(43-241) The Best Week Of "American Idol" EVER!

In my opinion, this has been the best week of "American Idol," EVER!   If you didn't have the pleasure of seeing it, let me tell you that you missed two extraordinary nights of entertainment.   Even if you've never watched an episode of "Idol" before, or you lost interest by season four; I highly recommend that you give "Idol" a(nother) chance, because this season is a whole new ball game.

When I wrote "Half Way There," I mentioned how much I loved the chemistry between Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.  But I have to say that it's not JUST their rapport that makes this season of "Idol" superior.  It's also how they share their expertise in a straight forward, yet kind manner; which is a far cry from how Simon did it.   They don't demean and degrade the contestants under the guise of giving them constructive criticism.  You can tell that they sincerely care about the competitors and that they want to help them all further their careers.  At the same time, they make it very clear that it's a priority to provide the audience with phenomenal performances.

I can honestly say that what I liked best about "Idol" this week, were the surprises.   I was so moved when Steven Tyler went up onto the stage to give Jacob Lusk a hug and a kiss after his stellar rendition of my FAVORITE, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell song; "You're All I Need To Get By."   I'm just loving me some Steven Tyler; but I'll get to that a little later.

Although I think that James Durbin is a very talented vocalist, none of his previous performances had been amongst my favorites; which is why it was such a delicious treat to hear James sing ND dance, to Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City."  I''m providing the link for this one, so that you can watch James in action.  

Now speaking of Stevie Wonder.  In years gone by, we had to wait until the finale to see guest stars perform WITH the contestants.  But during Thursday night's results show, not only did Stevie Wonder sing with the top 11; but he also sang "Happy Birthday to Ya," as a special  surprise to Steven Tyler, while they presented him with a birthday cake, and lavished him with hugs.  As soon as Stevie emerged on the stage, it was apparent from the expression on all three judges faces, that his appearance was entirely unexpected; and thoroughly appreciated.  It was a touching, encounter in every which way; and it made me feel good to watch it.

While on the subjects of the results show and feeling good; I have to mention the laugh that I got from Skeletor's, I mean Marc Anthony's, utter arrogance and obliviousness.  Now if by some chance you don't know - Marc Anthony is a singer, and he's got the good fortune to be married to Jennifer Lopez.  Well, on the results show they aired a segment in which they explained that Marc Anthony had been asked to work with the contestants, as many of them had been having problems with their pitch during the performance shows.   In his defense, I will absolutely admit, that it appeared as though his assistance was very valuable; BUT what I found so amusing was the way that he made it seem like he was the ONLY person who could help them; because he was such a BIG star.  If Roseanne Roseannadanna would have been watching, I think she would have said something like "So I said hey, Marc Anthony; get a clue!   The only reason that "American Idol" asked YOU to come to help  was because you're J-Lo's husband; and you were available.  Do you REALLY think that if Jennifer wasn't on the show, that the producers would be like, HEY, we know who to call;  we need Marc Anthony, because only HE can solve the contestants pitch problems.  Come on Marc, you're making me sick!"   But sick from laughing.  I really do enjoy some of his songs; I just prefer to listen to them with my eyes closed.

I could go on and on.  You KNOW I could.  About anything really;  BUT, truly about all of the great moments from this weeks "A I."  I'm a big (yes) HUGE Motown fan; so this week's theme made me very happy.   I was grooving to the beat and singing right along, when I heard "Heatwave," "Signed, Sealed, delivered," and  "You Really Got A Hold On me."  The songs, coupled with all of the surprises that I've mentioned, made for an awesome week of "Idol;" but one of the BEST moments ever, was when the judges had Ryan stop Casey Abrams from singing for his life; because they didn't need to hear the whole song to know that he deserved to be saved.  Casey was undeniably astonished when the judges decided not to send him home, despite America's vote.  They told him that they knew how talented he was and that they thought that he warranted another chance; however, they cautioned him to be careful of what Steven Tyler called his "crazy ass ego."  

How do I love Steven Tyler?  Let me count the ways...
I love his balls to the wall attitude, I love his energy, I love his candor, I love his compassion, I love his wit, I love his originality, I love his swagger, I love his expressions, I love his wardrobe, and most of all, I LOVE that he is a judge on "American Idol."  It is obvious that all of the contestants just adore, respect and admire him; and that the audience feels the same.  I'm so glad that Steven Tyler is giving America the opportunity to get to know him;  because I think that he brings out the best in EVERYONE.  Happy birthday Mr. Tyler!!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-217) Holy Shin Guard!

One of my favorite things on "GLEE" is when they do a mash up.  If you're not familiar with this term, according to "Wikipedia"  "it's when they combine two or more different songs into one by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another." 

A little earlier tonight, I was talking on the phone with my friend, Jenny; and she asked what tonight's blog was going to be about.  I shared my two ideas, she gave me her opinion; and after we hung up, I realized that I could totally combine both.  I realized that often times, "The Bumpy Ride," truly is a mashup. 
 
I was all set to go with the idea that Jenny preferred; until "American Idol" came on.  Y'all know from several recent blogs, that I am once again a big (yes) HUGE, fan of "American Idol;"  and when I found out tonight that the 12 guys were going to perform today, the twelve girls tomorrow and then on Thursday, the top five guys, the top five girls; and the judges wild card picks would be announced; I was a HAPPY lady.  I for one am very glad that they won't be drawing these qualifying rounds out.  Get in, get out quit messing about.  That's what I like!!
 
We settled in to watch and laughed as Ryan Seacrest handed Steven Tyler a blooper mask.  Now this is just a term that I made up, because I don't really know what you call the "American Idol" logo on a stick, that Ryan handed to Steven to put in front of his mouth in case he cursed.  Ryan demonstrated how Steven might use the blooper mask; but he didn't need it when he yelled out "Holy Shin Guard," after one of the performances. (Or at least that's what it sounded like to me;)   I love me some Steven Tyler and the new and improved "American Idol."
 
Ironically enough, the original idea for tonight's post, is something that had me saying "Holy Shin Guard," or something like it, earlier today.  A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from USAA or so it seemed.  It was asking for my personal information, but as I'm not a USAA member; I totally disregarded it.  A few days later I received a similar email from my bank.  It didn't read right to me, so I decided to take my chances and disregard it as well.  Then this morning I found this email :
"We recently have determined that different computers have logged onto your Online Banking account, and multiple password failures were present before the logons. We now need you to re-confirm your account information to us.
If this is not completed by March 4, 2011, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely, as it may have been used for fraudulent purposes. We thank you for your cooperation in this manner.
To confirm your Online Banking records click on the following link:https://online.my/my banks name.com/IdentityManagement/

Thank you for your patience in this matter.
My banks name Customer Service

Please do not reply to this e-mail as this is only a notification. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered.
�2011 My banks name  Corporation. All rights reserved.

Thank you Steven Tyler, I'll say it again; "Holy Shin Guard!"  Once again I was suspicious; so I clicked on the link, and I swear to you, it looked very similar to my banks home page; logo and all; however, it required me to provide my log in and password on the same page, and that doesn't happen unless I'm first shown my site key.  I decided that I'd rather be safe than sorry; so I called my bank and waited on hold for ten minutes or so; in order to ask if my bank had sent me this email.  Well, I'm sure you know as well as I, that in fact they did NOT.  It was a total scam.  My bank told me what information would have been included in the email had it been authentic; and I felt really relieved that I was not duped. 

In the interest of (say it with me,) "the Greater Good," it is my fervent hope that by posting this story tonight; I will prevent at least one person from falling pray to these scavengers.  When I think about this email scam and the potential harm that it could do; I get very angry.  How ironic that they threaten to suspend my account due to fraudulent activity; when this is the most fraudulent activity of them all.  I know that there have always been con artists out there; and some of them legitimize their craft by calling themselves car salesmen. No offense to my car salesmen readers; but I'm not really a fan of the mode of operation used to separate me from my hard earned money.  But I digress.  I feel the need to pull Roseanne Rosannadanna outta my arsenal and say "Hey, you email scammers; stay the heck outta my business and go make some money by gettin a real job.  Hopefeully one where you're bustin your hump; YOU'RE MAKING ME SICK!"
 

Whew!  Talk about a mashup... I covered "GLEE," "American Idol," email scams AND Roseanne Roseannadanna all in one blog.  HOLY SHIN GUARD; not bad for a Tuesday night.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING 

(43-37) Roseannadanna Vs. Verizon

In the famous words of Roseanne Roseannadanna "There's always something; if it's not one thing it's another;" and tonight; it's VERIZON!!

I don't think that I've ever met anyone who was thrilled with their cell phone company.  If I'm mistaken, and I've met you and you're thrilled with your cell phone company; please, by all means tell me which company and why.  I had been with Alltel for 12 years until they merged with Verizon; and I was transferred over.  Did I like Alltel?  Heck no!  Whenever I would call Alltel; I would always have to call back 1 to 2 times after my initial call to make sure that what I'd discussed with their rep was accurate or that they'd documented my account appropriately.  It was a pain in the neck; but I'd been grandfathered in on a calling plan and I couldn't find anything nearly as good with any other company; so I stayed with them.

The transition from Alltel to Verizon was not an easy one for me because I had gotten a new phone about a month before the merger and the phone turned out to be faulty and needed to be replaced.  As Verizon was unable to provide me with the same model, I had to trade it in for something of theirs; including THEIR calling plan which cost me more money for less minutes.  I'm not going to go into all of the gory details of the new phone procurement; because I'm fairly confident that you have all endured your share of problems with cell phone companies.  Let's just suffice it to say that I could have started blogging about Verizon long ago; but this is one of those stories that I saved up until the time was just right.

So I had gotten the phone from Verizon in October and in July I noticed that the phone kept turning off randomly; even when it was fully charged.  I called Verizon and as the phone was still under warranty, they agreed to replace it; the only hitch was, that they replace it with a refurbished phone.  A "like new" phone, not a "NEW" phone.  Well, I wasn't very happy when I heard this but I felt that I had no choice but to agree to try one out, because my phone that kept turning off was doing me no good and they agreed to stand by the refurbished phone at least until my warranty ran out.  I received "like new" phone #1 and shortly after receiving it, I found that it had a little glitch in it's audio, because from time to time it would sound as if I'd dropped a call but I hadn't.  I was never sure if during these segments the person on the other end could hear me; but they assured me that they could.  It was a bizarre occurrence and not one that I wanted to repeat for another 15 months; so again I called Verizon for a replacement.  Phone # 2 arrived and it seemed to work fine, but after one week, I started having the same exact problem as with replacement #1.  I called Verizon again and they sent replacement #3.   I was a little taken a back with replacement #3 because as soon as I plugged it in to charge it, the message read "This cable is not recommended for this phone."  OK, so I thought it was a fluke and I charged the phone.  Everything seemed to be working just fine until the next time that I had to charge the phone and I received the same message.  I emailed customer service because I found it highly unusual that the cable that came with the phone and was able to charge all 3 previous phones was now not compatible with this phone; even though it was the same model.  So guess what?  Yup, replacement #4 is ON ITS WAY.

It's at this point where I need you to read this in your best Roseanne Roseannadanna accent;  " Hey Verizon, CLEARLY there is a problem with the "Like new" models of my phone.   Now granted, I don't have a top of the line phone.  I have no need for a Blackberry or an iphone.  (OK, I'll admit it; I don't even really know what an iphone is.)  I just have my lower end phone with my little keyboard and I love it.!!  But you know what Verizon; it doesn't matter, because you sold me THIS phone and you're  supposed to stand by your product and it's supposed to work.  So my big question for you Verizon is, after Fedexing me 4 phones and paying for me to Fedex back 4 phones wouldn't it have just been cheaper and or better customer service to just give me a "New" new phone?  So I said Hey, Verizon; you're making me sick!"

Now for those of you who don't know who Roseanne Roseanna was; I'm sure I know sound like a raving loon and I beg your indulgence; and respectfully suggest that you watch a Gilda Radner / Roseanne Roseannadanna video on Youtube and then, with her and her accent in your head; come back and give this another read.

So sure, I could have told you this story when I first started having problems with Verizon;  but I thought it best to wait.  I could have shared this with you after replacement phone #2 perhaps; but the time just didn't seem right.  But 4; yes 4, seemed the proper time to call Verizon out.  I know that my story is not unique and that many of you can probably tell similar ones; and in the big scheme of things, I'm not sweating this AT ALL.  It's just a small annoyance and I'll take small annoyance over a big problem any day.  I just thought that the time was finally right to tell this tale, so that we can all see how this plays out together.  Maybe I should have a contest....  Leave me a comment and tell me how many phones you think I'm going to have to go through before they A) Send me one that works or B) They send me a "New" new phone.  I'll have to think of a prize but trust me I WILL.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Lucy Incarnate

OK, I know that I have previously likened my life to an I Love Lucy episode and here is a prime example of why:
Try as I may; sometimes common sense just does not prevail. Lately I have been quite diligent, if not obsessed with flossing my teeth with these well, floss picks; if you will. So anyway, today while I was at work, I thought that I felt something between my two front teeth and I kept trying to swipe at it with my tongue; but that wasn’t helping. It would have taken very little effort for me to reach down into my purse and get a floss pick; but no, out of sheer laziness, I guess, I opted to use the corner of a check stub that I was about to discard. (I know - GROSS; and actually I cannot believe that I am admitting this in type, but hey it’s all for the greater good and your amusement.)
Anyway, I gently tried to dislodge whatever it was that I thought I had between my teeth; by using the corner of the check stub, and then - the corner of the stub ripped off and got stuck between my teeth. (Why am I suddenly hearing the voice of Rosanne Rosannadanna right now?) In Roseanne Roseannadanna voice “So I said hey, Queen of EVERYTHING, get that little piece of paper out from between your teeth – you’re making me sick.” LOL (And for those of you who have no idea who Roseanne Roseannadanna is; just re-read and leave that part out, and I am sorry, cause you don’t know what you’re missing.)
Anyway, so the paper is stuck between my teeth and you have NO idea the panic that had now taken over my body. I felt like such a moron; and really, all I could picture was Lucy in the same type of situation. Oh my god, it’s just laughable.
Well now I had no choice. I had to bend down the whole 2 feet and reach into my purse to get the floss pick; and after a few minutes, relief was mine.
I’ll tell ya; for a smart girl, I manage to do some pretty stupid things; but at least I get to share them with you.
Till next time…
Queen of EVERYTHING