AMERICAN IDOL

AMERICAN IDOL

I meant to start this last week but I will, to no surprise to many, going to blog weekly about my thoughts and predictions for the next American Idol!!

What wins my vote?
--Their look fits their personality AND their voice
--They have fun and don't take the competition too seriously
--Marketable voice, image, and personality
--Offer at least a splash of originality--something that separates them from me. ;)
--They SMILE when they sing!
--They make an effort to attempt challenging songs, along with not being too predictable.
--They are NOT boring, negative, self-involved, or too dramatic!!!!!

Let me introduce you to the top 24... and yes, this is in order of my personal interests

Lauren Alaina

Pipes. Personality. Passion.
MY FAVORITE!! I said it from day one of her audition that she will win American Idol 2011! Mark. my. words.






Jacob Lusk

Male version of Mariah Carey (voice-wise, not looks-wise). Enough said.

Julie Zorrilla

Love her story. Love her look. LOVE her voice. No question she's going far in this competition. No question at all. I suspect top 5.

Robbie Rosen

There is no question this is the best male vocalist in the entire competition. If only he was hotter... but who cares when he's got a voice of gold. He's not going to win but he'll be in the top 10 and perhaps top 5 without a doubt.

Haley Reinhart

I LOVE her!! She's got PASSION for singing and she's talented as all hell! She's got the right look, attitude, and pipes to take her all the way!!






Casey Abrams

Unique. Talented. Lovable.






James Durbin

So, SO good. Who denies that? SUPER GOOD! BUT there's something holding me back from liking him too much. Perhaps it's the fact he reminds me of Adam Lambert like no other, but that is certainly not a reason to hold against him.
He's talented. Hands down. He'll be around awhile.




Paul McDonald

SO unique!! I find him kind of self-involved but I do think he's talented and might really take this competition by storm.

Thia Megia

She's adorable, good attitude, only 16!! and she has some serious pipes. LOVE IT!!!

Brett Loewenstern

Who could hate a kid who appreciates life, loves everyone around him, and is proud of himself? There is no doubt his flamboyant spirit and personality will get some votes. His voice isn't anything incredible but I would like to see this dude get to the top 10

Clint Jun Gamboa

I don't particularly like this guy... as a person because of how he acted during group week. He just seems to me to be a little self-involved. BUT he still has an amazing voice. There's no denying that.

Stefano Langone

Cutie. Lovable. 

Rachel Zevita

Adorable! Good voice. I could see her either having an "OK" first few performances and then out of nowhere have a performance that just blows everyone away. OR I could see her failing miserably due to nerves. We'll see.






Karen Rodriguez

Good personality. Marketable gal. Strong talent and true perseverance. She wont give this dream up. I admire that spirit.





Scotty McCreery

Deep, attractive voice. A little immature dude but I can't help but kinda like him.

Tim Halperin

Very unique. I don't know why but I'm rooting for this one. I can see him going home first round or surprising us all to the top 3!

Ashton Jones

I think this girl has some serious potential. She doesn't have the pipes that I like to hear from girls that would probably go into some sort of pop music but she's got the fashionista-unique look to her.




Jovany Barreto

Seems like a nice guy-which I appreciate. However, I'm just not that into him. He's just another American Idol top 24 that we see every year. He'll filter out before top 10.

Pia Toscano

Good looking. Pretty decent voice. Again, not the pipes I like for girls like this but... we'll see how many male voters we have out there.

Ta-tynisa Wilson

She screwed up her lyrics during one of the auditions BUT she's got a good voice and she pulled off the song regardless if it made sense or not. Gotta give that gal props. I think she's got potential but I need to see more from her.

Lauren Turner

Great voice BUT simply not cute enough or likable enough. :\

Jordan Dorsey

I think he's attention seeking and obnoxious. He's too old to be acting like a 16 year old. He simply bothers me. I think he tries too hard. Can't deny he's got a decent voice but I don't care.




Naimi Adedapo

I appreciate her story of cleaning toilets for a living and she wants something better... I certainly don't blame her.
Good voice BUT not my type.

Kendra Chantelle

I seriously don't even remember this girl except she did a very good job in a duet with Tim Halperin. Apparently... forgettable.







Stay tuned.


*photo's from poptower.com

Valentines Day/Grammys

Valentines Day

The day for L-O-V-E going to work, having an excuse to wear pink and red together, getting fat off candy, watching mushy TV shows, and waiting for over priced flowers to arrive. 

Although I've had a boyfriend every Valentines Day since I was like... 9 years old, I still think the day is L-A-M-E. 

It's expensive. It's forced. Blah.

I was thinking to myself today why don't I care for V-Day when I've got a man who I absolutely adore... and this is what I discovered: 

If you have someone who makes you feel beautiful, shows he cares regularly, gives you simple compliments, takes you on dates, makes you laugh, listens when you're venting about something he doesn't care about, surprises you when you least expect it, and looks you in the eye and tells you he loves you... 

Then you don't need all this over-priced stuff to make you feel validated. 

And that is why I Love him.

Perhaps when I'm older and married with a bunch of kids move out of my parents house, Valentines Day will be much more dear to my heart.

Remember: Valentines Day should not just be for our boyfriend/girlfriend/husband.. 

It is also for our mother, father, sister, grandparent, aunt, cousin, best friend, Oprah, Justin Bieber...

Which leads me to...

The Grammy's: From the mind of Mallory:

-Justin Bieber & Jaden Smith (Will Smiths lil man) Just about cutest freaking thing I have ever seen. 

-Bieber conveniently rhymes with Fever.  Bieber Fever.

What does my name rhyme with? Kent. Lent. Vent. Rent. Bent. Dent. Meant. Tent. Would I be called "Rent Kent," "Kent Bent" or "Dent Kent." Ok, clearly Kent doesn't work. Let's try Mallory. Vallory. Calorie. "Mallory Calorie" Awesome...

-Wow, Christina Aguilera is really short. And just imagine how short she'd look if she took her shoes off. This is another reason (in addition to her huge pipes) why I feel Christina and I are SO much alike!

-Lady Gaga might actually be smarter than she appears. Don't get me wrong... She's flippin crazy! But she's strategic.
I like how she calls her fans "little monsters." 
It's catchy. I dig it.

What I did not dig was this:

She arrived... in an EGG. 

What the...

 good gracious/son of a buck/farfednugan...? 

-How is Eminem still mad at the world? I would like to do a psychoanalysis on him. Seriously, what is he mad about? Maybe he's mad because...:
a) he's so rich.
b) he's shorter than most rapers.
c) he's so pale (not just as a raper but in general).


Regardless, I still like him. I'll say it, him being so mad all the time is kinda hot. I'm sure me saying that makes him mad though.


Speaking of hot, here's someone that is NOT. Cee Lo.

Why is it okay for this weirdo to have this stupid-ass costume and puppet theme which is likely to attract young kids to a song titled "F-U" I have to say... I think there is something wrong with that. And he's just kinda creepy.

Rihanna forgot her pants during her last performance with Drake. However, I'm pretty sure it was intentional.

I seriously thought it was kind of uncomfortable to watch. And I hardly call that dancing.

But... more likely than not, I'm probably jealous.
I could never pull of bright red hair with no pants. 

Same-Sex Marriage: NEWS FLASH!

On Monday hundreds of people gathered in the Iowa House for a public discussion about gay marriage. One Iowan argued "traditional marriage, between a man and a woman, is the best for our society and our state." I have to say, what the hell does that mean? The fact that we're debating a resolution to a supreme court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage is annoying enough but how ignorant that we are suggesting same sex marriage would pose a threat to our society. Really? Some Iowan's even argued legalizing same-sex marriage would open the door to group marriage. I've never even heard of that. 

The drama continued with Marvin Smith, a pastor at Harvest Babtist Church in Fort Dodge said "You take away the traditional family unit and you have struck at the very heart of our existence as society." 

NEWS FLASH: The traditional family unit has been shot for decades! 

Divorce, grandparents raising children is not uncommon, increasing rates of teen pregnancy, and thanks to science women can even have a baby without ever having sex... heaven forbid! 

According to a 2008 government statistics, more than 4 out of 10 children in the U.S. will be born to single mothers. And if you think because you are Caucasian this doesn't apply to you... think again. Nearly 30% of these families are white.

What does this mean? 4 out of 10 children are more likely to perform poorly in school, go to prison, use drugs, be poor as adults, and have their own children out of wedlock. 

Are we ever going to prioritize the things that are actually threatening the well-being of our society or will we continue to talking in circles about an issue that has absolutely no evidence of threatening or impacting the well-being of our society?

Perhaps we should throw the argument of the "traditional family unit" out the window and take a note from Zach Wahls, a student from the University of Iowa, who actually has some empirical evidence and credible views on same-sex marriage.

LOVE ALL THINGS! 

Have a wonderful week! And remember to shower after you shovel not before you shovel. I showed up to an interview this morning with snot in my hair and sweat on my back. Real cute. 

In the spotlight.

Derrick Ashong
This African born, Phd Harvard graduate was introduced to me via OprahRadioXM. I know... not surprising but don't judge too quickly. This man is a natural advocate for what he believes in, representing a diverse population of Democrats, Republicans, men, women, and children. Even my boyfriend is a huge fan. Three words I would use to describe him are competent, dynamic, and honest. Reasons to love him:
1) His political passion. I wouldn't say I agree with everything he says but he has a brilliant approach to making politics a discussion that is welcoming and non-offensive, while focusing on very sensitive issues. 
2) His band- Soulfège. As described by Huffington Post the band is "a critically-acclaimed, refreshingly original and exciting group of musicians who produce an eclectic blend of Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, World Beat and West African Highlife music to create an integral musical mélange of style and substance." And I agree completely. 
  -->To listen to some of Soulfege's songs, click here.
3) A leader in social change--(And no, he's not a flaming liberal... surprisingly). Although he's a speaker and leader politically, I specifically want to promote his advocacy for young people. You can find him speaking at schools nationwide, empowering and inspiring young people to take action. 
  -->He is founder of "Take Back the Mic," a youth-centered cultural movement that leverages the power of artistry & technology to empower young people. Currently, Take Back the Mic has launched the "Fight On" campaign, which is a music video competition that gives young people the opportunity to share their voice about things that matter. 


Seriously... what a guy. Big fan. Sorry ladies, he's taken. To learn more, go to his blog at DerrickAshong.com

Random Thoughts from Mallory

Have you ever made a random comment and somebody responds with "gosh, I'd like to spend just one second in your head."

I never know how to respond but I decided to dedicate this post to my recent random thoughts.

1.  Getting gas:

• Ignore common life rules: Turning my car off while getting gas.
• I completely ignore the rule to turn my car off while getting gas. I realize it's a rule because it's possible for me to blow up in thin air from something that has to do with the words electric, shock, fire and gas. But I am a risk taker. AND I've never heard of it happening to someone. I figure the chances of it happening are rather low.

• Ignore gas prices: The truth is I'm going to pay for it anyway (credit card? perhaps.) so what's the point?
• The other day I was going about my typical and oblivious gas station experience until I stopped picking my split ends and looked up to see a Dad teaching his young teen daughter how to get gas. I drifted into a memory from 11 years ago when my Dad brought me to that same gas station to teach me how to get gas. 
• My dad said to me, "Mal, take a look at the gas price. It will change drastically in your life time." The bratty teen that I was, I naturally rolled my eyes and acted like he was super lame. However, I never forgot the price.

1999: $0.98

2011: $3.06

Now, that is lame!

And that is why I don't look at gas prices.

     

2.  The new hair trend of 2011: Do not match your roots to your ends.

This trend is confusing. I feel confident the only people who can pull this look off is a high-list celebrity. This is confusing because it looks natural but all of these people are getting their hair professionally done to look like this. So, in fact, it is one of the most unnatural, natural looks. Not to mention, if any regular person gets her hair done like this people would definitely think they must of lost their job or their student loan hasn't come in yet because they can't even afford to get their highlights re-touched. 

However, a part of me kind of wants it.

I can't explain it.

3.  I love TV in January

• American Idol: My secret obsession... only not so secret.
•  New judges. Steven Tyler, J Lo, and good ol Randy Jackson. Truthfully, I will miss Simon so very much. I can't help but love him. However, despite J Lo's too sweet to hurt people's feelings attitude right now, I think she's got some street in her that will come out pretty shortly. 
• I can't help but 100% judge the contestants that end up crying. Seriously? Get a grip. 
• I am a very good critic of American Idol potentials. I'm super fun to watch it with. In fact, I have an American Idol spreadsheet in which I like to forecast who will move on. I will post about that.
• The Bachelor: Rock Hard Body

• Who has that much time to work out? Any guy who has a rock hard body like this spends way too much time in the gym looking at himself and not enough time with the lady of his life. Think about it...
• He's also emotionally stiff--I can't put my finger on it exactly but I think he's either A) nervous in front of the camera's or B) Insecure as almighty! He trips on almost every word he spits out.
• Not for me. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. not my type. No thanks!

A shout out to my girl, Steph, who is celebrating her 25th birthday this weekend! I must disclose this picture was from my Senior year of college Spring Break in Panama City, FL. so... don't judge. 

(Sorry Steph it was the only picture I could find!)

That's all for today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Let's get this party started!

I feel the need to justify why I haven't blogged forever but I can't think of a valid reason. Other than I was drowning in schoolwork  in conjunction with my job, in which I mistakenly worked full-time this past semester. I am simply going to go about life pretending I haven't been neglecting nearly every aspect of it and focus on the future. But like most things, you can't focus on the future until you take a quick glance back at the past...

Regrets vs. Mistakes
I am not one of those people who believes there are no regrets. In fact, I think the complete contrary. I totally believe in regrets. I'll go as far as to say I think it's healthy to have regrets. Sure we can learn from our regrets, which some may mistake the word regret with mistake but the truth is we regret things because we probably knew better.  For example:

Mistake

Drinking too much on NYE when I had a plane flight at 7am. The reason for this is because I did not know I couldn't still drink like a college student. College friends bring out the college drinking in me. I think that's a fair justification

Regret

Scheduling a flight on New Years Day at 7am.

My college friends :)

T-7 hours until our flight takes off... this photo shoot certainly proves why our 7am flight arrived much too quickly.

Due to my massive mistake of working and being a student full-time last semester, I decided to treat myself to an exciting getaway with my hottie to Arizona. We stayed with his parents in Sun City, AZ (which is an extremely awesome 55+ community). We played pool, tennis, went swimming, played golf, climbed a mountain... yes, a mountain.

PROOF:

Camelback Mountain: over 2,700ft. 

Admittedly, Brad and I probably look like we're in better shape than we actually are. As we hiked/crawled up this mountain we hardly spoke a word. Not because I had nothing to say, spare me I always have something to say, but because we were so out of breath we probably wouldn't be able to say "help" if necessary. And of course, the freak that I am, I tried to act like I was super athletic to impress him with my "natural hiking skills" so wouldn't admit I needed a break. I refused to be worse at climbing a mountain than Brad. (some people say competing with your loved one is a bad idea but I can't help it) I'm not sure if he noticed I was about to die or not but who cares. We made it. (Plus, we beat the couple that I was secretly racing)

 I couldn't help myself when I saw my purse sitting so perfectly... yes, I took a purse. Shut up

Sunset after a freezing afternoon of golf. Yes, it was freezing. Shut up.

  ESPN Bud Light Fiesta Bowl 

I was told Phoenix was hosting the national college championship but when Brad took me to this Bud Light Fiesta... thing... There was a band, exciting tents with yard games and I was so distracted but after about an hour I finally looked around and noticed all these "O" and "AU" signs. Everywhere. I thought "where the hell am I?" 

Me: "Brad, what does the 'O' mean?" 

Brad:  "do you even know where you are?" 

Me (with a puzzled expression) "umm..." 

Brad laughed at me and explained to my pathetic ass that all this stuff was for the college championship... Oregon and Auburn University. I felt stupid. But I thought Phoenix might be the kind of place that always had "fiesta's"!! Shut up.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION:
I will stop eating potato chips because they stick to my hips.
My house is a temptation, which I noticed on vacation.
So I made exception to this pathetic obsession.
This only applies to the regular ruffled kind, which has created a challenge for other chips to find.
As time goes on I have replaced my old habit with pringle's, gold fish, & tostitos... dagnabit!!

This is a rap!!