I am always on the lookout for great online resources for spiritual growth, and one of the most helpful and interactive is mytj.org. This online journaling and Bible study website comes from a great church near Dayton, Ohio, Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church. Check it out by clicking on the title of this post, and let me know what you think.
American Idol has officially finished it's run in the United States this year. It was a great few months, but it had to finish. Taylor Hicks is the portrait of the American dream, and I'm glad I was able to witness it. We don't always get to see positive things on television these days, so it was a refreshing time for me as I hope it was for you. I can't wait for the next season, maybe there will be a U2 episode. :)
So you're probably wondering what this website will contain now that American Idol is over. From the start this blog was created to share things that you normally wouldn't be able to see or hear about on television or radio. Everything from God to politics to technology will be discussed. I hope you continue reading, commenting, and voting in the tommybailey.com polls. Here's to the blogoshpere.
If you want to here the studio version of Taylor's new single (which is not a true representation of the kind of music he will be doing, but I digress) click here.
Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll!!
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Well, tonight was fun. Katharine and Taylor started the show off with some uptempo numbers. Kat didn't choose the best song of the bunch, it was still okay, but didn't show any enthusiasm or greatness. 
Taylor stole the first part of the show with Living For The City, he can truly sing and perform. Excellent. The second round went well, Talyor's tune Levon was one of my favorite tunes of the season, but I'm not sure it was the best pick for the finale, still great though. Katharine knocked it out the park with Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
The third round was an altogether different affair. Katharine's song My Destiny was possibly the worst song I have ever heard. I think I've heard better songs on the Mickey Mouse club. She was jipped. Taylor's song wasn't good either, but it didn't matter. He made the song his own and really made it shine, he rocked the house. My thoughts going into the third round revolved around the fact that all throughout the season Taylor always took a song and really sang it from deep within, and made the song all his own. That's his gift and he used it tonight. Go Soul Patrol.
In other news...
My girlfriend and I are hosting and American Idol Finale party tomorrow and our local Fox affiliate got wind of it. They are bringing a camera crew to the party tomorrow. Pretty funny. Go Soul Patrol.
Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll!!
I got wind of the performances that Taylor and Katherine will be doing tonight. It's going to be a great night:
Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks will each sing 3 tunes tonight at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
Taylor will sing Levon by Elton John and Living for the City by Stevie Wonder. The new song he will sing which will become the Idol single is called Do I Make You Proud written by Tracy Ackerman, Andrew John Watkins and Paul David Wilson. Paul Wilson and Tracy Ackerman have worked with Lisa Stansfield, Al Green, Tina Turner, the Spice Girls, and S Club.
Katharine will sing the two songs she performed, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. The single she will perform is called My Destiny.
Some of you may be familiar with the television show "King of The Hill". It's a satirical look at middle America. Typically, the show revolves around the Hill family through typical middle class American issues. I thought this episode had some interesting things to say about the contemporary church and the way the Hill's dealt with it. It's very interesting.
I saw the opening of the DaVinci code last night, and enjoyed it. The film was an adaptation of the DaVinci Code novel by Dan Brown. I've always wondered what the big fuss was over the book due to the fact that it was fiction, and now I understand...somewhat. I can understand how the Catholic church is up in arms over this film, but it's fiction (with some interesting factual historical events). Anyone with a penchant for history will enjoy this movie.
It was also refreshing film to watch. It was a thriller, but with a more melodramatic pace, and no glitz and glamour. I didn't see anything Oscar worthy (other than Screenplay), but it was enjoyable.
This is the theatrical trailer if you wish to view it:
Oh, and where was Arnold Schwarzenegger for Katherine? All the other contestants had their Governors welcome them. Katherine was stiffed, and so was the TV audience. I was really looking forward to Arnold saying "She'll be back".It was a revelation to me during last night's AI that Randy Jackson used to be in the band Journey. So with my friend Google I mined the internet to find this most hilarious picture of Randy during his Journey Days. Wow.
Can you pick him out?
I know I'm completely biased being a Soul Patrol fan already, but you have to admit that no one came close to the performanes of Taylor (except for Katherine's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" rendition which was brilliant). Tomorrow Elliott will leave and Katherine and Taylor will be in the finale. It was a fun night, but I missed Chris Daughtry.
Each contestant will be doing 3 songs this week. One of the song choices will be from the judges themselves. Here are their selections. What do you think?
Randy Jackson chose for Taylor Hicks: "You are so Beautiful" by Joe Cocker
Paula Abdul chose for Elliott Yamin: "What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell
Simon Cowell chose for Katharine McPhee: "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland.
Chris Daughtry has been voted off American Idol. This is another "Mandisa Moment". He will be sorely missed.
Tonight was a good night. It was entertaining, and for the most part, the musical quality was up to par. Like last week, Taylor stole the show. There seems to be an entertainment/musical maturity about him that I really enjoy. Here's a run down of the show from tonight:
This past weekend at Northview Community Church we showed a video that showcased the misperceptions associated with Jesus Christ in a very humorous way. Check it out below. If you want to see more of these videos go to vintage21.com.
Paris Bennett has been voted off American Idol.
In my opinion, Paris had the best pure vocal of the whole lot. It's gotten to the point where all the contestants are stand-up artists, so inevitably it's going to be tough competition from here on out. On a positive note, Paris is only 17, it won't be long before she comes out with her first record.
Vote in the latest tommybailey.com poll. Why was Elliott in the bottom 2?
Who do you think will be the bottom 3? Vote now in the tommybailey.com poll.
This was an interesting night. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't ecstatic either. Taylor stole the show tonight, but every contestant had at least one good tune to perform tonight. It gets tougher every week to guess on who will be asked by America to leave. We'll soon see tomorrow, but until then, you should vote in the tommybailey.com poll and let your voice be heard (you'vde been right every time).
Katherine McPhee:
It's down to the top 5 on American Idol. This is going to be a tough competition from here on out. All 5 of these contestants have multitudes of talent in their respective genres. Tonight is going to especially strenuous on these contestants. If we let other seasons of American Idol be our historical guide, this particular theme of Birth Year Top 10/Current Top 10 is a do our die situation. Bo Bice really made a name for himself on this particular theme, and Anthony Federov flopped tremendously on this theme night last year. It will be a tough night.
For Taylor fans in the blogosphere, I purchased a rather cool T-Shirt with the words
"Soul Patrol" plastered on the front. Here's a link if you want to buy one yourself.
Remember to vote tonight! And also remember to come back to tommybailey.com tonight after the show to vote for your bottom 3.
ABC just released a new addition to their website that allows you to view the latest episode of some of their flagship TV shows for free. There are commercial breaks (limited though), but the service works extremely well. Is this the way TV will be in the near future, all on demand? With the advent of Tivo, iTunes Music Store selling TV shows, and now online streaming, in the next 5-7 years "television" shows will no longer be at dedicated time slots, but will be on demand, for you to watch when you want to watch it. Isn't technology great?
Recently, the President hosted the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, an event hosted by every president as a means to gather together the top media, press, and journalist personnel. This year our President did a comedy routine with a double of himself, and it is quite funny. Maybe he should write for SNL? Let me know what you think. Peace.
I just got back from viewing the new film about the story of United 93 on September 11, 2001. The movie succeeded in the fact that it didn't stoop to Hollywood dramatics or sensationalism. It genuinely was created to make you feel like you were on flight 93 yourself. Every attention to detail was given to the highest degree. Even though you leave the theater with a sense of exhaustion and sadness, you also leave knowing that you witnessed the true story of true American heroes. It has been a long time since I left a theater in that context. I highly recommend this film.
Kellie is gone.
Simon rightfully apologizes to Katherine.
Andrea Bocelli and David Foster show up every artist who has ever hit the American Idol stage.
It was a great results show.
Remember to vote in the tommybailey.com poll. What would be the next great theme night?
Who do you think will be the bottom 3? Vote now in the tommybailey.com poll.
My biggest fear was that American Idol this week was going to be boring, and the fear was justified. I thought some of the contestants performances were so-so, but no one stood out as a star (maybe Chris, but even he wasn't the great compared with other episodes). Altogether, I think it was lifeless. I am looking forward to hearing Andrea Bocelli. Let's hope some of these contestants are saying a Prayer for tomorrow's results.
Katherine McPhee: She sang her heart out, and I thought she did pretty well. Something was missing though. The beating she got from the judges was unjustified, they were ruthless for no reason.
Elliott Yamin: Incredible singer no doubt, but it wasn't the best song, a little boring at times. The judges praised him like he had just won a Grammy award, again, unjustified for the opposite reason of Katherine. And Paula started crying why?
Kellie Pickler: Goodbye
Paris Bennett: I thought it was good, best vocal of the night. The tune was a little dated, but her stand-out performance won me over.
Taylor Hicks: Not his best night, not his worst either, but man, I love to listen and watch him perform. I love soul.
Chris Daughtry: The coolest performance of the night, but not the best vocal by any means. He's safe.
Remember to vote in the tommybailey.com poll.
Can Andrea Bocelli really bring out the best of the Idols? I'm concerned that tonight is going to be boring. Really boring. I could be wrong, and I hope and pray that I am. Don't get my words minced, I like Andrea Bocelli, but there is a time and place for everything under the sun and on the stage.
I'm just wondering who picks the "Featured Artist" for each week. My imagination tells me they sent a legal pad around the office and let the old guys in suits write down their favorite artists. Barry Manilow anyone?
There are some great classic musicians (U2, Paul McCartney, etc) who could bring some life to this competition, why have we not seen them (barring of course Stevie Wonder). I'm just dreading the theme night of "The Music of Cher".
Tonight has the potential of being a really great show. Most of these contestants could pull off a really good love song. Not to be redundant, but this night truly is about song choice, song choice, song choice.
If we all put down our biases for a moment, and look back at the history of American Idol, there hasn't been a top six with quite as much diversity and talent. All six of these contestants can sing very well when they are on top of their game. Let's just hope that is the case tonight.
Remember to vote tonight, and also vote on the tommybailey.com poll (Who do you believe will go home this week?)
For those of you interested in Icelandic Idol, the winner for this year is Snorri Snorrason, 28. Congrats Snorri.
Now, if we can just get a suitable American Idol.
Remember to vote for the Idol you think is going home this week.
Here is a list of other international "Idol" shows:
(click here for links to the official websites of these international shows)
Who do you believe is going home this week on American Idol? Vote for your choice to leave on the new "poll of the week" on the sidebar.
My vote would go for Elliott. He has an incredible voice, but has three things going against him:
1. He's been in the bottom three multiple times
2. He hasn't proven that he has stage presence
3. He looks like Mr. Tumnus from Chronicles of Narnia
I was just recalling what it was like to fill my gas tank up for $15, not $40. I could actually afford a pack of gum when I went to the gas station, now I just have to grab handfuls of mints at restaurants. 
In light of this nostalgia I have decided to sell my car and buy a personal transporter to save gas. What do you think.
I hope you know I'm not picking on Bush and his staff, but I thought this picture was worthy of posting. It's Vice President Cheney sleeping while Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is talking. You know I hear that Bush really pushes his staff to the limit.
By the way, let's continue to vote in my latest poll on why you think Bush's approval ratings are so low. (the amount of people that read this website far outweighs the amount of people who comment and vote, so let your voice be heard, don't be a passive reader).
peace.
What are your suggestions to boost the approval of President Bush?
Is his approval due to:
The economy?
Iraq?
His staff?
Or is the American public ADD and ready for something new?
Well, the Backstreet Boy's long lost member finally got the boot from American Idol. Even though I was never a huge fan, the ending video with "Bad Day" always make me regret ever saying anything negative about the contestant. But I got over it. Goodbye Ace, I'm sure you'll have a career in music no problem, and if that doesn't work out, you can at least fall back your your hair bun styling technique, there's a big market for that right now.
On to next week. Love songs. Could be good, could be bad, you never know. Rod Stewart really suprised me, even though he's not the best singer in the world, I thought he was one of the most refreshing "celebrity" musicians on the show. At least he was better than Shakira.
peace.
Okay, after the past few weeks I thought American Idol was running into a wall with its ridiculous themes, and to be honest, I thought last night would be another bore, but I was wrong. It was a great show. Even though standards are not my favorite songs in the world, the contestants overall did a stand up job.
Here are my favorites of the night:
Taylor: I just have to admit that I really like Taylor. It seems that he just has music inside of him, and when he really performs it spills out. He did a great job with the Sam Cook tune.
Chris: He really showed that he can sing, and sing well, I was overly impressed with this take on "What A Wonderful World". It was wonderful (insert lame joke laugh here).
Paris: This girl can sing. Period.
I still have to give props to Katherine, she also can sing like no other. I agree with Simon that she was the best singer of the night, but I still think she lacks in the personality department. I feel the exact same about Elliott.
The bottom three will be:
Ace
Kellie
Elliott
It's tough to predict who will go home, but if I was to guess, I would say Kellie. (I know, she has a huge fan base, yada, yada, yada, but she really hurt herself with her self deprication. I'm not sure anyone wants to vote for someone who doesn't even believe they did well themselves. If not her, Ace (it's ironic that his song choice was "That's All).
I love Easter. It is my favorite season, and this past weekend is no exception.
Just to keep you updated on the happenings at Northview, we had over 900 people this past weekend come to one of our iDefy weekend experiences. One of the most beautiful sites anyone could ever see is people proclaiming together in community that our God reigns. What a day it was. Well, I'm off to get the planning started for the next weekend and series.
Oh yeah, American Idol is tonight. Rod Stewart. Yea.
This may not interest anyone, but occasionally I will post videos or pics from my church where I am the Creative Arts Pastor, Northview Community Church. This video is for our newly redesigned website northviewcc.com. Check it out sometime. Peace.
