthusiasts–or Taylor Hicks speed dialing at the speed of light trying to validate his win–Lambert has to win. Especially after that performance on a Zep song. If he does anything by Queen next week, it’s over. Queen seems to be the ultimate standard, outside of Zeppelin, for rockers. If he sings it, the others can go home. They’ll have good careers–there are no losers on these shows. But, damn. Really, America. Be honest with yourselves.

Girl, you got jobbed. There’s no other way to say it. America must be full of tweener to twentysomething girls who like to see a boyish cute face versus overwhelming singing and performance talent.

Evs. Your career is not going to be marked by being third-runner-up on Idol. If Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry are any indication, you can rise above anything that Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and even Adam Lambert have to offer.

You are the heiress apparent to Janis Joplin, Ann Wilson and Pat Benatar. Believe that. In fact, you should seek out Chris Daughtry, Pat Benatar, Slash, and any other artist who can steer you in the right direction of good management, producers, fellow artists and the right people to be around. Start building a great network. Don’t forget that you are 17 and that there are a lot of pitfalls for someone just coming into his or her own in Los Angeles, New York and other music meccas around the world. There’s booze, drugs and all sorts of weirdness out there. Keep your head.

Also, keep playing the guitar. Write songs. Find a band. You’re going to be around for a very long time.

Matt, first off, great job making the final five of American Idol. You’re a really talented guy. Actually, you’re probably better suited to songwriting and making music than any of the other five. So this will be a good transition for you.

I know that you’d been searching to find that mix between soul, pop and rock. I’m not sure the Fray is the right way to go for you. Might I suggest drawing your inspiration from another piano man.

Ben Folds.

See, like Billy Joel, Ben Folds told many stories of his life through music. Though his stuff is not as iconic as Billy Joel’s is, he’s really suited to what you are. You’re a hipster. You’re too talented for the room–you know it–and you only show flashes of how good you really are. Ben Folds uses a lot of humor, wordplay and references people can relate to in the stories he tells. At least a lot of them related to me. His first two albums as “Ben Folds Five”–yes, they were a trio–were great for their time. Grunge rock had kind of blown a tire and the rest of alternative music was in between U2 and Pearl Jam albums.

Ben Folds was fresh. Every time you listened to him, you were in a college piano bar, singing along and barely realizing how effortlessly he entertained people.  Ask your boy Anoop about Ben Folds. Being from Chapel Hill, NC, he probably knows all about him. Listen. Learn. Add to your repertoire.

Have fun on tour.

So, I’m sitting here waiting for coffee to brew and ruminating on last night’s events. Last night gave me the opportunity to really reflect on pop culture and what used to be the culture du jour (Culture of the day? That sounds good. I’ll have that.).

First, I watched Idol, which is a cultural microcosm in itself. Adam Lambert is my new favorite singer. I’m hoping against hope that AI has a “Ronnie James Dio” week or a “glam metal” week or a ” cat’s tail crushed by a rocking chair” week. His yelping falsetto is ridiculous. I’ll be wailing like him at the end of every sentence for the rest of the week. He’s awesome. He’s the walking Barry Gibb Talk Show. Adam needs to get that under control, though. Vegasing up Wild Cherry is fine, but that’s only going to take you so far.

That’s the fun of Idol, though. You’ll have people like him who will find or create their own niches for themselves. Except for Alison Iraheta, he’s the most talented and “current” singer on that show this year. She’s unreal when she’s on.

WAAAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHYYIIIIIIIIIIYIUH!

That didn’t translate to print as I’d hoped. Apologies.

Then, some of my college buddies and I talked for an hour for the Pointless Roundtable. We discussed Michael Jackson fashion, Big Daddy Kane, jean shorts (which should never come back), sitcoms, All in the Family, Party Down, That’s Happening, April Fool’s Day pranks and Kentucky basketball. You can find it here at www.pointlessroundtable.com. I can’t explain it, but I was and am way behind the curve on all of these subjects. It’s a good listen. Check it out later today.

I just finished Daniel Gross’ article in Newsweek on why we should be spending and not investing. In it, he said that we, as a country, were hypomanic in the late 90’s and 2000s. He’s right, but I don’t think it’s an argument to make that acting that way is a good thing. Hypomania is a strong feeling of euphoria, or mania, that lasts for short periods of time. When someone is hypomanic he or she feels intensely focused on doing something, giddy and full of uncontrollable energy. Usually, mania strikes without rational thought behind it and it can push or promote bad behavior or bad choices. Haven’t we had enough of that financially? Getting on the hot stock because it’s hot and everyone else is buying it? The tech boom proved more often than not that buying without due diligence, rational thought, or self-control could lead to thousands in lost money, simply because an overwhelmingly attractive concept went bust. The same holds true for the housing bubble as people who couldn’t afford large payment balloons believed themselves to be invinicible and overlooked consequences. Also, hypomanic personalities are also prone to paralyzing anxiety. Which, in my view, is what a lot of people who make decisions without thought or backup plans are experiencing right now. I’m all for America to take reasonable risks again to goose the economy, productivity and the American dream. I just think that advocating poor decision making is irresponsible. I’d also ask Mr. Gross to lay off the armchair psychology. I didn’t happen to notice an M.D., D.O., or PhD near his name in psychiatry or psychology. Just saying.

I’m a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Today, I heard Kevin Riordan, from John Carroll University, speak about keeping the “precious 45″ hours you’re at work sacred. How do you want to spend them so you get the most of what you want out of them. Also, are you enjoying those hours, because if you’re not, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.

I’m enjoying my hours, but completely taking them foregranted in terms of keeping track. Like with Weight Watchers, Shape Up and Go (It’s a Clinic thing), and other metric based parts of my life, I’m woefully challenged. I like to use my favorite phrase they use on ESPN Radio.

I’m efforting:)

Kudos to Kevin for teaching me a better way to look at my week.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. We’re financially in the dumper. Still, I’m feeling pretty optimistic. Moreso than in a very long time.

Personally, I’m feeling so, because as I visit people and companies as a fundraiser, I see people who aren’t beaten down. They might not be able to do what they want to do philanthropically right now, but they are considering–and looking for opportunities. It gives me hope. Also, I feel right now that a lot of people believe in me. Crazy, right? I mean, when was the last time that you considered whether anyone believed in you?

Think about that for a second. Confidence in who you are and what you’re about is very important, especially in times like these. And, I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I’m still an organizational mess, but I’m an organizational mess with purpose.

Plus, I put on a kick-ass puppet show for six year old girls’ tea parties. True story. Ask Vivian and her friends.

I have to say that I’m impressed with this year’s SNL cast. Each week someone shows a trait or ability that makes me happy. I’m still getting caught up, but I just saw the 1/31 show where All the new ladies showed how well they can sing. Damn.

I only thought that Michaela Watkins did uncomfortable humor well as evidenced by her Hoda Kotb character, but the singing really turned my head. I knew that Casey and Kristen could sing, but not her and Abby, too.

One of my favorite SNL skits involved Britney Spears, Ana Gasteyer and Maya Rudolph as Gemini’s Twin. Ana and Maya took that little girl to school with their singing.  I’m glad to see the tradition lives on.

I’m also here to laud Armisen, because damn it, he can sell a bit. I don’t know David Paterson. I’ll never meet David Paterson. I’ll probably never see him on TV much. I love Fred Armisen’s David Paterson. From the leer that says I think I’m the funniest person in the room, to the obligatory slide on/off camera, that’s the funniest on-going character I’ve seen in a while. I did spit takes during his entire bit on WU. I wasn’t drinking anything and am now parched. Never have I loved to pile on New Jersey as much as when this dude gleefully does.

Also, the ESPN Classic Sketch was awesome. “Gene made two catches that day. A touchdown and a bullet.” Is there nothing Bill Hader can’t do? Even Darrell Hammond was great in that sketch. I say that because I think he’s a wonderful impressionist and actor, but I’ve never bought him in sketches playing characters that he hasn’t already had years to practice.

I almost forgot about Bobby Moynihan, who on Wikipedia has Rich Sommer (someone I consider a friend) as a celebrity impersonation. Bobby is a riot so far.  He’s going to end up being the glue of the cast down the road, mark my words.

I do feel bad about Abby Elliott in the sense that her father Chris has ingested all sorts of things on television, like a bottle of canola oil and a bottle of vegetable oil at the same time.  I don’t know if that affected her chemical make up, let alone her childhood, but the results seem to be ok right now;) Third generation SNL!  Awesome.

I wrote this to Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland 850 AM this morning:

Riz,
 
I’d like to thank you for something you did for me today. You gave me the gift of hating the Cleveland Browns and the delusions that Browns fans have all over again. I am very appreciative of this gesture.
 
As a Steelers fan since ‘79 from Youngstown, OH, I have always taken special glee in lording over my friends and family who are Browns fans the sheer supremacy of the Rooney organization. I took my lumps in the 80’s when the Kardiac Kids did their thing, and the Browns pretty much ruled the division, but I wasn’t worried. I knew that the Steelers would have their days again. They’re the Pittsburgh Steelers. Winning is what they do.
 
As of the 1990’s, I’ve had to coddle my friends and family who’ve faced disappointment after disappointment to the point of anxiety and depression. Instead of rubbing their noses in it after a competitive game, I’ve had to pat them on the heads and say, “There there. It’s going to be OK. You’ll see an AFC Championship before you die.” What Art Modell did to this town was shameful beyond compare. I went to that last Steeler game in Cleveland Stadium only to see a home game for Pittsburgh. Cleveland. Gave. Up.
 
I really can’t blame the city for taking it on the chin for three years after that. How glorious it was to see the Browns come back. Finally, I can hate the Mistake on the Lake once again.
 
Nope. The Lerners bought the team.
 
I respect that you don’t want any pity from Pittsburgh fans or want to give respect to us. That’s fine. You should have the stance that you do. But you need to realize something. Something that you say in your promotional bumper that runs every day. What can a Browns fan say to a Steelers fan? You’ve got nothing on us. Nothing! Tell me how my ass tastes? I’m pretty sure you already know how mine tastes—like day old Primanti Brothers sandwiches and stale Iron City Light. You’ve known this taste for the past 40 years. You’ll never get rid of it until the Browns win. Never.
 
So, talk your smack. I’m hoping your team can back the checks your mouth keeps trying to cash someday. Lean on the Lerners to get it done. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will keep winning. It’s what they do. Don’t like four Super Bowls in six years? Tough. We can still do it now. Expect it.
 
Oh, there is some consolation. You’ll always have a higher first round draft pick than Pittsburgh does. So, there’s that.
 
Love the show, though. Hope Top Man opens his wallet and that Hammer can land the Eagle.
 
Chris Hall

I mean every word of it. He got me in a lather about being a Steelers fan living in Browns Country. Calling people like me ‘bandwagon.’

Wrong button, pal. As I mentioned above, I’ve been diehard since 1979. Never wavered. The only Steelers game I’ve ever walked away from, willingly, was the 51-0 shellacking at the hands of the Browns in 1989. And that was after being held down by my college friends who forced me to watch the ineptitude Pittsburgh put on the field that day. The others have been games my wife has made me stop watch because my shouting was scaring her and the children. I completely understand that.

I’d been looking for a reason to loath the Browns again and that’s as good as any for me. Game on. Oh, the odds for repeating next year? 10-1. The odds for the Browns? 55-1.

Methinks Pittsburgh is the better bet

For God’s sake, people. Learn how to pronounce it.

Oh, and Happy New Year.