Tag Archive | American Idol

Finales

May18

20130516-redcarpet-29-650x380

This has been a week of season finales for some of our favorite TV shows.  American Idol, Elementary,  and The Office – among others I have recorded but haven’t had time to watch yet.   American Idol ended just as I knew it would – with Candace Glover winning the title.  She deserved it – she could sing circles around the other contestants!  I know we will be hearing a lot from her in the very near future!English: Steve Carell pauses for a moment to t...

In the case of “The Office” – (which our dear son-in-law, Drew started us on while he was first dating our daughter, Ashlee) it was the final season.  Something got messed up on my DVR, even though I went in manually and set the high priority for “The Office” and “American Idol”.  Sadly “The Office” didn’t make the cut.  Luckily we found it online and were able to hook up Greg’s Mac book to the TV and watch it that way.  There were several twists and surprises to this last episode and I must admit, I was actually a little teary when Steve Carell made a guest appearance for Dwight and Angela’s wedding.

In the case of “Elementary” I was glad to find this online also – as I somehow stopped recording in progress to get “The Office” recorded!  Good grief.  But all is well, and we got to see the finale of that as well.  I found this storyline VERY compelling.  Sherlock, who believes his lost love who died two years earlier is suddenly alive!  They are reunited, only to find out that he has been played and seduced.  The woman who was supposed to be everything he had wanted and loved, turned out to be his nemesis!  The actress playing Irene, ah – I mean Moriarty - was none other than the actress who played Anne Boleyn in the fantastic mini series “The Tudors”.  (I looked it up)  How could he have gotten it so wrong?  Did his feelings get so in the way that he was unable to see what she really was?  Even as brilliant as he was?  Yes. elementary_london_bSometimes the things we have rolling around in our heads is just plain wrong.  And has nothing to do with reality.  Have you ever thought something was actually true?  You believe it for so long – it occupied your thoughts, crept into your dreams at night, drove you crazy?  And then some time (maybe even years) later – you discovered you were wrong about everything?  You wasted your thoughts and time on believing you were right?  When people disappear  from your life – often it is because of another completely different reason.  Not the one you have romanticized in your mind.  Sometimes we have to stop the fantasy in our minds.  Stop believing for that happy ending.  Sometimes things are what they are.  No happy ending.  Just hard cold reality.  Not all people are kind.  Not all people have your back.  Not all people want you to be happy.  Sometimes they are so unhappy themselves that their true intent is to destroy you.  Sometimes they never loved you at all.  And when we can make peace with reality instead of a fantasy – it is a beginning.  A step to becoming and staying content.

Something happened to Sherlock when this happened to him – when he finally beat his nemesis.  He grew up.  He let go.  He took the fantasy and turned it upside down, inside out and started a beginning into a new life.  Seeing things clearly  allowed him to move on, be wiser next time in matters of the heart and mostly – it gave him his life back.

Can you relate to Sherlock?  Have you ever trusted someone with your thoughts, your words – even your very life?  You shared a part of your heart with them so intimate and rarely spoken?  You thought you meant as much to them as they did to you.  And then you found out they were not who you thought they were.  Have you been betrayed by someone you really trusted and loved?  Do you still make excuses for them?  Have they gone away and on with their life – and yet you are still holding out for them to come back and change?  Or like Sherlock, have you had a reality check?  You woke up to the cold hard truth one day.  Things are not what you always believed?  And guess what?  You are going to be okay.  This will not finish you.  This will not defeat you.  You will rise up to be wiser, stronger and yes, you will regain your life back.

It’s funny.  Life is all about trust.  We trust with all the ordinary things we do in our everyday life.  From sitting in a chair we are sure will hold us up – to eating something we are sure will not kill us – or at very least not make us sick!  Trusting people is a must as well.  We trust the bank teller.  We trust the wait staff in a restaurant.  We trust our parents.  We trust our pastor.  We trust our friends.  These are natural inclinations.  It is only when someone proves to be untrustworthy that we are reduced to being suspicious and cautious.  I believe we are born to be “trusters”.  I like living my life open and trusting – even though others, including my own husband have called me “naive”.

I have also learned that I cannot trust everyone I meet – even if they appear to be all about good intentions.  And this makes me sad.  But it has not defeated me.  I’ve had others try to beat me down, but it has not finished me.   I’ve learned the lesson that I needed to learn.  And with God’s grace, it has not made me bitter.  Nor does it make me look suspiciously on every friendly person that comes into my life.  I’m willing to give everyone a chance.  I have God to credit with that – it does not come naturally to me.  He works in and through my life, finding the good in people.  I look deeper than the surface.  I watch for what others do and not just what they say.  I look beneath just the superficial pleasantries and observe how they are with others, listen to what their friends say about them and watch how they handle themselves in difficult situations.  I remember that I am not very lovable at times either – and God found something worthwhile and worth saving in me.  And in spite of many hurts and slights from people over the years – this simple thought has given me my life back.

I am hoping and praying the same for you.

God Bless

Related articles

Somewhere

May9

If you are keeping up with reality music programs like I am – you no doubt know the name Candace Glover. Next week is the finale for American Idol and three girls competed last night to be in that finale next week. This girl has my vote. Her vocal ability is unmatched on the Idol stage this year. And as Keith Urban said last night, “If you don’t vote for Candace, go see your doctor because you don’t have a pulse!” I agree!

Here is the beautiful rendition done last night of “Somewhere”

God Bless

Related articles

MacArthur Park

Apr26

This last week on American Idol, Amber sang “MacArthur Park” – a “one hit wonder” from the sixties. I remember the remake in the 70′s from Disco Queen, Donna Summer and always liked the song. I was in junior high when I first heard it and wasn’t sure what the lyrics were or what they meant but always felt connected with it somehow, but I never knew what it was called. When they said the name I went to look it up and found many covers for this song. My favorite is from none other than the great Glen Campbell.

This song has a great melody – but what do those lyrics really mean??  Here is one explanation I found explaining these lyrics – maybe you can come up with your own after hearing this version:

MacArthur Park is a sad, touching song about a once wonderful relationship -  one that comes along rarely. MacArthur park is the relationship. The cake is everything that was put into the relationship to make it what it is ( it takes a lot of ingredients to make a cake or a relationship). The cake being left out in the rain and melting is saying that the relationship is not being nurtured and is melting and falling apart. The part where he says “i don’t think that i can take it because it took so long to bake it and I’ll never have the recipe again” means he is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that it took a lot of time and effort to get this beautiful relationship and now its falling apart because it’s not being looked after and all the special qualities poured into the relationship will never be able to be duplicated.

Here is a live version set back in the 70′s.  It is great – and he even plays some mean guitar towards the end.  A real treat to hear him backed by a HUGE orchestra!  What about you?  Do you remember this song?  Where does it take you back to?

Spring was never waiting for us, girl

It ran one step ahead As we followed in the dance
Between the parted pages

And were pressed in love’s hot, fevered iron Like a striped pair of pants
MacArthur’s Park is melting in the dark

All the sweet, green icing flowing down

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don’t think that I can take it

‘Cause it took so long to bake it

And I’ll never have that recipe again, oh no
I recall the yellow cotton dress

Foaming like a wave On the ground around your knees

The birds like tender babies in your hands

And the old men playing checkers, by the trees
MacArthur’s Park is melting in the dark

All the sweet, green icing flowing down

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don’t think that I can take it

‘Cause it took so long to bake it

And I’ll never have that recipe again, oh no
There will be another song for me

For I will sing it

There will be another dream for me

Someone will bring it
I will drink the wine while it is warm

And never let you catch me looking at the sun

And after all the loves of my life

After all the loves of my life, you’ll still be the one
I will take my life into my hands

and I will use it

I will win the worship in their eyes

and I will lose it

I will have the things that I desire

And my passion flow like rivers through the sky
And after all the loves of my life

Oh, after all the loves of my life

I’ll be thinking of you and wondering why
MacArthur’s Park is melting in the dark

All the sweet, green icing flowing down

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don’t think that I can take it

‘Cause it took so long to bake it

And I’ll never have that recipe again Oh no, oh no, no, no, oh no

Written by Jimmy Webb

She’s Leaving Home

Mar23

There have been some great Beatles songs on American Idol this past week.  This is one of my favorites – about a runaway that was in a newspaper article around 1967.

Enjoy and God Bless

Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more
She goes down the stairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside she is free.

She (We gave her most of our lives)
is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years.

Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that’s lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband Daddy our baby’s gone
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly
How could she do this to me.

She (We never thought of ourselves)
is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
home (We struggled hard all our lives to get by)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years.

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade.

She (What did we do that was wrong)
is having (We didn’t know it was wrong)
fun (Fun is the one thing that money can’t buy)
Something inside that was always denied
For so many years.
She’s leaving home. Bye, bye

Related articles

Sky Blue Diamond

Mar15

Charlie Askew performed this original song last night on American Idol in hopes of being on the summer tour.  I was sorry to see him voted off a few weeks ago as he has real talent and is very unique.  What a pure tone to his voice!  I wish you all the luck in the world, Charlie – and with the audience and judges giving you a standing ovation after your performance – I have no doubt that you will be remembered.

If you missed it – here it is – enjoy!

God Bless

Related articles

Circle Of Life

Feb28

Zoanette.  The most unusual and unique artist that has auditioned for American Idol – in a long while. I love the fact that she’s originally from Liberia.  I love that she is not afraid.  I love that she’s outrageous and passionate.   She will be remembered – no matter how far she gets in this competition.   The audience and judges LOVE her.  And so do I.  And can you really lose singing an Elton John classic?  I think not.  You go girl!

Related articles

 

Rocket Man

Feb23

It should be no surprise that I have chosen a song by Elton John and from the 70′s as my favorite pick from American Idol the other night, sung by Charlie.

It’s not so much Charlie, as the song.  His vocal performance was by no means the best one of the evening – but he is a great performer!  And that song!  Anything from the 70′s brings back a wonderful time of innocence for me.  And they just don’t write songs the same way anymore.  There was something simple and magical about those tunes – whether we’re talking about Elton or Simon and Garfunkel.  As soon as the first notes play from one of those classics – I am immediately transported back to my teenage years.

This last week a young voice student told me that she liked “Sunshine on my Shoulders” from John Denver.  My heart soared!  Another convert to 70′s classics!  Whether you are referring to Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel or The Carpenters – there is no better or heart-felt era of music.

So here is Charlie’s version of that great 70′s song.  Thanks Elton for the memories.

God Bless

Related articles