The Luddite Chronicles: A New Hope*

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Social Media

Continued apologies to anyone whose feed of this blog has been acting wonky. I’ve discovered that if I edit a post that I imported from my previous Blogger site, even if it’s only adding a tag in “quick edit,” it goes out as a new post, but with the original date stamp.

While I can’t seem to fix the issue, someone at WordPress at least suggested a workaround that solves the problem on your end. Essentially, if I want to tinker with something, I need to set the post to private, then edit, then reset the post to public.

Thank you for your patience during testing. Apologies in advance if I forget to do this and an old post pops up in your feed.


*This post title neither endorses nor condones the idea that there are any more than three Star Wars films.

The Voice: Final(s) Thoughts

Tags

Reality TV, The Voice

Being away from home for both the semifinals and finals, I’m condensing my thoughts on this season of The Voice into one last post.

The semifinals performance night was a really great show. The remaining singers were all very strong and, while I had favorites, I would have been happy to see any of these people in the finals. As in the quarterfinals, I think (mostly) the right people advanced.

Favorite performance: Juliet Simms, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (Team Cee Lo). If “Roxanne” hadn’t sealed her as favorite in my mind, this performance certainly would have. Definitely the best match of song and voice of the night.

Strongest performance that I didn’t rewatch: Chris Mann, “Ave Maria” (Team Christina). Whatever. He’s a great singer, but his song choices have mostly left me cold. However, they are not nearly as bad as…

Worst song choice: Jermaine Paul, “Open Arms” (Team Blake). Naturally Jermaine sang Journey. What else? And now his audition for singing at my prom is complete. Of course, it only gets worse when he sings “I Believe I Can Fly” for the finals. Seriously? I will never understand why he won.

Most original performance: Lindsey Pavao, “Skinny Love” (Team Christina). Once again, Lindsey goes for quirky and it mostly pays off. But, again, I think that going for something that many of the voters won’t know is a huge risk. Even if Bon Iver was a Grammy favorite this year (deservedly), this song is from his relatively obscure debut album back in 2007. But kudos for staying true to a vision that doesn’t involve flashbacks to my high school days.

Sympathy-vote performance: Erin Willett, “Without You” (Team Blake). Erin is another one whose song choices baffle me. I grew to like her, but she never really gave me a performance to get excited about. And this song simply seemed to beg for a sympathy vote from the audience. Maybe she should have followed her teammate’s lead and gone for “Crazy for You” or “True Colors”?

Oddest song choice that actually worked: Tony Lucca, “How You Like Me Now” (Team Adam). I do not like Tony Lucca, but his recent song choices have been inspired. This was a solid performance that had me sit up and pay attention.

I don’t have much to say about either Jamar Rogers on “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (Team Cee Lo) or Katrina Parker on “Killing Me Softly” (Team Adam). They both did well, but didn’t seem particularly original or exciting. I think both peaked a bit early in this competition and were rightly sent packing.

The finals, which I viewed well after knowing the results, were rather unimpressive. Sadly, Juliet seemed to have an off night, because I like to think she could have taken the whole thing with some killer performances. For me, the two stand-out performances were actually duets: Tony Lucca & Adam on “Yesterday” and Jermaine Paul & Blake on “Soul Man” (as much as I don’t really like either contestant). I wish him the best, but I fear that Jermaine Paul only succeeded in moving from pretty good back-up singer to pretty good wedding singer. I hope I’m wrong.

Ultimately, I think they had too many singers coming out of the blind auditions and that made later rounds seem grueling and plodding, rather than exciting. Despite whatever contracts the show might have with the judges, I think it would be best served by having the teams compete against each other much earlier.

Odds and Ends

Tags

Ballet, Cocktails, Restaurants

Readers, it has been a crazy month. Between my French houseguests, business trips, and a much-needed vacation, I have been too distracted to write much of anything. I’ve been so busy of late that I’m actually thrilled to be home doing laundry and cleaning the apartment this weekend. Of course, catching up on reading and blogging is also on the agenda.

Highlights over the last few weeks include:

The French extravaganza at the San Francisco Symphony. I bought tickets for this mainly to see Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the piano—he didn’t disappoint, nor did Stéphane Denève at the podium. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed this whole program despite John Marcher causing me to obsess over the cellists’ timing in the second half. Apparently, that wasn’t the only thing he was observing that day. I’m shocked his write-up fails to mention the man next to us who was buckling up his pants when we arrived at our seats (no, I don’t know why, nor do I want to really).

Alcatraz! I’ve been a bit obsessed by Alcatraz since childhood, mostly due to repeat viewings of Escape from Alcatraz on television. In fact, the prison was my white whale for some time, from my last-minute visit to California with family (in the dark ages before Internet reservations) to my first trips to San Francisco, when La Belle Chantal and I seemed doomed in our efforts to get there. While I finally did take the tour, I actually haven’t been to the island since moving here, so I took advantage of the excuse of houseguests to go. In preparation, we watched The Rock, which, according to Guillaume, is a Michael Bay classic. (Make of that what you will; at least it doesn’t star Jerry Lewis.) In any case, the Alcatraz audio tour is very well done, and the prison is worth the trip even if you don’t have a Clint Eastwood obsession. At the very least, you get a boat ride across the bay and a magnificent view of the city.

Don Quixote at the San Francisco Ballet. I will be writing this up momentarily as it really deserves its own post. (Actually, I backdated this post as part of my tech testing.) Suffice it to say that, while the music is a bit of a snooze, and the Don Quixote bits are irrelevant, this ballet more than makes up for the fact by having some gorgeous stand-out roles for women.

Visiting Maker’s Mark. You know what they say, home is where the bourbon is. I ask you, is there a better way to spend Derby weekend than touring a bourbon distillery? I think not. What I didn’t know is that the tour would be so interesting. My sister is now convinced that all school subjects can be taught through bourbon-making: chemistry, physics, history, economics, etc. While I’m not sure that everyone would applaud such a move, she may be right. Check it out next time you are in Kentucky.

Eating in Charleston. I do declare, there is some mighty fine food in the Lowcountry. From the Glass Onion’s fried green tomatoes on the outskirts of town, to the Hominy Grill’s shrimp and grits, to Sean Brock’s experiments in molecular gastronomy at McCrady’s, we had some great meals at the end of our trip. Of course, nothing beats my aunt’s shrimp curry, pecan pie, and fresh vegetables out of my uncle’s garden.

Shooting a gun.* Yes, you read that right. It took me by surprise too. But, really, what else would one do while visiting a southern Congressman? Talk politics? Then the guns might really come out.


*No animals (or humans) were harmed in the making of this Sly Wit first. And not just because I’m a horrific shot. I don’t plan on taking up hunting anytime soon.

Ballet 101—Don Quixote

Tags

Ballet, Book Challenges

Maria Kochetkova and Taras Domitro. Photo by Erik Tomasson.

When I first learned that there was a ballet based on Don Quixote, I was confused. Not just because Don Quixote was the most difficult and frustrating book I read for my 2010 book challenge, but rather because how the heck do you make a ballet out of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha? I mean, there are problems with portraying the relatively simple story of Romeo and Juliet, so what were they thinking? (Probably “Oooh, imagine the great costumes!” as I did when I first heard of it.)

Costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. Photo by Erik Tomasson.

Costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. Photo by Erik Tomasson.

And, while some of them were a bit too bright and garish, this production did indeed feature gorgeous costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. Also, a horse and a donkey on stage. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The ballet is based on one encounter among many in the 1000-page epic—the story of the wedding between Quiteria and Basilio, which comes early in the Second Part of the novel (i.e., the only part you should read. No, really.*). In their travels, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza come across preparations for a wedding. Quiteria, or often “Kitri” in the ballet, is set to marry a wealthy nobleman despite her love for Basilio. In a cunning ploy to win her back, Basilio fakes his death. Naturally, love conquers all and Don Quixote approves of these grand romantic gestures and goes on his merry way. The ballet takes the essence of this story while weaving bits and pieces of Don Quixote’s tale in and around it (windmills, delusions, Dulcinea, etc.).

In fact, the ballet begins much like the novel, with Don Quixote (Jim Sohm) engrossed in his books of chivalry and engaging Sancho Panza (Pascal Molat) as his squire. However, the action soon shifts to the story of Kitri (Maria Kochetkova) and Basilio (Taras Domitro), young lovers stymied by Kitri’s father, who plans to marry Kitri off to a foppish nobleman (Myles Thatcher).

The first act is rather slow, but the action picks up in Act II, which features some stellar roles for women, including that of the gypsy woman (Courtney Elizabeth) and a dream sequence where each solo was more spectacular than the last. Nicole Ciapponi as Cupid and Sarah Van Patten as Queen of the Driads deserve special mention here.

The action of Act II closes in a tavern, where Basilio fakes his death in a humorous scene where Don Quixote becomes sympathetic to the young couple after chasing them down through most of the ballet. While Kochetkova in most of this piece was less a fiery Spanish beauty than a classical, technical dancer (not that there’s anything wrong with that, she’s gorgeous to watch), her mime was accomplished here and perfect for the mood of the piece. And the couple, who I had last seen together in the pas de deuxtrois of Francesca da Rimini, had some nice work in the pas de deux. I should also note that Sofiane Sylve, who I loved as the jellyfish in Le Carnaval des animaux, was equally beguiling as Mercedes throughout.

Act III consists of Kitri’s wedding, which is often featured as a one-off program and is considered the showpiece of the ballet; however, I felt that it was a bit of a letdown after the incredible Act II.

And that, in a nutshell, is the greatest problem with this ballet—the structure. First of all, it is long. The acts are rather uneven and, with the two narrative threads, the pacing is odd. The horse and the donkey on stage are supposed to be “wow” moments, but they are really more distracting than anything else. These structural deficiencies were not helped by the music (Léon Minkus) which, while using a few interesting themes, doesn’t reach the heights of Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev.

Like Coppélia (but clearly not the one I saw in Paris), Don Quixote is considered a “comic ballet” and, aside from the fake death scene, it is the Don Quixote story that is played for laughs. A bit too many in my opinion as much of the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza moments don’t really involve dance. Pascal Molat, he of the incredible center, was wasted as Sancho Panza. I feel like you could strip away almost all of their scenes and still have a great ballet.

So, while I enjoyed the performance and would readily see it again, this ballet is six scenes in search of an editor.


*My standard recommendation for Don Quixote is to read as much of the First Part as you can stand (i.e., until you want to throw the book across the room and/or do yourself bodily harm), then start the Second Part. Try it, you’ll thank me.

The Voice: Quarterfinals

Tags

Reality TV, The Voice

I continue to think that there are just too many singers on this show and, at the same, that they are disappearing too quickly. I guess it’s good that one doesn’t have to be tortured week after week by the lesser contestants, but I still feel like we haven’t seen what many of these people are capable of.

And, while I’m liking the new audience/judges save aspect of the eliminations, I still think these later rounds would be better served by an X-Factor type of elimination based on audience vote. So what if that results in uneven teams—isn’t that the point of picking teams in the first place?

Of course, I did notice that all four audience saves were men so maybe leaving it entirely up to the audience might not be the best idea.

The Performances:

RaeLynn: “She’s Country” by Jason Aldean (Team Blake). I’m not a country fan, but RaeLynn always seems to be trying too hard. I still wish the unfortunately named Adley Stump had won that long-ago battle.

Jesse Campbell: “Halo” by Beyoncé (Team Christina). With more gravitas, this song choice might have worked, but it didn’t. Instead, it just sounded screechy to me. Also, the staging with framed photos of his daughter was ridiculous—I really don’t care if your daughter is your “halo,” just sing.

Jordis Unga: “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans (Team Blake). I guess I’m happy it wasn’t Mariah or Whitney or some other power singer, but this type of song does nothing for me.

Ashley De La Rosa: “Foolish Games” by Jewel (Team Christina). Yay, another song I’ve never heard! Not that that means anything since I’m pretty spotty on contemporary pop music, but I think that in a reality show dependent on audience votes you are always better off singing something fairly well known, even if overused.

Erin Willett: “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele (Team Blake). As stupid as the lyrics to this song are, Erin knocked it out of the park. She so deserved to be saved by the audience instead of having to perform for her life.

Lindsey Pavao: “Part of Me” by Katy Perry (Team Christina). Is it me or does this song have no tune? Lindsey is one of my favorites, but I think she’s lucky she got through this week.

Jermaine Paul: “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins (Team Blake). Does Jermaine Paul think he’s competing for Best 80s Cover Singer? First Bon Jovi and now this? Jermaine, in the future, please sing something that wasn’t played at my prom. He got through, so either he is benefitting from the guy factor, or people like Phil Collins way more than I thought.

Chris Mann: “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay (Team Christina). I thought this was a really interesting choice for him, although I can’t hear Coldplay on a reality show without imaging myself watching with my former housemate and hearing him rag on Chris Martin’s voice. Mann is definitely the best male singer in this competition.

Jamar Rogers: “It’s My Life” by Jon Bon Jovi (Team Cee Lo). He’s good, but I am already tired of him and his “inspiring story of recovery and redemption”—yet I had no doubt that that narrative would mean he would get the audience save.

Katrina Parker: “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri (Team Adam). I’ve liked this song since it premiered back in 2010 on So You Think You Can Dance. I think it was a good choice for her, but this is one person I’d like to see go more retro. Side note: I love when Adam has his eyes closed listening to his performers. Glad he saved her in the end.

Mathai: “I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado (Team Adam). I’ve made no secret that I have issues with Mathai’s singing style and lack of enunciation; however, I thought this was actually her best performance. This is one where I think, had there been no audience save, Adam would have taken her and Katrina into the final.

James Massone: “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel (Team Cee Lo). Although he’s still way out of his league, I thought this was a good choice for him and he has shown much improvement over the past few weeks. Also? Still adorable.

Tony Lucca: “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears (Team Adam). I’m not a Tony Lucca fan, but at least this was a popular, fun song done in a different way. And, I swear, if I never hear Alicia Keys or the Mickey Mouse Club mentioned again this season, it won’t be too soon.

Cheesa: “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston (Team Cee Lo). Cheesa is not the power singer everyone seems to think she is, but she did a decent job with Whitney, so kudos for that.

Pip: “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane (Team Adam). Pip was an early favorite for me and I thought he really redeemed himself after last week’s disaster. The opening bars at the piano were really well done and, upon replay, the ending didn’t seem as bad as I first thought. I’d still rather have him than Tony Lucca.

Juliet Simms: “Cryin’” by Aerosmith (Team Cee Lo). Oh, Cee Lo, why are you trying to make Juliet jump on the crazy train? Are you that devastated over the loss of Erin? Feathers aside, Juliet did very well on a song choice that was a bit lackluster after her “Roxanne” performance.

The Results:

Eliminated by their coach on performance night: Jesse Campbell, Jordis Unga, James Massone, Pip

Saved by the audience: Jermaine Paul, Chris Mann, Jamar Rogers, Tony Lucca

Saved by their coach: Erin Willett, Lindsey Pavao, Katrina Parker, Juliet Simms

Eliminated by their coach on results night: RaeLynn, Ashley De La Rosa, Mathai, Cheesa

The Awards:

Favorite performance: Erin Willett, “Set Fire to the Rain”

Most predictable performance: RaeLynn, “She’s Country”

Most pandering performance: Jesse Campbell, “Halo”

Favorite song choice: Pip, “Somewhere Only We Know”

Worst song choice: Lindsey Pavao, “Part of Me”

Hot Tub Time Machine Award: Jermaine Paul, “Against All Odds”

Best in Feathers: Juliet Simms, “Cryin’”

Top three I’m rooting for: Chris Mann (Team Christina), Lindsey Pavao (Team Christina), Juliet Simms (Team Cee Lo)

Have your favorites made it through?

This is a test line to check updating.

Readers’ Choice Challenge #3: Sense and Sensibility

Tags

Book Challenges

After the criminal reality of Lolita, I happily moved on to the tortured memories of The Sense of an Ending. This was less of a conscious choice than a result of the fact that it finally became available at the library. I think I’d had this on hold since it won the Booker.





I find it extremely appropriate that this book has two very different covers. I read the one on the right, but I think the one with the dandelion seeds blowing in the wind is much more appropriate for this story about the passage of time and the nature of memory.

While there is a plot that sets the whole thing in motion, the book is mostly about the stories, or rather histories, that we construct in our minds, about ourselves and others. Reading this on the heels of We Are Animals, which also shows how much our perspective is framed by who we are at the time, I found myself pondering how I present my past to others (and even to myself) long after I had put the book down.

How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but—mainly—to ourselves.

This type of introspective work isn’t normally something that would appeal to me, but I devoured it almost in one sitting. Of course, given the length of the book, that wasn’t particularly difficult, but To the Lighthouse was about the same length and that seemed to stop time (and not in a good way).

Maybe I was more sensitive to the issue of memory because my latest home project has involved dismantling my photo albums and scanning and labeling all my old photos. As such, I have been feeling quite nostalgic of late as well as questioning some of my past decision-making. Or maybe I’m just getting old.

It strikes me that this may be one of the differences between youth and age: when we are young, we invent different futures for ourselves; when we are old, we invent different pasts for others.

Although this wasn’t one of the top vote-getters in my original poll, I’m very happy I put it on the challenge list. I’m almost always interested in reading Booker Prize winners and, more importantly, Julian Barnes is one of Aaron’s favorite authors. And, no, the irony of reading this book based on the recommendation of a friend from high school is not lost on me.

While I know this book might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and the final reveal is a bit much, it is definitely something I would recommend, but more for people in their late 30s and older than younger readers.

The Voice: Live Performances, Round 1

Tags

Reality TV, The Voice

Wow. Yes, 24 singers were definitely far too many for the first set of live rounds. And, sadly, not many stood out quality-wise. There are many competent singers here, but they were not well served by their song choices. At least they got rid of two from each team this first time out and thinned the ranks. And I liked the “audience saves three, coach saves one” aspect to these eliminations; it seemed a good compromise.

Note: I abhor results shows of all kinds and all assessments below are based on the live performances.

Favorite performance: Juliet Simms, “Roxanne” (Team Cee Lo). I’m as shocked as you are, believe me. But, hey, Dia Frampton wasn’t on my radar either after the Battle Rounds last year.

Craziest performance: Erin Martin, “Walk Like an Egyptian” (Team Cee Lo). Erin pretty much has a lock on this category. What will we do without her?

Least interesting “winning” performance: Jordis Unga, “Alone” (Team Blake). There was a lot of cliché up on that stage this round, but this was perhaps the most egregious example.

Favorite song choice: Juliet Simms, “Roxanne” (Team Cee Lo). A great choice because it’s well known, but not completely overdone like, for example, “Alone.”

Worst song choice: Jermaine Paul, “Livin’ on a Prayer” (Team Blake). WTF? This made no sense. It didn’t fit the singer or showcase his skills. Overall Blake really made horrific song choices for his team.

Oddest song choice that actually worked: James Massone, “Don’t Know Why” (Team Cee Lo). Massone is not a great singer by any means, but he is adorable and this choice was inspired.

Worst arrangement: Jesse Campbell, “What a Wonderful World” (Team Christina). This almost made me hate Jesse. Don’t mess with Satchmo.

Most egregious non-save: Naia Kete (Team Blake). “Turning Tables” wasn’t her best effort, but she was Blake’s most original sound. I don’t know why he saved Jordis over his two most interesting singers.

Person I’m most rooting for after a dismal live performance: Pip (Team Adam). I don’t know what that was but let’s never speak of it again.

(Still) Most adorable: James Massone (Team Cee Lo)

(Still) Most overrated: Mathai (Team Adam). If she could enunciate, maybe I could stand her.

Top four I’m rooting for: Chris Mann (Team Christina), Lindsey Pavao (Team Christina), Jamar Rogers (Team Cee Lo), Juliet Simms (Team Cee Lo)

Strongest team: Team Christina (Chris Mann, Jesse Campbell, Lindsey Pavao, Ashley De La Rosa). And let’s just take a moment to thank the powers-that-be for Christina’s new stylist.

Weakest team (tie): Team Adam (Tony Lucca, Pip, Katrina Parker, Mathai) and Team Blake (RaeLynn, Jordis Unga, Jermaine Paul, Erin Willett)

Assuming the final four contains one from each team, I now think it will be Mathai, RaeLynn, Jamar Rogers, and Jesse Campbell.

Who do you think will be in the final four? Who would you most like to see there?

Readers’ Choice Challenge #2: Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered

Tags

Book Challenges, Book Salon, Goodreads

It has taken me over a week to gather my thoughts about Lolita. But then I realized it was in front of me the whole time.

Despite our tiffs, despite her nastiness, despite all the fuss and faces she made, and the vulgarity, and the danger, and the horrible hopelessness of it all, I still dwelled deep in my elected paradise—a paradise whose skies were the color of hell-flames —but still a paradise.

Or, as Jesse said in the comments about choosing my challenge books: “I feel good having read it, but felt dirty while reading it, if that makes sense.”

Yes, it does, Jesse, yes it does.

I’m definitely happy to have read this, but it was a very difficult read. Not in the sense of being hard to understand (although if you don’t know French or have a strong literary background, I would highly recommend the annotated version), but rather in the nature of the story. With a 14-year-old niece, it was hard to divorce myself from the repellent subject matter and truly appreciate the beauty of the language. While there may be a point to making the reader complicit in the narrator’s lust for Lolita, which Nabokov does skillfully, for me it detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. In that respect, it was an interesting follow-up to Hunger, which I read for the Food and Drink book salon. Both depict a singular, selfish perspective on craving, with narrators who are increasingly paranoid and desperate and therefore difficult to empathize with.

I would be interested in Nabokov’s other works (if they are a bit easier in that respect) because his language is beautiful and rich, with incredibly descriptive detail, literary allusions, and poetic nuance; however, I don’t think I would recommend this particular book to someone whose literary tastes I don’t know very well. Like Folsom Street Fair, I’m glad I’ve done it once, but mostly because it means I never have to again.

And I’m really glad I had something like The Night Circus to read as a follow-up.

In other book news, I’m happy to say that the dark days of multi-reading seem to be behind me. Looking over my Goodreads history, I seem to have this tendency to get very ambitious at the end of each year, start a whole bunch of books, and not finish anything. It didn’t help that I started my 2012 challenge with the two books I knew would be most difficult for me. However, I feel like I’ve turned a corner and can finally make some forward progress on my to-be-read pile. Our next book salon is on Paris and there’s lots I want to read, but I’m bound and determined to limit myself to one book at a time. Besides Middlemarch of course. And audiobooks. Okay, three books at a time.

I realize that with my random reading habits, I haven’t made it very easy to follow along with this challenge, but if you would like to join me for any of the remaining books (next up, A Prayer for Owen Meany) or discuss any of these selections in our Goodreads group, you can find out more here.

The Voice: Battle Rounds

Tags

Reality TV, The Voice

As the battle rounds conclude, let’s take a look at where we are.

First off, we still have 24 singers, which is a little ridiculous. With such a good crop of contestants, I would have preferred they stick with the original eight per team and have some sort of wild card (see below) to add a fifth person from those booted this round. I wonder, if the coaches knew that a reject might be picked up by another coach, would they choose different battles?

I think that for the most part the correct decisions were made, but there were a lot of battles that could have gone either way, which was mostly a testament to the quality of the contestants this year.

I felt the song choices on the part of the judges were much improved over last year, if a bit boring.

Finally, I liked the coaches. They seemed really helpful and I’m glad they didn’t bring them to the battles like last year.

Some other opinions…

Favorite battle (tie): Anthony Evans & Jesse Campbell on “If I Ain’t Got You” (Team Christina); Pip & Nathan Parrett on “You Know I’m No Good” (Team Adam)

Best performance on a lame song: ALyX & Jermaine Paul on “Get Outta My Dreams” (Team Blake)

Craziest performance: Erin Martin & The Shields Brothers on “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (Team Cee Lo)

Most emotional battle: Jamar Rogers & Jamie Lono on “I Wanna Know What Love Is” (Team Cee Lo)

Least interesting battle: Angie Johnson & Cheesa on “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Team Cee Lo)

Worst butchery of a song: RaeLynn & Adley Stump on “Free Fallin” (Team Blake)

Toughest battle to call: Lindsey Pavao & Lee Koch on “Heart-Shaped Box.” I think Lee outsang Lindsey, but I’m more eager to see what Lindsey can do so I think I would have made the same choice as Christina.

Favorite song choice: “Heart-Shaped Box” (Christina). It didn’t quite match the greatness of last year’s “Creep” from Team Adam, but I loved the choice.

Worst song choice: “Ironic” (Blake). Beyond the fact that this song needs to go away, it is an especially poor choice for this type of competition.

Oddest song choice that actually worked: “Get Outta My Dreams” (Blake)

Most egregious elimination, Part I (because her coach screwed her with song choice): Sarah Golden (Cee Lo)

Most egregious elimination, Part II (because she clearly outsang her competition): Adley Stump (Blake)

Most egregious elimination, Part III (because they were both great): Anthony Evans (Christina)

Most surprising team pick: Erin Willett (Team Blake). Not that she didn’t do well, but I was shocked Blake didn’t default to Gwen’s country style.

Top five I’m rooting for: Pip (Team Adam), Charlotte Sometimes (Team Blake) Chris Mann and Lindsey Pavao (Team Christina), and Jamar Rogers (Team Cee Lo)

Person I’m most rooting against: Erin Martin (Team Cee Lo)

Most adorable: James Massone (Team Cee Lo)

Most overrated: Mathai (Team Adam). If she could enunciate, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.

Most surprising performance: Karla Davis (Team Adam). Did we see her in the audition round?

If each team could pick an additional wild card: Orlando Napier (Team Adam), Anthony Evans (Team Christina), Gwen Sebastian (Team Blake), Jamie Lono or Sarah Golden (Team Cee Lo). I’d love to see any of these singers again.

Strongest team: Team Christina (Chris Mann, Jesse Campbell, Sera Hill, Lindsey Pavao, Ashley De La Rosa, Moses Stone)

Weakest team: Team Cee Lo (Cheesa, Juliet Simms, Jamar Rogers, Erin Martin, James Massone, Tony Vincent)

Of course, if they keep the same format as last year, it will only matter who the best one or two people are on each team, in which case, it’s almost any coach’s game.

Assuming the final four contains one singer from each team, I think it will be Pip, Naia Kete, Jamar Rogers, and Jesse Campbell. But I could also see Kim Yarbrough, Charlotte Sometimes, or almost anyone from Christina’s team getting through.

Which battles stood out for you? Who are you rooting for? Make your voice heard below!

My Life in Books, Part 5 of 5

Tags

My Life in Books

Finally, the last question of My Life in Books. Although it’s not really in the form of a question now, is it?

Question #5:
Finally, a guilty pleasure, or a favorite that might surprise people!

This is another easy one. Which, thank goodness, because blogging every day during a workweek (like breaking up) is hard to do!

My guilty pleasure is cheap Regency romances. And I mean the traditional ones that are specifically Regency romances, like those from Signet or Zebra. Even though they take place in a specific time period, Regency England (i.e., the early nineteenth century), they are not historical romances, but rather more like a comedy of manners set in a historical period. They usually focus on the activities of the ton in London during the social season, often involve some sort of mystery (there’s that word again) or mistaken identity, and have no sex. These are mindless genre fiction at its best, down to the fact that every one I’ve read seemed to be exactly 220 pages.

These were my fluff reading of choice during graduate school. I could always count on one from my sister in my Christmas stocking and there were tons at the library. Like my father with his westerns, I eventually had to start keeping track because I would totally forget what I had and hadn’t read. I don’t know if it was just a phase, or that I needed that extreme in grad school, but I haven’t read one in awhile.

In recent years, I’ve read a few Georgette Heyer books (Heyer also focuses on the Regency but is a bit more literary); however, she doesn’t seem to fill the same need of a cheap thrill and easy read. And, she doesn’t seem to have the same tendency to favor “bluestocking” (i.e., book-smart) heroines, which was one of my favorite things about the Regencies. But I will try a few more of Heyer’s books because I do think they are well written.

How about you? Will you confess your guilty pleasure in the comments?!?