Non-TV related stuff
I’m Actually Starting to Give a Shit About Baseball Again
To no one’s surprise, Roy “Doc” Halladay was voted to the AL All-Star Game by his peers. What was surprising was fellow Blue Jay Shea Hillebrand making the team. As a DH. Overall though, it’s nice to see a couple of Jays getting face time in a high-profile game.
I wonder if Hilfiger gets as much online attention as these cuts
Lots of bloodletting in the ‘E’ this week, ostensibly for their move to USA in September. IP Wrestling is keeping us on top of the situation. The ones I feel the most for are Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda, who just came back from a no doubt pricey honeymoon, only to find out they’ve both been pink slipped. I’m going on my honeymoon next week, and there’s a good chance that I’ll be in the same situation. Hopefully it won’t come to that right away, so I can put aside as much money as possible.
Yes, it’s not as exciting as getting kicked out of a Backstreet Boys concert, but it’s a slice of my life, so there you go.
Oh wait, here’s a fun story
So my dad managed to find out that Le and I were going to give him a special anniversary dance (it’s their 35th) at our wedding, and he kinda went nuts because we didn’t tell him and he wasn’t prepared. Which was the point, really. This is the same guy who did a Foxtrot or something to “California Love”, and now he’s on this kick where the song must have a strict waltz tempo. Well, we managed to pull out the vault o’ fromage, and as luck would have it, “Open Arms” by Journey seems to fit the bill. We’ll see how freaked out he’ll get over that.
Actual TV-related Content
Dynasty
Takeru Kobayashi is a fricking machine. He’s won 5 Forth of July hot dog contests in a row, eating an average of 49.5 every year. Even more impressive, he’s also a world record holder for eating 69 Krystal burgers in 8 minutes. I can’t even eat two of those without getting sick.
Ranking the Canadian Idols
We’ve got eight of Canadian Idol’s Top Ten voted in, with the Wild Cards to come. How will those eight do, and who are the lucky two that will join them?
(Note: These comments come without the prior benefit of watching the Group 4 performance show)
Darryl Brunt – This kid has got a sweet voice, and could go all the way, except for two things – he may remind voters of Kalan Porter, and I think that Luke O’Reilly will be in the Top Ten, causing he and Darryl to split votes – there’s only so many pretty boys that the girls will be willing to vote for. Darryl may make Top 5, but he won’t go all the way.
Amber Fleury – In a Canadian Idol where only I voted, Amber would be the Canadian Idol. From a singing standpoint, I don’t think that there’s a better voice in the Top Ten. But realistically, I don’t think that she’ll be claiming the title. At some point the voting public gets a bit more superficial, and that will obviously hurt Amber. She’ll do no better than third.
Rex Goudie – So at most, there are going to be 4 males in the Top Ten, and I don’t actually see that happening (more on that later). Which means that Rex will probably get more of the screaming girl attention than one would expect, and that will propel him all the way to the Final Two. Will he win? Well, it really depends on whether Canada wants another male Idol, and I’m not sure that they do.
Casey Leblanc – Casey’s cute. It’s never a bad thing to be on these shows, and that will get her past the first week. But I think that she’ll be exposed as a singer who can’t keep up with the rest (I mentioned her lack of emotion before), but doesn’t do enough to correct it. She’ll be gone by the second week.
Ashley Leitao – I think that Ashley is going to take the Carrie Underwood trail to the title of Canadian Idol – she won’t be the best singer on any given week, but she’ll always be good enough to make people vote for her, and keep her out of the bottom three. Call her an under-the-radar champion.
Melissa O’Neil – Like Casey, Melissa is another very young singer. Unlike Casey, I think that Melissa is a little less set in her ways, and she’ll take whatever criticism she gets and use it the next week. I see her lasting maybe three or four weeks.
Suzi Rawn – Suzi, I think, is the random variable among the eight who have already qualified in that I’m not sure how the voters will take to her each week – she could honestly go out first or win it all. I know Murtz thinks that she will win, but I think that Suzi will need to pull a Bo Bice and choose the right songs to showcase her voice. If she does that, she could be wearing Macs and Wellingtons and noone would care.
By the way, I still can’t believe that Carrie beat Bo.
Emily Vinette – If you’ve read my report then you know that I wasn’t particularly impressed by Emily. She’s definitely got power, but in between the glory notes she’s an average singer at best. I don’t expect her to last long, and she’ll probably be gone by the third week.
The Wild Cards
We’ve got 11 singers, but only eight of them will get the chance to sing. So which 3 singers will get cut like a wrestler traded to Raw?
Stéphane Aubin – In the Wild Card by virtue of being Top 3 in Group 1. He’s got a great, powerful voice, and he has the singing style that Idol voters like. He’ll get a chance to sing on Tuesday, but I don’t see him making Top Ten.
Jenn Beaupré – So she says that jazz is not her forte, but her performance wasn’t exactly bad. But Jenn is smart enough to KNOW that that isn’t what Canadian Idol fans want to see, and given the chance, she’ll show a different side of her. She’ll get to sing, but I think she’s going to bomb spectacularly.
Vince Benenati – In the Wild Card by virtue of being Top 3 in Group 2. Vince has got a lot of family voting for him, so he’ll get a chance to sing, despite his “Let Me ConVINCE You” shirt. But his dream will end there, as he won’t make the Top Ten.
Dianelys Hernandez – Unlike Jenn, she’s a jazzy singer, but she doesn’t have Jenn’s look, and that’s going to work against her. Canadian Idol voters do not “get” jazz or scat, so I think she’ll be on the bubble as far as even getting to sing goes. Actually, let’s put that down. Dianelys won’t be singing on Tuesday.
Devika Mathur – Another singer on the bubble. I question whether Canada is ready for an Indian woman in the Top Ten, but if they give her a chance to sing, she stands a good chance of being there come Wednesday night. Actually, I think that she would’ve been there already, had she not been steamrolled by the Hatboy and Amber Express.
Luke O’Reilly – This kid has got a very nice, smooth voice. He’ll get a chance to sing, and if he makes it to the Top Ten, it will probably hurt Darryl Brunt’s chances, as they seem somewhat interchangeable. It’ll all come down to song selection for Luke next Tuesday, and if he chooses well, he’ll make it in.
Josh Palmer – If you saw Group 2, you know that the judges love him. However their pimping of Josh didn’t translate to a Top 3 spot in a very weak group. People like quirkiness, but Josh is a bit too quirky, and he’ll be sitting on the sidelines 5 minutes into the show.
Barrett “Prettyboy” Peitsch – In the Wild Card by virtue of being Top 3 in Group 3. Not a very good singer, but he’s got the look that the girls love, and that will earn him a chance to sing, despite his cheesy plea. My greatest fear – Prettyboy makes the Top Ten and goes far. I’m really hoping he doesn’t, and the spot goes to someone more deserving.
Julie Tellier – Definitely has the power, but I’m not sure that she can connect with the audience. I think she’s on the bubble to perform, and it’s a shame if she doesn’t get the chance to because she could really surprise us.
Danian Vickers – This girl can sing well, and would probably get Top 3 if she got too sing, but she was much too humble in her plea, and I think that she’ll be watching 8 others sing on Tuesday.
Aaron Walpole – In the Wild Card by virtue of being Top 3 in Group 4. A big man, with an even bigger voice. I’m not sure that he’s a great singer, and I think he’s on the bubble to perform on Tuesday. The crying may put him over the top to sing, and that chance may be enough to push himself into the Top Ten.
Final Predictions
Not singing on Tuesday – Dianelys, Josh and Danian.
Wild cards into the Top Ten – Aaron and Luke
Final Two: Rex and Ashley
Winner of Canadian Idol 3 – Ashley Leitao
Well, it’s the Big Day for me, followed by the honeymoon, so I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. See you then!
