Wednesday, March 12, 2008

MARCH 12, 2008

AMERICAN IDOL RECAP
The guys and gals finally got together on American Idol last night and tackled the songs of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. But before the performances began, Ryan Seacrest introduced America to Idol's new set…

Syesha Mercado led off with a brassy rendition of "Gotta Get You Into My Life." Randy Jackson compared the arrangement to Earth, Wind and Fire, and he and Paula Abdul agreed that Syesha hit her stride about midway through. Simon Cowell was actually more positive, calling it a "great choice of song."

Chikeze Eze was up next and pulled off the performance of the night with a version of "She's a Woman" that started out as bluegrass but quickly rocked out. Randy exclaimed, "Chikese smashed it!" Simon agreed, saying, "You took control of the stage."

Ramiele Malubay then took on the ballad "In My Life." All three judges agreed that it was a safe, slightly boring performance that added nothing to the original. Simon said, "I expect a lot better from you."

Jason Castro took the stage with his acoustic guitar and performed "If I Fell." Randy and Simon felt it was so-so, with Simon saying, "It was good enough to stay another week." Paula loved it, saying, "I feel your heart. You have an emotional connection with the songs you pick."

Irish transplant Carly Smithson brought the house down with a soulful rendition of "Come Together." Paula said, "I felt like I was already watching a star," and Simon added, "Reminds me of Kelly Clarkson."

Former bartender David Cook did a rocking version of "Eleanor Rigby" that peaked with a big chorus. Randy said, "That proves it -- you can rock out on Idol." Simon gushed, "I thought it was brilliant."

Brooke White sat at the piano and gave a throaty performance of "Let It Be." The judges once again liked her, with Paula saying, "This is your niche." Simon felt it was "one of the best performances of the night."

David Hernandez was up next with a '50s-esque take on "I Saw Her Standing There" that all three judges felt was "overdone." Simon summed it up by saying, "Corny verging on desperate."

Punker nurse Amanda Overmeyer came up with a Southern-rock versioin of "You Can't Do That." She seemed to be singing through her teeth at times -- something Simon didn't miss. "I understood about 30 percent of what you sang." But Paula and Randy loved it, with Paula saying, "You are a star up there."

Aussie Michael Johns sang a pared-down "Across the Universe." Randy felt it was "a little sleepy," and Simon said he was "frustrated that you haven't done what you're capable of." Paula, however, liked the song, calling it a "brilliant performance."

Kristy Lee Cook did a country take on "Eight Days a Week" that fell flat. Paula said, "I didn't enjoy it. I didn't get it." Simon added, "I thought it was horrendous. Sounded like Dolly Parton on helium."

Last up was 16-year-old David Archuleta, who tried to emulate Stevie Wonder's cover of "We Can Work It Out" but had trouble remembering some of the lyrics. Randy said it was "not on point," and Simon said, "That was a mess. It was your weakest performance so far."

So here's the official prediction...
Bottom Three: Danny Hernandez, Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado
Eliminated: Syesha Mercado

WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU'VE CALLED OFF YOUR WEDDING
You've called off your wedding. Here's what you should do next...

1) THE ENGAGEMENT RING. This is a really touchy subject. Does the woman give the guy back the ring or not? It actually depends on WHERE you live. In California, whoever broke off the engagement does NOT get the ring.

But in states like New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee... courts say that engagement rings are gifts that have to be returned to the gift giver.

2) NOTIFY EVERYONE OF THE CANCELLATION. Friends... family members... vendors... everyone. You don't want people showing up the day of the wedding without knowing it's cancelled, right?

3) SEND BACK YOUR GIFTS. It may be a pain in the ass, but you're supposed to return all engagement, shower and wedding gifts you've gotten to the people who sent them.

4) DON'T FORGET TO CANCEL YOUR HONEYMOON. You're not going to be going on a trip... so you might as well try to get as much back as you can by canceling with as much notice as possible.

CAN THESE FOODS CAUSE CANCER?
You already know that foods like burgers and fries are unhealthy... but maybe you didn't know that some bad foods can actually cause cancer. Here's a list of foods that you should stay away from because new studies say they may cause cancer:

1.) HOT DOGS. They're loaded with sodium nitrate... which used to be an ingredient in GUN POWDER... and scientists have found that sodium nitrate causes cancer in lab rats.

2.) BACON. This is another processed meat like hot dogs that's filled with sodium nitrate. When you eat sodium nitrate, your body turns it into a chemical (--called nitrosamine) that is known to cause cancer.

3.) FRENCH FRIES. They're fried in hydrogenated oil, which is full of trans fats that can cause cancer. That's because trans fats clog the arteries and raises your blood sugar... and creates a breeding ground for cancer.

4.) DOUGHNUTS. Doughnuts are filled with refined sugar... which is a sugar that's mixed in with chemicals to preserve shelf life. And when doughnuts are fried, it releases harmful chemicals like ether and chloroform (--which is an anesthetic).

5.) CHIPS, CRACKERS AND COOKIES. Most chips, crackers and cookies are made with bleached flour, which is filled with chemicals (--like chlorine and peroxide) and trans fats that put you at risk for cancer.