Madgirl Travels

First post from my blogger widget - I use "blog this" off of my bookmarks all the time - but here's an even quicker way to post - no browser needed.

Apple is so very cool.

Drew and Cheryl won the Dancing with the Stars competition - I'm glad - I really think that they did the best. Interestingly, Jerry and Anna came in second - way to go Jerry!

I've lifted this post from a recap email I sent to Suz - she missed the show.

First they all "re-danced" dances from the show - Jerry and anna fox-trotted - it was very nice, they got an okay score - 26 points. Stacy redid the Jive - again, didn't love it, but it was actually better than the first time (i thought) and since they gave her a 30 then, they did again. Drew and Cheryl danced the Thriller Passe doble (sp?) - Drew was great - I thought cheryl did a better job the first time - but it was still awesome - they got 30.

oh, the first hour was just all bs and "memories" -

so for the free style - jerry and anna came out in afros and discoed to "celebration" - they were super - jerry was really able to show off his strength with the lifts, twirls, etc - they had FUN! they scored 27 (best score of the competition for them).

Stacey also did disco, to Stayin' Alive - they were mediocre at best (this is what the judges said) they did one lift at the end, which was really wobbly - she's just too dang tall. they scored 26.

Drew and Cheryl came out in cowboy get-ups (well cheryl basically came out in a bikini with a impossibly short skirt) - and they danced to "save a horse, ride a cowboy" - it was HOT! they danced, they did lifts and twirls, they entertained - it was everything free style is supposed to be (again, according to the judges) - another 30.

so people could phone in last night - the grand finale is on sunday - one more judged dance (all of the judged dances combined count for 50% of final score) and the results - plus, everyone will be back to dance once more - including P!

In no particular order - what I'm currently listening to - ie, the songs on all of my iPod "on the go" playlists which I NEVER skip. Some are newbies - some are oldies (and probably from some commercial):

1. Girlfriend. The Darkness. One Way Ticket. This is (what appears to be) a "filler" track on the Darkness' new album. I love the title track "One Way Ticket (to He** and Back)" but this one is my absolute favorite. It has a ELO meets Queen while covering AC/DC feel to it - it's almost too manic to even dance to and/or sing along - but I LOVE it!

2. Ooh La La. Goldfrapp. Brand new favorite - it's actually this week's iTunes Download of the Week. It's a peppy, almost soulful (is that possible?) track with breathy vocals and a "Spirit in the Sky" vibe. While the chorus lyric is sadly reminiscent of the younger Simpson sister, it's a good tune.

3. Hungry. INXS. Switch. INXS' new CD is all new stuff except for Hungry, which the band has been playing for a few years, and finally recorded for this CD. The track is rich and complex with changing tempos and multiple layers of sound. Heard them preform it live last weekend - and it was even better live!

4. I Predict a Riot. Kaiser Cheifs. Employment. Still listening to this one from this summer. Another iTune pick. The Employment CD is definitely part of the post-modern punk movement. I Predict is my favorite track on the CD, but the rest are certainly listen-worthy.

5. Do Ya. Electric Light Orchestra. A New World Record. The real "source" for this tune is the Monster.com commercial - I couldn't get the chorus out of my head so I downloaded the song - now the whole darn thing is stuck.

6. Birdhouse in Your Soul. They Might be Giants. Flood. Certainly not a new tune, but a fun one to re-visit - and I do often. I regularly listen to my iPod on my walk home from work - this is a good choice to keep my pace brisk.

7. Bad Day. Daniel Powter. Daniel Powter. Another iTunes pick. It's such a great song, although I do get a little bummed by the lyrics - there's no "silver lining" to this sad tale. But it's a good anthem for when things are rough, and that's just the way it is - at least there's a good song to listen to - see, things are looking (sounding) better already.

8. It Ain't Me Babe. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Whitherspoon. Soundtrack to Walk the Line. Joaquin and Reese, covering Johnny and June, covering Dylan. The song itself is has a great message and Joaquin and Reese's tribute to the Cash's make it all the more enjoyable.

So, looking back at these selections - I'm not really sure what "mood" I'm in - Girlfriend is about a breakup (due to cheating); Ooh la la, we got some romance there (in a purely physical sense); Hungry is about letting go; I Predict, well, it's about a riot; who knows what Birdhouse is about?; Bad Day, self explanatory; Do Ya, dude is interested, but nothing's happened yet; It ain't me Babe dumps a clingy lover.

So this is the last week. The 3 "stars" remaining are Jerry Rice, Drew Leshay, and Stacy - I still haven't learned her last name. I'm rooting for Drew - I adore Jerry (he's my true favorite), but I think that Drew & (his dancing partner) Cheryl are really the best. It's been a good series - I hope they stay with it - I imagine there are a ton of B-listers (and C-listers) who are clamoring to be in the next group of dancers.

I missed the results show last week because I was at THE INXS CONCERT!

(and PBS documentaries)

- more specifically, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - and maybe a little Jimmy Kimmel too.

Ferguson had the host of Survivor (what's his name, Probst, or something like that) on the show last night - he (Probst) was talking about the show and the locations and emotions - to which, at one point Craig called him a "great big girl's blouse" - which was a pretty funny moniker - but Probst went on about his girlfriend, his "love" as he called her - who, by the way, was (reportedly) a contestant on Survivor at one point - and I turned off the TV to (finally) go to bed saying, out loud, "you really are a great big girl's blouse" -

Ferguson is probably my favorite thing on TV right now.

and I just had to share it....