Reader Shares Duct Tape Sighting!

Rebecca in Oklahoma captured a picture of a duct tape moment. Mark is 14 and attends church with Rebecca. This clever young man fashioned a cowboy hat, wallet, and calendar cover from duct tape (Duck Brand!). Mark proudly modeled them after service recently. He even created a driftwood six-shooter! Innovative, I'd say.

American Idol Miscellany

1. We had an impressive total of 20 comments on the original blog announcing Kaitlin Johnson made it to the Hollywood AI competition.
   
2. There have also been additional comments along the way as details were reported in other posts.
   
3. American Idol pulled more viewers than the Olympics. AI also beat out the Grammys for most viewers.
   
4. An Austin news blog claims AI Austin auditions actually took place in San Francisco because judges couldn’t get to Austin as a result of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina evacuees.
   
5. Practicing Christians have been on AI before, including Baptist worship leader Jeff Johnson in 2005. And several former Idol winners have connections to Gospel music.

American Idol Finale for Kaitlin Johnson

Source: Fox's American Idol web site


















The top 24 American Idol (AI) contestants have been selected, and it’s clear that Kaitlin Johnson is not among the final 12 ladies in the competition.

Fans only got a quick glimpse of Kaitlin celebrating in Austin after making it through the initial audition, as well as short miscellaneous shots around the set over the last few episodes. Footage of her performing was never shown, but as many readers have commented, she was clearly recognizable from the first audition.

National Attention
Several blogs and forums have discovered Kaitlin, ranging from generic Idol-tracking blogs to forums for former Pentecostals. Unfortunately, many don't understand the A/P Movement and have harsh commentary. What we do know is that the A/P community was represented in the country’s hottest talent competition, and opinions aside, that is a moment worth taking note. Stay tuned as more information becomes available.

Pictures
In the meantime, here are links to pictures:

http://www.idolonfox.com/photos/?cat=1&sub=19&pic=7809

http://www.idolonfox.com/photos/?cat=1&sub=19&pic=7821

http://www.idolonfox.com/photos/?cat=1&sub=19&pic=7827

http://www.idolonfox.com/photos/?cat=1&sub=19&pic=7854

Final 24 on American Idol

Source: FOX's American Idol web site


















Tonight Hollywood Round 2 concludes. From the American Idol web site:

"After watching tens and tens of thousands of people, from all walks of life, audition, we have come down to this. Paula, Randy and Simon will select the top 24 contestants tonight at 8/7c only on FOX!"

Curiousity builds among the A/P community as there has been no coverage of Kaitlin Johnson singing up to this point. Tonight could be the opportunity to see that footage as this critical round draws to a close.

The Latest from New Orleans

The Exciting Life and Times of a Traveling Saleswoman (Minus the Sales Part)
Turns out I had a fantastic Valentine’s Day, thank you very much. I was in New Orleans (by the way, it’s pronounced Nyou Oilins, not N’awlins) for work. My coworker and I pulled off a great presentation, and I felt pretty good about that. And to top it off, we were taken to the famous Drago’s Restaurant (pronounced drah-go’s, not dray-go’s). Drago’s is where charbroiled oysters originated, now a semi-delicacy copied by other oyster bars. And I must say they were incredibly delicious. As I enjoyed the exquisite food, I simply chalked Feb 14 up to a good day to have grilled oysters.

At Home on the Road
I realized today I’ve been spending too much time in the Crescent City because I caught myself saying:

1. “I axed her a question…” Metry (Metairie) folks don’t ask, they axe. I’m becoming one of them.
2. “You welcome.” People from “the parish” drop the “r” in you’re welcome and emphasize each syllable. This is one of those moments where I wish I could tape record some conversation and play it for you because I can’t possibly diagram the pronunciation.

Life after the Storm
My coworker hadn’t seen New Orleans since Katrina, so I took her through the area flooded by the 17th Street canal. If I didn’t feel that it seemed so exploitive, I would take more people down there, because you can’t understand the dilemma New Orleans and Louisiana is in until you’ve witnessed the devastation firsthand. (I just have a problem with the tour van that passed us complete with microphoned driver giving the $30/per person(?) tour.)

Anyway, I’ve been to the area three times now, and each time is heart-wrenching. I am glad to say that this time (six months after the storm, mind you), I did notice some progress. I saw a power truck, so maybe in the next few months, electric service may be returned to the area. Demolition crews were starting to tear down some of the condemned homes, and sad as it sounds, it was good to see that first step is underway. Burger King is still advertising $10/hour jobs on their marquis. But it seemed like more restaurants were open since last time, so perhaps people are starting to return to the area.

Mardi Gras Mambo
Katrina certainly couldn’t stamp out Mardi Gras. Bleachers were already up in the neutral ground (median) on Veterans Blvd. I will be seeing purple, gold, and green in my sleep for a week from all the gaudy decorations in the hotel lobby and practically everywhere you looked in any restaurant or shop.

New from Lake Weauxbegone
Back home, the big news at choir tonight was the opening of the Taco Bell in Walker. Word is that several kids from the high school camped out in their cars in the drive thru line all night so as to be the first served. I’m not in the least surprised because a few years ago my classmates fought over the prestigious honor of being customer #1 the morning MacDonald’s opened. No word yet on who won the Taco Bell competition, but I’m sure my Dad will find out for me if a Dominic’s barber shop trip is on his agenda any time soon. And that’s the news from the homefront where pick-ups still have gun racks and oysters are in season.

Valentine’s Day

This week brings much fun to happy couples and the happily interested everywhere as the ritualistic celebration of St. Valentine is enacted. For those of you out there spinning your records backwards and watching Disney cartoons in slow mo to find the antichrist, I’ll save you the trouble on this one. Though Valentine is named for a saint, the day is not overtly a Christian holiday. In fact, some even believe it is pagan in origin.

The Ghosts of Valentines Past
The history behind Valentine’s Day is very enigmatic. Catholic history reveals three separate martyred saints for whom St. Valentine could be named. There are various legends, all pointing to St. Valentine as a romantic acting heroically in the name of love.

The Here and Now
In direct proportion to the haves and have-nots, today we have both Valentine’s Day revelers and Valentine’s Day protesters. Say what you will, but at least after reading this, you will not have an excuse to forget a gift for your Valentine.

Is Everyone Single?
But the truth is that not everyone has a Valentine. A friend sent an archived article titled “Why Aren’t Christians Dating?” The article writer really reaches no conclusion as to why Christians don’t date and are (apparently) happy single… or not unhappy enough to do anything about it. Well, at least then we’re all in this together, right?

Much as I hate to turn this into a cheesy ym dating quiz, I did run across an "Are You Better off Single?" quiz recently. If these interest you in the slightest, there are a lot more of those heartwarming “stay single” articles floating around, such as “6 Bad Reasons to Date”, “10 Dating Stats You Ought to Know”, and “Last One Single”. Boy howdy, isn’t that encouraging. All these stats could almost lead one to believe dating is an incorrigible human instinct that we, through much psychotherapy, should try to overcome.

Top Ten Things for Single People to Do on Valentine’s Day
Well for better or worse, there are many singles on Valentine’s Day (aka the day couples try to exert their supremacy over the rest of the herd). In light of that fact, suggestions for single folk today abound. Not to be outdone, I’ve compiled a list of my own suggestions for alternatives to V-Day:

1. Dress in black and send condolence cards to all non-single friends.
2. Go on a search for weapons of mass destruction.... Oh wait, that’s already been done.
3. Create a valentine card for yourself out of duct tape. Extra points if you use spray paint.
4. Host your own personal Easter Egg hunt. Invite the Superbowl refs to officiate so you are sure to win.
5. Tell yourself you will start on your taxes… and then laugh uncontrollably.
6. Roll the youth pastor’s house for the 813th time.
7. Clean up the youth pastor’s house for the 813th time.
8. Hit the clearance bin and stock up on shower gifts while thinking of new descriptive words for the next time someone at church has a baby.
9. Dress in all green and go around pinching people. If anyone dares to suggest you’ve crossed your holidays, look at them disbelievingly and ask where's their Christmas spirit.
10. Buy yourself some chocolates and see if you can prove wrong that “you can’t drink an entire gallon of milk in a single hour” fact.

As always, you can report on your success by e-mailing me. Happy Valentine's Day!

Big Weekend for the White House

Mic Check
In a bit of a communication mishap, the press eavesdropped on President Bush Friday. Microphones were left on for a closed door meeting between President Bush and lawmakers about his domestic spying policy, of all things. So even though the press had been ushered out of the meeting, they still heard the President’s opening comments. The President was, however, consistent, and the comments are reported to have been no different than his public statements.

Sorry ’Bout That
In a bit of a hunting mishap, Vice President Cheney shot a Washington attorney while on a quail shoot Saturday. The ranch owner explained it best:

"The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good. It knocked him silly. But he was fine."

I can’t make this stuff up, folks. It’s all true. And what a time late night shows will have with it.