Was This Review Helpful?

Okay, friends, I've put up with looking at this crap for years now, and I've finally got to say something about it before I go postal. It's not that I particularly like the band involved, or their song (just for the record, it's the single "My Heart, Your Hands" by the band Dommin, which was offered this week as a free download on iTunes) ... it's just that this sort of reckless behavior has really been getting on my nerves. Here's a little quiz for you: Which of the reviews in the image here is the best one?



Notice that I didn't say "your favorite one", or "the one you agree with the most". I said "the best one". I'll give you a hint: it also happens to be the longest one. And that's where the problem lies. Our society has been conditioned to have such short attention spans that our eyes will tend to gravitate toward the shortest posts, because we "don't have time" (give me a friggin' break) to read the longer ones. Just compare the total number of helpful/non-helpful votes on each post, and that's all the proof my argument needs. But the atrophy of our ability to concentrate is a topic for another time and another place.

What I'm getting at is that the vast majority of the posts in the attached image here are not "reviews", they're "opinions", and as such they should have been deleted by the iTunes store administrators. What's the difference? An opinion states simply what the writer thinks or feels (or what it's "fashionable" to think or feel), whereas a review tells us the most important part: WHY the writer thinks or feels the way they do. I'm sick and tired of people posting a profound little nugget of wisdom like "this song sucks it sounds like crap" (usually in just that sort of run-on sentence, with no capitalization or punctuation and gobs of misspellings), with the ones who fancy themselves a bit more clever throwing in a reckless bashing of an artist that they personally don't happen to like, regardless of its relevance to the topic at hand.

To me, reading that sort of junk is a far greater waste of my time than a coherent, thoughtful review that's five times as long but which takes the innovative approach of actually explaining the nature of the writer's opinion. Why does he/she not like what they're hearing? That's what I want to know. Whether or not I agree with them, I will consider that a helpful review, and I won't consider the minute or two it took me to read it to be "wasted" time. This is one of the pet peeves I have about the Internet: it's been made so simple to use that a lot of the people who use it are out-and-out simpletons (my readers excepted, obviously), making for way too much worthless crap for the more intelligent of us to have to sift through. What I'm trying to say is that if you're going to bother writing a review, please make it worth reading.

And please, for the love of Perquackey, think twice before you vote "yes" or "no" on the "Was this review helpful?" question. It is not -- I repeat, IT IS NOT -- asking you "Do you agree with this review?" What it is asking is whether, assuming you didn't own this item, it would help inform your decision as to whether or not you'd buy it. Is this too difficult to understand? If so, then you probably need to just take the nearest damn off-ramp from the Information Superhighway and let the rest of us drive.

Gosh, you didn't think you'd hear a rant like this from me, did you? Well, that's how much I'd been getting pissed about this...!

American Idol 2010 -- And Then There Were 20

Well, this was certainly a mixed bag of results tonight, wasn't it? I was right about two of the eliminations, one of which I was okay with (Janell Wheeler) and one of which I wasn't (Joe Muñoz), and the two I was wrong about were also split between the okay (Ashley Rodriguez) and the not okay (Tyler Grady). Although I must say I wasn't quite as disappointed as I thought I'd be in Tyler's departure ... though I was a bit ticked that they cut his farewell performance short.

I was delighted to see that Alex Lambert is getting another chance, but I was nothing short of dumbfounded that the singer I felt was the worst of the entire Top 24, Tim Urban, was voted through. And it certainly doesn't soften the blow that, as I was writing my play-by-play last night, I kept seeing texts tick by with a really great defense for Tim Urban: "but he's, like, soooooo cute!"

Yeah, that's what counts in a singing competition -- cute. I'll confess, I sometimes vote for the cute one (David Archuleta being the most obvious example), but I voted for him because he could sing like nobody's business. It doesn't matter how cute a contestant is -- if they can't sing, I don't think they deserve to continue. Joe Muñoz, while not necessarily the cutest, had both a voice and a stage presence far better than Tim, and he should have remained in the running.

I've never been so sorely tempted to just stop watching "Idol" altogether ... but I'm going to keep watching in spite of the travesty that happened tonight. It's probably a good thing I wasn't watching "Idol" during the Sanjaya season, 'cause from what I hear about how long he remained in the competition, and how allegedly undeserved it was, that probably would have gotten me fed up with the show back then.

Besides, with Simon taking off after this year, I have a feeling this will be my last go-round for "Idol", unless they get someone really good to succeed him.

American Idol 2010 -- The Top 12 Guys

Here I am sneezing and coughing ... but never too sick for "American Idol", especially when its the guys' turn! Not much else to say, so let's get started!

Todrick Hall ("Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson) -- Wow, some pretty strong words from Simon, eh? I don't really agree with the judges ... he turned the song on its ear, but I really liked the result.

Aaron Kelly ("Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts) -- You know what? I'm almost underwhelmed ... but only because I knew he was going to be good. I can't say he blew me away, but then this is only his first week.

Jermaine Sellers ("Get Here" by Oleta Adams) -- He's a great singer, and did a good job ... but I don't really like his falsetto ... it gets a bit grating. If he sticks to a lower register (if he comes back next week), he'd be better off.

Tim Urban ("Apologize" by OneRepublic) -- Hmmm ... a tough song to sing, and I'm not sure he pulled it off. He should have chosen a safer song, since he was technically "not supposed to be here" ... I have a bad feeling he may have blown it.

Joe Muñoz ("You and I Both" by Jason Mraz) -- Very nice! A couple of pitchy notes, but he was enjoyable, and looked like he was enjoying himself. One of the better showings of the night, I think.

Tyler Grady ("American Woman" by The Guess Who) -- Awright!! I think this may very well be my favorite performance of the night! I'm a bit surprised by the judges' critical comments, but I do kind-of understand why they said what they said.

Lee DeWyze ("Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol) -- Oooh, I heard a lot of flat notes in that performance ... I've never been crazy about this guy, and this performance hasn't done him any favors in my eyes.

John Park ("God Bless The Child" by Billie Holiday) -- He started out a bit shakey, and he let it get a bit improvy in the middle, but he came to what I thought was an excellent finish. Again, some of the judges' comments were a bit surprising.

Michael Lynche ("This Love" by Maroon 5) -- I was worried about the song choice, but I should have known not to be ... this was absolutely one of my favorite performances of the night! I think Big Mike is here to stay!

Alex Lambert ("Wonderful World" by James Morrison) -- I really want to like him ... but after that performance, I can't. He looked uncomfortable, and the vocals weren't much more than okay. A pity, 'cause I love that song.

Casey James ("Heaven" by Bryan Adams) -- Well, it was a great performance, but somehow I was expecting more ... maybe for some reason I was expecting him to be "the best", which is unfair. Still, a perfectly solid showing.

Andrew Garcia ("Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy) -- I'm really starting to love this guy! He's got the talent to make songs his own, regardless of how far he goes in the competition. Fantastic way to close the show!!

My most favorite performances of the night: Michael Lynche, Tyler Grady, and Andrew Garcia.

My least favorite performances of the night: Lee DeWyze, Jermaine Sellers, and Tim Urban.

Who I think should be eliminated: Tim Urban and Lee DeWyze.

Who I think will be eliminated: Joe Muñoz and Alex Lambert.

How disastrously wrong (or miraculously right) will I be? We'll know 24 hours from now!

American Idol 2010 -- The Top 12 Ladies

Here we go with this year's semi-final shows ... Ellen's first live performance rounds, and of course the first ones for the contestants in front of a live studio audience. Simon says it's going to be a year for the ladies, and of course at this point he could be right. I like several of the girls -- Lilly, Crystal, Didi, and Katie -- maybe I'll end up liking more as the weeks go on. (Goodness knows, I ended up falling out of love with at least one of the ladies during each of the last couple of years.) And here I am again, thinking I wasn't going to do "play-by-play" this early and instead just a quick wrap-up post -- but I guess I just can't help myself.

Paige Miles ("All Right Now" by Free) -- This is a great way to kick off the first live show! She started out a bit too quiet, but quickly got a lot better. I'm starting to like this girl, too.

Ashley Rodriguez ("Happy" by Leona Lewis) -- Not only am I not seeing anything original in her performance, but I heard several off-key or slightly warbly notes. Two people have to be eliminated this week, and as of now I think she's one of them.

Janell Wheeler ("What About Love" by Heart) -- Hmmm ... the second unimpressive show of the night. Are the girls letting their nerves get to them? This is another one I just wasn't liking.

Lilly Scott ("Fix It All" by The Beatles) -- She struggled a bit with the low notes, and it's always daunting doing a Beatles song, but she did better than the last two ladies (though I still hesitate to call it a "great" performance).

Katelyn Epperly ("Oh! Darling" by The Beatles) -- Now, that's the stuff!! This has got to be the best performance of the night so far! Not only was she spot-on-key, but she seemed by far the most comfortable on stage. Yay!!

Haeley Vaughn ("I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles) -- When we're talking originality and energy, this performance was top-notch, but as far as execution -- am I being too critical? -- I thought it was good, but not great.

Lacey Brown ("Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac) -- I've got to agree with the judges ... it just wasn't a good performance at all ... perhaps the weakest of the night. She made it into the 24 this year after being cut last year, but I think this may be it for her.

Michelle Delamor ("Fallin'" by Alicia Keys) -- A very solid performance ... though it seemed a little "safe". Ha-ha ... I swear I typed that word three seconds before Ellen said it! Anyway, excellent, though she should try something a bit more original.

Didi Benami ("The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelsen) -- A left-field song choice ... and she made it one of the best of the night! She needs to work on not sounding so much like Adele, but otherwise she's just delightful ... one of my early favorites for sure!!

Siobhan Magnus ("Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak) -- Gosh, another unconventional pick for a song, and I think it paid off for her as well. She surprised me with what a wonderful performance she gave!

Crystal Bowersox ("Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette) -- This might make some of you out there groan, but ... Crystal rocks my Bower-socks! I just knew she was going to give a great performance, and she didn't disappoint me one bit!

Katie Stevens ("Feelin' Good" by Michael Bublé) -- Excellent!! There were just one or two notes that kept that from being perfect, but I really liked it. (Totally disagree with the judges on the song choice.)

My most favorite performances of the night: Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, and Katelyn Epperly.

My least favorite performances of the night: Lacey Brown, Janell Wheeler, and Michelle Delamor.

Who I think should be eliminated: Lacey Brown and Janell Wheeler.

Who I think will be eliminated: Lacey Brown and Janell Wheeler.

Let's tune into the guys tomorrow night, and the results on Thursday!

Why CDs?

I may have covered some of this ground in the past, but I've had this particular post on my mind ever since I started my two "decade" coutdowns in December ... well, actually quite a bit earlier than that ... so here goes. (Besides, this has been a slow month here anyway.) Why do I buy CDs? And no, I'm not questioning my own choice to buy them, rather I'm answering anyone who might be asking the question.

I've noticed a whole lot of attention being paid lately to the single, and less of an emphasis on the album. In "Rolling Stone" magazine, the singles reviews are now occupying almost as much space as album reviews. Also, most every other blog I've seen out there has had a "top singles of the year" list, while such a list is noticeably absent from my blog. And then there's the ubiquitous presence of iTunes where, I've been led to believe, individual track sales are far more numerous than full album sales. So, the question persists: Why do I buy albums? Don't I know that there are usually just one or two good songs on an album, and all the rest is filler, not to mention that I can cherry-pick my favorite songs digitally on iTunes?

Well, yes I do know all that. But there's a method to my madness. First of all, the reason I buy albums as opposed to singles is because I like to invest more time in an artist than three or four minutes. Not only do I feel like I'd be dismissive and curt to said artist -- who's probably taken a lot of time and hard work to put together a whole set of ten or eleven songs -- by only giving them one song's worth of my time, but the truth is that I quite often end up liking well over half the album after I've listened to it a good few times. I frankly have never understood how so many listeners dismiss an album as having "only one good song" ... it must just be a symptom of the ever-diminishing attention span of the average American. I kind-of pity those people, in a way, 'cause I know they're missing out on some dandy album tracks.

Besides, I never listen to the radio (no particular reason, I just don't), so I never pay attention to what singles are popular and what aren't ... I guess I just prefer to explore on my own.

And now for the other half of my answer: why I buy CDs instead of digital albums. Of course I have bought one or two digital albums, but only when they're available in no physical format. When I spend my money, I like to get an actual, tangible object in exchange for it ... not some ethereal blip of data that could potentially be gone in one catastrophic hard-drive crash. Not to mention that I love to be able to flip through the liner notes, reading the text and enjoying the pictures ... plus (not that I necessarily have it on my mind when I buy the disc) I've got something to sell to the local independent store for trade credit if I should happen to not like the album or grow tired of it in the future. And I have to admit, there's something fun about hunting down a hard-to-find title, that feeling of triumph when I find it, the rush when I receive it in the mail (or bring it home from the store), and the anticipation of popping it in my player for the first time.

As I've said before, the convenience and immediacy of digital downloading (and I mean legal digital downloading, you cyber-hooligans out there) is way cool, no doubt ... but nothing can compare to holding an actual CD case in your hands, gazing at the front and back cover art while it spins in your CD drive and pours through your headphones, and finding that special spot on your CD shelf to tuck it into, amongst the rows (and, for me, rows and rows!) of its brethren. I tell you, if I didn't have those two bookcases full of CDs in my room, it just wouldn't feel like home.

American Idol 2010 -- The Top 24 is Revealed!

You've just been waiting on pins and needles for my first "Idol" post of the year, haven't you? Well, here it is. The rest of the Top 24 are being revealed as I type this, and I couldn't be more excited! Well, I probably could be ... I mean, in the last couple of weeks we've had to say goodbye to Amedeo DiRocco (the big, seriously soulful Italian guy), Bryan Walker (the Tennessee police officer), and Matt Lawrence (the burly guy who had done jail time in his younger days) ... all of whom I liked and had really hoped we'd see go further. But it still looks like we're going to have a fiercely talented two-dozen semi-finalists to whittle away at this season.

I'm not sorry to see Mary Powers cut (talented, but probably way too aggressive a personality), nor Jessica Furney (Did she honestly think her pathetic begging would change the judges' minds after they spent hours deliberating? Honestly, she gives me the creeps as much as the weirdly babbling "ohmygod! ohmygod!" girl from last year did.) But unfortunately, some other really good performers that I liked have also been cut from the quarter-final group of 46 ... like Shelby Dressel (who I think was pretty despite her facial paralysis, although admittedly not in the top half in singing talent), Angela Martin (the third time wasn't the charm for this girl who's been through so much ... gotta be the toughest rejection the judges gave this year), and Thaddeus Johnson (great potential at just 16, so he'd better try out again next year!).

Here are my thoughts on the Top 24....

Michael Lynche -- He's a great big teddy-bear of a spankin' new dad, and a genuinely likeable guy (as I'm sure a lot of the audience would agree). I hear web buzz that he's been disqualified because of a technicality, but I've also heard a rumor that that decision has been reversed, so I guess we'll just have to enjoy him for now and see what happens.

Didi Benami -- How can anyone not have a connection with this lovely girl due to the heartbreaking story of her best friend's untimely death? Those judges simply couldn't be so heartless as to send her home, could they? Well, fortunately, the answer to that was "no", and I think she'll do well.

Katelyn Epperly -- Like the judges pointed out early on (and even into Hollywood Week), it's a bit hard to get a connection with her, and I haven't yet either. She's a really good singer, naturally, but I honestly have a feeling she won't be sticking around for long unless she can tap into some personality.

Casey James -- Here's another dude I like (plain-and-simple hotness aside) ... an all-American guy with a likeable personality. I think he's got a lot more to show us than he's shown us already (again, no jokes intended by his on-Kara's-demand shirt-shedding), and I look forward to it. If you like this guy, you should check out recent Australian Idol winner Wes Carr ... same kind of vibe.

Aaron Kelly -- Does anyone else out there love this kid as much as I do (and have, from day one)? I wasn't the least bit surprised that he was pulled through, although I did worry just a bit when he made not one, but two lyric fumbles in Hollywood week. As adorable as David Archuleta, but Aaron's got more going for him (better conversational skills, for one thing).

Lee DeWyze -- On the surface, he's kind-of a cross between Matt Giraud and Danny Gokey from last year, but I can't really define him otherwise. With any luck, he'll tap into something inside and show us what he's probably capable of. I also hope he, like, develops his, like, vocabulary more ... like.

Todrick Hall -- This guy just might have the most charm of all the Top 24 so far, and he showed it right from the start with that improvised song for the judges at his first audition. Great voice and a lot of charisma! I'm looking forward to seeing what this guy has up his sleeve.

Tyler Grady -- If Aaron is my favorite, this guy is a close second. He's got a great '60s/'70s kind of look, an original style, and more than enough potential to command the stage. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this guy progresses.

Alex Lambert -- Hey, two Lamberts in as many years! (Not that they're related, of course.) I kind-of like this guy, though I don't know if I'd have necessarily considered him Top 24 material. But I certainly won't argue ... I hope he breaks out and shows us something.

Tim Urban -- Cool ... I was kind-of hoping this guy would make it through ... I have a feeling he'll be showing us that he's earned his semi-final slot.

Crystal Bowersox -- There's something about this girl I like, besides her obvious talent. She reminds me a little of Amanda Overmyer (from season 7), and I was happy to see her brought forward into the Top 24.

Katie Stevens -- She just might be my favorite of the ladies ... a sweet, adorable girl with a heartbreaking story and a big, knock-your-socks-off voice. I'm really happy to see her brought through, and I can't wait to see her shine.

Lily Scott -- A friend of mine has liked her from the beginning, but she's one of those that flew under my radar until now. Something tells me she'll be going pretty far in the competition.

John Park -- I've liked this guy for awhile myself (reminds me a bit of Anoop Desai from last year), and was kind-of hoping to see him stay in the game. I'll be watching him eagerly.

Andrew Garcia -- This guy won me over with his great interpretation of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up", and I've had my eye on him ever since. The judges did well to bring him into the semi-finals, and I look forward to seeing what else he can do.

Ashley Rodriguez, Janell Wheeler, Lacey Brown, Joe Muñoz, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers, and Haeley Vaughn -- I honestly don't remember much (or remember seeing much) about these competitors, but it'll be interesting to see how far they go.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a strong Top 24, with the ladies looking just as strong as the guys. I wonder ... will a woman take the title for the first time since 2007? Or will a guy be crowned American Idol for a third straight year? Time will tell...!

Weird Gets Raw

For a short while now, William Shatner has been doing this one-on-one talk show called "Shatner's Raw Nerve". It airs on the Biography channel, and is also sold on the U.S. iTunes store. The setting is almost artful in its simplicity: just Shatner and one guest -- in his 26 episodes (and counting), he's had people ranging from Scott Baio to Judge Judy to porn star Jenna Jameson to Meat Loaf to Whoopi Goldberg to, inevitably, his "Star Trek" compatriot Leonard Nimoy -- having an intimate chat with no studio audience.

Recently, his guest of honor was "Weird Al" Yankovic. As you might imagine, a conflux of two of my favorite pop-culture personalities in one place was too much of a temptation to resist. Knowing most of what there is to know about Al, I expected a rather uninformative, somewhat superficial half-hour of little interest. But you can imagine my surprise when I found myself watching something entirely different ... and unexpectedly riveting. I realized that while I know nearly all the facts, of any significance, about Al's life, he's never dropped his Weirdness long enough to let the world in for a real look, not that he's ever "owed" us one (after all, being Weird is his job!).

Shatner isn't afraid to use the title of his show quite literally and broach the touchy subjects -- and with Al it's no exception. He's begun to mellow with fatherhood and with age (though he can still tuck his ankle behind his neck!), and he rarely if ever sheds his "Weird" persona before the press or the cameras, so this is a rare glimpse into the real Al. Whether you have just a passing interest in Al, or have been a lifelong fan as I have, I can guarantee that you've never seen Al as truly human before as he is here, and it's really quite moving. You can buy this episode (and the whole series) on the U.S. iTunes store.

Boyzone's New Album Cover Revealed!

Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed reading my Favorite CDs of the 2000's countdown, 'cause I sure as heck enjoyed writing it, and revisiting some CDs in my collection (in memory if not actually in listening to them again) that I'd been neglecting for far too long. I'd had a topic in mind for a series of posts this month, but I'm putting it on hold until March, partly to give myself a bit of a rest in hopes of recovering from a bout of "techno-choly" I've recently caught.

You see, our broadband internet connection went on the fritz over the weekend, and we're still not sure if it's been fixed all the way yet. And for some stupid reason, I can sometimes get bent out of shape by electronics around the house malfunctioning, and this time in particular I've found myself frequently wishing I could pack up and move out to some remote area in Europe where life moves at a slower pace and isn't nearly as dependent on all our high-tech gadgetry.

But anyway, as you can probably understand, all that has dampened my spirit slightly for keeping up a steady blogging schedule, so things will probably be a bit quiet around here for the next four weeks. But have no fear, I've got two ideas in mind for series of posts, not to mention the fact that "American Idol" is just about to kick into high gear with Hollywood Week and the ensuing viewer-vote-powered final rounds. But in the meantime, I hope I'm the first in your little blog circle to bring you the recently unveiled cover of the new Boyzone album, "Brother", due out March 8....

















It's a very nice-looking cover, however I can't help but notice the absence of the late, great Stephen Gately. True, he is technically no longer an active member of the group, but it was my understanding that he recorded a fair share of vocals for this new batch of songs before passing away ... at least, I hope we'll be hearing a lot of his voice. Plus, since this album is no doubt in memory of Steo, the least they could have done was shrink the "Boyzone" and "Brother" and move them toward the outside edges, making room for at least a small pic of Stephen in the center ... wouldn't you think? Still, though, I will of course be picking this one up promptly.

Oh, and I didn't notice until yesterday, but my #1 CD of the '00s entry was my 300th post!! Woo-hoo!!