CleverDonkey.com …Musings, Commentary, Opinions, and Drivel

Mynagirl and I have a relationship where, when we are sure that we are alone and have absolute privacy, we share with each other the uncharitable, judgmental, mean, nasty, rude, cruel, and just plain malicious thoughts, jokes, and feelings that pop into our heads. These are the things that one would never ordinarily share with others, lest one be thought to be evil or crude. In most cases these thoughts don’t actually represent our beliefs, but instead represent things that we think are funny even if they are just plain inappropriate.

For example:

What’s the difference between Christopher Reeve and OJ Simpson?

OJ walked and Reeve got the electric chair.

or

What is the opposite of Christopher Reeve?

Christopher Walken

Now, intellectually I find both of those jokes offensive. I liked Christopher Reeve and don’t really approve of making fun of the dead. However, in my heart of hearts, both of those jokes make me laugh. They shouldn’t, but they do. They’re creative and funny, and Christopher Reeve was enough of a cultural icon for me to be able to disassociate the jokes from the actual tragic circumstances of his accident and his ultimate death.

And I would share with Mynagirl the fact that I found those jokes funny – she may or may not agree, but we revel in the trust and closeness that results from such open honesty with each other.

What, you may ask, do my autobiographical musings have to do with CSA: Confederate States of America?? Well, the parallel is that Kevin Willmott, the writer/director, has put into his script and onto the screen a lot of the same gasp-inducing-yet-funny things that many people might think, but never say.

The premise of the movie is that you, the viewer, are watching a television station, and that station is airing a Ken Burns-like documentary about the CSA. In the reality of this film, the South won the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression, depending on one’s roots) and hence we have the Confederate States of America, or the CSA. The documentary (in the film) was produced by British television, complete with typically erudite and accented voice-over. The documentary is interrupted at regular intervals for commercials from the present-day CSA for products that would only have niches in this imagined reality, and also by news breaks reporting news that one would never see today.

I’m trying not to get too specific, as the parade of yelp-inducing moments in this film are endless and diabolically funny, while also forcing us to hold up a mirror to today’s less-than-perfect race relations. Mr. Willmott has taken a great risk in producing a film like this, because even though it is funny, it is also incendiary and I’m sure will be controversial.

I’ll give you a real-world example of how this film is completely relevant today. We went to this movie with our friend Bruce, and it was showing at the Angelika theater here in downtown Houston. The Angelika is an upscale venue for arty, snobby, and foreign films that have some revenue-generating potential (it’s not a gritty, run-down, art-house type venue, is what I mean). We go there frequently and really relish the experience of seeing a film in a calm and serene setting, with comfortable seats, good concessions, and interesting films, without having to subject ourselves to the multiplex masses.

So, today when we showed up for the film, we purchased our tickets and went inside. To picture the scene, please note that the lobby of the Angelika is very beautiful, with artistic touches and over-sized posters of foreign films on the walls of the soaring atrium overhead. Also, the three of us are about as white as you can get – I’m of Czechoslovakian-British descent, Mynagirl is German-British, and Bruce is Polish. That’s about as white as you can get, and we were in a place that, let’s be honest, is traditionally populated with upper-middle-class whites, pseudo-intellectuals, and film-geeks.

However, when we walked in today, the lobby was the fullest that I have *ever* seen it, I’d say between 100-125 people (and if you’ve even been to the Angelika you’ll realize how full the lobby was), and 95% of the patrons were young African Americans, 90% of those male. My immediate thought was that they were here to see CSA (which is billed as being “Presented by Spike Lee”), and based on the interactions of people I could tell this was an organized event, and that they weren’t all here by accident. So, I wondered what organization had gathered here en masse for this film, and I wrestled with the fact that this film might not raise up warm feelings of brotherhood in my fellow moviegoers. I didn’t have any specific worries, but let’s just say I was tracking the potential of ending up on CNN in the worst-case scenario.

After we got our concessions and headed into the theater, we realized that 99% of the African American folks were there to see a sneak preview of the film ATL, which is a coming-of-age story focusing on four black friends. I have to admit to a certain amount of relief-followed-by-white-guilt at my own feelings. Realisticaly, I knew that it was possible that watching a film like CSA could very easily, and understandably, generate feelings of ill-will from a theater full of young black people. And I also calculated that there was a very small, but nonetheless real, chance that those feelings might manifest themselves in some confrontational way.

I was also a bit disappointed that they weren’t going to see CSA, because I think that dragging these kinds of unspoken differences and suspicions out into the light can only be good in the long run, and I was looking forward to playing my part. However, interestingly enough, the black-white viewership ratio swung wildly into the other direction, and I only saw one African American patron watching CSA. On the way out I wondered how he felt, being the only black person in a theater full of whites watching a film depicting modern life pretty much the same as it is today, only with slavery still being legal.

And that was an interesting result of this film, to me. I stopped and examined my own thoughts and feelings about race, and I pondered the thoughts and feelings of someone from a different race and wondered if they mirrored my own.

So that means this film was effective. I laughed, I was horrified, I empathized, I examined my own feelings, and I contemplated the feelings of others.

What more can one ask from a film?

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Hot Yoga Here

1320 W. 34th at Golf St.

Houston, TX

832-483-5787

www.hotyogahere.com

Bikram’s Yoga College of India – Houston

2438 South Boulevard

Houston, TX

713-664-5333

www.bikramyogahouston.com

Note: Bikram’s Yoga College of India – Houston also has another Galleria location

Ok, so if you’ve perused some of the articles on this site, you already know I’m a yoga person. And you may have read my review about Hot Yoga Here, the yoga studio I go to here in Houston. And if you’ve read my review, you’ll know I love Hot Yoga Here so much that I have said that I couldn’t even bring myself to go to another studio, even for the purposes of comparison.

The “Other” Yoga Place

However… this past weekend Hot Yoga Here was closed for a planned event and I needed to get my yoga on, so I decided to give the “official” Bikram franchise here in town a try. I’m glad I went so I know what it’s like and know I can go there in a pinch, but I’ll never choose to go there over Darla’s studio at Hot Yoga Here. Below is what I found at Bikram Yoga College of India, Houston — feel free to discount my review because I’m such a die-hard “Hot Yoga Here” girl, but I call ’em like I experienced ’em.

The studio I went to (they have two locations) was in a nice section of West U, and in that regard it was very much what I expected — freestanding building, nicely labeled, good parking, with a decent-sized dressing room and showers. For a first-timer, I could see that it would be less intimidating than Hot Yoga Here, which rents space in a Krishna temple and until you get used to being at the temple for yoga, you do feel a bit out of place.

Is That a Gucci Sports Bra?

Even as a regular hot yoga devotee, however, I felt more out of place at Bikram Yoga College of India than at the Krishna temple: boy, you can tell that this type of yoga started in L.A. The desk in the lobby is under the photographic presence of Bikram Choudhury himself, in a huge poster print of him sitting in lotus position on a (I do not lie) dead tiger skin. Not a very good yoga environment for this vegetarian. Over the doorway to the yoga room another picture looms, of Bikram and (presumably) his wife, sitting at the edge of a beautiful pool — and she’s wearing a swimsuit emblazoned with the name of an Italian design house. That pretty much encapsulated the BYCIH experience for me — yoga’s cool, but especially if you’re gorgeous and in designer clothes.

The people were much different at BYCIH than at HYH. More West U, maybe, I don’t know. I don’t really have anything against West U or people who live there, but… it’s just a different vibe. Hot Yoga Here is this sort of collection of all types of folks — totally in-shape athletes and housewives, women losing weight, guys looking for an intense workout, older folks trying to stay limber — that I lose self-consciousness very quickly. And if you go to HYH you’re not really going to “see and be seen” — what, at a Krishna temple? But BYCIH was much more like being at a Bally’s aerobics class: people who get a charge from working out in front of other people, especially if it’s something trendy and eastern like Yoga. Before class (when folks at HYH usually lay or sit on their rugs meditating or just resting and soaking up the heat), there was much public stretching going on in the BYCIH yoga room. The tiny blonde in front of me did this whole elaborate routine into the mirror complete with stretches, prayer posture poses, and various non-Bikram yoga postures. It was quite the performance.

I don’t even want to think about the microbes… or this guy’s toes

The yoga room itself was nice enough — indirect lighting and good heat (although cooler than I’m used to). I think there were restrooms right off the studio room, which is a convenient touch, but I think may encourage people to get up in the middle of class; there was a lot of movement and people getting up and leaving and coming back when I was there. And three or four people left early, which is almost unheard of at a yoga class! Very odd — I think now it may have been an anomaly. The place was really packed, surprisingly so, and our friend Bruce who goes to their Foutainview location said his Saturday afternoon class was similarly packed with first-timers. Spring Break approaches, I guess.

The yoga room also is carpeted at BYCIH (a Bikram requirement, I believe) vs HYH and even though I thought I might like it, it freaked me out a little bit… I couldn’t help to think about what might be swarming around down there in that warm, moist carpet. I know, they say they clean it regularly, etc, but… *shudder*. Give me antiseptic linoleum any day.

So the room itself was pretty okay, but we were packed in there like little sardines! And most bizarrely, they lined our rugs up in a strict checkboard pattern — so anyone in rows 3 through 5 was lucky if they got to see a knee and the top of their head. They lined us up like this and THEN admonished us to “make sure we could see ourselves in the mirror”. Um, how, when you lined me up behind Buffy the Zen-Slayer? And — okay, I’m going to sound superficial here but I swear I’m not — this extreme close-up with all my fellow Yoga people during class meant that during Triangle a guy’s 1/2″ long toenails were only about 8″ from my face. Now I’m very accepting of people, especially when it comes to body issues, but… I do feel a bit weirded by yellow overgrown toenails so much in what I think of as “my space”. BYCIH was like a European personal-space zone vs a Wyoming type of personal-space zone at Hot Yoga Here.

Concentrate, Meditate, and Suck in Your Gut

The class itself wasn’t bad — the nice thing about Bikram is that it’s basically the same postures all the time, no matter what studio you’re at. So I was able to settle into the class because I already basically knew what I was doing. But it was very much like an aerobics class at a large gym — somebody with a boom mic exhorting me to “push, push, push”. And this sort of L.A. mass production combined with such an ancient and seemingly whole-soul discipline did make for strange bedfellows; being told to “Concentrate, Medidate” just before being told to “Squeeze your glutes” was brain-snappingly funny.

Ignorance is Bliss: Bikram and Liability

The weirdest part about the whole experience for me, though, was that the extent of my intake process at the official Bikram place was to sign a form stating that I held them harmless, even in the case of negligence. Now, this is a pretty standard form for workout places, I think (Darla has one similar at Hot Yoga Here), but… that was it. That was all they wanted to know. They didn’t get a medical history, they didn’t talk to me about physical limitations… nothing. I don’t know if they just assumed by looking at me that I must be in peak physical condition, or if it (more likely) was that at some point Bikram’s organization decided that if they asked people what was wrong with their bodies, then they could be help liable for someone hurting themselves or aggravating an injury. So better to not know and never be sued. I mean, at Hot Yoga Here Darla runs down a whole host of medical conditions — if you have asthma she makes sure you have your inhaler… if you have a bad back or bad knees or bad hips, she shows you how to modify postures and makes sure you’re doing okay during class. It’s like a religion with her to make sure that you don’t aggravate an injury.

But BYCIH was the total opposite… I had to track down the instructor ahead of time and tell him about my bad back and how I don’t always do the forward bends or the sit-ups. He was very sweet about it and okay with it, but… oh my god, I can’t help but think about what if that had been my first time ever doing hot yoga? What if that had been my first class, I’m in a new environment, not comfortable trying out this new weird popular kind of exercise, and just tried to do everything they told me? I could’ve aggravated my back so badly I wouldn’t have been able to walk (because before I found Darla’s studio one bad episode of bending forward COULD really do that kind of stuff to me). What if I’d had an asthma attack during class? I mean, I always have my inhaler with me and I’ve never really had “an attack”, but what would that place have done if they didn’t know what was wrong with me? I was actually deeply disturbed by this lack of personal concern. It may make for smart business for the Bikram organization, but it made for a really impersonal and kind of scary experience for me. I just kept worrying about first-timers not getting any guidance and possibly hurting themselves, kind of like how you worry vicariously for too-young children in a scary movie. You don’t know that it’s not going to damage them, but you don’t know if they’ll be alright, either.

So, Biased Girl, Any Other Thoughts?

On the positive side, they held the postures a long time, and the instructor really did seem to know his stuff. I did get a good workout. But the repetitive script that must be Bikram-required grated on me and made me feel like I was in a yoga factory, just another mass-produced Bikram sausage being churned out. And really, I’m vegetarian. I’ll take my yoga organic and sausage-free.

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We should be right in the target demographic for Whole Foods Market. Mynagirl is vegetarian, I try to eat relatively healthily, we like natural and organic foods, and we don’t penny-pinch when it comes to grocery shopping.

However, we go there as little as possible, even though there are some things that we can only get there. For example, I stopped eating ground beef from grocery stores and restaurants (click here to find out why) but I eat organic and/or grass-fed ground beef, both of which Whole Foods carries. Yes, Kroger and Randall’s carry some form of organic ground beef, but it’s frozen and the volumes they sell means that it’s usually not the freshest. But the meat counter at Whole Foods has trays filled with fresh organic and grass-fed ground beef.

Whole Foods also has a produce section filled with organic fruits and vegetables, rather than the few organic things carried by mainstream grocery stores. We also prefer natural sugar as opposed to refined white sugar, whole grains as opposed to bleached white flour, preservative-free as opposed to shelf-stable-for-our-convenience, and additive-free as opposed to chemically-treated-and-or-irradiated-to-kill-any-possible-bad-things-while-introducing-who-knows-what-long-term-health-effects.

So, Whole Foods Market should be the place for us, right, right?

Wrong! Wrong!

The reason that Whole Foods is wrong for us is because every trip there is an exercise in frustration and annoyance, and a test of my patience with people. You see, I have almost zero tolerance for the following:

• Narcissists
• Rudely oblivious people who think the entire world not only revolves around them but also needs to cater to their every need and whim, including freeing said oblivious person from having to demonstrate the common courtesy that all humans must demonstrate to get along in this world, such as sharing space in the aisles of grocery stores with other carts, moving out of peoples way if one is blocking the entire pathway (particularly if there is plenty of room to get out of the way and said oblivious person is blocking the entire pathway simply because they are oblivious and self-centered)
• BMW drivers (or is that the same group as above?)
• Health freaks (those who take “healthiness” to OCD levels)
• Poseurs
• People with obvious affectations
• People who park in the fire lane of grocery stores to load/unload, making all other traffic go around them and reducing traffic flow to one lane, simply for their own convenience, and oblivious to the fact that if all shoppers did the same there would be anarchy and chaos, but they count on the fact that nobody else is rude enough to do what they do so they know they can get away with it
• In other words, every single other person in WFM other than Mynagirl and me

Not only that, but the layout of WFM (at least the one on Kirby in Houston) is a tightly-packed rat maze with all of these oblivious, rude, narcissists packed in together like sardines jostling for position with as little human compassion or interaction as possible, and with zero friendliness or politeness that I have experienced. And that last part is the literal truth. I have never interacted with a WFM patron who was even slightly polite, and most are outright rude, brusque, and dismissive. I don’t know if it’s the lack of protein in their diets or the fact that many of them eat healthily only as an affectation while not really beleiving it, and so are cranky at constantly doing something they don’t want to do, but feel they must do in order to keep up the imaginary image they have of themselves.

You may be thinking that perhaps there’s something that I’m doing to trigger these reactions, but trust me, I’m not. I was raised in a small Texas town by a mother who taught me to be polite and friendly and to treat others as I would like to be treated. I’ve tried that at ‘Hole Foods Market – for example, at a particularly tight intersection I’ve stopped to allow cross-aisle traffic to go, waiting for someone in the other lane to stop and let me through, as I was stopping to let them through, and instead have experienced person after person breezing past as if I were the Royal Guard keeping the hoi polloi at bay while their procession passed. And it was very clear that I wanted to cross the intersection, and if I hadn’t finally decided to just rudely cut somebody off and force my way into the flow, I’d still be there.

Now, you may say that that’s life in the big city, and I should just get used to it. Well, I lived in the Northeast (NY/NJ) for several years, so I understand how to live in a brusque and rude society. And up there, it’s actually not rudeness, because it is the expected behavior. That’s the way everybody is, and one is expected to simply assert one’s self similarly – no harm, no foul.

But this is Texas, where people are friendlier. And in virtually every other retail situation that I experience, I get normal Texas hospitality. But not at ‘Hole Foods Market, for some reason. And I go to all kinds of other snooty places here in Houston, and still don’t find myself feeling like I’m in some rat-infested little market on some street corner in New York, dealing with brusque, uncaring idiots. Only at ‘Hole Foods Market.

And I think that may be part of it – WFM has laid their stores out to be like a cramped NYC deli/grocery, and the people who shop there I’m sure include a high percentage of people who subscribe to the Sunday edition of the New York Times, and think the only real place to see a play is Broadway, and make sure to make one or two shopping trips to NYC each year, because that’s the only place to really get good fashions, don’t you know? And so they watch Annie Hall and Sex and the City and The Sopranos and decide to put on those New York airs and blend.

Yeah, I’ve got your blend right here, pal. How about this? How about you remember that you’re in Texas and that here people’s default behavior is to be friendly to each other? How about you put aside your affectations and airs and treat other people like human beings when you’re at ‘Hole Foods Market? And how about you park in a parking space, just like the other 95% of the people there, who somehow manage to struggle and strive to roll their carts an additional 50 feet to their cars, which you seem to be unable to do so must pull up and inconvenience everybody else?

And how about the next time we cross paths in the aisles and I have the right of way and you try to cut me off, I just push my way in front of you, slap your cart and say, “Hey, I’m shopping here!!”

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Note: postings are in reverse order with the most recent listed at the top.

Who Got Voted Off This Week: Week 1, Goodbye Melissa

Week 1

Melissa McGhee
In trouble: Ace Young and Lisa Tucker

Ace is stunned when he learns it’s him and not Kevin Covais in the bottom three.

Um, are you sure you called the right name?

03/14/2006: American Idol — the Final Twelve Perform, Ace in the Bottom Three

Well, of all the theme nights, Stevie Wonder night is both fabulous and scary – I love Stevie Wonder’s music… well, a lot of it, but he is really really hard to sing! Every time so far I’ve heard someone sing one of his songs I think “boy, they shouldn’t really have tried to sing Stevie”.

I’ve watched American Idol long enough now to not be surprised when someone doesn’t know the music of someone as influential and timeless as Stevie Wonder… and of course, it was the two blond country folks, Kellie and Buck. It’s so wild to me to hear someone say they don’t really know his music. I’m like, “naw… you’re just joking”.

I don’t know if it was pressure from the vocal coaches or Stevie holding out some of his catalog, but I was surprised at how many obscure (to me) Stevie songs were chosen. I can understand avoiding the really well known ones like “Ma Cherie Amour” but… man, I was really hoping someone (preferably Taylor Hicks or Mandisa) would sing “Maybe Your Baby” or “You Haven’t Done Nothing”. I mean, those are groovy!

And on a fashion note, sometimes having more stylists is a bad thing. Both Ace’s and Bucky’s hair were WAY too nice and “done” for boys – I agree with Simon that Bucky’s cascading blond waves were a smidge too Jessica Simpson. And some of the outfits! Paris was utterly lost in that pink coat, lace, and ruffly yet tragically cut denim skirt. Katharine McPhee looked to be wearing a silk couch from a successful 70’s psychiatrist’s office, and Lisa Tucker was cute but that belt wore her, not the other way around. I’m never sure if the person’s own misguided fashion sense showing through, or if the stylists go crazy and some people can’t say “no”, or what. But there are some disasters happening, and somebody needs to step up and take care of business.

The girls didn’t really go to town with the Stevie. Lisa sounded stilted – she’d mentioned that Stevie was telling her to feel emotion on the uptempo songs – good advice, but I don’t think she was able to follow it.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered… bland singing

Kellie was reasonably good at the singing but downright adorable when not singing. She’s one of those really rare and true folks who is actually cute, not just “being cute”. You just can’t help but adore her.

Can you tell I just learned this song?

Poor sweet Melissa was pretty terrible, in addition to forgetting the words of her song.

Can you tell I didn’t quite learn this song?

Paris was okay but I didn’t remember the performance at all, so I guess that’s pretty telling.

Somebody give me a hand here… I can hardly move in all these clothes

The boys were only slightly better, at least to begin with. Precious nerdling Kevin Covais jumped into his song with the usual gusto, but it was a bit low for him, plus completely unbelievable… part time lover? Suuuuuure.

Can you tell I don’t quite understand this song?

Ace’s performance was a little too over-the-top and sharp (as in not on pitch) for my tastes. Plus, Ace is really moving into that Constantine thin-lipped-smirky area that I like even less.

Can you tell I think I’m cute?

Standouts of the evening (singing-wise… check fashion note below) included Katharine McPhee… I have to admit that was a damn good rendition of an Aretha song (written by Stevie, in case you’re confused).

Can you tell this dress used to be a loveseat?

And of course Taylor Hicks, who was smart enough to pick a semi-obscure Stevie song but that was very much in his style, was a standout with “Just Enough for the City”.

Can you tell I love this?

The best performance of the night, however, was probably Elliott Yamin. His smooth tone was absolutely perfect for that song.

Smooooooth

Surprisingly, Bucky did pretty well with “Superstition”, despite it being such a well-known song (except, of course, to Bucky). Not too bad.

Surprisingly decent

Chris Daughtry didn’t surprise much at all by singing a dead-on-impression of the Chili Pepper’s version of “Higher Ground”. He was smart to stick to his range, but… kinda boring. I think Simon must not know the RHCP version, because he thought Chris “made it his own”. Hardly.

Sigh… c’mon man, venture a little!

The actual big surprise of the night, however, was how terrible Mandisa did, and how the judges all loved her. She was flat, and then she shouted… it was by far the worst performance (actually, the only bad performance) from her. Maybe she got freaked out by Seacrest taking off her shoes.

Lookin’ good but singin’ off

03/07/2006 – 03/09/2006: The Final Twelve have Made It…

And the final 12 are….

1. Paris Bennett
2. Lisa Tucker
3. Melissa McGhee
4. Mandisa
5. Kellie Pickler
6. Katharine McPhee
7. Bucky Covington
8. Taylor Hicks
9. Ace Young
10. Chris Daughtry
11. Kevin Covais
12. Elliot Yamin

Week 03/07/2006

Kinnik Sky	Ayla Brown
Will Makar	Gedeon McKinney

Week 02/28/2006

Brenna Gethers	Heather Cox
David Radford	Jose Sway Penala

Week 02/21/2006

Becky O’Donahue	Stevie Scott
Patrick Hall	Bobby Bennett

03/07/2006 – 03/09/2006: Mandisa is my Hero

Ok, well maybe the thumb-sucking thing was random. But still… that girl is SO GREAT. She’s just a natural voice, a natural performer, and I *love* that she appears so comfortable with who she is even though she’s a big girl. You go girl! She absolutely blew everyone else away last night… unbelievable!!

I’m every woman

I continue to be disappointed in Paris Bennett… I think my expectations were SO HIGH that it would be hard for her to meet them. That Gloria Estefan song is actually very hard to sing, and she really did a good job, but… man, she is SO great… I just wish it would show a little more in her performances. I have no magic formula in mind, but I just feel like she’s almost there but not quite hitting the extra oomph in her performance.

Paris sings Miami

For instance, I would’ve LOVED to have Paris sing “Think” by Aretha Franklin instead of boppy-awkward-white-girl Katharine McPhee. What a travesty that was… and to make it even worse the judges LIKED it! They hassle people for attempting Mariah songs but I can’t believe there were no smackdowns for that lame and very white “interpretation” of Aretha. That song has an edge to it that completely wasn’t apparent with milquetoast Katharine. Fooey!

Indeed, you should most likely think about that which you are attempting to do to me

My other big disagreement with the judges (well, Simon) was on Melissa McGhee… Engineerboy and I both thought she ROCKED THE HOUSE!! That Heart song was perfect for her, I loved the hard-rock look on her (you know me, though… I would’ve been happy with less belly), overall I thought she was great and very surprising. I couldn’t believe Simon dissed her and I have to wonder if he just doesn’t want her in the final 12 because he doesn’t see her as marketable as the other folks.

Do you think this outfit will look good in Scooby Doo III?

Of course, I did agree with the judges on some things… I am so bored with Lisa Tucker’s stuff, and I DO think her mom is picking out her songs. They’re so BORING, I couldn’t tell you one single song she’s sung. Yawn. She’s got a great voice but… quit singing torch-y songs, it’s weird for a 16-year-old.

If I change my hairstyle, will they notice the song is boring?

The boys were, as always, better than the girls, but Chris Daughtry disappointed a bit. I agree with Simon, his song was boring. I’m glad he’s not trying to do stuff that isn’t his style but… my basic feeling on it was eeennnh. I liked the Bon Jovi cover a lot more.

Really, this is the only pose I have when I sing

Taylor Hicks was wonderful as always — I couldn’t believe Simon could find fault with him. He was great and make no mistake… it is not easy to sing Michael McDonald.

I, on the other hand, have more singing poses than I know what to do with

Nerdling Kevin Covais (who is so polite and self-possessed for his age, I’m constantly amazed) did another great job as far as I’m concerned and he sang the crap outta that song. Go nerdling!!

I’m every nerd-man

Gedeon McKinney, weird as he is, has a good voice and gave a masterful if not soulful performance of “When a Man Loves a Woman”, by Percy Sledge.

When a guy sings a song

And I have to give a shout-out to Bucky Covington, because (A) he just has a fun name to say and (B) tonight’s performance was his best so far. I still agree with Simon that he’s not good enough to be in the competition, but he was pretty good tonight.

Remember my face, I don’t think you’ll see me much longer

Oh, and here’s a picture of Ace for those of you who like him. I think he sang something.

Young hams it up in his pubescent ceremonial garb

02/28/2006 – 03/01/2006: Let’s Define what Diva Means

The girls proved again that it’s a fine line to walk between “doing something more exciting than a Top 40 diva song” and “picking something so raucous that they can’t hear your voice”. Kinnik Sky at least tried to go for the fun factor, but I wasn’t into her performance at all, unfortunately… she just didn’t quite pull off the Gretchen Wilson song.

Let’s kick it up a notch

But I liked her enthusiasm, at least. Same goes for Melissa McGhee. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the belly shirt, I was very pleasantly surprised by her rendition of a Reba McEntire song (albeit an undemanding pop-y one).

They kept wanting me to sing from my diaphragm…

On the diva (and to me, boring) side of the house, Katharine McPhee proved yet again that being soulless and having a critical voice-coach mother don’t a star make. Her voice is great but it’s like watching Katie Holmes play a singing star up there — I’m bored and I don’t really believe the performance.

Really, Tom and I are very in love

Hmm, I should’ve had the Stepford folks make her a little more pixie-ish

Similarly, the beautiful but playing-it-too-safe-and-risking-comparison-to-a-diva-singer Heather Cox was …. well, beautiful but boring. It is too risky to sing a Mariah Carey song, and the song is SO unexciting! It’s like watching a high school talent show, only with better earrings.

Hey, the Stepford folks did everything right for me except that whole vocal originality thing

Picking a song from a different type of diva, beyond-full-of-herself Brenna Gethers worked her way around the Donna Summer song ‘Last Dance’. At least I got to be reassured that her singing is almost as bad as her attitude, so I feel better about disliking her. She truly is hard to even watch on the screen as she constantly pouts, poses, and talks about making money.

And when I’m bad, I’m oh so… voted off

The actual diva in the whole thing was the incomparable Mandisa… boy can that girl sing. I just love her.

This girl can sing it

And of the young girl prodigies, I still like Paris over Lisa (speaking of stage mothers). Lisa is really good but I just can’t really get into a girl her age singing such torch songs. Although there are 16-year-olds with that much life experience at that age, I don’t think cute tiny Lisa Tucker is one of them.

The battle of the cute and tiny… Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker

The guys were once again great. I am having to be constantly and consistently amazed by Elliot Yamin. He may not have classic good looks, but that guy has one of the smoothest and best voices I’ve ever heard in my life. As Engineerboy points out, it’s harder for a person to sing a note without doing “runs” on it… you can’t mask any imperfections when you’re going for pure tone. And boy can Yamin nail that kind of stuff.

Smooth voice

Taylor Hicks is still wonderful… hard to sing Lionel Richie and he was great. The judges weren’t too impressed but pooh-pooh on them. I still loved it.

Because I’m Easy…on the ears

And Daughtry lived up to expectations, and I liked his somewhat risky (for an Idol audience) choice of a Fuel song.

Not far away… from the American Idol finals

Plucky little Kevin Covais continues to just be fun… I mean, it’s pretty damn daring for a skinny little white kid to conquer “Heard it through the Grapevine”… I mean, you have to live up to either Marvin Gaye or John Fogarty… and very few people should even think about wanting to maybe attempt that. But, you know what… he was adorable and he was having a good time. Bravo little nerdmuffin Kevin!!

C’mon… how can you not vote for this kid?

Gedeon McKinney is a strange one but can actually sing, so I have to give him some props.

Is it possible to get all of my hair in the frame?

Local boy Will Makar sang a horrible Kenny Rogers song, and not too well at that. I have to admit, local or not, he’s not on my favorites list.

I don’t care if you don’t like my singing… ’cause I’ll get the 12-year-old-girl vote anyway

Crooner David Radford is just atrocious and I hope he gets voted off. Bucky Covington was a little better — his voice is probably too weak to be in the competition but I like that he has heart and he seems sincere. Oh, and Ace sang, too, but I refuse to give him any more pixels on my web site.

Overall, the guys are still better than the girls, though.

02/21/2006 – 02/22/2006: The Boys Rock…

Well, now we get down to business!! America gets to vote, we get to hear big snippets of singing from each of the final 24. Man, I love this show!!

The thing that’s always fun to watch at this point in the season is the “new” name each contest has once they’re in the final 24. I don’t know if this is just the “now that this person is going to be semi-famous, we better bother to get their name right” or if it’s “ok, our stylist thinks ‘Nikko’ is a lot snappier than ‘Ozzie Jr.'”. It’s probably a little from Column A and a little from Column B. William Makar is now “Will Makar”…. Robert Bennett is “Bobby Bennett”… Kinnik Sky was using her first name (Kinnik is her middle name) before she was in the final 24. And Stephanie Scott is now Stevie Scott. It’s kind of cute, actually.

Overall, I’m amazed and impressed at the quality of the male vocals. The boys are so much stronger than the girls this year. And just overall… there is some REAL talent this year. Not that they were all dogs last year, but this year I’m blown away… especially by the guys. You realize how hard a song “Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi when you hear Chris Daughtry NAIL it and you go… damn, any other singer might crashed and burned trying to hit that. And he thrives in the upper power register.

Strangely enough, he sounds good even though he looks like he’s shouting

And Taylor Hicks… our other big fave. I just adore him, he’s doing his thing and I love it!!

Can he get any better?

I even have to admit that Ace Young (another name change) sang well, even though that was one cheesy George Michael song. He’s a good singer but he’s too I-know-I’m-good-looking for me.

Oh, it definitely doesn’t get any better than me

Give me the honesty and natural soul of Taylor Hicks any day. The guys definitely were awesome.

The girls weren’t horrible, but my big hope there in Paris Bennett disappointed me somewhat. She is SUCH a great singer… I was saddened to see her voice get lost by her “performance” and the outer trappings… she seemed a bit too starry-eyed by all the attention and the outfits, etc… she focused so much on bopping around and making cute faces to the camera that she didn’t just SING the song… and that girl can SING!!

C’mon Paris, all we need you to do is sing

Mandisa was fabulous… I wish she’d gone on later in the show, because she really shined but I think was forgotten by the end.

Mandisa does justice to a Heart song

None of the other girls really impressed me very much, so I’m really pinning my hopes on the guys this year. Can’t wait to hear the results!

02/15/2006: And Then There Were 24…

The happy and smiling finalists pose for the camera

So, I’m so excited. Not only does the “real meat” of American Idol start, but all of my remaining favorites made it through!!! (Favorite Tyra Schwarz was cut on yesterday’s episode, much to my disappointment).

The disappointments for the contestants themselves come even harder, though. It’s hard to watch people get that news, and it’s interesting to me what some of the reactions are. I think you can tell a person’s essential character sometimes by how they react to that. Eugenia sobbed (understandable) and wailed that her career was over (sadly, she threw having a child into that equation, which hurts my heart). And then she had to have the final mouth-off parting shot at the camera.

Eugenia goes from crying to complaining

In utter contrast, plucky April Welsh was so classy when she heard a no. “Well, on to the next Audition!”. Bravo.

Sweet April Welsh

I even gained a few new favorites. Robert Bennett, Jr. is ADORABLE!! We’ve never seen him before, but his excited antics in the elevator after hearing a “yes” were not to be missed!

Bennett can’t hide his excitement

Stephanie Scott is a new favorite as well. Not only does she sing well but her “after decision” interview was so humble… “what a privilege to be on American Idol”. She is just too cute! And a heck of a voice.

Scott’s tiny frame hides a big voice and a sweet disposition

Of course, I’ve got to be proud of William Makur, a local Houston boy!! He’s so geek-but-not-too-nerdy and his voice is so full for his little boyishly charming frame.

MakUr sings for the crowd

Rounding out the geek-boy quotient is odd duck Kevin Covais… I’m interested to see how he shapes up during the following weeks.

Well, I can always be an accountant

And of course, the ones we’ve been tracking have all made it into the final 24. I still think Daughtry and Bennett (Paris, that is), have a real shot at the title.

Paris Bennett is happy and ready to go sing for the title

Chris Daughtry’s powerful voice is suprisingly artful

Wonderful Mandisa, adorable Kellie Pickler, and soulful Sway Penala are back as well.

Mandisa is reproachful yet classy with a once-snide Simon

Tiny Kellie is grateful to be in the final 24

Sway puts his whole heart into his singing

02/09/2006: Hollywood week

Early favorites are Paris (the sweet 16-year-old who’s grandma is a famous singer) and Chris (the bald rock singer with the wife and two kids). Early disklikes go to the Brittnum twins, who bad-mouthed the judges and the show after they’d been kept in the competition. No class!! (That’s okay, though, they’ve already been kicked out of the show for fraud charges pending in their home state).

01/25/2006: Don’t Mess with Texas… They’re Messy Enough Already

Updated 02/12/2006

Abdul has already had enough of Austin

Okay, Austin is as close as I have to a hometown. I was excited about Austin’s possibilities to contribute to Idol. There is such a vibrant and wonderful music scene in Austin, I just couldn’t wait to feel pride for my hometown, especially since Houston did so abysmally last season.

Jeez, was I embarrassed. The only defense I can offer for the horrors that were on screen was that Austin’s music scene is often more mature singers and songwriters, those outside the age range for Idolers. At least, I hope that’s what the problem was — because it was definitely a problem, alright. Wailer after wailer came through — people with no smidge of vocal ability. And left the judges with a pretty bad taste of Austin, I must say.

Proud Mary would be ashamed of you

Unfortunatly, Ronny Norman was a good singer… too bad, because I really wanted him to fall on his smirky little smug face. Engineerboy and I about coughed up a lung apiece when he announced he was going to sing “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers… that is a helluva song to try. And how irritating that this beyond-over-confident self-involved jerk actually sung it pretty well. I wonder if Randy’s vote against him was voice-or personality-based?

Ain’t No Sunshine… when my mirror is gone

Funeral director / embalmer Jason Horn wasn’t the best singer in the world, but he was pretty damn good (especially by comparison), and a nice Texas boy to boot.

You Raise Me Up

Ricky Hayes also managed to give Austin some cred as well — he had a beautiful tone to his voice.

Hey, Austin has some good singers

01/31/2006: Vegas, Baby, Vegas

Updated 02/11/2006

Once again I’m struck by the…there’s no other word for it…delusion of some of these contestants. “Jamaica” man Alexia Dylon Lincheta was full of piss and vinegar coming into the audition and crying and remorseful after his lame rap got a “no” with the judges.

Jamaican Me Cringe!

And mullet-head J.C. Graham could not have possibly thought he would get on the show, could he? But the ones that really kill me are the ones that aren’t doing it for screen time — they’re really seriously thinking they can sing and that the judges will want them. It’s just heartbreaking to see someone like poor little David Mandzak announce in a monotone that he wants to “become a performer and express my talents…to the world”. Poor kid wasn’t dynamic at all, nor could his nasal voice sing even a little bit.

Dude, You’re Gettin’ Nowhere!

And sweet but talentless (singing-wise) Princess Brewer was cute but basically atonally shouted her way through Dionne Warwick. But prior to her audition she told Seacrest she thought she sounded like Aretha Franklin. You wonder if it was nerves or if she really just can’t sing and doesn’t know it. It’s hard to watch!

“That What Voice Lessons are For”

Standouts on this one include Heather Ward — and I agree with Randy: about the last thing you expect to hear out of this darling girl’s mouth is “Redneck Woman”! But she was adorable! Her speaking voice is a high titter but her singing voice is quite full. I liked her and am glad that she got through despite Paula’s objections!

Uh… Redneck Woman?

Grey-haired Taylor Hicks (with a Southern-accented speaking voice to match his last name) was also surprisingly good, if a little odd with the delivery (très Joe Cocker). I’m glad they put him through to Hollywood.

Redneck Man?

And I would’ve put adorable Jason Andino (aka Pepe the Gondola Driver) in the standouts list — I couldn’t believe he didn’t make it! (Engineerboy wanted him to make it, too!) They said he wasn’t a “star” but I thought he sang GREAT! Sheesh!

Jason, Row Your Boat Ashore

I’m starting to catch on… whenever we get the “Behind the Amateur Music” documentary on a contestant, that person is definitely going to be able to sing and almost absolutely going to get through. But it’s okay, it suckers me in anyway. Mecca Madison has the frame, look, and even the voice and control to be in the running. She’s got just the right combo of sass and sweetness.

“Really, I’m Pretty Modest. It’s Only My Hat That’s Big”

01/25/2006: Wannabes by the Bay

Updated 02/12/2006

Randy Jackson draws back in horror at one contestant’s singing

Well, San Francisco drew out quite a mix, but with very few noteworthy singers. I just had to cringe along with the judges at the poor earnest folks like Shawn Vasquez and Matthew “Wolfie” Paulson. Vasques is even taking opera lessons to further his musical endeavors but he was just earnestly terrible. These are the contestants I feel for the most. They’re sweet, nice people, but they just don’t have the ability to sing.

What you talkin’ ’bout, Simon?

Daughter-of-voice-teacher Katharine McPhee had a technically perfect voice but (as I think is often the case with “perfect voices”) no sould or passion when she sings. It’s as though any imperfection or personality has been whitewashed from her voice. The judges in San Francisco must have heard something different, though… they fawned over her! They said she was current, on the money, and the best voice they’d heard. But I’ve heard Simon fault other contestants for being on-pitch but off-passion, so they must’ve heard something within her that didn’t translate via TV.

Well, if Hollywood doesn’t work out, maybe I can get work as a nanny.

Jose “Sway” Penala was more like what I love — not too full of himself, strong vocals but with color in them… some passion, thought about what the song means. Bonus that he’s got a friendly, open smile as well.

Sway has soul

The standout of San Fran had to be 19-year-old Jayne Santayana, however. Beautiful, a little funky/punky with the hairstyle and color, and then a gorgeous, gorgeous voice to match. And how many 19-year-old could actually take on Anita Baker. Simon thought she didn’t conquer the song and I very very partially agree with him, but I still would’ve given her the vote. But she got through from Paula and Randy.

Thanks to Randy and Paula

01/24/2006: The Green Fields of Greensboro

Updated 02/12/2006

I am so tired of hearing people say that they’re the Total Package when asked why they’re the next American Idol. I would so much rather hear just about anything else than “I’m the total package”. #1, it’s uncreative. #2, it’s almost never somebody with any talent who says that sort of stuff, so I’ve come to dread hearing those words.

I’ve Got it All! The Squeak, the Screech, the Out-of-Tunes High Notes!

I mean, I’m sure some of these folks are multi-talented but to me the “total package” includes humility and not quite so much self-centered bragging.

I have to say though, Greensboro came extremely close to providing several “total packages” and a lot of talent. First was super-nice heartaching-back-story Kellie Pickler. As for Kelly, I’m not sure her voice is going to take her all the way (I agree with Simon that she shouted her song to some extent), but she’s tiny, blonde, cute, and has that precious North Carolina accent that’s just Southern enough to be cute but not so Southern it sounds ignorant.

I’ve Got Your Total Package Right Here

Also in the roundup of NC talent was completely upbeat Halicia Thompson. Halicia might go farther than Kellie, in my opinion. Although Kellie was sweet and precious, she was a bit nervous singing in public. Halicia, however, seemed completely unflapped by the presence of three famous judges who held her fate in their hands and she simply sung. She was completely irresistable!

It’s a Different World… Halicia’s World

…And the hits just kept coming. Kendra Winston was also a standout — cute, refreshing, and quite the public relations story. And she was another natural vocal talent with a sassy personality to match. She even cracked Simon up with her quick wit!

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough… to keep me from gettin’ to Hollywood!

On the less spectacular end of the scale Air National Guard Reservesman Steven David, Jr. did a passable job of “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye (which is pretty hard to do) but he was so darn cocky and sure of himself that I ended up not really liking him that much. But the judges sure did!

C’mon… military uniform and I can sing? You gotta vote for me.

However, no one in Greensboro or in any other city or in any other season of American Idol came even close to the jaw-dropping head-snapping surprise vocal talents of polite Paris Bennett, granddaughter of Anne Nesmond (whom I’d never heard of but Randy spoke of as singing royalty). I can’t even do her justice with the printed word: she was amazing, incredible, unbelievable, and fabulous. No lie, I give her a 60% chance of winning the comptetion, even without having seen the other folks or even getting to Hollywood yet. This girl probably doesn’t even need the competition. She’s really that good.

Paris could be really wonderful come this springtime.

01/18/2006 Mile-High Expectations

Updated 02/12/2006

Cowell contemplates a singer’s merit in Denver

Keeping pace with other cities, Denver showed some talent but also some pretty deluded or talentless folks.

Straight Up Now Tell Me Are You Sending Me Away For-ever?

Brett “Ace” Young definitely picked the smarmegy of singing to Paula for the votes. He would’ve gotten through even without Simon’s razor-thin-margin’ed yes, but I’m with Simon. This guy better prove himself because right now he’s just a pretty boy with a halfway-decent voice.

Can You Feel the Schmaltz?

And who could help but to root for Rochelle Elaine Dye? With her what-must-have-been her entire family there in T-shirts spelling out her name, serious Rochelle Elaine belted out a great original take on “Chain of Fools”. Anyone who can sing Aretha and get Cowell to say “Great. Can’t fault that.” has my vote as well!

Rochelle Elaine in the House!

Tiny and cute Lisa Tucker wowed the judges and me as well with her unoriginal yet perfectly executed choice of Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time”. Pretty impressive for a 16-year old. Her whole family just seems so wholesome, though. Is she for real?

“Maybe someday I’ll sing something racy, like ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand'”

Sweet but possibly a bit high-strung and tortured Garet Johnson the turkey-singing Cowboy from Wyoming was completely precious but I’m not sure he’ll stand up to the pressures of the big city.

I Normally Only Sing in Front of a Turkey

The best of the Denver audition had to be soft-spoken cowboy-hatted Chris Daughtry, who amazed me a raspy yet powerfully voiced interpretation of Joe Cocker’s “The Letter”. Simon the pop producer voted a no stating that he didn’t see much “charisma”, but luckily Randy and Paula put him through — I can’t wait to see him later in the contest!

Get Me a Ticket for an Aeroplane… to Hollywood!!

Of course, no wrap-up of the Denver auditions could possibly be complete without a footnote about definitely tortured Zachary Travis, who was only a pair of B-cups short of being a woman. It’s good that he knows himself well enough to just be “out there”, but it made me cringe that he was so clearly headed for heartbreak by offering himself up to the cruel gods of public acceptance. He even sang “Queen of the Night”, by Whitney Houston, for god’s sake.

“I got more than enough, that’s for sure”

01/17/2006: Tryouts in the The Windy City

I forgot how uncomfortable this show makes me! At least during the first few weeks of winnowing down the available pool of wannabes into the smaller group of semi- and actually-talented. I forgot how badly you feel for the earnest off-key crooners when their face falls and they dejectedly walk out of the room with only their humiliation and a few kind words from Paula ringing in their ears.

Really? You Won’t Even Let Me Sing the Chorus?

I forgot how much I’m embarrassed for those poor souls who actually think they can sing and then they go in there and screech out Celine Dion or Alicia Keys.

…and I shot the sheriff… and I shot the sheriff…and…I shot the sherriff

And, depending on whether or not they accept the reality of a triumvirate rejection, the once-hopeful comes out afterward looking as though his entire world view has crumbled, or reaffirming her belief that the world is against them — that the judges are stupid and they didn’t put her through because they didn’t like her hair/outfit/look/tan/whatever.

What’s a truly spectacular phenomena in all of this is the selective memory of some of these contestants — the willow-shaped Ukrainian girl Yuliya Matus who went in and did her best to belt out a heavily accented version of Bohemian Rhapsody flat-out just wasn’t good enough to get put through.

Mama… I just killed a song…

Simon told her her singing was absolutely awful. But Paula and Randy tried to soothe the rejection by saying what a cute look she had and she was clearly a performer. But her tear-filled post-interview just expressed disbelief that they said she was great and had a different look and “why didn’t she get put through?”. She’d completely not absorbed the actual singing feedback from Simon.

Although the bad ones were bad (c’mon, you know the screeners put some bad ones through just to be able to have some good television), the good ones were startlingly good. Again, I forget how completely amazed I become at the fact that our country has such talent out there, just waiting to be discovered lest they sing in anonymity forever. The two sets of male twins were both fabulous — one pair is only 16 or 17!

The Brittenum Twins: Ain’t Too Proud to Boast…

Joshua and Jarrett Simmons: Supah-Green!

I can’t wait to see those four when we get to Hollywood. I’ll bet you anything the producers will put them in a group of four for one of the ensemble performances. They’ll rock!

And then came Mandisa Hundley — who looked every inch the distinguished member of a Baptist choir — as soon as I saw her (she was so put together!) I thought, “I bet this woman can sing”.

The Gospel According to Mandisa

I’m glad I was right… she was fabulous. Jill Scott, look out — you might have some competition! I’m so glad they put her through, and boo hiss on Simon for cracking a snide about her weight. Oh well, I’m sure if he didn’t do things like that ratings would decline because “Simon lost his edge”. So it’s all just par for the course in the new and exciting season of American Idol.

01/16/2006: Eagerly Awaiting!

Finally, American Idol is ready to start again! Fox has been teasing us with ads of good and bad singers. Two-hour premiere is this week. I almost can’t wait!

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Some songs are so sweet, so romantic, so personal, you just have to imagine how great they would be as a wedding song. Here’s my personal list as I run across them:

• In My Life, by The Beatles — I’m partial to this one since it was at our wedding
• Into the Mystic, by Van Morrison — you have to hear this song if you’ve never heard it before. It is so beautiful and wonderful I tear up every time I hear it.
• When I’m 64, the Beatles — Just wonderful.

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While I’ve never liked the idea of eminent domain, I’ve been able to make an uncomfortable peace with it. Until recently, eminent domain defined a right held by governments and municipalities to forcibly take ownership of property for a fair price regardless of the owner’s wishes to sell, as long as there was compelling case that “public use” would serve the greater good.

For example, suppose a city decided to build a park in a certain area, and all but on of the landowners agreed to sell to the city for a negotiated price. The last landowner, however, holds onto his empty parcel of land that he bought as an investment and demands a price that greatly exceeds recent market prices. It’s clear, in this case, that the landowner is trying to stick it to the government, knowing that he has them by the short ones as the last holdout for a major project. So, the government claims the land under eminent domain and pays the landowner the going rate.

In a less clear-cut example, suppose the evil landowner above was replaced with an 80 year old widow living on the land in a house she’d lived in for the last 50 years. Now it’s not so clear-cut, and it was this type of situation that caused me to have intellectual problems with eminent domain. Who is qualified to weigh the need for a community park against a lifetime of ownership and memories? It always felt un-American to me that cases like this often ended up in the forcible condemnation and claiming of the land, followed by the widely televised bulldozing of the poor old widow’s lifelong home.

However, while there were cases in the past that I would consider abuse of eminent domain, they were nothing compared to the new definition of eminent domain provided by the Supreme Court.

Now, based on the recent Supreme Court ruling (Kelo v. the city of New London, Conn.), the definition of eminent domain has been expanded so that “public use” now includes the ability to forcibly take land and give it to private developers who assert that they can create a material improvement for the community, such as more jobs, bigger tax base, etc. So in the past, eminent domain could claim land for public use such as parks, roadways, etc. Now public use includes taking privately owned land and giving it to private companies to develop more profitable enterprises with the land.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the principal dissenting opinion, where she stated, “Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random. The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.” She also stated that this decision eliminates “any distinction between private and public use of property — and thereby effectively [deletes] the words ‘for public use’ from the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment”.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a separate dissenting opinion where he says that the court is changing the interpretation from being for “public use” to being for “public purpose”, and sums up that change by saying “This deferential shift in phraseology enables the Court to hold, against all common sense, that a costly urban-renewal project whose stated purpose is a vague promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue, but which is also suspiciously agreeable to the Pfizer Corporation, is for a ‘public use’.” He then further stated that “Losses will fall disproportionately on poor communities. Those communities are not only systematically less likely to put their lands to the highest and best social use, but are also the least politically powerful.”

I couldn’t have said it better than Justices O’Connor and Thomas. This decision will *clearly* benefit large, wealthy companies…who are the only companies with both the capital to stage an “urban renewal” project and also the political clout to cloud the judgment of local officials into stealing land from rightful owners in the name of “improvement”.

Isn’t this America? I got to the land first, I own it, I’m putting it to good use, you don’t need it for “public use”, so keep your goddam hands off of it! I don’t care that Pfizer wants to expand their plant, I was here first. Don’t you remember kindergarten? No cutting in line! Also, I’m not trying to hold out for more money like some carpetbagger…I don’t want anything from you, other than for you to leave me alone. I believe myself to be a reasonable man, but this issue gets me so riled up that I’m not sure what I’d do if somebody tried to take my home and give it to Wal-Mart. I might end up on CNN in some kind of stand-off. And I consider myself not only reasonable, but VERY reasonable. I fear for the repurcussions when a case like this involves less reasonable people.

The one and only positive aspect of this case is that the majority opinion contains language stating that this ruling does not preclude governmental entities from enacting laws to restrict this type of eminent domain. Many state legislatures are already considering legislation to restrict eminent domain, however my hopes are very low. We are asking governments to restrain themselves from increasing their tax bases. Not only that, but whispering in their other ear are huge developers filling their heads with tails of marina$, resort$, spa$, shopping center$, and office building$.

I wonder who will win that argument?

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Update: Mynagirl picks her faves for the top spot!

Ok, I’m not going to surprise anyone when I pick Stacy & Tony vs. Drew & Cheryl in competition for the lead. To be honest, since we’ve now lost George Hamilton and are down to only four couples in the competition, it’s hardly a huge act of clairvoyance to see them as the top competitors. Not only has each couple already scored perfect 10’s (Stacy and Tony twice!!) but there are only two other couples still left. Would you believe I picked these two competitors out from the beginning? Even if you don’t believe me, I know that I spotted talent right away!

And while I love Jerry Rice, unfortunately he cannot conquer his hunched-over football-player stance, nor his innate “oh my god the guys are gonna so laugh at me” self-consciousness. And although Lisa Rinna tries really hard (oh my god just she try hard) and is actually pretty good, I’m just not rooting for her manic and over-the-top performances. Not only are Stacy and Drew the best dancers, they also seem to be the nicest and most self-effacing, so that just makes me want to root for them more.

Drew Lachey and dancing partner Cheryl

Stacy Keibler and dancing partner Tony

As you can tell, the program has kept me hooked, and I’m sure I’ll watch it next season as well. Who can resist gripping pseudo-drama, humor, dancing, and flashy costumes?! Not this Mynagirl!

Original Article: 01/16/2006

So, Dancing with the Stars was never really on my radar last year. It sort of snuck up on me like a deadline I wasn’t tracking. Being the TiVo goddess I am (married to a Tivo god) and inveterate fast-fowarder I don’t necessarily know when all the new shows are on, or indeed even what they are. By the time I saw enough ads in fast forward to decide to rewind and investigate this sparkly indulgence, it had already left for the season.

But I was prepared this season, the Tivo at the ready. What a great concept — whoever thought this up definitely had a flash of genius. (Or what do I know, they could be a genius 24×7). Let’s get celebrities, some of which have obviously zero dancing talent, and try ballroom dancing with a professional. Not club dancing or anything free-form, but Ballroom Dancing… like, the complicated stuff. With steps and arm and hip motions, all working completely synchronous like an entire orchestra of body parts floating according to plan. Or in some cases, working in an utterly unsynchronous and disorganized manner somewhat like “Pinnochio chasing Jipity Cricket [sic] across the floor”… a hilariously accurate description of ESPN’s Kenny Mayne’s attempting the Cha-Cha.

Five women and five men, plucked from their comfortable niche of acting, sportscasting, wrestling, journalism, or being an eligible receiver, extend themselves way beyond their comfort zone in order to compete for glory and (for some) maybe a way out of obscurity. It’s uncomfortable and inspiring in equal measure. It really does take a lot of chutzpah to put one’s performance on the line in an area that isn’t your core specialty. And have the behind-the-scenes practice footage shown as well — all your mess-ups, your physical shortcomings, and how much you can’t do that backbend.

Of course, I can’t help but love it for the gloriously should-be-trashy-but-aren’t fashions … where else it it appropriate to wear a silver sequin bikini with a swath of black fabric cutting a line from your shoulder to your ankle? With high heels no less! The men, of course, are a bit more limited… although George Hamilton managed to pull off (well… I mean… look good wearing) a tux with tails and top hat.

This season’s crop is impressive. Tia Carrere (from Wayne’s World), right out there with her post-baby body. George Hamilton, adorably suave and at the same time humble about his 60+ year-old body. They just don’t make men that suave and handsome anymore (well… George Clooney excepted, I guess). Wrestler Stacy Kiebler is definitely not an elf — the totally tall and adorable blonde has turned out to be one of the best dancers there! Kenny Mayne (already voted off) was an absolute nightmare, dance-wise, but had an affable oh-hell-let’s-go-with-it attitude. P Miller (Master P) is similarly a nightmare on the dance floor with much more a you-deal-with-it attitude. The guy won’t even wear dance shoes! Amazingly he hasn’t been voted off yet, although his hapless partner is smilingly terrified each week. Tatum O’Neal, who utterly who cannot stay still, did really well the first week but not so great the second week — I think the first week’s performance was because the dance was the waltz and her inflexibility didn’t really show under the long gown and the striding step. Jerry Rice is awesome — he even took his dance partner out to the 49’s practice grounds to show her how fast his feet could actually move. Wow! Journalist Giselle Fernandez (who I’d never heard of but they showed clips of to prove that she’s a journalist) is doing reasonably well — and she can wear a two piece gown pretty nicely, so I guess that helps. Soap star Lisa Rinna shows off her well-toned body but I’m not quite sure her footwork is up to par. Plus I can’t help staring at her huge lips… the’ve been like that for years so I can’t tell if they’re collagen or not. The standout star of the program so far, however, has to be Drew Lachey (Nick’s brother)… he’s engaging and a pretty darn good dancer to boot. He might be my pick to win!

All in all I’m very enthralled with the show. The judges are hilarious, the dancing is a hoot, and the dresses are to die for. They’ve got me hooked!

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I’ve heard and read nothing but good things about Peter Jackson’s King Kong. This weekend I got a chance to go see it with my friend Bruce. Long story short, there is no way that Mynagirl would ever go see a movie filled with so much animal cruelty, but she and her mom are deep into a home renovation project (from which I am excluded by everyone’s mutual consent), which left me at loose ends on Saturday, which is rare.

So on Saturday we saw the film, in a fairly full movie theater, and I must say that I do not get the hype. I will say this, the film managed not to be boring over its three hour length, but “not boring” does not an epic make.

On the positive side, the effects are pretty eye-popping and realistic for the most part. Kong’s face is very realistic, as is his fur, gait, musculature, and hands. I’d quibble with the fact that during his titanic clash with three T-Rex’s, Kong throws boxing jabs like Joe Frazier, drop-kicks like Jackie Chan, and does rolling, over-the-shoulder throws like Rowdy Roddy Piper. Not very…ape-like, I must say. But very well-rendered from digital effects perspective.

With regards to the story-telling, I think I can sum it up with one anecdote. An hour into the film Bruce leaned over and asked, “Isn’t there supposed to be a giant monkey in this movie?” The first hour sets up the tale by showing an idealized but still Depression-era New York, with fanatical movie producers, struggling engenues, salty tramp steamer captains, and earnest playwrites. The second hour begins with the tramp steamer voyage, complete with gruff but trustworthy crew members, secret maps to undiscovered islands, and a semi-kidnapped earnest screenwriter.

During the second hour we finally make it to Skull Island, replete with fog-shrouded rocky coastlines and the ship temporarily beached on the rocks, forcing them to stay just long enough for the plot to continue developing.

The first journey ashore is quite frightening, and the lady beside me with her two kids should be ashamed of herself. Her daughter appears to be 6 or 7, and her son appeared to be about 5. During a very scary encounter with the local natives, and I mean *very* scary, her son leaned over and said “Mommy, I’m scared…” and tried to crawl into her lap. She fended him off back into his seat, saying, “Look, your sister isn’t scared…stay in your seat…”. I almost couldn’t pay attention the rest of the film knowing that this poor kid was sitting there having to huddle alone with his fear next to his seemingly uncaring mother. And, ma’am, if you read this, next time believe it when the film is rated PG-13.

About halfway through the film we finally get a brief glimpse of Kong as he takes Ann Darrow off into the jungle. The next 45 minutes consist of the men chasing Kong and Ann, Kong chasing the men and Ann, everyone fighting with dinosaurs and insects, and the crew of the tramp steamer being miraculously transformed into the Colonial Marines from Aliens, blasting natives, dinosaurs, and giant bugs like a well-trained special forces military squad. They finally knock Kong out with a sh*tload of chloroform that just happened to be aboard.

They bring Kong back to New York, put him on stage, he gets loose, climbs the building, yada, yada, yada, we all know how the story goes. The creative part of this film is that this whole thing is stretched to three hours. It felt like about 30 minutes of screen time were taken up with Ann and Kong staring soulfully into each other’s eyes and inventing a new one-word sign language (setting up the faux-tearful finale).

Jack Black, as big a personality as he is, isn’t really able to inhabit Carl Denham, the larger-than-life character that he plays…his performance just doesn’t do it…like a long fly ball that hits a foot below the top of the fence…still a well hit ball, but just a double, not a home-run. I didn’t even recognize that Ann Darrow was being played by Naomi Watts, as the performance was very un-stellar and unremarkable, and it was only later that I found out it was Watts. Adrien Brody is…just one of those things that I don’t understand about women. He looks like a whippet and has about as much personality as a sedated whippet, but the accolades seem always to flow for him, so I’ll just have to resign myself to his celebrity-hood, I guess.

Overall this movie is just average, which means that it’s actually pretty bad given the budget, expectations, reviews, and hype surrounding it. If I’m being completely honest, I have to say that this movie was just about exactly what I expected, so I’m glad that I’ve seen it so that I can now disparage it from direct experience. And if that’s the most positive thing one takes away from a film, that is faint praise indeed.

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Click here for the CURRENT YEAR’S Golden Globes Report

Wow… it looked like every guy there was going to be a groomsman in the same wedding. Nothing was a huge standout, and all the tuxes were very conservative! (I actually approve of this). The women didn’t necessarily stand out, either, although there were a few flashes of elegance. Black predominated, along with plunging necklines. I guess folks are holding out the big guns for the Oscars!! None of the jewel-tones from last year really appeared (although there was a Desperate Housewife in coral):

You’ve Heard of Washboard Abs? I’ve Got a Washboard Chest!

The trend I really loved was no bronzing!! Thank goodness nobody there felt as though they had to look as though they’d flown in from St. Bart’s. There were some absolutely gorgeous ladies with wonderfully porcelain skin. Hallelujah.

Loved:

• For once Johnny Depp looked almost… handsome and dapper in a nice red shirt and pocket square with a nice suit.I’m Gonzo for Scruffy Puffs
• Teri Hatcher’s golden mermaid (Atelier Versace)Hurry. I Haven’t Breathed in an Hour.
• Jesse L. Martin looked quite handsome and classy in a shawl-collar and long-tie tux.I Look Gorgeous, Sensuous, Unpretentious… Outrageous!
• Although I like the long gowns better, Anne Hathaway really did look lovely in her over-the-shoulder sparkly Marc Jacobs. So adorable, and I loved the unfussy close-cropped braid.If I Win, Maybe I Could Afford the Other Shoulder!
• At first I didn’t like Sandra Oh’s Collette Jennigan gown, but it really was very flattering on her and she’s just so darn cute.
  Forget Grey’s Anatomy… Here’s Mine!
• I think on anyone else I might’ve hated Ziyi Zhang’s lime green Giorgio Armani Privé. But she looked fabulous in it, truly a frothy confection to behold.
  I Think I’m Turning Japanese, I Think I’m Turning Japanese, I Really Think So
• Leonardo DiCaprio’s deep blue just-a-bit-shiny tux.If I Only Had a Beard…
• At first I didn’t think I liked Geena Davis’ bejeweled bosom red gown, but given that she was nominated for playing the president, it was actually just the right note – patriotic and elegantly feminine at once.Veto This, Baby!
• Keira Knightly was saintly in her white Valentino. Everyone there should hope to look so classic, so put-together, so utterly unfussy despite an embellished dress.
• Mmm, Yes, Fascinating Darling. Is That the Buffet?
• Maria Bello, another lady in white, also looked stunning in Elie Saab.
  Okay, Now I Just Have To Remember Not to Lean Forward…
• And I never would’ve thought I would’ve liked a velvet tux, but Clint Eastwood would look good in just about anything.Yeah, That’s Right. Fuzzy Harry.
• Producer Cathy Konrad’s gorgeously simply black satin halter sheath. One of the few low-cut dresses I loved.Well, I’ve Really Always Wanted to Direct.
• Eva Longoria looked great in a classy Bob Mackie.
  Are You Sure I Still Look Pretty Even Though You Can’t See My Boobs?
• Kyra Sedgewick looked wonderful in Bottega Veneta. At least she actually wore a color this time!Can You See Me Now?

Mediocre / Indifferent:

• Natalie Portman’s vintage Chanel black lace dress that highlighted her not only her boobs but also too-skinny frame. I know everyone says how classic and Audrey Hepburn she looked, and she would’ve if the top of the dress didn’t look like a bad bustier.What Other Choice Did I Have? I Look Like a Boy Right Now.
• Emmy Rossum’s blah-beige ruffleganza…. Overall the shape was very flattering on her, but I just can’t stand that color in a gown. It’s so … boring!I Didn’t Want to Wear Any of those Flashy, Stare-at-Me Pastel Colors
• Mary Louise Parker’s black dress with draped hair left me… bored.
  So, If I Get the Muchies During Dinner, This Gardenia is History
• Penelope Cruz’s Marc Jacobs almost-has-some-color draped chiffon was very overshadowed by the hair.
  Maybe I Could Donate Some of My Hair to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Chin
• Charlize Theron looked almost too elegant in her John Galliano for Dior. I actually kind of like the dress, and she looks beautiful as always, but… it just seems too safe. I would’ve loved to see her deep green satin or something like that.
  I Actually Burst Into Flames if I Wear a Color More Intense than Peach
• The always-a-train-wreck trying always to look sexy Melanie GriffithCan You See Them Now?
• Ah, the hazards of vintage. Reese Witherspoon in Vintage Chanel Haute Couture looked her adorable self but the dress was a bit ill-fitting.
  Maybe I Could Work out An Exchange Program with Melanie Griffith
• Felicity Huffman looked very nice but the criss-crossing on the dress just didn’t make it for me. I normally like the “Grecian Goddess” look but here it left me kind of lukewarm.Oh Man, did my Parachute Fall Off Again?
• Laura Linney looked nice in Valentino but I’m not sure red was her color. And I didn’t get the strap.It’s Actually a Matching Guitar Strap!

Not a big fan:

• Hillary Swank’s slender black column was boring and (from the side) unflattering. I will give her sympathies, though — she looked tired and barely there. Divorces suck.Girls Do Cry
• Rennee Zellweger was similarly exhausted-looking in Carolina Herrera.
  Ok, Two Carrots and a Celery Stick. No, Only One Carrot. And a Perrier — No, Half a Perrier. No Lime.
• Anthony Hopkins’ wife’s “Boobs in Bondage” criss-cross dress.Are You Sure You Can See Them Now?
• I actually almost like Rachel Weisz’s too-low-cut gold Donna Karan dress but have to put her on this list for the lipstick that looked truly corpse-colored under the stage lights.Hey Cool, It Has a Built-in Napkin!
• Scarlett Johannson proves that red is her color in Valentino, but the swimsuit neckline is kind of boring.
  If Only it Had a Built-in Napkin or Something
• Adrien Brody’s continental look with the self-important cravat was hilariously awful.
  If I Suck in My Cheeks Do I Look Even More Like a Whippet?
• Virginia Madsen’s pale blue mermaid dress was unexciting at best.Damn. Pale Blue Isn’t a Career Saving Color?
• Tim Robbins’ all-black tuxedo wasn’t actually as bad as his horrible shag.Damn, That All-Natural Earth-Friendly Minoxidil Shampoo Sure Does Suck.
• Gwyneth Paltrow’s Disney dress by Balenciaga… to quote Engineerboy “Did she lose the bridesmaid’s contest”? Although I guess she is pregnant and fashion choices may be limited. But… hmmm, not a fan.Duh…Snow White… Apple… Get It?
• I hate to put her in this category, but the puffy sleeves on Catherine Deneuve’s black gown were terribly unflattering.Well, I Was Talking To Gwyneth About Playing Maleficent
• The always-freaky and please-look-at-me Mariah Carey. Doesn’t she ever get tired of her cleavage? I sure do.Don’t Hurry. Take as Long as You Need. Breathing is Overrated.

Oh My God:

• Drew Barrymore’s “Leave Zero to Imagination… or Underwire” sheer green gownFor Ten Bucks I Can Make Them Move in Opposite Directions
• Maybe this should be the booby prize list… Pamela Anderson’s breast-swatch over the slender white column. (At least the darker color was on top). But she so couldn’t stay still up there, it just highlighted her disproportionate-ism. That may be on purpose.When You Absolutely, Positively, Have To See Them

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So one of my favorite web sites, The Smoking Gun, has dug into the story behind the supposed memoir by James Frey called “A Million Little Pieces”. According to their findings, many (if not most) of the key events depicted in his book either never happened or are wildly modified and exaggerated. Now, most memoirs contain certain dramatic license, usually of this type:

• Retorting to cads in a pithier manner than real life
• Embellishing the details of what went on behind closed doors
• Endlessly deep wells of altruism
• Rose-colored memories of one’s bucolic childhood and/or gut-wrenching remembrances of childhood abuse
• Crazy exes
• Rehab as a virtue and not the pathetic bottom rung of an egocentric, self-inflicted downward spiral
• Invention of the ThighMaster
• Etc

We, the reading public, expect a little fudging of the facts for better reading, because the truth is that we are all mostly mundane and the absolute, literal truth of the events of just about anyone’s life would make for dull reading.

However, Mr. Frey has gone beyond the expected bounds of dramatic license for non-fiction works. It appears that the truth of the matter is that he spent his life as a spoiled, coked-out frat boy, nothing more, nothing less, and then finally stopped snorting blow long enough to write a fiction book that contains some small aspects of his actual life surrounded by very huge imaginings and tall tales.

For example, he derides rehab as useless and encourages people to kick drugs by using the slogan “just hang on”. Perfect. That’s like telling a depressed person to “just cheer up”. If he was in fact addicted to drugs, and he managed to quit them on his own without treatment, that might be noteworthy. However, the fact that it worked for him does NOT make going cold-turkey with no support the most effective way for true addicts. I would not be surprised to find out that although Mr. Frey may have been an abuser of drugs, that he was not a true addict and so his blatherings about coping with drugs should be discarded, if for no other reason than they are based on a sample size of one (very impeachable source) and have not been proven to be repeatable.

In another case of melodramatic license, Mr. Frey twists the details of a tragedy from his high school days into a “Rebel Without a Cause” moment in his life. The facts are that two 17 year old girls were riding with some other guy in a car, and the guy raced a train to the crossing and lost. He was broadsided on the passenger side and both girls died. The driver survived, was prosecuted for his crimes and served time for the accident, due to his blood alcohol level. The main players in the story, interviewed by The Smoking Gun, have a vague recollection of who James Frey is, but also have a clear recollection that he was in no way involved in the incident. These witnesses include the dead girls parents and friends. However, Mr. Frey moves the whole incident back 5 years so that it happened when he was 12, and weaves himself into the plot by claiming he helped a girl sneak out of her house to the movies so she could go on a secret date with a boy her parents disapproved of, and on the way back from her date she was killed. Mr. Frey was, of course, wracked with guilt, and also became the focal point for the wrath of the entire town, who blamed him and felt sorry for the poor football star driver of the car. Mr. Frey makes no mention of the other dead girl, or of the fact that it happened 5 years later, or of the fact that the three people involved had left a party with many witnesses and headed to another party, nor of the fact that neither girl left home using him as a cover story. Basically, he makes no mention of anything that matches the reality of the situation.

In another example, Mr. Frey tells about being in a drug-fueled rage, striking a police officer with his car, assaulting said police officer and his backup, inciting nearby watchers to riot against the cops, being beaten down by the police, and finally serving 3 months in jail as a result. The actual story, as uncovered by The Smoking Gun, is that he was drunk, made an illegal u-turn, didn’t hit a cop, didn’t start a fight, didn’t incite a riot, was released after 5 hours, and the cops noted on the arrest report that “He was polite and cooperative at all times”. Yeah, what a rebel, huh?

And the list goes on and on and on and on, click the link in the first sentence up there to read the full expose on The Smoking Gun. All of this would simply be humorous and a bit sad to me, except for one thing. Oprah Winfrey was enthralled with this guy’s fable, and has treated him as if he were a near-messianic example of what she and all her quivering desperate housewife audience want…the “Bad Boy” who cleaned himself up, not with outside help, but with the sheer force of his own superhuman will, beating up cops, inciting riots, vomiting and bleeding on airlines, and reading great works of literature to illiterate cell-mates in prison along the way. A suburban housewives’ wet dream come true.

And the fact that he is being held up as an example by someone with the undeniable cultural power of Oprah Winfrey means that people are taking his story to heart. This means that there are addicts who are tattooing “Just Hold On” over their trackmarks instead of going into rehab. There are people who are looking at the devil-may-care actions of the fictionalized James Frey as something to emulate. This would not be a good idea even if his stories were true. But the fact that his stories appear to be based on his imagination makes it even more wrong.

And the most wrong, most vile aspect of this whole thing to me is the fact that Oprah is standing behind this chump with her full support, in the face overwhelming facts and the admission of the author that he took great license with the facts. I can almost forgive Mr. Frey for his book, because at the time he wrote it he had no idea it would ever even be published, much less become the second best selling book of 2005 behind Harry Potter. So, he told a wild tale, characterized it as a “memoir”, managed to sell it, and then had to stand behind it as it caught fire. I find that aspect to be sad but understandable…the spoiled frat boy caught in a white lie to aggrandize himself and make a few bucks.

But Ms. Winfrey is already rich beyond belief and has nothing at stake here other than the fact that she adopted this guy as her pet bad-boy, and now seems not to be able to let go and face the facts. For example, Mr. Frey appeared on Larry King Live, admitted to his fabrications while defending them as within the bounds of dramatic license, and Oprah called in and said that regardless of the truth, it’s his “story” that is important. Here are Ms. Winfrey’s incisive arguments in support of Mr. Frey and his book:

“If you’re an addict whose life has been moved by this story and you feel that what James went through was able … to help you hold on a little bit longer, and you connected to that, that is real. That is real,” she said. “And it’s … irrelevant discussing, you know, what happened or did not happen to the police.”

Wow. Oprah thinks that it is irrelevant to discuss the actual facts of this asshole’s life and instead encourages real addicts with real problems to embrace the fictionalized actions of a mythical being that James Frey created in his head and put into his book? That is the height of irresponsibility, and although I have never been a fan of Oprah’s I used to have respect for her and the good that she seemed to try to do in the world. But in this case she has abandoned any claim to righteousness or the moral high ground, because she is using her awesome stature as a media powerhouse to try and do what all women who fall for bad boys end up doing…trying to justify it in the face of utter tragedy. She might as well have said:

“You just don’t understand him, he’s not really like that. If you knew how he was in private, how much he cares, and how much he’s had to go through you’d know why I love him, even when he hits me and sleeps around and steals the rent money and hits the kids and gets fired and drives drunk and…and…and…and…”

The litany of a woman and her bad-boy-gone-wrong. Oprah needs to “Just Hang On”, forget about her ego, and come clean that she backed a loser here, if for no other reason than to stop the harm that his book coupled with her publicity is doing to people who are being sent the wrong message…real people with real problems. One of my great fears in this story is that we will find out that Oprah has some sort of financial stake in the success of this book, or his next book, or his movie, or his TV show, or something else, and so is taking these irresponsible actions not out of a misplaced mothering instinct but as a coldly calculated business decision to stem her losses. I actually don’t think even Oprah is capable of stooping that low, but given the spectacle she has made of herself thus far, I would not be surprised to learn that was the reason behind her actions.

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