text:
Greetings, all-
Ken here. Sorry for the extended break. My editor Ray was kind enough to let me lay low after the birth of my second child. Mother and child are both well if you're wondering.
My thanks to Doug for filling in ably for me. Ol' Doug knows his stuff.
Anyway, on to Georgia Tech's loss in the NCAA regional round this weekend at Russ Chandler. It's the fourth year in a row that the Jackets have not been able to make it out of the regional. It's the third year in a row that Tech has lost on its home field as the region's No. 1 seed.
The Jackets have bucked some considerable odds with that unfortunate hat trick. In 2009 and 2010, of the 32 No. 1 seeds, 26 made it out of their region into the super regional. Of the six who didn't, Tech is the only team who fell short twice.
I will note that No. 1 seeds are having a rough go of things this year. Eight No. 1's have determined their fate as of 11:50 p.m. Sunday. Four are advancing, four have been bounced. So, at least Tech has some company this year.
But, obviously, the selection committee has done a pretty good job at identifying the best teams, not to mention allowing them to play at home, and Tech hasn't delivered.
How do you weigh that against College World Series appearances in 2002 and 2006?
And what weight do you give to the fact that Tech's roster was depleted last year by the draft and played with 17 freshmen this year, most in the country?
Looking at this particular weekend, the loss of pitcher Mark Pope to an oblique strain on Friday was critical. First, the loss put Tech in the loser's bracket. (Which is not to say Tech would have won Friday with Pope in. The Jackets still scored only one run.)
Second, it required Danny Hall to bring in Matthew Grimes in relief. Had Pope finished out the game, even if the Jackets had still lost, Grimes would have been available to start Sunday night against Mississippi State.
It's all conjecture, but I think Tech would have stood a much better chance with Grimes, Tech's midweek starter, than DeAndre Smelter, a reliever who had made 13 appearances this season (with a 0.00 ERA) but no starts.
"It might have been a little different outcome if we'd thrown Matthew Grimes," Hall said.
That said, Smelter didn't get much help. Of the six runs he gave up, five were unearned.
Consider this detail dug up by my colleague Matt Winkeljohn about tournament most outstanding player C.T. Bradford.
He scored in the first on an unearned run (which you could put on Smelter as Bradford advanced one base on a wild pitch). Bradford hit a two-run double in the second; those runs were also unearned (the leadoff batter got on via a throwing error). In the third, he hit a two-run single, also with two outs and also unearned; a fielding error extended that inning.
Said Hall, "We made some miscues and made [Smelter and reliever Dusty Isaacs] have to make some pitches that they couldn't quite execute."
June 6th, 2011
12:06 am
As a current student and longtime Georgia Tech fan, it is sad to see the Georgia Tech baseball season end prematurely again. This year's team have had too much talent and too good of a regular season to get bumped out of the regional. I question Danny Hall's judgement because I have seen TECH blow too many games because he has brought in the wrong pitcher or let someone in too long. It always seems like we do not get any better throughout the season, and it shows come tournament time. Yes, Danny Hall has a great regular season record, but the record that counts is the post season, and it seems like we just aren't getting it done. I am just tired of watching TECH lose in the regionals. So, new year with the same result…like I said at the end of last year…"there's always next year."
June 6th, 2011
12:20 am
Hall is too much like Chan Gailey. He is a decent recruiter but can't coach a lick. He doesn't develop players and they don't improve as the season goes on. The base running and fielding are always atrocious in the regionals because Hall puts absolutely no emphasis on fundamentals. He doesn't begin working on bunting until May each year. He stands with his arms crossed looking out shaking his head absolutely clueless just like Gailey ane Hewitt used to. Drad took care of two problems and has just one more to go. The only good thing about this regional is that I didn't go to a single game for the first time ever since I knew what would happen when the team quit at the ACC tournament.
June 6th, 2011
12:25 am
June 6th, 2011
12:37 am
We have a HC who's won something like 68% of all his games and 65% of his ACC conference games, yet is like 49% in NCAA Tournament/CWS play. Any explanations?
June 6th, 2011
12:38 am
FYI, those numbers are just a guess after looking at the records/results of his tenure at Tech.
June 6th, 2011
1:26 am
The major blunder by Hall was having Farmer pitch the APU game instead of saving him for the more difficult night game; he should have been playing to win the regional not simply to win the first game. Tech needed to assume they could beat APU irrespective of who was on the mound – considering that APU was down to its 3rd pitcher. The final score of that game proves the point. Hall's post game comment that 'we simply ran out of pitching' is unexcusable; he never put Tech in the best strategic position to win the series!
June 6th, 2011
1:49 am
Gil, good to see you again, and thanks for the acknowledgement.
I went back and re-figured: the MSU run in the first was earned even though Smelter threw the wild pitch. WPs have nothing to do with earned runs from a scoring standpoint.
Some recent Tech postseason travails have been described as inexplicable. This one was indefensible.
The Jackets' ERA in the regional, spread over four games: 1.5. That's good enough to win a regional almost every year against any combination of teams.
Tech hit seven home runs over the final three games. That's stellar considering the Jackets hit 41 in the previous 60 games (thanks to the new dead bat rules).
The usual four starters of Pope, Grimes, Bradley and Farmer pitched 25 of the 27 innings in the first three games, and allowed a total of five earned runs — two Friday when they unfortunately scored only one, one ER in the win over Southern Miss, two in Sunday's win over Austin Peay, and one Sunday night to MSU.
What happened Sunday night was not inexplicable; it was more of the same.
Tech committed 14 more errors than its opponents this season, but the damage done by those errors was much worse. Tech allowed 70 unearned runs, and scored just 38.
Tech had a total staff ERA this season of 2.77, and opponents had a collective ERA against Tech of 6.00.
If that disparity is not startling enough, consider this:
Of the 245 runs Tech allowed this season, 28.6 percent (70) were unearned.
Of the 406 runs scored by Tech, just 9.5 percent (38) were unearned.
There are some who want to blame Danny Hall for recent postseason woes. I don't see that logic. He has recruited outstanding players, most of whom will be drafted (and already have been).
They gotta make plays, though. Most of those errors were staggering. The earned run allowed in the first inning was dubious, too, as Brandon Thomas probably should have caught that ball in right field that fell for what was scored a hit.
June 6th, 2011
2:04 am
The idea of saving Farmer for the nightcap is, in retrospect, pretty presumptive as is guessing that AP's third starter was going to be easy pickings. MSU's third starter sure wasn't.
Not saying I disagree with the logic, but what about this: Even with Smelter starting, and the bullpen being called into heavy duty, Tech allowed ONE EARNED RUN Sunday night. That's not a pitching problem.
The Tech ERA for the regional was 1.5.
Yeah, it blew to blow two starters in the first game, knocking Grimes out for the fourth game, but to start someone other than your top four starters in one of the first four games of a regional — unless you have several guys with starting experience to choose from — is dubious.
Other than Tech's usual four starters, only two pitchers had started a game all season. Luke Bard and Dusty Isaacs each made one start.
I can better see debating whether one of them should have started Sunday night rather than a freshman who had never started a college game. But I have a hard time with the idea of assuming you're going to win game 3 and therefore holding back one of your regular starters because you're so confident that you're going to win game to force game 4.
June 6th, 2011
2:13 am
The "Great" Bobby Cox had a pretty good regular season record too, and what did he do in the post season? 1-13. D Hall is to GT what B Cox was to the Braves.
Coaching is exactly why the YJs lost yet AGAIN on their home turf! The Jackets are far superior to AP, and Hall should've used his Freshman then. Bringing the kid on for night game didn't do much for the team's confidence … just check out the errors!
Time for D Hall to go fishing with B Cox.
June 6th, 2011
4:48 am
Unfortunately it is the tech way. Have a great season…choke in the big, important or rivalry game.
June 6th, 2011
6:26 am
I know this has been said by others, but I don't understand the decision to pitch Farmer against AP and not save him for MSU. When you are in the losers brackets with one of your starters (Pope) out, you have to roll the dice. Also, the starters should have been pulled in the AP game once we were ahead 6-0. Even 21 year olds get tired in 95 degree heat. They were obviously dragging in the second game.
I guess hindsight is 20/20, but we just didn't have anything left for the second game.
June 6th, 2011
6:31 am
"Tech knocked out early again" Again being the operative word. Don't spend your all of your payraise in one place Danny.
June 6th, 2011
7:20 am
I don't follow Jackets baseball closely enough to comment on the tactical decisions, but, it seems to me that this outcome shouldn't be all that surprising for a team so heavily dependent on freshmen.
June 6th, 2011
7:31 am
I think everyone's missing the point…you can't lose the 1st game to Austin P and expect to win the region.
June 6th, 2011
7:37 am
Enter your comments here
June 6th, 2011
7:38 am
Choke! The coach said that our pitching would lead us. Maybe they should have brought some bats with them!
June 6th, 2011
7:52 am
Freshmen are going to make mistakes and Tech overachieved this year. What I can't believe is the crowd for the Sunday night game. Tech fighting to win a regional at home and half the stands are empty. Half of the fans there at the beginning were MSU fans and all the fans at the end of the game were MSU fans. It will be interesting to see what the draft does to both Tech and UGA this week.
June 6th, 2011
7:57 am
Even if you don't save Farmer for the nightcap, at least get him out of the earlier game after it was no longer in doubt and save him for some relief in the nightcap. Sorry about the loss of Pope for the series, but not making adjustments in the pitching after he was out hurt Tech. The coaches should have seen it coming.
June 6th, 2011
8:18 am
Guys, it doesn't matter if grimes pitched last night vs MISS ST ….they would have blown it today anyway! There is no fundamentals in a danny hall team! You can't advance vs playoff caliber teams no matter what field you play on when you make stupid errors EVERY game all year long. Not to mention poor base running and just god awful hitting with RISP. Did any of you not watch this team in the ACC tournament?? 1-2 and looked terrible with a slew of errors and poor hitting! The last few weeks we have seen the averages continue to slide!
Hall NEVER peaks at the most important time and that is the postseason!! Instead, his teams fall apart!!! He doesn't know how to win small ball either and we have some speed and he always waits for the big hit rather than grow a set and be aggressive and put pressure on the opposition! Does he even scout our opposition? We don't shift our defense or seem to have a clue about other teams and you would think our hitters would move to the front of the box vs these junk ball pitchers people seem to love pitching against us. Have we ever been taught PATIENCE in hitting these type pitchers? Why are half our hitters in the back of the box vs junk ball off-speed pitchers??? We have more strikeouts than the braves i think!
Considering we pluck great players from the east cobb program every damn year, there is no excuse to play so poorly in the postseason almost every year! It's a reflection of the coaching and hall is a poor manager of the game. We get as far as we get only on the backs of the talent signed to play here which is good talent. This team just makes too many errors and the hitting just went to the crapper over the past month and i saw this coming all along. We beat the brakes off everyone 3/4 of the season and save our worst for the very end of the year! Way to go danny UNDERACHIEVE hall!!!! GT fans are sick of this clown and it's time to send him packing!! I hope everyone knows DRAD email info and send him a greetings with how you feel about danny UNDERACHIEVE hall!!!!!!!
June 6th, 2011
8:23 am
Hall's teams just do not look "tough". They do not play tough. And in a tournament setting tough means a lot in baseball.
With all the youth I did not expect as much this year as the team delivered. But at the end of the year they are not "young players", all have at least one season under their belt.
June 6th, 2011
8:31 am
Good Baseball team that will be better next year…. I don't think we will lose too many to the draft, so next year looks very bright…. Baseball is crazy, anything can happens, and it did… The coach did most everything right. You have to win the AP game to continue, all you einsteins who have the luxury of second guessing the coach need to chill…. The coach made the right decision in the AP game…. Looking forward to next years baseball, Lord knows that we have NO football….. So here's to sleeping through football and basketball to another year of good basball….
Go Jackets
June 6th, 2011
8:39 am
This year the Jackets over achieved. The youth errors showed up. Congrats to another good season. Hopefully, next season will get us over the hump, but I am losing excitement for Danny Hall. He has a recruiting pipeline to GT (similar to Richt's football pipeline to UGA) and cannot take advantage.
I am trying to understand reasoning in starting Pope on Friday. (although pitching was not the main problem) He was injured, why push it. Every day of recovery gives better chance of him returning 100%. If Tech cannot beat the Govs with 2nd pitcher, then we are clearly overrated.
APU's pitcher stayed ahead of most the tech batters. The first pitch was a strike everytime and tech batters just watched. Were they not ready,? or told to take the pitch? either way, painful to watch.
I was at the first two games and the lack of fan support was clear. More fans from SMU and MSU. Fan have to show support if we want the program to advance.
Anyway, I am excited about football starting and once again basketball. Now that Hewitt is gone, Danny needs to look over his shoulder.
June 6th, 2011
8:52 am
if athlon is any indication, we are definitely under the radar in football(loved the shotgun comment)……..
June 6th, 2011
8:53 am
It was great to see the fan support for Mississippi State!! State did what good teams do, they made GT pay for their mistakes. Don't forget that State was picked to finish last in the SEC West and they just won you're regional. Just accept it, State deserved to win. SEC SEC SEC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 6th, 2011
8:55 am
Another choke. When will they replace the coach?
June 6th, 2011
8:59 am
Oh, ENOUGH with the SEC CRAP!
June 6th, 2011
8:59 am
Tech lined out EIGHT times to MSU outfielders. Those are eight balls hit hard enough to be doubles if they don't find a glove. Very frustrating how nothing found a hole until the ninth inning (and even then, the last out was a screaming line drive to RF). But you can't win with five errors, four of which belong to the middle infield. Very frustrating that the team never really had a chance in a winnable game.
June 6th, 2011
9:05 am
We are under the radar…… Ha, that's funny…. We really will be under the radar when we lose 7 or 8 this year…… It's real hard to be a football yellow jacket….
June 6th, 2011
9:30 am
Cohen is a good coach at MSU. Ron Polk had a fit when he got the job for some unknown reason he didn't want him to have the job.
Cohen make Kentucky baseball relevant. Got them into the regionals twice then left for MSU. He does a good job.
Tech was young just like UGA. Both will be back strong next year. UGA had to overcome 2 players in back to back seasons getting paralyzed. Amazing.
Football ain't far away.
June 6th, 2011
9:55 am
Ya'll boys sure do find a way to sh%t the bed every year. Weak sauce. Learn how to play some baseball losers
June 6th, 2011
10:04 am
not really-you just buy tix, & go-that's what 4ever means……
June 6th, 2011
10:09 am
As expected, Danny Hall whiffed AGAIN in the post-season.
Danny Hall has been at GT…17 years.
And, after all that time, this is the best he can deliver ?!
A 3rd straight Super-Regional host, and GT chokes…AGAIN.
IMHO, Hall mis-managed the pitching. Aside from that, GT defensive fundamentals were simply atrocious last night. I lost count of how many MSU runners took 2nd base standing up, without even a GT defensive attempt. Just pitiful.
This GT team mentally FOLDED early, and that's on Hall.
With a team full of Freshman, RIGHT NOW seems like as good a time as any
for D-Rad to consider replacing Danny Hall.
How does Danny Hall go 17 years as a Head Coach getting very good talent at GT,
and continue to consistenly choke in the post-season ????
Something's missing, and Danny Hall doesnt seem to have it.
June 6th, 2011
10:19 am
Tech forever, I have an explanation, the competition is much better. Every coach's record is better during the season than during the playoffs. Tech had 17 freshmen this year and had a very successful season. Can't wait til next year.
Go Jackets !!!
June 6th, 2011
10:33 am
Enough with the excuses. This team just plain sucks in the post season. Danny Hall is your man if you want to play well during the regular season and then lay a steaming pile when it counts…
Deja vu.
June 6th, 2011
10:52 am
maybe for you DawginLex….. Football for GT is a few years away..
June 6th, 2011
10:53 am
I drank with the Tech infield after the game last night. Did we win or lose?
June 6th, 2011
10:57 am
You lost to Austin Peay. Really??? Scrubs from Tech, oh well at least the nerds can study now. Maybe if you fire Danny Hall, he can come be our bat boy. Pathetic!!
June 6th, 2011
11:48 am
I don't keep up with GT baseball, but I've watched enough MLB playoffs to see teams suddenly forget how to hit (or pitch, or field) come crunch time. Don't know how much of it is mental (like UGA v. UF), but in a short series the smallest slump can be enough to send a team home.
June 6th, 2011
12:29 pm
If any team coached by Choke Hall exiting early surprises you then your an idiot. Hall is over in the dugout reading Baseball for Dummies. What type coach would take his everyday DH that leads the team in HR's and second in RBI's out of the lineup in the first round of Regionals and subs him with a guy that weights the same as a bat and hits his weight just to get the lefty/righty matchup. They lose 2-1 then Palka is inserted for the balance of the games and hits multiple homeruns. You think they could have used Palka's power in a 2-1 game? What type guy pitches an injured player (jeopardizing his future ) then when he goes down in the first it sets a negative mental tone on the other players. Choke Hall is standoffish with his players to create a dictator attitude that simply "nuts up" his players under pressure. He also over plays his starters all year causing fatigue in the post season. He is completely clueless just like the Tech AD that supports him.
June 6th, 2011
12:30 pm
Did D-Rad hire the same visiting clubhouse manager the Braves did?
Talk about a guy who knows how to throw a celebration party!
June 6th, 2011
12:33 pm
Also UGA rolled over and proved it did not belong in the post season.
Just like football and basketball.
Also, congratulations to the Augusta State Jaguars!
June 6th, 2011
12:34 pm
I find that hard to believe Choke Hall….. Standoffish to his players….. Hmmmmmmmm
June 6th, 2011
12:37 pm
Low-key does not win in the post-season.
Danny Hall better hire a fire-brand to offset his own low-key approach or he will be doomed to Bobby Cox-land.
June 6th, 2011
12:44 pm
Good baseball teams win in the post season, Period…. I will aggree that pulling Palka to match up with lefty righty was STUPID…. I mean, major league managers do it and I still don't believe that it makes that big a difference… But hey, I don't make the big bucks like these managers, so I probably don't have any idea what I am talking about… GT has good talent, but maybe they just haven't developed enough to overcome post season play… I still think next year is going to be a good year for the baseball program…
June 6th, 2011
12:55 pm
Danny Hall is worst than PAUL HEWITT! TIME TO LET HIM GO!!!!
June 6th, 2011
1:01 pm
'Wink' – u missed my point or maybe u just don't get it; DH should have been playing to win the regional not to simply assure they beat APU. If GT couldn't beat APU on Sunday with a less experienced pitcher they weren't going to win the regional any way. The fact that they only allowed one earned run in the nightcap is not relevant; as the bad coaching decision had already been made. If MSU was going to put up their #3 against us we needed to match up with our #3 at a minimum. Beating APU should have been a given – case closed. DH's job above all else is to exude condidence – and his decision to start Farmer instead of a freshman (in what was a meaningless game) showed a lack of confidence that the younger guys could get the job done!
June 6th, 2011
1:01 pm
you can talk about the stands not being full, just look at the last three years, people ( i dont care how dedicated fans they are) are not going to support a team that cannot get it done at home. I would rather they go on the road and choke, no other team in the NATION has lost three straight regionals at home. If Danny Hall wants to see more fans in the stands then they need to deliver when it counts, not going to support a loser….
June 6th, 2011
2:03 pm
I expect nothing less from Coach Danny Hall! Just another day at the office. It is time for our AD to really take a look at changing directions. Too much talent to leave so early year after year after year. Come on DHALL! Recruiting doesn't always get you to the top, sometimes you have to coach a little. But oviously, you can't seem to figure that part out!! Frustrated??? You better believe it!
June 6th, 2011
2:12 pm
when does fall practice start?
June 6th, 2011
2:43 pm
Baseball, Golf, Softball what else can we underachieve in?


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Netherlands coach Meindert van Veen:"I am very disappointed with the first half, our heads were down and we didn't play any defense. In the beginning of the second half we scored some points and lowered the difference a little bit. If you play like we did in the second half it is no problem even if you lose, but in the first one we didn't show any character."
Netherlands player Tanya Bröring:"In the first couple of minutes we have played basketball, but later we stopped doing everything what we can - in defence we were not aggressive enough and in offence we did not use the space we had. This happened also in Lithuania."
Slovenia coach Boris Zrinski:"The first half was one of the best in the history of Slovenia's women's senior national team. We have dominated in rebounds and in quickness. In the second half we have played totally differently - with less aggressiveness, we were losing concetration, we failed to score some open shots and the most important - we didn't return in defence like we did before. I think we can be happy with what we achieved in the first three games but now we have to cool our heads and prepare in peace for the next game against Slovakia."
Slovenia player Teja Oblak:"This is our third win and I think a very deserved one. I dedicate this win to Tjasa Gortnar, who has injured herself. In the first half we have played really good, in the second part of the game litlle less, but the difference in quality was too big in the end."
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
This seasoning mix is superb. I did sub olive oil for butter and would recommend it--you need less, too, since it spreads more easily. As for cooking method, I used Mark Bittman's amazing roast chicken version--preheat heavy iron skillet in 475 oven, put chicken in preheated skillet (breasts up), cook for 15 min, then cut the heat to 350 and cook for 45 more minutes or until you get the right temp on your meat thermometer. Fantastic method that cooks the dark meat without drying out the breast. Be sure to use the lowest rack of your oven.
José's Chicken
Randy Mayor
More From Cooking Light
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
- Calories: 279
- Calories from fat: 27%
- Fat: 8.3g
- Saturated fat: 2.8g
- Monounsaturated fat: 2.4g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 1.6g
- Protein: 47.3g
- Carbohydrate: 0.8g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 155mg
- Iron: 2.7mg
- Sodium: 659mg
- Calcium: 36mg
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons butter, softened
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small orange, quartered
- 1 small onion, quartered
- Cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.
- Combine oregano and next 7 ingredients (through paprika) in a small bowl. Rub oregano mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Place garlic in body cavity; arrange orange and onion quarters in cavity. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, on a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 165°. Let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin. Remove orange quarters; squeeze juice over chicken. Discard oranges, garlic cloves, and onions.
My Notes
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José's Chicken Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Main Dishes
- CONVENIENCE: Entertaining, Kid-Friendly
- CUISINE: Mexican
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Poultry
- DIETARY CONSIDERATION: Low Carbohydrate
- COOKING METHOD: Bake
- OCCASION: Autumn, Spring, Summer
- PUBLICATION: Cooking Light
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I finally had a chance to pull together a little tutorial on how to make a diy photo booth like the one at my daughter's Broadway themed birthday party.
It was really quite easy and inexpensive, and Miss G was so happy with how it all turned out.
Photo booths are pretty trendy right now, so I knew I couldn't be the only one crazy enough to think I could make one on my own! I did some research, and then came up with a plan for creating a diy photo booth that met our particular needs – i.e., one that could withstand the acrobatics of 10 tween-aged girls!
Here's what I used (the important stuff, anyway):
- Backdrop material: 3 cute plastic tablecloths from the Dollar Store!
- Props: a basket of masks, mustaches, hats, etc.
- Camera: my DSLR mounted on a tripod, with a shutter release remote.
- Photo booth decor – string lights, cardboard chandelier, etc.
- Poster board for the 'Photo Booth Rules'
- A bench
First things first: the backdrop.
I decided to set up the diy photo booth in our basement mudroom since it's a long and narrow space. You can get a sense of it in the following photo. Unfortunately, it meant covering up the door, but it's not our main entrance and was still easily accessible. If you don't have a narrow space like this, I think you could easily just set up a backdrop (without covering the sides) on any wall in your home. Just make it wide enough that you don't get any wall in the shot, or move your tripod in closer. Covering the side walls here just decreased the chances of getting empty walls in the pictures.
I wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible since it was just for a birthday party, so I opted to create the diy photo booth backdrop from 3 large (9ft) plastic table cloths. They cost $6 total, gotta love it. I doubled them over so that you couldn't see through them, and attached them to the ceiling using painter's tape to make it easy to take it down without ruining the paint.
They worked perfectly fine, however the plastic did cast a bit of glare in the photos, so if you have a bigger budget (say, for a wedding), I'd definitely recommend using fabric as your backdrop.
I dug the black and white polka dots, but to make the photo booth background even more pretty, I strung some white lights, and hung up a cute little pink holographic chandelier I found at Michaels.
I also decorated the space with Broadway musical posters since the birthday party had a Broadway theme.
Next things next: the camera.
OK, so now your diy photo booth is simply gorgeous. But what about the photos, right? Well, the choice you'll need to make is whether you want the booth to be 'manned' (or womanned, lol) by a photographer, or whether you'll put your camera on a tripod. I decided to use a tripod because (a) I have a tripod (b) I had other things to worry about at the party than playing photographer ;-), and finally: (c) I think participants let their guard down when there's no photographer yelling "say cheese!". And that means you'll get goofier, funnier photos which is what a photo booth is all about! Case in point:
Whatever route you choose, you'll want to think about lighting, especially if your photo booth doesn't get much natural light. Miss G's party was in the evening and in our basement which gets little natural light at the best of times. However, I was reluctant to use a flash because I'm really not a fan of the harsh shadows that a flash can cause. So I added some ambient lighting with a little lamp on the prop table, and the string of lights on the backdrop. That was actually enough, and I didn't need to add my flash or spot lighting. But because every space has it's own variables, I'd recommend testing out different lighting scenarios in advance of your actual event. If you do need to use a flash, I'd definitely use a diffuser to soften up the shadows.
If you opt to go the tripod route which is what I did, you'll want to invest in a nifty little $25 accessory for your DSLR that I had no idea about until I started looking into how to make a diy photo booth! It's a remote control that releases the shutter on your camera, called a remote shutter release. I mean seriously, I take a gazillion photos…how did I not know about something so utterly fantastical?
I should mention that this thing is smaller than an Apple TV remote (if that's even possible), so if you don't want to lose it in the midst of all the photo booth fun, I'd recommend doing something like this which worked like a charm…
To get the remote shutter release to work, once your camera is on the tripod, you'll need to change your DSLR's settings to remote shooting mode. You're thinking, "Say wha?", aren't ya? I thought the same thing when I read about it, but it was simple.
On my Nikon, I clicked my 'Menu' button, and then selected 'Shooting Mode'. I scrolled down and then selected Quick Response Mode. This meant that the photo would be captured immediately once a photo booth participant clicked the remote. (I don't know what the settings would be for a Canon, but I'm sure you'd find an answer with a quick Google search.) When photo booth subjects came into to space, they'd grab the remote, get situated on the bench, get goofy, and click when they were ready to take the pic. It seriously was as easy as that.
Before you decide on the final spot for the tripod, have somebody be your test participant. Find the perfect height and position for the tripod to get your best shots. If the subjects are going to sit on a bench, make sure your tripod is at that height. Just sayin'. 'Cause I can't imagine the disappointment of reviewing your diy photo booth pics after the party, only to find that you've over-shot everybody's faces!
Also, I highly recommend taping down your tripod to the floor, especially if you are dealing with excited kids. That's a whole lotta camera sitting atop your tripod, so you'll want to protect it.(OK, so maybe I overdid with the tape, ya think?!?)
The really fun part: The Props!
Once I had all that technical stuff figured out, I got to the super fun stuff: organizing the props! Since our daughter has been amassing a collection of costumes since she was little, it wasn't hard to find a bunch of great stuff around the house. But also purchased a few at the Dollar Store and Michaels, and I couldn't resist making some mustaches-on-a-stick. I organized everything on a little table so that you could find a prop you liked without too much searching.
The necessary part: Photo Booth Rules!
I wanted the photo booth to be fun, but let's face it, I wanted my camera equipment in one piece after the party. As well, I didn't want any of the girls feeling left out. So I put together a few photo booth rules for the 'rule-follower'-types, and hoped they'd help sheriff the others, lol.
Last things last: Photo Viewing
I racked my brain trying to figure out how I might display or process the photos during the party so that the girls could see them before they went home. There were certainly a few feasible options, like tethering my laptop to the camera. But ultimately, I decided that I'd have to be superwoman to make that happen with everything else I had on my plate (food, games, etc.). So instead, I opted for a less stressful alternative.
I reviewed the photos over the following few days, and did some light cropping of the ones that were off-center . Then I put them all together in a little slide show using Windows Movie Maker, uploaded it to my Drop Box, and e-mailed the link to the party participants. It was a fun little party memento that Miss G will surely cherish. I also plan to put the photos in a little album for her.
,To make the photo strips, I simply grouped photos of with the same particpants, and used a photo editing program like PicMonkey to pull them into a collage.
So there you have it: everything you need to know about how to make a diy photo booth! This is such a fun idea for any occasion – birthdays, weddings, family reunions, and more. I promise you'll end up with truly memorable photos!
Did I leave anything out? If you have questions, I'll try my very best to answer them. Just shoot me a line in the comments section!
.Until next time,
Pin It


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Black Lentil and Bell Pepper with Mint Salad
Posted: Updated:
Black Lentil and Bell Pepper with Mint Salad
Quentin Bacon
Provided by: Taste Editors
total prep
Lentils play a big role in Venezuelans' diets and we often eat them simply boiled with a bowl of white rice on the side. In this dish, I keep to that principle of simplicity but add all kinds of vibrant colors and flavors like fresh mint, lemon juice and of course, cilantro. From the Book, NEW LATIN CLASSICS by Lorena Garcia. Copyright © 2011 by Lorena Garcia. Reprinted by arrangement with Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
- 1 cup black Beluga lentils
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- Place a bowl of ice water on the counter.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the lentils and salt, return to a boil reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and then plunge the lentils (still in the sieve) into the ice water to chill them.
- Remove, shake off the extra water, and repeat if necessary until the lentils are completely cooled. Turn the lentils out into a large bowl.
- Add the bell peppers and onions to the lentils and stir to combine.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Stir the cilantro and mint and then scrape the mixture over the lentils.
- Stir to combine and serve immediately. This can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The salad can be served cold or at room temperature.


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Richmond has what's called a Combined Sewage system; this means that the storm runoff drains and the sanitary sewer (human waste) share the same system. It also means that when the system is filled to over capacity- after a rain- the untreated contents of the combined system overflow into the James River, as seen in this diagram.
This is known as a Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) event, and in Richmond, it happens nearly every time it rains, because our system is old and has not been updated with retention basins. There are 29 outflow locations where waste flows into the James during a CSO event.
Swimming in the James after a rain can expose you to harmful pathogens and toxins, including antbiotic-resistant staph infections. This counts for your pets, as well; keep the dogs out of the water if a CSO event has recently occurred.
You can sign up for e-mail notifications of CSO events here. Because rain washes surface contaminants, like pesticides, fertilizer, and oil into nearby bodies of water, it's not a good idea to swim after a rain even in areas that don't have Combined Sewers.


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Task Force Calls Senator John Kerry's Remarks on Marriage Equality 'Wrong' and 'a Mistake'
Roberta Sklar, Director of Communications
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Calls Senator John Kerry's Remarks on Marriage Equality "Wrong" and "a Mistake"
"While speaking at a children's health care forum in Louisiana, Senator Kerry criticized the Massachusetts Democratic Party for its plans to include a plank in its platform supporting same-sex marriage, saying 'I think it's a mistake. I think it's the wrong thing, and I'm not sure it reflects the broad view of the Democratic Party in our state.'
"In fact, it is Senator Kerry's statements that are wrong, a mistake, and surely do not reflect the views of Massachussetts Democrats.
"Nearly 5,400 same-sex couples have married since last May 17, when Massachusetts extended the freedom to marry to all its citizens. Since then, public opinion polls have shown that a majority of Massachusetts voters support our freedom to marry.
"And, contrary to Sen. Kerry's assertion, support is particulary high among Democrats, with a Boston Globe poll in March finding that 71 percent of Democrats surveyed statewide said they believed same-sex marriage should be allowed. Moreover, not a single Democrat in the state legislature who supported marriage equality and voted against a proposed anti-marriage constitutional amendment lost his or her seat in the 2004 elections. The Democratic Party adding a platform plank supporting marriage equality is just a logical extension of last year's resolution by the Democratic State Committee supporting the state's Supreme Judicial Court decision finding a consitutional right of same-sex couples to marry.
"On this subject, Philip W. Johnston, chair of the state party, said, 'It is important that the state Democratic Party support civil rights. We need to take a stand.' We couldn't agree more."
Matt Foreman
Executive Director
Click here to read "Kerry criticizes Mass. Democrats for gay marriage support" from the Boston Globe.Or cut and paste "/kerryglobe" to your browser
The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement's premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.
- The Issues
- Get Involved
- Our Work
- Reports & Research
- Support Us
- Events
- Press
- About Us


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Public Car Auctions Springfield OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Mo-Fr 0800-1800, Sa-Su Closed
Special Services
Child Seats, Hand Controls for Disabled Drivers Only , Replacement Rentals When your car is in the shop for repairs.Insurance/Body Shop and Dealership/Service Center replacement rentals available at this location.for replacement rental reservations., Pickup/Return Service:Available with a one hour advance notice and within 15 minutes from the Hertz Local Edition location. Contact the location to arrange for Pick Up service.
Additional Information
Pick up time must be at least one hour after location opening and one hour prior to location closing. Located at Jeff Wyler Dealership, inside the service bay pull-in area. After Hours - After hour returns are allowed. Record the return date and time, mileage, and tank level on the rental agreement. Leave the keys and rental agreement in the dealership drop slot located on the garage door.
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Springfield, OH
Public Car Auctions
Yes. It is very possible to get good deals on used cars at public car auctions. But you have to know where to find them and how to participate.
Types of public car auctions
A great many car auctions allow only licensed car dealers to buy. However, other auctions are also open to the public and can be a source of good cars at good prices.
The most common type of car auction are those conducted by professional auction companies. Some are large with locations around the country, such as Manheim. Others are small local or regional companies. Some are conducted by towing companies. Other auctions are conducted by police departments or other local and national government agencies, such as the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
Auctions can vary in terms of the type of vehicles and source of vehicles. A specific auction might be only for , or heavy trucks, or , or , or , or .
How do I find public car auctions?
Many of the larger auctions companies, such as , have web sites on which they announce upcoming public auctions in locations across the country. Regional and local auctions are usually advertised in newspapers or local TV ads. Federal and local government auctions are usually announced in local or national newspapers. If there are a number of local newspapers, the announcements will only be in one of those papers. Announcements typically appear on a specific schedule, such as on a particular Friday each month.
Some auction anno...
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Fall Potluck at Blendon Woods
Dates: 10/4/2014 – 10/4/2014
Blendon Woods Luxury Apartments Westerville
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5000 Brelsford Woods Dr.
Mustang Club of Ohio


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When you are thinking of starting a new business one of the major factors that you need to take into account is the financial start up costs and what you will need to borrow in order to make your business successful and give it a good solid beginning. When considering what kind of cash advance will be best for your new company you need to calculate your expenses and costs for the set up as well as factoring in enough to cover any unforeseen costs or emergency payments. You may also be in need of some quick and extra cash after your business is already established, there are unpredicted costs for such things as repair, refurbishment, tax and insurance. Merchant cash advances are perfectly suited and designed for these such events and business start ups, these kinds of loans are for people who need sums of money fast and easily when you need it the most.
There are hundreds of companies now that offer merchant cash advances and a simple internet search will find you a whole host of sites to read up and research to find the perfect loan for you.
Companies that focus specifically on these types of loans are also the best option for you to gain the lowest interest rates that are available to you. If you spend a little time on the internet and look at some of the sites for companies offering merchant cash advances then you can find all the information you need to make an informed decision on which one is the best for you.
When applying for a cash advance you will need to offer a clear cut and detailed business plan for the loan company to view and analyze. This should outline where the money is going to be used and how you propose to pay it back and where the income and profit from your company will be coming from. You will need to offer projections and plans for a few years in advance.


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I Lost Weight and Now My Friend Hates Me!
Guest blogger Leslie Adler: Dear Rona, You certainly are a winner in the battle of the bulge but as far as friendship goes, I would deem you both losers in "The Friendship Court."
True friendship is deeper than your appetites and greater than your waist sizes. You have to find a way to communicate with Cathy -- and you should consider an approach that does not imply that being overweight means one is "not in control of their life." You should tell her you love her regardless of what she looks like and you hope she can see it the same way. Tell her how losing the weight has improved your life but communicate that your diet success doesn't make you feel better than her and shouldn't make her feel worse than you. Explain that if and when she is ever ready you would love to be her coach and partner in a weight loss effort. ...and that no matter what weight either of you is at, you would like for the two of you to be great friends. Good luck and thanks for "Tellin' It To The Vuv!"
BOTH losers? Oh please… the dieter has done nothing wrong, and you're assuming she's actually verbally implied to her friend that she hasn't taken control of her life.
The overweight friend is jealous AND immature, & needs to grow up.
I definitely agree with Max. I am in a similar situation with my friends. I say drop that girl! Don't talk to her anymore, she's no good for you if all she does is make you feel bad because you made something out of yourself while she didn't. You did nothing wrong! And it's not a coincidence that she started acting this way after you lost weight!
I had the same issue. I was always unpopular, but I got fat after the birth of my third child. When we moved to a new town I had no trouble making friends. As the weight came of the friends dropped away with the pounds. I get called everything from bony to anorexic. I am a size 5 and 5'3. That is far from bony. I am trim and healthy, but God forbid that looking at me remind someone else that she isn't. No matter how much I compliment the women around me, no matter how kind I may be to them, they treat me like dirt. The only thing that changed about me was how I look in skinny jeans, but everything changed about the way that they treated me. At least it proved the theory I held growing up that people were just jealous. Actually, one of the few friends I have (very old and dear friend) admits that she didn't like me at first and it was because I was too smart and too pretty. People just don't like you if they don't like themselves. Fortunately, she liked herself enough to realize that she is an awesome person and I'm the only one with a reason to be jealous. lol


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Shrimp Fried Rice
This delectable side is filled with color and taste that makes it vanish fast. Our family of four can't get enough of it. Bacon adds crispness and a hint of heartiness. Consider it when you need a different main dish or brunch item.
8 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 20 min.
4 tablespoons butter,
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups cold cooked rice
1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, optional
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat.
Pour eggs into skillet. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked
portion flow underneath. Remove eggs and keep warm.
Melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add the rice, vegetables and
shrimp; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
Meanwhile, chop eggs into small pieces. Return eggs to the pan;
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, stirring
occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts:
1 serving (1 cup) equals 241 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 206 mg cholesterol, 354 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 15 g protein.
Light-Bodied White Wine: Enjoy this recipe with a light-bodied white wine such as
© Taste of Home 2014
2 of 2
Shrimp Fried Rice
Wine (continued)
Blanc or
Pinot Grigio
© Taste of Home 2014


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Justin Bieber's girlfriend Selena Gomez has received a death threat that is so serious ... the LAPD's Threat Management Unit is on the case, and Selena has obtained a restraining order ... this according to court documents.
46-year-old Thomas Brodnicki -- a man with a criminal history of stalking -- allegedly told his shrink he was going to kill Selena.
According to the declarations of Selena and her lawyer, Blair Berk ... Brodnicki told the shrink he traveled from Chicago to L.A. to meet her, visited her workplace at least 3 times and has told people he had conversations with God about killing her. Selena says she is in "extreme fear," believing he will carry out his death threat against her if he isn't stopped.
Selena and her lawyer claim Brodnicki was picked up for mental evaluation last month after he allegedly threatened to "scratch people's eyes out on the street." Brodnicki allegedly made the threats against Gomez during his mental evaluation.
According to court docs, LAPD detectives are taking the threats "extremely seriously" because of Brodnicki's history of mental illness and making criminal threats.
If she were my sister, that mother****** would be dead right after he issued a death threat.
coitada da selena gomez :\
omg selena is such a nice person she does not deserve that
people are rude selena gomez is such a nice person wat did she ever do to deserve that !
god bless u selena i love you!!!!! #CRYING
I think a lot of people need to take psychology 101 to understand schizophrenia isn't a persons fault, anything like marijuana can trigger schizophrenic episodes, just one joint any many other reasons, this guy just needs medication and to be watched.
He's proboably a bieber fan....
I hope this guy gets out of jail and goes through with his threat Justin Bieber is only nice when he's single
Thanks Selena, what happened with Justin.
poor girl. why won't they just let her be happy?? i don't care for her, but a stalker making death threats needs to be put away!! if not in jail, then in an institution. there shouldn't be room for people like this in this world trying to hurt another innocent human being!
Selena Gome it will get better soon
selena i'm bieber fan but i would never do that to you your my role modle yes i'm jelous but i'm happy for at the same time but i think the best to right now is to break up your making kids cry your show views have gone down but if that not importian to to you than what is i hate you your making my sister cry while just sitting there making out with hottie cutie and sexy justin bieber kids are crying you a bitch
justin don't do this my sister is a huge fan and she that you and selena were dating she started crying but i guess your girlfriend is way more inportian to you than your fans who have always been there for you and now you need to be there for them
it will get better trust me
i would soo kiss her


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She still hears it, more than six years after a very deliberate return to her native Hartford to help launch a theater troupe dedicated to inspiring social and political change.
Indeed, Julia B. Rosenblatt just heard it the other day. And it went something like.....
"And that just blows us away," says Rosenblatt, 33, co-founder of HartBeat Ensemble, the gutsy, often experimental theater company whose works are inspired by the everyday stories of the city.
"This isn't a pit stop, and it's not a default. We've done [New York and L.A.], and we chose Hartford."
If the activist ensemble's mission on paper is to provoke social change, its unspoken one might be to dust off a gloomy city psyche that assumes most of its good people, and good things, are just passing through.
"That [sort of thinking] is so insane," says Rosenblatt, curled against a wooden pew in the Charter Oak Cultural Center. On a recent weeknight, the cast and crew scuttles about in preparation for a final run-through of their current production, "Ebeneeza" — a Hartford take on the Dickens holiday classic.
"Because if we could just get past that sort of inferiority complex ... then we could see that really exciting work is being done right here in Hartford, in all forms. Not just art.
"...For us, this is where it's happening," Rosenblatt says, smacking the pew for emphasis.
And then, dress rehearsal calls.
So while she gets into costume to tell one of those Hartford stories, we'll give you the synopsis of another:
Rosenblatt met her HartBeat co-founders, Gregory R. Tate and Steven Ginsburg, while the three studied at the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a group famed for blending theater with the sort of social activism Rosenblatt inherited from her politically active parents.
After four years with the troupe, the trio felt ready to form their own socially conscious theater company. San Francisco was already well stocked. Rosenblatt, however, knew of a city that could really use one.
The arrived in Hartford in September 2001, estimating they'd need about a year to settle in. A week later came the terror attacks. The actors responded the best way they knew, taking to the steps of the Capitol within weeks to perform their brand of free open-air theater.
It was a premature birth of sorts. But Hartford, here they were.
In the years since, HartBeat has expanded steadily. With a paper-strewn office in the downtown ArtSpace building, and with their performances held at Charter Oak until they find a permanent home, they've mounted three original full-length productions. Their program now includes a "plays in the park" series and education workshops that use theater to teach conflict resolution to adults and children.
The thread that binds all their works is woven from the struggles and characters of the city. From issues of education, poverty and homelessness, they mine the very community they perform for, digging through historical archives and interviewing dozens of the city's residents for inspiration.
"It's a give and take," says Rosenblatt. "We consider ourselves a theater of identity. Identity is power. ... And for people to see a reflection of themselves in the paper or on screen or on stage, that's validating."
For "Ebeneeza," a tale of redemption that reinvents Ebenezer Scrooge as a crotchety woman who made her fortune in Hartford real estate, Rosenblatt estimates the group conducted about 20 personal interviews. They talked to folks who grew up on Franklin Avenue, people who lived through the civil upheavals of the 1960s in the North End and who recall the promise of urban development (the first time around) along Front Street. What results is a look back at the social and economic cycles of one of the country's poorest cities, tucked in the center of one of its wealthiest states.


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main index
December 1, 2002 — Miguel Syjuco is en route to Manila. Ten months earlier, the body of his mentor, the Filipino author Crispin Salvador, was found floating in the Hudson River — spread-eagled and barely clothed. And the manuscript of his reportedly groundbreaking to-be-published work, The Bridges Ablaze, is missing.Moved by the death of his long-time mentor and friend, Miguel sets out on a journey to assemble bits and pieces of his mentor's life story from all of his works and friends and find out why Crispin Salvador became the man he is, and along the way, discover how their lives are connected.Ilustrado, from the Spanish word for the educated Filipino class in the Spanish colonial era, is a novel by Miguel Syjuco which explores Philippine history through the lives and genealogies of the narrator and the Posthumous Character of Crispin Salvador.
This novel provides examples of:


text:
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*To solve your scroll problems, please click Pop-Up when trying to view.
**The gray screen at first means it's connecting. The preloader will appear after a few seconds.
Other notes:
1) Enter "newbiechat " to ask for help if you get stuck. If an administrator is on to help, they will answer your questions.
2) Amitoune is a roleplaying game, and there are rules against names that are incompatible with the game theme. Please choose your name carefully. At any time while connected, you can type "suggest" to display a randomly generated name that will be acceptable with our rules. Here are some examples of excellent names: Aeetes, Nuala, Ianthe, Izol, and Altarus.
3) As soon as you enter the game, you will still be in character creation. Please read the beginning text carefully, as it explains how to continue. The idea is that you move down and choose your characteristics as you go.
4) When you are finished with your session and want to leave, type "quit" before closing the window. Otherwise, the game will think you are still connected and you can still die.
5) If you die, first enter "stand" to stop resting, then type "recall". Next, find the morgue by typing "beacon". After reaching the morgue, type "getcorpse" to have your corpse brought before you; then get your items.
6) If your pet dies, take its corpse and bring it to the pet doctor. You can locate the pet doctor using "beacon". After you are at the pet doctor, type "resurrect corpse".
This is the first MUD client to ever be made in flash. We focused on customizing for the MUD itself, which means lots of special features you don't find on other clients: health bars, quick buttons, and greatly improved clickable interface for commands. It also supports color and sounds, and we might add features later such as fastwalking (this is only the first version). Overall, this project has taken two people over two months to complete and has required over 6,000 lines of programming in C++ and in actionscript.
If you get tired of the in-game tutorial and want to see the actual game, go west from the Cruach and say explore. If you have trouble figuring out what to do, type help or click on Help -> Help. Also, you can use the newbiechat command to ask for help; if someone else is on and feels like it, they will answer. Remember: lines in the text area that are underlined are clickable; this will save you from typing alot, but you will still have to type in some commands.
Additional notes:
1) The filesize is small because it immediately loads another .swf file from another location. This is required in order to get past actionscript socket restrictions.
2) If the colors annoy you, you can turn off color parsing under options or you can configure the colors typing the "colors" command while connected.
Rated 5 / 5 stars March 21, 2013
This is a really content rich application, a complex game packed into the form of an application. Takes some time to get used to the controls, but once that's been accomplished, it's great! Long time since I played a MUD, so this is a kick of nostalgia. Nice work!
Rated 4 / 5 stars December 6, 2012
Wonderful game.
Some colors for the texts are a little bit too bright for me to read, though. Had to squint a little, since highlighting doesn't do me any good in this.
Rated 4 / 5 stars June 27, 2012
It's promoting the unfortunately dying breed of games known as MUDs, MUCKs, etc., and for that, I commend you. I have some particular requirements when it comes to MUDs I play, and this one doesn't quite fit. I can't really explain to you what's wrong with it, it's sort of an inner, personal thing.
Anyway, to all you people giving it bad reviews because it's only in text; that's what the game is. It's a MUD. That's its genre. All MUDs are text-based because that's a requirement of the genre.
And you should never rate a game based on genre.
Rated 3.5 / 5 stars January 23, 2012
what the fuck is this
pro helps me with reading and typing skills
con what the hell kinda bullshit is this
Rated 0 / 5 stars December 1, 2011
What's wrong with the admin on here?
Who ever the hell keeps bootng me, your suck at making games.
I try to make an account, but then this guy keeps comming on and telling me that i'm a hacker and I'm not allowed to play. I'm just starting up for the first time, and you already banned me. I hope flash gets blammed (impossible, I know, but what can I say?)


text:
By Luxpresso | March 23, 2013, 10:46 am IST Fashion & Beauty
When the Duchess of Cambridge makes an appearance, it ranges from fabulous to superbly fabulous. But what we love the most about the duchess is the ardour with which she embraces the hat. It may have been a symbol of the British royals for years now, but her ensembles have given the headgear an almost cult-status. Here's a peek into her iconic headpieces


text:
I received an advance copy of Richard Rushfield's book "American Idol: The Untold Story" with a bit of a heavy heart. Because, yes, I know, I could have written a book like this. My wife tells me that frequently.
Rushfield, who writes for the Daily Beast, is eminently qualified. He covered the show for the Los Angeles Times and since season 6 has spent a lot of time on the set of the show. Being here in Atlanta, I've always been handicapped by not having access to the show's behind-the-scenes people. He did have that. My advantage is I have covered the show since day one.
So did Rushfield really break any big news? No. Given how much the show has been covered over the years by me and many others, that would have been a tall order. But if you want a trip down nostalgia lane with some interesting tidbits thrown, this is a quick, easy-to-read journey.
He snagged sit-down interviews with the show creator Simon Fuller, who rarely gives interviews;Simon Cowell; and Nigel Lythgoe, the three linchpins. He talked to key Fox programming executives. He spoke with the stage manager Debbie Williams, who gave him some great anecdotes. Vocal coach Debra Byrd was helpful. Some anonymous stage crew folks threw in some dirt as well.
He did not get on-the-record interviews with Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson or Paula Abdul, though it's clear he got plenty of material from her agent or perhaps Abdul herself off the record.
He did not get any fresh insights from any of the biggest alums from the show including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Kellie Pickler, Adam Lambert, David Archuleta or David Cook.
He relied on the second-tier folks like Justin Guarini, R.J. Helton, Nikki McKibbin, Ace Young, Carly Smithson, Matt Girarud, Megan Joy, Brooke White and Kimberley Locke. From one perspective that makes sense since those folks 1) probably haven't been interviewed much in awhile, 2) are easily accessible and 3) are more willing to proffer the real dirt. He also set aside an entire chapter to what happened to Brian Dunkleman, which is fascinating in its odd pathos.
While the book is primarily chronological, he sets aside a few chapters on other topics such as the Vote for the Worst site.
Here are some notable tidbits I did not know about (or perhaps forgot):
- Originally, the show was supposed to have four judges, like "Pop Idol." But the fourth judge, a young DJ from KROQ in Los Angeles, pulled out at the last second, feeling a cheesy pop music show would hurt his rock cred. The show simply had no time to find a fourth.
- Ryan Seacrest and his dad (an attorney) wrangled with "Idol" until the last second over negotiations. He literally signed on the dotted line hours before the first shoot.
- Nigel Lythgoe was arrested on his way over to the states for smoking on the plane.
- During season one, Nikki McKibbin got into a nasty argument with Simon Cowell during a dress rehearsal where he called her the b-word that rhymes with witch. And she said back, "I'll ***in' show you a b****!"
- The producers had the judges in the semfinals dump Jim Verraros even after the fans voted him in. Then sanity prevailed and they changed their minds. Poor Verraros was whipsawed big time that night?
- The producers also took out Simon calling R.J. Helton a "monkey" and subbed in "loser." They even did a second "take" since that semi-final round was taped, not live. "Monkey' in England does not have the racial connotations it has here but the producers did not want the public to think he was a racist.
- Rushfield implies there may have been something going on between Justin Guarini and the two ladies Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray but didn't have anything specific. He just hints at it.
- During season two, when Clay Aiken was not voted in by viewers in the semi-final round, Kimberley Locke recalls saying a prayer with Aiken and Ruben Studdard hoping Clay would get a spot in the Wild Card show. He did. And they ended up being the final three.
- During season four, Bo Bice was "ill" during the finale performance show. Why? He had drunk tequila all night long the night before.
- He wrote that in season seven, David Cook was the "first surprise verdict in Idol history" over David Archuleta. What? Really? I should go back in this blog and see if that was the case but I really think David Cook was favored to win by the time the finals rolled around. I just googled the topic and yes, Cook was favored to win by the end. So Rushfield got that wrong big time.
As for "first surprise," I think Ruben Studdard beating Clay Aiken would qualify. Rushfield also made it sound preordained that Carrie would win season four but I don't remember it that way. I honestly thought Bo still had a chance.
- During season 8, the three original judges would go out of their way to "block out" Kara DioGuardi. During commercial breaks, they'd all leave the stage and watch Simon smoke while Kara had to sit by herself awkwardly.
- In season 9, Crystal Bowersox was not easy to deal with behind the scenes, saying she had a bunch of "mini-diva" fits throughout the season.
- Rushfield sets aside an entire chapter to someone I had never heard of: Leesa Bellesi. Her husband's a pastor. Season five, Katharine McPhee's family joined her church. She helped Kat backstage. She would later become a place where out-of-town families of "Idol" contestants would go to for guidance and support. Amazingly, I have never heard of her and "Idol" executives tended to downplay her frequent presence backstage.
January 17th, 2011
12:23 am
That fourth original judge who wasn't – does the book mention what became of him? Obviously he kept his "rock cred" … but was it worth it? Is he still at KROQ, now as an "older", wiser DJ?
January 17th, 2011
12:51 am
I'm skeptical of the Bo story. He was ill for months, from the last part of Idol all through the tour until he ended up having emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage. That'd be one heck of a hangover.
January 17th, 2011
1:38 am
Bo Bice was ill he had major intenstial issues which he later during the idol tour had surgery for. I think you need to do some more research before you write stuff. that is if you want to have an honest writing! If you watched Amierican idol Rewind he even mentoned it that he was SICK! and that he was in the hospital for that whole week.
January 17th, 2011
3:12 am
[...] Reading the new 'American Idol: The Untold Story' [...]
January 17th, 2011
4:17 am
I think this author does not have half the knowledge of Rodney here. I bet there are enough mistakes here.
I know that Bo likes his drinks, but he was very ill on the finale. I heard that Carrie was also very ill that day. If Bo said he was drinking, then it was so, if it came from someone else, I would not believe it.
As to Carrie being pre-ordained, Yes, I remember that. I remember seeing all the Carrie bears on the boards and pretty much knew she would win. It did not hurt that it was announced in England that she won a few days before the finale.
January 17th, 2011
6:55 am
Although last minute polls and forecasts showed Cook on a clear lead for the title, before the semi-finals and throughout the show, Archuleta was the clear favourite, at least for TPTB. Mid-show, Cook and Archuleta seemed to be head to head in the audience's preferences. Cook's outstanding finale performance and the fact that Cowell dissed it saying he had expected something else from him and that he didn't make the cut, made Cook's fans vote like crazy to offset the British judge's negative comments. The result was a clear win for Cook. The last time American Idol ever disclosed the finale figures and percentages, if I recall correctly.
January 17th, 2011
7:18 am
Just an FYI, but Archuleta was favored to win the entire season. Even after the finale, everyone thought that he would win. Yes, dialidol predicted a Cook win, but that was AFTER the votes were in. Therefore, I don't think that Rushfield was wrong at all. It was an upset.
January 17th, 2011
7:43 am
Very interesting stuff, Rodney. Thanks for the tidbits.
We've never had Bo fan-atics here(except for Lara, of course) so it's nice to see them.
I believe that this particular blog was about 70/30 in favor of Cook. That's just an estimate on my part but, from my memory, we liked Cook best.
American Idol starts THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!
January 17th, 2011
8:42 am
Thanks for link to short-sighted DJ, Rodney – seems he made a Dunkelman mistake.
The biggest upsets in Idol history: Clay and Adam NOT winning. Show is aired by super-conservative Fox… Clay and Adam both gay… hmm.
January 17th, 2011
8:44 am
Re the Golden Globes…I'm sending a nod to Rosita…since I haven't seen The King's Speech yet it may very well be that Geoffrey Rush deserved the award but, if you haven't seen The Fighter yet, Christian Bale was amazing!
Back to the Idol book, I agree completely with Rodney that the first real surprise winner was Ruben. He and Clay battled throughout the season and, now that time has passed, I think he deserved to win. I'm actually surprised that it wasn't a tie…
Which brings me to another question. Does the book talk about vote totals at all and do you think that we'll ever hear from Idol on that subject?
January 17th, 2011
8:51 am
So, according to your logic Mercedes, the "super-conservative" watchers had to choose between a gay man and a black man. Oh the horror of it all!!!!!!!!!
January 17th, 2011
8:54 am
Unless a lot of money is getting passed around under the table, I see no point to vote tampering. Never mind the heavy fines the FCC would hang on Idol….it has become obvious in the last few years that Idol will try to make a star out of anyone in the top 12 who they think deserves it. The winner seems to only get "winner status" in the commercials plus the announced prizes.
January 17th, 2011
8:58 am
Good Morning!
Thanks for all the info Rodney. I have a notebook filled with notes from each season that I will pull out and read through about the top 12. It should make interesting reading. If I think any of it is worth posting, I will. I will always say that Clay should have won season 2. That has been the only season that I was really disappointed on who won. I voted for Clay like crazy. I liked Ruben, and still do, but Clay was my choice.
Going back to the previous thread on the Feb birthdays, linny and I are the bookends (1st & 28th) of the blog.
January 17th, 2011
9:08 am
RE Feb birthdays…I wonder if being born in Feb increases one's proclivity toward getting on blogs.
Thanks for reading the book for us Rodney. Considering that only Idol fans will probably be buying it and that you just summarized it for a whole bunch of Idol fans…my guess is that the author isn't going to be all that happy with you.
January 17th, 2011
9:17 am
Good morning AI bloggers. It is time for a new season so I will be back on the blog most of the time. Deirdre and I were chatting on facebook last night and I starting talking about my expectations for the show this season. I think will be much better than the last couple of seasons. Anyway we were talking about the Facons game at first and then I gave my thoughts on this seasons AI.
Horrible game last night! Where was our defense, coaching, offense, hustle in that order? All around LAME effort! Well Deirdre at least we have a new competition starting wednesday night. I am really looking forward to it. I think Tyler is going to bring an element to the show that will spark it out of the boredom we have seen the last couple of seasons and after 40 years in the music business he knows what it takes to be a star and will see it in the contestants and give an honest and at times witty opinion. J. Lo will bring another point of view that was lacking with Paula, Kara and Ellen. At least she has been in the music biz unlike Ellen and I think she will show up sober enough to give an interesting opinion of the performance unlike Paula (which one is going to show up) Abdul. Kara just seemed to have this holier than thou attitude that turned me off most of the time and I wont miss her. Going back to a three judge panel is going to be good as well. Hopefully it will free up some time to see more of the performers performing which to me is what the show should be about. I also hope they do not show hardly any of the stupid losers watering down the time that could be spent on the performers that actually have talent. I know there are more contestants that actually have talent that never get any air time and I would much rather see them than some dork dressed up like a cartoon character that cant carry a tune in a bucket. See ya on the AI blog as well as here D.
January 17th, 2011
9:21 am
KPH…looking forward to your return…as well as our other regulars who only blog during the season.
And I know we've said this a thousand times but Porter's recovery is fantastic.
January 17th, 2011
9:24 am
I love the way everybody here takes Idol so SERIOUSLY (self included).
D: Blacks are more accepted by conservatives than gays.
D 2: I agree, Christian Bale was amazing in "The Fighter"…but Geoffrey Rush should have won a Best Supporting Globe.
Please see "Speech" and let us know what you think!
January 17th, 2011
9:25 am
I don't post much, so don't think I qualify as a fanatic, but I, too, was glad to see some more of Bo's peeps putting their two cents to get the story straight.
January 17th, 2011
9:32 am
Rosita: I agree – Geoffrey Rush was truly magnificent (as always) and deserved to win! Bale – Good; Rush – Transcending.
Nana: Agree that Clay should have won season 2 – and still thinking all was not kosher about the voting – as Ruben's mother said she voted over 1,000 times for Ruben, and I never got thru a single time for Clay, dialing constantly the whole alloted time.
January 17th, 2011
9:36 am
Thanks Deirdre and yes our little Porter is a miracle baby for sure. Prayer does work and I thank everyone on this blog who sent prayers up for him. He is not totally out of the woods yet but things are looking very good at this point. Any more prayers would be appreciated. I am one proud and thankful Grandpa!
January 17th, 2011
9:56 am
KPH, you and your family deserve to be proud and thankful. Best wishes in the furture for Porter and family!
Sam-A: I also tried voting for Clay the last night of voting and never got through, and I was using both my cell and house phones.
January 17th, 2011
10:05 am
I'll see Speech as soon as possible. Looking forward to it.
I voted for Clay and got through about half the time that I tried. Keep in mind that here in the south we are Idol fan-atics so our phone systems will clog up a lot faster than those on the west coast where, I think, Ruben's mother probably was at the time she was voting. My guess is that Alabama was voting for their native son and South Carolina was voting for their's so the rest of us couldn't get through. Conspiracy theories are fun but there is almost always a logical explanation.
Blacks are more accepted by conservatives than gays. Stereotypes do not an argument make…just saying.
January 17th, 2011
10:29 am
Thanks Nana.
January 17th, 2011
10:53 am
I think texting has changed Idol more than just about anything else. Would Kelly have won the first season if texting was as popular as it is today? I wonder.
January 17th, 2011
12:01 pm
Morning all.
Do we have any evidence that text voting has greatly increased opposed to phone voting? I know that we have made that assumption for years, but let's face it the people on this blog are a bit late to the texting party. Youth have been texting like crazy for years, even back in the days when they only had 8 keys to choose from.
As for the article, I'm more entertained by the reaction to Bo being a lush than that revelation itself. Same goes for the David vs. David claim.
BUT the best information of all:
"During commercial breaks, they'd all leave the stage and watch Simon smoke while Kara had to sit by herself awkwardly."
January 17th, 2011
12:07 pm
"During commercial breaks, they'd all leave the stage and watch Simon smoke while Kara had to sit by herself awkwardly."
Have to admit I laughed at that one. It sounds so high school. Then I started thinking that we here on the blog probably did the same thing…only without the smoking part. I've said before that I hated the idea of a 4th judge and took it out on Kara. Not really her fault but I did it anyway.
January 17th, 2011
12:14 pm
I pulled my notebooks of notes and here they are for season 1:
Top 10 Motwon Week: Kelly Clarkson; Justin Guarini; Nikki McKibben; Bottom 3 – Sung "Ben"; Tamyra Grey; RJ Helton; Christina Christian; Ryan Starr; AJ Gill; Jim Verrao – Sung "Easy" Eliminated 7/17; EJay Day – Sung "My Girl" – Eliminated 7/17
Top 8 – 1960's Week Chiristina Christian – Bottom 3 – Sung "When a man Loves a Woman"; Ryan Starr – Bottom 2 – Sung "You Really Got Me"; AJ Gill – Sung "How Sweet It Is" Eliminated 7/24
Top 7 – 1970's Week – Nikki McKibben – Sung Heartbreaker" Bottom 2; Justin Guarini – Bottom 3 – Sung "Someday We'll All Be free"; Ryan Starr – Sung "Last Dance" – Eliminated 7/31
Top 6 – Big Band Week – RJ Helton – Bottom 2 – Sung "I Won't Dance"; Miki McKibben – Bottom 3 – Sung "Hard Hearted Woman"; Christian Christian – Sung "Glory of Love" – Eliminated 8/7
Top 5 – Burt Bacharach Love Songs – Nikki McKibben – Bottom 2 – Sung "Always Something to Remind Me"; RJ Helton – Sung "Arthur's Theme" – Eliminated 8/14
Top 4 – 1980's & 1990-2 Week – Each contestant performed 2 songs – Tamyra Gray – Sung "New Attitude" and "Feel the Pain" – Eliminated 8/21
Top 3 – Contestant's Choice and Judges Choice – Each sung two – Nikki McKibben – Sung "Edge of Seventeen" (her choice) and Black Velvet (judges choice) – Eliominated 8/28
Top 2 Finale – Each sang 3 – Justin – sang "Before Your Love"; "Get Here"; "A Moment Like This"
Kelly – Sang "Respect"; Before Your Love" and "A Moment Like This"
I have notes all the way through last season, if ya'll are interested.
January 17th, 2011
12:23 pm
After posting my last post, I read it and discovered that I misspelled a couple of words toward the end, but I think ya'll get the jest of it.
January 17th, 2011
12:35 pm
Nana: certainly interested in your Clay vs Rubin notes, as well as Diana vs The Devil and Bo vs Carrie.Speaking of which, Carrie looked pretty on the Golden Globe red carpet (nice dress), but her total lack of personality stuck out like a sore thumb. Hope K&CF did see her.
January 17th, 2011
12:58 pm
Thanks for the notes, Nana…..you're a regular Wikipedia!
I have to agree with Mercedes from the last thread. Natalie Portman looked lovely last night. Pregnancy definitely agrees with her.
January 17th, 2011
1:03 pm
Also thought that Scarlett Johansen looked fabulous.
On the other side Kahley whatshername from The Big Bang Theory looked pretty ragged…Make-up and hair were sloppy, dress was unflattering.
January 17th, 2011
1:12 pm
Carrie fans… sorry, but HuffPo had Carrie's outfit among the "horrendous" ones last night. "They" also hated Nicole Kidman's dress, which was one of my favorites. Carrie did come off as washed- out, though. Color would have been better. Favorte piece of jewlry; Dame Helen Mirren's $1.6 million necklace
January 17th, 2011
1:19 pm
The absolute worst dressed in my opinion was "worst-dressed" Hall of Famer Tilda Swinton. I don't know what that woman is thinking most of the time but last night was particularly bad. If she was going to wear all white(always a mistake for her since she has no color other than her hair) at least she needs to pick the same white. The skirt was cream, the blouse was white and neither seemed to actually fit her.
January 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
Getting back to the Idol book….
In season 9, Crystal Bowersox was not easy to deal with behind the scenes, saying she had a bunch of "mini-diva" fits throughout the season.
I have a feeling that Ms Bowersox is very protective of her music. That may be why the judges started leaning toward Lee.
January 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
JT: Do we have any evidence that text voting has greatly increased opposed to phone voting? I know that we have made that assumption for years, but let's face it the people on this blog are a bit late to the texting party.
I had 2 kids still in college when Idol first started. Neither one of them did much texting at the time because unlimited texting was still VERY expensive. So, from my experience with them, no, I don't think was as big an influence then as it is now.
January 17th, 2011
2:38 pm
Yet at the same time I knew a kid that was already sexting around that time… hence my questioning the assumption. The assumption has been made so much that it is now presented as fact, I'd just like some proof to back it up. It kind of strikes me as a "the sky is falling" "the world was a much better place yesterday" type of thinking that I simply don't fall for. Musical tastes have also changed, but instead of giving that any weight we want to blame what we perceive as bad voting on 'them darn kids.' As if this were some Scooby-Doo mystery.
January 17th, 2011
2:38 pm
Not a Carrie fan, but I thought her dress was pretty, and her hair not so Big Country as usual.
The best dress for me, by far, was Olivia Wilde's gorgeous ombre milk chocolate with silver sequined ball gown – gorgeous (but I'd have left out a couple of the layers so it would have been a slight bit smaller around the bottom).
Ms. Mirren is always one of the top 3 or 4 gorgeous ladies but I was a tiny bit disappointed in this year's dress and her hair was a bit too short and mannish (can't believe I'm using that work for this amazingly lovely woman!).
Sandra – lose the bangs – not good (too thick and long)
January 17th, 2011
2:48 pm
Sam I agree, Olivia Wilde's dress was gorgeous.
And I agree about Sandra…the bangs were WAY too much.
JT….we always look for something to blame and perhaps you are correct that texting is not as big a problem as we might believe. I was just trying to address the amount of texting ability available now as opposed to back in 2003 when few parents were going to spend $25 to $30 extra a month to let their teens text whereas now, texting comes as part of the package.
January 17th, 2011
3:21 pm
Oh goooooodyyyyyyyyy!!!! It's time for American Idol again! You know that time of year when a few certain folks in Atlanta just can't stay off the roho blog cuz they got NO other life! makes my day!
January 17th, 2011
3:24 pm
Wait, how is this time of year any different from the rest of the year?
January 17th, 2011
3:44 pm
Glad we could help make your day G & F. Seems you have no other life as well seeing how you have our conversations make your day you must be lurking in the background reading what we are conversing about. Now may I suggest you do something that does not make you criticize people for doing something they enjoy to the point it makes you look like a total JERK! Bless your little pea pickin heart.
January 17th, 2011
3:50 pm
Here are my notes on season 2. BTW, I am a believer of taking notes. I still my notes that I took waaayyy back in high school and college.
Top 12 – Motown
Kimberley Locke – Sung "Love is like a Heatwave" – Bottom 3; Julia DeMato – Sung "Where Did Our Love Go" – Bottom 2; Josh Gracin – Sung "Baby, I Need Your Loving"; Charles Grisby – Sung "How Sweet It Is"; Kimberly Caldwell – Sung "Nowhere to Run"; Ricky Smith – Sung "1,2,3″; Clay Aiken – Sung "I Can'r help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"; Corey Clark – Sung "This Old heart of Mine";Carmen Rasmusen – Sung "You can't hurry Love"; Trenyce – Sung "Come See About Me"; Ruben Studdard – Sung "Baby I Need Your Loving"; Vanesa Olivarez – Sung "You Keeop Me Hanging On" – Eliminated 3/12
Top 11 – Movie Soundtracks
Corey Clark – Sung "Against All Odds" Bottom 2; Ruben – Sung "A Whole Newas World"; Trenyce – Sung "I Have Nothing"; Clay – Sung "Somewhere Out There"; Kimberly Caldwell – Sung "The Shoop Shoop Song"; Josh – Sung "I don't want to miss a Thing"; Carmen – Sung "Hopelessly Devoted to You"; Ricky – Sung "It Might Be You"; Julia – Sung "Flashdance, What a feeling" – Bottom 3; Limberley Locke – Sung "Home"; Charles Grigsby – Sung "You Can't win" – Eliminated 3/19
Top 10 Country Rock
Josh – Sung "Ain't Going Down"; Trenyce – Sung "I Need You"; Kimberley Locke – Sung "I Can't Make You Love me"; Kimberely Caldwell – Sung "Anymore" – Bottom 2; Corey Clark – Sung "Drift Away"; Carmen – Sung "Wild Angels"; Ricky – Sung "I've Done Enough Dying Today" – Bottom 3; Ruben – Sung (What else???) "Sweet Home Alabama"; Clay – Sung "Someone Else's Star"; Julia – Song "Breathe" – Eliminated 3/26
Top 9 – Disco Week
Corey – Disqualified; Carmen – Sung "Turn the Beat Around" – Bottom 3; Ricky – Sung "Lets Groove";
Kimberely C – Sung "Knock on Wood"; Clay – Sung "Everlasting Love"; Trenyce – Sung "I'm Evrey Woman" – Bottom 2; Ruben – Sung "Can't get Enough of You"; Josh – Sung "Celebration"; K. Locke – Sung "It's Raining Men". No elimination due to the disqualification of Corey Clark.
Top 8 Billboard Number Ones
Clay – Sung "At This Moment"; K. Locke – Sung "My Heart Will Go On" – Bottom 3; Kimberely C – Sung "Everything I do, I Do For You" – Bottom 2; Josh – Sung "Amazed"; Carmen – Sung "Call Me"; Trenyce – Sung "The Power of Love"; Ruben – Sung "Kiss and Say Goodbye"; Ricky – Sung "Endless Love" – Eliminated 4/9
Top 7 Billy Joel Week
Ruben – "Just the Way You Are"; K. Locke – Sung "New York State of Mind";Carmen – Sung "And So It Goes" – Bottom 2; Josh – Sung "Piano Man"; Trenyce – Sung "Baby Grand"; Clay – Sung "Tell her About It" – Bottom 3; K. Caldwell – Sung "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" – Eliminated 4/16
Top 6 – Songs by Diane Warren
K. Locke – Sung "If You Asked Me To"; Clay – Sung "I Could Not Ask for More"; Trenyce – Sung "Have You Ever" – Bottom 3; Josh – Sung "That's When I'll Stop Loving You" – Bottom 2; Ruben – Sung "Music of my Heart"; Carmen – Sung "Love will Lead You Back" – Eliminated 4/23
Top 5 Neil Sedaka Songs – each sung two songs
Ruben – Sung "Ain't To Proud to Beg" and "Breaking Up is hard to Do"; Josh – Sung "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" and "Bad Blood"; Kimberely – Sung "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Where The Boys Are". Clay – Sung "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "Solitaire"; Trenyce – Sung "Proud Mary" and "Love Will Keep us Together" – Eliminated 4/30
Top 4 – Bee Gees Week
Clay – Sung "To Love Somebody" & "Grease", Kimberley – Sung "I Just Want to be Your Everything" & "Emotion"; Ruben – Sung "Nights on Broadway" & "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"; Josh – Sung "Jive Talkin" & "To Love Somebody" – Eliminated 5/7
Top 3 Choices by Judges and Contestants- 3 songs each
Ruben – Sung "Signed, Sealed and Delivered"; "Smile' & "If Ever You're in my Arms Again"; Clay – Sung "Vincent"; Mack the Knife" & "Unchained Melody"; Kimberley – Sung "Band of Gold"; "Anyone Who Had a Heart" & "Inseparable" – Eliminated 5/14
Top 2 Finale
Ruben – Sung "A House is not a Home"; "Imagine" & "Flying Without Wings"
Clay – Sung "This is The Night"; "Here, there & Everything"; "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" (My favorite of season 2)
Do I need to stop at season 2 or continue on? Let me know.
January 17th, 2011
4:00 pm
And, Nana – Kimberley Locke's "Where The Boys Are" is, to me, the best performance NOT by Kelly C. of all seasons. Of course, I'd take any of Kelly's over anyone elses. And I think David C's "Music of the Night" would be my next in line.
Your notes got more detailed 2nd season!
January 17th, 2011
4:06 pm
WOW Nana I am impressed. I wish I had the patience and focus to do that while watching the show. I know where to go for my source on AI history now for sure. Yes do another one. How about the Carrie and Bo season? By the way Bo has a video airing on CMT these days that is very good. Has anyone else seen it?
January 17th, 2011
5:13 pm
"The biggest upsets in Idol history: Clay and Adam NOT winning. Show is aired by super-conservative Fox… Clay and Adam both gay… hmm." – Mercedes, 8:14am
Merecedes, I do believe you're confusing Fox TV with Fox News Network. (And your bias is showing.) Fox TV has one hit show (Glee) where one of the main characters is gay (and he just won a Golden Globe) and one (House) where another character (Thirteen, played by Olivia Wilde) is gay. I'm sure there are other examples that disprove your misguided contention.
I don't mean that in a bad way!
January 17th, 2011
5:25 pm
I will continue my note posting later with seasons 3 & 4. I will try to get all seasons posted by Wednesday night before Idol starts back up. Then I will began my notes on this season.
January 17th, 2011
5:26 pm
Rodney, any chance of getting that meter reset to 100 posts per page by Wednesday? :=)
January 17th, 2011
5:33 pm
I second that emotion (great Smokey Robinson song, btw!), RH.
This 50 comments per page thing is going to become tedious when the season starts. Actually, it already is tedious. At the same time, I don't want to click on "Show All" when there are 200+ posts either.
Yeah, I know. We're spoiled!
January 17th, 2011
7:34 pm
Back from seeing The King's Speech. Colin Firth is amazing. My heart ached for him. I'll be talking to my mother tomorrow. She was a British subject during that period of time. I'm sure she'll have a lot to say about it.
Geoffrey Rush was wonderful. Was he better than Christian Bale? Hard to say. Totally different performances. One subtle and calm, the other,all twitchy and full of drugged energy. Loved them both.
January 17th, 2011
8:52 pm
Long time lurker, first time poster. Interesting discussion on texting. The way I see it, you have to factor in the fact that AT&T is the only network voters can text from, and that the iPhone is AT&T exclusive. Since the iPhone has made smartphones the hip, cool thing to have, I don't see how it can't be a factor.
January 17th, 2011
9:04 pm
Welcome el-dee! And thanks for the comment. Think about joining us for the season.
January 17th, 2011
9:08 pm
Welcome el-dee. Is AT&T the only network you can text from or the only one you can do from without a fee? Hence… free texting for AT&T, but not for others?
January 17th, 2011
9:22 pm
Hey y'all!
Sam-A (I think it was you, but it was last page and I can't recall…) Yes, I did see Carrie at the Golden Globes. She looked great. But so rarely doesn't look great, that I think that would be the news. As far as her personality, she tries….and she's a lot better. She's just never gonna be as outspoken or bubbly like Kelly.
Speaking of, and on topic with the post, the old Kelly and Justin rumor? That's the scoop. Wow. I want to read the book, but I'm wondering what, if anything, I'll learn from it.
As far as the voting is concerned, in the times I've tried to vote for someone in the later seasons it has become harder for me to get the busy signals. I do think that texting can skew some of the results, especially taking into account that every single text is counted as a vote, while not every call results in one.
JT, I would love to know that as well. Can people on other carriers vote? I've never tried.
January 17th, 2011
9:24 pm
I could be wrong (wouldn't be an uncommon occurance), but I'm pretty sure only AT&T subscribers can text votes. Thanks for the welcome, I'm glad to be here and plan on being more than a lurker this year. I'm a bit outside your area, living in Tucson I'm 2 hours behind most of you ('cept JTesla and Sakura, of course) until you start messing with your clocks, then I'm 3 hours behind.
January 17th, 2011
10:19 pm
[...] American Idol [...]
January 18th, 2011
7:08 am
Good Morning!
Doesn't Verizon also have the I-Phone now? I think so. And JT and el-dee (glad to meet ye) may be right that only AT&T subscribers can text vote but I seem to recall Ryan saying, "Normal text rates apply."
January 18th, 2011
8:35 am
Just curious but WHY would anyone be "welcome" to join a fray of bloggers by the mere fact it IS a blog where ANYONE is free to come and post a comment? Not nitpicking but it seems a bit arrogant on the part of others who thinks a poster needs "permission" or "welcome wagons" just to enter this zone.
January 18th, 2011
9:23 am
Good Morning!
Groupy Love, you are welcome as well as anyone. However, those if us who have been here for years like to extend the southern hospitality that we in the south are known for. No harm in that, is there? That being said, welcome el-dee and others to this public blog where anyone can post.
On the text voting, I have tried several times and wasn't able to get them to go through. My cell is with Verizon. Not sure if I had the incorrect number or what. Apparently, AT&T is the only one you can text from. Same way with SYTYCD or DWTS (can't remember which one).. Since text voting is a major force in the votes, maybe AI should consider appurtenance more carriers.
January 18th, 2011
12:04 pm
KPH – yes, Bo's You Take Yourself With You video is doing quite well. It is currently #3 on GAC channel's Top 20 videos and made their list to Top 50 videos of 2010.