America’s Next Top Model Cycle 10 features a particularly psycho selection of contestants this season.

Big Brother 9 features a particularly psychotic selection of contestants this season.

Have we lowered the bar THIS far on reality show contestants?  Are we running that low?  And is it bad that they make it all the more interesting to laugh at?

Blind advocates lobby for noisier hybrid cars | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Hybrid cars may be on every environmentalist-cum-trend setter’s hot list, but their surging popularity is raising alarms among the blind and their advocates, who fear the near-silent vehicles could endanger lives.In recent months, the National Federation of the Blind has launched what is becoming an international lobbying campaign for legislation that encourages–or flat-out requires–automakers to install noisemaking technology to address those potential perils.

I’ve mentioned it before, but here’s your first chance to see it: First Look at the Big Screen Smurfs (CGI) It looks like they’re sticking with Peyo’s vision on this one. They look authentic.

Commodore 64 games coming to European VC later this year - Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We’ve known since late 2006 that Nintendo intended to add classic titles from the Commodore 64’s library to its Virtual Console service, but Nintendo of Europe has been hesitant to reveal any concrete details until now.According to NoE, the C64 games are only planned for release in Europe so far, and they will be available to purchase for 500 Wii Points (€5, approximately $7.35) later this year. 500 Wii Points?! That’s as much as an NES release on the Wii Shop Channel!

I have a certain level of ennui for AMERICAN IDOL this season, and I think I just figured out why. It’s not that we’ve “been here, done this” six times already. Sure, the initial bloom is off the rose and the innocence of the show has been lost to the slickness and the gltiziness, but that’s not the bothersome thing.

The thing that gets me is that the show lives in an age that’s quickly fading. The recording industry is broken, and now all the kids are competing for a recording contract with a company that relies on a distribution system that’s shrinking and can barely afford its own expenses. It’s a system that rewards the artist for performing and selling their own t-shirts, though I’m sure that’s all covered by the contract for the recording company to do it.

Or maybe I’m just being too cynical again tonight.

What do you think — is IDOL quickly becoming out of date in an industry that can’t meet up with a shifting market?  Or is IDOL a prime example of alternate ways to create and distribute music and its superstars?

Well, I hit .500 tonight. I was right on Amy and Garrett. I didn’t call Colton or Joanne, though I did mention them as being potential problem spots at the end of my writeups. I honestly thought there was a demographic for Joanne that would vote for her, but I guess they either didn’t, or it wasn’t enough. Colton, I think, got hurt by not being featured on the show any earlier than Tuesday night, and by a performance that wasn’t the best of the night. I think he probably should have gone with a different song. In the end, he might not be right for this pop thing. I don’t know that I’d go as far as Simon did and tell him to get a good job and enjoy singing as, basically, a hobby. I just think he might be more right for Broadway.

Joanne had a bad night last night, but sang the heck out of the same song tonight. She’s the rare bird who sings her exit song better than she did on performance night. If she had done that well last night, she might have saved herself. Did anyone really think Amanda was in danger of leaving? (You could almost see her rolling her eyes during the group singalong at the beginning, too, which was funny.)

Garrett was funny in the blase way he took it. They cut him off the show in particularly short manner. And he just accepted it like it was no big thing. He had a bad song Tuesday night, and that’s why he’s gone. Ditto for Amy, really.

The girls cried. And cried and cried. I think Ramiele and Kady might both need tranquilizers when they get off stage. I’m sorry — you’ve all been together for a week now. You know what this show is about. Suck it up, be happy that you didn’t get cut, and move on. I hate reality shows where contestants proclaim their love for one another after being with them for three days.

The other big talking point for the show has to be Paula Abdul’s video, which is sad in so many ways.

• They kept referring to it as her comeback, when she’s just one singer on an anthology album, with a song that likely won’t go anywhere.
• She can’t sing. It’s so obvious. The entire vocal track is so heavily overdubbed by the computer that you can’t hear her voice in it at all. It’s like Cher’s “Believe” song from a few years back. There’s no vocal there - just a lot of 0s and 1s.
• She can’t dance anymore, either. I recognize that she’s had back problems, but she didn’t do much dancing. She can still choreograph, I’m sure, but doing the moves was weak.
• My oh my, she’s short.
• They should show “Cold Hearted Snake” on next week’s results show. It might boost the ratings a bit, too.

Total Eclipse of the Moon, originally uploaded by AugieDB.

Spent nearly an hour outside taking shot after shot after shot. I adjusted for ISO, focal length, shutter speed, the works. Working in Manual mode is scary, but exciting. And when the moon finally disappeared, it lost the red color and the clouds moved in and I headed inside for good.

I definitely want to go back out some clear night with a full or near-full moon to try to pick just the bright white moon out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the glass to pull that off right now. This pic was taken at the full extension of my 28-135mm lens. I need one of those nifty 70-200mm’s that everyone likes to talk about. That’s at the lowest rung of what I need for a moon shot.

I think I shall just stick with the mountain trail photos.

Still, watching an eclipse was pretty cool. It’s amazing how quickly the moon slivers up and then finally dims. Cool stuff, even in the middle of light-happy suburbia.

Let’s see if we can do this in less than 1000 words tonight. . .

One thing I’ll say at the start - girls can get away with ballads more than the guys. Beware the flu, though, it seems.

Kristy Lee Cook - “Rescue Me” - She sold her horse to go to Philly for IDOL auditions. The animal rights activists are lining up for the results show now. . . She’s country. Man, this song gets repetitive pretty fast. She didn’t do enough with it, I’m afraid. Too many “babes” in there. She’s a good singer and she did something different with the song, but it was too tame. Randy heard more off key notes than I did. She’s one of the sick contestants, it sounds like. Bronchitis? Ouch. Not good during a singing competition.

Can you imagine getting this far and then getting really ill and losing your one and only IDOL chance? (You can’t compete again after you’ve made the Top 24.)

Joanne Borgella - “Together Forever” (is that the title?) - After six seasons of this show, I sometimes feel like I’ve heard all of the songs they’re ever going to sing. She looks like she’s fighting her way through this song, whether it’s nerves or illness or insecurity with the song. She needs to move around a little more on the stage, too. She’s good, but not spectacular. Sounds like she’s forcing a little more soul into the song than she previously might have. Her parents are staring daggers at Simon. Ouch.

HDTV looks better without this laptop’s screen glaring off my glasses.

Alaina Whitaker - “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday” - Youngest contestant. Turns 17 tomorrow. She’s another infectious cute kid, like all the young contestants on this show turn out to be. Nice soft start. Segues into fast part OK. Sounds a little shouty, but looks a lot more confident than Joanne did. She wants this. Wow, she’s got some power. She’s great. Best of the night by far, though that’s not saying much.

Amanda Overmyer - I have no idea what the song title is - She’s the contestant I’m most curious to see perform tonight. Tough to scat over a guitar that loud. She’s being upstaged by the magnificent guitar work, and a song that nobody’s ever heard before. Bad song choice. Bad bad bad. It’s not good for your vocals. She doesn’t have much to do with this song. It’s very repetitive. She’s trying to make it a performance piece, but it’s shouty at best. That’s not so good, sadly.

Amanda: “C’mon, have you never heard the song before?”

Simon: “No.”

I agree with Simon, as all right-thinking viewers should.

Amanda’s words to the truck driver who hit her: “Sorry for pulling out in front of you, dude.”
BWAH HA HA Give her the votes!

Amy Davis - “Where the Boys Are” - She’s a “trade show model.” We all know what that means: “booth babe.” She missed that first note badly. I really like this song, though, going back to Fifi LeFume singing it on the Tiny Toons soundtrack. Oops, she’s having some pitch problems. This is a real vocal showcase song, and she’s just not hitting it, sadly. And I think she knows it. She doesn’t look ecstatic at the end there. Randy is about to rip her apart. Yup, there he goes. When Paula tells you the camera loves you, you have to know you’re in trouble. This is bad. And Simon is brutal, which is why we love him so.

Brooke White - “So Happy Together” - They should do a Monkees Week. . . Country twang to her voice. I like it. She can smile through the song, which is tricky, I imagine. When she starts dancing, the vocals get lost a bit. Good mix of vocal and performance, though. Don’t know why she keeps grabbing her head, though. She avoided a couple of longer notes, but I liked it. I think a lot of people will like her, too. She’s memorable, fun to watch, can carry a tune. Good song choice.

Simon: “I just presume you’re going to be nice throughout this competition.”

America will love it.

Alexandrea Lushington - “Spinning Wheel” - She’s the one whose great grandmother was hanging out with Ryan in the first audition. Can easily picture her in the dying ashes of the music industry today, since she looks straight out of MTV c. 1988. She has the right look and the right attitude. Plus, she can sing in that style. Not so sure about the falsetto, but the rest is strong. And she has that infectiously giddy attitude. Simon didn’t get it — I have to disagree with him on this one. It’s not my thing, but I think it really worked.

Randy is right — this season, it’s about being young.

Ryan can’t pronounce her name right, but I don’t think I could do it, either. It’s tough, like the local pronunciation of “Louisville.” I like when she lip syncs the cue cards Ryan is reading off of.

Kady Malloy - “Groovy Kind of Love” - She’s 18 years old, so she’s young enough to be good this year. I like the tone of her voice. Needs to keep the mic further away from her mouth on the plosives. She seems so confident. She is doing some weird things with the words in going off the beat that’s getting a little annoying the more the song goes on, but at least she’s trying something. She should do a more powerful ballad next time and stick to the music more. Phil Collins gives it a better beat.

Paula starts off by telling her how cute she is — again, the kiss of death.

Uh oh, she’s not looking too good in reaction to Simon’s criticism. Of course, Simon did just compare her to a pencil, so who can blame her? She looks really really pissed. She’s struggling hard to not fight back. I don’t think she even wants to cry. She wants to rip his head off.

Oh, and now she’s defensive. Not good.

And she runs off the stage before Ryan can dismiss her. . .  Quick poll: Is she back there crying or punching the wall?
Asia’h Epperson - “Take a Little Piece of My Heart” (something like that) - 19 and still flaunting the weird apostrophe-”h” in her name that drives me and my spellchecker nuts. She’s comfortable on the stage. Very confident. Jumps around to the music well. Sounds like she’s staying strongly on pitch. She’s a stand out on this show tonight. Simon says she’s the best of the night.

Ramiele Malubay - “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”  - Nice control. Soft and sultry voice. She’s acting well. This is a memorable ballad. Nadia Turner rocked this song a couple of years ago. And, yeah, that’s a HUGE voice out of someone who’s probably all of 5′2″. I’d love to hear her do the whole song. She’s good. And, as Randy pointed out, she stuck to the melody. That’s going to be KEY this year. Everyone is trying so hard to make the songs their own that they completely lose the melodies, which is sad.

Syesha Mercado - “Tobacco Road” - She liked talking to the camera in her Coca Cola moment. She’s worse than Garrett, who did the same last night. There’s a bit of a cocky attitude there that’s a turn off, but it’s too soon to judge her for that. This is a weird song choice for her. It’s something Amanda would be more likely to sing, I think. She’s got a strong voice, but it’s again overpowered by the band. And when the song goes soft and her voice should reach out, she’s weak. The beginning and ending are complete screamfests. I’m afraid that this will be her thing — diva-like shouting through songs.

And she accepts praise like someone who expects it and demands it. There’s something about her that annoys me.

Scarves are in this year, eh?

And I’m way past 1000 words. I’m taking a breather tomorrow night. But we still have to get past the professional singer who had a multi-album record deal, blew it, and is now back to American Idol. . .

Carly Smithson - I have no idea what song this is - Oh, she’s been repositioned. Her album now failed because the company imploded, not because she didn’t sell anything. Hunh. That’s an interesting way to tell the story. Onto the song — she can sing. Really really well. She’s in control. She knows how to use the mic. She can do great things with her voice. It’s a boring song, horrible choice. But as a little showcase for what her voice can do, it’s impressive.

And she did that despite bronchitis. Randy thinks it’s the best vocal of the Top 24. I think I have to agree with him. It was amazing. Hopefully, she’ll sing a better song next week.

Heh, Simon didn’t like the mic technique. Given that we just had a singer who popped her every “p” into the mic, I was quite happy with Carly’s mic technique.

Who’s going this week? Kristy Lee is in trouble from her pole position and forgettable song. Joanne was hardly inspirational, but I think she has a demographic that will support her. Amy had an awful performance with a bad song choice. Kady’s sour puss face might lose her votes. I’d give her another chance, though.

So Kristy and Amy are gone this week would be my guess.

Simon thinks there are 3 great guys and 3 or maybe 4 great girls. I think he’s about right on that one. They are fairly evenly matched at this point.

There’s a lunar eclipse tonight. It would be nice to have a clear sky just this once. But no. I shall now go weep with my camera and tripod in the corner.

Update: Clouds thinning out, not disappearing. I may take foggy pictures of the lunar eclipse tonight.

My TV has two HDMI ports in the back. Problem is, it’s very conceivable that I might need a third at some point. Thus, I’m looking into HDMI switches. Anyone reading this have one that they use and like? Budget willing, I’d love to get one that the Harmony Remote can be programmed to control, as well, though it’s not a necessity.

Any suggestions?

Thankfully, I’ll be typing this up as I watch the show. Let the record show that I hit PLAY on the DVR at 8:35ish. Let’s see where we wind up.

I understand the need for two hours, but it tires me out just thinking about it, already. It’s Guy Night tonight.

Ryan seems, I don’t know, more serious. More like a show host, and not just the goofball picked at random to host this show 6 years ago.

The guys just got introduced. I hate the look of the lot of them. Ick.

If they keep hammering home the “best talent ever” line, you just know half of them will fail miserably and start sounding like Sanjaya.

David Hernandez - “The Midnight Hour” - Strong almost-a capella start. Showed strong pipes there. Has a tendency to waver too much and want to DO SOMETHING with every note. That might get obnoxious quickly. Ooh, that last power night was off. But he should make it through.

Chikezie - He’s dumped the “Eze” last name, it would seem - Wow, they just rerouted traffic around Chikezie. No, wait, he chose to wear an orange suit. Weird. He’s trying to soul up this song, I guess. I like the poppier version more. Wish I knew the name of the dang thing. At least he tried something new, though it’s a bit dozey.

And now he’s talking back to Simon. Won’t shut up. He’s a loser. He’s overly defensive. Has he never watched this show before? He’s looking really bad right now, losing votes.

David Cook - “So Happy Together” - There’s something just weird about this guy. He looks creepy, honestly. What, is this the night of turning poppy songs into ballads? Oh, good, that was just the opening. Background singers are great on the harmony. He needs to open his eyes more. I don’t buy him as a rock singer. His performance just screamed cruise ship, I think. He can sing, but he’s still too weird for me.

Jason Yeager - “Moon River” - He’s 28 and has a son who’s great vote bait. Ooh, this song choice is not going to win him any votes this early in the competition. Simon will call him too old at the end here. Uh oh. He’s overacting. It’s too theatrical, but at least he’s paying attention to the lyrics when he acts it out. He’s in trouble. Shaking his head at the end there was all sorts of silly. Simon calls it “cruise ship,” which I think is appropriate. And his son needs a haircut.

Wow, Apple is sponsoring the heck out of this show. And performances will be available on iTunes, if you want to wildly overpay for them.

Robbie Carrico - “One” - This is Britney Spears’ ex. Her name got mentioned in the video package, but we’re glossing past that. He toured with her with his group, but that’s as far as we’re taking that right now. And now he’s singing a song that a contestant almost failed on in a recent “Don’t Forget The Lyrics” episode. I don’t think he’s pushing this hard enough to make it a rock song, though the guitars are a nice touch. He can sing, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t hear him taking any short cuts there, or cracking his voice. He even hit the falsetto. Good, but not quite yet there yet.

Confusingly, Simon questions if a rocker is really what Robbie is, but then Robbie says, “I’m definitely pop.” Hunh?!?

Update: My mistake. In rewatching this, I realized I misheard him. Robbie said he’s definitely NOT pop. It makes more sense when it’s correct like that. Nevermind.

David Archuleta - “You Better Shop Around” - Awkwardly young on stage. But the voice is amazing when it gets going. In the lower parts, he gets lost behind the background singers at times. One minor voice crack. Almost double clutched on that last note. Still, damned impressive for a 17 year old. And he’s so young that he’s going to get the teeny-bopper vote big time. He’s safe.

Simon thought it was the best of the night so far. And David is so gosh wow cute. And he plays up to the audience. He’s a giggler. Cute kid. How can you NOT love him? Ryan’s going to have a field day with him this season. I don’t see how he doesn’t make it to the Top 12.

Danny Noriega - “Jailhouse Rock” - I just have to say it — he’s far too effeminate to pull off this manly swaggering Elvis thing. And he’s dressed like an early-80s Brit Popper. And, honestly, this song doesn’t do his voice justice. It’s karaoke completely. That was, I’m sure Simon will put it, like something a kid dresses up to sing in front of his parents.

“Verging on grotesque,” says Simon. I agree.

Wow, Simon and Paula are still arguing. And arguing. . . And arguing. . . Guys, don’t you want to play the music and cut away from them yet? Anyone? HELLO!?!?

I’m still waiting for the first Jim Steinman song of the season. Maybe tomorrow night?

Luke Menard - Who’s he? - “Echoes of My Life”? - Looks like Hugh Jackman a little. Or maybe more like John Cassaday? Horrible song choice. I forget this song 3 seconds after it finishes playing on the store speakers in some horrible department store. I think he has a good voice, but the music is overpowering him here, he’s missing some notes, and everyone is bored silly by this one.

He has movie star good looks and then sang a miserably forgettable downbeat song. He blundered badly. Dare I say it? Yes, I do — CRASH AND BURN.

He thinks it was a good showcase and that people will remember him. He’s deluded, or just horribly naive.

Colton Berry - “Suspicious Minds” - He’s twitching too much on stage. Looks nervous. Tough to watch. But I like his voice, which was easier to focus on when you look away. It is a great song. I think it was a bit more “colorful” than Noriega’s Elvis tune. Colton played around with the melody a bit more. Simon called him, basically, forgettable. He’s just a good singing kid, but it’s not unique.

Garrett Haley - “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” - Looks like Weird Al as a blond. Only 17 years old. Awful song choice. First half seemed on pitch, then things got a little tough for me. Even when the song shifts (finally) into second gear, he’s still stuck in First-And-A-Half. Yawn. When he’s on pitch, though, he’s got a very smooth voice. He looks like a rocker, and instead did Karaoke Sedaka, like a bad episode of GILMORE GIRLS.

Simon’s accent is starting to sound like an Animaniacs character. He’s vaguely Wakko now. Which Beatle is that voice based on again?

Only two more to go. They’re really starting to sag now.

But here comes the instrument!

Downloading these songs via iTunes is a major rip-off. Did I mention that yet? Remember, kids BitTorrent is bad. DVR is good. =)

Jason Castro - “What a Day for a Daydream” - Playing guitar. I kind of like the lilt to his voice. Needs to reach down a little further on those gravelly notes, but I like this song. I think he lost his way in the last couple of notes, but I liked it overall. I may be sappy, though. I like the British accent, especially with Josiah not being around.

Simon thought it was in the Top Two performances for the night. He’s right in saying that the song would have worked better without the band — just Jason and the guitar.

I think he’s the surprise of the night.

And at the last commercial break, I’ve caught up to the show airing live. Good timing!

Michael Johns - “Light My Fire” - Oldest contestant at 29. I’m not sure what to think. Is it shouty? It it pitch perfect? I’m still not sure with this guy. He seemed confident out there and hit most of the notes well. I just don’t like the song, I guess. The clip from his previous “Bohemian Rhapsody” was better than I remembered it, though. So there’s that, at least. I’m sure he’ll be a BIG favorite at water coolers tomorrow morning, though.

It just dawned on me: for the first time ever, you can text in your vote on your iPhone. If you do, I’m jealous of you.

So who SHOULD go home?

David H. is in trouble, just from going first. Jason Yeager is giving me high blood sugar in his final clip, but will his kid get him the extra votes he needs? Luke Menard was instantly forgettable in a very large field of 12 people. Colton might be in trouble from a lack of previous TV time. Garrett Haley has the same problem, coupled with a bad bad bad song choice.

Say goodbye to Garrett (who loses the youth vote to David A.) and Luke, who blew his big shot in a big way. He should have coasted into the second week. We’ll also see Jason in the bottom three.

And the show finished on time! Wait, this wasn’t live. Nevermind.

After showing the contestants for tomorrow’s show dancing like fools in front of the camera, Ryan looked off-stage and said, “Nigel, that reminds me of your show.”

That might just be your quote of the night.

De Blieck Out!

Are you an Animaniacs fan?  Are you a Sims fan?  Why not merge the two?

Official: HD DVD dead and buried, format war is over - Engadget

It’s official. Toshiba just made a statement saying, ” it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.” Cessation of the player and recorders are targeted for March 2008.

And what’s going on this week?

• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season One

I’ve seen the lines for toys based on He-Man at the San Diego Comic-Con. I have no doubts that this will sell decently.

• American Gangster

Russel Crowe. Denzel Washington. Oscar bait. They didn’t bite on it too hard, though, did they?  (Ruby Dee got a supporting actress nom and I think has a good chance of winning it.  There’s also an Art Direction nomination in there, where it’s up against SWEENEY TODD and THERE WILL BE BLOOD, amongst others.)

• Michael Clayton

Oscar Bait Part II, now with more George Clooney.

• Chaos

Definitely NOT Oscar bait, but I have no idea what it is, aside from that it stars Jason Statham.

• Margot at the Wedding

I’ve heard of this one, vaguely. Nicole Kidman headlines the cast.

Next week: The Smurfs invade DVD!!!

Nothing To Do With Arbroath: Red Dwarf star arrested for brandishing samurai sword at binmen

Red Dwarf star Daniel John-Jules was led away by police over claims he brandished a samurai sword at two binmen.The 47-year-old, who played The Cat in the cult BBC comedy show, was arrested in his dressing gown outside his home.

I assume “binmen” is the British version of the garbage man or garbage collector or sanitation engineer?