Thursday, May 17, 2007

American Idol: Doolittle's Going Home

I'm not really surprised nor am I upset that Melinda Doolittle was voted off of American Idol last night. Mainly because she doesn't embody an "American Idol" (the way the show is intended) except that she has a great singing voice. That's nice but I imagine she'll end up taking a route similar to Jennifer Hudson. She may make an album or two, but I doubt will sell well in the mainstream pop charts beyond those Idol fans hoping to hear her voice again because of the nature of her vocal talent. I can't imagine record producers giving her very many "pop" songs to perform because she doesn't have that presence and style. Sure she did well enough on the show to last this long and surprised me with a couple performances that I thought she would tank but I don't see a mainstream, pop music career for her. She does have an interesting, almost infectious, personality though which, I think, would carry over well to Broadway along with her voice. I guess we'll see what happens.

Jordin was a shoe-in because she mixes all that a pop-star should have. She's got the attractive look, the great voice, the youthful attitude and good stage / performance presence. Blake is almost the same. He's an excellent performer, has a pretty good voice for most types of singing that he's done on the show, has the young, attractive thing going for him and certainly brings marketability to the table with his beat boxing and humor.

Of the two finalists, I'd give the edge to Jordin because she's more of a total package but Blake definitely has a prosperous future ahead of him. I could easily see both on television shows and Blake seems like he would fare much better than Justin Guarini in movies.

So, while this season has had its ups and downs (mostly downs in my opinion) it's ending on a pretty good note. Some good talent in the end and, hopefully, a good finale show next week will carry us over until next year.

And, if that's not enough for you, remember that we don't have to listen to Paula's comments for another eight months!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Fly Skybus from Columbus for only $10!!

This is so cool!
Of course, I'm always trying to find the lowest airfare for destinations that I'd like to travel to and that can be difficult when flying out of Columbus International Airport. However, now that Skybus (based out of Columbus) is preparing to enter operation, that will all change.
Checking out their website you will see that they offer fares to select cities in the US for as low as $10 one way (plus taxes, of course)!
As of now their are only 9 destination cities and they are expecting to receive their federal certification to fly within the month with their first scheduled flights being May 22.
Doing a test comparison for 1 passenger with Skybus' site and Travelocity flying from Columbus, OH (CMH) to Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Hollywood Int. Airport) and back on Mon., Oct. 22 and Fri., Oct. 26 gave these results:

Skybus: Nonstop flight with Priority Boarding ($10 @ way), assuming 2 bags ($5 @) and Travel Insurance. Flight Time ~2:00 - 2:45.
Total Cost: $136.84 with taxes and fees.
JetBlue (Travelocity's Lowest Fare): One connecting flight in NY (JFK) and Flight Protection. Flight/Layover Time ~5:30.
Total Cost: $260.55 with taxes and fees.

That's a big difference. Make it even bigger by dropping the Skybus Priority Seating (allows you to board 30 minutes before others) and it's an even bigger savings, only $116.84! Plus, that was using a connecting flight with JetBlue. the only nonstop flight was with Delta Airlines and that ticket cost, with Flight Protection, skyrockets to $386.75!! Krikey!!

So, for travelers looking for a really good deal on flights, look into Skybus to see if they go where you want to go. Or, heck, for as low as $36.30 without frills you can take a weekend trip (Sat. - Mon.) to Portsmouth, NH (60 miles out of Boston and 50 miles out of Portland, ME)!! Talk about your weekend getaways!

I'm definitely going to be keeping my eye on Skybus and you may want to as well!
Courtenay

Save $75 with Travelocity Last Minute Deals

Amazing Experiences, Unbeleivable Activities at Great American Days

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Professor fired over Va. Tech discussion

It really bothers me that this professor was fired.
Read the Yahoo article here.

As a college graduate and having worked at a major university now for 8 years, it seems to me that the purpose of an institution of "higher learning" is certainly to teach but also to broaden minds and ways of thinking, especially at a liberal arts institution such as Emmanuel. I've seen criticisms online that since he was a finance professor that he shouldn't have been talking about the incident as he did in his class...what a load! Teachers and kids in high school, and probably younger ages than that, talked about it and I'm sure it's been talked about for more than the 5 minutes that this professor had. And, again, this is a college/university where the students (young adults) are supposed to talk about current events and the world around them. I just hope he gets hired quickly somewhere else.
Here's some more news coverage and his YouTube response to the incident:

Boston.com News
His YouTube video responses

And, this is the Emmanuel College "About" page that tells of their mission and so forth. Funny that this line is included in that staement:

"We challenge ourselves, faculty and students alike, to be rigorous in our pursuit of the truth as we explore and question, analyze and research."

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Finally, Sanjaya is gone!!

Thank you for finally voting Sanjaya off of Idol.

Too bad the damage had already been done...

Saturday, March 31, 2007

One more to go Buckeyes!!

Way to go Buckeyes!!!
Georgetown has fallen and we just have one more game until we are crowned the NCAA Champions!!
Say it with me...Go Bucks!!

(added after the game)
...damn.
Oh well, we still had a great season.

...wow, deja vu...

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows cover Art

By now, it's old news on the internet, but check out the cover art for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

This first image is the wraparound cover for the U.S. version of the book:

This is the cover for the U.K. kids version of the book:

And, this is the cover for the U.K. adult version:

Looks pretty good.

Pre-order your copy at Amazon.com, Buy.com or Wal-Mart.com (only $17.87!) for very low prices!

Friday, February 09, 2007

Don't Miss Out On Your Harry Potter!

I'm a big Harry Potter fan and I know their are millions more of you out there so go reserve your copy of HP and the Deathly Hallows now so you can get it delivered the day it comes out and find out how the story ends!! I can't wait 'til July 21st...or the 14th for the OOTP movie!



Hey, while you're at it, why not throw a Potter Party for both the movie and the book?
It's bound to be brilliant!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Ted Ginn does it again!

1st play, baby. TD kickoff return!
This is just the beginning...

Go Bucks!

(added after the game)
...damn.
Oh well, we still had a great season.