6 month old Bo, a Portuguese water dog (gift from Senator Kennedy)
The fam checks out the new puppy- V cute!!!
Bo jogs along w/ Pres Obama
“The First Dog” moved into the White House today. Malia and Sasha looked VERY happy (and adorable) to have Bo w/ them- finally! Like most kids, they’d wanted a puppy for a LONG time.
American Idol thoughts:
Below are my FAVE contestants:
13 y.o. Anoop in trad Indian clothes
Anoop: the soulful college man
Anoop did well today BUT I didn’t like the song he chose. And his hair is a BIT too short IMHO. His close college pals were in the audience today.
Adam: the confidant chameleon
This pic is nice...
Did you know that Adam was featured in the Sunday Styles section of the most recent NYT? The song he chose tonight, Born to be Wild, suited him PERFECTLY. My dad said, “Oh, he’s already famous. He doesn’t need to win the competition.” I liked the dancing and personality, as well as the vocals. Wow, I wish I could be confidant like Adam!
Lil: the sweet single mom
Lil continues to add class and elegance to this season. I’m sure she’ll get a record deal even if she DOESN’T win!
Allison: the SoCal teen rocker
I missed Allison’s performance b/c I was microwaving dinner, BUT it seems like she did well. She’s VERY young to be out in the world and famous, BUT seems like a level-headed girl who could handle such things.
Scott was so polite and sweet on Idol- a good role model for teens and young adults. He didn’t let his visual limitations limit how hard he worked. IMHO Scott was great on piano, BUT his vocals need more work. I think he improved week by week. When it got down to Anoop and Scott, I knew that Scott would be the one w/ less votes. (It was about 30,000 less.)
Scott sings and plays the piano- what a guy!
Paula looked QUITE sad when it was time for Scott to go. His family was on pins and needles until the end of the show, BUT you could see the pride on their faces. How can anyone NOT cheer for this guy!? He was poised and mature, unlike MANY past contestants on Idol. And like him, I have slightly messy/wavy hair and come from AZ (Tucson). I wish him all the best; Scott showed class in a tough situation!
Kellie Pickler looking GLAM!
It was COOL to see Kellie Pickler (from small town North Carolina) looking so cute and confidant on AI last night. I downloaded her song “Best Days of Your Life” today (along with a few others from AI). She’s touring w/ Taylor Swift- country’s biggest star right now!
What I’m watching:
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Tony in Saudi Arabia
This Travel Channel show can be fun AND informative. Recently, Tony (a chef for MANY yrs/native NYer) went to a big city near the sea- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with Dahnya (a woman filmmaker raised in North Dakota and Saudi Arabia). He’s NOT afriad to try foods that MOST Americans consider “weird,” such as camel. This lady was young, bubbly, and willing to try WILD foods along w/ Tony. Saudis are NOT what we imagine them to be, Tony learned. They can be VERY welcoming to visitors, as hospitality is a HUGE part of the culture.
Ballykissangel
BallyK (quirky/small town Ireland)
Series 1 of this Irish drama is being rerun on Maryland Public TV. I NEVER get tired of this show, especially Seasons 1 & 2! My mom LOVES it, too.
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Season 1 (2 DVD set)
This is a comedy show you can watch w/ your family from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Season 1 DVD set is available online; Seasons 2 & 3 will be out this September.
The Tudors
King Henry VIII & Lady Jane Seymour
I just watched some interviews, clips, and the first ep of Season 3 of this Showtime drama on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). The cast is pretty to look at, as well as pretty good actors (Jonathan Rhys Meyers is VERY intense!), BUT the dialogue is not as sophisticated as I expected. It’s NOT completely historically accurate, either; events occur faster than in real life. But the show is engaging…
Henry (Rhys Meyers) & Cromwell (Frain)
I especially look forward to seeing more of James Frain (who plays the intelligent/scheming Thomas Cromwell). I like this actor’s ability to fit into many different roles; he also has an interesting face.
Sir Thomas More (Northam): an idealist in the court who died for his beliefs
If you look back at Seasons 1 & 2, you’ll see MORE fine actors: Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, and Maria Doyle Kennedy.
Queen Catherine (Doyle Kennedy)- originally from Spain; she was supplanted by younger lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn
Trader Joe's Thai Noodles w/ Peanut Sauce; I added chicken, mushrooms, green bell pepper, and peanuts. I was surprised b/c Dad LIKED it!
I (FINALLY) got rechargeable batterries for my camera! The regular ones wear out V fast. So I can take pics more often- YAY!
Today (TUES) was unseasonably cold!
It was windy (but NOT as much as MON)!
I tilted the camera to one side here.
Early evening sky (Alexandria, VA)
Thoughts of the day:
American Idolwas pretty good today, BUT not everyone did their best! I was impressed by Adam, Alison, and Anoop the most. Anoop (who I was worried for) did QUITE well tonight; he was near perfect in my mind! He has a LOT of soul. Kris is VERY cute, but he doesn’t leave much of an impression. I felt a LITTLE bad for Scott b/c he tried to do something different, and it totally backfired. Lil was good (as usual), BUT too much like Tina Turner; she seems very soulful and mature for her age. Lil already has the chops to be a good stage presence, as do Matt and Adam. Matt is a good performer (as I noted before), BUT I don’t think he has as much raw talent as Lil, Alison, etc. Alison is TRULY gifted; she reminds me of Mariah Carey, Pink, and Kelly Clarkson. I liked her outfit tonight, too! Adam is on top right now b/c he is talented, confidant, AND unique. (It was COOL when Simon gave him a standing ovation).
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit tonight was all new! Too bad Olivia wasn’t on; Mariska wasn’t feeling well for a time. Delroy Lindo (who has crucial roles in Malcolm X and The Cider House Rules) did a TERRIFIC job as the cranky veteran detective who came in to help w/ the case. You can’t tell when this guy is acting! (I found out that he’s actually a Jamaican Brit.) I think they should bring in his character again. Eliott related to him as a cop and as a father.
Stephanie March on "SVU"
I’m REALLY glad that Stephanie March is back, even though she’s still under “Special Guest Star.” She’s just as pretty and in shape as before; I LOVE her glasses! I wonder how long Alex will stick around…
A wedding pic of Flay & March
BUT the big question- how can this actress be married to (celeb chef) Bobby Flay and stay so Manhattan high society slim!?
I started to watch AI after a LOOOONG time b/c my aunt pointed Anoop out to me 2 wks ago. (She has 2 young daughters, so she tries to check out what they like when she can.) I’m REALLY excited that there could be a (good) desi idol in the near future! As for Sanjaya Malakar- he has a book out now! I did a double-take when I saw it recently at Borders.
Awww... I LOVE a big smile!
Like many desis, Anoop is a multi-talented, but humble individual. He’s 22, graduated w/ BA from UNC Chapel Hill (he won a scholarship), and is currently enrolled there in a master’s program in Anthropology. He likes R&B music the best, and feels part of Southern culture (he referred to himself as “a Carolina boy”).
Yes, Anoop is a TALL desi guy!
In this week’s ep, Randy Travis was (noticebly) impressed w/ Noop Dogg. Though Anoop admitted to not knowing much re: country music, he did VERY well. He sang Willie Nelson’s classic song.
Singing at UNC Chapel Hill (w/ The Clef Tones)
Anoop was in an acapella group at his uni; he was usually the soloist of the group (The Clef Tones). You can check out some old vids of the grp on You Tube.
Anoop's parents are both scientists in "The Research Triangle."
Anoop’s parents were in the audience before; they support his dream of being a singer. Wow, talk about COOL desis!
Other American Idol contestants I like:
Lil Rounds from Memphis, TN
She's pretty and has a POWERFUL voice!
I think she has a GREAT chance of winning the competition! Great voice (w/ power), sweet/humble personality, and “girl-next-door” looks ALL go in her favor.
Matt Giraud from Kalamazoo, MI
This guy seems very confidant and sweet. He’s from suburban Michigan, and has a cool, husky kind of voice.
Matt, who also plays piano, released CDs (independantly) before!
Can’t wait to hear more from ALL these new young singers!
Yes, Kevin Spacey (who plays Bobby Darin) sings ALL the songs in this movie. (He’s a VERY good singer!) He also wears several hairpieces (just as Darin did) and had his nose made bigger and broader (via clever makeup). Spacey also directed, co-wrote, and produced this picture; he spent 5 years on the entire process. Bobby Darin (real name: Walden Robert Cassuto) was one of Spacey’s fave singers growing up.
Darin was a sickly boy from a working-class Bronx family who had a love for music and performing. (There is an adorable child actor who plays the young Bobby!) His mother Polly (Brenda Blethyn), a former performer herself, knew that he would someday be “bigger than Sinatra.” It’s an unusual biography- not the typical format.
Above is a pic of Mary (tall and gorgeous Brit/Italian Greta Scacchi) with her daughter, Sandra Dee (young/up-and-coming Brit Kate Bosworth). Sandy was an actress, and teen idol, who Bobby fell for while shooting a film in Italy. They had a long, though sometimes dramatic, marriage.
Darin’s brother-in-law (the great Brit character actor Bob Hoskins) and older sister also journey with the young man from “rags to riches.” John Goodman plays the music producer who motivates and manages Darin’s career.
Here are the REAL Bobby and Sandy; they worked to overcome their “teen dream” public personas and be taken as serious performers.
There are several song and dance numbers in Beyond the Sea, reminding you of ’40s musicals. These will put a smile on your face! Spacey, always an interesting actor to watch (Seven, A Time to Kill, American Beauty, etc.), seems to relate very well to his character. Like Darin, he loves performing live and connecting with an audience. Also, Spacey enjoys acting, and always looks like he’s thinking about his character.
Below are the songs (available on iTunes) I especially liked from the movie soundtrack:
Knightleyemma 