American Idol

American Idol has proven me wrong for years. I keep on cranking about it, but I end up sitting next to Mrs. PFOS and watching some of the shows. Sometimes I use it as an excuse to go do something else, but other times it's pretty entertaining. As for American Idol's commercial success, Kelly MyLifeWouldSuckWithoutYou, and Carrie Underwood, stunning to see and hear and the youngest performer ever invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, are proof enough that they find performers with this show.

This year's crop is pretty talented, though there are some unusual participants.

As I'm writing this last Tuesday, I've so far seen Snoopy the American Slum Dog and Megan Joy. Snoopy --ok, I'm insensitve, his name is Anoop --seems to have ridden the Slumdog popularity to get this far. I'm not saying that he's not good, I think he is, but in the past there hasn't been a lot of buzz or tolerance for singers of Indian ethnic origin. I thought he was OK tonite, but the Gang of Four drilled him.

Now this Megan Joy girl, she's amazing. She displays the body rhythms of dancing Elaine Bennis and, prior to tonite, Holiday Inn Lounge singing ability. Tonite she sang a Bob Marley song and I liked it. The G4 absolutely assaulted her; I thought she would break down in tears.

Third up was Danny, the guy whose wife died. Every time I've seen him, and there haven't been many, he seems to be talking about his emotions, their emotions, old emotions, new emotions, gak, he's like a singing chick flick.

Fourth singer was Allison, who is 16 years old and is going to be a big star. She looks like a combination of Charo and Wendy the Hamburger Girl. She's a prodigy and she's gonna make piles of cash.

A word about the Gang of 4, the judges, here. Paula is more bizarre than ever, like somebody's weird aunt who's always trying to show how hip she is. Simon is funnier than ever. Randy is pretty irrelevant, and Kara is getting bored, although I'm sure she's pulling down enough cash with this gig to assuage the tedium.

The blind piano player guy is singing now. I like this guy. He sings great, and he is a pro level piano player. A bit more of my insensitivity, for a blind guy he handles himself on stage with great physical grace.

Next up, some guy named Matt proving he's not Cold Play. G4 ain't buying, either. Following is Lil with the big voice singing a Celine song. She sucks and G4 makes a lot of excuses for her, just like they did the last time I saw her. Except Simon, who says she screwed up. Lil's kids are in the audience, and the whole show is taking a weird, uncomfortable turn.

Adam Lambert is next and he is doing the best "Play That Funky Music White Boy" I have ever seen. Each of his performances that I have seen has screamed star quality. I would bet on this guy.

My investment partner informed me that there are Vegas odds on this show, seriously. Adam Lambert is even money as of right now. Compare that with Snoopy at 20:1 and Megan at 60:1.

A nice guy named Kris Allen sings next. The G4 likes him a lot, blah blah blah.

We just found a casino that's giving 3:2 for Adam Lambert, and we've found a new reason for American Idol to exist.

In the time since this was written, unusual Amy Joy was voted off the island ( whereupon she started flapping her arms and cawing like a crow, what was that!? ) and there is a new round of sing for your supper coming tonight, and Sparty got steamrolled and I'm not wealthy and basking in the glow of winning. Congratulations to Two Gun Pete, my investment partner, who had NC.

Northwestern Can Become De Facto National Champions and I Can Become Wealthy Beyond My Wildest Dreams

1. Northwestern beat Michigan State back on January 20th. Therefore, if Michigan State wins the tournament, and the 'Cats have already beaten the team that wins the tournament, Northwestern would be ...
2. Here is a portrait of Sparty, the Michigan State mascot, for your ogling enjoyment.
3. Unrelated, but important: it is going to be 79 degrees on Anna Maria Island today, where I wish to be.
4. It is going to be 36 degrees with snow showers at Sox Park today, where I am scheduled to be.(Mother Nature is a White Sox fan, giving the team a welcome home blanket of white, and an extra day of rest. The opener was postponed).
5. I will be in a sky box...with the heat on. (this will have to wait until Tuesday)
6. If Michigan State wins tonight's game, I will have ascended to the pinnacle. I will win the office pool at Mrs. PFOS place of employment, the jackpot of which has surely reached into the millions.
6. On the other hand, should NC win tonight's game, my associate in STP partners will win our office pool.
7. That would mean that I would lose Mrs. PFOS' pool... and the instant wealth and international prestige that accompanies that feat.
8. Quandry alert!!!
9. No.
10. Go MSU!

I Know Nothing

TV Land channel has been showing reruns of Hogan's Heroes, the farce comedy that originally ran from September 1965 thru July of 1971. Hogan's Heroes is fun to watch after all these years (and all the reruns), due mostly to the terrific acting of the two German characters who are the foils, Sgt Schultz and Colonel Klink. My favorite, by far, is Schultz, portrayed masterfully by the late John Banner.

John Banner was born in Vienna, Austria in 1910. Prior to pursuing acting, he was a law student. Being of Jewish descent, Banner was brieftly detained in a prison camp before being expelled from Germany. His family would ultimately perish in an extermination camp.

Banner emigrated to the USA in 1938 and served from 1942 to 1945 in US Army Air Corps.

Between 1940 and 1948,, Banner the actor found work in over 40 feature films, frequently in war movies, usually playing Germans.

By the 1950's, Banner had gained quite a bit of weight, about 100 pounds, and had the look with which we would ultimately become familiar. Over the next 20 years, Banner would make more that 70 TV appearances. The list of show includes an astounding array of shows, many of which will be recognizable only to high mileage folks, e.g.

Sky King
The DuPont Cavalcade of America
The Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Fireside Theatre
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Father Knows Best
The Gale Storm Show
Rin Tin Tin
The Walt Disney Show
Perry Mason
77 Sunset Strip
Dobie Gillis
The Donna Reed Show
My Three Sons
The Man from UNCLE
Hazel
Mr. Ed and, believe it or not
The Partridge Family, in 1972

John Banner died in Vienna in 1973 on his 63rd birthday.

World Autism Day

Today is World Autism Day. The facts below were taken from the AACTION website, www.aactionautism.org. (AACTION stands for "Autism Awareness Campaign Through International Organizations Networking.") A friend of mine is very involved in this organization. Take a few minutes to check out their website. Another organization to check out is Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org.

"Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior, all exhibited before a child is three years old.

1 in 150 individuals are diagnosed with autism. It is more common than Down Syndrome or childhood cancer.

There is no known cure for autism. Early intervention can dramatically increase IQ and language ability. Unfortunately, many countries lack the tools and training to identify children with autism. In some cultures there is not even a word for “autism” in their native language.
Despite misinformation around the globe, autism is not caused by bad parenting. Autism is not a mental illness. Children with autism are not unruly kids who choose not to behave. Furthermore, no known psychological factors in the development of the child have been shown to cause autism. It is generally accepted that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function.
There are millions of people around the world that have autism and are not identified and are not receiving proper medical and/or educational interventions. Sadly, many of these individuals are severely mistreated or outcast from society."

On another note, big news across the pond. The Queen Mum hugged Michelle Obama. Crazy stuff happening these days.

Industrial Espionage

The Valspar Corporation is one of the largest global coatings manufacturers in the world, providing coatings and coating intermediates to a wide variety of customers. Since 1806, Valspar has been dedicated to bringing customers the latest innovations, the finest quality, and the best customer service in the coatings industry.

The paragraph above is from the website of the Valspar Corporation. You know their products and you've probably used them, like spray paint, for example. Valspar is in the news because they, like a lot of the companies operating in the USA, are under attack. In this case, a literal attack, by an industrial spy.

David Yen Lee, 52 years old, of Arlington Heights, Ill., worked as technical director of new products for the company's architectural group in Wheeling, Ill. He quit his job at Valspar on March 16, according to an FBI statement, two weeks after returning from a business trip to China.

Mr. Lee is a naturalized American citizen.

When the Valspar people examined Mr. Lee's Blackberry and laptop, items that he had turned in when he resigned with immediate effect, they found a data copying program, they found that his files had been purged, and they found evidence that propriety formulary information had been downloaded.

Mr. Lee's LinkedIn page proclaimed that he had taken a job with a major Chinese paint and coatings manufacturer.

Authorities found that Mr. Lee had purchased a one way ticket to Shanghai. They found his packed travel bag, and in it was a little computer memory drive, loaded up with Valspar data.

The maximum penalty for the crime of which Mr. Lee has been accused is 25 years in prison.

If Mr. Lee is found guilty, I hope he gets a long prison sentence here in his adopted country.