Thoughts & Predictions

First off, I want to thank those of you who read my blog this week regarding Planned Parenthood and the government shut down. A special thanks to those who commented, e-mailed, or messaged me about your feelings and opinions. It's so important that we all work to be informed as possible.

On a lighter note, PIA went home. We all know she wasn't my first pick but it had nothing to do with her talent-she was more than qualified to remain in at least the top 3. My guess is voters assumed Pia would not have a problem with votes so they spent their time voting for the contestants that were more on the fence.

A similar thing happened in 2006 with Chris Daughtry. This was the worst year of American Idol history when the grey-haired, not that talented, Tayler Hicks won. What a joke. Chris Daughtry was hands-down the most talented and well-liked contestant but only made it to the top 4 due to votes.

The 2006 American Idol shocker:

Now, dry your eyes, there are plenty of super talented contestants left.

Thoughts: Who did I vote for?

LAUREN ALAINA!

I want her to win. Natural, effortless talent. 

The only thing holding her back is her confidence appears to be lacking... but with a voice like that she has the world in the palm of her hand. Besides, the past 2 weeks have been fantastic!!!

My advice for her would be to watch Stefano perform because she should be doing riffs just like the way he does them!

Speaking of Stefano...

Yes, I voted for him. His performance deserved it.

 I was in awe last night. He's in it to win it! 

I would be really disappointed if he goes home tonight. REALLY disappointed.

Jacob 

Still my favorite male. The past 2 weeks haven't been as impressive compared to his previous performances. I'm worried he took the judges a little too seriously when they told him he needs to be more controlled and less dramatic. Now he's a little too stationary. I want my dramatic man back!! I bet he'll bring it next week!

James Durbin

I hate the music and to be honest I don't know anyone who likes it. But then again, I'm a bit of a teeny-bopper. The only thing I can note on is that he is an entertaining performer and I like the fact that he positively represents Turrets Syndrome.  I don't mind him sticking around, even though I admittedly find his music a little ridiculous.

Scotty McCreepy

Similarly, I don't like Scotty's country twang but I realize there are plenty of people who do, and he is quite talented in that aspect. I still find him McCreepy. 

I anticipate trouble for the following 3...

Paul McDonald

I do like this guy but I haven't liked his performances or song choices lately. He needs like a John Mayer song or something. He's got a really unique voice which has a ton of potential. But lets be honest... 

if his outfit choices aren't distracting enough, his annoying dancing/tweeking/jittering around the stage like he's hyped on something will definitely do it. 

Haley Reinhart

I didn't love this performance. We all know I love this girl because I'm jealous of her hippie-chic style and her raspy voice. The last 2 weeks were fantastic but this week she fell short of impressive. 

Casey Abrams

Blah. I didn't like it. I think it's his time to go. I found it absolutely absurd he got a standing ovation for his lame-ass performance. If he makes it through, it's not because of his performance, it will be because of the judges promotion to vote for him. Even I was somewhat convinced he should make it through after the feedback from the judges. What crap!

Let's be real, all of these contestants are super talented. But there are still some contestants that if they won... I would be disappointed.

(cough, cough: Casey, James, Paul, McCreepy). 

Prediction:

I obviously have not had the best luck predicting but here goes nothing:

Between Paul, Haley, and Casey...

 PAUL will go home. 

Boom.

Depressed

During the past 4 years I have grown increasingly interested in politics and have played "catch up" to make up for my first 21 years of life in which I had little knowledge of anything beyond my little bubble of prairie prancing and rainbows.

GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN:
I finally took the time to learn what exactly they were debating about that was so damn complex... Planned Parenthood. 
You have to be kidding me!!!! One of the most vital programs offered in our society today was the center of federal government scrutiny. Of all the sick, twisted, unethical political debates I've ever heard, this is by far the most alarming to me.  

MYTH: Republican Senator Jon Kyl stated that over 90% of the services performed by Planned Parenthood were abortions. (more...)
FACT: Only 3% of services are abortion related. (more...)

Planned Parenthood is often the only source of family planning for a large proportion of the women served. 

-More than 90% of care is preventive, primary care.

         *Prevents unintended pregnancies through contraception

         *Reduces the spread of STI/STD's through testing & treatment

         *Screens for cervical & breast cancers

-Education on: Body image, relationships, men's health, sexual orientation & gender

-1 in 5 women in the US use Planned Parenthood at least once in her life. 

-With 535 members in Congress = statistically, at least 107 members of the US Congress or their spouse have used Planned Parenthood. 

To end or reduce funding to Planned Parenthood is counter-productive. 

1. No access to free birth control & pregnancy prevention programs     =   

 Increase in pregnancy for low-income, teenagers, and anyone else who is:

       * too broke to afford birth control

       *too afraid to tell their parents they're sexually active

       * too uneducated to know how to protect themselves.

2. No access to free Pap exams    =    

Increase in STI/STD, cervical cancer, & breast cancer for marginalized populations

I realize we need to start cutting major dollars, but I'm telling you, cutting this program will end up costing our nation more money. Mark. My. Words.

Let's talk: MEDICARE
Medicare paid 50 BILLION in doctor and hospital bills in the last 60 days of patients' life.
Are we afraid to accept death? Yes.
Are we afraid to talk about death? Yes.
Is death avoidable? No.

DING DING DING.

• We have got to stop believe death is a medical failure. 
• We have got to stop keeping our elders on a ventilator for months in the ICU only to preserve our own naive beliefs that our loved ones would want their life to be prolonged as long as possible... regardless of the severity of uncomfort. 
• We have got to START accepting death in this country. There's no other way to explain it. (more...)

American Idol: Thoughts & Predictions

Once again my ADD has gotten the best of me and I nearly forgot to make this post. For the record, I have been busy writing a grant to establish and develop a school vegetable garden at Saydel High School. However, yesterday not only did I learn that Saydel already had a school garden but I also learned all garden-related activities are pretty much required to take place during the summer. As we all know there is no school during the summer, so you can imagine my frustration.

All frustrations aside... I still have American Idol. Thank the Lord!!!

Lauren: She was really starting to annoy me with her effortless, dominating, flawless, and dynamic voice by not showing it off. It was like she's been on some sedating medication that made her turn bbblllaaahhh and it was driving me CRAZY! But... there is a God! She gave us a bit of flava! And showed off her voice that she's been covering up! 

Gotta admit though, she better do it even more next week. I'd rather have somebody like Haley win who at least pushes her voice to the limit than have Lauren who has a voice she hardly needs to push and watch her neglect it!

Haley: She rocked it, AGAIN! 2 weeks in a row!!! I hope people loved this as much as I did because I think she did awesome! She's cool. The song was perfect for her. Her best quality as a singer is not is her grunting (which I know annoys many people, but I like it), it's the fact she's the whole package: her voice matches her personality, her personality matches her clothes, her clothes match her music. I didn't get a chance to vote last night but I hope she's not in the bottom 3! Although, I think her fan base is somewhat smaller than other contestants. But maybe she'll be the black horse of the competition...

James: Boring. It was Rock N Roll themed night and he does a ballad? L-A-M-E  and C-O-R-N-Y!

Jacob: Love him. This week wasn't shockingly amazing like usual but he did a very good job. I still think he's going to win. He's improved his articulation and not crying on stage.

Scotty McCreepy: You wont catch me voting for him... ever... due to the way he looks into the camera and his bad hair cut. And I'm not gonna lie... I was terrified he was gonna break out in a hip shake or in his Elvis song but he didn't... phew! However, he showed off his personality, he had fun, it was a good performance. I liked it!

Pia: Does she remind anyone else of Britney Spears? I don't know what it is. Her outfit was so ugly I couldn't even hear her sing. Yeah... she's good. I admit it. I just don't love her.

BOTTOM 3 PREDICTIONS:

Paul: I am a fan of this guy. Considering he was in the bottom 3 last week and there wasn't anything special about his performance... I think he's in trouble. I hope he doesn't leave though. Brad has a prediction that Paul and Pia (ew that sounds bad together) are together. I'd hate to break up puppy love.

Casey: I didn't like it. I think he's in trouble. I still think he's a splash of creepy, although so unique he spices up the competition. Besides, according to tabloids he's rollin' with Haley! Again, I'd hate to break up puppy love!

Stefano: Goin' Home! I dare somebody to tell me he's not adorable. BUT I gotta say... I think it's time... to go. 

It's not that he's not good, he just isn't good enough.