last night on american idol:
tamyra: was fantastic. she looked and sounded the part of big band singer. despite her talent or, perhaps, because of her talent, there's an aura of impenetrability about her and it wouldn't shock me to see her in the bottom three either this week or the next. (that is, if they continue with the bottom three format.)
nikki: i agree with randy: great shoes. she had the moves down and i even liked the song, but nikki hasn't sang a song that'd test her range since "unchained melody" and she missed a note at the end. it could be curtains for her...
christina: hey! whaddya know, she asserted herself a bit -- maybe she's been hearing from friends and fam about her reputation. might not be enough to move her out of the bottom three, but it could get her a contract regardless, if simon's crush hasn't already cinched that.
justin: i really wish he would stop dancing; i just can't bear to watch that hair flop around. does he use the motion of the hair to entrance our youth? justin always gives you just what you'd expect but nothing more, like the bar mitzvah entertainment that he is. the justin mafia, turned off by justin's bold assertion of his artistic vision (covering dony hathaway, or did he just go to an alicia keys show?), will return after taking the week off and he'll be back near the top.
r.j.: someone put him out of his misery, please. first off, he sings one of my favorite sinatra numbers like it was an o-town ballad; granted, the arrangement was atrocious. secondly, he exudes the same asexual air as modern-day jermaine jackson, a sort of plastic sheen that makes it look like he's smiling even when he's not (and antiseptic suits don't help things much). as one of the judges might say, we have no idea who r.j. is -- besides the adopted-one-who-fell-off-the-stage from cumming, georgia -- because he certainly hasn't demonstrated it through his performances.
kelly: i think kelly is my new crush. she looked like an andrews sister last night; better still, she didn't sing an aretha song and she didn't sing like re-re either. she's got the rootsy charm that the others lack: young girls will look up to her because she's more approachable, the britney to tamyra's christina a.

bottom three: nikki, r.j., christina.
loser: nikki, and i don't think simon will tell her to give him a call.

the real question is: what lame skits or production numbers will fox foist upon us this week in order to fill out the thirty minutes? "bohemian rhapsody," maybe?

good riddance, you long-sock-wearin', toe-on-the-line-steppin', enlarged-adam's-apple-havin' motherfucker. (though i'm sure he's a nice enough guy.)

land of a thousand dances: mike is back, and he's talking merzbow!

YES!

julia roberts on full frontal:
"i just follow steven around...i don't care what he's doing! it doesn't have to have anything to do with anything. after i read the script, i called him and said, 'i don't understand any of it. i'm totally there!'"

has anyone ever read terry southern's blue movie? an a-list director decides he wants to make an art-house porn film; the biggest female star in the world, craving critical acceptance, signs on to play the lead. not that full frontal is porn or anything, but.

i think i like the yeah yeah yeahs' "bang" because, please forgive me, it continually threatens to break out into "cold sweat." i hope the forthcoming lp is more like this and "mystery girl" than, say, "art star." (or even "our time," which is great but don't we already have the strokes? and they record in HI-FI.)

for the "dread & anticipation" file: elvis 30 #1 hits.
"The new mixes don't change Elvis and his musicians' work, but they showcase that work in a way that makes the most of their brilliance when listened to on today's audio equipment."

here's a link to an interview with david bendeth, a member of the remastering team. his objective:
"The main objective was to be able to take an Elvis record for the first time and be able to play it on your stereo system at home, … your computer system at home, …or your car and have it be heard at the same contemporary caliber of any record you could buy in the store today. We want the songs to sonically contain the full dynamic range of bass and treble. To have full dynamic range is to have all of the tones hitting your ear at the same time and having the level also be competitive to every other record that’s out in the market right now. That process alone kind of gives you a new sound."