American Idol Season 8 Wrap-Up

Among the many TV shows that I have season-passed on my Tivo, American Idol is at the top of my list (giving it #1 priority). I have watched religiously every season, ever since the days of Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini (aka Sideshow Bob) And *side note* I would like to point out that I am some-what close to the show, in the sense that I have worked on licensing music for the AI and 19 Recordings in some form or another, for the past 4 seasons, and would have again this season had I not been laid off... I even went to a taping a couple seasons back, in which my mom can be seen on TV dancing with Taylor Hicks (but that's another post altogether).

Anyways, I have to say that this season was by far and away my favorite yet. Not just because of the ways they tried to "re-invent" the show (new judge, new stage, amazing mentors, etc.) but because of the sheer raw talent that this season showcased. Yes, there were some contestants I new wouldn't win right of the bat (scott, anoop, megan, lil), but I don't think there has ever been a season when they would get to the top 5 and I would say "Wow, I really don't know who is going to win!", and nor did I care. Matt, Allison, Danny, Adam and Kris are ALL amazing and I would have been so happy for any of them to take home the title. It would take far too long to go over the highlights of the entire season, so I will just mention last night, the season finale:

- The musical guests and collaborations were great. My fave was Allison and Cyndi Lauper singing "Time After Time". And I felt like the guests were powerful, yet not over-bearing, and allowed the contestants to really shine.

- The Kara/Bikini Girl showdown - Anyone who has watched the whole season knows that "Bikini Girl" is basically a hot mess, and Paris Hilton wanna be. On top of that, she's not that great of a singer (which is why she didn't make it on the show)... So when she started to sing I was like "Ooooh great. Now we have to watch this train wreck"... But then Kara comes out to battle with her and blew her outta the water! I don't care how annoying Kara may have been throughout the season, for me she has totally redeemed herself.

- Tatyana - You're nuts. Nuff said.

- Adam Lambert singing with KISS was really a highlight for me. As creepy as Gene Simmons may be, they're still KISS, and I thought that the fact that Adam can be up there with them, in all their makeup, pyro-technics, star power and stage presents, and still stand out and shine through, just shows exactly how big of a star he is going to be. I was also totally stoked when Kris and Adam performed with Queen (one of the greatest bands EVER). The next Freddy Mercury, anyone??

- And finally, Kris Allen taking home title of American Idol was amazing. I think most people expected Adam to win, and I have to admit that he was my fave though out the season... But Kris is sooo talented and cute, and has the potential to be huge as well. Plus, he was the under-dog, and you know its always great when someone can pull off an upset. And I have to mention how adorably cute his wife, Katy, is. She was there in the audience week after week supporting her man, and I just love that about her. And at the very end when she pushed her way through to the platform to Kris and give him a hug, UGH! I seriously got choked up!

All and all I can't wait to see what happens next for everyone from this season, and I will be listening for them on the radio!

And don't forget...So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight, another amazing show! :)

My New Favorite Sites

Here are two awesome websites I've discovered in the past couple of days:

* Stickk.com I actually heard about this site on the news the other night. It's a website where you can make a contract to yourself to complete goals that you have set... For example, I am going to be making a contract (although haven't commited yet...I'm scared!) to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. It works like this: I set this goal for myself, and put a wager down of $5 per week. Every week that I do not report losing at least 1 pound, they will take $5 of my money and give it to an organization of your choice. This can be a charity, ORRRRR an "Anti-Charity". For extra motivation, I am going to chose the NRA (which I do NOT want to give my money to), just to absolutely make myself lose the weight! You can set any goal that you want, wager what you want, and chose where your money will go, should you not make your goal. It's a pretty interesting concept, and a great way to get motivated and finally make yourself do the things you've been wanting to.

* The Cutest Blog on the Block You may have noticed the little face lift my blog has gotten in the past few days. This is thanks to a darling website I found called The Cutest Blog on the Block. They have TONS of free blog backgrounds, and they are so easy to use! Plus, unlike some blog layouts I have found, these are just backgrounds, and don't interfere with any of the settings you may already have :) Check out their website, and be sure to hop on over to the creators' blog here.

Latest Obsession: TKB

For the past month and a half, Jose and I have both become hard core gym-goers. He goes pretty much everyday before work (which sometimes means getting up at 4am!), and I've been going about everyday, as much as I can. So far, it's been great! We both feel SO much better, I am getting stronger and gaining muscle AND I have lost about 5 pounds!

Part of my weight loss/getting in shape success is because of a hot new workout that I have become completely obsessed with; Turbo Kick Boxing (TKB). The 24 Hour Fitness we go to offers classes everyday, so I have been going 2-3 times a week! It's an hour long, intense cardio workout that works your entire body. I LOVE IT! It's so much fun, and the hour flies by. If anyone has an opporitunity to attend one of these classes, or even get a TKB video, do it! No equipment is needed. You'll be jabbing and round-housing your way to fewer pounds in no time :)

Thanks A Lot, Tabloids!

Lets face it, I am all for celebrity gossip... I read thesuperficial.com, TMZ, Perez Hilton, watch E!, and for a very long time had a religious relationship with US Weekly. However, I am a bit disgruntled at the moment. Why? Because as a result of paying attention to Hollywood "news", the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" was completely ruined for me.

I'll start by saying this: I cry at least once during every episode of this show. And I love it. The season finale should have been no different. Actually I should have been shocked, saddened, happy, angry, and ultimately brought to tears. However because of allllll of the tabloid news about the show, I left the episode thinking "Eh, I'm not surprised". At first I just thought the season finale wasn't that good... But then I started to think about, and I discovered that it was actually pretty amazing. I mean, the whole "007" thing was brilliant! I'm being careful not to reveal too much for anyone who hasn't watched yet, but let me just say I really, really hope they WOW us all and deliver something totally unexpected for next season.

On the up side to my season finale "season" (and yes, I am aware of how much TV I watch, and I'm perfectly OK with it), LOST was all I could hope for and more. Aside from the fact that they didn't answer ANY questions, only proposed more of them, it was pretty damn terrific. All I can say is JOHN LOCKE, WTF?

More finales this week, I can't wait!

Pics from Recent Goings-On

Gettin TOTALLY 80's for a friend's 40th Bday party.

(do you love the DIY bleached-jeans? I was quite please :P)

Good thing I kept my hair crimper that is literally from the 80's! And it still works!

Some of the party boyzzz showing off their outfits

At my first BFF's wedding

We've known each other since we were 5 and OBSESSED with Paula Abdul

(btw the song for her recessional was the theme to 90210... it was awesome)

"Let's go Oakland!"

Our first A's game of the season! Woot Woot!

A night out in SF with my lady friends

Cleaning up Mason (my Godson) after his bday cake.

I can't believe he's already one!!!

Soooo stoked it's warm out again.. Hopefully it stays that way for a while! :)

"FUN"employment??... maybe not so much

Well it's been almost 3 months since I was laid off and I have to say, I'm starting to get a lil bit of the Cabin Fever! As much as I love(d) having a break from the work force, there is only so much housework/errands/working out a person can do before it starts to get old... At this point my house is pretty spotless and it only takes me a couple of hours (at most) to get the chores done in the morning. Don't get me wrong I LOVE having a clean house... But when I am excited to dust just because it's something to do, you know we have a problem :P

The job hunting is still underway. I had a couple of prospects, but they haven't panned out, so I'm still applying away! I get very frustrated and discouraged sometimes, and I want to just give up because it feels like I will never work again... But luckily for me Jose is very encouraging and supportive (emotionally and financially!), so on I go to look and apply for jobs. I mean, odds are I HAVE to get some response sooner or later, right???!

On the "Good News" front, Jose has officially upgraded to Paramedic status at AMR! He's been going through orientation and next week will start his field training. This is a MAJOR step for him, and I'm so excited that he will be doing exactly what he wants to do in life :) And hopefully my next major step is just around the corner :)

Until then, I think there is some laundry that needs doing.... It's gonna be a good day :P