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Because Laramie needs a party on wheels:

A Taste of Colombia Rolls Through New York’s Streets - New York Times

Both of these musicians are indescribably fantastic. Put them together and I don't have words to say how amazing they are. This duet is second only Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand singing "Get Happy/Happy Days are Here Again." *sigh of contentment*

This makes me incredibly happy.

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American Idol is carrying the mantel of the variety show proudly. Adding in ever-popular "audience participation" it is the only one of its kind to make it big in our cynical, media saturated country today. Call it "variety show 2.0" or something. Still, it hails from a mighty tradition, so don't knock it if you haven't tried it. [And please ignore the Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey specials from a year ago. I did. They are doing an interesting re-living of Sonny and Cher, though, aren't they?]

Please do not throw stones, but I kept watching AI after Chris got booted. I did not cry, rend my clothing, or tear out my hair. In fact, my full emotional reaction was "meh."

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's show. There were no performances that I had to grit my teeth through, no moments when I wished that one could fast-forward live television, no strong wishes that the contestant singing would grasp the right note . . .

Elliott Yamin did a credible job tonight. He really does have a great R&B voice. I still wish he didn't embroider his songs quite so much (sometimes singing just one note can be impressive too, Elliott). Still, he's a sensitive singer and truly seems to be a great guy. The best song for him tonight was the song he chose for himself—"I Believe To My Soul." Paula seemed to "get" his talents as an artist better than Clive did, as it related to song choice, but she was close without being quite on target. Elliott has grown so much as a performer over the course of the show and has constantly raised the bar for the other singers, keeping almost everyone away from the temptation to coast.

Taylor Hicks also did a consistently great job tonight. I've loved him from the beginning and have voted for him nearly every week. He's distinctly different from anyone else popular in music today, and that makes me happy. Unfortunately, none of his performances tonight were his best so far in the competition. And I wish he hadn't had to sing "You Are So Beautiful." He did it the best the song can be done, reigned it in beautifully, but I just think it's a boring song. Still, I really hope he makes it into the final two, since he is unique, has a voice and performing style that I love, and he has delivered superior performances throughout the competition.

But the woman of the night was Katharine McPhee. Her first performance: meh. But her last two were fantastic, with Katharine McPhee singing "Over The Rainbow" making the list of the top 5 or so performances in American Idol history. Seriously. And my top artist is Judy Garland. I have earned my "Over the Rainbow" credentials. I hope other people are gushing over the economy of the arrangement and staging, because it's something that AI should remember (rather than orchestrating the heck out of everything and doing weird-ass arrangements).

Note to the judges: judge the singer, not the song, especially if *they didn't pick* the song.

I think that the final two will be Taylor and Kat. I love Elliott, he just didn't generate anything that transcended Kat or Taylor tonight. If he had pulled something like Katharine McPhee's "Over The Rainbow" or Fantasia Barrino's "Summertime" or Bo Bice's "In a Dream" he and Kat would be in a dead heat. Neither of them has the momentum or the Soul Patrol of Taylor. But we'll see after Wednesday night. And all of them are going to have albums, anyway. We just get to pick which one comes out first.

I haven't reconstructed my library from its pre-harddrive-crash glory, but this survey was just too fun to pass up.

Sort by song title:
-First Song: The Roots - !!!!!!!
-Last Song: Warren Ceasar - Zydeco Shuffle

Sort by time:
-Shortest Song: Weebl - yarr (0.731 sec)
-Longest Song: Pilchard - Pilcharddiscomix (30:18)

Sort by album:
-First Song: ¡Cubanismo! - Mambo UK
-Last Song: Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot

Top 10 Most Played Songs:
1. A.O.S. - History Repeats Itself
2. Portishead - Western Eyes
3. Judy Garland - The Man That Got Away
4. +4DB - Rook
5. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
6. Stephen Sondheim - Every Day a Little Death (sung by Patricia Elliott & Victoria Mallory)
7. Branford Marsalis - Berta, Berta
8. Tom McRae - Sao Paulo Rain
9. K's Choice - Virgin State of Mind
10. Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros - Mondo Bongo

First five songs that come up on Shuffle:
1. Anonymous 4 - Stabat iuxta Christi crucem (The Lily & the Lamb)
2. Eminem - White America
3. Taku Iwasaki - Quiet Life -pf solo version-
4. Smash Mouth - Flo
5. Monty Python - Ben

Search...
"Sex", How many songs come up?: 45
"Love", How many songs come up?: 757
"You", How many songs come up?: 1243
"Death", How many songs come up?: 78
"Hate", How many songs come up?: 77
"Wish" How many songs come up?: 44

And the grand total: 13,715 items, 36.3 days, 56.05 GB

Is "indie" rock the new "alternative" rock? People these days are throwing around "indie" as a genre term, rather than as a description of a band's non-affiliation with a major record label. Combine that with the fact that what's labeled "indie" was formerly shelved in the "alternative" section and I'm just confused.

Chuck Norris is ranked 12th in the AP college football poll. He would be ranked first if he cared about football.