AI super mini Recap

Ok I don't have lots of time, but all I gotta say is that my 2 overall favs of the night were MATT & ALLISON. I thought they were incredible, and really seemed like seasoned performers on that stage. Who's leaving tonight??? I'd pick either Anoop or Michael. They just don't do it for me.

Amiee's AI Recap 3/17/09 Show

1. Michael (Aint Goin Down) - props to him for singing such a fast song. he just doesn't really do it for me, ya know? however, I think he fits MUCH better in the country genre.
2. Allison (Blame it On Your Lyin' cheatin'...) - i thought she kind of oversang it a bit. she's much better with alternative rock songs. but she's a good singer. i just wish her personality OFF stage will improve.
3. Kris (To Make U Feel My Love) - ok i love this song. i also loved his version of it. very heartfelt and nice job on vocals. first time he really got my thumbs up. BUT did anyone else notice how tight his pants were in the crotch area? LOL I was DYING!
4. Lil' Rounds (Independence Day) - ok funny thing about this song. i wanted to sing a "big" song last summer at the town festival and i chose this. NOW I know what it's like to sing a song that's too big for your voice. i thought i sounded weak on it (but i sure sound good singing in the car!) anyways ok, back to Lil. i love her as a person. i think she is cute and spunky. i thought it was WAY funny hearing her sing a country song, though. i agreed with the judges--she wasn't herself, even though she sang it well. funny that simon kept calling her "little." ah, the british!
5. Adam (ring of fire) - ok yeah, it was a "strange" version of the song but even though I don't love adam, i thought the song fit him really well. he has some awesome high notes. seems effortless when he sings. technically amazing. but i just don't like him that much. i did think the song was kind of a cool arrangement. reminded me of Morrissey.
6. Scott (wild angels) - scott, scott, scott. something is just off for me with this kid. however, i did like how he slowed it down at first. my problem is that it sounded like a song you'd hear on Delilah's radio show (soft songs) or in an elevator--ya know? BUT he is amazing at arrangements on the piano.
7. Alexis (jolene) - first of all i have never liked this song. i did NOT like her performance at all--though the 2nd half of it was MUCH better than the first. i think she kind of blew it on this one.
8. Danny (Jesus take the Wheel) - random song choice but it was cool. i did think the first verse was dragging, but once he hit the chorus it was really good. and i have to say that I was laughing soooo hard when Simon made the comment about the jacket b/c when he first went on stage i had said out loud from my sofa-- "what the crap is that jacket about?" I am too good! Danny was funny about the parachuting comment, too.
9. Anoop (Always on my Mind) - surprisingly good. MUCH better than last week. and his hair was fixed and I swear they waxed in between his eyebrows, too! ha! i really liked it, especially the last 20 seconds of the song. but i just don't see this guy being successful and selling records.
10. Megan (I go out Walking after midnight) - was she really in the hospital?? hmmm. here's the thing with megan. she is NO WHERE near the vocalist that the others are. however, she is sooo different and quirky that it's kind of nice having her in the competition. for that reason, i hope she sticks around. i thought the song was OK. I wasn't jumping outta my seat or anything.
11. Matt (so small) - nice version. loved the piano. i can totally see this guy being very successful and on tv, etc. he comes across as "current." it was good. loved it.

Ok so who do I think should get kicked off??? Tough one. As far as performances go, I think Alexis was the LEAST memorable. BUT I think maybe Scott or Michael should go. But Scott works so hard on that piano, so maybe Michael. He's just OK in my book.. So yeah, I vote for Michael to get kicked off this week. Oh wait I don't like Adam. But he's too good of a singer, so I think he will be here for a few more weeks.

Who was the best? I think I'd have to give it to Matt tonight.

How funny was that when Randy Travis was freaking out over his nail polish and his version of Johnny Cash's song? Bwahahahhaha! That was classic.

Gardening for Idiots

Do they make a book for people who are completely clueless about growing their own food? I am determined to have at least TWO vegetables growing in my yard this year. I've heard these raised boxed gardens cut down on the weeding (woo hoo-right up my alley! except who will build these for me?). I just want to have a few things planted--nothing too big or overwhelming since I barely have time to brush my teeth these days...but I want something. Anyways, I have no idea where to begin! And what grows well in my area? When do I start (hopefully it's not too late already, but I do still have snow cover on the ground). The only thing I do know is that tomatoes don't do well here (heard it from my neighbor). Anyways, if you know of a good website or blog for beginners, I'd love a comment about it. Thanks!

Amiee's AI Recap - Michael Jackson Theme

Well well well. The first "REAL" show with the Top 13. I couldn't wait to watch it! I have to say that I am REALLY liking the new judge, Kara. I have a soft spot in my heart for Paula but dang--sometimes it is so frustrating listening to her speak bc it's like "get it out already!" I hear it's her last season on the show anyways, which is why they brought on Kara. Ok let's get to the meat & potatoes of the show!

1. Lil' Rounds - Sang "The Way U Make me Feel." I like this chick. Super cute personality. Seems like a nice person. Thought she did well on the song--but I didn't love the song choice. Kind of hard when you have to pick a Michael Jackson song!
2. Scott - Never ever heard of this song! "Keep the Faith?" I did like him MUCH better on the piano. His hair is driving me INSANE! They even had stylists this week--so what gives?
3. Danny - "PYT." Good vocals. He was dancin' like a crazy man. Really got into it! Ha! Actually reminded me of Taylor Hicks.
4. Michael - "You R Not Alone." Better vocals than I expected but his voice does NOT match his look to me at all! Bugs! I'd rather he go country. But whatever. He loves R&B so that ain't happenin'. Good part was that the song did NOT remind me of MJ's version.
5. Jasmine - Why does this girl bug the livin' daylights outta me??? WHY? Oh I thought her version of "I'll Be There" was soooo boring and blah blah blah.
6. Kris - Well his wife sure is cute! He is cute, too. Liked him with the guitar. Lots of sharp notes on the bridge. He sang "Do U Remember."
7. Allison - Wow this chick can SANNNG. I love her songs! I think she is like a little Kelly Clarkson all the way. She's confident, has great tone, and seems already like a signed artist. She sang "Give Into Me." I really liked it.
8. Anoop - Yay they kind of "fixed" his hair a bit! And the outfit was a HUGE improvement from the previous shows (thanks stylists). Hated his version of "Beat It." Agree with Paula. Should NOT have touched that song. Bad idea.
9. Jorge - aka eyebrow man. Sang "Never Can Say Goodbye" which I've never heard, either. Eegh. I just didn't like it at all. I can see him being popular in the LatinAmerican culture. Reminds me of Marc Anthony a lot.
10. Megan - Can this girl get any prettier? Seriously! I thought her vocals sounded good but the song choice of "Rockin' Robin" was just "coo-coo" if ya ask me. Like WHAT was she thinking picking that song?
11. Adam - *sigh* I just don't get the hype over this guy. Yeah, he can sing. But I thought the "Black or White" song was sooo "hairband" for me. Like he would rock it out if he were in a band like "whitesnake," AND if those bands were still popular today, ya know? Ha ha ha.
12. Matt - I was feelin' the JT/Robin Thicke vibe from him, too. I thought he overdid the riffs a bit, but overall I liked it. He made "human nature" seem like his own song and kind of current.
13. Alexis - I thought she did pretty well on "dirty diana." It was good. I do think she oversang it a tad...but overall it was pretty good. I hope she sticks around.

Ok so my top pick of the night is ALLISON. My 2 choices to get kicked off are JORGE & JASMINE. What do y'all think???

King Cake

So since I'm from the New Orleans area and all--we had to celebrate Mardi Gras with a little party at my mom's. My cool Uncle manages a restaurant in the French Quarter called Acme Oyster House and shipped us up some authentic frozen entrees (woo hoo). Mom invited a few friends, and I was in charge of making a king cake. It's a tradition that is a really long story that I don't know how to tell very well...but the "cake" is basically a cross between pastry & a donut, with sugary frosting and some sort of cinnamony filling. They get more fancy that that, but that is the basic idea. I searched online for a few ideas and whipped one up. Well I shouldn't say "whipped," because it took MUCH more time than that. I made mine with a roasted pecan, brown sugar & butter filling and cream cheese icing. I have to say it came out BEAUTIFULLY. And it tasted EVEN better. It was a hit! Here's a couple pics:
Mom even had a little plastic baby doll for me to insert into the cake. Tradition goes that whoever finds the baby in their piece of cake has to host the next party. The baby is representative of the baby Jesus, believe it or not. The entire Mardi Gras celebration really is based off of the Christ child and such..."funny" because the holiday is the OPPOSITE of churchy! it is an all out PARTY! I think the idea is to party it up before the Catholic lent. Ok I should really go online and read up on it, but I'm not in the mood.

Jase's All Terrain Wagon

We bought him a pair of sunglasses the other day (SUPER cheap at Children's Place)--anyways we wanted to see if he'd really wear them. Do you know he did not take them off AT ALL? He had them on for like 40 minutes. It was too cute! We are both so proud! We also got him this cool Radio Flyer All-Terrain wagon. It has wooden things you can put on all 4 sides of it--but for now we just put on the back one so he could climb in and out on his own. We finally had a "somewhat" warm day and had to try it out. Here's a quick clip of his cool ride.

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