(43-277) "The Voice"

I know that there are many busy people who fore go watching TV; but I can't.  I enjoy watching TV.  I like being distracted; and I watch a good variety of shows.  Everything from a soap opera, to comedy, to drama, to reality.  I watch dance reality, singing reality, cooking reality and human reality.  And I know that sounds like a lot to some; but thanks to my DVR, I watch it all at my convenience.  Well usually...

On Tuesday night, we ran into a bit of a scheduling conflict, because we can only record two shows at a time, and watch one of the two shows.  We were recording the "Dancing with the stars" results show, "The Biggest Loser," and  "GLEE," but we also wanted to watch the premier of "The Voice" on NBC.  Since the aforementioned shows overlapped a bit, I knew that if we watched "The Voice" on the play room TV from 8 to 830, we could then record the remainder on the DVR.  Luis, Kelsie and I settled in for "The Voice," and we all LOVED it. 

If you haven't heard about it; lemme splain.  The show is hosted by Carson Daly, who thus far he has proven himself to be kind, compassionate, 

and extremely likable.  Even Luis thought so.  The judges are Adam Levine (Maroon 5,)  Cee Lo Green (whose hit "Forget You" is ROCKIN the charts right now,)  Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton; and together, they're a terrific team.  The premise of the show is that each of the judges will chose 8 singers to comprise their team.  Then the judge / coach will work with them as the show goes into competition mode.  Ultimately, one person will be dubbed "The voice."  The contestants had been pre-screened and the ones who are appearing on the show, are those that received call backs.  The singers come out onto the stage without being announced, and the judges have their chairs turned around so that they cannot see the performer.  The contestant begins singing and if any of the  judges are interested in coaching that person, they hit their buzzer which turns their chair around so that they can face the performer.  If no one buzzes in, the singer does not continue on the show.  If more than one judge buzzes in, then the singer will have the opportunity to chose which coach he/she wants to work with.  And I can tell you that the judges and their pitches are both funny and heartfelt.

Frenchie Davis

So far, each coach has chosen three singers; and I was so pleasantly surprised when onto the stage walked none other than Frenchie.  NO, not Frenchie from "Grease," Frenchie from season two of "American Idol."  I had been a big Frenchie fan back in the day.  And if you don't know who I'm talkin bout, lemme refresh your memory.

So it's season two of "American Idol" and Frenchie wows the judges.  Frenchie sails through Hollywood week and makes it to the semi-finals, but when the show start airing, Frenchie is no where to be found, because the producers had eliminated her.  Frenchie had been forthcoming with the producers and told them at the age of nineteen she had posed for some lingerie and topless pictures which had been on the Internet.  The website had since been shut down, but the producers decided that since "Idol" was a family show, it would be inappropriate for Frenchie to appear.  This steamed me then, and  since more recent contestants were allowed to compete after less forthright discoveries were made, I think that Frenchie got a really raw deal, and I'm very excited to be able to watch her have the opportunity to perform again.

"The Voice" is not aiming to be a venue for "Idol" castoffs from what I've read.  They are just trying to find the BEST voice in America.  Other contestants had stories that were just as compelling as Frenchie's.  From a painstakingly shy, 16 year old girl, who'll be working with Blake Shelton, to a young woman whose been living in her car since she travels around so much for gigs.  There are all types of  singers who perform in various genres; and what I find really interesting is that, the teams are not necessarily being built in accordance with the singer or coaches specialty.  There's a country crooner who chose to work with Adam Levine, and a rock girl who picked Christina Aguilera as her coach; and I could go on and on, but I won't.

As full as my DVR is getting, I will definitely be fitting "The Voice" in to my scheduled recordings list; and get this.  If it's too full, I WILL watch it on any TV that's available in my house; because it's just THAT GOOD.   I can assure you that  "The Voice" is not JUST another singing reality show; and it's totally worth your time, even if you have very little of it.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-266) 100 To Go!

Big fan of continuity that I am, on this auspicious occasion, I feel compelled to say, "Milestone, Milestone, who's reached a milestone?" "It's me! It's me!" "Milestone, Milestone who's reached a Milestone?"  "It's me, It's me!" "Uh-huh, uh-huh, Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" "100  to go!"     

Yes, today is the day that I have been striving towards for weeks.  I have now been 43 for  266 days and I am delighted to report that all is well and I'm still going strong.  Additionally,  I've now written 266 consecutive blogs; which means that in just 100 days, I will be 44 years old, my daily blog will be concluded and Lyndzi, Jackie and I will be on our way to New York.  I can't wait, on all three accounts!!
 
Although I REALLY wanted to write about John Travolta's appearance on "Dancing With The Stars" last night; I felt obligated to share something a bit more personal today.  I thought that it would be appropriate to tell you a few of the things that I've learned in the past 266 days, since when I first wrote "43" I said that I planned to write about things that I learned, enjoyed, or recalled. One of  THE most important things that I've discovered thus far, is that you need to take your happiness wherever and whenever you find it.  Rejoice in all things that give you pleasure, even if it's something small.  So since John Travolta makes me SO happy, and I enjoy him thoroughly, I've concluded that it makes perfect sense to write about him tonight after all.

Now if this isn't your first time at this rodeo, than y'all know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Maksim Chmerkovskiy (dancing pro) on "Dancing With The Stars," and I'm also a big fan of his partnership with Kirstie Alley this season.   You may also recall that on a number of occasions, I've mentioned that John Travolta is my favorite actor.  So imagine my sheer delight when John Travolta popped up on "DWTS" last night, because Kirstie felt that she and Maks needed the aid of "The Dance Doctor."  WOOHOO!  I felt myself smile from ear to ear when JT popped in.  Now JT didn't dance, he just gave Kirstie and Maks a lil coaxing and encouragement; but nonetheless, it was a pleasure to see him.  I knew right then and there that I wanted to write about how giddy his appearance made me; and I started to reflect on why I adore him.  I considered this "Dance Doctor" title and realized that I could think of no other actor of our time that has danced in as many movies as John Travolta has.  I'll state the obvious, "Saturday Night Fever."  Then he sang AND danced in "Grease."   There was "Staying Alive,"  then he two stepped in "Urban Cowboy," heck he even danced in "Pulp Fiction," and strutted his stuff briefly, in "Michael," and I have to give him double props for dancing as an overweight woman, in "Hairspray."   Other than "Staying Alive," I loved all of these movies, and even the ones that he hasn't hoofed it in.
Yes, seeing John Travolta on "DWTS" last night, was a perfect example of how easy it can be to get happy; and I think that we need to be thankful for all things big and small that put a smile on our faces and make life a little sweeter.

I am so thrilled that I've been able to live up to my commitment, despite the many times that I didn't think that I could.  I know that I'm in the home stretch now; and instead of fearing the 100 posts that I have yet to write; I'm going to embrace the challenge and push myself to make these next 100 blogs the best that I've ever written. 

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me.  As always I welcome your ideas for new posts and your feedback. 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING       

(43-215) My 2011 Oscar Predictions

I previously told you that I was the Queen of PLANNING; but that certainly was NOT the case this weekend...  Had I thought better of it; I wouldn't have made my big, New York announcement yesterday; knowing that I was going to be occupied with all things Oscar today; but I was excited; I couldn't wait to share my VERY Big News.

I awoke happily to emails and comments about my impending trip; and as much as I would have liked to respond in greater detail, I had baked potato salad to make, brownies to bake, I had to finish my Oscar research, transpose emailed ballots to printed ballots, take call in ballots, email my picks to the pool participants, AND write my blog.

I did far less research this year than I usually do, but I'm feeling somewhat confident about my picks.  I was on the fence about Original Song; but after listening to all of the nominees, I finally went with "Coming Home" from "Country Strong;" mostly because it didn't depress me like "If I Rise" from "127 Hours" did; "I See The Light" From "Tangled" was not my favorite song from that pic; AND "We Belong Together," from "Toy Story 3"  did nothing for me.  
I had a difficult time choosing the best director because I'm going with "The King's Speech" for best picture, but David Fincher was the favorite for director.  You'd think that if something was the Best Picture, the director would have had a lot to do with why; however, I'm going to follow the pack and split my vote.
The last category that caused me to overthink, was Original Screenplay.  I know that historically, the winner of Best Original Screenplay doesn't win the Best Picture; ie: "Good Will Hunting," "Juno," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Lost In Translation" just to name a few; so I was unsure if I should choose "The King's Speech" as Best original Screenplay when I wanted it for Best pic.  Ultimately I rationalized that if "The King's Speech" somehow didn't win Best Picture, and I didn't chose it for best screenplay, then I could lose two categories; so I'm taking a chance that it's going to win both.

With all of that being said; for better or worse, here are my 2011 Oscar predictions:

Leading Actor: Colin Firth
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Leading Actress: Natalie Portman
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Animated Feature: "Toy Story 3"
Art Direction: "The King's Speech"
Cinematography: "True Grit"
Costume Design: "The King's Speech"
Directing: "The Social Network"
Doc. Feature: "Inside Job"
Doc. Short: "Strangers No More"
Film Editing: "The Social Network"
Foreign Language Film: "In A Better World"
Makeup: "The Wolfman"
Original Score: "The King's Speech"
Original Song: "Coming Home"
Animated Short: "Day & Night"
Live Action Short: "Na Wewe"
Sound Editing: "Inception"
Sound Mixing: "Inception"
Visual Effects: "Inception"
Adapted Screenplay: "The Social Network"
Original Screenplay: "The King's Speech"
Best Picture: "The King's Speech"

I'm playing for a $90 pot, and I'd love to win so I could put that money towards my New York trip.  I'm wishing the best of luck to anyone who's participating in an Oscar pool; and I hope that you enjoy the show if you watch.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING