AMERICAN IDOL RECAP
Last night, the auditions were in Miami, Florida, and it just seems this season, they're too concerned with being nice. In some ways, I like seeing more of the "good" auditions, but a lot of them seem not up to par.
Suzanne Toon... was the sympathetic figure of the day, a 21-year-old single mom from Clearwater, Fla., who tearfully told the cameras that she was “sick of struggling” and wanted to provide a better life for her daughter. She said she hadn’t sung in three years, but Paula found a “very sultry sexiness” to her voice, and she made it to the next round by a unanimous vote.
Ramiele Malubay... wanted to be the next Jasmine Trias. No kidding. Many may wonder why she’d set her sights so low, since Trias came in third place in the generally underwhelming third season of “Idol.” But like Trias, Malubay is Filipino-American, and Trias is a much bigger star in the Philippines than she is in the States. A still-cranky Simon called Malubay a hotel singer rather than a contemporary artist, but the other two judges passed her through, so she’s going to Hollywood anyway.
Brittney Wescott and Corliss Smith... are both 20, hail from Jacksonville, Fla., and auditioned together, and both "bigger" contestants. It looked like they were about to be set up for a joke, but they could both sing well enough to advance to the next round.
The worst audition last night... ALSO MADE IT TO HOLLYWOOD!
Ghaleb Emachah... was the rare male to make it out of Miami. He had an accent strong enough that all three judges commented on it, but only Simon thought he shouldn’t advance.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COMMERCIALS
According to a new survey by Comcast, 24% of women, or one out of four, say that, on Sunday, they're looking forward to watching the Super Bowl COMMERCIALS more than the game.
More men watch for only the commercials too... 17% of MEN... or one out of every SIX... say that THEY'RE only watching the Super Bowl for the ads.
FAST ENOUGH?
Slow down, you move too fast ... NO! I CAN'T. I'M FRANTIC. GOTTA GET STUFF DONE... We live in world today where if it isn't done fast, it isn't done right. In fact, it seems in the workforce -- it's not always the most talented person to get the job -- it's who can do it the quickest -- thus getting the most done in a single day. Don't agree? Here's a snapshot of how hyper our culture has become...
The average workweek is 47 hours -- up from 34 hours two decades ago.
There's no time for home-cooked meals: Children consumed 300% more food from fast food restaurants in 1996 than in 1977. Not surprisingly, one-third fewer families report regularly eating together today compared with three decades ago.
Most of us get 90 minutes less sleep per night than our great-grandparents did.
Almost 28% of fewer families take vacations now than two decades ago.
55 mph was the national speed limit from 1973 to 1995; now it's 65 mph to 75 mph in most states.
