Better off a Castoff: On Not Winning American Idol

For starters, I don't watch the show (after the auditions are done). For the most part, it really doesn't interest me. Some of the remakes are terrible. So WHY if I don't watch the show, why am I going to blog on it? It's funny because those who have not won have been the most successful. History seems to back me on this so I'll explain why winning American Idol could be more of a curse if your name isn't Kelly Clarkson (Season #1) or Carrie Underwood (#4). I'll exempt everyone from Jordan Sparks forward (their books are still being written). One other tidbit I found out. Of the last 8 winner, 6 had connections to the southern part of the US (Chicago is represented by Glocken, Hudson and the most recent winner, Lee DeWyze).

Let's go to Season 2. Ruben Stoddard won that year but the Clay Aken Army felt otherwise. Sad thing is that neither guy have done anything post Idol. Stoddard had a nice run with a platinum record, a gold record and it all fell off afterwords. Aiken had his banner year in 2004 but after that, pretty marginal except for Christmas music. The two will tour together this summer.

Here's where the "curse" comes in, starting in Season 3. Fantasia won that year and she has faired much better off than the two guys I just mentioned. Some nice recordings, a lead role on Broadway's "The Color Purple" (a role she will now play on tour) , and a few high profile nominations. Now look at who didn't "beat" hear- Jennifer Hudson (yep, that one). Skip to Season 5, the year Taylor Hicks won. First album had some success, the other not so good (45,000 recorded sales). He was last seen (on Broadway) in a production of "Grease" as the Teen Angel. Kellie Pickler was also on that season and she's enjoyed a good career in Country music. The "one" rejected, that got sent home early- 2 albums, both platinum or higher. If you want to relive that experience, click the video below.



I couldn't find the full version but I do recall it was BAD:


The last 3 seasons I won't address because the books are still being written. Sparks looks promising. I haven't heard much about Sanjaya or Gina Glocksen (who now lives in the town where I attended college). The David's (Archuleta and the winner Cook) seem to have some promise since both have won several awards since their Idol days ended. Adam Lambert seems to be on the same path (to be truthful, I know more about Jack Lambert and Adam Archuleta). As for the most recent final two, come on folks!! It hasn't even been 24 hours. DeWyze was actually first discovered by guitarist Louis Svitek,  formerly of Zoetrope ("Life of Crime"), M.O.D. (first 3 records), & Ministry ("Psalm 69" through "Animositisomina"). DeWyze signed with Wuli Records, where Svitek is a partner. So if you don't win American Idol, you might be better off in the long run. I never thought I would associate speed/industrial metal with American Idol.

Edgar Guest "On Quitting"

The more I have read Edgar Guest, I ask WHY schools and motivational people aren't mention this guy more. If I would create an academic curriculum, this man's work would be in the list. I find myself encouraged and even challenged when I read his works. This poem is pretty relevant to life in general. In fact, why is it that more people don't discuss this man or his name doesn't come up more than it does is beyond me. At the rate I'm going, I might have to give Guest his own label. Enjoy.

Taken from http://www.poemhunter.com/.

"On Quitting"

How much grit do you think you've got?
Can you quit a thing that you like a lot?
You may talk of pluck; it's an easy word,
And where'er you go it is often heard;
But can you tell to a jot or guess
Just how much courage you now possess?
You may stand to trouble and keep your grin,
But have you tackled self-discipline?
Have you ever issued commands to you
To quit the things that you like to do,
And then, when tempted and sorely swayed,
Those rigid orders have you obeyed?


Don't boast of your grit till you've tried it out,
Nor prate to men of your courage stout,
For it's easy enough to retain a grin
In the face of a fight there's a chance to win,
But the sort of grit that is good to own
Is the stuff you need when you're all alone.
How much grit do you think you've got?
Can you turn from joys that you like a lot?
Have you ever tested yourself to know
How far with yourself your will can go?
If you want to know if you have grit,
Just pick out a joy that you like, and quit.


It's bully sport and it's open fight;
It will keep you busy both day and night;
For the toughest kind of a game you'll find
Is to make your body obey your mind.
And you never will know what is meant by grit
Unless there's something you've tried to quit.

"My Creed" Edgar Guest

The more I have learned about Edgar Guest, the more impressed I am. This guy is so common sense and inspirational. I actually read some of his works a while back but onyl recently got reconnected with his works. I would encourage anyone to check this man and his works out.

"My Creed"

- Edgar A. Guest
(taken from http://www.wow4u.com/my-creed/index.html)



To live as gently as I can;


To be, no matter where, a man;


To take what comes of good or ill


And cling to faith and honor still;


To do my best, and let that stand


The record of my brain and hand;


And then, should failure come to me,


Still work and hope for victory.






To have no secret place wherein


I stoop unseen to shame or sin;


To be the same when I'm alone


As when my every deed is known


To live undaunted, unafraid


Of any step that I have made;


To be without pretense or sham


Exactly what men think I am.






To leave some simple mark behind


To keep my having lived in mind,


If enmity to aught I show,


To be an honest, generous foe,


To play my little part, nor whine


That greater honors are not mine.






This, I believe, is all I need


For my philosophy and creed.

"Racist" Tea Party.....O-K!!

I recently attended a local Tea Party event. Now if you hear the national media, you would think that I (being Black) would be out of place. That those who attended them were all "racist" and hatemongers. I can tell you for a fact, I got exactly what I expected -the EXACT OPPOSITE. People actually came to me in places. As I took my pictures, I don't think one person balked at me doing so. NOT ONCE did I feel threatened or in harm’s way. NOT ONCE did I hear any type of racist comments whatsoever. You would think that out of 500 plus people, a village idiot would stand out pretty quickly. I guess they stayed home. I had very positive discussions with many who attended. I spoke with everyone from the retired to the small and medium business owners and their concerns about what is happening now. How will their health benefits work for them in the years ahead? How can a business remain profitable should the cost of doing business going up? Worse yet, how can I hire someone if I don't have the means to pay them? How fast will the big government mentality spend its citizens into the ground (or oblivion)? I have no problem with someone calling themselves Black American, Italian American, and so on. It's what makes this country special. Unless you have  some Native American Indian blood in you, we're all from somewhere else. At the end off the day, while ethnic distinctions don't both me, we are all Americans. No place is perfect especially with man at the wheel, but the United States is about as good as it gets. If you doubt me, ask someone who came from somewhere else. If you don't agree with me, then they might make more sense to you.

This event had about 500 people (not quite as large as the downtown Chicago event but still effective), which considering this was on a Thursday during the lunch hour is pretty good. As I arrived, I was treated no differently than anyone else who was there. People were very respectful even to the handful of detractors. In fact, one visitor was told that his "pro-tea party" sign was not appropriate (calling Nancy Pelosi a Nazi). I think this person decide not to show it. All it was were people who had the same theme in mind- smaller government, freedom, and well being our country. I'm doing this to let folks know that this stuff about "racist Tea Party" people are flat out LIES!!!! This is the first I attended from start to end and the third I got to see. If you're curious and want to see for yourselves, go to an event and see for yourselves. Right wing nutjobs? No. These represent the American people who have seen what is going on and saying enough is enough. Those who say the Tea Party is racist in nature I'll almost be that most of those folks haven't gone to one. If they have, they probably had the mindset of wanting trouble and finding what they wanted to find- not what really existed.

So here are some of the signs I liked the most. I hope you all enjoy them. Click a photo to see a larger version.

Am I the only one who feels my "wealth" shouldn't be spread? Based on this picture, I know I am not alone. There's a difference between being compassionate and generous versus flat out stealing (and wasting). If anyone will "spread my wealth", that person will be me.

I had the chance to speak with this woman. She and the people she came with were very polite and nice to speak with. She and her family run a constuction business. If you can't see the smaller print, it says "I am not a crackpot- I am American." Well said.

The "Axis of Taxes" (Obama, Pelosi, & Reid)

Shake, Rattle & Roll. November, 2010. I like this slogan!! Short and to the point- very effective.

I don't think any captions are needed for the picture above. This young man may be about 11 or 12 years old.

This is one (above) that I REALLY liked. The blue on the bottom is to protect the child sitting in the buggy. I PROMISED that I would do this. While I am not a parent, I can appreciate the concern of a parent & someone using their child's image anywhere. I said to her "don't give them any ideas because they might consider it." Last decade, the City of Chicago attempted to create a (are you ready for this)..........

a tax out tax!!!!!!!!! That's right. They felt by taxing take out food, they could prevent garbage (and create revenue). Seriously folks. I couldn't make this up. It was this event that solidified where I stood as it relates to big government.

I believe this is Dan Proft, former candidate for Illinois Governor and business owner. He made one statement that really stood out for me- "if they won't stop, they need to BE stopped." The quote was in regards to the outrageous spending (among other things) we now see.

This is Andy Andrezeski, former Illinois Governor candidate (who I voted for). His phrase for the day, "Mr Madigan. Open the books." He is now involved with Open the Books IL, which proposes a forensic audit of the Illinois govt spending. I would like to see that done at the federal level. This is the Internet site for Open the Books IL.For listeners of WYLL, Sandy Rios is behind him (in the red jacket, and in the picture below). http://openthebooks.com/ 

Talk show host, President of the Culture Campaign & Fox contributor Sandy Rios speaks. The audio and a transcript can be found on this link ( http://www.wyll.com/ContentPages/1610/ ). Below is her speech (done at a different Tea Party event):

A Vet, letting his view be known.

The remaining pictures speak for themselves so I won't add any commentary. Enjoy.

Hollywood, the Movies and so on

Is it just me or is Hollywood really gone off the deep end? I can recall when America and its people were the heroes. Now, not the case although this year wasn't as bad as others (that I noticed anyway). They speak about how unfair things are and calling those in the middle or the right fools (among other things). Hollywood has gone from creating art and telling a story to create nothing short of propaganda. Avatar offend some because of implied the evils of everything from American businesses profiting from war to subtle views on race and environmentalism. Now we come to find out that "The Hurt Locker" was not exactly true to what happened. In other words, the creators took liberties with the story and the soldier who this is based off of is now suing them. How about the blockbuster, "Couples Retreat", where in the overseas poster the Black couple in this film was removed (yet the Hollywood elite wants to call other racist). They said that films with Black actors don't do as well than others. How about the fact that (from what I've see) Europeans don't go to the movies with the same frequency as Americans do. Better yet, they may be able to tell art from trash. Not to mention the Davinci Code franchise this basically mocks the Christian faith without coming right out and saying it. Let's not even mention the films so BAD people may not recall they were even made (or wish they didn't know). In other words, when Bad Movies happen to Good Actors and Actresses. Kate Beckinsale has done some good work but in "Whiteout"- no. "The Ugly Truth" with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler- whiff.
Now, I get to call Hollywood on its bluff. I will write on some of the good films I saw over the last year (or were at least well-done). This is not my "Top whatever of 2009" but I wanted to point out some good things I saw in movies (regardless of how trivial). Opening with two I didn't see but those who did, I value their opinions.

1. "Princess and the Frog" by Disney. This was significant because this is the first time Disney used an African American girl as a Princess. What was sad is that some people were angry about it. Where's the problem??? Black kids have watched Snow White without any problems so why should this be an issue at all? I don't care what color the Princess is as long as the movie gives a positive message to young girls. I even heard people talking about boycotting the film. I guess these folks needed to get their Klan robes from the cleaners before closing. The movie actually did well and the reviews were good. I say to Disney, keep on doing what you've done over the years.

2. "Precious." I saw this film and while I saw what I felt would be good, I figured I would take a pass. I have heard this (and seen similar) things that this story is about. The comedian Mo'Nique was not comical at all, playing a very abusive mother. Gabourey Sidibe, the lead actor, comes off to me as a tough but vulnerable young woman trying to overcome incredible odds. What still keeps my curiosity is the undiva-fied Mariah Carey. I don't know her but we see her made up for videos and TV. This is about as stripped down as I have ever seen (http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/mariah-carey-precious-500x270.jpg) (1).

3. "Inglorious Bastards" (I.B.) by Quinton Tarantino. Now when you hear that last name and movie, you should expect violence and blood (LOTS of it as well). This movie was no exception. The funny thing is I noticed something that I would hope SOMONE would have done when making a World War II movie. Tarantino finally did something so obvious it should be a cruel joke not to do otherwise- USE GERMAN ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. When I saw "Valkarie", I really still enjoyed the movie but it was weird (having studied German) hearing the characters speaking in an American (British, or very CANNED German) accent. Some of them are like watching old dubbed Schwarzenegger films. The first person I would have casted for the Claus von Stauffenberg role would have been Daniel Bruhl, a tremendous German actor who was in "I.B". If not for the lead, Bruhl would have a VERY prominent role in it.

4. "Star Trek" had a mixed bag for me. I HATED how it started because it started pretty slow. I guess they had to take the liberty of trying to guess what they (Kirk, Spock, etc) were like as young adults. As the movie went forward, I was really able to enjoy the ride. Now I am in no way a Trekky (not that it's a bad thing) but this was just a fun ride. Bottom line is I DID like it and would see it again on video.

5. "The Blind Side" was a story I was familiar with especially since I follow SEC Football. It's about Michael Oher, current starting offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens and his journey in life. I wish his character was a bit more visible than Bullocks (who I think did a very good job). Quinton Aaron, who played Oher, did the best he could with what he was given. He has appeared in "Law & Order" previously. What was missed here is that if you don't think you could make a difference, Mrs. Touhy proved otherwise. THIS is the type of film missing today, being one of good values and going to help someone else even if that person is nothing like you. I hope more films with this type of message are in the works. Whoever gave Bullock the worst actress award missed a few very BAD films or have very low standards.


Works Cited:
1. Photo taken from scene-stealers.com (will remove upon request).