December 2007 - Posts

The Best of The Dish: The smell of rain (from May 23)
31 December 07 10:05 AM | Zach | with no comments

It's most likely going to rain here today so I thought this wasn't bad to post. I also want to say that this story is a bit like my sister and I's story. I was a pre-mie as was my sister.



A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery.

 

Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.

 

That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.

 

At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature.

 

Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.

 

"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could.

 

 "There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one"

 

Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.

 

She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.

 

"No! No!" was all Diana could say.

 

She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four.

 

Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away

 

But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.

 

Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw', the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love.

 

All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.

 

There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.

 

But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.

 

At last, when Dana turned two months old. her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time.

 

And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.

 

Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.

 

She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.

 

One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.

 

As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"

 

Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."

 

Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?" 

Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."

 

Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him.

 

It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."

 

Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.

 

Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.

 

During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.

The Best of the Dish: Letter from Scout-camp (from May 7)
28 December 07 12:03 PM | Zach | with no comments

I know a lot of adults who read the blogs here on Steeple Media, and there are some "younger aged" "kids" too... Hopefully those of you who are sending your kids to summer camp this summer dont get this letter and hopefully those younger ones who are going to camp dont send this letter. Sorry for this scoutmom!

Dear Mom & Dad,

Our Scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and are worried. We are okay. Only one of our tents and twosleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned becausewe were all up on the mountain looking for Adam when it happened. Ohyes, please call Adam's mother and tell her he is okay. He can't write because of the cast.

I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps.It was neat. We never would have found Adam in the dark if it hadn'tbeen for the lightning. Scoutmaster Keith got mad at Adam for going on ahike alone without telling anyone. Adam said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn't hear him.Did you know that if youput gas on a fire, the gas will blow up? The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did and also some of our clothes.

Matthew is going to look weird until his hair grows back.We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Keith gets the bus fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked okay when we left. Scoutmaster Keith said that with a bus that old you have to expect some thing to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance. We think it's a neat bus. He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders.

It gets pretty hot with 45 people in a bus. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrol man stopped and talked to us.Scoutmaster Keith is a neat guy. Don't worry, he's a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Jesse how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any traffic. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake. Scoutmaster Keith wouldn't let me because I can't sw im, and Adam was afraid he would sink because of his cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.Scoutmaster Keith isn't crabby like some Scoutmasters. He didn't even get mad about us not wearing life jackets.He has to spend a lot of time working on the bus so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit
badges. When Andrew dived into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.

Steven and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Keith said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our Scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time.By the way, what is a pedal file? I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters and buy some more beer. Don't worry about anything.
We are fine.

    Love,
    Chris

The Best of the Dish: Pirates 101 (from May 25)
28 December 07 10:01 AM | Zach | 4 comment(s)
These are coutresy of Movies.com
From Depp's not-fake gold teeth to Pirates 4 banter, get 26 need-to-know facts in our alphabetical guide to all things Pirates

By Kimberly Potts

Getty Images, Peter Kramer A is for antediluvian rock star.
We finally get to see Keith Richards — Johnny Depp's inspiration for his over-the-top performance as Jack Sparrow — in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. But don't think the onscreen turn as Papa Grant Sparrow (complete with a sea-turtle-shaped guitar) intimidated the legendary rocker. The 62-year-old Richards, says co-star Bill Nighy, got so blotto waiting in his trailer on the set that director Gore Verbinksi had to prop him up to film his scenes. Richards' retort: "If you wanted straight, then you got the wrong man."

B is for the black spot.
Bootstrap Bill Turner, father of Will (Orlando Bloom), marks Captain Jack with the large black boil-like protuberance that allows the markee to be tracked by the vile Kraken (see K). In fact, the black spot shows up often as a sign of shame or guilt in pirate-related pop culture, including Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, the online role-playing game Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates and, yes, even Muppet Treasure Island.

C is for the curse of The Curse of the Black Pearl.
During filming of the first Pirates flick in 2002, a fire sparked on the set and ultimately caused more than $350,000 worth of damage. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Then later, on location in St. Vincent, a large chunk of the crew came down with dysentery, leaving everyone wondering if The Curse wasn't, well, cursed.

Pirates of the Caribbean Ride D is for the Disneyland theme-park ride.
The last major ride to have input from Walt himself, the attraction debuted in Anaheim in 1957. After the success of The Curse of the Black Pearl, it was updated to include Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa. The most recent ride-based movie to make it to the big screen was 2003's disappointing Haunted Mansion, with Eddie Murphy in the lead.

E is for the East India Trading Company.
Yes, it was a real establishment, started in 1600 and officially sanctioned by the British government to control that country's trading in, well, India. In the Pirates flicks, it's run by the power-hungry Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) — it's been hinted, as Jack was marked as a pirate by Beckett, that Jack also left some sort of mark on his rival and that mark will be revealed in At World's End.

F is for a fourth Pirates movie.
Says Depp, who's indicated he'd return if a good script materialized, "You don't want it to be Rocky 12, certainly. But you never say never." Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, meanwhile, have said, since finishing Pirates 3, they've thought about writing a fourth, but, as Rossio put it, "I can't say if we'll be able to solve the challenge of making a good fourth film or if our screenplay will be enough to get a film made."

Getty Images, Kevin Winter G is for gold teeth.
Depp was so committed that instead of wearing a set of removable gold teeth, he actually had his dentist implant a set for him. Although he eventually removed a few of the choppers, the initial look led to many a panicked phone call from Disney suits. The actor recalls that he finally just said, 'Look, you hired me to do the gig. If you didn't see the stuff I've done before, that's irresponsible on your part … If you don't like it, you can fire me.' … There was one executive in particular who really went out of their way to investigate what the f--- I was up to, and after the release of Pirates, I got a letter from (him) saying, 'Look, I apologize. I was wrong. You were right … I appreciate the fact that you didn't listen to me.'"

H is for Hector Barbossa.
Talk about Method Acting. Jack Sparrow's nemesis, played by Geoffrey Rush, was thought to be dead at the end of Black Pearl. Then, in Dead Man's Chest, when Will, Elizabeth and company ask for Tia Dalma's help in saving Jack from the World's End, she tells them they'll need a skilled captain to navigate their way. Well, the actors had expected, from the script, that Pearl pirate Anamaria was going to show up — so when Rush walked through the door, their faces are showing genuine surprise.

I is for Isla de Muerta and Isla Cruces.
In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the destination is Isla de Muerta, which is where Sparrow's ship has been hidden from him. It's also the scene of the final showdown between Sparrow and Barbossa. In Dead Man's Chest, the magic isle is Isla Cruces ("Crosses Island"), the abandoned area where Davy Jones buried his heart. Rumors suggest Isla Cruces might figure into the action of At World's End

J is for James Norrington.
A member of the Royal Navy, Norrington (Jack Davenport) is in love with Elizabeth and tries to propose to her — except Lizzie faints and takes an, ahem, swan dive into the bay, her heart secretly belonging to Will Turner. Initially gracious about this lack of affection, by Dead Man's Chest he's a bitter drunk, stripped of his honor. He steals Davy Jones' heart and delivers it to Beckett, asking to be returned to post. Does Beckett agree? We find out in At World's End, but a hint: Stills show Norrington in what appears to be an admiral's uniform.

K is for Kraken.
"Krake" is German for octopus, which gives us some idea of what the Kraken actually looks like. In Dead Man's Chest, we never get a full-on shot of the aqua beast, but we do see that its tentacles are giant, its mouth (with circles of huge, spiky teeth) is bigger than Jack Sparrow's entire body, and his breath smells like "a thousand rotting corpses." When the Kraken attacks Barbarossa and Jack the Black Pearl, Jack walks into the its gullet, sword raised, and is swallowed by the natatory nuisance. Buzz has it that the Kraken returns in Pirates 3 — but may not be around for any future sequels (wink, wink).

L is for Levi the monkey.
Barbossa has a pet monkey he named Jack, played by two different primates: a 10-year-old Capuchin monkey female named Tara and an 8-year-old Capuchin male named Levi. According to commentary on the Pirates DVDs, the only way to get the little actors to focus was to squirt them with water guns. By the way, they have their fansite, We Named the Monkey Jack, and yes, Jack the monkey does return in At World's End.

M is for missing script.
Production on At World's End was started without a completed screenplay because filmmakers wanted to overlap the productions of Dead Man's Chest and its sequel so they could share sets and shorten the lag time between release dates.

N is for nine pirate lords.
At World's End climaxes with the Brethren of the Coast meeting — a showdown involving a giant whirlpool between nine pirate lords, Beckett, Norrington and the Royal Navy, and Davy Jones and his Flying Dutchman crew. Among the nine pirate lords: Sparrow, Barbossa and newbie pirate bad boy Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat).

Johnny Depp on Pelegostos O is for opening weekend.
It'll be tough to top the opening box office for Dead Man's Chest, which set a new record with a whopping $135.6 million in its first three days of release in July 2006. It went on to earn more than $1 billion worldwide — only the third movie in history to top the billion-dollar mark (after Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

P is for the Pelegostos.
It's the island where Sparrow lands in Dead Man's Chest while trying to escape an attack by the Kraken. He is thought to be a god by the island-dwelling Pelegostos — unfortunately for him, the Pelegostos believe in honoring their gods by eating them. His escape sequence sparked a bit of controversy when the Carib Indians, who live in Dominica, where the Pelegosto scenes were shot, feared their people were being characterized as cannibals.

Q is for queen of the gypsies, Tia Dalma.
As in the Harry Potter universe, the Pirates universe is rife with wordplay. Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), the voodoo priestess, for instance, is an anagram of Dalmatia, a reference to the Dalmatian Coast, historically a big pirate hangout. Tia returns for At World's End, but as Harris teases, she will turn out to be "not really who she says she is … she is a lot more powerful."

R is for Ragetti and Pintel.
The bumbling crew members Ragetti (The Office's Mackenzie Crook) and Pintel (Seinfeld's Lee Arenberg) have been providing yucks since the beginning — including Ragetti's repeated drama of losing his fake wooden eyeball. In At World's End, Crook says moviegoers "discover that Lee and I are there for more than just comic relief. It turns out that we do have a purpose in the grand scheme of things." The popular pair also were featured in a tie-in Visa commercial, while Ragetti was part of a tie-in for Pirates-themed M&Ms.

S is for Sao Feng.
The mustachioed Sao Feng (Chinese for "howling wind") is the newest villain. Played by Chow Yun-Fat, he leads a crew of supernatural Chinese pirates from Singapore. Little has been revealed about his character, though it is believed that he kidnaps Elizabeth to blackmail Jack into joining the Brethren of the Coast meeting — and that he is in sole possession of the map Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa and their crew require to save Jack.

T is for Turkey Jerky.
Not just a snack food, but a fine substitute for decomposing pirate skin, apparently. When the special-effects wizards wanted to create a realistic look of rotting flesh hanging from cursed pirate bones in Black Pearl, they scanned in turkey jerky and made it look like the decomposing dermis. Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Getty Images

U is for unrealized Pirates.
Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have said they originally pitched a movie based on the theme-park ride to Disney back in 1992; the studio passed, and another decade went by before the idea came to fruition. But the wilder bit of what-might-have-been lore involves Steven Spielberg. Rumor has it that the director once got his hands on an early version of the Black Pearl script and wanted to direct it himself, with Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Jim Carrey or Bill Murray in the Sparrow role. But the project got stuck in development hell.

V is for Verbinski, Gore Verbinski, Pirates director.
Real name: Gregor Verbinski. Age: 43. Previous jobs: directing music videos and Clio Award-winning commercials, including the famous croaking-frogs TV spot for Budweiser. First films: Mouse Hunt and The Mexican, then the 2002 remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring. He was asked to helm a sequel to The Ring and passed because he "didn't know where to go with it," he says. But he jumped at the chance to revisit Pirates: "The studio said, 'Could you do two more?' And that was sort of challenging to construct a trilogy in reverse, so to speak."

W is for wheel.
One of the most memorable sequences in Dead Man's Chest takes place on a runaway mill wheel, as Sparrow, Turner and Norrington duke it out in a swordfight while the 18-foot-tall, 1,800-pound hunk of round wood rolls through the jungle. "I think the wheel, going upside down and stuff and sword fighting in there (was the most difficult scene)," says Bloom of the eight-day-long shoot. "I was all harnessed, so I couldn't fall out, obviously, but because of gravity, you're really reaching and at one point, the gravity takes you and you're still reaching, but it's pulling you the other way. That was really difficult … (but) it's fun."

X Marks the Spot X is for X Marks the Spot.
Pirates may be singularly responsible for the uptick in interest in all things pirate-related. An ep of ABC's Wife Swap featured a family who lives like pirates (complete with costumes and plenty of "arrrrhs!"). Pirate costumes have become among the most popular Halloween getups. And there's even a (made-up) holiday called International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19). Wanna learn more? Check out X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy, a tome one reviewer calls "the first comprehensive, scholarly look at the artifactual evidence of real pirates."

Y is for "(Yo Ho) A Pirate's Life for Me."
It started out as the theme song for the Disneyland attraction, written by Xavier Atencio and George Bruns. In Black Pearl, it's sung three times: once by Young Elizabeth (played by Lucinda Dryzek); once by older Elizabeth and Jack; and once at the end of the film, in a solo performance by Jack.

Z is for Zoe Saldana.
Saldana played Anamaria, the only female crew member of the Black Pearl in the first movie. In another bit of wordplay, the character's name is an homage to two real female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who, like the fictional Anamaria, had to disguise themselves as men to land their gigs. Anamaria didn't return for Dead Man's Chest — but she has been rumored to be in on the action of At World's End.

The Best of The Dish: 7% (from April 7)
27 December 07 12:00 PM | Zach | 2 comment(s)

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell." They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."

"It is simple" said the Lord, "It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you! It is said that only 7% of those who read this will stand up for Him.

The Best of The Dish: SPOILER:: HE'S FINALLY GONE (from April 18)
27 December 07 08:00 AM | Zach | with no comments

The show kicked off with a clarification from Simon about last night when he rolled his eyes. Then the recap of last nights show and the Idol’s came out singing “I’m alright” by Martina McBride… I think that’s what the song was called.

 

When we returned, we got today’s question which the answer was C. Fergie came out and sang a song off of her album.

 

Idol Gives Back is next week. I was hoping to see if Steeple Media could do something for that cause. If anyone has any suggestions, post them in the comments. I will be sure to save that episode on a tape (I wish I had a DVR) for a long time. Maybe iTunes will sell it on their site. I would be willing to pay hundreds for that…

 

After the break, Ryan split the group into two. Sanjaya started off in one group with LaKisha and Blake. Phil, Jordan, and Chris were in the other group. That leaves Melinda, she was immediately deemed safe. Then she had to pick the group she thinks was safe. She sat down on the stage and didn’t choose. She was told to slide to her left with Phil, Jordan and Chris!!!

 

I think I just broke my desk chair seeing Sanjaya in the bottom three… Sigh… guess I will have to add that to my steeple expenses. Awwww, poor witto baby Sanjaya is cwying…

 

We then got to see the Idols trip to go watch Shrek the Third. It all was awesome, looks like the best Shrek yet and I cannot wait to go see it. Then Martina came out and sang the single off of her latest album. Ok… speed it up. I want to hear “LaKisha, your safe. Blake your safe and Sanjaya you’re going home finally.” I don’t want to hear him sing either.

 

After we returned BLAKE IS SAFE. SANJAYA WENT HOME. I’ve never been this excited IN MY LIFE. HE WAS STILL CRYING…

The Best of The Dish: 7 reasons not to mess with children (from March 2)
26 December 07 08:00 AM | Zach | with no comments

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him ".

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.
She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"
Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."

A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."
"Yes," the class said.
"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"
A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

The Best of The Dish: Lessons you should learn before auditioning for American Idol (From February 8)
21 December 07 12:00 PM | Zach | with no comments

So far this year, there have been 172 contestants to make it to Hollywood. American Idol has saved for us the Best and the Worst of the 2007 season Auditions for tonight. I don’t think this post will be like the previous ones, same goes with the next week’s posts.

 

I believe they are doing this show to cover themselves. In seasons past, every winner was shown on TV. They also try to get the runners-up on TV as well. However, during season 4, they messed up. They didn’t think Bo Bice would be in the finals.

 

Lesson 1: The Look

There are certain types of clothing you want to wear when you try out for Idol. If you look like the inside of a dustbin, you probably won’t make it. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you wear, if you can sing in jeans and a t-shirt, you have a good shot at getting on Idol, they will just work on your look later on.

 

Lesson 2: Seek Inspiration

In order to go far in this competition, you have to have a good Idol to look up to. It helps a lot when you have a good Idol such as Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and the Beatles. It may not be in your best interest to have an Idol like William Hung. Then it depends on which Idol style you chose. If you were inspired by Bo Bice’s a cappella performance, you should be able to sing it!

 

Lesson 3: Persistence

One of the worst ideas, I believe is keep auditioning. I find it extremely annoying to see people repeat to audition even if they were called the worst singer so far! I really hate it when people go to Hollywood once, and try out again the next year and MAKE IT! If you make it once, you should not be allowed to go back!

 

Lesson 4: Flattery

Sometimes when you admire a judge, you may get a pity vote. However, if you really can’t sing, you will lose that vote in a heart beat.

 

Lesson 5: Don’t Audition as a Group

Group performances are not for the auditions. They are not “allowed” until Hollywood week. Usually, singing in a group will get you a lesser chance in making it to Idol.

 

Lesson 6: Don’t sing like Donkey

100 Days from today, Shrek the 3rd will premier on the big screen. Tonight we were granted a “sneak peek” of the movie. I have seen the first two movies and the third looks good. Just one thing to say, Don’t sing like Donkey.

 

Lesson 7: Personalizing your Song

Don’t sing something you wrote for an audition. It’s tacky and it looks really bad. Especially if the judges cannot figure out what your trying to sing! You have a worse shot at making on to Hollywood week if you sing a song you wrote too. I think only 1-4 people made it to Hollywood week writing their own song and it wasn’t even the song that took them to the big city.

 

Lesson 8: Shake Your Groove Thing

Sometimes good dancing will help you through your audition, but not always. Don’t try to break dance. Most of the dancers should try out for that other reality TV show. You either can dance or you cant. And if you can dance, you probably can’t sing. It’s just how it works.

 

Lesson 9: Clarity

If you want to make it to Hollywood, sing a classic song but make sure the judges can understand it! They shouldn’t be playing “Name that Tune” with your song! If you want to put the clarity of your song to the test, sing it into a microphone on your computer and compare it to the original. It really helps to hear yourself when you sing, that’s why artists who sing on the Grammys wear head sets, the sound system is so messed up in the way they have to do it, you can’t even hear yourself think on that stage.

 

We are finally in Hollywood! We are one step closer to finding the number 1 singer in America! This season, they take the guys vs. the girls during Hollywood week. The judges will pick 12 guys and 12 gals, then the voting is turned over to us. We are about 15 weeks away from the finals.

The Best of The Dish: To many of the dislikers Sanjaya (and the cheesecake lovers) out there... (From March 22)
21 December 07 12:00 PM | Zach | with no comments

A few people have sent me stuff overnight about Sanjaya. I will try to get it all up eventually but I thought this was good for today! Good luck on the Starvation for Sanjaya and the "Pass the Cheese Cake, I hate Sanjaya" foundations. Hopefully, something will be done. Over on scoutmom's blog, she has a wonderful badge that I have printed about 50 copies and am handing out today. Below are those images I promised you!!

 

everytimezd2.png is uploaded at imgplace.net SanjayaSucks.jpg is uploaded at imgplace.net

Update in the dating reality world
21 December 07 11:43 AM | unilab98 | with no comments

So a couple of dating reality shows have come to an end

Shot at Love with Tila Tequila

As you may have suspected, it came down to a man and a woman: Bobby vs. Dani.  The families of both were brought to the house to spend the time with the final two and Tila.  It was an interesting time.  Into the final elimination, Dani was feeling quite confident about her chances while Bobby was more unsure.  In the end, Tila picked Bobby stated that while she loved Dani, she was in love with Bobby.  But she did have a moment of weakness after picking Bobby and ran down the aisle after Dani crying. Next week the reunion.

I Love New York 2

I didn't watch the show, but I can tell you who she picked- Tailor Made.  Woo hoo!  It will be an interesting reunion show!

 

Oh, and btw a while a go the most recent Bachelor did an interview with Ellen.  He cleared up that whole father invitation thing.  He said that he did not ask for the father to brought in, just that if that if he WERE to propose that he would need to ask the father first.  The producers of the show took it upon themselves to fly the father out.  Just FYI if you missed it.

Also, apparently there is gonna be a Rock of Love 2.  So look out for that coming soon. 

 

The Best of The Dish: Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and Daniel Radcliffe
20 December 07 08:00 AM | Zach | 2 comment(s)

I am in a writing mood today I guess. Maybe it’s the new music on my iPod. I just wanted to get the celeb dirt up and a few other things.

 

First comes the Anna Nicole Smith Update.

Back in September (or around that time) when Smith’s son died, I said something like “I will never post about Anna Nicole Smith again” because I thought the story was a bit out of hand. And now, that’s about all there is to talk about. I have some audio that you should listen to. Its here and here. The first one is from about a week ago. Its of the doctor who did the autopsy on Anna Nicole Smith. The second on is of Zsa Zsa’s husband. There is some bleeping in the second one…

I also have a poll going on over here about who you think is the father of the baby.

Also, the minister in the Bahamas has retired…Minister Shane Gibson resigned on Sunday amid controversy over his involvement with Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy Playmate who died earlier this month, the Bahama Journal said on Monday.

Gibson announced his resignation on state television and denied any wrongdoing or any romantic link to the billionaire's widow, the online edition of the newspaper reported.

  

Brittany Spears is a HEADACHE!


baldbrit_1.jpg is uploaded at imgplace.net

Must I say more?

If you haven’t seen the pictures yet, Brittany Spears is bald now because she is sick of people touching her I guess. But get this! She was seen wearing a wig to a party this weekend! So why did she shave her head?!? She also got two tattoos! She is a mess!

She had a busy weekend after she left rehab didn’t she? If you would like a piece of her hair, you can find it on eBay.

 

I also had to post about this…

Space quidditch gets Nasa seal of approval

Most Harry Potter fans would never expect to take part in a real-life game of quidditch. Flying around like wizards is, however, precisely how Nasa imagines that the Moon's first residents will stay entertained, and fit, when the space agency establishes the permanent lunar base it is planning to build by 2024.

 

Also, there were rumors that the WB was going to fire Daniel Radcliffe for being in the play Equis which turned out to be false. The play was this past weekend and he received a standing O for his performance.

 

12/19: High Roller Wednesday (Dish)
19 December 07 03:57 PM | Zach | 5 comment(s)

Here's todays question!!

In the video Nucking Futs, what is the name of the elementary school?

After you figure out the answer, email zach@steeplemedia.com what you think the answer is.

Thanks for playing!! 

The Best of The Dish: The Salesman (from January 29)
19 December 07 12:00 PM | Zach | 1 comment(s)

The Salesman
A young guy from Nebraska moves to Florida and goes to a big "everything under one roof" department store looking for a job. The Manager says, "Do you have any sales experience?" The kid says, "Yeah, I was a salesman back in Omaha."

Well, the boss liked the kid and gave him the job. "You start tomorrow." I'll come down after we close and see how you did." His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down. "How many customers bought something from you today? The kid says, "One".

The boss says, "Just one? Our sales people average 20 to 30 customers a day. How much was the sale for?"

The kid says, "$101,237.65 ". The boss says, "$101,237.65? What the heck did you sell?"

The kid says, "First, I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Boston Whaler. Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Expedition."

The boss said, "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a BOAT and a TRUCK?"

The kid said, "No, the guy came in here to buy Tampons for his wife, and I said, 'Dude, your weekend's shot, you should go fishing.”

The Best of The Dish: Congrats to Akron Children's Hospital and 98.1 WKDD FM for raising a TON of money this weekend!!!!
19 December 07 11:00 AM | Zach | with no comments

This weekend has been a very VERY quick weekend. I quite frankly have not left this seat since I came home on Friday. As I said in my last post, this weekend was the Have a Heart, Do your Part Radiothon which was held at the Akron Children’s Hospital and hosted by the morning Radio personalities (NOT DJ’S) Matt Patrick and Angela along with other 98.1 WKDD FM Personalities.

Every day was full of stories from Change Bandits (people who collect change from co-workers and friends, or people who they don’t even know) and people at the hospital. I cant give out names of people who I met at the hospital or of any of the Miracle Kids, but you can go (for a short time) to http://www.wkdd.com/pages/radiothon07/index.html and view the Miracle Kids.

I personally donated twice over Radiothon, once as a Change Bandit, I donated $273.31 (which I want to turn into $3,000 next year) and again on Saturday when they were sending up to the kids, toys. I donated a 20x12 which is $20 a month for a year and that turns into (where is my calculator??) $240!!

I left home at 5:30 PM EST today (Sunday) to go watch the final Carl’s Heating and Air Conditioning Tote Board roll out at 9:00 PM EST. I do this every year but this year I got to come home and write a nice blog post about it (which I will be sending Matt and Angela).

The big total last year was $845,098 and this year we raised another $858,376.98!!!! I also chipped in the last 98 cents ;)

I am sure you are wondering how I plan on raising on $3000. Hopefully, I will be able to do this in a few steps. I plan on raiding the local middle school and putting a jar in every classroom to collect. I also want to send letters to all parents in that building to get them to send in change. I also want to have a “Pie your favorite Teacher contest” and A TON more!! I just don’t want to list it all here yet. In due time, I will let you know what I am doing!

 

That’s all from me tonight, I forgot to tape the Grammy’s, but I will have another blog post tomorrow morning, bright and early!!  

100_1067.JPG is uploaded at imgplace.net
 
More Resolutions...
18 December 07 11:00 PM | Zach | with no comments

15. I resolve... I resolve to... I resolve to, uh... I resolve to, uh, get my, er... I resolve to, uh, get my, er, off-line work done, too!

14. I will stop checking my e-mail at 4:30 in the morning... 5:00 is much more practical.

13. When I hear a funny joke I will not reply, "LOL... LOL!"

12. I will stop sending e-mail, ICQ, Instant Messages and be on the phone at the same time with the same person.

11. I will try to figure out why I *really* need 9 e-mail addresses.

10. I will stop sending e-mail to my sister who is down the hall.


9. I resolve to work with neglected families... my own.

8. I will answer my snail mail with the same enthusiasm I answer e-mail. 

7. When I subscribe to a newsgroup or mailing list, I will read all the mail I get from it.                                                        

6. I will stop using, "So, what's your URL?" as a pickup line.

5. No more downloads from iTunes.

 4. I resolve to back up my new 400 GB hard drive daily... well, once a week... monthly, perhaps...

3. I will spend less than five hour a day on the Internet.

2. I will limit my top ten lists to ten items.

1. I will read the manual... just as soon as I can find it.

The Best of The Dish: 2006, a year in review (from January 16)
18 December 07 08:00 AM | Zach | with no comments
As 2006 came to an end,  I wanted to write a blog post about it. Well, you may have noticed... I never got around to it.
To make things better, I found a nice little video to help you cope missing my 2006, year in review.





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