AMERICAN IDOL NOTES
Well, we were close... We got the Bottom 2 right... and I told you it was a coin flip. Haley stayed, Chris Sligh went home. It's a shame, though, because I think he's a more talented contestant, but I think he will have a great career on TV.
JD Roberto, the host of American Idol Extra, joined us for hsi weekly chat this morning. He told us Chris Sligh was expecting the elimination. In fact, he bet his roommate Phil Stacey $50 that he's be going home... (notice at the end of the show he told Phil, "You owe me fifty bucks"?). We also talked about Sanjaya, and I commented that I think of all the seasons of Idol, this kid has taken more criticism than any one contestant. He said Sanjaya's not totally immune. They do have internet access, and their friends and family keep them up to date on what's being said. With that, Sanjaya has decided to do his own thing, and as long as America keeps voting for him, he's just going to keep singing.
Next week, it's the songs of Tony Bennett. JD expects it will be another strong week for the front-runners... Melinda, Jordin, and Lekisha.
FIVE WAYS TO NICELY KICK SOMEONE OUT OF YOUR PLACE
I think we've all been in that awkward situation where we have a get-together. . . and when the party's over there's always that ONE PERSON who decides he just doesn't want to leave. Here are five ways to nicely kick people out of your place. . .
1.) SET RULES. Before you actually have people over. . . make it clear exactly how long you want them there. They should hopefully get the message that they need to leave at a certain point.
2.) MOVE THEM AROUND. As the night is getting late. . . try to get people up off the couch or out of chairs. . . because it's really easy for them to get comfortable and think it's okay to stay longer.
3.) USE A SENSE OF HUMOR. Make a joke about the fact that they're unwanted. . . but don't make it too mean. Just enough so that they get the point. . . and you leave things friendly with them.
4.) USE ANOTHER FRIEND AT THE PARTY. If you have a close friend at the party. . . stage a fake conversation that's within earshot of the others. . . which makes it seem like you have something important to do the next morning.
5.) MAKE FUTURE PLANS WITH YOUR LEFTOVER PEOPLE. Tell them it was nice having them over. . . and then make future plans so that they know you want to see them again.
BUY GENERIC GAS... SAVE CASH
The average price of regular gas nationwide this week is $2.57, although in Bakersfield, there is nowhere under $3...
ABC News investigated whether generic gas is good for your car. With the help of the Maryland State Comptroller, ABC News compared gas from a name-brand Mobil station and a generic Liberty station right across the street from each other. Mobil was charging $2.69 a gallon for regular, while Liberty charged $2.49 a gallon.
At the Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory, chemists conducted a battery of tests. One expert "By and large, it's one and the same. … You will find results will almost mirror each other. There are going to be slight variations — but gasoline is gasoline."
When gasoline arrives at regional distribution centers, it's all the same. Different gas station chains then buy the raw fuel and add their own blend of detergents. In the past, there might have been more of a difference between different brands of regular unleaded, but these days the EPA requires that all gas contain a minimum amount of detergent to keep car engines clean.If you're paying for a particular brand of gasoline, "you would be paying more for brand loyalty, primarily. Some people feel more comfortable dealing with a particular brand." And many customers keep coming back because they use a particular name-brand station's credit card.
Some generic stations only take cash, which is one way they keep prices down. But more than 90 percent of cars run fine on regular. If your owner's manual recommends regular, filling up with premium won't do a thing to help you. If your owner's manual says your car requires premium you should use it. If it's only recommended, you can experiment with regular and mid-grade and both should work fine.
