Tag: TV

Casey & Lee- I love ’em both!!!

EmmaLeave a comment

It’s now an American pastime!

If you’re NOT watching American Idol, you need to start!  (Even my mom started watching- 1st time!)  Last year was TERRIFIC on Idol (Adam’s showmanship/confidence/talent, Matt’s piano skills, Danny & Anoop’s soulfulness & personalities, etc.)  And young Allison did well, too.

 

Who’s ready to be a star?

Even though Adam didn’t win last season, he’s appearing everywhere and wow-ing people w/ his voice & entertaining performances.  (Yes, he is causing controversy, BUT so did Elvis & Madonna.)  I noted before that my dad said Adam “is like Elvis.”  What a compliment!       

http://www.adamofficial.com/us/home

Simon thinks this year the winner “could be a girl.”  Hmmm… maybe it could be Crystal.  She is very grounded, mature, and knows what she’s good at singing.  I also like Casey (great guitar skills/good sound/confidence) & Lee (unique voice).   Casey’s voice can go country, pop, or rock.  He seems amenable to different styles.  Lee is just a great find!  When I listened to Lee’s studio sessions, I thought that this guy could be on the radio today (just as Kara said).  I hope they BOTH stay in the game!

 

Casey James 

http://caseyjamesfix.com/

http://caseyjamesnews.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/CaseyJamesFans

 

Lee DeWyze

http://lee-dewyze.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/LeeDeWyze

Spring is here!

EmmaLeave a comment

Update on me:

Last Wednesday night, I went to a speed dating event at K St Lounge hosted by Professionals in the City.  [I had been to this lounge when South Asians for Obama (SAFO) had an event last year.]  This event was also geared toward South Asians around my age, though there were 2 guys who were not South Asian.  It was a pretty fun event, though I thought it could’ve been better. 

First of all, there were TOO many people- 27 men and 30 women!  It took more than 2 hours to talk w/ every guy.  The time (4 mins) went by VERY quickly w/ few exceptions.  When you go to events like this, there are bound to be 1 or 2 people who have ZERO interest in talking w/ you (not even to be polite).  They will just hem and haw, not bothering to think up a topic to discuss.  In my opinion, 4 mins is just TOO short.  I think 7 mins would be better.  

Second issue: quite a few people came w/ their friends to this event.  Okay, maybe they wanted to feel comfortable going with a little group.  Or they just have single pals.  But the POINT of this event was to meet NEW people!  The petite gal sitting next to me also came by herself, and I chatted a bit w/ her.  She commented that most of her friends are getting married, not going out as much, and so on.

I didn’t have HUGE expectations going into this event.  I arrived a BIT early and noticed that people were talking w/ their pals or just standing about.  I wanted to go up and chat w/ some gals, but they didn’t come off as very friendly.  Or maybe they were a little nervous?  Okay, on to the guys!

The guys (expect perhaps 2 or 3) were Indian Hindus.  One guy said he was 1/2 Bengali (mom’s side) after I mentioned I was Bangladeshi.  As you may expect, most were American desis (born and raised in US).  But I was surprised to see many immigrant and 1.5 gen guys (and gals) at this event.  (At a similar event in NYC 2 years back, there were very few immigrant guys and no immigrant gals!) 

All the guys were professionals (of course!); most work w/ the fed govt (IT contractor, IT manager, computer engineer).  I think there was only 1 investment banker, 2 lawyers and 2 or 3 research scientists.  A few of these guys impressed me, BUT I don’t think I clicked w/ any.  Too bad!  At least I took a chance. 

You can check out the web site below if interested.  This organization holds events in various cities.               

http://www.prosinthecity.com/dcevents.php

 

Movies I’ve Seen Recently:

Gran Torino (2008)

I saw this movie while my mom was visting; she REALLY likes Clint Eastwood.  I thought there were some nice/funny moments, BUT it seemed implausible to me (especially the ending). 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489/

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

This is a melancholy romance/drama set in Austria.  It has great atmosphere and lighting.  It’s worth a look!   

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040536/

 

Recent iTunes Downloads:

BardCast: The Shakespeare Podcast 

http://bardcast.blogspot.com/

Chop Bard

http://www.inyourearshakespeare.com/chopbard.html

 

What I’m watching:

Babylon 5: Seasons 1 & 2 are on Hulu.  This sci-fi series (5 seasons total) came out around the same time as Star Trek: DS9.  I’ve seen 8 eps so far, and it get’s getting good!   

http://www.hulu.com/

“American Idol” is in full swing!

EmmaLeave a comment

Update: Lacey Brown was voted off on Thursday, 3/18. 

Hey readers!

I’m sure MANY fo you are watching American Idol these days.  Like last season, there is a diverse group of singers ranging in age from 16 to late 20s.  There is also a diversity of style of singing, presentation, and looks.  This makes the competition VERY exciting!  Last night, the hopefuls took on classic rock- the Rolling Stones.

When it comes to PURE natural talent, Andrew Garcia and Crystal Bowersox (both parents and 24 y.o.) are at the top.  They DON’T need to make an effort to get their voices to do what they want.  They are also calm, mature, creative and have distinct styles.  Knowing how Idol works, however, these qualities may NOT always help them.  (My dad said that Crystal reminds him of Jewel.)  

The singers whose styles I REALLY enjoy are Aaron Kelly (just 16) and Paige Miles (who has a VERY powerful voice).  Aaron, though very young, has a kind of quiet confidence.  He knows what he wants to sing- country w/ a hint of pop.  (I think it’s pretty EXCITING to have a country singer on such a big show!)  Paige has a lot of potential, but she needs to be careful when picking songs.  She carries herself well and has big, beautiful eyes.  And we know that LOOKS don’t hurt you on Idol!     

Speaking of beauty… Casey James (27) and Didi Benami (23 y.o. w/ wide smile) are doing pretty well.  Casey just makes me SMILE!  It seems like these two are eager to please and willing to experiment w/ song styles.  Lacey Brown (24) reminds me of Martina McBride when it comes to looks and voice- an unique sound.  I hope she stays around.  Lee Dewyze (23) stands out from the crowd w/ his simplicity and musical influences.  (He’s also the only contestant from the Midwest.)  I felt BAD for him when Simon commented harshly on his performance Tuesday night.  Lee looked near tears!     

Related Links

http://www.americanidol.com/

http://american.idolblog.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/andrewagarcia

Latest news re: “SVU”

EmmaLeave a comment

Chris Meloni will leave L&O: SVU after 12 seasons!

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/after-11-seasons-mariska-hargitay-and-chris-meloni-of-law-and-order-svu-split-up/story-e6frfmyi-1225839394251

Wow, that was a BIT of a shock!  This news has some fans wondering- who could be Benson’s NEW partner?  Or at least a temp partner? 

Two actors (Naveen Andrews & Wentworth Miller) have guest-starred this past season on SVU.  Were they auditioning for FUTURE role of partner? 

http://allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com/2009/11/mariska-hargitay-naveen-andrews-on-svu.html

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/09/03/wentworth-miller-on-law-order-svu-first-pics/

What fans are thinking…

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203259/

http://specialvictims.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://www.svufans.net/forums/

U.S. Figure Skating Champs (Ice Dance)

EmmaLeave a comment

I LOVE to watch ice dancing, BUT I never thought the US would have so MANY strong teams in this discipline!  I’m VERY proud that we have such accomplished dancers going to the Vancouver Olympics.  Can we beat the Russians?  Hmmm… we’ll have to see.  But we can be TOUGH competitors this year!

Part-time University of Michigan students Meryl Davis & Charlie White (pic above) defeated Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto for the 1st time in their careers.  Davis & White had a very creative Original Dance (OD) this year with Bollywood music.  Their style and flair remind me of my fave team, Marinna Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat (FRA).

In their Free Dance, D&W skated to music from Phantom of the Opera.  Though both teams had well-choreographed/difficult/engaging programs, D&W had better music than B&A.  I think the audience was leaning a little more toward D&W also.  I esp. liked D&W’s lifts and how they used the music.  They are BOTH very strong skaters; they were paired up 10 years ago!

Bronze medalists Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (pic above) had a very fun and fast-paced country-western OD.  The audience LOVED it!  (Evan shares a house on the UMich campus w/ Charlie White.) 

Samuelson & Bates, who I learned about last year, are very strong/athletic skaters.  But they can also be artistic, as they showed in their FD.

http://www.ice-dance.com/davis-white/

http://emily-evan.ice-dance.com/