Say it in the style of Jack Bauer: DAMN IT!!**American Idol Spoiler Alert for Kiwis**I accidentally discovered that Melinda has gone home.Even if you despise American Idol and all that it stands for, I beg that you watch this video. The sound runs slightly behind the vision (YouTube's fault - I assure you, that's no lipsynching) and you can fast forward through the first 40 seconds involving

LaKisha went home instead of Blake, and I am bereft. I had predicted a LaKisha-Melinda finale, and I'm never happy when I'm proven wrong.So now we are stuck with Blake and his fake-trendy self for another week. His 'Unique' Selling Point is wearing thin, and his clothes get odder as the weeks go by. I don't actively dislike him, but I don't think he's nearly as cool as he thinks he is (or,

It's time for this week's sporadically present and usually late American Idol post. Say it with me: only three more weeks!Bon Jovi week. May I say that though I have always been more of a Guns 'n Roses fan, musically, there can be few men on the planet who have aged as well as Jon Bon Jovi. Cowboy asserts that Jon has been drinking at the botox saloon recently, but I prefer to think that some

No. Not even close. This week, I am incensed by what Simon did to Hayley. How to objectify and embarrass a person, in two easy steps: imply (none to subtly) that you enjoyed her strutting around in fewer clothes and that she's not going to win the singing competition by singing. Watch her take the advice seriously, as you knew she would, and then pull the rug out from under her the following

The grand finale is still around nineteen years away. So for now, we've got to make do with watching the also-rans (ie anyone who isn't named Melinda). Melinda: She was so good I actually wiped away a tear.LaKisha: This week demonstrated why I don't think she can win.Jordin: Dreadful, boring song. Also, her shirt looked like a tent.Blake: At last! I've figured out who Blake reminds me

I am here. I'm quite busy and I need to construct a long-ish post and I haven't found time to do it yet. Oh, how I wish the office wasn't open plan, and that I had chosen the desk which meant that my screen wasn't visible to passers-by. Etc. But! A postcard arrived today. A postcard which harks back to my very first post on this blog. It is from the Provincials, and though it is by no

Another week, another travesty with the name Sanjay written all over it. Thank dog for Lulu, who brightened the show up no end.O'Brien: Love the song, and am growing to like Phil more.Timberlite: He'd do much better if he opened his mouth more. [10 word amnesty required: I've never seen anyone try to sing without moving a single facial muscle except a raised eyebrow and a cheesy smirk. The

OK! It's time for the final 12. I don't need to explain again: I outed myself here.Let the reviews commence. I had promised to stick to ten words per contestant, and I promise I'll post something more interesting soon to make up for it, but I don't know if I can stick to ten words. Hey, it's a crap shoot, just like the contest. Usually, I'm really bad at recalling contestants' names. However

The only 'admin' I'm able to do at the moment involves this blog, and so I have gone back and edited all the posts in my archives to give them labels, and placed them in the sidebar. Now, if you want to know what I'm like when I'm being a bitch, you can check out Rantus Maximus, or if you need to know about the latest hippy issue at the Fort, check out Hair Shirt. I've also added a few

I am trying to ignore the fact that I have a sore throat. I tried to ignore it last night too, and enjoy my birthday dinner out. We went to a place called The Last Supper, and it was really excellent: superb food, atmosphere, and some half-way decent live music. Unfortunately both Cowboy and I marked ourselves out from the crowd by yawning our way through dinner. Still, I feel that I have

I'm still cleaning. In a positively wonderous moment, I discovered that wiping down the walls with my trusty e-cloth makes them look like they've been repainted. Some people manage to get grime everywhere. I should be done in about a week...Today's post is about my favourite Kiwi advert, for a product called "Pineapple Lumps".These things are the nation's favourite sweet, apparently. I tried

Just so the theme of 'Living in New Zealand' doesn't get prematurely tiresome, today I ruminate on the episode of The Apprentice that I watched the other day. I acknowledge that it was probably screened in the USA many moons ago, but in Kiwi land it represents current viewing.It's the USA version, with Martha Stewart. As a prize for selling more widgets than the other team, the winning team got

Firstly, and most importantly, I passed my viva! What a bloody relief. Plus, I got 'pass, with special commendation', whatever that means: it doesn't appear on any of the available grades anywhere in the paperwork.Secondly, American 'Idol': I was very disappointed to see Paris go home last week, as I would personally have put her in the finale. I didn't think she deserved to go, especially

I'm ill. Not (although my hypochondriac self obviously thinks I have M.E. or something) seriously ill, thankfully, but I have such poor quality focus and physical incapability that it has prevented me from devoting the hours of work necessary to my dissertation viva.It started on Saturday with a vague feeling of being under the weather and a sort of 'lump' feeling at the back of my throat.

I'm not too good at this blog thing: I'm not finding time to make new entries every day, or even every other day. Boo hiss. So I'm going to try, from now on, to make at least three posts per week.American Idol Update:I haven't got the energy right now to explain where I was for both the Friday first-showing AND the Sunday repeat, but I would just like to say that my karma was obviously well out

This post is dedicated to my favourite programme-of-the-moment, 'It's not Easy Being Green'.More specifically, I think we should just pause for a little while to ponder on the wonderment of the moustache adorning the fine (if slightly wacky) gentleman fronting the program, Dick Strawbridge:Can You Say 'Ecosystem'?Sadly I couldn't find any profile images of the moustache, but if you watch the

I'm reduced to whining 'it's not faaiiiiiiir' in the style of a seven year old spoilt brat. What the thunderfuck is going on, America? Can you not see that Ace-hole is nothing but a talentless muscle-bound hairstyle? Honestly. When Bucky was sent home in the place that was rightfully Ace's, it was a severe miscarriage of justice. All those 14 year olds with Ace's voting line on speed dial

It's the weekend! More importantly, it's a weekend with no social engagements. Last week, UrbanCowboy and I had an almighty great argument about the fact that I didn't want his sibling and sibling's girlfriend to come over for Sunday lunch. As you'll remember, it was an island of idyllic rest in the midst of an astonishing amount of activity... we agreed to compromise and UrbanCowboy was

It's time to 'out' myself. Specifically, I'm going to burst out of the closet with perfectly coiffured hair, ultra-high heels, a magnificent dress and covered in bronzer, singing a Stevie Wonder song. At my entrance, Simon Cowell is so impressed that not only does he give me a standing ovation, but my singing moves him to make a declaration of undying love for Ryan Seacrest and they skip off into

So, for the last few days I've been pretty busy. It's all to do with missing a week of socialising due to travel, and foolishly telling everyone I know 'I'll see you in the week I get back'. Um, error, mistake, several double-bookings later, and some grovelling to friends who I've had to duck out on... JR was scheduled for dinner on Wendesday, and I managed to keep that appointment: we went