We’re still on the road, so I was able to watch last night’s telecast of America’s Got Talent. For my part, this showing vindicated the almost total wipeout last week. Two performers were especially keen: Xavier Lewis calls himself “XL” and could use plenty of PR advice for image, but the guy CAN sing. Matching raw talent with him was 40 year old Emily Davis. Her song wasn’t as well chosen as XL’s, but the vocal ability was evident. Here are the YouTubes of both acts:
There was a time when I enjoyed staying in hotel rooms and eating out regularly. Maybe it’s just me getting older, but somehow the whole deal has lost most of its flair. I’m popping another Claritin D as we speak, trying to fend off the headache and sneezing that comes with almost every hotel experience. Why is that? Am I just getting older or is it environmental factors?
My allergies are bothersome, but my son has one that is lethal: He is allergic to peanuts, cashews, and a list of other nuts and legumes. The night we discovered it he had eaten only a sliver of a cashew and we had to call an ambulance. The poor little guy takes it well, but it scares me silly. Every restaurant experience begins with a discussion about whether they use peanut oil for cooking and are there any nuts in the dishes or breads we wish to order. By the way–one of the children’s favorite fast-food places, Chik-Fil-A, uses peanut oil. Bummer.
I spoke with a chef at Disney this week. He said that when he started working there 15 years ago it was a rarity to have someone inquire about food allergies. Now he is seeing about 150 customers per week who need special attention and advise. What is going on? Is it the pesticides we are using? Is it because of genetic crop-building procedures? Talk about roadturns–this one is going in the wrong direction.
Our son’s doctor recommended that he wear a medical alert wristband. Plenty of people do that for special medical conditions and it is something that paramedics and others know to look for. Searching for the right one for Zach, I found that the variety of choices available for Medical ID is impressive. There is even a Medical Watch available. The one that fits him best is the necklace with a pendant. Mama said gold. I said silver. Zach gets gold.
Since he is too young to really understand the situation, though, we took it a step further. We made up a button to pin on his shirt that says, “Don’t Feed Me, Ask Mama First.” It all sounds a bit much perhaps, but if you would have been there to see the boy in the hospital that night you would understand.
We are on the road again and home is a hotel room. Since we don’t subscribe to broadcast television in Kentucky, last night was my first opportunity to watch the America’s Got Talent show “live.” What a disappointment. It wasn’t even vaguely entertaining: A cross-dressing lip syncher, a strange guy who likes to lie on a bed of nails, several obvious plants who were there to sing so badly that anything would look good in comparison, a guy who likes doing animal noises, a car salesman who showed great desire but not much else…worse yet, many of these acts were passed on to Las Vegas as examples of American expertise. Amazing. God help America.
Couple that with the latest Miley Cyrus exploit–pictures of her trying to act sexy in the shower–and you pretty well have a commentary on why Hollywood should be moved to Tehran and the troops brought home. We have located the enemy and he is us.
We are in Florida tonight and so are a whole lot more people. Thousands are here to see Mickey and friends at Disney World. Thousands more came to see a Canadian revivalist named Todd Bentley. He has set up a tent not far from Orlando and is drawing an increasingly large crowd of visitors from around the world. There’s not even standing room–the attendees are gathered outside and in two adjoining overflow areas.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the whole thing is causing disruption amongst even the faithful. Here is a blip from an article by writer Travis Reed:
His tactics, sometimes violent, have made skeptics even of Pentecostals who believe in concepts that aren’t accepted by all branches of Christianity such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healing and spontaneous twitching from the Holy Spirit.
“Some of the language used during the Lakeland Revival has created an almost sideshow atmosphere,” wrote J. Lee Grady, editor of the Pentecostal magazine Charisma, in an online column. “People are invited to ‘Come and get some.’ Miracles are supposedly ‘popping like popcorn.’ … Such brash statements cheapen what the Holy Spirit is doing.” Grady wrote another column this week expressing concern that the Lakeland event has the potential to cause a “charismatic civil war.”
It’s doubtful that I will be able to get out there and see for myself, and it is just about certain that I wouldn’t be able to get inside anyway, but it looks to me like Todd and God are putting on a show that makes America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, and the World’s Got Talent look like…well, like talent contests. Todd is rocking with something–is it the Spirit of God? Look and see what you think…
Checking in with America’s Got Talent this week, the broadcast puts forward a guy who has a story that gives “singing for your supper” a note of reality. Kyle Rifkin sang on the streets to feed his mother and siblings. Now, he’s belting out a Temptations hit, “Ain’t too Proud to Beg,” and getting the nod for a trip to Las Vegas. Kyle’s bio shows that this is not his first time singing on stage, but hey, the story is poignant and the talent is real. Here is Kyle:
Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana finally fished up some good press when she showed up unexpectedly at a charity concert in Nashville, Tennessee. Maybe Miley took a hint from Faryl Smith? Yes, I know that Faryl is not immune from letting the fans down, but so far she is on track and exhibiting a degree of maturity that is refreshing to witness.
There is no doubt that being a celebrity means that your life is going to be scrutinized by the cameras and the press at every wrong turn, but some of the stuff that Miley has come up with recently was just plain dumb. Once again, I have to ask, “Dads, what are we thinking?” Disney career, pop star, teen idol aside–Miley has been flashing “Trouble Ahead” in neon lights. Billy Ray, don’t let the movie star gig get in the way of a much more important job–being a father.
Country artist, Jeffery Steele, was hosting the event to support a memorial fund in honor of his son, Alex, who was killed last year in another one of those damned 4-wheeler tragedies that are wiping out kids from coast to coast. Alex was an avid skateboarder and the fund supplies scholarship money to help Nashville skaters excel in school too. Says ecorazzi–”the latest in green gossip”–about the appearance:
Miley wasn’t on the bill to play and shocked not only the audience but Steele himself when she walked out on the stage to perform. The duo sang Simple Song, which was originally recorded by Cyrus, and was the only song written by Steele that appeared on his son Alex’s MP3 player when he died. After a second duet Steele told the crowd, ”Miley might live in Hollywood, but in her heart, she’ll always be our Tennessee girl.”
It is good to see Miley doing something right. It has seemed lately that she is deliberately trying to do herself in–more correctly trying to prove that she can do exactly what she wants without consequence; a poor supposition. I don’t fault Miley so much for being 15 and trying to act like she’s 25. I just wince to see that her idea of adult behavior is X rated. My hope is that a virtuous woman can beat a path through to the girl’s heart and let a little wisdom flow through.
We haven’t given up on you, Miley. Keep doing the next right thing.
I love creativity. Even when I don’t agree with the statement being made, I can admire the thought and effort that goes into a creative work. Especially, I enjoy seeing what folks can do with this relatively new medium called the world wide web. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
Take a subject like bed bugs, for instance. Do they even exist? The old before bed salute says, “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I envisioned them as large beetle-like insects when I was small, but never did find one under my covers…thank God. Bed bug aficionados, though, tell us that they look like this micro photo. Personally, I had begun to think that the bed bugs scare story is just a way to sell foam mattresses. It got me to buy foam for the kids. You can’t be too careful with your babies. Read the rest
Faryl Smith has announced that she will be recording her first album this fall. The statement, from an exclusive interview with the (U.K.) Evening Telegraph, is a bit enigmatic :
Faryl has revealed that, although she has not signed a recording deal yet, she has made plans with Simon Cowell to start recording her first CD in September.
I have previously saluted Faryl (and her father) for holding back and not rushing into a contract–and I still do so. Should she end up signing with Simon Cowell anyway, you can bet that she swung the best deal she could. Faryl exhibits some of that surprising level-headedness for a pre-teen, saying
They were talking about me going on next year’s Britain’s Got Talent as a guest and releasing my album then, so it’s going to be quite a long time, but I think that’s ok because I get a break…I want it to be a long-term career, not just a quick fix then back to normal…I want to have a career in singing.
No doubt, Faryl will get her wish.
A recording of Faryl and Andrew Johnston singing the Walking in the Air duet will likely be released on Andrew’s soon to be released album. And to top it off, Faryl says that her role-model, Katherine Jenkins, has invited her to tea!
We’ve seen Simon Cowell visit the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, greet the Queen, lunch with politicians, and generally hob-knob with anyone who is someone in British society. Simon, one might say, has pull. The (U.K.) TimesOnline made that point clear today with a headline story saying that “David Cameron has turned to Simon Cowell to bring a populist touch to the Conservatives’ presentation in the build-up to the next election.”
Simon, you see, engineered a private show by Britain’s Got Talent finalists at the Evelina Children’s Hospital. That event was followed by a fund-raising ball for the Conservatives–and further entertainment courtesy of Simon and some of the BGT Live cast. All told, the Liberals were not impressed.
Says the Times:
The idea of a children’s party featuring the stars of the popular talent show emerged from a dinner that Mr Cameron had with Mr Cowell last month. The music mogul is a friend of Andy Coulson, Mr Cameron’s press secretary. Senior Tories say the event was scheduled to coincide with the publication of the NHS Next Steps Review…
Laura Moffatt, parliamentary aide to Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, said that the event showed that Mr Cameron had nothing to say. “His health policy is a content-free zone – filled with birthday cakes and dancing,” she said.
Now this is an interesting parlay by Simon–a guy who seems to be bound for a political seat at some point–but what really caught my eye was the mention of Faryl Smith in that Times article. Faryl is taking her time deciding on a record label, management, and the rest. She is in no rush to grab the bucks and start working. Probably, her dad is keeping her cool and straight. It’s not just that, though, Faryl makes good moves when she makes one. Here’s how she reacted to all the hooplah:
The act was joined by another finalist, the 12-year-old opera singer Faryl Smith, who had not originally been booked but asked to appear.
Did you catch it? Simon had apparently tried to leave her out of the deal (my guess is that she isn’t signing with his label), but Faryl requested to perform…and perform, she can. Here’s another look at a young girl with the soul of a saint, Faryl Smith:
July is vacation time for me. It’s always been like that. My dad’s lumber mill shut down for two weeks every July so all the employees could celebrate Independence Day, go fishing, travel, and take a break. For us, that often meant driving cross country to visit family. I love this time of year.
My crew’s tradition is a trip to Disney World. Usually we get a room on property and focus on the parks, but there is no lack of things to do in Orlando .
If we lived on the West Coast, I guess we would be going to the original Disney Land park and worrying about things to do in Los Angeles, but we used to live near Orlando and have a pretty good grip on the scene there. I’ve never been to Disneyland and barely to Los Angeles. If we headed that way, I’d be calling up Trusted Tours and Attractions for a little help.
Disney World has pretty well grown on us. At first, I wasn’t too keen on the place–high prices and crowds. It didn’t take long strolling through the countries at Epcot, though, and sampling the amazing food available there to make me a believer. Now, I get about as excited as the kids about going. We discovered that Mexico is an ideal place from which to view the fireworks. My most memorable vacation was at the outdoor restaurant there watching the fireworks finale and holding one child by the hand and the other in my arms. Sweet.
Maybe you want to see the Metropolitan museum of art. Whatever your desire, Trusted Tours and Attractions is giving away a handheld GPS and the newsletter sign-up will qualify you for the drawing. Well, it would until June 30th–that offer may have changed by now. Check out the Trusted Tours newsletter to find out.
America’s Got Talent proved once again last night that America really does harbor a bevy of dancers, cowboys, acrobats, sword-swallowers, and singers. Here is how BuddyTV described one of those very special acts:
George the Giant is seven feet and three inches tall. His talent involves stringing a clear straw around an audience volunteer, then into his nose and out his mouth. He then proceeds to drink milk through the straw before ripping off his shirt. On his chest he has attached firecrackers that he then lights. Talk about talent. Piers found the act disturbing, but votes him through anyway. Sharon gives a no, but the Hoff gives a yes and George is on to Vegas.
“On to Vegas.” Incredible.
Heart-wrenching story of the night goes to Jessica Parker, a girl who can definitely sing with soul but is torn up over the loss of her dad. No, he didn’t die; he just left. Men, what are we thinking?
