A short entry....
Syesha or Brooke will go home. Neither one of them gave a great performance nor do they have the huge fan base that votes inspite of a lackluster song.
Syesha has now shown she is not a pop star but a theater diva. That is fine but will not connect with a lot of the AI fans,
Brooke is now out of her league. She will go on to make a greaqt singer song writer album and have a fine career but she will not win.
David and David both did pretty well. Jason was just ok but he has such a following he will be fine for now.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Top 6
So the biggest news here, and the news I will never live down now that it is immortalized online, is that I am a big musical fan so I was excited to hear that Andrew Lloyd Webber would be mentoring. That being said these songs are hard and do not sound like pop songs. It will be interesting to see who can make it contemporary and do a good job. For many of the contestants whom have already show they cannot come up with original arrangements this maybe the night that seals their fate. Texting 13 year old girls are not going to text a million times for a typical broadway performance. And a Kristy Lee Cook style bad arrangment will not be much better.
Syesha Mercado. One Rock and Roll Too Many. She missed a couple notes but it was a very fun and sassy performance. Dancing with the conductor and guitar player may have verged on cheesy. It was a good piece of theater but not a great American Idol performance.
Jason Castro. Memory. Really tapped into the emotional core of the song which is funny given that is largely about growing old and he is the second youngest contestant. He hit most of the notes so the "trainwreck" comment from Randy seemed unfair. He probably could have found a better song for his style but I do not think he bombed just was not his best.
Brooke White. You Must Love Me. Messed up and started over. Thats not cool. Had trouble on a few of the low notes. Did manage to capture the emotional component that Webber talked about in the begining and because of house powerful that is, it may save her. But really, wow messing up and starting over is hard to recover from.
David Archuleta. Think Of Me. This is tough for me because its one of my favorite songs. I think he did a good job bring it a bit more pop like. Sounded like an older R&B song to me. He was also too stationary to a song that had a bit of a beat to it. Was a little boring. Should have really had fun on the build up parts.
Carly Smithson. Jesus Christ Superstar. This is a song that is already pretty fun and modern. A great fit for her voice and personality. She performed it very well catching the breaks and solos and moving around the stage well. Song could be a bit irreverant for some but watch the whole play and get over it to them.
David Cook. I have been looking forward to seeing what David would do and how Webber reacted all week long. I just knew it would be very interesting. It was not. He did it like every high school and college performance of the Phantom I have ever seen. He did fine. But for someone who has seen Michael Crawford perform at the Pantages and loves Cook's ability to make songs his own, it was a letdown.
Syesha Mercado. One Rock and Roll Too Many. She missed a couple notes but it was a very fun and sassy performance. Dancing with the conductor and guitar player may have verged on cheesy. It was a good piece of theater but not a great American Idol performance.
Jason Castro. Memory. Really tapped into the emotional core of the song which is funny given that is largely about growing old and he is the second youngest contestant. He hit most of the notes so the "trainwreck" comment from Randy seemed unfair. He probably could have found a better song for his style but I do not think he bombed just was not his best.
Brooke White. You Must Love Me. Messed up and started over. Thats not cool. Had trouble on a few of the low notes. Did manage to capture the emotional component that Webber talked about in the begining and because of house powerful that is, it may save her. But really, wow messing up and starting over is hard to recover from.
David Archuleta. Think Of Me. This is tough for me because its one of my favorite songs. I think he did a good job bring it a bit more pop like. Sounded like an older R&B song to me. He was also too stationary to a song that had a bit of a beat to it. Was a little boring. Should have really had fun on the build up parts.
Carly Smithson. Jesus Christ Superstar. This is a song that is already pretty fun and modern. A great fit for her voice and personality. She performed it very well catching the breaks and solos and moving around the stage well. Song could be a bit irreverant for some but watch the whole play and get over it to them.
David Cook. I have been looking forward to seeing what David would do and how Webber reacted all week long. I just knew it would be very interesting. It was not. He did it like every high school and college performance of the Phantom I have ever seen. He did fine. But for someone who has seen Michael Crawford perform at the Pantages and loves Cook's ability to make songs his own, it was a letdown.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Top 7
Mariah Carey Night. Rather than write this 7 times I will just note if it doesn"t apply to anyone. The problem with Mariah Carey night is that no one else has a 5 octave range, a great body and a million grammy"s. Thus, everyone who tries to do a Mariah Carey song without making big changes to it winds up sounding boring.
David Archuleta. We Are Not Afraid. He did a great job. His falsetto was a tad lacking but it feels authentic and adds to the emotional factor when his voice is slightly off. Not everyone could do that.
Carly Smithson. Without You. She looked really good. The performance was fine, but she didn"t do anything special with the song. It was a tad boring.
Syesha Mercado. The begining was pretty. Towards the end the runs were a bit excessive and she took Mariah"s coaching to hit the minor note on the one line and did it on several lines. The dischord probably didn"t sound great to all but maybe the jazz fans.
Brooke White. Hero. Very cool arrangement. Love that she played it so low key until the bridge. Hit a few sour notes, A very heartfelt performance.
Kristy Lee Cook. She finally found an outfit that doesn"t look silly. The song worked out very well as a country tune and she sang it well. Of course I found myself missing the big notes. She is getting better and better every week. Still probably the least likely winner but she keeps sticking around.
David Cook. Always Be My Baby. An incredible arrangement. The use of the strings was amazing. It was a great performance and that big note towards the end was perfect. David seriously knows music and how to work with a band. He took a big risk and it rocked. I would buy his album. Sounds silly I know but there is only one Idol album that I have purchased so far.
Jason Castro. I Don"t Want To Cry. A fantastic performance. Very laid back. Great song for a bonfire night at the beach. I really like Jason"s ability to make all songs so relaxing and chill.
David Archuleta. We Are Not Afraid. He did a great job. His falsetto was a tad lacking but it feels authentic and adds to the emotional factor when his voice is slightly off. Not everyone could do that.
Carly Smithson. Without You. She looked really good. The performance was fine, but she didn"t do anything special with the song. It was a tad boring.
Syesha Mercado. The begining was pretty. Towards the end the runs were a bit excessive and she took Mariah"s coaching to hit the minor note on the one line and did it on several lines. The dischord probably didn"t sound great to all but maybe the jazz fans.
Brooke White. Hero. Very cool arrangement. Love that she played it so low key until the bridge. Hit a few sour notes, A very heartfelt performance.
Kristy Lee Cook. She finally found an outfit that doesn"t look silly. The song worked out very well as a country tune and she sang it well. Of course I found myself missing the big notes. She is getting better and better every week. Still probably the least likely winner but she keeps sticking around.
David Cook. Always Be My Baby. An incredible arrangement. The use of the strings was amazing. It was a great performance and that big note towards the end was perfect. David seriously knows music and how to work with a band. He took a big risk and it rocked. I would buy his album. Sounds silly I know but there is only one Idol album that I have purchased so far.
Jason Castro. I Don"t Want To Cry. A fantastic performance. Very laid back. Great song for a bonfire night at the beach. I really like Jason"s ability to make all songs so relaxing and chill.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Bruce Lee Christians
Bruce Lee, martial arts expert, actor and of course Christian Leader. Ok he may never have come out as and said he was a Christian nor did he say many Christian things, but I believe he may have delivered one of the most powerful lessons for the Church since Jesus and Paul made the same point in less cool Yoda/Confucious/Buddah-like ways. Check it out...
"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."
In 1 Corintians 9:19-23 Paul says while maintaining his standards he "became all things to all men" so that he could experience what they experience and meet them where they are at to help bring the into a relationship with Christ. Not only did Paul talk about being water, he lived it.
Take a look at Acts 17:1-3 and 10-12. Paul met with lots of Jews in the Synagogues. He talked to them about the Torah, the prophets and the Law. This was an area of comfort and strength for him coming from a conservative and orthodox Jewish background. This is the approach of most of our churches today. We assume people are very similar to us and believe very similar to us and talk to them accordingly. If they are too different we speak out against them or ignore them. And this is all totally acceptable in a homogenous enviornment according to Paul. But take a look later in the chapter...
In Acts 17:17-34 Paul does an about face. He is no longer in his comfort zone. The idols that he told the Jews were disgusting are everywhere. There are tourists, intellectuals and everyday citizens. So what does he do? Boom! Paul suddenly starts befriending important community leaders, getting speaking opportunities in potentially hostile enviornments, talking to people on the streets, etc. He tells people at public gatherings he was fascinated by their shrines (as oppose to disgusted by their idols).
Now here is the kicker--Most of our communities look a lot more like Athens, than Jerusalem. The days of Christendom are long gone. If you want great art, great music, great poety, theater or film, none of these are considered strongholds of the Church. Even social justice and advocacy problems are now largely handled by corporations and world governments. Just the other night American Idol raised millions of dollars to fund all sorts of amazing programs that history recognizes as the traditional role of the Church. Stats show traditional Christian values only seriously influence around 30% of the population and even less are consistent in applying them in their lives.
Our world is not Paul's world in Jerusalem, it is Paul's world in Athens. Paul and Bruce Lee agree that we need to change to be effective.
Jesus too seemed to have believed in this concept. He didn't speak much on it but throughout his ministry one can see the application. He healed those who needed healing. He ate with tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. He hung out in the synagogues as well and taught from the torah. When speaking to the religious he spoke "religiously" but otherwise he was a day labororer getting to know people and sharing with them the answers he had regarding Life. With the Samaritan woman at the well he made apt comparisons between their belief systems and showed an understanding of what she believed. And he talked about meeting tangible needs of people who you come into contact with.
It seems like this paradigm for ministry that may seem somewhat new and radical has its roots in ancient scripture. Paul and Jesus and Bruce Less all agree, how can I not?
So, be water my friend.
"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."
In 1 Corintians 9:19-23 Paul says while maintaining his standards he "became all things to all men" so that he could experience what they experience and meet them where they are at to help bring the into a relationship with Christ. Not only did Paul talk about being water, he lived it.
Take a look at Acts 17:1-3 and 10-12. Paul met with lots of Jews in the Synagogues. He talked to them about the Torah, the prophets and the Law. This was an area of comfort and strength for him coming from a conservative and orthodox Jewish background. This is the approach of most of our churches today. We assume people are very similar to us and believe very similar to us and talk to them accordingly. If they are too different we speak out against them or ignore them. And this is all totally acceptable in a homogenous enviornment according to Paul. But take a look later in the chapter...
In Acts 17:17-34 Paul does an about face. He is no longer in his comfort zone. The idols that he told the Jews were disgusting are everywhere. There are tourists, intellectuals and everyday citizens. So what does he do? Boom! Paul suddenly starts befriending important community leaders, getting speaking opportunities in potentially hostile enviornments, talking to people on the streets, etc. He tells people at public gatherings he was fascinated by their shrines (as oppose to disgusted by their idols).
Now here is the kicker--Most of our communities look a lot more like Athens, than Jerusalem. The days of Christendom are long gone. If you want great art, great music, great poety, theater or film, none of these are considered strongholds of the Church. Even social justice and advocacy problems are now largely handled by corporations and world governments. Just the other night American Idol raised millions of dollars to fund all sorts of amazing programs that history recognizes as the traditional role of the Church. Stats show traditional Christian values only seriously influence around 30% of the population and even less are consistent in applying them in their lives.
Our world is not Paul's world in Jerusalem, it is Paul's world in Athens. Paul and Bruce Lee agree that we need to change to be effective.
Jesus too seemed to have believed in this concept. He didn't speak much on it but throughout his ministry one can see the application. He healed those who needed healing. He ate with tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. He hung out in the synagogues as well and taught from the torah. When speaking to the religious he spoke "religiously" but otherwise he was a day labororer getting to know people and sharing with them the answers he had regarding Life. With the Samaritan woman at the well he made apt comparisons between their belief systems and showed an understanding of what she believed. And he talked about meeting tangible needs of people who you come into contact with.
It seems like this paradigm for ministry that may seem somewhat new and radical has its roots in ancient scripture. Paul and Jesus and Bruce Less all agree, how can I not?
So, be water my friend.
My Vacation Writings
So, I went on vacation thinking that the beautiful Caribbean enviornment would be awesome for writing. We as it turns out it was. The problem is that vacations are the perfect enviornment for forgetting things like chargers. Thus armed with little more than the Bible provided in my stateroom on the ship and a notepad and pen I accomplished little more than some scribbles in a notebook which I have pieced together in the following post. Do keep you eyes open for some cool pictures of my son in the slideshow at the bottom of this page.
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