The Sheila Variations

I'm really amazed at how little Jewel got on my nerves.

I know!! At one point I had to admit, "I'm kinda liking Jewel right now." And when I said that, Jess literally GASPED.

But I felt like she ... had compassion for some of those people. She wasn't being a snot. Amazing!

Don't be shy! I can't wait!

HAH! I was in between games and we were hanging out when I saw Jewel. Instantly I thought, poor Sheila must be having an aneurysm. "GO BACK TO THE VAN!" After some of those auditions she must have wanted to go back to the van, actually.

We broke the world record for "Most Rocky lines in five minutes" when Apollo Creed showed up.

"Gonna suck now... Sucking bad now..."
"If he dies - he dies."
"Prediction? PAIN." (Wrong movie, but it SO fit - we were rolling.)

I think the "American Idol's number one fan!!!" woman at the end was just the sugar in the icing. The look on Simon's face when she walked in was priceless. I love watching the contestants get defensive and even ANGRY when they're told they suck, like there's something wrong with the judges, not their talent (or obvious lack of it). When the Big Fan lady (I forgot her name - the blond one in all black with the extra chin) started going off about how she has a degree in vocal training and therefore the judges obviously don't know what they're talking about, I was thinking "where'd you get your degree? In the Arctic extention campus of Dog Patch Community Almost-Accredited College? Because you're terrible."

She looked like Ozzy Osborne that one.

Yeah - I love it when the judges look actually frightened. hahaha

Oh and we couldn't stop making fun of the people who got defensive. like: "well, that's your opinion that I can't sing."

Uhm - no. It is actually an objective observation.

My favorite line of the night was Simon's:

"You're singing opera, and you're dressed like Apollo Creed. What do you want me to say?"

The people I find the most endearing, even the ones that are kind of awful, are the contestants who listen intently when the judges are telling them why they didn't like their audition. Like, they realize that these people can give them advice that can only help them improve. They don't just think they DESERVE to be an American Idol star because they want to be famous. They know they have to be better than good and that takes actual WORK, not just catching yourself sounding okay one morning in the shower and thinking you're a few steps away from public adulation and a Grammy.

Sheila, I was going to say that I thought your post at AmericanMidol was just perfect, like you said what I wanted to but much better. And then I read Emily's comment above and that, too... just yes!

There's a certain kind of person who sees AI as a microcosm of society and who gets off on trying to figure it all out and I'm one of them! And no one in my real life understands me!

Oh, I'm so excited about the Seattle show...