Amy J. Bennett

American Idol Top 20 – Girls

March 4, 2010 by Amy 2 Comments

Wow, they are making it really hard to watch this season.

Crystal Bowersox – Thank the Lord that she was well enough to stay in the competition. I seriously don’t know if I could stand listening to the girls without her. I think the judges said it best when they said she is raw, natural talent. There are no airs with her. She’s just good and she gets up there and does what she knows how to do. So refreshing.

Haeley Vaughn – Way to take a song that most people don’t respect and make it worse.

Lacey Brown – As pitchy as she was, I like Lacey and like her voice. I think it was a good song choice. To me it just seems like while her voice has a lot of potential, she has very little control over it. She needs a lot of experience.

Katie Stevens – Even though the song is younger, her voice is older. Still no star quality from her.

Didi Benami – Man, I really want Didi to do well but that version of Lean on Me was horrid.

Michelle Delamor – Honest to goodness, I just had to look up who this girl was. Obv forgettable. However, I think Michelle does have moments where you think she could really have it. I just don’t like the way she changed up With Arms Wide Open.

Lilly Scott – She was fantastic tonight for me. She’s unique and confident and talented. Yes, please.

Katelyn Epperly – I know the song was slow but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. My respect for Katelyn went up about 10 notches after watching her video and seeing her on piano. She has a gorgeous voice and I really loved what she did.

Paige Miles – I think I was right last week when I said she got the shaft a little from the sound problems and being first. Paige is really talented. I’m not sure I can imagine her as the winner of American Idol but she definitely is a talented singer and seems to be a really cool person.

Siobhan Magnus – I don’t think anyone knows what to do with Siobhan. She’s quirky and has the weirdest sense of style I’ve ever seen. But I don’t think you can deny she has an amazing voice. Wow.

My favorites from tonight were Crystal, Lilly, Katelyn

I think Haeley and Lacey are in trouble.

Suze, Can I Afford It?

March 3, 2010 by Amy 6 Comments

I had a hair-brained idea last week to email Suze Orman for the Can I Afford It? segment on her TV show when I kept waffling on whether to head to Texas in May with Kaitlin for the Beyond the Lights celebrity golf tournament.

To give a little background, Suze is a financial guru and has people call into the show that want to buy something that’s way outside their budget…like a $10,000 ring for their wife that wants it for no other reason than to keep up with the Joneses or a $250,000 sail boat they’ve wanted for 20 years or a $500 brief case for a new college graduate just because. It’s stuff outside your budget that is a definite WANT not a NEED and callers ask if they have the extra cash for it.

When I announced I was doing this but not for what yet, I had several guesses. Mom guess adoption but guess what? I KNOW we can not afford that. Someone else guessed a new car. Boring! Someone else guessed plastic surgery. You think I’m going to ask Suze Orman if I can spend thousands of dollars on bigger boobs? I’d rather not feel the wrath of Suze in front of several million people.

Yes, the celebrity golf tournament is silly but it’s unique, not too extravagant and definitely a want, not a need.

Anyway, the trick is “extra cash” is very loosely defined. Someone may have 100K in the bank but if they’re getting ready to retire, she won’t let them spend it. As a viewer, it’s a game to see if you will approve it or deny it like Suze based on the financial stats that were given.

So my deal is the Beyond the Lights celebrity golf tournament is a fundraiser that cast members Brad “Buddy” Leland and Kyle “Coach Eric Taylor” Chandler started to benefit charities that support folks with spinal cord injuries. It’s a one day event that includes the golf tournament, dinner, a silent auction and a concert. The tickets are $200, my plane ticket would be about $300, hotel about $130 and then some spending money. I’m guessing it’s going to be about a $700 trip. It’s not a $250,000 sail boat but it’s not a drop in the bucket for us either.

The golf tournament is held in Austin where FNL is filmed and most if not all of the cast will be at the tournament. And since this is the last year of the show, it may be the last time so many are in Austin together. I’d put this off another year but I really think if this is something I’m going to do, I need to do it this year. Fringe benefits are I’ll have another weekend to hang out with Kaitlin, I’ll get to visit Texas and help a charity! It’s win-win for everyone but our bank account!

I got an email the same day from the show that they were interested in my story. Just a week later after a finished budget and lots of answered questions, I was on hold waiting to talk with Suze. All of that explanation above was a lot to get out in a fast-paced phone call with Suze Orman. Her assistant said they were excited about my request because it was new and different. She wanted me to have fun with it and really try to convince her. I was nervous.

All the callers were lined up in a queue and I just sat and waited for Suze to activate my line and ask me what I wanted to buy. I didn’t get much explanation at all in and I didn’t hear her ask one question quite right and probably looked silly on one of my answers but I came away mostly unscathed. The best news? She said I could go!

I’m waiting on an air-date so you can see how it all went down.

What would you ask to buy?

American Idol Top 20 – Boys

March 2, 2010 by Amy 1 Comment

Mike – Wow, so much better than last week. If I closed my eyes, which I was doing a lot because I had just woken up from a nap, he sounded nice. But while he was comfortable on stage, it felt very fake. Seeing his theater background made all the sense in the world because I felt like that was coming out way too much. His hand gestures are just odd to me.

John – I think Kara’s right with him. He’s overthinking what he’s doing and not putting himself out there enough. So much better than last week but eh.

Casey – I had a little fangirl moment when he started singing One Tree Hill’s theme song. It’s hard for me to judge it fairly I think. But I agree when the judges said that the highlight was the guitar playing and not the singing. And I agree, Kara, it was dirt, not grit. Such a bummer too.

Alex – Again. So much better than last week But honestly? It’s been 15 minutes and I can not recall what song it was or how he sounded. Obv he was forgettable. I think the judges were so complimentary because last week was so, so bad for him. *Added* I heard him back on the recap and I do really, really like his voice. He will be great on an album.

Todrick – Todrick has an excellent voice and he’s talented but he tries just way too hard.

Jermaine – Not good. Old song. The tone of his voice hurts my ears sometimes.

Andrew – The guy has a beautiful voice there is no doubt. But I didn’t enjoy his bump on a log performance. I could have closed my eyes through the entire performance and not missed a thing.

Aaron – That was really bad. What is Randy hearing tonight? We are so off.

Tim – Better but boring and bad.

I’m losing steam on blogging about this.

Lee – I loved his video at the beginnig. “I’m a nice guy, I just made bad decisions.” Good for him for turning it around. As for the song, I never expected that to show up on Idol but I love it and think he did really well with it. Go Lee! I had to clap for him. I feel like he’s an underdog and I’m happy to root for him.

Overall a pretty bad night but it feels good closing it with Lee. I feel like we have a little hope. If I were to pick this week, I think Andrew and Lee were my favorites.

I think Aaron and Tim are in trouble.

Parenthood…WATCH IT

March 2, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

Kaitlin and I are taking another leap of faith on a TV show: Parenthood. Jason Katims who produces the awesomely awesome Friday Night Lights is now a writer for Parenthood. Ron Howard, Craig T Nelson, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepherd…the list of cast members and crew just goes on. The show is a family drama inspired by the Parenthood movie from 1989 with Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest. I’m not sure how else this show could be set up to be golden.

The best part is we got a head start and created the first fan site.

Watch it. Tonight at 10 on NBC after American Idol.

And They Meet

March 2, 2010 by Amy 2 Comments

Kaitlin has been a friend for at least a year and especially the past 6 months or so since she got me into Friday Night Lights. It’s funny how sometimes friendships feel like they’ve been around forever even if they haven’t. Ours is like that. We talk nearly every day and do our FNL podcast weekly. We talk on the phone (well, Skype) more than really anyone else. We met from my OTH site and it has now blossomed into several more, most notably our FNL site. I’m so happy to say that being with her in person was every bit enjoyable as all of our virtual meetings. I’ll argue with anyone that friendships really can start online.

Kaitlin was on her way to Florida on vacation and I was happy to have her for a night on her way. I picked her up yesterday about 2 and we did fun stuff like pick up Emma from school, cook dinner, go to Wal-Mart and watch TV. You know? My life. I really did try to fit some tours in between our limited time but you know? Showing neighborhood after neighborhood and fast food chain after fast food chain can only provide so much entertainment. Hopefully the tour of downtown Charlotte was a tad more interesting. As expected, we (I?) most enjoyed sitting ourselves in front of the TV, watching some of our favorite shows and chatting away while on our Macs. Ah, it was so great to hear her say “TRUTH” in reply instead of just reading it.

I was happy to show her how to make sweet tea, take her to her first Bojangles and feed her enough bacon and chocolate to last a lifetime.

Good times.

Danny Gokey’s My Best Days

March 2, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

So if I had two minutes to tell you something today, it would probably be that Danny Gokey’s first album is OUT TODAY.

I’d tell you that this is my favorite song off the record.

And I’d tell you for sure this is my favorite picture in the booklet.

And I *might* tell you that after reading 90 Minutes in Heaven this weekend, his dedication makes me choke up a little.

“This album is dedicated to the love of my life, Sophia L. Gokey. I miss you and I can’t wait to see you again in Heaven.”

And if I had another 20 seconds, I’d tell you to GO BUY HIS CD! Check it out on iTunes, Amazon and your local stores.

Nervous and Excited

March 1, 2010 by Amy 1 Comment

Suze Orman – I’m taping a segment this morning for her Can I Afford It? segment. I’m excited but nervous. Especially that I won’t get all the details out. Or that I’ll get bogged down by the details.

Taxes – Going to get our taxes done after that. Nervous that we’ll owe the government. Excited that we might get some back.

Kaitlin – My friend (and fellow fan-girl) Kaitlin from Boston that helps me on some of my web sites is staying with us tonight on her way to Florida. So excited to spend time with her. There’s like .01% of me that’s nervous that it will be awkward.

Needless to say I couldn’t get to sleep last night and my stomach is going crazy this morning. It’s a nerve-wracking but exciting day!

American Idol Top 24 – Guys

February 24, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

OK, now that I’ve heard all 24 I can say without a doubt this may be the worst Top 24 in quite some time. I don’t know if the sound is just so bad on our end or the nerves are really getting to these guys or the talent is just lacking but SOMEthing is up. This has got to get better soon or we’re in for a very painful season. Also, I’m not jiving with most of the judges. Simon and I agreed a few times but wow, I just felt like we were out of sync with what the judges were hearing.

Again, here are my Tweets with more extraneous commentary 🙂

Andrew, you are just amazing. You are a star already. He was a prime example of the judges vs. viewers opinions. They all gave him a really hard time and most of what I saw on Twitter really had his back. I loved the song and loved him singing it.

CASEYYYYY!!! I <3 YOU! The judges were out. of. control. I really felt bad for him at the first of the song trying to ignore Kara’s antics. But he really, really pulled through. Loved the song. It was perfect for what all the women who were already swooning wanted to hear. And the guys can’t say anything because he has the chops to back it up. I could easily see him as one of the finalists.

Alex – awkward performance. no thanks Apparently this guy has sung at like 3 coffee shops. He basically has no clue what to do on a huge stage with 30 million people watching. I mean, it’s nerve-wracking for anyone, but I think Alex might have taken it the worst.

Mike…you are ruining a great song I really, really like Maroon 5 and I think he completely ruined the vibe of the song. He kept bouncing his shoulders and was way too bubbly with it. Did he even listen to the lyrics? I mean, if you REALLY listen to them, it’s probably not even appropriate for the Idol stage.

John – didn’t enjoy it. almost muted it. I agreed with Simon here…his emotions for the song did not come across at all.

Lee! Wow, where’d he come from? Loved that. Great song choice for me. Another one where the judges and I didn’t agree. I enjoyed him. He seems like a really cool, down-to-earth guy that has a really good voice. Definitely like his vibe.

Tyler *clap**clap**clap**clap**clap**clap**clap**clap* not perfect, but the ladies are going to like that *ahem* Ok, thinking back his voice wasn’t great. But the guy is at least comfortable on stage. And they didn’t have a problem with Adam Lambert not being “real” and becoming a persona on stage…not that I’m comparing Tyler and Adam, just sayin’, same kind of principle.

Wow, I liked Joe much more than I thought. He seemed nervous to me, not comfortable. I like his smile! I liked his voice but nerves!

Tim – i’m even more mad that Golightly isn’t up there now. What was that?? It really was just horrendous. So out of his league.

Jermaine -I think I just witnessed a murder. Not sure if it was the song or my ears though. I really thought I was going to like Jermaine. Really disappointed. Especially with his “I’m not a diva-who’s Mike?” line.

Aaron – I think barring nerves that was a really good song choice for him. That song was written by @ChrisSligh – I love that song and I think it was a good fit for Aaron’s voice. Chris Sligh apparently thought he butchered it though. Hmmm.

Todrick – I agree with Ellen…chorus was weak. He’s comfortable on stage though! #idol I’m giving Todrick props for coming out of the gate with an upbeat, original song. The chorus was weak but overall kudos for trying. He’s obviously comfortable on stage and I think he needs to stick around for a while.

Wow, I feel like the mean old wicked witch of the west or something. Lots of negativity. But ya’ll. Wow. It was tough.

Best is easily Casey and Andrew

It’s hard to call who is in trouble just because it was so bad. I’m going to say Tim and Alex are in trouble.