Happy Thursday! It's the day after another elimination on Idol...and looks like Lodi Nacirema is happy with last night's results!.......



What a great wrap up for country week! And no offense, but thank goodness
it was Siobhan to go and not Casey. In my opinion, he didn't deserve to be
in the bottom three at all, although he has been there a lot lately. Some
contestants just don't have the supporters... no matter how good they sing
or look!

There was lots of entertainment this week for results night. Rascal Flatts
sang twice - once with Shakira. The song was good I thought, but it might
have been better on her own. Lady Antebellum was good, no surprise. The
third group had a connection with Carrie Underwood who introduced them.
Let's just say they were interesting. I think they were also on her special
around Christmas time.

Well, after tonight's elimination, we are down to the Top 5... 4 guys and 1
girl. If I recall correctly, this was the case the year that Jordin Sparks
won. So don't count out Crystal. Of all the girls, I knew that she would be
the last girl standing. Maybe, she will be The Last One Standing? We have 4
weeks to go to find out.

Next week are the songs of Frank Sinatra with Harry Conick Jr as mentor. I
usually enjoy these types of songs (the Standards), especially when they
dress the part. But really, what type of week don't I enjoy?

One last thought... the Idol tour tickets will be on sale starting May 14th.
The Top 10 will be in Minneapolis on Sunday August 29th at the Target
Centre. Think about checking out the concert, maybe adding it to a summer
trip to the States. They are always great concerts. But seats do sell fast,
so don't delay! I will definitely be there!!

Talk to you next week,

Lodi

Lodi Nacirema has the rundown on last night's Idol.....


Country week with songs of Shania Twain. I was looking forward to this all
week and the night sure didn't disappoint. She was a great mentor to the
contestants and worked her magic. The standouts for me were Michael, Aaron
and Casey. They really took her suggestions and went with them. The judges
all raved, with the exception of Simon's comment to Big Mike. I still don't
really understand what he meant by his performance being "wet". But, I am
not alone I'm sure.

I didn't quite agree with the judges when it came down to Lee and Siobhan.
Usually, I really like Lee but the start of his song was just weird. It
sounded off. The middle was good and the end okay, but the four judges just
loved it! The only one that kind of mentioned it was off at the start was
Randy. The others thought it was great! Oh well, maybe my ears are plugged.
Whatever. As for Siobhan, her rendition of "Any Man of Mine" was okay. She
changed it a bit and maybe that's whay I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe, I'm
just not that crazy about her. I just wish that she would stop with the big
notes. That is her calling card I guess. Maybe she needs it to impress
people. I just didn't think it fit.

Now down to Crystal. I am nervous. I love the song she sang. It is one of my
favourite Shania songs and I think it fit her style. But, if you listen to
the judges, it was the worst! She was one of the only singers that actually
sang it country on country week! With only 6 singers left and no saves, boy
the people better her back her up and give her the votes. Remember I talked
about an upset last week? Believe you me, I wasn't thinking about Crystal.
If it is, it would be as bad as Chris Daughtry or Constantine. I would be
depressed for sure.

In my opinion, Ellen was right. It is going to be very tough to pick who is
going home. I think they all sang great (or good at least). It may all boil
down to popularity this week and who actually votes and supports their
favourites. Out of the 6, only three have ever been in the bottom 3. Aaaron,
Michael and Casey. The other three have always been safe. But to me, these
three probably sang the best out of all of them. So, let's do a switch. I
will put Lee, Siobhan and Crystal in the bottom with..... Siobhan going
home. (I'm crossing my fingers and my toes!!) Phew! I don't think I will
sleep a wink tonight and I truly hope that I am wrong about the bottom three
or at least two of them. To me, I would prefer Siobhan to go home out of
all of them.

Wednesday night is result night with Rascal Flatts and Lady Antebellum
performing. Oh yeah, Shakira too... on country night? What... no Shania!
What's that all about! I was hoping to hear her sing. Oh well, maybe they
will surprise us. Talk to you tomorrow.

Lodi

Happy Tuesday!

So, last night city council voted down the online and telephone voting system. I think it would be a great idea, I think more people would vote if they could do so from the comfort of their homes. But, at this point, there may not be enough time to get the system in place. Maybe for the next elections? We'll see.





WATERCOOLER CONVERSATIONS

We know you could not get through the day without this tidbit of info....A study out of the Univeristy of Maryland….reveals:...many university / college students are addicted to the Internet, social media and their cell phones - and show signs of withdrawal if kept away from them.

Barack Obama has played golf 32 times since taking office, beating George W Bush's record.

According to research the average woman dates 24 men and spends more than $3,000 before finding Mr. Right. Over 2,100 women were polled. Although men traditionally still foot the bill, women pay for hair, clothing, accessories, etc. The study also showed that seven percent of women - have been on between 40 and 60 dates before finally finding someone to share their life with.

In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator!!

Back from a week of vacation...that partially felt like an actual vacation!!! Sleeping in, relaxing, shopping, relaxing...it was sooooo much fun!!

I was happy to come back to work though! Helps when you love your job! What I really want to do is to be able to take the time to just sit...and watch a movie. I know, it sounds odd, but I have not watched much over the past few weeks and would really like to zone out for a bit!! Holiday de-briefing? lol!


WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS.......

A new report out, says that health care costs are up in Canada because of Mom’s too “posh to push”….. some women opt for C-sections that don’t necessarily need one because they don’t want to do the work that goes with labour…. And in the end it costs a lot more for them to recover from a Caesarian.

According to Forbes magazine, David Beckham is still the highest paid soccer player in the world – even though he can’t play. You gotta love those guaranteed contracts. Celebritynewworth.com, reports his estimated worth around $175 million

India has 545 million operational cellphones, a number that’s expected to reach 1 billion by 2015. That exceeds the number of people who have access to toilet or sanitation facilities in the country – about 366 million.

It was this weekend in 1981, IBM introduced the very first personal computer

What happened on Idol last night? Lodi Nacirema knows, looks like she knew what was going to happen, before it happened!!



Well, I hate to "toot" my own horn, but can I pick them or what? I was a
little nervous though at the end. I was praying that Casey would be safe and
Tim would go. No offense to Tim, but I think Casey has more to offer
(musically of course!)

For me the show was all right. Past years have been better. It seems as though
there wasn't as much entertainment as other years. They tried a bit more
comedy and in my opinion, the show should stick with music. I liked George
Lopez though, he was funny.

Carrie Underwood returned with a great song. Alicia Keys performed and was
good, but not great. I have seen her sing better. Elton John was great, as
well as Annie Lennox. They are always great in my books. I wish that Black
Eyed Peas would have sang a more well known song. Even my 11-year-old wasn't
crazy about it.

All in all, the important message of poverty and sickness in Africa, as well
as in the USA was passed along loud and clear by many celebs, as well as the
judges and past Idol winners and contestants. Hopefully, the show will achieve
what it set out to do. I liked the idea of telling people about what a
donation of $10 would buy. Even in today's poor economy, most people can
afford that. Donations of $10 over and over will add up for sure.

At the end of the two hour ++ show (Ryan did warn us on Tuesday that it would
go over), I think I heard that next week's mentor would be Shania Twain. I
would assume then that it is country week. She was a great guest judge this
summer for auditions, so I expect nothing less as a mentor. I am looking
forward to that immensely.

We are now down to the Top 6. Things will only get more interesting as time
goes on. Is there an upset brewing in Country week? We haven't had one yet
this year. Tune in to Idol on Tuesday to find out.

Lodi

Lodi Nacirema fills us in on how she thought things went on Idol last night...

This week's show was all about inspirational songs leading into the two hour
show on Wednesday called "Idol Gives Back". They have done this for the past
few years and it is always an awesome show with a lot of money raised going to
charity. Alicia Keys was Tuesday night's mentor and passed on some good points
to the contestants.

Inspirational songs is a broad category. What is inspirational to one may not
be the same to another, especially Simon. He made fun of Michael's choice of
Hero, stating that he shouldn't have picked a song about Spiderman. Come one
Simon think deeper than that! Also, he gave Casey a hard time for his song
choice right at the top of the show. Just because it isn't a gospel song,
doesn't mean that the meaning of a song isn't inspirational. Casey chose
Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop". It was upbeat and I enjoyed it. Although, most
of the judges thought it was just okay.

The same heavy hitters shone brightly again. Lee and Crystal were awesome. I
even thought that Siobhan was pretty good this week. She tackled a song that
both Whitney and Mariah sang. I'm not a big fan of hers, but those judges
always give her a hard time... asking her to figure out who she is. Give her a
break! She knows who she is, she is one out of 7 singers left who is trying to
win American Idol. She sings the songs that fit the category that week and
does her best. Stop trying to brand her into a category.. pop, country, R&B,
and so on. If you want her to choose, don't have all the different categories
for goodness sake. As for her outfit... very cool. She looked like a garden
with vines, flowers and butterflies all over (or leaves if you are in Simon's
world!).

Okay, enough of my ranting. The bottom three for this week will probably be
Casey, Tim and Aaron. Tim because he just didn't sing that well, Casey because
he sang first and he sounded the same as usual and Aaron just because the
others were stronger. Out of those three, I would choose Tim to go home.

Don't forget to tune in for the big "Idol Gives Back" show. A two hour event
starting at 8 p.m. They promise a lot of great performances. I heard Elton
John, Black Eyed Peas and of course, Alicia Keys to name a few. There will be
one singer going home for sure. No saves left. It would have been nice to save
someone at this "charity" event, but oh well!

Read more on tomorrow's blog.

Lodi

Two people went home last night! Here's what Lodi Nacerima thought about the "chosen" ones...and of course...Adam Lambert......


Wednesday night, result night, double elimination. Adam Lambert. What could be
more exciting? How about getting it right! Andrew went first. Quite quickly I
might add. I kind of felt bad for him. Sometimes Ryan surprises me. Anyway,
poor Katie had to wait until the end of the show. She stood on the stage with
Michael and Tim. I knew it had to be her. The other two were too good last
night to leave.

Anyway, as far as performances go, Brooke White (Season 7 - David Cook
winner)and Justin Gaston performed first, singing an Elvis song. Very nice.
But let's get to Adam. Finally toward the end of the show it was his turn. He
did not disappoint. What a voice and laser show to go with it! Very cool. Good
song.

Overall a good show. Although, I still think they could cut it back to a half
an hour result show. An opening group number, a guest performance and right to
the bad news. Short and sweet I say.

Next week is Idol Gives Back with the song theme being Insirational Songs with
mentor Alicia Keys. This show is usually great with the Wednesday show being
full of great performances to raise money for Africa. Be sure to tune in.

I just have one thought to leave with you until next week. It has been bugging
me for a few weeks now. Do you think they lip sync the opening group number?
This is the first year I have thought that they might. It sounds too perfect.
If it is, it's a shame. I hope not. They are talented singers and that would
really surprise me because the live concerts are awesome!

Have a good week. Talk to you again on Wednesday morning.

Lodi

Loci Nacirema was watching Idol last night (as if we needed to be told this!)and gives us a rundown on her view of how the night went.....


Finally, it is Tuesday night. It always seems to take so long to come. This
week maybe it was because I was waiting to see how Adam Lambert would do as a
mentor and what type of music they would sing. It also seemed like forever
because no one went home last week. So was it worth using the save on Michael?
We will see.

This week, the Idol hopefuls had to sing Elvis songs. They flew to Las Vegas,
saw the Cirque du Soleil show and met Adam in Vegas. What do Elvis and Adam
have in common? ENTERTAINMENT. They are performers, not just singers. I think
Adam was trying to tell the contestants to do that, but alas, I don't think
they did for the most part. Most of them still just stood on stage and sang.
Not much movement and overall, just okay. It would be cool to see Adam do an
Elvis song. Wow! I could just imagine. Anyway, back to the contestants.....

The shining stars to me were Crystal, Tim and Michael. Andrew tried to change
things up a bit with Hound Dog, but he changed it too much. It wasn't very
good. Siobhan screamed again. Katie tried too hard I think. She reminded me of
a little girl dressing up, trying to look like something she is not. As for
Aaron, he took the judges advice from last week and tried something more
upbeat. It was okay and he should be safe. Lee and Casey did their same thing,
played their guitars and sounded similar. They were good, but nothing
different.

So, who do I put in the bottom and going home? Andrew for sure. Personally, I
would put Katie and Siobhan in the other two seats with probably Siobhan
being safe and Katie going home. She has been in the bottom three before. The
other six are either too well liked or just did better this week and will be
safe.

Will I be right? Tune in on Wednesday at 9 p.m. to find out for yourself.(P.S.
Adam will be singing - bonus!)

Lodi

What a weekend! There are times I am not kidding when I say I come to work to wind down..not that this job is easy...but I get to sit for a few minutes!!!

Work Friday night, more work Saturday morning, bridal shower, working a bingo Saturday night...then more running Sunday...makes it a weekend of not much rest. Fortunately not every weekend is that crazy busy.

We are really enjoying the strange weather. Just because the bad stuff doesn't last long. The snow Saturday morning was in the forecast, but to see those big fat flakes coming down! We were happy to see it melt as fast as it came.

Enjoy your Monday!!!




WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS.......

Did you know that more redheads are born in Scotland than in any other country. 11% of its population has red hair!!

AND…speaking of redheads – the odds are greater, that you’ll have a clean house if you are a red-headed female who works in retail.

A German meatseller, who became so angry because he wasn’t paid for his meat, decided to solve the problem by taking the meat off diners' plates, at one of the restaurants he supplies. According to police, the argument started in the kitchen when he was told that the restaurant didn't immediately have the $535 to pay his bill.

So…what did he do? He then proceeded to take back his meat, including the pieces that had been cooked and served. Police say no arrests were made because no offense was committed

I got my house back!!! After our fire...3 weeks ago...things are back to normal..and even a bit better. We did have the contractor make our front stairs a little bigger and the siding has gone on nicely...can't tell old from new.

So now...just need to find some things to make the front look even better...plants..maybe some stones for the garden...off to the Home and Garden show at the Sportsdome and CLE this weekend!




WATER COOLER CONVERSATION.......

Environment Canada reports that Canadians getting rid of batteries is starting to pose a serious health threat…..this year it’s estimated Canadians will throw out… 500million batteries.

A very weird story marking an anniversary today – 14 years ago, a man in South Carolina committed suicide… his heart was donated to a man who needed one…. That man contacted the dead man’s widow to thank her and they eventually fell in love and got married….then, it was 2 years ago today - …. that man ….killed himself

Victoria Beckham is the latest star to take up…. Yogalosophy….. that’s the combined study of yoga and astrology…. She was apparently introduced to it by …. Jennifer Aniston

American Idol Expert Lodi Nacirema joins us with her thought on the latest season of Idol...


I don’t know about the rest of you, but my favourite part of watching Idol
is from the Top 10 down to #1. Sure, the auditions are hilarious, but the
show is about finding talent and this is where the best show it. This week
was no exception.

Lennon/McCartney week did not dissapoint. It was just too bad that Paul
couldn’t have been there to mentor them. Come on Simon… didn’t you have
any pull? Anyway, I found it very hard to pick out who should go. To me,
that’s always a sign of a good show.

For the past few weeks, the bottom three always included Katie and Tim. Much
to my chagrin, they were never voted off. But this week, I hoped they would
be safe. They were both great and really showed why they made it so far.
After seeing the show, if I had to pick a bottom three, I was thinking maybe
Aaron and Andrew and possibly Siobhan. Aaron because he sang first out of 9
(kiss of death!) and was a little boring, Andrew because the remarks from
the judges weren’t that great and Siobhan because her song was “sleepy” as
well.

So, Wednesday comes along and as usual, we have to wait through an hour show
to find out who goes home. Rhianna and Jason Derulo performed, as well as
David Archuleta (Archie) from Season 7. After all is said and done, all the
girls are safe , even though Ryan tries to psyche them out. The guys are
split into two groups and I see that two of my bottom three choices are in
one group with Big Mike. So, I was feeling pretty confident with myself.
Then, Ryan sends Aaron back to safety. So, that leaves Andrew. Surprise,
surprise!! Mike is left to sing for his life and hope that they will save
him.

This “Save” was started last year and gives some control back to the judges.
In my opinion, it was the Chris Daughtry fiasco of Season 5 that prompted
this. But, is Mike in the same ranks as Chris D? After all, it is still the
Top 9, with a few weeks left to use it. (Up to the Top 5). Once it is used,
it is gone.

In the end, Mike is saved. To be truthful, I was surprised they used it so
early. Don’t get me wrong, I like Mike. I just hope they don’t regret it.
Because of Mike’s save, TWO idol hopefuls go home next week.

Speaking of next week, OMG!! Adam Lambert will be the mentor!! What type of
music will it be? Ryan didn’t say. I’m just excited to see him again and he
will probably perform on Wednesday. So, tune in next week...what more can
you ask for.... Adam and two idols going home.... very exciting. I can’t
believe that people say that DWTS is better than this. Just watch Idol’s
ratings soar next week.

Lodi

Water Cooler Conversation Facts....



International Beaver Day!!!

Why is it Beaver Day? This day celebrates the species that restores the most valuable terrestrial ecosystem—wetlands.

You may not know it…but…Beavers…act as our life support system by restoring wetlands that absorb carbon dioxide and help moderate the droughts and major floods that are increasing with global warming.

The average size of a Beaver is around 3 feet. They can weigh anywhere between 30 and 60 pounds.

Beavers live in streams, rivers, marshes, ponds, and shorelines of large lakes throughout North America, parts of Europe, and Asia

Even though we are celebrating the beaver today – they can often be a recipe for conflict with humans. Beavers flood roads, cut down trees, plug road culverts, and can even cause dangerous flash flooding when one of their dams break.

The importance of the Beaver in the development of Canada through the fur trade led to its designation as the our national animal. The Beaver is on our 5 cent piece.

Beaver – and the entertainment world:

…you had "Leave It To Beaver"…the 1950’s / 1960’s comedy about Theodore Beaver Cleaver

…and who can forget…..the TV Ontario childrens classic: Children’s Underground Club of United Moose and Beaver for Enthusiastic Reporters…..or Cucumber for short. The show featured a moose and a beaver reporting from their famous tree house!

Haley Irwin joined us this morning - we had so much fun! I think she may have liked doing our weather, Daily Dish and Water Cooler Conversations with us!

I really loved to hear her talk about her goals at the Olympics and I wish you could have all seen her face glowing as she talked about it. How to her, it was just a goal, until she heard the crowd...and returned to her bench and was attacked by her teammates congratulating her!

The medal was beautiful..and Haley told us that if you put the bronze, silver and gold medals together they will form a picture of the artwork used on them in it's entirety.

We look forward to having her return to the show!!!




Water Cooler Conversation…

If you don’t happen to have Bon Appetite magazine lying around the house – we have some hilights of the latest edition.
…pizza is our favorite take out food, followed closely by Chinese food
…ice cream is our favorite comfort food

Baseball fever is on. Sunday night was the opening of the 2010 Major League Baseball season. In all – 4, 826 games make up the regular season; and, the average baseball players salary is $2 million.

A little nostalgia for you – it was this week back in 1980, the last episode of Hawaii 5-O was broadcast, bringing it to a close following it’s 12 successful seasons.