April, 2008
April 1st, 2008, 5:26 p.m. - Prove me wrong, Malubay
"Which Idol Will Fall Fourth?"
April 2nd, 2008, 10:31 p.m. - Called it!
April 5th, 2008, 5:28 p.m. - Uh, does anyone care that one of the characters murdered two people? No? Okay, then
13. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Joshilyn Jackson)
Did some random person write this book and then put Joshilyn Jackson's name on it? Because it's completely different from gods in Alabama and Between, Georgia, and nowhere near as good. It's not funny, it's not that suspenseful, and I didn't care about any of the characters. It felt like Jackson was trying too hard, when by this point it should be effortless for her, or at least seem like it is. I'm glad I read the other two books first, because if I'd read this one first, I might not have read the other two. I hope Jackson does better on her next effort, because this one was disappointing.
Up next: Wasted (Marya Hornbacher)
April 8th, 2008, 5:27 p.m. - Maybe my teeny, tiny streak will hold up
April 9th, 2008, 5:46 p.m. - Idol Gives Back
Tonight is the long-awaited/-dreaded/-winded two-and-a-half-hour (yes, you read that right) Idol Gives Back extravaganza. And while I somewhat enjoyed last year's episode – the performances were at least good, even though the whole thing felt, as Cowell himself would say, indulgent – I'm dreading tonight.
Not only do I have to recap the entire thing, but I have to be at my computer for the entire two-and-a-half hours, watching nothing but Idol. Do they really expect people to pay attention for that entire block of time? Because if I didn't have to recap it, I probably wouldn’t put forth that much effort. It just seems like a lot to ask.
And then there's, of course, the issue of the show itself, and what it stands for and what it asks of its viewers. Idol Gives Back's express purpose is to raise money to help the needy. Of course, that in itself is a noble concept, and I'm all for spreading the wealth and helping out those who are less fortunate. I just wish I didn't feel like I have a gun held to my head while a masked man breathes down my neck and threatens to kill a puppy if I don't fork over some money.
The whole thing reminds me of praying. The Bible says that you don't have to pray out loud in front of tons of people – in fact, you're supposed to go into a quiet room and pray on your own. Idol Gives Back wants us to give money, but not quietly and by ourselves – in a large room, in front of millions of people, while everyone sings and tells sad stories and basically guilts us into it. I'm not saying I won't donate, because I did last year and I think the causes that are being supportive are definitely worthy ones. But why do we continually have to be made to feel like we're horrible people – basically, terrorists – if we don't donate? Do I have to announce myself when I give to charity? No. But Idol Gives Back wants me to. And it also wants me to listen to people sing and watch heartbreaking videos of nice people living in horrible conditions for two-and-a-half hours. It's like the puppy's being threatened even after I've already agreed to pay the ransom. Can we let up a little bit? Is next year's show going to be three hours? Because I honestly can't handle that, and most people in America don't want to sit there for three hours being told over and over again how horrible they are if they don't try to help. We know. We know people need our help. We're trying to help. Please don't sic your celebrities on us.
10:43 p.m. - Shout to who now?
I'm very tired and don't really want to keep thinking about the two hours and 40 minutes of my life I just gave up (NOT two-and-a-half hours - look, if you're going to go over, TELL PEOPLE), but I have to say this: I'm annoyed that they sang "Shout to the Lord" on Idol Gives Back. I didn't go into it too much in my recap because it's not the right place, but I will here. Why did they sing a Christian praise song on a secular show? If an Idol had sung it, Simon would have called him or her indulgent. And why did they change "Jesus" to "shepherd"? Those who know the song know that the original lyric is "my Jesus, my Savior," and those who don't know the song...are smart enough to figure out that it's a Christian praise song.
Look, I know some people here in America love to call our nation a Christian one, but we're not. We're a national full of different religions. There are even these people here called atheists, who don't worship a God. (I know, I know, gasp!) Many people who are not Christians watch American Idol, and I highly doubt that they want to hear a bunch of people from unknown religious backgrounds singing to a Savior they don't consider a savior. If I weren't a Christian, I would probably be offended by the song choice. It was out of place.
The show tonight was about giving to charity, not calling on God. I'm not saying we shouldn't call on God - anyone who knows me knows I don't feel that way - but this was not the right time or place. The point of tonight's show was to encourage people to give what they have to people who don't have anything. That's it. Whether you believe in God or Jesus or whatever, it didn't matter tonight. It was about giving of yourself. Religion had nothing to do with it. American Idol is not about religion, it never has been about religion, and it should not be about religion. It's about people voting for someone to be a singer. Tonight was a detour, and it was about those voters giving something back. They don't deserve to have anyone else's religious views pressed on them. That's not why they watched. They watched for the celebrities and the stories and the performances, not for God or Jesus. There's a reason we have freedom of religion in this country. They could have chosen a different song.
Or maybe I'm just tired and being too sensitive about this. I'm going with tired for now. After all, my memory of the rest of the events goes like this: Robin Williams offending Russians, Annie Lennox being awesome, Fergie doing gymnastics, Carrie Underwood also being awesome, Nancy Wilson practically making sparks fly out of her guitar, Jesse Spencer playing violin, and Miley Cyrus running around a lot.
11:19 p.m. - Three pages, but it felt twice as long
April 13th, 2008, 9:24 p.m. - A new kind of scared straight
14. Wasted (Marya Hornbacher)
This book should be required reading for every preteen and teenager so they know the real dangers of eating disorders. I never had an eating disorder, but if I'd ever thought about it and then read this book, it would have pushed all thoughts of it out of my head.
Up next: Hold Tight (Harlan Coben)
April 15th, 2008, 7:57 p.m. - I think this is my last one, which is good since I'm not very good at it
April 16th, 2008, 10:51 p.m. - I never thought I'd want Kristy to stay over Syesha, but...there you go
April 19th, 2008, 10:25 p.m. - Yeah, yeah, spying is bad, got it
15. Hold Tight (Harlan Coben)
Not Coben's best (that would be Tell No One, which is now a movie that's apparently French but also features Kristin Scott Thomas), but still good. I've said before that he's not a technically great writer, but he does write suspense well. (He needs to tone down the cop-talk, though - I highly doubt police officers talk like that outside of movies.) I also like how he kind of wove together a handful of seemingly unconnected stories. Not excellent, but still a good read.
Up next: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles (Jennifer 8. Lee)
April 22nd, 2008, 7:56 p.m. - Fair warning, Idols
Anyone who sings "Memory" tonight gets a punch in the face.
8:12 p.m. - ...
You were warned, Jason Castro. You were warned.
April 23rd, 2008, 11:25 p.m. - America's drug trip continues
April 26th, 2008, 9:54 p.m. - Don't read this book on an empty stomach
16. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles (Jennifer 8. Lee)
I described this book to someone as "fascinating," the best word I could come up with for it. Lee spent a great deal of time traveling the world to discover the history of the fortune cookie, chop suey, and General Tso's chicken. It all started when she learned that a bunch of people across America won the lottery by playing numbers they got from fortune cookies. From there, she branched out into basically a history of Chinese food itself (the Americanized version, at least). I never thought a book about the history of a cuisine would be so interesting. It's hard to find a book that's both informative and enjoyable, but Lee found the balance.
Up next: Sundays in America (Suzanne Strempek Shea)
April 30th, 2008, 11:22 p.m. - Psst! It's the blond one!