We had a wonderful holiday weekend in Capitola, Calif., so I was away from the laptop AND the television. (Gasp!) However, I came back to reality and some interesting headlines:
- Demi and Ashton pop in at bar in Iowa: My hometown. This bar is in this tiny stripmall in West Des Moines, Iowa. And no one from the LTV family was there to get yelled at by Demi. Damn!
- Jolie’s baby delivered by Cesarean: The baby girl with an amazing gene pool arrives. Plus, the name is cool.
- Sorvino gives birth to baby boy: Hollywood is fertile these days.
- Gwen’s Hollaback Baby: Again with the fertility! Rock on!
- Michael Jackson visits Tokyo orphanage: Are you kidding me?
- Pair made for last episodes of "Sopranos": You gotta have "Christa-fa" there to make it a good show. (Psst… I want flash-backs of Ade.)
- Swank. Lowe. Over: Is it just me, or did everyone want these two to work out? I have no idea why — it’s not like I know them — but they just seem like nice people.
-
"Breakfast Club" Principal Dies at 67:
"I’m a man of respect around here. They love me. I’m a swell guy. You’re a lying sack of shit, and everyone knows it. Oh, you’re a tough guy. Hey c’mon. Get on your feet pal! Let’s find out how tough you are. I wanna know how tough you are. Let’s go. C’mon man, just take the first shot. I’m begging you, take the first shot. Just take one good swing… Yeah, that’s what I thought. You’re a gutless turd." (Props to my colleague Tim who pulled this classic Breakfast Club quote out of his ass!)
Can I still vote for Chris?
It’s a week of Season finales, so I have little time to blog. Here are some great headlines and my take on them:
Death Becomes "Desperate" Finale: (Awesome season finale! Loved it… and the twists and turns. Plus, James Denton is hot.)
Idol fever hits climax after triumphant season: (Now that Chris is gone, I really don’t care who wins. I just include the headline because it has the the words "American Idol" and "climax" in the same sentence.)
Conan takes Emmy Reins: (Love Conan, he sould do a great job.)
Jack Bauer Saves the Day on "24": (Love Jack Bauer. I am TiVo-ing the episode as I type… full review on the way!)
Finale: West Wing: (Long overdue, but I have to say good-bye to my beloved show.)
Boston Legal: Season Finale: (Again, overdue, mostly because it’s still on my TiVo. I love, love, love this show… a weekend trip has me far behind on my tv-watching.)
On to 24 and Jack Bauer!
Yes, this recap is late. (I have already received flamer emails from two folks who missed the show and are looking for my recap.) One word to describe this week’s show: Yawn.
Each of the three performers sang three songs: one song selected by record exec (and legend) Clive Davis, one song selected by a judge (Randy, Paula or Simon), and one song selected by the singers.
Elliott:
-
Open Arms by Journey: Not too bad considering I thought I would hate it. (There’s only one Steve Perry.)
-
What You Won’t Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell: Not sure how to comment. Average? Bland? Whatever.
-
I Believe to my Soul by Ray Charles: There are so many good (and more recognizable) Ray Charles songs. I would say, as a marketer, know your audience and tailor to them more. Pick a Ray Charles song that allows a sing-along. (But the kid can sing!)
Katharine:
-
I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly: Hated it. Once again, she over-sang the song.
-
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland: Beautiful. Elegant. (But why does she like to sit on the stage?)
-
I Ain’t Got Nothing but the Blues by Ella Fitzgerald: I actually liked this song and her performance was good (but this old soul loves a tribute to Ella.)
Taylor:
My takeaways: 1) Clive Davis should not be selecting songs. 2) None of the singers were consistently great.
Since this recap is so late, we already know that Elliott was sent home. Best of luck to you!
Who will win next week? Any guesses?
Even working moms find a charity to hang their hats on…
Before my daughter was born, I ran a marathon. I laced up my shoes and ran a 5k, then a 10k, then a half marathon, and then the whole 26.2 miles. (Never forget the “.2” when you are talking to someone who ran a marathon!) I was only able to complete this task by the training and support of Team In Training, which is sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which invests in blood cancer research and patient services.
I have since continued my support of the organization, and most recently, have volunteered to help with an online fundraiser currently in progress. The fundraiser – aptly named Out for Blood – is running on eBay through May 18.
There are some big-ticket items up for auction, such as World Cup Soccer tickets; San Jose Sharks hockey packages; AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am tickets; autographed jerseys from Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and Brent Jones; a customized racing bike from Specialized; a VIPpackage to Conan O’Brien; and pre-show tickets to Saturday Night Live.
There are other unique items worth highlighting because they involve high-profile Silicon Valley executives who donated their time to support this fundraiser. Seagate CEO Bill Watkins, eBay President Bill Cobb, Symantec CEO John Thompson and Solectron CEO Mike Cannon have joined forces to support this fundraiser by creating one-of-a-kind opportunities for bidders to spend quality time with them, such as one-on-one lunch meetings and rounds of golf.
If you are like me, most of my shopping is done online at night after the kids go to bed. (Would this be called Laptop Shopping?!) Regardless, if you are looking for a perfect Father’s Day gift or just something interesting for yourself, please check out the online fundraiser.
The life of a working mom is so glam. It’s 11:29 p.m. I have one load of laundry in the wash, another in the dryer. I’m sitting on the couch with a glass of red wine and a bag of almond M&Ms (and my laptop, of course). I’m taking a break from working to write my favorite headlines of the day. Here they are:
- Chris Daughtry Gets ‘Idol’ Boot and Offer of a Lifetime: Chris is the lead singer for Fuel? Okay. But I think he can make $$$$ on his own! (But how tight is that AI contract?) I also have to add that many, many, many people told me that they are "done with AI" now that Chris is gone. One guy even added that his TiVo hours have opened up now that he is convinced AI is rigged…
- Babies Get Their Own TV Channel: JUST SAY NO.
- Goldblum, Lithgow & Tambor make NBC schedule: Brillant. My fave Tambor moment: Wife says: "Jeffrey P. Brooks III, your father’s name is Al." Hubby says: "Al is short for Jeffrey." (NAME THAT SIT-COM and I will give you $5!!!)
- Must Move "ER": Hmmm… the business of TV. Regardless, tonight’s ER made me cry.
That’s it for now. My friend Tom Cruise is on Leno tonight. Gotta go.
Three days until Mother’s Day! 
The good: Julia Louis-Dreyfus hosts SNL this weekend! (I will set my TiVo now… this mom can’t stay awake that late.)
The bad: NBC scraps a West Wing retrospective? Heaven forbid they figure out a way to get some ratings.
The Chris: Chris is sent home? I will miss my favorite American Idol (and will buy his songs on iTunes!)
Let me start by saying this: I love Elvis. I own his albums, tapes and CDs. I have been to Graceland. I grew up listening to his music, and now my daughter and I rock-out to The King. Okay, with that in mind, here is my AI Recap for the week:
It was a surprisingly good show. I normally don’t appreciate non-Elvis singers who sing Elvis. But, the performances tonight were pretty good. It’s hard to evaluate because most entertainers should not sing Elvis’s signature songs, but thankfully, they found some of my favorite underground songs. Here’s my take:
-
Chris: I love Suspicious Minds and A Little Less Conversation. Both songs are great, and Chris did a good job. (BTW, I have the Elvis Comeback Special on record and CD, and this is where I first heard Conversation.) One last (and mildly inappropriate) comment… he was pretty sexy singing Conversation. (Damn, I am too old for him… er, I mean he is too young for me.)
- Taylor: I really didn’t like him singing Jailhouse Rock (see my comment on signature songs). But I loved his rendition of In the Ghetto. (I have this song on a 45.)
-
Elliott: What can I say… the best performances tonight. I know his first song (I Can Dream) well, and Trouble is my absolute favorite underground Elvis song. (Both are perfect on the Elvis Comeback Special.) Elliott was a total surprise tonight.
-
Katharine: She is hot, and a great singer, but underwhelming tonight. I hated the first mix of Hound Dog and All Shook Up, and I Can’t Help Falling in Love was okay. It could have been awesome, but she over-sang an otherwise perfect song.
No clue who will leave tomorrow night…
As Dave Matthews said, so much to say:
Today’s headlines: TiVo to let viewers search for long-form TV ads
This is pretty cool. Basically, there is a new TiVo service that allows viewers to watch commercials on-demand. Good for advertisers and good for consumers… and hopefully good for TiVo.
I am the first to admit that I zip through most ads. I only watch the really good ads like the new Mac ads (with the dude from Ed) and the new Burger King ad (men eating quiche revolt). I also admit that I have watched some of the TiVo long-length ads, namely the U2 ad (live concert on a flatbed truck in NYC) and Lexus (my car of choice).
End of day — media companies have to be pretty darn creative to reach busy moms like me. I have very little time for television, and even less time for the ads.
Just trying to squeeze in some television between mothering, working and crashing.
