Oscars Watch

I just wanna say that last night I was thinking that all the predicted acting winners will win, except Eddie Murphy - Arkin will win that one.

So far I'm right, actor and actress have not been announced yet - but lets face it, those two awards are super predictable this year, Mirren and Whitaker. There's no way of proving it, but I know I was right.

A full wrap-up tomorrow when I get to watch the whole tape - I have to tape it because I have tap class tonight.

Go Helen Mirren, she's super cool.

I am afraid of big things in the ocean

Ships, and also whales.

*shudder*

I'm so not cool with it.

Jeremy Piven...The Wiki Issue

This is Jeremy Piven:



Here he is at the 2005 Emmys with his mum (she is always his date):


Here he is playing his (deserved) Emmy winning role as Ari Gold on HBO's Entouage:





Here's the thing...Wiki thinks he's gay:
"He is a noted spokesperson for GLAAD, and is one of the more prominemt gay actors in hollywood."

Now...Jeremy Piven may wear a rug, he may be a complete sleaze bag, and he is definitely a bit campy, but is he gay? Recently I spotted some paparazzi pictures of him with a woman at Starbucks or something...He also said in this week's OK Magazine about taking his mum to award shows: "Even if I had a girlfriend, I'd still take mum....there's something about parading a girlfriend in front of the press that seems wrong."

Either its all an elaborate scam to cover up his relationship with his "best friend" John Cusack, or Wiki's got it wrong!

Anyway, here's 9+ minutes of more Ari Gold magic if you liked what you saw. Its pretty great stuff.



Gay or not gay...? You decide.

Bloggn' in '07

From Thailand with...

This was the view from our balcony on Koh Tao in Thailand. Quite spectacular, yes. Here and Now: CFT, apart from having the best location and views on Koh Tao, was quite an unpleasant place to stay. The staff were outwardly unfriendly and unaccommodating, never displaying any sense of consideration or concern for guests - strange considering that was basically, you know, their job. For a place that was supposed to be all new-age positivity promoting good energy, the energy was pretty bad. Then again, it has been my general experience with new-age types that they are not the most moral of creatures, despite their self-proclaimed on-to-it-ness. But overall, Thailand = good.

And so a new year begins. While there are a million things I could blog about - new tap dance classes, job searching, new friends, relationships, how much I love "What Goes Around" by JT, the prospect of FINALLY moving out of home - I prefer to blog more about popular cultural issues I know about, like Joss Whedon leaving Wonder Woman (seriously, I wrote a thesis on Internet fan communities in Cultural Studies and I STILL DON'T GET THIS GUY!), and Oscar Nominations. You know, the real important stuff.

I'm still deciding whether to morph this blog into a cultural critique blog or to just start up a more "professional" one. Once I've made my decision I'll let you know. I will be starting a Flickr account though - Yay!

OK, that's enough.

OMG! How long has it been?

December is a BIG month for me, especially this year.

- Results came in. Just off the average I wanted, but not so bad that I can complain and be depressed. Really, I'm kinda just proud for finishing and doing it without any major breakdowns. Some minor ones, though. My thesis got a good enough mark though, and that was my baby. So, I feel content and a bit frightened about the future as I've redefined slack about the whole "making something out of that almost pointless but oh-so-stimulating Arts degree" thing.

- Turned 23 on the 12th. Yay. My friends got me Arrested Development Season 2. Love em.' I do feel a bit older this year, like the age is significant. I guess it's that I'm well into my 20s now and its full-on life stuff.

- Dad's birthday on the 15th, two cousins on the 18th and 20th...it's madness.

- Christmas.

- Thailand. 3 weeks. Leave on Christmas Day. Ugh. It's my first time overseas and I swing from being super giddy with excitement, scared out of my wits, and so over it within the space of an hour. I will read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (because I never got round to it and apparently someone dies), Siddhartha (to get me in the mood for some enlightenment), and, if I have time, Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis (because sex, drugs and rock 'n roll's my bag baby). I am visiting Khaosan Road, Koh Pha-Nang, and Koh Tao. I will sit on the beach and drink and get sun burnt and have fun.

- I've had to say goodbye to a dear friend who's going to Canada for a year and had some heart-to-hearts with him, who also left for Brisbane for a month the other day. Draining. Thailand's going to be reflective and rejuvenating, I think.

- None of this is easy when Melbourne skies look like a sign of the Apocalypse. I just want to sleep.

- Its been a big year what with the thesis and the falling for someone I shouldn't pretty tragically and Bobby Flynn and all. But, you know, I probably wouldn't change a thing. It wasn't as bad as last year when I crashed my car or 1995 - the year the devil controlled my fortune. Next year's goals are to get a job in "the industry," move out, and start to repair my increasingly fragile emotional state to become more emotionally independent and resilient. My moods need less extremes, methinks. Its funny, Sagittarius apparently has a great year ahead, but I recently discovered that my moon (moods) is in Cancer and my ascendant (how you project) is Pisces, two really emotional, sensitive, water signs. I'm pretty classic Sag on the outside, but that realisation has really made sense. I'll try to keep it in mind.


Thanks very much for reading this (pretty lame) blog this year. I may post an entry from Thailand, but you never know. The blog culture is really quite awesome and next year I hope to be more prolific and interested in it. Thanks to all my readers who comment (all 4 of you or so) and thanks especially to Susanne, Rach, and Amy for being new friends and "honours-sistas" - cool chicks they are indeed.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Damien...

Edited: 5th December 2006

OMG, when I published this post, my post count was 666!!!!!

Ahh...hahahahahaha! See what I did there? I've put a picture of Damien from The Omen instead of this Damien (the actual subject of this post):

That's called an intertextual reference, kids, and I hope you write that down. It is oh so clever of me to do. You see, by making this intertextual reference I'm drawing attention to the double meaning inherent in the name "Damien." Apart from being a common boy's name it was also used to name the son of the devil in The Omen and has since been associated, in pop culture at least, with all things evil. And therefore by drawing attention to this particular reading of the name "Damien" I am making a connection between Australian Idol and Satan.

Pictorially it would look like this:

=

Except, as you would have hopefully gathered by now, I don't culturally or symbolically equate Idol with Satan. In fact, I really like Australian Idol and I don't really like Satan (well, you know, except at certain times, like Christmas). So what's with little evil Damien? Nothing. I just like that image, wanted you all to know that I know who won Idol, and wanted to seem all pop-cultural and intertextual. There, you got me.

OK, on with the wrap-up.

Very interesting year. Let me begin by saying THANK GOD IT WASN'T AS BAD AS LAST YEAR. I think that the four seasons of Idol have taught me one thing: Australian Idol voters generally vote on voice. Pretty much every year they've voted for vocal uniqueness and ability over "packageness" (Kate deRough kinda counts, it was an all-round dud year). I mean, really, they say its a singing contest, but because a) being a pop star isn't about singing, some of the biggest pop and rock stars can't sing, and b) being a reality show that shows more than just the stage performances, we are asked to judge them as 'people:' its not really just a singing contest. But it seems that that's what 'the public' want. They've voted the blandest, most unmarketable people as Idols pretty much every year, people that would NEVER GET A RECORD DEAL:

Christian, 'ethnic,' Fro, weird, No Personality = FULL MONG*

Socially stunted, 'ethnic,' overweight, didn't even want to be there really = FULL MONG

Overweight, bland, just...nothing = FULL MONG

Moves like a epileptic, foreign, bad teeth, bland = FULL MONG

Why? Because they can sing. And that's why I like Idol.

You see, Idol didn't wreck the music industry. It doesn't herald the pathetic consumer-driven post-capitalist state of modern culture that permeates into the decadent doomed nation of losers we all are. No, that's been happening for ages. The 'culture industry,' yes Adorno, has been operating for quite some time, and culture has been commodified for, I dunno, only MILLENNIA. Audiences have always been voting for their idols: by buying albums. With Idol, however, instead of getting to choose from a preset of choices determined by record executives, audiences get, to an extent, to pick people at grass-roots levels. And it seems they like the underdog with talent over pre-packageness. Predictable to an extent, but also kinda sweet.

Now, before you all start with the "But Stef, like, its a TV show, with its own agenda and how much control do we really have and its all still part of the system and, like, what about true artist who do it outside the system and make real music, blah blah blah..." Well, to that I say, each to his own. I don't believe that mass-produced music is overly damaging to other sorts of artists. Youth culture latches to all sorts of trends, mainstream and/or counter-cultural, and I don't see any of these practices dying-out. The only form of music I worry about is classical, which youth do seem to be rejecting. It's sad, because its my favorite, really.


Anyway, it was a funny night because all the past Idols and not-quite Idols sang (except, you know, the fat one) and they were lame and then Klancie rode a horse and there were medleys and stuff. It was ace:

Yo Yo Yo we's the Young Divas and we REAL girls with REAL curves. Bootylicious y'all!

Is it still a secret that he's gay? I can't keep up.

BAAH HAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!! HA!

Shannon loves his fans. Wouldn't you?

His guitar fretboard says "Lynyrd Skynyrd" for you kids playing at home.

Oh Bobby. Ahem. Excuse me for a moment...

You were robbed, Ricky. ROBBED I TELLS YA!

"Damo, has anyone ever told you you look like Pippin the mischevious hobbit from Lord of the Rings?"

"Yes, yes they have."

"You're even Scottish too!"

"Kill me."

So all in all, a good Idol year. We got Bobby Flynn, after all. And my deepest apologies (God, as if ANYONE gives two hoots) for only covering half the Idol year and also the lateness of this post. Its been a stressful few months, what with thesis and essays and boys and friends and Thailand. I promise soon I will be back to normal.

* Courtesy Kyle Sandilands

Robert Altman

I was going to write a post about Altman, who was one of my very favorite filmmakers. He was consistently great; Gosford Park was a masterpiece made so late in his career. Instead, I'm going to just show this clip, which I think speaks for itself. Popeye was not a critical success, like many of Altman's films, but I grew up watching it over and over again. RIP Robert Altman.










I really am liking embedding YouTube vids now that I know how.

You annoy me to no end!

To all the commuters who press the buttons on button-controlled train doors before the beep sound and flashing light with that stupid bloody perplexed look on your face like "ugh, there's something wrong with this door, stupid door, I'll just keep pressing this button and look angry:"

See post title.

Idiots.


Ahem.


Anyway, on Saturday night I saw an independent theatre group, Actually Theatre, perform The Eggman Cometh. It was written by my friend Jesse and starred some peeps from my High School. It was staged in an allyway behind the Troika Bar. It was about these two characters, Mummy and Daddy, who lived in a 50's suburban cage. They were visited by The Eggman, a showman who rewarded them when they produced eggs and punished them when they rebelled. Mummy and Daddy were battery hens, but they were also 'the worker,' and the Eggman was the 'capitalist industry' who exploited them. It was all very postmodern. In fact, when it was over, I said to my friends "well, that was all very postmodern, wasn't it?"

Today, Trumpet played me a song by The Bedroom Philosopher.

This song:



Sigh. I think he's trying to tell me something.

It's all very postmodern, isn't it?

Boobies

Last Wednesday, I went for my annual physical (well, I had to get my shots for Thailand, so I got a "once over" while I was at it). I had my blood and urine test (cholesterol still going down, take THAT genetic disposition), a smear test, and a breast check.

The breast check was by far the most awkward part of the appointment. Lying on my back topless while my doctor got to second base with me was kind of weird. She didn't even stroke my hair first or cuddle me. The closest I got to dirty talk was "any breast disease in the family?" It was the least physically intrusive of all the tests, and yet it seemed the most intimate. What is it about tits?

Then three things happened at the weekend:


1. Belinda Emmett died




Awe man. This really upset me. And I'm not a huge fan of Rove or anything. I mean, I was like everyone else of the belief that, you know, he got shit pretty quickly. But, you know, he married her when he knew she was going to die. That's so beautiful, really. And as sick as she had been looking over the past three years, it was still a bit shock to me when she passed away. It was hard to concentrate on my Doctor Who essay, despite David Tennant's dishiness.


2. Kylie Made Her Comeback

Get it?! She's a fighter! Get it??! Get it??!!!! "Meow!" Get it!!!???

Kylie - botox, waist, bum and all - made her triumphant return to Australia's mid-size stadiums, complete with perfume and ugly Vogue cover. Now, far be it for me to bag Australia's Very Own Pop Princess, I mean, I sure don't look that good in an old Cats outfit. But I generally like my Pop Princesses to be able to at least lip sync properly if they can't sing in tune. That goes for my Rock Kings as well, actually:

3. Move over, Skeletor

Hi, I'm Sarah Murdoch. I'm rich, beautiful and in a happy relationship with Rupert Murdoch's son. And I care about things. I'm very involved in the world around me.

Eddie made some calls. He's replaced Jessica Rowe with the Patron of The McDonald Foundation, a Director of The Australian Ballet, an ambassador for The Murdoch Children's Reseach Institute, and the patron of The National Breast Cancer Foundation. She's also a mother of two (Kalan and Aidan - FFS), and a devoted wife. She obviously wants to 'give back.' She's also a Wonderbra model and Bonds Girl. Just to make Jessica feel ever so secure and not threatened at all. *NOW* I FEEL SORRY FOR SKELETOR. The depression, the laugh, the husband - nup. Sarah Murdoch? LEAVE JESSICA ALONE EDDIE! FFS! HAS SHE NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH??

Why am I blogging like a little bitch? I dunno. It seems breast cancer and high-profile Australian girls-next-door (Livvie, Jane McGrath, Janelle Kidman, Raelene Boyle, and of course, Janette Howard) are inexplicably linked...

But wait!

I'm a high-profile (stay with me) girl-next-door! I'm the quintessential girl-next-door! I'm fucking Joey Potter!

Lucky I had a breast check.

What the fuck is with this cancer man? Its its nature's way of keeping populations in check? Whats with the breasts? Is it because breasts are so... evocative? So integral to the common concept of the beautiful female form? So prevalent? Whatever it is, breast cancer is in vogue and its not going away. I'm going to continue feeling sorry for little Rove, hanging shit on The Kylie, and hating Sarah Murdoch. And I predict Bec Hewitt, Melissa Doyle or Johanna Griggs gets it next.

OK, don't ask me what this post was about. I guess its just a collection of thoughts on loosely connected stories. I'm finished Uni! OH MY GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE?!

Haircut tomorrow. Yaya's Birthday today. I slept for about 15 hours straight on Monday night.

Glass House Shattered*

Oh yeah.

Well, it's finally happened. The ABC's most once-kinda-funny show, The Glass House, has been axed. Sorry, not axed, just not renewed...yeah.

The Age links this axing to the current bruhaha surrounding the ABC's political bias content issue. Apparently The Glass House was "at the centre of a storm over allegations of anti-Howard Government bias."

And yet Courtney Gibson, head of ABC Arts and Entertainment, has maintained there is no link:

She went on to say that comedy and satire is exempt from the new editorial
policies and assured listeners that satirical program The Chaser will
return and that Wednesday night timeslot will be reserved for Australian-made comedy. the age

I'm in two minds about this. There are a few issues here.

The first is that I wasn't sure about comedy being exempt from the bias issue:

Insiders complain that the reach of the strict guidelines is too wide. They
include programs on the arts, education, history, Aboriginal affairs, lifestyle,
science, health and even comedy chat shows. the age 16/10/06

These "strict guidelines" and the so called bias watching going on with The Glass House could be different things, but I smell a panic-station response from Gibson there.

On the other hand, I tend to go with Gibson on this because, lets face it, Corinne, The Glass House lost it two years ago and you're beating a dead horse. The ABC knows that and that's why they're not renewing. And don't tell me about the ratings being good this year. Its the ABC, you think they care?

Maybe its a combination of the two issues: content and quality. Maybe the ABC will tolerate biased stuff if its of good quality . Take this excerpt from an interview with the Chaser guys from year ago when they were promoting The Chaser Decides:

Reucassel believes Denton’s absence will be felt in their dealings with the
ABC.
"Denton has the status of a god around here and that helped, and I hope
that they trust us in the same way."
The answer to that question may be found
in fact that the ABC has appointed Rehame to monitor all of the ABC’s election
coverage.
The national broadcaster says that net covers everything, including
The Chaser Decides.
"I think that’s quite ridiculous," Reucassel says. Firth
agrees, describing the move as absurd.
"It’s all in the voice," he says,
before declaring loudly: "John Howard is the greatest," in a tone that probably
impressed a Canberra staffer reading a Rehame transcript, but doesn’t exactly
leave the listener convinced.
"We are claiming we have the most unbiased
coverage in the history of the universe," Firth adds.
"We’re going to ignore
all that, because you have to. The ABC has its own little layers of management
to deal with that."
That said, Reucassel points out the ABC has historically
been "very sensible" about understanding the difference between satire and
straight reportage.
"They recognised there were different standards for
satire than news. As there must be when you’re dealing with comedy. It’s very
different to news. It’s very different to reporting." The Age. 16/9/04

The Chaser, Andrew Denton, Kerry O'Brian, Media Watch etc... all get away with it (and always have, content watching is clearly not new) because they've earned a reputation for having a certain quality. I'm afraid eluding to a sexual relationship between Bush and Howard in between double entendres about Dave Hughes buying sex is just not worth renewing.

The Glass House never really cut it. I watched it because it was on after whatever BBC comedy program they had on and before At The Movies. Sometimes they have funny guests on.

Put The Chaser's War on Everything in that timeslot PLEASE ABC! That way I wont miss it on Friday nights!

* Forgive me. Come on, I had to.

Ways to know you're uncool...#106

Scroll Down

Spelling/Grammar mistakes: >3

Months I've been out of the band: 4

Time it took to write and work up courage to send: 1/2 Hour

Procrastination out of doing thesis: Priceless.

Seriously...cute

This is to lighten the mood of the blog, and is a gift to all my honours friends entering the final week of hell.

When you're feeling low, watch this and all tension just melts away. Like a lava lamp. Makes sure you have the volume up.

Seriously...

Man, talk about a downer. Sniff. Animal stories always get me.


9 more sleeps till thesis no more! Argh! Yay!

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #6

To honour the severity of this unforeseen tragedy* I will not post a round up this week. Its too hard.



This is right up there with the Ricky-Lee debacle of '04.
















* And also because I can't be arsed.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #5

What is it you groovy bloggers say? Ahh yes, "Le Sigh."

Its a week late so the moment has passed. I'll quickly blog some random thoughts on the action of the last week's events:

- James and "G" wore the same jacket but in different colours. I would make a gay joke here, but, you know. Meh.

- Overall a really strong night. Highlights include Chris performing what I think was his best performance yet, "Play That Funky Music." Confident vocal and appealing tongue-in-cheek vibe. Also strong were Dean (complete with acrobatics) and Jessica (complete with animal print).

- Lavina looked super fat. BAD DRESS.

- "G's" body language towards Dean is super-telling. BUT I'M THE PRETTY ONE DAMNIT!

- Ricky, you keep letting yourself down with song choice. I'm afraid you're not very well liked. This is a shame because I really like what you do vocally. I do like that song though.

- The night was quite strong, apart from two disasters.

1) Lisa singing Blondie. Now, if she had attacked the song I would've let it slide that its not strictly disco. Instead though she continued to act like a spoilt, attitude-sprouting first class bitch. The thing is, Lisa, if Bobby wasn't up there kickin' it every week, using the talent he has to manipulate the music to his liking, you might be able to get away with the whole "this is so, like, not my thing, like, I need my guitar, like, totally" thing. And if Jessica wasn't up there being sweet, gracious and down-to-Earth, you might be able to get away with that rotten attitude. But as it stands, I hate you. You seriously need to go. Your original stuff wasn't even that good.

2) Damien singing "Celebration."In case you missed it, words can't really describe this performance. Instead, I'll use the magical powers of YouTube:



Obviously that's not quite accurate. Damien wasn't as good as that.


- Bobby Flynn. Bobby. Flynn. Flynn of the Bobby. Flynn. Bobby. Bobby. Flynn.
See, its all because of this guy:

The whole alternative vs mainstream debate. In the circles I travel in, its only cool to like Idol in a postmodern-ironic (Did I just link to wiki for postmodernism? Can you tell I'm going insane this month?) way or as a "popular cultural phenomenon" to study way. I like it in both these ways, aren't I cool?, and also genuinely. But generally, its not cool to like Idols. Especially if they are 'mock alternative,' as Lee is. And I agree, last year was a joke. The talent was rank. A couple of good voices with bland personalities and a few posers.

It would seem the producers (and their accountants) of this year's Idol agree, and so they decided to let 'real alternative' acts into the competition. And by 'real alternative' acts I mean people with guitars. Who were willing to enter. Now, people like Lisa and Dean and Damien I would've expected - corny singer-songwriters who really just want to be pop stars. But in amongst it came a real talent. Someone who clearly just thought, "I'll give it a go." They weren't snobby or too cool, they just wanted to try. Kind of like Casey Donovan. Or Guy Sebastian (who, when we think about it, is hardly mainstream). What I've loved about Australian Idol is the way voters haven't gone the predictable way (except for season 3 - maybe Kyle had something to do with it) and have supported all kinds of "wrong" acts. Lets hope Bobby Flynn is the next success story. Wouldn't that be something? It may even break the divide between alternative vs mainstream which is, of course, not as solid as some people think. After all, there are lots of people out there like me, who read things lots of different ways. Ken Gelder thinks its because if some sort of musical ability that's kept Bobby popular. this may be true, but I like to think its more that Australians love a "genius full mong."

Results: Chris, Ricky and Lavina in final 3. What a joke, Lisa needs to GO DAMNIT!

Bye Lavina, it wasn't that nice knowing you, you're as up yourself as your sister and you annoyed me. But whatever, you were never going to win.

Watch this space...

I will add my Idol round up sometime this week. It was a great episode and I have lots to say...but you know.... busy busy busy.

Don't fret.

Convoluted and tired...

Hi all,

Thought I should give a quick 'life update,' as I've been neglecting this blog lately. Apart, of course, from the wonderful pieces of literature I've been writing in response to Australian Idol, which I'm sure will one day be studied alongside The Bard.

But all in all, life's...uneven.

The big news is 'the thesis.' Its coming along. I'm at about 13,000 words and I have some more to write. I also have a lot to cut, so I think word count will be ok. My supervisor is happy with my theoretical work, she said it was "rigorous and robust," so that's encouraging. My major problem is my sloppy, convoluted writing style and bad use of grammar. This is no surprise to me. I'm terrible at basic level literacy and writing's never been my strong suit. I can formulate arguments, successfully analyse and scrutinise work, and research well. I'm a kick ass public speaker too. But getting my thoughts on a page...I find it difficult. So I will be taking my thesis to some proofreaders to work me through that, and it should be fine. Its OK my supervisor said "look, it's not so bad, it doesn't read like English is your second language." WELL PHEW!! That's a relief.

My personal life is ok. I'd like to state that I have some wonderful friends. They have been so super supportive over the past year. Including the boy who I've had dramas with - he's always at the other end of the phone for me. We've both been pretty stressed lately and we seem to be leaning on each other a lot for comfort...not probably the smartest thing to do, but it feels good. we're quite good for each other. He calms me and I cheer him up.

My hair is looking super hot, despite needing a cut. I've spent a fortune on:

Redken Fresh Curls
My hair is less frizzy and so nice and soft. Worth every penny. Now I need to cut it.

OK, well I'm off to visit my special friend to hang out. <----- Read into that what you will, sickos.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #4

Note: This may be the worst wrap-up ever. Its a day late, my video isn't original (Damn you Rach!) but I sware I found the video on my own, I couldn't be bothered doing the video links, and yeah...its just crappo. Enjoy!

This week's Australian Idol - The 4th Judge is brought to you by...George Washington.



The Show (The Year You Were Born):

Damien Leith
Its like the George Michael version. I love this song, its one of my favorite Elton John songs - but the arrangement was weak. It was very daggy, he looked very uncomfortable. Not his best.

Ricky Muscat
He's singing "I Come From the Land Down Under" with a Jamaican/American accent. Stupid. Great vocal otherwise. Good choice of song in terms of vote pulling. It could go either way. Ricky is showing that terrible ignorance when it comes to music before 2001.

Jessica Mauboy
She seems to breathing shallowly. And the tempo seems a bit stagnant. She's distracted. And yeah, she's holding back a bit. Oh well.

They're getting longer time to sing. And the theme of the night is crappo.

Bobby Flynn
Ooh! Eye makeup! I LOVE YOU BOBBY FLYNN EVEN THOUGH YOU LOOK LIKE LURCH FROM THE ADDAMS FAMILY! The pointing thing is funny. He's great. I think he is both a full mong and the biggest star in the world.

Lisa Mitchell
The cute thing is not doing it for me anymore. She over plucks her eyebrows big time. Nuh, I'm totally over it. Joke's over, go away. Kyle's right about the ballet flats, not stage wear. She needs to grow up.

Dean Geyer

sings

BON FUCKIN JOVI!
Its all just so right: I rock, but I have great hair.
If this guy wins I'll be totally upset.
He's not shouting "SHOT THRU THE HEART," he's singing it. Its laking energy.

Mutto
This guy is just so lame. I don't get it at all. He looks like a married guy. You know those guys...they're all like, married and shit. What a crap song choice. I'm so over mid-tempo rock ballads.
As much as I hate Kyle and everything he stands for, what he said about Triple J listeners holding onto their youth is almost right.

Lavina Williams
She's nailing it better tonight than ever before. Awesome. She's a bit annoying and lacks a warmth. "Getting Mutto to paint on your tats before the show..." That's funny. Damn you Kyle.

Chris Murphy
Good song choice. Best song choice of the night. That scream he does is killer. Did he just sware? HOW'S THE FUCKIN' BAND???!!!! I'll tell you: They consistently are lackluster.

Love Actually is on next. I'd rather pull my own hair out strand by strand that watch that sexist rubbish. It astonishes me that this movie is popular, it is the most transparent piece of misogyny I've ever seen. In a movie full of women, the only two women with any agency are Linney and Thompson. And they don't get a happy ending. To be a chick who gets a happy ending in that film you have to be: 1) Incredibly but effortlessly beautiful, 2) Passive, 3) Have no job, or if you have one be a servant to a man. Yeah girls, take your boyfriends. Its a great date movie, if you're Ike and Tina.

ROMY AND MICHELLE IS ON!!!!!! Love Actually, take note bitches. Keira Knightly...gross, give me Mira and Lisa anyway.

Pretty shit night, mostly due to a crap theme.

Verdict:

Wasn't home last night, so I know this because a girl in my cinema studies class told me. Thanks to her...don't know her name - isn't that terrible.

Mutto, Lisa and Jessica in the final 3...


...YES! MUTTO THE LAMO - MUTTO DRESSED AS LAMB - SUCKO MUTTO IS GONE!!!!

Hooray!

Go Bobby. The girl and I were sharing our love for Bobby. He seems so out of it, like he's wandered onto the set from outside or something.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #3

This week I was thinking of writing a bit about high/low cultures, left-wing subcultures, and Australian Idol...

.....I couldn't be stuffed. But trust me, it would've been great.


Show (#1 Hits):


Klancie Keough
Ugh, weak vocal entry, quite pitchy and too breathy. Mr Myagi is playing guitar. She looks preggers! This performance is really laking oomph. Just really crappy all round, and I really don't like her. Terrible song choice. There is nothing more daggy than her. God I love Mark. God I hate Marcia and he-who-shall-not-be-named.

Damian Lieth
"If Tomorrow Never Comes." Diction's not the best. He's breathing the ends of phrases. My friend and I had a discussion about Damian, she reckons he's ugly and his teeth are "fucking bad." I don't think they're "fucking" bad, and the addition of the 5 o'clock shadow is working for him. His speaking voice is that of a jockey. Sad for him.

Lavina Williams
Lavina is looking very Missy Elliot in her rehearsal getup, its a terrible look. Mehates it. Her song choice is too "disco," and "Marcia Hines" - what will she sing in the disco week? Its also dated and she's laking the intensity and oomph of previous weeks. Stupid key changes for the sake of them really annoy me. MARCIA STOP IT WITH THE JIVE TALK! Everyone goes on with how good is the band is - they could be better, they can be seriously bland.

Chris Murphy
Pretty good song choice, "Against All Odds" is a guilty pleasure song for me. Its a pretty lackluster arrangement, and I'm not feeling it from him either. His voice is thin by nature, but I'm feeling it's not really enough. Phil Collins is a very emotive writer and singer. Its lacking. I hate how Marcia thinks a singer can "defend" themselves by saying how they "thought is went." Hello? Who gives a shit what they thought?

Dean Geyer
I really don't like this kid. I really don't like this song either. I feel a bit cheated by him. He presented very 'real' in early auditions, and he's turned into Anthony Callea v.2.0 - "Mr Slick." However, this was his best performance. Well done Dean, I gotta hand it to you. Except I really hated the dance moves. Everything else I can't fault. Damn.

"Mutto"
I'm sorry, did you sing something?

Jessica Mauboy
OH GOD PLEASE LET THIS BE A TOUCHDOWN! - before performance
No, no it wasn't. How so not a touchdown, the band are so lackluster - After performance
Or maybe it was - After Mark
She may now win. TDs do great for the win factor. And it was a great comeback to the "jelly belly" comment. Good on you Jess, still my favorite.






Except that dress made her look fat.

Bobby Flynn
Great song for him. You Rock Bobby. He's mumbling a bit. He's doing it "Bobby Style." As much as it's fun being done Bobby Style, its not working. It wasn't Bobby Styled enough.
Marcia, you are not a therapist. I wouldn't talk to you if I was on an deserted island and the only way I could get off said island was to decipher your talk and relay it through a transistor radio. Same to you Kyle. As if Bobby's going to talk on national TV about his personal problems.

Ricky Muscat
Hate the keyboard. I really like his ends of phrases - its different. There's really not much to
fault there. I disagree with Mark. I thought he controlled it pretty well.

James just mentioned "Idol Bloggers." Yay.

Lisa Mitchell
My mum calls her: "the one like every other 16 year old girl in Australia who talks her way through songs."
GREAT SONG CHOICE FINALLY MOTHERFUCKERS!
Still hate the way she doesn't finish words. She's just so apathetic. So "Hello Kitty."



All in all, Mutto should go. Or Klancie - she's crappier than crap. dean improved this week, as did Jessica and Ricky. I hope Bobby is safe.





Verdict:



Doing this from Uni so I'm relying on the message boards for info.



It seems Lavina, Dean and Klancie are the final 3.



And Klancie has gone. The hooker-with-a-heart-o-gold, poster girl for the Nationals, has been rejected by the Aussie public.


*single tear of pride/joy*


Good. Very good indeed. Thank you and goodnight.


Silly how Dean had a good week and was bottom 3 and Mutto and Lisa are safe. Not cool.


Its hilarious how quickly this idea is running out of steam. It reminds me of my childhood and everything was started enthusiastically and then ran out of steam. In fact, nothing has changed.

Next week: Song from year of birth. Wow, Lisa can sing Groove is in the Heart. Awesome. I bet she WROCKS it.


Bye bye for now.

See! Preggers.

Source: Australian Idol Website

I'd like to meet someone who watches "Cold Case"

Yeah, the title kinda says it all.