American Idol Rat Pack Week Recap

Rat Pack Week equals best theme of American Idol to date! On a scale of 1-10 no one rates below a 6 tonight. We're getting down to the wire. Once American Idol ends my Tuesday and Wednesday nights will be so dull.
Bottom three is going to be hard to compile this week as all of the performances were amazing... excepgt Adam's but he'll never be in the bottom 3 because he has too big of a fan base.
1. Danny
Song: Come Rain Or Come Shine
Rating 8
Flawless.
2. Matt
Song: My Funny Valentine
A little bit of Broadway in Rat Pack night as this song is from the musical Babes in Arms. He did really good with it too. He was truly
in his element.
Rating 8.5
3. Allison
Song: Someone To Watch Over Me
My favorite performance out of all the ones she has done.
Rating 7
4, Kris
Song The Way You Look Tonight
This song proved he is very versatile.
Rating 7.5
5 Adam
Song Feeling Good
Never heard of this song before in my life. Thought he would of picked something like New York New York. He did good.. a little bit easier on the ears because there is less screaming.
Rating 6


My prediction is that the final 3 will be Allison Danny and Matt Allison to win. Let's see how accurate this ends up being. I tend to be horrible at predicting things.

New York New York

American Idol Update: Anoop and Lil were elimnated. Thank god! Now the compettiors worth watching are leftTop 5AdamAllisonDannyMattKrisThis week's theme Rat Pack... Frank Sinatra songs YAY!So this weekend Matt and I went to New York for our one year anniversary ... which technically isn't till June 15th but we figured we would celebrate early just in case by some miracle we were both to get jobs by them. We left NH at 6:30 am on Friday caught a connectiong bus at South Station @ 8:30 and arrived in New York by 1:00. After checking into our hotel room we went out to lunch and then did some souvenier shopping and went to the Metropolition Meusuem of Art. Now usually I am not a big fan of art muesums but I wasn't quite so bored by this one. There were a lot of interesting exhibits. We were there from 2:30-4:30 then hopped on the train to Greenwhich Village and walked around the NYU campus. I was kind of a ditz and forgot to take the phone #s of my friends from the Barn Playhouse who go there so I could have met up with them for dinner...oh well next time. We went out to dinner at this nice Italian resturant in Greenwhich Village. I can't remember the name of it. One step up from the disgusting hamburger I had for lunch for some reason nothing beats a cheerburger from Wendy's. After that we went back to our hotel room relaxed and watched the Red Sox on Tv. Saturday morning we got up @ around 8:30 had breakfast @ the hotel then did some souvenier shopping and just walked around the city. We arrived at the theatre to get our tickets for HAIR at about 1:15. The show was phenominial. I do not think I have had so much fun at a Broadway show in a while. I hope it gets nominated for a Tony awards... now I am not sure if Drama Desk Awards are the same thing but HAIR is nominated for 8 of those.. complete list can be found @ the below linkhttp://www.playbill.com/news/article/128654.html After the show we met up with my friend Jay and he gave us a backstage tour.. brief as it was it was amazing! Pictures of it from it are already up on facebook. We then went out for dinner @ this awesome resturant on Broadway called Ellen's Starlight Diner. It was a 50's style diner and the cool thing about they had a singing wait staff. IT was cool I'll definitley go back there again next time I go back to New York. ... which won't be for awhile. Yesterday we were up early for a quick breakfast in the room then we checked out of our hotel and met up with my friend Colleen from the Barn Playhouse for lunch!! So good to see her and catch up!! Then we made the long trek home and were slightly delayed because of traffic in Conneticut. Got home around 8:30 last night.. and now it's back to realoity and job searching.I have a meeting with my job coach at 2 and then an interview @ Rite Aide in Milford at 3:15. At this point I am pretty desperate for a job so I am really hoping I get this one. I just want all this stress to be over. I have been losing sleep because of the stress and anxiety I have been under.

American Idol Disco Week Summary

American Idol SummaryTheme: Disco Week 5 (still not totally sure what week of the compettion we're in but we are getting closer and closer to the end.)
Bottom 2:
Anoop Song: Dance The Night Away Donna Summer
Rating 4
Remarks: Totally and completley bored with him. He needs to go
Lil Song I'm Every Woman Chaka Khan
Rating 6.Comment: While this was slightly better then last week's performance I still think everything of hers is starting to sound the same. Like Anoop she is gettiing quite boring. She never listens to what the judges say when they tell her to improve and that's why everything sounds the same
Middle
Adam If I Can't Have You
Rating 5
Remarks: Adam is too good to even be considered to be in the bottom 3.. no matter how much I predict him to be there he will never end up there
Matt
Song Stayin Alive The BeegeesRating 8
Remarks: This performance proved that the judges used the save wisely and that's all I have to say. Totally agree with Kara's comment which was SOLID
Top 3
Allison
Song: Hot Stuff Donna Summer
Rating 8
Remarks: Interesting twist on one of my favorite disco songs. She knows how to take a song and make it her own.
Danny Song: September Earth Wind And FireRating 9
Remarks: He gives solid performances each week. This was his best one yet in my opinon.
Kris
Song: She Works Hard For The Money Donna Summer
Rating 8
Remarks: He's getting better and better every week.

grrr

UGGH! The job search is getting even more discouraging and frusturating. Everywhere I turn there seems to be a road block.. too many people applying for same job,college kids coming back looking for summer work, people with more experience getting the jobs and what have you. I am ready to surrender for the time being and wait until the summer is over to look for a job.. at least I might have a possibilty of getting the hostess job at Fridays by then.

On the plus side Friday Matt and I go to New York for our one year anniversary...so excited!!! I am looking most foward to getting the backstage tour at HAIR..THANK YOU JAY and meeting up with Colleen Fee for dinner after the show. Escaping for awhile will help me get my mind of job searching and all its disappointments at least temporairly.

Writer's block still nags at me too. I haven't written any poems since December. My muse has left me totally and completely. Not to metion I haven't had much free time lately to work on the sequel to the last story I wrote for Short Story Workshop Class.

Upcoming Events
NYC all signs point to my theatre related blog http://theatrereviewer826.blogspot.com for a full review of HAIR AND pictures from the Backstage tour
NEC Spring Weekend
NEC Graduation

American Idol Results show recap

Pros and Cons of Last nights American Idol Results show
Pros
Ford commercial
Jennifer Hudson performed
2 out of three people I predicted would be in the top 3 were there.
Matt was saved, i thought they really should have used the save on Alexis Grace a few weeks back to spare people the torture of enduring Megan Joy Corkery's vocals but I am glad Matt is around for an extra week.
Group song was better than it has been in previous weeks and looked less like it was lip-synced.
Cons
Miley Cyrus performed and she sucks live
Lil should have gone home and she didn't.
Next week is double elimination meaning that Matt could go home if he doesn't give a stellar performance. I am really hoping that Anoop and Lil go though. I am so sick of them.


Next week's theme Disco
Songs I'd like to hear the contestants sing
Adam- Stayin Alive The Beegees
Allison Dancing Queen ABBA
Danny Boogie Shoes KC and The Sunshine Band
Kris Jive Talkin' The Beegees
Matt Ain't No Stoppin Us Now McFadden and Whitehead
Lil I Feel Love Donna Summer
No clue what song would be best fit for Anoop. He's more of a ballad type of person and Disco is a really upbeat kind of theme. We'll have to see what happens.

Group Song for Results Show: Celebration Kool and The Gang

It's about that time to reflect

Quote of the Day:  "Do not go where  the path may lead, go instead   where there is no path and leave a trail."   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's theme is graduation.. senioritis everything of that sort... I have a lot of people  I know who are graduating from high school and college in a couple weeks ( or  a month and a half approximately if you go to SHS) so  I figured I would post a  words to wise kind of entry. It will be split into two parts... advice for high school seniors and advice to college seniors.

Part 1: High School  Seniors

It's been a long time since I was a senior in high school  (going on 5  years) at around this time   senior projects  were wrapping up... college apps had been sent in and most of my friends had found out where they were to  be going to school in September. Current seniors at Souhegan have the same kinds of things to deal with  even though  I think senior project presentations are now at end of April or beginning of May instead of earlier in April...  things have changed so much at Souhegan since I left that  I'm not sure how that schedule works now.  I'm sure the stress of the application process is well over and done with and that most of you know where you're going next yet.  The advice that would fit  your situations right now is live your final days of high school to the fullest because you will miss them  (and your friends) when they're gone.  When the end of the summer and  your departure to your  departure for college (where ever your travels may  lead you  close to home or far away) Embrace each day with passion and don't be afraid to try new things. When I was thinking of what clubs to join in college I kept my passions in check but wasn't afraid of trying something new and that's how  I met a ton of the friends  that I have now.  

Part 2:  College Seniors

This part of the entry  is more relevant to people  I am more closer to in age.  I am in awe that it was only a year ago when   I was in all of your shoes... stressed to the max about graduating on time and even more stressed about what  I would be doing post grad. It was only in the last couple of  weeks of school  when I realized how much  I was going to miss NEC (not so much Henniker because not a whole lot happens there but more so my friends,fellow thespians and professors)  and how much I still miss it and miss all my friends.  Transition from the college life to the real world is a daunting task but take it in stride and you'll do a ok.   The economic down turn has had the biggest effect on me because I have struggled with finding a job since I've graduated and  sometimes even pondered  why  I majored in  what I chose to major in (wishing  I had majored in education instead of communications)  but  I take that in stride too.  The right job will come along eventually  for me    I am sure as I'm sure it will come along for all of you once you start the ever so daunting search.  Live the final moments of your senior year to  the fullest and enjoy them.

Congratulations to everyone in the class  of 2009. Best of luck in whatever future endeavors you lead yourselves on. 

With all these thoughts of graduating  and  where people will be afterwards and even what some people  I graduated with last year are doing now   I can't  help but have a flash back to   August 12th  2007.  It was  the last  brunch at the Barn Playhouse at Wally and Bud's house where  I joined in a conversation that Nic,  Will and Paul where having  with Bud about where they see themselves in the future. I  didn't throw in my own two cents because I didn't want to interrupt anyone else's train of thought.    Besides the late night talks I used to have with Will about various things after Annie Get Your Gun rehearsals or even backstage when there wasn't much else to do  this conversation  really stood out to me because it got me to think about where  I was going with my life.. and where   I would predict most of my friends from the Barn Playhouse would be after we left NLBP. Broadway bound? Well maybe not yet but everyone has to start somewhere and from the chatting i've done with various people in my intern company  quite a few of them have been in either touring shows or off Broadway shows so that doesn't  shock me based on the diverse range of talent that everyone had.  Highly admirable. :D Love everyone in NLBP 07!!  Anyway enough about that.    I still think about the conversation a lot today because I guess the daunting question  I consistently find myself facing is  where do  I see myself in 5,10,15 years?    Communications  is clearly the broadest major one can choose but with the way a lot of newspapers seem to be going out of business  I don't know if i'll be able to make much of a career of being  a theatre reviewer  that's why  I've done some constant rethinking of my career path and  am gonna take some classes in the fall  in either Early Childhood Education, Speech Pathology  or Medical Coding.   It's a daunting and confusing task to try to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life..and quite challenging. It makes my head hurt. 

American Idol Recap- Songs From The Cinema

What week of American Idol is this? 5? 6? I don't remember.
This week's theme was songs from the cinema
Top 3 Allison Matt Kris
Bottom 3 Adam (though he definitely won't get into the bottom 3) Anoop Lil (she's borderline this week)
Middle Ground Danny
Scale Rating 1-10 1 horrible and hurts my ears 10 Awesome
Allison
Song: Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith from the movie Armageddon
Rating 9
Clearly her best performance yet. If she is in the bottom 3 again this week I will be shocked. She is definitley going to make it all the way to the end.
Anoop
Song Everything I Do I Do For You Bryan Adams (missed the movie it was from)
Rating 4.5
This performance was alright.. better then some of his performances in past weeks. His time is running very short,
Adam
Song Born To Be Wild missed the artist name from the movie Ez Rider
Rating 3.5
The best performance he has done so far was Tracks of My Tears during Motown Week. The past two performances he has done have gotten low ratings from me but based on his strong fan base there is no way he'll even get close to the bottom 3. He's invincible. 3.5
Matt
Song Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman by Bryan Adams from the movie Don Juan Demarco
Rating 8
He continues to improve as an artist. I like what I hear from him more and more every week. He did a really good job with the song.
Danny
Song Endless Love Lionel Ritchie missed the movie it was from
Rating 6.5
Lots of good emotion in this song but I tend toward liking his more upbeat performances then the balllads.
Kris
Song Falling Slowly missed the artist and movie it was from
Rating 8
Totally agree with Kara's critique BEST MOMENT!!
Lil
Song The Rose I think it is from Beaches with Bette Midler in it but I am not sure
Rating 7
One of her better performance out all the ones she done over the past few weeks. Loved her song choice but quite frankly I am getting bored with her and hope she goes home this wee

...

Happy Easter and Passover!

So my interview on Friday at Friday's went so-so. It seems like they are looking for people to hire when all the college kids go back to school at the end of the summer so if I end up getting hired I have a feeling I won't get on the schedule rotation for awhile. Now I am anxiously await Tuesday to find out if I get hired. good vibes good vibes

Tomorrow I have an interview for a summer camp job at the Milford Middle School Enrichment Program. That should be pretty interesting and it pays really good too. We'll see how that interview goes. Also I got a phone call on Friday from the Plus Company a sister company of Gateways Community Services and I got a volunteer job offer to be director of their theatre department. I am super excited.. not only am I gonna be working on plays but I am going to be DIRECTING something I have never had any experience in before. I am super super excited.


Things just keep getting better and better.

April 9th- Job update

Bypassed going to the job fair in Manchester today. Heard something on the radio that it was too crowded and there was no way I would have gotten a parking space to get on the shuttle bus from the mall. There weren't a lot of places I was really that interested in applying for there anyway so I guess it works out in my favor that I didn't end up going. Things are finally starting to turn around!!

Fridays FINALLY called me back about the hostesss job. I have the interview tomorrow at 2pm. Hopefully that will go well. *crosses fingers* I also start my volunteer job at Gateways Community Services in Nashua sometime in the next couple weeks doing public relations stuff for them. I also just got a phone call from the Plus Company another place that helps people with disabilites find jobs. They have a department of theate and I was asked to help out with theier shows I am wicked excited! That interview is next Friday @ 11am.

Things are looking up! I might be employed sooner then you think. YAY for potientially not being broke anymore! :)

A humbling experience for this American Idol fan

Before I begin I just want to say that my NCAA basketball bracket totally and completely sucked. The team that I predicted to win did not even make it to the finals. That team was Syracuse... they got out in the semifinals. The team that I was hoping would come in second place UCONN did not win either. North Carolina did. Next year when I do my bracket I have to do a better job of picking teams that will actually win the whole championship.
Moving on.....
So American Idol last night.. history was definitely made. Scott Mcintyre got voted off and I almost cried when the result was given. He is truly an amazing performer and a true inspiration to me. He is vision impaired but does not let his disability get in the way of what he loves. Music! He has been my favorite in this year's competition ever since the audition process started in January. Alexis Grace was my second favorite and to be honest she should have stayed longer than she did and Megan Corkery should have gone home the week that Alexis went home so that way I could have been spared from her horrible performance during top 100 week. I should mention that I am vision impaired too.. I have been since I was really young and the reason why Scott is so inspirational to me is because I wish that I had half the musical talent that he does but I don't. I know I don't and I most likely never will. There are people I have done choir with and theatre with in college and even some people I worked with at the Barn Playhouse that I know my talent won't even halfway match up too (umm Colleen Fee, Nic Rouleau, Caroline Massageee, Keri Racicot the list could seriously go on.. actually technically there's only three or four more people I could possibly think of) I am totally and completely humbled to be an American Idol fan after watching Scott's progression from the auditions to this week's performance that sent him home. He's amazing! I will definitley buy his cds if he comes out with any. I will also buy Allison Ireheata's and Danny Gokey's because they are pretty amazing too.

Back To the 80s on American Idol- Theme Songs From The Year You Were Born

 Last night's American Idol  theme was  Songs from the year were born.  Overall good theme though some performances were better than others

Top  Three: Alison;Danny; Matt
Bottom 3:  Anoop   Lil  Scott
Middle: Adam and Kris

Summary and Ratings of Last Night's Performances 
Ratings on 1-10    1= horrible and hurts my ears 10- Totally and completely awesome
 ( I can't remember all the song titles)
Danny 
Birthyear 1980
Danny's performances keep getting better and better  each week. He is definitely  a contender  for the top 3 in my opinion.
Rating:  9
Adam
Birthyear   1982
Song: Mad World
Not a huge fan of this song in the first place. His performance was so-so.  Everything he sings is kind of starting to sound the same and I think he is better suited for  Musical Theatre then for American Idol.
Rating; 4
Lil 
Birthyear 1984
Song: What's Love Got To With It - Tina Turner
Not her best performance.  Loved the song choice and I found myself singing along however  I do not feel she did the song justice. She may go home this week
Rating: 4
Matt  
Birthyear 1985
Song: Part Time Lover
Like Danny his performances keep getting better and better and continue to impress me. I think he will definitely make it into the top 5. If he is in  bottom three  I will cry. Same thing with Allison and Danny. 
Rating:8 
Scott
Birthyear 1985
Good song choice  and I liked how he finally got out of his comfort zone from playing the piano. He has good stage prescene. However, all his songs are starting to sound the same. 
Rating 4
Kris
Birthyear: 1985
He had a really high energy performance this week. I truly enjoyed it.
Rating: 7
Anoop
Birthyear: 1986
Song- True Colors  by Cyndi  Lauper
I don't know what to think of Anoop anymore. There are some weeks when I think he is  really good and some weeks when I think he will most likely end up going home.  This week I am sort of border line because while I thought he had an excellent song choice and did really good vocally  like I said for Scott and Adam everything is kind of starting to sound the same
Rating:4.5
Allison
Birthyear:1992
The youngest one in the comppetion surely has high stakes for her older compettiors to follow.  She is very talented for   sixteen years old and  I predict she will make it all the way to the top three.  I will definitely by her records. I plan on buying Danny's and Kris's too. Possibly even Scott's. If she  is in the bottom three again  I will cry. She has been in the bottom three for the past two weeks so things don't really look too good for her.
Rating:8

Reviewing the situation

Today I went to a job fair for people with disabilities @ the Marriot Hotel in Boston. I picked up a lot of pamphlets that I need to look over about stuff in Massachuetts that are hiring. Quite frankly Massachuetts seems to have a bigger variety amount of jobs than NH does. If things do not turn around considerably in terms of full or part time employment soon I may have to consider reloacting to Boston for awhile to work down there and live with my grandparents during the week and live at home during the weekends.. kind of similar to what Thomas Rossi is doing. I have been incredibly discouraged lately with the amount of full time or part time work I have been able to find locally so it might be beneficial for me to broaden my horizions a little bit. I have been playing phone tag with the managers from Fridays and Black Forest Cafe to set up interviews and the Public Relations department woman at Gateways for a volunteer job working on thier newsletter to set up a schedule for that quite frusturating. I also had a job interview at Southern NH Medical Center yesterday for a volunteer job. Complete disappointment as they had no opportunties I was interested in. I wonder what kind of opportunities I will find for jobs at the job fair at Southern NH University on Thursday. Hopefully there are more places hiring then I think there are.. perhaps I am just looking in the wrong places for work. We willl see.
So needless to say I have a ton of stuff to do in the coming days

• Fill out online job apps for Home Depot, The Social Secruity Adminstration

Follow up with the following places about job apps/setting up interviews (these may have to wait til Monday.

1. Fridays (7th attempt)
2. Black Forest Cafe (5th attempt)
3. Unos
4. Camp Sargent
5. Hampton Inn

• Work on my next article for the Milford Cabinet.

A 48 hour hiatus from Facebook seems most appropriate.. maybe a while longer.

Megan got voted off American Idol. Sweet justice to my ears. She could not sing and whoever kept voting for her (clearly she had a bigger fan base than Alexis Grace who got voted off two weeks ago) were totally tone deaf. She was totally and completley a sore loser being all immature and saying " I don't care what you think" and having an over all bad attitude. Thank god she is finally gone. I think that either Anoop or Scott will be next to go. Allison was in the bottom 3 again this week... not a very good sign.. that could potentiallly be an indicator that she could go home next. I think is is a close contender for the top 3.

Well Seinfeld is on in 10 minutes so I gotta go.. i will probably go to bed early tonight. A lot needs to be done tomorrow before Heather and Erin come over... mostly cleaning my room and working on my article so I can get that sent off by Sunday night.

Janine