FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  Between the time Ally was accepted to SFSU and the time we pay her first tuition payment next month, the tuition has gone up 22%.

2.)  Zac will be coming home this weekend to attend a wedding - the first of their high school crowd to tie the knot.  His old friend will be staying at the hotel for their honeymoon night, so I will get to see the newlyweds when they check-in.

3.)  Ally and her friends have had their tickets for the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie for weeks.  Did that stop them from going to the theater and waiting in line for 15 hours?  No it did not. 

4.)  When we got our health insurance back, I changed doctors.  The new doc asked me to do some blood work which I was putting off until this week.  I was worried that it might be bad, so imagine my surprise to see that all the results were really positive.  Next up -  a mammogram.

5.)  I know I say this every season it is on, but if you are not watching "So You Think You Can Dance" you are really missing out on a great show.  I have it on TIVO since it airs when I work - and it is even better when you can skip through the commercials!

6.) I was at the checkout in the grocery store and saw this:

Note Christina Hendricks on the top right photo.

Now this is the photo I had seen elsewhere obviously taken the same day:

Pretty obvious that  photoshopping has been done to make her look much bigger.  It sure makes the point that you can't believe anything you see anymore.  If they can subtract - then they can add.  Whatever it takes to make their point.

Enjoy the weekend and hope the photographers are kind!

TV YOU WILL ENJOY

Had a little BBQ Saturday night at my sister's house. Our parents were in town and so we got together.

My dad has become more and more Conservative and cranky over the years and the briefest comment about Bush got his hackles up so we moved on to talk movies and TV. We talked about the heavy schedules of "reality" shows and which ones we watch or wouldn't. Tom and I sang the praises of the best show on this summer - So You Think You Can Dance.

This wonderful show was on for a couple of seasons before I found it. I think the name made me think it was one of those put down shows - that is what bothers me about so many of the "unscripted" shows. The negativity, the bitchiness and the focus on popularity rather than talent. This show is soooo different.

The judges are actually dance professionals who critique the performances respectfully and with

constructive criticism - and the occasional shriek from Mary the ballroom expert. She is a hoot.

They start with 20 dancers, pair them up and have professional choreographers teach them a dance - it could be ballet, hip hop, a Samba, a waltz, modern dance or even Bollywood. This is one of the things that makes the show so watchable. The dancers come from all kinds of backgrounds. Some are well trained from childhood, some are straight from dancing on the streets. Each has their own style, then they are challenged each week to learn a new form of dance. It is amazing what these talented people can do. Not only the dancers, but the choreographers.

I like that there is a combination of votes from the viewing audience and final decisions by the judges to determine who continues in the contest. As of this week, the couple who have been dancing together each week are split up. Now there is a random drawing for partner and dance style. Eventually the votes will come down to one "favorite" dancer who wins.

My favorite couple has been Brandon and Janette. But I have other individuals I have voted for, too. Yes - I actually vote. Something I never thought I would do!

I think the viewing audience wins every week by watching. Tune it in!

I AM OUTING MYSELF

I am outing myself as an American Idol viewer. I will not watch during the auditions, I skip over the early "Hollywood" weeks. Once they have settled down to a group of 10 or so singers, then I tune in. My husband watches from the beginning and has even been known to watch reruns of old seasons, but he is happy when I finally join in.

I have enjoyed contestant Adam Lambert from the beginning. While theatrical and a bit too much into the 80's rock - he always did something different and unexpected. He is obviously talented and experienced - but also humble and nice. I especially liked him when he steered clear of the "scream" but recognise that he is good at it.

I always liked Kris Allen, too. He has a John Mayer-like style and his stage presence built as the season went on. He is a talented musician and his arrangements were enjoyable. I know he was considered an underdog when he beat Danny into the final two - but Tom and I both liked him best and Tom managed to get through to vote for him.

For the most part the show last night was very entertaining - we were mostly disappointed that they chose KISS to sing with Adam. We are not now and never have been fans and it was the worst part of the show. Too bad they didn't have him perform with Queen or Santana. I loved what they did with the "awards" and especially when Kara came out to show the Bikini Girl how it is done!

Anyway, we were not unhappy with the outcome. It has been proven over and over that those viewers from the Southern states are voting maniacs and support their singers. Adam will go on to have a great career and as I heard someone say - he won't have to sing that terrible "winners" song for years to come.

Now the show I just love to watch is coming on - So You Think You Can Dance!! If you have not watched this - I highly recommend it. Uplifting, entertaining and inspirational. I realize I would rather be a good dancer than singer ---How about you?