Comment Archives: stories: Arts & Entertainment
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Results (Top 8 to Top 7)”
I agree with your comments and frustrations about Lazaro. Every year we seem to get one performer who is not good enough but gets votes. and I've wondered if the show didn't do that to encourage people to vote.
But there are two other things.. First, the obvious, Nicki Minaj is a mean, self-centered, tacky person and, let's face it, the only reason she is there is to get a reaction from the obvious animosity between the female judges. But this situation is very distracting and unprofessional. Maybe we could vote one of the judges off?
The other is that the singers don't seem to be miked well and the background singers or instruments drown them out. If this is a singing competition then their voices should be more predominant. After all these years the show should have gotten it right by now.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Music from Detroit (Top 8 Perform)”
Candice is pretty much flawless. I always look forward to her performances and it would not surprise me at all if she wins the whole thing. I can’t wait to see what she does next week. I’m sadly never home to watch American Idol live anymore because I work a late shift at DISH during the week. My DISH Hopper automatically records all the primetime shows on Fox every night though, so I’m always able to turn it on and get caught up the minute I get back home.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Music from Detroit (Top 8 Perform)”
Re: decline of the AI viewing audience. At work the past two weeks, I noticed that everybody was quite keen on The Voice. Now, I can only manage one music show at a time as it takes too much time and energy and I have so much better stuff to watch.( Homeland2, Breaking Bad, The Big C,The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones starts Sun) Still, I don;t get TV...it doesn't appeal to me at all and much prefer AI. I did find that the drop this year to the final 10 seemed too fast. I do think that to be a judge on American Idol means that your career is toast...unless you do it for one year only....so if I were Nicki, I'd want to be out of there toute de suite(as Mariah would say)
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Music from Detroit (Top 8 Perform)”
Mariah really showed her ass last night (figuratively, thankfully). She's been a babbling, incoherent mess since the live shows began, but last night she just wouldn't shut up and/or get to the point. Huge disappointment as a judge. Nicki is the only reason to even bother listening to the judging segments this year. Interestingly, given the ratings decline, they're apparently talking about totally overhauling the panel again. Of the four current judges I would only want her to come back -- and that's never going to happen.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Music from Detroit (Top 8 Perform)”
I love the Detroit/Motown sound. I didn't think people chose great songs for their voices. I've gotta say that I find that generally, the contestants really have a difficult time ending songs. I am exhausted listening to the supposed 'last note'...only to hear another one. Or else, the song doesn't get off the ground until the very end and the overall performance feels lacking.
I think Smokey Robinson was super positive and it sounded like he gave some good advice. I noticed that with Jimmy and Lazaro too.
Duets: Kree out sung Janelle. I enjoyed Angie, Amber and Candice and disagree that Amber didn't rock it. Teh Boys were a mess. Lazaro didn't even look too freaked out when he missed his part.
Candice: fabulous voice altho that song was badly arranged.
Lazaro: fairly good but I dont; think he has the abilities to still be on the show. (there for the wrong reasons)
Janelle: lovely performance
Devin: I really liked this but I think your point is valid that he isn't so engaged.
Burnell: forgettable
Angie: terrible. Not her thing at all....but she sure can wear short shorts
Amber: FABULOUS. Love her.
Kree: I enjoyed this and think she is excellent.
the Judges: Jeeze, I didn't know that Mariah was so French! And she talks too much. There is a touch of honesty about Randy this year but I, too am getting fed up with the repeated comments about 'being in it to win it" etc. Nicki is fun...and I like me a firecracker ..in terms of who knows what she might say? Keith no comment...other than that I am looking forward to him dressing up a bit.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Results (Top 9 to Top 8)”
Hey Cathy: I was tied up later than expected last night, so I haven't watched the episode yet. Plan to catch up over lunch and will put a blog up early this afternoon. Sorry for the delay! And so grateful for the interest.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Results (Top 9 to Top 8)”
Eric: Waiting anxiously for your comments from last night.
Re: “THEATER | "PhotoPlay"”
That's spencer@spencerchristIAno.com
Re: “"Race: Are We So Different?"”
The temptation is just to laugh off such mindless ideological claptrap—but it is a real scandal that the scarce resources of such an important local educational institution would be squandered so foolishly.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Results (Top 9 to Top 8)”
Finally. I watched an entire episode of AI.
I thought Jimmy Lovine was spot on. Casey looked a mess but he has the confidence and the talent to rise above it all. parts of that song rocked. Jessica totally looks the part and some of the songs last year were beyond lovely. This duet sucked though. Glad she is doing something with her talent & hopefully she will find the right balance to show off her significant abilities.
Lazaro. Christ...you called it Eric. What is wrong with people? He sounded terrible the last few weeks and does not deserve to be considered the 'best of the best.' Paul was doomed to go.
Bring on Motown. Love!
Re: “"Race: Are We So Different?"”
Thanks very much for your comments, Larry!
I think we should clarify that while race is a cultural construct, the construct does have real effects in the world. The ways in which people have decided to define themselves are a defensive reaction to being defined, often by an oppressor. It's a way to navigate a world that has been constructed in the oppressor's image. People adopt the definitions and tweak them, as a way to exist within the label that is thrust upon them.
This goes for any "underdog" group you can find. There will always be a push for defining an identity for oneself after those in authority or those who think of themselves as the majority created categories and shove people into them.
That being said, I do think that all existing categories fall short of defining the reality of people, even the good categories. When sitcoms such as Will and Grace hit the air, it simultaneously served to ingratiate "gays" to mainstream America, defining "them" in a much nicer light than they had been, while also severely limiting the definition of "gay." Many, many, many people did not see themselves reflected in those characters.
For now, the language we use, the categories we form, serve to unite people and hopefully create a positive movement, but are no more accurate definitions of who each person is as an individual than simply calling someone a man or a woman. I hope we can get to the point where we describe people in terms of how they are to each other, which is all we really need to know about a person.
Re: “"Race: Are We So Different?"”
I will be going back to see the exhibit again this weekend. I found it to be quite challenging, but not for the exact reasons that you gave.
I found it challenging because it is difficult to talk about race in the context of an exhibition that makes the case that “race” does not exist except as a human construct. It is as though we do not have an appropriate language to use, because that human construct has so defined how we talk, think and make laws that we do not know what words to use to think in any other way.
The exhibit, heavy as it is in the use of text and words, seems to be moving us toward something that is unexpressed or perhaps inexpressible, given the limitations of the box we have constructed.
If it is an error for me to define you as black or white, because there is no objective basis to that distinction, it is also an error for you to define yourself that way, though of course you have the right to be wrong! Are we really willing to go there?
If race is a simply a human construct and the diversity of human traits are a continuum of colors of beige and brown or slight variations in shape of skulls and bones, then there is a potent message for all of us, racists and non-racists alike.
If there is no reality to our identities of “white” or “black” or “Asian” other than the invention we bring to it, then that preposition calls into question not just the ignorant abhorrent words and actions of those who spread hatred in the name of racial superiority, it also challenges the rest of us for whom that racial identity has been a means to gather political strength, unity and means to oppose that hatred through organized action.
In effect, if race does not exist, then “White Power” and “Black Power” are equally invalid.
It seems to me that the exhibit seeks to define “racism” not simply in the pejorative sense of the Ku Klux Klan or the local Republican Party. Instead, racism is defined as a system of classifying people, whether it is how others define us inappropriately, or how we define ourselves through identity politics. And that is a big difference.
What we need to invent now is a new truly inclusive language that will allow us to discuss these issues more broadly and in a way that does not posit human beings in oppositional relation to each other.
How will that happen? I don’t know, but this sort of change can happen over time. At one time, we divided ourselves into pools of hard laboring serfs or lords of luxury. Though we may feel sometimes that we still live in that era, we do not define ourselves in that way anymore. But the future is risky for all of us, if we truly want move beyond race. But it certainly is a risk worth exploring.
--Larry Champoux
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Top 9 Perform (Beatles Week)”
I think Angie is going to go out earlier than she should because of a likability factor. I don't have an issue with her, but I can see where some people would find her off-putting.
Lazaro SHOULD go home. But he won't. Fourth place last week? A joke.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Top 9 Perform (Beatles Week)”
CAught only the last few singers last night. I read your blog with interest especially the comments that the singers had never heard the songs before singing & that the judges weren't familiar with the music. Are you kidding me?
Loved Janelle. Lazaro should go.
Angie: She is lovely. Her voice is good. For some weird reason I seriously dislike her.
Didn't hear the other performances.
Re: “Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, March 18”
I am not sure where this belongs, but I did want to let City Newspaper readers hear about the amazing play we saw/heard read at GEVA Theatre Center last night. Informed Consent by Deborah Zoe Laufer was done as a part of GEVA's Plays in Progress program, where artists have the opportunity to work at GEVA developing their work. This work has been "in progress" for quite some time and that definitely showed in the quality of the work. This play is entertaining and thought provoking at the same time. It deserves a wider audience and I hope that if Geva produces this play that Rochester will come out and sell it out! You will not be disappointed.
Re: “Rochester Broadway Theatre League announces 2013-14 season”
MJN,
At the event, they said that 5 shows are brand new to the market (in their season, with more as "specials"). And, by the way, Les Miz is a huge movie hit, so timely...and Phantom is a new version (as Nocciolino explained during the roll out event). RBTL brings popular entertainment, they are not trying to say they do anything else.
With popular entertainment events, the marketplace determines what works and what does not...guess I do not have a problem with that.
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Top 10 Results”
in your fabulous country this week and didn't get a chance to watch AI. Thanks for posting . Interesting that Curtis was the one to go.
Re: “Rochester Broadway Theatre League announces 2013-14 season”
I realize that the goal of the RBTL is to make money, not promote art or originality, but my god, ANOTHER run of Phantom? Isn't the 4th., or 5th. or 5th. road show of Les Miz in May bad enough?
Re: “Rochester Broadway Theatre League announces 2013-14 season”
This season sure is great! I went to the announcement event and could not help but wonder why we are losing RBTL to the suburbs? I rarely agreed with Bob Duffy, but he wanted to keep them, then, later, Mayor Richards did not care. But, even he was at the announcment event. It looks like they are in growth mode while arts organizations are in trouble here,
I guess Rothchild was right in his comments that night...RBTL recognized the change in what was happening in the arts and responded years agoand approached things differently. Now, they are leaving downtown and our city is the loser!
Re: “"American Idol" 2013: Results (Top 8 to Top 7)”
You are right about the show pimping the girls and excluding Amber. I think she is awesome. Why wouldn't they want her to win?
I am really enjoying these recaps from Jimmy. I love it that I am sensing some tensions/issues with him as well/
Colton doing Gospel/Christian music? I must have missed everything to do with him as I certainly would never have him in that genre. I thought he was pretty good last night and was that a spark of chemistry btw him and Angie?
Katherine McPhee....I always thought she was very good too....but I gotta say that I loved this bad girl image. The hair style and clothes were so much badder than anything she ever did on AI her season. She sounded great.
Lazaro. He should be so embarrassed to go back to his peeps. Was that too weird on the first night all that stuff he was saying to Randy....Cool,Bro...etc. His heart is on his sleeve. I wanted him to go and not Devin.
Thank God they did not use the Save on Devin. I suspect they may seriously need to use it, if votes keep coming in for Lazaro. I thought Ryan was totally out of line acting so incredulous that they hadn't used it.....was that for Devin;s benefit?