tigra

I'm with you about Ace "The Face"! He's cute, but his vocals aren't there and Simon seems to be the only judge that notices! I kind of want to compare him to Constantine last year- he's much better looking and more natural on stage (his sultry looks ARE sultry instead of "hammy") but Constantine actually had a stronger, better trained voice. He'll be a fan favorite for a while and there will be a huge uproar when he's voted off. And next year, he'll be the guy in the audience sucking up to Ryan Cabrera or some other "real" celebrity!

YUP- it all started with JD Fortune coming up with his own arrangements! But, seriously, the show has "evolved" to some extent, and Chris was able to do what he did last night in part because of Bo's success last year. And don't think for a minute the producers weren't watching that very successful other show last summer, either! Even the band this year is more versatile. OK, mean comment here---- Does anyone else think Paris looks like the kid from Different Strokes wearing his Grandma's makeup and clothes?

I thought the standouts last night were Mandisa, Chris, Katharine and Kellie (although her makeup looked like it was done at a funeral home.) Chris was simply amazing with his rendition of Walk the Line- I'm pretty sure that's the first time a perfomer was allowed to do his own arrangement for a song on that show and he really ought to be thanking not only Bo Bice but Rock Star INXS for paving the way for a "real" rocker on American Idol. I was ready to throw rocks at the TV when "Chicken Little" and Elliot Yamin performed and hit some seriously BAAAADDDD notes, not to mention- that Chicken Little kid BUTCHERED one of my favorite songs from that era! I was so impressed that Simon was nice to him, only to have Ryan Seacrest bring up the Chicken Little crap all over again pretty much guaranteeing more sympathy votes for him. As far as the rest go, last night was little more than mediocre karaoke. I think Bucky will be leaving tonight, but it could be Elliot too. He managed to save the ending of his song, but the notes he hit in the beginning made my ears hurt!

There are soooo many parallels between this season and the 2nd season. The questionable writing is one of them. I guess the van had a super charger, huh?

I definitely did not see that one coming. And I was even surprised that the evil VP apparently ordered the hit on Wayne Palmer. Why not take just take him into custody and keep him from delivering whatever info he had? Or at least find out what he knew and who else knew it before they tried to kill him. hmmmmmm Too bad about Tony.

Why are you surprised the hobbit is dead? I didn't even see the episode and I knew it would happen. The bad CTU directors reform and then die. Remember George from the first 2 seasons. Inhales a ton pf plutonium just because he was trying to escape the blast zone and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he flies the plane with the bomb into the desert so Jack could survive. And Jack had to take out Chapelle just when he was starting to become human. Driscoll survived but lost her daughter. When you think about it, directing CTU has got to be one of the worst civil service jobs out there! No comment about Tony- the writers seem determined to kill off most of the main original characters. But it would be much more in keeping with the history of the show if Tony survives. I figure it could go either way.

Yes, it was really serious and he hasn't taken much time to recover. He's already had at least one relapse. But he's got a CD to promote and it needs to sell enough to warrant another (hopefully better) one, so he's out doing the PR stuff again even though he can't possibly be 100%. You aren't a bitch though, just honest- his performance was off last night and the new material sucks. He was so riveting last year with almost all of his performances- why oh why didn't Clive Davis go with what clearly worked? I'll never understand the music industry!

Don't even get me started on Bo. Clive Davis must be senile. He finds this natural talent with a gift for rock and roll, and forces him to make some overproduced piece of pop crap as his first CD. (There's some decent material on it, but its really nothing special and nothing like the Bo America fell for last year.) He must have forgotten that golden rule- if it aint broke, don't "fix" it! My only hope is he sold enough CDs that he gets a shot at a second one where he's go more artistic control. And his performance was off too, but he's been struggling with some serious health issues since he left the show. He probably needs to take several months off just to allow his body to heal, but that's hard to do when you want to promote a new cd.

Ruben was/ is overweight to an extremely unhealthy level. Mandisa is huge also, but she doesn't look THAT unhealthy. Time will tell. Ruben could barely get through one song. Towards the end of the competition when he had to do 2 and then 3? He was a mess. Seriously, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they kept O2 backstage for him. There's no way he could tour or live up to any of the expectations of "American Idol". If I'm not mistaken, he was even hospitalized. I honestly thought when he won, his "handlers" would force him to take control of his health, but they didn't. They just let him slip through the cracks. Kelly Clarkson trashed her voice that first year with all the appearances and touring she was expected to do. I guess it paid off, but her voice will never be the same. Ruben fell under the radar because he wasn't healthy enough to make all the promotional appearances. I understand he had a very successful gospel album, though. I think Madisa's age will work against her more than her weight. She'll be gone before the young kids. Chicken Little will make the top 6.

Well, that's just it. You're only hearing things from him and not even getting a jealous vibe off the girlfriend when you are with her. Can she really be that good at covering it up? I don't know- on the one hand, do you really need to get involved in all that drama? On the other, maybe she really needs the friendship you've extended even if she is jealous and insecure. Tricky situation!

I travelled around Eurpope for 3 and a half months with a back pack, a train pass and a youth hostel card. It was about 20 years ago, a year after college and I'm so glad I did it. I haven't made it back and I'm not sure I would want to travel that way again- our accommodations were often "primitive", laundry and showers were always issues, and we usually didn't spend more than a day or two in any one place- but it was a great experience. "Let's Go Europe" was my bible- it was just loaded with information! Seems like now you get more current travel form the internet than guides like that, but the "Let's Go" series is still available.

You don't know! But you like her and you've gotten along well so far without picking up any hint of jealousy, right? I've dealt with jealous SOs before, (I think most of us have) but even when they tried to be friends to my face I always knew there was something more going on. Anyway, all I'm suggesting is keep an open mind, BUT now that you know there is potential "weirdness" from both of them, maybe be a little careful about how involved you want to get with them. She's been a friend and it sounds like she needs a friend, so try not to cut her off. But at the same time, you don't want this dysfunctional couple to drag your healthy relationship down to their level.

Just another perspective- she might not be the weird one. You haven't witnessed this behavior first hand, right? I have a very good friend who was married. She is the nicest, sweetest person imaginable, but HE for some reason told all of his co-workers that she was a jealous, abusive, hysterical shrew. They didn't know her and believed him. HE was the one with the problems, not her. He was systematically trying to cut off her support system and keep her from making any friends where he worked- that's what an abusive spouse does. There's more to it- he tolds friends (me) and family members that she had drug and alcohol problems, that kind of thing. The reason the work thing matters is that he worked at a dz, and she was also a jumper. He made sure she was unwelcome there and burned enough bridges for the both of them at his former DZ that she didn't feel she could go back there either. Anyway, try and keep an open mind about her. There could be a lot more to the story than you will ever know!

I'm with you. I'd much rather vote for the person to be booted. But I also like Chris's idea of letting them all perform for the 3 weeks and doing a cumulative type thing at the end. Truthfully, the whole voting system is flawed anyway. The judges should have some input into who stays and goes like they did with the INXS show. Votes determine the bottom 3 and the judges decide from there. But are we being naive to assume that the votes really do count and the results aren't manipulated or predetermined?

Paris reminds me of a very young Jennifer Hudson. She's got natural talent but needs more training, and her voice is more gospel oriented than anything else. She seems like a sweet kid, but when she performs, it looks like she got into her mom's makeup and I don't know whose wardrobe. What's so wrong with looking like a kid when you are one? The other young girl (Lisa?) at least looks and dresses like a teenager and she's really good too! But, there's way too many teenagers in the competition. They'll get votes they don't deserve and older, better performers will get booted early on. They really should raise the minimum age to 18 and do a separate show for kids between 12 and 18.

Which one is the "rocker chick"? I didn't watch last night and I don't remember any of them doing rock except the one who got booted after Because the Night. American Idol needs a rocker chick! They've had R&B, Country and Pop idols. This year should be a rocker! Ayla has a good voice and she'll go pretty far in the competition although I think Simon's comments about her are right on. She's a little too perfect.

Well, one draw of the larger boogies used to be turbine aircraft that many smaller dzs did not have. That's maybe not so much the case anymore- most people don't need to travel across the country to jump a twin otter anymore, but for a chance to do 2 or 3 planes shots, they might. Other plusses include load organizers and meeting new friends. Large boogies like WFFC also have a ton of venders so you can demo gear and maybe get some deals if you are looking to buy. But only you can decide if its worth it and pick one to go to. Skydivers are generally a friendly group, so meeting new friends shouldn't be an issue whereever you go. (Unless you're a total intorvert or a jerk, and even jerks have friends!)

Don't you think that sweet little country girl routine is going to get old? Last week- squid, this week Sall-man? Next week, someone will make her eat snails! Can you hear it already? "They call em ESS Car GOTTS! They was slimy!" Are we sure she didn't pick this act up after watching all the old Tammy movies?

Actually, from what I read, its fairly simple and painless to implant a chip in a medium to larg sized dog, but the needle is pretty big for cats or small dogs. They recommend doing it when the animal is already under for another procedure. We had one of our cats done while she was getting spayed. The other two don't have them, but they are mainly house cats with limited yard privileges. Oh, and not all vets and shelters check for chips or have the correct readers for them but it does seem to getting more common.

The thing about the Ludlum novels is that the heroes were all essentially the same character. A retired/ semi retired person with a covert military background who wants to put his past and all the demons behind him and have a normal life. A good man who had to to terrible things for the greater good. A man who lost a lot in the process and is still haunted by the ghosts of his past. But somehow he keeps getting sucked back in and he's the only one who can save the world from whatever evil plot is afoot. Yet another guilty pleasure of mine!

The first season was the best, the second far and away the worst. This one is improving, but some of the plot devises are heavy handed, as is the blatant pimping of the current administration. All that being said, I still love the show, its a definite "guilty pleasure" and better by far than the rest of the prime time lineup!

I have faith in Jack's Spawn! (The new and improved Spawn from Season 3, definitely NOT the Season 2 Spawn!) She don't need her daddy to put this guy in his place!

OK, sorry, you got me there! Skydiving is not safe. As boogies go, everything is relative. Summerfest is a low key alternative to WFFC. Actually, many people attend both boogies since they are relatively close together and at least one weekend tends to overlap.

Jack won't die, but didn't the previews say someone would make the "ultimate sacrifice"? My guess is Buchanon or McHobbit- I'm hoping for McHobbit since CTU finally has someone decent in charge! Plus, there would be a sense of poetic justice and a little redemption, which seems to be one of the ongoing themes of the show! And with 40% of the staff dead, does Spawn (Kim) step in and fill Edgar's shoes? Does Jack find time to file a complaint against her new boyfriend with whatever organization deals with professional ethics of psychologists? He did start a romantic relationship with a patient, right?

You know what Randy? That's disgusting and out of line. This isn't a freakin' locker room and I don't think you know Renee at all, much less well enough to make jokes like that.