It is the 5th of the month, time for Stephen Chapman's Five on the Fifth posts. Yes, I am a bit late, but it has been a busy time for me. Think of it as 5 on the 7th for me. This month, Stephen suggested a theme could be "Blur," which I decided to go with, although, as is often the case, I shall play with the meaning just a bit.
This picture of Tom Goss was taken, and it got all blurry by accident, but I loved it.
This shot of Eric Himan had an interesting perspective, with a forced blurriness.
Sometimes my eyes get so damn blurry when I am working on a video...
The Monster, a club located on the first floor of this building, was a source of a few blurry nights for me.
I can definitely tell you that Marie's Crisis cause several blurry nights and mornings for me.
Tonight the contestants of American Idol Season 10 invade the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, giving a wide range of music for the kids to choose from, with Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Rockabilly and so many other styles just ripe for the picking. It will be interesting to see how the contestants pick their songs. Crusty leads the contestants out on the stage, excited about being a part of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Gwen Stefani styling the ladies. Will.i.am is brought in to advise the contestants about the performances.
Steven gives us a tour of the Hall of Fame, of which he is a member with the other players of Aerosmith. We see the costumes of some of the greats, and the big bust of a gaping mouth, belonging to our guide.
Jacob is singing the song Man In The Mirror, after he passes on singing Let's Get It On, which he felt wasn't him at all. He isn't quite as over the top as he has been before, but there are some rough notes in the early part. I found it to be somewhat lackluster, a tad generic. However, the judges once again heard something else, and extolled the joys of a bit of Lusky Stank, another great performance.
Haley sings Piece of My Heart, by the amazing Janis Joplin. She is wearing an interesting piece of fashion by Gwen Stefani. She is hitting the notes, but missing the emotion. If she would be less interested in the affectations, the forced growl, and more with connecting to the song lyrics. The judges are loving them some Haley this evening.
Casey started singing Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, the great song by the Police, for Will.i.am and Jimmy Iovine. It wasn't pretty, and the next thing we know, he is toting an upright bass to center stage and perform Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, by Credence Clearwater Revival. The song, written by Steven Fogerty, lead singer of CCR. It was a far better choice, I must say, but there was still some bad notes in there, and a certain lack of vocal control. However, the judges seem to think Casey is all about making the bass cool again, and making J-Lo pay for front-row-seats at the Casey show.
Lauren sings Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin... Well, actually, written and performed by Carole King. She delivers a nice performance, and, aside from a strange choice or two, she pulls it off nicely.
James decides to slow it down this week, and picks George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The song was featured by the Beatles as part of the White Album. To me, it showcases the lack of real control James shows, as the first 90% of the song, which was really lacking for me. The judges just loved it, thought it was a touching and heartfelt performance. I am at a loss.
Scotty thinks Elvis is in the building. He is singing That's Alright Mama, Elvis' first single way back when. Scotty is hitting all the notes, and sounding way better than I thought he would. The performance, however, was ladled heavy with cheese. The judges are loving it, complete with the staged 'rushing of the performer' by a pack of teenage girls. Maybe a lighter hand, Nigel....
Next up, we have Pia singing the promised up-temp number, River Deep Mountain High. It was originally performed by the Ike and Tina Turner Review. She comes out strong, hitting all the notes. She certainly has the power to sing the song. What she didn't have is the soul. It was much more the vocal exercise of Celine Dion and not the bravado or charisma of Tina Turner.
The amazing Todd Rundgren was in the audience before we get to Stefano, who is singing Percy Sledge's legendary When A Man Loves A Woman. After an iffy start that tries to be subtle, he dives into the song at 145% volume, with seeming to be in the wrong key to start with, and went off on the top end. However, when it comes to the judges, Jennifer and Steven were crazy about it, and Randy was the only one to see the problems in the performance, including the staccato phrasing on the first half of the song.
The last out tonight is Paul. He needs to recover well from last week, when he was the only one of the bottom three to survive. He is singing Folsom Prison Blues, by the great Johnny Cash. He is performing it well, with great energy and style. That was pretty damn good, Paul's best since the semi-finals. He has such interesting musicality, and it shined tonight.
The pressure is on, and it only seems likely that a man will be heading home this week, as there is only three women remaining to the six ladies. I would think that Pia and Lauren are safe, and most likely Haley, too. I would hope that Paul and Scotty are good this week, leaving Jacob, Casey, Stefano and James in a precarious situation. Or, I might be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.
The Thompson Twins started to make some noise on the music scene in 1982, but it was in 1983 when they not only were noticed, they were a staging a musical coup. With the release of the album Into The Gap and the first single, the band, which was made up by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, none of whom were named Thompson nor twins, took hold of the charts and were not to let go for a couple of years. The first single, Hold Me Now, went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, establishing the New Wave band as a group to be heard. The song also topped the US Dance chart.
The band first came together in 1977 with a very different lineup from the one we came to know in the 80s. Red-headed Tom Bailey was part of the nucleus of the band, but it wasn't until 1981 that Joe joined the band, and a few months later when Alannah came on board. The band was named after a pair of comic book detectives. Their second single from the album, Doctor! Doctor!, kept the repetitive theme going in the title. This one made it too #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
The trip seemed to be very close and happy with one another for some time, although that changed in 1986. No, that would be misleading, for everything that I read at the time was that Joe was unhappy with the management of the band, but stayed close to Bailey and Currie. By the time Close To The Bone was released in 1987, Joe had left the band. You Take Me Up was the third single from the album, and it only made it to #44 on the Billboard singles chart. The song is an infectious song, with some vague Island flavors, but was certainly pure Pop.
Throughout the years, the critics on both side of the Atlantic were not really that kind to the band. In the US, I seem to remember reading some reviews of the early stuff that was positive, but quickly things changed, and they were chided for being too Poppy, for being all about the haircuts, a victory of style of substance. Personally, I think the critics were full of it, cause I loved the band. There was joy, fun, and caring put into the music, and I couldn't wait to buy it. The fourth single from the album was Sisters Of Mercy, which didn't make an appearance on the singles chart.
At some point in their collaboration, Bailey and Currie stopped being co-workers and started being lovers. In 1988, Alannah gave birth to the first of two children. In 1991 they were wed in Las Vegas and in 1992, they relocated their family to New Zealand. Leeway was pursuing a solo work, as well as an acting career. Bailey and Currie stopped performing under the Thompson Twins name, moving on to record using the band name Babble, although the last album released was in 1996. The final single from the Into The Gap album was the Middle Eastern tinged The Gap. It was one of my favorites from the album.
I remember first hearing them in 1983, when I heard the song Lies, and had to go buy the album Quick Step and Side Kick. That led to my unstoppable love for the song We Are Detective. Ah, but I think that might be fodder for another post.
I can't tell you how many times in the past 20-some odd years I done this - put on some Jimmy after waking up Sunday morning. There is something in his voice I find soothing and affirming. So I reached into Jimmy's catalog, and this is what I came up with. First, there is Safe, off 1995's Dare To Love.
Next there is the vastly under-rated Dark Sky from the Manage The Damage CD in 1999. Such a beautiful song, really.
And, finally, there is Lay Down, also from Mange The Damage. Really, if you don't have this album, you should. You can find it on Amazon.Com here, or on iTunes here.
Tonight at 9PM/8PM Central on BBC America, we have the opportunity to watch the 7th episode of the 8-show season. This season has really kept me on the edge of my seat, and not just because I am perched to jump the bones of either Mitchell or George. In the last 20 minutes of the last episode, we learned George's father wasn't a ghost, just an down-trodden man yearning for release. He gets the release when he punched the bossy gym teacher, winning his wife back. This was a shock because not only did we think him dead for most of the show, but he was also caught dancing to The Promise by Girls Aloud. George contemplates staying with his new-reformed nuclear family, but soon realized he was far better off with his new family, Nina, Annie and Mitchell. And Mitchell tells the detective about Daisy, but she also wants to speak to Herrick about Mitchell. When she does, Herrick is sniffing around like a dog after a bone.
This episode opens with a scene showing Herrick in a ringmaster outfit, in the cages set up for the werewolf games. He is chatting away, and soon we see to whom he speaks. It is "human" McNair, who was put in with a werewolf and somehow stunned everyone, and is the one lives. After listening to Herrick pontificate on and on, we notice something, a bit of blood. Seems McNair, played by the delicious Robson Green, was scratched by the werewolf. And so another werewolf enters the world. Zoom forward, and Annie is hard at work trying to sort out the investigation of the box Tunnel Massacre, as Mitchell tries to tell her who disastrous it would be if a vampire was arrested, and people had to come face -to-face with the reality of the supernatural. But the ghost ain't buying into his argument. When the police detective reports to her boss, he just wants her to give up, as her investigation has led to stories and innuendo, no real facts.
As Nina shaves a recovering Herrick, he speaks to her about the realization he is a vampire, and his confusion about it, and the fear. She tells him to stay appalled by it, to try and defeat the hunger. And he admits to giving the scrapbook to the detective. As that thought settles in, the doorbell rings, and it is McNair being helped in by Tom, as his leg as a cut. Nina goes into action. Is it wrong I want to be Nina, on my knees tending to McNair's wound? They talk, and McNair notices Nina has a bit of a baby-bump, and surprised she and George have not been bothered by the vampires, who have been chasing he and Tom around. He suggests it might be because of Mitchell. Meanwhile, in the other room, George is inviting Tom to stay with them, for he shouldn't be chasing and killing vampires, he should be dating, getting sexually transmitted diseases and hangovers. As they return to the living room, all are surprised when McNair announces they are staying a couple of days, and even suggests Tom and George go out for a pint.
The detective takes to the bathroom for time to think, and Annie goes on a deep monologue [the detective can't hear], clearing Mitchell, but still wanting to pursue the killer. The detective, on the other hand, wants to continue to chase Mitchell. Annie believes this is at least a partial victory, and we hear the beat of drums in the background. Cut to Mitchell walking down the street smoking a cigarette, and we hear the Detroit Social Club doing a version of Johnny Cash's God's Gonna Cut You Down.
Annie zips home in a ghostly way, and as Mitchell comes in, she wants to know his plans. He is going upstairs. He has plans to talk to Herrick. Although Herrick seems afraid, Mitchell will not go easy, trying to figure out how he survived the werewolf attack. Mitchell knows he is still Herrick, even if others don't believe him. He has the answer that just might save Mitchell from the Wolf-Shaped Bullet. Downstairs, Annie announces she knows who murdered the people on the train to a surprised Nina and George, telling them it was Daisy. George is shocked, cause he did have that fling with her... Nina thought it was Mitchell who had, and was shocked as well. The detective shows up to question him again, and I swear, the more trouble he gets into, the hotter he looks. They talk about the scrapbook, and he tells her it was't his, it belonged to Graham, which is true. She think she is lying, and tells him that. She wants to see Uncle Billy, who we know is Herrick. Mitchell goes up to tell him, and he tells Mitchell he cannot be trusted. Mitchell speaks about how they were both at war when they met so long ago, and how they are still at war today. It might be a secret war, but it rages on nonetheless. He'd like Herrick to let nature take its course. Herrick implores him to not let the detective near him.
Nina tries to backpedal a bit, admitting to the detective that she was the one who called with the tip about Mitchell, but now she thinks she was mistaken. The detective is getting angry now, feeling lied to. She hands Mitchell a glass as she goes up to speak to Herrick. He puts it on an end table, and follows her up the stairs and to Herrick. She presses him with some questions, while Herrick hears the beat of her heart and feels the thirst. As he comes on her, Mitchell breaks in, grabs the detective and sends her on her way, effectively saving her life. On her way out, she snags the glass, and will now have Mitchell's fingerprints to compare. There is a quick cut to the scene of Nina, Tom and George getting ready to their transformations, as it is the full moon and all. We hear the familiar sound of Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf as they get ready, and Nina notices that Tom's bird is decidedly larger than George's.
While the song plays, we also see Herrick snagging a knife, while Nina made his bed, and Tom trying to make McNair more comfy on the sofa. We also see Nina noticing the appearance of her bump, too. But she, George and Tom must be off to transform, leaving McNair the comfort of their basement while he recovers. Tom is sad to leave McNair behind. Once he is alone, McNair pops right up, and goes to the pad of paper, righting a note. Is he planning to leave, and saying goodbye to Tom?
Annie is with the detective, who is touring the evidence lab, where they have the train car from the massacre. She finds out that Mitchell's fingerprints were found, and he should be 85 or something, and they were linked to a murder in 1960. Oh, this is not getting pretty, is it? Annie is there, and not happy this was being uncovered. Oh, and they also matched prints in the train, so he is "the guy." Annie is devastated. As the detective and her boss discuss it further, he punches her, knocking her to the ground. He is a vampire, and he's trying to protect Mitchell.
Mitchell, meanwhile, walks into the empty house, and turns on a light. He grabs a drink from the fridge, and sits down. We see McNair come out, about to transform, and putting on his necklace of vampire fangs. Might he be the wolf-shaped-bullet? He sneaks up the stairs, not disturbing Mitchell. Cut back to the lab, and the detective on the ground, hearing her boss ramble on about the problems it will be to cover this up. She kicks him and runs away. She tries to call for back-up, only to discover no signal on her phone... She tries to arrest him, but he tells her you can't, and that vampires need to remain hidden, for the good of all society. He grabs her, and tells her she is going to get an evolutionary promotion, and gets all vampire-like, and moves to bite her.
OMG, people, no really! The last twenty minutes of this show is just out of control, epic amazing. What does McNair have in store for the house tonight? Will the detective get drained? Will George, Nina and Tom be safe out in the woods with all this going on? Why is Nina showing signs of pregnancy so quickly? Will Herrick feel like he has deja vu? Will Annie confront Mitchell with what she knows? Will Mitchell be arrested? Will they try to take a mug shot? In the midst of this, why do we hear Dame Shirley Bassey and Propellerheads perform History Repeating?
For those who follow this blog, you should know by now I a not blowing smoke anywhere. I am writing from the heart, writing about music that touches me, in some way, shape or form. A while back, I was turned on to a video by Nhojj, and I have been searching for more about the artist so I could come from a more informative place. That isn't happening, so I just wanna share the music with you. I will start with Existence, one of the more honest and real declarations of emotion. As a quick warning, you might want to be cautious if you are planning to view at work.
Well, I went to iTunes, and couldn't find this song there, but thought it was important to support, so I purchased his album, The King Of Gay Music. If you'd like to, you can find it here. You can also find it on CD Baby to download here. In my travels, I ran across another song, one I also really liked. It is Will U Marry Me Boy?
That song wasn't on the album I purchased, either. And again, I couldn't find it. I hope I will be able to at some point. A cut I really love off the album I purchased is Addicted 2 Boyz, and after some chasing around, I was able to find it online.
But the following a clip I found online, another track I really enjoy, Nut Up/Cut Up. Such great fun!
For more about J.R., The King of Gay Music, you can check him out on MySpace here, or FaceBook here. You can find him on Twitter here. Find him, and tell him you heard his music, and are now a fan.
I have to admit that before the show starts, I have no real idea about what will happen tonight, and who will be going home. Because of the Judges' Save used last week, two contestants will be ending their Idol journey, and will it be two of the bottom three last week, Thia, Stefano or Casey? Or will it be another, someone who can no longer be saved? Will a guy finally be heading home, or will it be two more of the ladies?
Crusty comes on and tells us 55 million votes were placed, and we shall soon see who America was banking on this week. This is a record for this point in the competition. And they are changing things up, having not a group number, but a bunch of teams singing. First up, Lauren and Scotty perform American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's song, I Told You So. Carrie had sung it with Randy Travis. I can't help but notice that Lauren's emotional delivery is overshadowing Scotty's vocals.
Time for result, and we discover both are safe, and will return next week.After the break, there is the Ford Music Video, and the kids singing Kryptonite by 3 Door Down. Naima and Jacob are up next, singing Ashford & Simpson's great pop song, Solid. They have some fancy footwork.
Time for more results, and one is in the bottom 3, while the other is safe. The person in danger of elimination is Naima, certainly not great news for someone who in my opinion is one of the best live performers on that stage this year. It is time for Fantasia to come out and sing her latest single, Collard Greens & Cornbread. Within moments of her singing, you realize that no one this season comes close to the charisma and talent of this woman.
After the song, she tells the contestants that the first love has got to be the music. And keep it real, listen to people who will be honest. Haley, This and Pia come down to perform Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. These girls are very different, and don't really blend well together. So, I will lay on a little GLEE.
Time for the results, a quick recap from Crusty, and we discover Pia is safe. Haley is also safe, and that leaves Thia in the bottom three. Wow, going from last week, with two guys in the bottom and one slated to go home, to at least one, may be two of the ladies leaving. After a break, we discover they are moving as the mansion they were living in was leaking. They also went through the busy schedule of the week. Paul, Casey, James and Stefano sing Band On The Run, the great song by Paul McCartney and Wings. I have to admit, that was a bit of a mess. Paul sounded pretty good, but as a group, that wasn't pretty, and far from tight. I'd rather listen to Sir Paul.
Results are in, and Casey is the first one safe. Next we find out that James is safe, leaving Stefano and Paul, one of whom is going to complete the bottom 3. The final person in danger of going home is Paul, clearing both of the men in the bottom last week. Next up we have Will.i.am and Jamie Foxx singing Hot Wings from the movie soundtrack to Rio.
So we come back from the commercial break, and learn that the person safe tonight is Paul, and Thia and Naima are heading home. So the first four sent home are ladies, with the assist of the judges.
Thia
Naima
Next week, might America go for 5 ladies in a row? And next season, will they just put up signs at the auditions that say "Ladies Need Not Apply"?
