American Idol Season 10

Though I vowed to never watch American Idol again after Simon's departure I reluctantly tuned in (okay, I anxiously tuned in because I love the auditions).
I am totally convinced that 60% of the people who audition are on heavy drugs, there are about 30% who have no friends at all, and finally the 10% that make it through has some type of potential.
Although, I must admit that there were quite a few to make it through to Hollywood, some that perhaps shouldn't have? For instance, Jersey girl with the stars on boobs aka Tiffany Rios. There was a lot of camaraderie amongst the judges. They convinced each other to vote "yes"...to chummy if you ask me. Jennifer Lopez found it a bit difficult to say "no", Steven Tyler tried to embody the Simon Cowell effect, and Randy had no dogs, what's up with that?

At the end of the day, the show was decent...it lacks that stern sense of sarcasm that we loved so much during the audition phase. We miss you Simon!

In the Spirit of the Upcoming Championship Games...

Troy Polamalu

Let the games begin!

No Thank You?

Okay see me and the significant other are now at a point where we share e-mail passwords I totally have nothing to hide, or at least that's what I thought.

Lately there has been a large amount of what should be junk in my e-mail inbox. Allow me to clarify, it seems as if all of the Viagra, Cialis, and Vicerex gets pass my spam filters. Not to mention I have the Yahoo! app on my phone which sends me a notification every time a message is received.

The conversation usually goes a little something like this, the mister starts out with "babe, your phone went off...I think you have an e-mail." I check my inbox and respond, "oh it's nothing." He says, "let me see" and snatch the phone to read "Enlarge you penis today!."

I think that at some point  I may need to show him my birth certificate.

Doesn't Pfizer have a marketing department? I mean I'm no advertising exec, but I think it's fair to say your barking up the wrong tree here! Sheesh, I'm sure Jimmy Johnson has a Yahoo account, go bother him.

Get In on the Vegas Deals

With Jay-Z and Coldplay playing the New Year’s Eve Grand Opening, the Cosmopolitan has lived up to everyone’s expectations thus far. Ritz and glamour aside, if you’re anything like me, shelling out a minimum of $200 per night is a bit much.
Living on the east coast, I have come to love the Vegas lifestyle and I take a trip out west every year. I engulf completely in everything that Vegas has to offer, food, shows, gambling, nightlife, and did I mention drinks?
The Cosmopolitan has created perks for the traveler on a budget. Leading up to the Cosmo’s soft opening on December 15th, I received e-mail promotions from the newly remodeled Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas, MGM Resorts, and Harrah’s (now Caesars Entertainment Corp) offering rates at a 40-60% discount.
Now may be the best time to get over to Vegas while the buzz is still hot on the Cosmo. Competitors are trying to win your business. Get in on the deals before the novelty of the Cosmopolitan wears off.

Article first published as Now May Be A Good Time to Travel to Vegas on Technorati.

Split the Bill or Split?

So a friend calls you up and invite you out to dinner on Friday night, you accept. If you're anything like me you will give yourself a maximum budget before arriving at the restaurant.
You skip the soft drink and opt for water instead, no appetizer for you, the grilled chicken entree should fill you up.
So far, you have spent $12.99, a $5.99 glass of wine wouldn't hurt.
Meanwhile at the other end of the table, there's that infamous friend who orders the most expensive appetizer, she goes for the steak and shrimp surf and turf, and did I mention drinks...shots anyone?
At the end of the night between the four of you, the bill has come to $150.00, should you split the bill?
As innocent as it may appear there are people who like to take advantage of the occasional group outing. They order the priciest thing on the menu because they know that essentially they don't have to foot the whole bill.
Is it fair for you to pay $37.50 for grilled chicken and a glass of wine? I didn't think so. Keep this in mind the next time you go out, ask for separate checks before placing your order this will save you money and the friend with extravagant taste buds will think twice before ordering the Maine lobster.

In The Name of Fame

In the past year, there have been more and more attacks “caught” on camera, mainly cell phone cameras. Conveniently enough the video is uploaded onto sites such as Youtube for all to view and comment. Random? I think not. Teens are resorting to barbaric behavior to get that 15 minutes of ’fame’ and I use the term loosely.

Back in September, 17 year old Rachel Griffith was beat relentlessly in a planned attack by a group of her peers. She suffered multiple blows to the head. The assault was recorded on a cell phone and passed around for everyone to see.

What makes one resort to such savage measures? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that threat isn’t limited to teenagers.

Take the case of Allen Haywood, while reading at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro in Washington, DC he was attacked by a teenage a girl. Repeatedly punched in the head while another girl tossed his belongings over the rail. Haywood screamed demanding the girl to stop. He yelled “I did nothing to you!” The attack occurred just after rush hour with plenty of bystanders. What is disturbing is the fact that multiple witnesses had cell phones out, no one called the police. I guess you can’t make an outgoing call while recording video.

The ‘attack and record’ trend is growing rapidly and something needs to be done soon. We are at a very bad point when we get our kicks off of watching someone being brutally beaten. The only good thing to come of this is that the videos will provide law enforcement with solid evidence.


Article first published as All In The Name of Fame on Technorati.