Awwww

A street window on Castro Street in the days after the International Bear Rendezvous.

AI: Top 10 Women

Here at Chez Bill, the boyfriend fell asleep midway through American Idol. I don't think anyone can blame him.

Michael Slezak's Entertainment Weekly online column this morning, Risk-Free Business, was on the money: Mandisa! sang the best, but too many of the others tried to be safe. Ayla was a surprise, while plucky cute-as-a-button Kellie Pickler wasn't half bad (but was still annoying). I was deeply disappointed by Paris and Lisa. I hope Brenna and Heather are out next.

Dear God: have Mandisa! sing "Wild Women Don't Get The Blues" on an upcoming show.

Next up: Top 10 Men. I predict a "hot" show (they love to contrast the boys versus the girls), but expect flameouts from some of the bottom dwellers. My guess -- young David will be better than last week, while Sway will do something crazy like sing a song in bass to "show off his range". Paula will continue to be completely incomprehensible, and I will drink everytime I hear the words "dawg", "dawg pound", "America loves you", "star", "we've got a hot one tonight", "likeability", "journey", "bring it", "tone of your voice", "cabaret", "karaoke", and the inevitable "you did your thing".

Secret fun fact: I take notes on each performance. I assign smiley or frowny faces, and the boyfriend has to assign a face as well. Here are some comments I wrote last week and yesterday:

• Don't sing ever again
• Paula = high
• hot stoner
• Donny Osmond
• awwwww
• drag performance. H-A-T-E
• worst -10
• N-O. boring
• Sleestack
• Stevie Wonder hates you, don't sing his song
• baldy hot

Previous AI blogposts: Can't Stop Won't Stop.

Technorati: American Idol

I Don't Think I'll End It All Today

Jaime J. Weinman at Something Old, Nothing New is launching a new series focusing on Broadway & Hollywood lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg with this post on "Cocoanut Sweet" from the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica.

Harburg is, in my estimation, the best of the lyricists of the golden age of Broadway, or The American Songbook, or whatever you want to call it. Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart and Ira Gershwin are his closest peers, and of course Stephen Sondheim is the current untouchable master of lyric density and, when he chooses to express it, wit. I came to musical theater through Sondheim, and I'll always be a devotee; still, my heart belongs to Harburg.

So thanks, Jaime. Your post inspired me to break out my CD of Jamaica, actually my favorite Arlen Broadway score, and rip it. Can't say why I haven't ripped it before, but there you are.