When the lede character is just not likeable ...
11 years ago
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11 years ago
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American Idol, anyone?
Comments (31)I've always hated AI...until I was flipping through the channels about three weeks ago and Elliott was getting ready to sing. Oh, My Goodness! HE has RAW talent. If there were ever a diamond in the rough to clasp onto, then this is the man. He has little to no showmanship, but he can be taught. And I suspect WILL be taught. Already, someone's counseling him. He can grow that hair and find a good dentist...and he'll have women drooling. He needs an objective ear to help him chose the right songs to sing in this contest to win it. Overall, he is just phenomenal. I was shocked with all of the other talent on the show. Chris...has honed his pipes and stones to a smooth delivery of his persona when he performs. I'm a bit concerned that he isn't multifaceted. Time will tell. Katherine has my vote for the most marketable of the women. She has talent, looks, and presence. She is still immature acting at times, but towers over Kelli's frivolous attempt at playing the Barbara Mandrell's sister Erline's type of a roll; or like June Carter played. There is money in funny, but not stupid cutesy like Kelli is trying to pan out. It seemed that Seacrest was trying to give her some sympathy time, too, to try to keep her around longer...when he had her up there seated next to him for his fireside chat. I kid you not, she's probably a better actress than singer. Listening to her say something like, "Lookeehear! I got toenail polish on and fake eye lashes!" Makes me want to say, "Darlin', cut the crap. Women are listening and they're not as stupid as you think." We all know how men can be when it comes to a hot tamale. They drool. Even Simon drools. Thank the Lord he didn't the other night. As for Mandissa, Paris, Ace, Jay...or Taylor...they're marketable to a degree. They'll certainly make the tour fun and diverse. THAT is what I believe the judges were going for when they chose this group of singers: a diverse group that would appeal to all age groups when the show is done and over and the American Idol 2006 group goes on tour....See MoreExtreemly intemidated by my stepson
Comments (141)PB, I'm not trying to be mean, and I don't think anyone else is either. We've spent considerable time trying to help you and none of us is getting paid for posting here. What alarmed me, and most likely others, is that you have told us of your husband's past history of cheating, etc. and I think most of us are fearful that you don't seem to fully realize what you've gotten yourself into. At the tender age of 26 you have completely put your life under this man's total control. His past is checkered and you have told us this yourself. And we all know that the stripes on a tiger do not change and you are being sailed down the river and you don't even seem to realize it. Look at what is happening to you: 1. You have no assets - your husband signed them over to a friend to play games with refinancing (shady deal at best) and you don't seem to think there is anything wrong with this. You also don't seem overly concerned about how this affects you and your baby. 2. You have recently declared bankruptcy over $20,000 in credit card debt. Your credit is ruined for at least 10 years - don't believe the story about it being erased in 7 years. That's simply not true. And your explanation about wanting to be a stay-at-home Mom (thus the reason for not going back to work to pay off your debts)is not something that most people would consider a compelling reason to declare bankruptcy. 3. It sounds as if after you declared bankruptcy, you had breast augmentation. That is not covered by insurance and the cost usually ranges from $10,000 to $20,000. That money would have made a big dent in the debt you left others to cover. It wasn't just the credit card companies who paid when you declared bankruptcy. We all pay with higher fees. I don't think you seem to realize this. You seem to be nice person but the things you have told us are beyond bizarre. They are alarming. What I'm trying to figure out is how much your husband had to do with you declaring bankruptcy and then having breast augmentation surgery. To me, those two things outside of anything else are HUGE character issues. I can understand how an older man can totally manipulate a much younger, naive woman and talk her into things like this. Is that what happened? Do you see what is wrong with the picture? Do you think if you continue on this path that you will end up with any future happiness and security? That is why most of us are concerned for you. Most of us are old enough to be your mother. I know that I am. I have a stepdaughter who is your exactly your age that I love dearly and sometimes she still needs to be protected. What I'm trying to figure out is are you that naive or are you a willing party to what's gone on?...See MoreSister Carrie- by Dreiser
Comments (22)Hi CMK-Yes, "Kay" is fine (it's my middle name). I don't personally subscribe to the philosophy of naturalism (of people being essentially the product of their environment and events), but I do find it fascinating when played out in literature. I personally prefer to believe that we have a degree of influence over the direction our lives take, but that is a somewhat modern outlook, in the realm of things. So my outlook is quite different from that of naturalism. Note that I am not saying that Dreiser's writing style is beautiful. I think he's an awkward writer, with clunky phrasing and awkward sentences. But in spite of these drawbacks, I think he tells a compelling story, from a unique perspective. I enjoy Twain but I find his work to be VERY stylized; writers like Dreiser and Norris presented their characters as unadorned, and I think of their style as more like a documentary than a film, if you follow my meaning. They sought to depict the character in as real an environment as possible, stripped down to their instincts and basic acts. I think of Twain as being much more involved as a writer, and with characters who answered (sometimes) a higher calling--and Twain's whole approach was suffused with humor, which added his voice in a way that Dreiser or Norris did not attempt--they seemed to want to remove the auteur, and let the characters stumble about at will. So you won't get the entertaining or elevating voice that Twain might give to a humble character--you will get a much less adorned character--"flat" if you will. My own tastes in literature run quite a gamut. I don't think I'm much influenced in what I enjoy by my personal outlook or philosophies. I'm very curious about how other people experience life and express it through writing, and I enjoy a broad range of different styles, schools, and approaches. When you think about it, we are all products of our times and the opportunities that present themselves. I think that's what I find fascinating about this particular school (naturalism) because it strips that element down to its most basic, and depicts characters as having very little free will. It's quite contrary to the "American way" of course, which makes it all the more interesting to me. I'm always fascinated by how people make choices--or don't. K...See MoreBest Books Read in 2021
Comments (20)Goodness, this thread has already become one big, remarkable TBR list. I love it! And Skibby, it's nice to see your name pop up. Haven't heard from you in a while. Favorites I read this year are: Hidden Valley Road - Robert Kolker. A fascinating nonfiction book about a family with twelve children (ten sons, two daughters) and six of the sons were diagnosed with schizophrenia. An astonishing and sad tale. Several are still alive today. Eight Perfect Murders - Peter Swanson. A really good murder mystery about a man who owns a mystery book shop in Boston. In his blog on the store's website, he lists his eight favorite mystery novels. The police begin to notice that a serial murderer seems to be using the book seller's list as a guide. The Good Luck of Right Now - Matthew Quick. I loved this story of a nearly-40-year-old man who has tended to his mother's needs his entire life, and due to her death, is now faced with how to make a life for himself. Very heart-warming and humorous, though there is a character who drops the f-bomb rather constantly and that might put some readers off, but not me, not in this book. How Lucky - Will Leitch. This was unlike any other book I've read, in that the narrator (and main character) is a severely physically disabled young man. While the book is not about his disability, you do learn a lot about how a disabled person can manage life on their own rather well. This guy crazily gets involved in a big mess because he witnessed a serious crime and reported it to the police. The perpetrator of the crime is trying to figure out who ratted him out. A sort of comical thriller, if such a genre exists. I just noticed that my list contains only male authors. That surprises me. Okay, I'm editing this post to add a book written by a woman, because truly, most of the books I read are by women. The Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams. This is a novel about a reading list of eight book titles that we are all pretty familiar with. Someone has planted the list in multiple locations in London. The novel describes various people who found the list and decided to read the eight books. A charming story for book lovers....See More- 11 years ago
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