Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of....

And the journey begins....

Yesterday I was approved for an apartment share in Washington Heights!!!!!!  I'll be moving to the city at the end of July.  This is what I've been saving up for for almost a year....and I'm excited and happy and nervous and terrified.  Time to go make my dreams come true.

Of course Patty will be coming out of retirement to document my first 3 months in the city.  (My apartment share is up in October, when I will decide if I'm staying in New York and will then find a new apartment share, or if I'm going to leave and move back to the Mid West...)

Last night I had a dream I gave birth, literally went through labor and delivery...Dream interpretation says this is about moving on to a new era in your life. I guess my subconscious is ready for this change.  :)

20 days til NYC!!!

Kris Allen and Green River Ordinance at The Intersection

Well, guess who was lucky enough to get to see Kris Allen perform this week? Why ME!!!!

The Intersection and Jive didn't publicize this concert at all!  Which is sad because both Kris and his opening act, Green River Ordinance were amazing.  I ended up going with my mom and aunt (both in their 50s) because we found out about the show just last week.  I have to say, they were about the average age of people there.  

Before the show, we went to dinner at a bar down the street from the Intersection.  As we were eating, Ryland, Kris' drummer, came in a sat by himself at a table next to us.  I think he could tell I recognized him, because he kept looking at me.  I didn't end up going over to say anything, because my aunt I was with has a daughter that is a musician for a major label artist, and she said that my cousin wouldn't want to be bothered at dinner.  

Green River Ordinance was a fantastic opening act for Kris.  Even though I saw David Cook twice last summer, I never saw a show they opened.  After Kris' set, they came out to sell CDs, and sign autographs.  They were some of the sweetest boys in a band I've met.  Not a hint of ego.

Kris has improved so much since last summer.  He's so comfortable on stage and you can tell he and the boys he plays with are just having the time of their lives.  When Kris was on Idol, he was always seen as the musician.  It was hard to compare him vocally to Adam, Matt, and Allison.  But I noticed last night, the kid can really sing. 

It was amazing to me how the crowd came absolutely alive during Live Like We're Dying.  Kris is pretty lucky he was handed that song, cuz it's great.  We got a few new songs he'd never performed before, like a Radiohead cover and fan-favorite plea to God, I Need To Know. During his encore of Come Together he even jumped down into the crowd...it was pretty awesome!

I got a bunch of pics and a few videos...my dumb little camera does pretty well, I have to say. :)

Your American Idol 2010 IS.....

I called it last week, didn't I?  I'm not sure a girl will ever win again with the demographics this show pulls...

Both singers were well deserving of the title.  It's to see how well they do in the contemporary marketplace.  I think Lee will do much better than Crystal.

It's interesting to me that they are releasing covers instead of the usual climb another mountain/magic rainbows/moment like this schlock...

The most boring season of American Idol is done and SYTYCD starts tomorrow. :)

My 6 year old nephew complained all night that we were watching American Idol...he thinks it's boring and says no one really watches it.  As a joke I said "So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow..." He ran around all excited and cheering.  I forgot this had become an annual summer treat for him.  He loves the hip hop/B-boy(girl) dancers.  So You Think You Can Dance is welcomed by all after this lackluster season....Welcome Back Mark and Neil (my two favorite dancers, ever :))

Top 3...I declare Lee Dewyze the winner...

Holy crap...have we had a more clear cut winner since Carrie Underwood?  All the hyping  Crystal is for naught...Lee Dewyze will be the American Idol 2010..and despite a lackluster season, I think (hope) he's more successful than anyone from Season 8.

I'm going to start this blog with the statement that Glen Hansard should mentor in season 10...he was one of the most balls to the wall performers I've ever seen live...and could teach the contestants a lot...plus they've featured his Oscar winning song, Falling Slowly twice...should be enough to get a mentorship...

Casey James "Ok It's Alright"
Ok, this was alright.   I'm going to compare every performance to last season's top 3...since this is when Kris Allen did "Heartless", and basically won the whole competition.  Not a moment for Casey...he's pretty...

Crystal Bowersox "Come To My Window"
This song did everything to support my complaints against Crystal...mid-90s Lesbian folk/blues/alternarock...she did nothing with the arrangement to make it current...my mom said maybe she'd bring about a resurgence, but what says we need that artistically?

Lee Dewyze "Simple Man"
While it was no "Heartless", it was exactly what Lee needed to do to push past the mediocracy of this season.  He felt the song...had a connection.  It's more than hitting every note with perfection. It's about telling a story. Lee did that this week.

Casey James "Daughters"
John Mayer....douchetard extraordinaire.....uh...casey is better than this

Crystal Bowersox "Maybe I'm Amazed"
I'm confused why Crystal didn't change the pronoun.  I felt a bit of disconnect because she wasn't singing from her perspective. It wasn't as good as the judges gave her credit for.  And did a detect a bit of smugness from Kara?  Ellen picked a perfectly great song...it was just the arrangement that didn't suit Crystal.

Lee Dewyze "Hallelujah"
If Lee had kept this totally acoustic, it would have been an amazing moment.  I'm still calling Lee as AI 2010.

Top 4

I decided to create a whole new post to remind us of the brilliance of Season 8...Top 4...or just Adam and Allison...This was just a year ago, folks...

Whole Lotta Love


Cry Baby

  Allison Iraheta — Cry Baby — Encore
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Slow Ride

  Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta sing Slow Ride
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

I seriously have the BIGGEST musical crush on Adam....

Falling Slowly

Proof of an amazing song...

Lee and Crystal (Season 9)

Kris Allen (Season 8)

The Swell Season (The Original)

I'm seeing The Swell Season on Saturday, totally stoked!!! That said, Lee Dewyze is the next American Idol...

Recaps?...

Ok, for those of you who read this blog (and I don't even know how many of you there are, if there are any at all...), have noticed I missed recaps for the past two weeks of AI.  I watched these episodes, but haven't had time to write since I was in NYC!!!! Yes, NYC!!!!

If you've read my little mini bio on this side, you may have noticed it's changed from Nashville to NYC to Chicago, and now back to NYC.  Obviously moving home has made me totally rethink my goals...and for the better, I believe.

I was a little nervous about even visiting New York.  I was afraid I'd be totally overwhelmed, and it had been a year since I'd seen my friends R and T....once I stepped out of that cab into Midtown (the Theatre District  at that), all those fears dissolved.  I was home.

I spent an amazing weekend seeing great stage...3 Off-Broadway shows (a play Gabriel at the Atlantic Theatre Company, a new musical The Burnt Part Boys at Playwrights Horizon, and one of the best musicals I've ever seen, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at The Public Theatre.  It was smart, witty, bitingly honest political satire.  With the hottest male lead, ever.) and 1 Broadway musical...the show I've been dying to see since they announced it was opening at Berkely Rep in CA...American Idiot.  It was exhilerating, and everything I hoped it would be.  It also included the most beautiful aerial ballet I've witnessed.

So, I'm giving myself two months to get myself together and get moved.  Finally, I'm making my lifelong dream come true...NYC, here I come!