Steel Kaleidoscopes

There is No Curse

Being both a Cubs and Red Sox fan (yes, I walk around in a silly optimistic haze), the true test of whether or not these teams can win the 2004 pennant is how they perform in October. So last night's zapping of the Bartman Ball means nothing, other than to remind Cubs fans how it all unraveled last October, five outs from their first pennant since 1945.

Red Sox fans already know this. In May of 2001, Paul Giorgio, a real estate investor, placed a Red Sox cap on the summit of Mt. Everest. For good measure, he burned a Yankees cap. Didn't matter.

Last summer, Bruce Springsteen played two sold-out shows in the shadow of the Green Monster, telling Red Sox fans that this was a "rock and roll exorcism." In other words, forget the Curse of the Bambino. This is your year!

Didn't happen.

If the Cubs and Red Sox reach the promised land in October, it will be because they will have finally come through in the clutch, winning the big games. It won't be because of a gimmick or an exorcism.

It's talent and sweat. Not glitter and shtick.

Bugs

We have a bug review today. Have IT and QA been invited to the meeting?

Bugsy Malone.

She bugs me. But she's necessary to the project.

This is an odd-looking bug. Landed in Christine's water glass last night.

Bugs, Eddie Vedder-style.

Bugs Bunny.

He's a little bugger, eh?

The Buggles' video was the first played on MTV.

American Idol: Group 3

Can you see it now? LaToya and Fantasia belting it out in the finals this May? Could happen.

What a difference a week makes. That was a pretty damn good group last night. Talent and passion took center stage, making this a tough call. Two clear-cut winners emerged and I believe America will get this one right.

Here's the talent of the third 8, top to bottom:

1. LaToya London
Strong, powerful voice, easily the best of the night. I wasn't as blown away as the judges, but she's clearly going deep into this competition. I thought she was borderline screaming some of those notes rather than singing them, but she put herself out there and really "brought it." I like her a lot. She could win it all if she tones it down just a bit.

2. Amy Adams
Excellent voice. Loved the daring way she opened in a acapella. Tremendous stage presence. Just a bundle of talent waiting to explode. If America gets this wrong, she's a lock for a wild card return.

3. Eric Yoder
Is America ready for a Clay Aiken-style singer again? Probably not. And this guy ain't Clay. But he's good. Smooth voice, polished and may be the best of the boys at this point. Nice falsetto move. Could land a wild card bid.

4. Elizabeth LeTendre
It sucks going first. With the phonies in Group 2 still ringing in my ears, it was refreshing to listen to real talent again. I was especially rooting for her because she's a local girl (Sturbridge, Mass.). She has a husky, unique voice and excellent stage presence. Looks a little like Kelly Clarkson. Could be a wild card.

5. Jon Peter Lewis
The Pen Salesman picks one of my favorite songs (Elton John's "Tiny Dancer," used for an emotional scene in "Almost Famous"), but doesn't sell it. You can tell the talent is there. Something was just missing. The girls love him. Would not be surprised to see him advance based on the chick vote. Plus, FOX needs some guys in the final 12.

6. Charly Lowry
It's nice to see diversity on stage (she's an American Indian). She has a unique, husky voice, but had a few pitch problems. I hate when singers say "c'mon" to the audience. It's not about audience participation. Just sing it. Much better than Camile Velasco, last week's winner.

7. Leah LaBelle
Simon's been drinking or popping peyote buttons on this one. "The best we've heard tonight" before LaToya's performance? Yecch. Very average. Sounded like she was half talking, half singing with an occasional yell. Pitch problems as well. Will be interesting to see if Simon swayed voters. Definitely has the best name for the music business.

8. Jonah Moananu
Seems like a nice guy but was well out of his league. Came across as a Ruben wannabe (and that's not saying much). Didn't seem to have a center; his voice was up and down too often for the simple style of song he was singing. If he was in Group 2, he may be headed to the final 12.

Beat a Drum

Lyrics by Michael Stipe...

The sun reflected in the back of my eye.
I knocked my head against the sky.

The dragonflies are busy buzzing me.
A seahorse as if we were in the sea.

Halfway from coal, halfway to diamond.
My fall knocked a mean chip out of me.

I'm gathering as far as I can reach.
We're perched up on a precipice
And this is what I've seen.

This is all I want, it's all I need.
This is all I am, it's everything.

This is all I want, it's all I need.

A bluejay hectors from the felled Catalpa tree.
A doctorate in science and a theologian's dream.

The dragonflies are trying to lecture me.
The seahorses if we were in the sea.

This is all I want, it's all I need.
This is all I am, it's everything.

This is all I want, it's all I need.

Beat a drum for me, like a butterfly wing.
Tropical storm across the ocean.

Don't explain, I'm sure I'll want to know.
Don't forget, we're just halfway from coal.

This is all I want, it's all I need.
This is all I am, it's everything.

This is all I want, it's all I need.

Sex in the City

So now Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte and Carrie move on to new pleasures. Elusive happiness is indeed tangible, all of those questions on the keyboard finally answered as the sun sets on Manhattan.

Miranda finds sensitivity in family, Samantha commits, the stars finally align for Charlotte and Carrie bags Big. And each finds love.

Six years later the cheers, jeers, tears and Cosmopolitans dissolve to gray, the soft tapping rhythm of Manolos a fading echo.

Scary Dreams

As a kid, I remember watching a movie about the gangsters Bonnie and Clyde, and being scared. There was something about these criminals being a man and a woman -- yeah, perhaps that was it -- that made it unusual and creepy. Most gangsters were men in neatly pressed black silk suits. To see this couple freely shooting innocent people seemed warped, out of sync and very wrong.

Came across this actual photo the other day and it brought back those kid fears.

Remembering Warwick

One year ago tonight, 100 music-loving sons and daughters lost their lives when they couldn't reach the exit through the thick smoke of a crowded nightclub. Great White was just a few minutes into their opening song, "Desert Moon," when ill-advised pyrotechnics sparked the worst nightclub fire since the Coconut Grove.

Below is a letter from Great White lead singer Jack Russell, which he wrote six weeks after the tragedy and posted on the band's Web site.

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Letter From Jack Russell
Posted Thursday, April 3, 2003

Dear Friends,

I could not keep silent for one more night. I have been quietly reading your posts for the last 6 weeks. The love, support, and encouragement that most of you have expressed to us, both on this site, and personally has been overwhelming. Some of your posts have literally taken me through the darkest days and nights I have ever known, and I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of all of us for taking the time to let us know you are out there, encouraging us to keep doing what we do.

Words will not now, nor will they ever, begin to express the sorrow we are all feeling not only for the loss of our Ty, but for everyone that was affected by this terrible tragedy. I just couldn't let one more day go by without saying thank you to those of you that have always been more than fans, even more than friends, more like family to all of us.

God bless all of you,
Jack Russell

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Take a minute today to pause for a moment of silence.

Cubs-Red Sox: Brothers in Arms

The similarities are striking. Two promising pitchers, let loose before reaching stardom, return to their original teams with a chance to help rid the bulky chains of Nightmares Past.

Greg Maddux, whom the Cubs let slip away to free agency in 1992 over a money dispute, is back with the Cubs. Curt Schilling, traded to the Orioles in 1988 for Mike Boddicker, is back with the Red Sox. Both are All-Star pitchers a few gray whiskers away from their 40th birthday.

After last October's tease, could this be the year the long-suffering Cubs and ill-fated Red Sox meet in the World Series?

With the addition of Maddux, the Cubs have one of the most feared starting rotations in baseball. Maddux, 11 wins away from 300, joins Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano -- a foursome that took Chicago within five outs of the World Series a year ago.

Schilling gives the Red Sox one of baseball's best starting rotations, joining Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield and Byung-Hyun Kim.

Both Maddux and Schilling were second-round draft picks. They both turn 38 this year. They're both avid students of the game, with a scientific knowledge of hitters' tendencies. And they both have the opportunity to erase that fateful week last October when a kid named Bartman reached for the ball too soon and a geezer named Grady reached for the ball too late.

American Idol: Group 2

Are you kidding me? How did this group get past the auditions? I knew the Bronx Bombers -- Noel and Jesus -- were frauds when they auditioned in New York, but their peers weren't much better. This is a lottery ticket to stardom for these kids, and no one stepped forward. Scooter Girl looks pretty good right now. Here's the talent of the second 8, top to bottom:

1. Lisa Leuschner
She's got the Madonna tooth gap going for her. Hit some good runs. She's good, not great. Most everyone from the first group was better. She'll make the final 12 and be one of the first to go.

2. Marisa Joy
Her song selection was the best -- John Ellison's "Some Kind of Wonderful," made popular by Grand Funk Railroad -- but her voice was average and her movements were rugged and unpolished. She's cute and didn't embarrass herself, unlike most of the others.

3. Camile Velasco
The judges called her a young Lauryn Hill, but I saw a bundle of nerves struggle through a boring song. If America bases their picks on the judges' comments, she'll get through. But she's just not good enough.

4. Matthew Rogers
This guy -- I like to call him Opera Man after his impromptu Pavarotti impression when he passed his audition -- is better than he showed last night. His song selection was poor and he didn't "bring it" like he can. He played it too safe and didn't show his vocal range. Dissing Simon will not help him get a wildcard bid.

5. Briana Ramirez-Rial
Another one who's better than she showed last night. She was too mellow and sultry, trying to sing something to soften her tough girl image. Not good enough.

6. Kara Master
Sinus infection or no sinus infection, she simply doesn't have the talent.

7. Noel Roman
Off-key throughout the entire song -- a bad wedding song. Pitch problems make for a quick exit. Later, dude.

8. Jesus Roman
I doubt he hit one correct note. Seemed to be looking around for validation during the song. There was none. How embarrassing.

Bodyrock

While most politicians and celebrities rely on lackeys to update their "blogs," it's refreshing to see a musician actually take the time to scribble his own thoughts. If Moby's musings aren't authentic in the spirit of a blog, he's done a good job of fooling us.