Hiking Encounters: The Good, the Bad and the Painful . . .

Well, this post was destined to be written as I have been doing more local training hikes lately.  You know, there was a time when I would see a warning sign about let's say a rattler and although I don't ignore these warnings, there's a part of me that has this "yeah right" attitude . . .

. . . until, of course, I actually encountered a live rattler slithering his way across the trail I was on. Yikes!

So, the moral of this story is this . . . as in life . . . go out, hang with friends and other (two or four legged) hikers, enjoy nature and get your groove and exercise on.  But also be careful out there . . . especially of any unsuspecting cacti bushes.   :)

PhotoHunt: Mostly Black

The Highland Cows (Wikipedia)  were introduced to me by fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, AnnieNC (Churches in Venice), right before my trip to Scotland in 2009.  Here's a great and very funny post that she wrote on her blog about these wonderful animals.  Ever since then I have been fascinated with them. 

So needless to say while I was visiting the Highlands in Scotland, I took tons of photos.  And since they hardly move while grazing, they are perfect photo subjects.  Most of them are this beautiful caramel color but in a group of them I found in a field near my hotel in Arisaig, I found this beautiful black highland cow and he had no problems posing for me. 

His caramel colored buddy on the other hand was not as cooperative as you'll see in this short video: :)

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American Idol: Season 10's Top 24! Let's Get it On . . .

Tonight was sheer torture watching Idol take two hours to say what could have been said in one. But hey that's show biz.  The good news is that J-Lo seemed to have recovered from her crying episode after having to tell fan favorite, Chris Medina, that he did not make it to the top 24. 

As each contestant takes that long walk to hear their fate from the judges, short clips of their journey including their latest solo performances are shown.  Kudos to all of these young contestants for their passion and for going through such an emotional roller coaster in this competition.  I only wish the best for all of them in their future musical endeavors.  

In pure Idol fashion they reveal the final two spots by having it come down to choosing between some early fan favorites.  Thia Megia/Jessica Cunningham for the girls and Brett Loewenstern/Jacee Badeaux/Colton Dixon for the guys. 

 

But in the end, there lies a beginning and so with no further ado here are the top 24 Contestants to perform live for our votes on American Idol 2011. Whoo Hoo!

Here are the top 12 female contestants: 

Ashthon Jones 24 years old Home: Nashville, TN Audition: Nashville
Naima Adedapo 25 years old Home: Milwaukee, WI Audition:
Haley Reinhart 18 years old Home: Milwaukee, WI Audition: Milwaukee
Karen Rodriguez 21 years old Home: New York, NY Audition: MySpace
Tatynisa Wilson 20 years old Home: Aurora, IL Audition: Milwaukee
Julie Zorrilla 19 years old Home: Los Angeles, CA Audition: San Francisco
Lauren Turner 24 years old Home: Slidell, LA Audition: New Orleans
Rachel Zevita 21 years old Home: New York, NY Audition: New Jersey
Kendra Campbell 21 years old Home: Nashville, TN Audition: Nashville
Lauren Alaina 15 years old Home: Rossville, GA Audition: Nashville
Pia Toscano 21 yeas old Home: Queens, NY Audition: New Jersey
Thia Megia 15 years old Home:  Mountain House, CA  Audition: Milwaukee

And here are the top 12 male contestants:

Paul McDonald 25 years old Home: Huntsville, AL Audition: Nashville
Clint Jun Gamboa 26 years old Home: Long Beach, CA Audition: San Francisco
Robbie Rosen 16 years old Home: Merrick, Long Island, NY Audition: New Jersey
Tim Halperin 23 years old Home: Fort Worth, TX Audition: MySpace
Scotty McCreery 16 years old Home: Garner, NC Audition: Milwaukee
Jovany Barreto 22 years old Home: Harvey, LA Audition: New Orleans
Jordan Dorsey 21 years old Home: Laplace, LA Audition: New Orleans
Stefano Langone 21 years old Home: Kent, WA Audition: San Francisco
Jacob Lusk 23 years old Home: Compton, CA Audition: Los Angelex
James Durbin 21 years old Home: Santa Cruz, CA Audition: San Francisco
Casey Abrams 19 years old Home: Idyllwild, CA Audition: Austin
Brett Loewenstern 16 years old Home: Boca Raton, FL Audition: New Orleans

I was of course very sad to see Jacee leave the competition and I really hope that he returns next year. 

So do I have my favorites already?  Well, yes I do . . . I really really like Casey Abrams & Paul McDonald and for the girls I continue to like Naime Adedapo, Julie Zorrilla and Lauren Aliana .   And although they weren't one of my early favorites, I'm beginning to like Tim Halperin, Jacob Lusk, Thia Megia and Tia Toscano.  This should be a really fun and entertaining Season and I can't wait for next week's first live performances.  Good luck Idols!

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: On the Road to Vegas and the top 24 . . .

Tonight was a roller coaster of emotions with tears of joy and tears of heartbreak.  And it's not just coming from the contestants.  In the first hour, the contestants are "bussed" to Las Vegas where they must perform a Beatles Song as part of a duo or trio.  There were a couple of stand out performances by duo Pia Toscano and Karen Rodriguez singing "Can't Buy Me Love" and from duo Paul McDonald (a Kenny Loggins sound alike) and Kendra Campbell singing a Beatle's song I'm not familiar with called "Blackbird".

After Las Vegas,some early favorites were cut such as Melinda Ademi, White House Intern Molly DeWolf, Newlywed Ashly Sullivan (there goes her 15 minutes) and that other guy, Carson Higgins.  The next cuts came in Los Angeles where each contestant were given one last chance to shine in a solo performance before the judges.  Other favorites were cut such as Hollie Cavanagh, Deandre Brackensick and the hardest cut for me came when Chris Medina was told that he didn't make it.  I thought the clip they showed on his solo performance was good so without having the benefit of seeing the other performances it's hard to know what the judges saw to make this decision.  But even so, I think it was very hard to watch Chris Medina's heartfelt journey come to an end especially knowing how much it meant to him and to his fiance, Juliana. 

But on a more positive note, Naima Adedapo made it and joining her in the top 24 include Ashthon Jones, Clint Jun Gamboa (he's got a lot to prove to the fans), Haley Reinhart, and Paul McDonald. 

Congrats to these top five who made it through and all the best to those who didn't make it to the top 24 at least for this season.  Tomorrow's show will give us the remaining 19 contestants and then next week AI moves on to the live performances where Idol fans will finally get to vote for their favorites. Yay!

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PhotoHunt: Silhouette

The Silhouette of beautiful palazzos, gondolas and boats set against the backdrop of the most spectacular sunset!  And now I'm craving a nice glass (or two) of prosecco! :)



On the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy!

See more PhotoHunters HERE!

American Idol: In Round 3, some contestants leave it all on stage . . .

In my previous Recap, I said that Jordan Dorsey, James Durbin and Clint Jun Gamboa were no longer on my favorites list based not upon their talent but from what the editors of American Idol showed us. It was pretty unfair of me to place that kind of judgement on these contestants especially during this part of the competition.  Thanks Annie for your comments.  You reminded me about how grueling group rounds can be. I think in the heat of competition and with the added stress of group dynamics, imperfections can sometimes surface.  But Jacee got through the dreaded group rounds and last night's solo performance. Yay.

Here's a couple of highlights from last night's solo performances (Round 3):

Jacob Lusk, one of last night's highlights, pulls out all the stops for his version of God Bless the Child.  Some people just got it. And Jacob has it and then some.

Casey Abrams who introduced us to melodica in his audition in Austin shows us just how multi talented he really is by bringing in an Idol first Stand up bass.  He delivers a unique and very entertaining performance of Georgia on my Mind. Loved it and love him!

Other idols showing their musical as well as vocal talents include:  Julie Zorilla, Caleb Hawley, Colton Dixon, Brett Loewenstern and Robbie Rosen.  John Wayne Schulz also shows his musical talents with his guitar and sings a country version of Fleetwood Mac's Landslide.  He doesn't have the vocal fireworks of some of the other performers but what he does have is equally talented. He could be a dark horse in this competition.

Among those moving on are:  Haley Reinhart, Caleb Hawley, Colton Dixon, Robbie Rosen, Ashthon Jones, Thia Magia, Jacee Badeaux, Chris Medina, Casrson Higgins, Brett Loewenstern, Deandre Brackensick, Julie Zorilla,  Naima Adedapo, Hollie Canavaugh, James Durbin, Clint Jun Gamboa and although they forgot some of their lyrics during their performance, Scotty McCreary and Ashley Sullivan make it through.   You can see the complete list HERE.

Next week it's off to Viva Las Vegas where the idols will be asked to perform a Beatles Song. I can't wait to see what some of my favorites will do and I especially can't wait to see what Casey Abrams will do and what new instrument he'll maybe play for us.

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: A group of Minors provide a Champion like performance . . .

Last night was Group Rounds in Hollywood and each contestant had to break out into their self chosen groups for their next performance before the judges.  All groups had to consist of at least one member from Group 1 and Group 2 auditions. 

For some contestants group round was more of a challenge than for others and aside from their singing talent I think we begin to get a glimpse of a contestant's character and likability. I had a few unpleasant surprises from a few of  my favorites, namely James Durbin, Jordan Dorsey and Clint Jun Gamboa. They are all through to the next round but they are no longer on my favorites list. On the other hand, all the members in Sugar Mamas and the Minors are all on my new favorites list.

We also saw some contestants for the first time like Jacob Lusk who a capella'd his way into the next round,  Deandre Brackensick who has such an amazing voice, it made J-Lo swoon, and from the Four Non Blondes and that Guy group, Carson Higgins, who I don't remember from the Los Angeles Auditions,  is so much fun to watch, I want him to go through just to see what he'll do next. Other favorites who made it through:  Naima Adedapo, Julie Zorrilla, Brett Loewenstern, Chris Medina, Lauren Aliana.  And my favorites who got cut:  Emily Ann Reed and Paris Tassin.

And the tear jerker for the evening for me was what happened with Jacee Badeuax.  An original member of the Guaps, he was booted off because contestant Clint Jun Gamboa thought a 5th member was one too many and so at 2:30 am in the morning 15 year old Jacee was left to find another group willing to take him.  Enter Brett Lowesenstern's  Sugar Mamas.   With very little time, Jacee had to learn his new group's song.  During his performance he forgot the lyrics and charmingly made up his own lyrics without skipping a beat.  Kudos to Jacee for not giving up on himself and Kudos to the Sugar Mamas for taking him in.  Scotty McCreery who also moved on along with all members of Jacee's original group the Guaps was the only member to speak up about what happened with Jacee and his personal regret for not sticking up for him. Kudos to him.  Now I know it's a singing competition and all but as Tiffany Rios found out, it can also be about character. 

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PhotoHunt: Education

According to Wikipedia, "Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual."  You might say that Traveling to see and experience the world is a fabulous form of education.  And by far, the best education I've had on how to Travel and get the best out of my experiences has been from my fellow Slow Travelers, my blogging friends and my favorite website . . .

. . . which is moderated by a group of passionate and knowledgeable travelers and which was founded by Pauline Kenny who currently runs a wonderful website called . . .

When it started to snow in Amsterdam this last November, I ran out of my apartment to take photos.  It was so beautiful and I was so happy to be there that I thought about who and what got me to that point.

And from beautiful Berlin, Germany, a very huge thank you for giving me the best education about the world around me from yours truly . . . .

My apologies for misspelling Berlin, but it was freezing. :)

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American Idol: Finding the final 12 in Hollywood . . .

Last night, 159 contestants who received their Golden Ticket to Hollywood went home packing while 168 get to move on to the group round. I'm always torn about this part of the whole Idol concept.  It's wonderful that the show helps to fulfill people's dreams, but it is also heartbreaking to see contestants leave when it means so much to them.

Last night, I was so happy to see some of my early favorites move on like 15 year old Lauren Alaina who sang Unchained Melody and Jacee Badeaux who drew applause from his fellow contestants, singing Bless the Broken Road.

Although he wasn't on my top 12 list, I'm really beginning to like the picked on teen, Brett Loewenstern ,who opened up last night's show with a great performance of the Beatle's Let it Be.

Other notables sailing through include: Chris Medina, Clint Gamboa, Julie Zorrilla, Naima Adedapo, Molly DeWolf Swenson, Emily Anne Reed, Stefano Langone, Rob Bolin, Scotty McCreery, Jackie Wilson, Jerome Bell, Ashley Sullivan, Thia Megia, Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Paris Tassin, Robbie Rosen, Hollie Cavanaugh  and both Gutierrez brothers.

And with the elimination of Nick Fink, one half of the Idol Power Couple, the other being Jacqueline Dunford who will be moving on to group round, can it be that the two ex's Rob Bolin and Chelsee Oaks might get back together again and become the new Idol Power Couple.  He's clearly still in love with her . . . so stay tuned as the soap opera continues.

Some real surprises and not so much surprises.  Tiffany Rios opened up her performance by saying "I'm going to be honest: I'm tired of seeing people try to do what I know I can."  With that opening line, she won't be winning any Congeniality award in this competition and if she moves on (which I think is a slim chance), I'm pretty sure she won't win the hearts of Idol fans watching.   Sadly, one of my favorites, Travis Orlando, the humble and talented contestant from Bronx, New York gets cut.  I felt really bad for him.  Others that didn't make it:  Accountant, Steven Beghun, Beauty pageant queen, Stormy Henley and perky teen, Victoria Huggins.

Best highlight from last night's show was when Chris Medina walked out on stage and Steven Tyler asked how Julie (Juliana) was?  You could tell that Chris was very touched by Steven asking and so was I.  I'm really pulling for Chris and Juliana to go far in this competition. 

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: The City by the Bay delivers . . .

Unlike it's crazy and delusional LA sister to the south, the City of San Francisco delivers on the talent in last night's auditions. James Durbin who is diagnosed with Tourette and Asperger's Syndrome lost his musician father to a drug overdose when he was 9 years old and was raised by his mom along with his other sibling.  He has a young baby boy himself and is struggling day to day to make ends meet. You can't help but root for him just based on his storyline itself.  But on a show that opened up with last year's Star San Francisco contestant, Adam Lambert, James also delivered with a great performance of Led Zeppelin's You Shook Me.  I'm really hoping he goes far in this competition!

Emily Anne Reed, who's house burned down recently, sang "You're Getting to Be a Habit with me" which I had never heard of before and with a voice and a Frank Sinatra like old school style.  Steven Tlyer said no, Randy said yes and J-Lo was a hesitant turned positive yes.  I actually really liked her because she is so different and unique.

And the big fashion appearance for the night came from Julie Zorrilla for her cool and shiny shoes.  Her family fled from Columbia years ago to escape the ongoing war and have made a life for themselves here in the United States.  I thought she had a good voice on top of good fashion sense.  And finally, Clint Jun Gamboa, a Karaoke DJ host from Long Beach wows the judges with his performance of McCoy and Bruno Mars' Billionaire.

And creative props go to Drew Beaumier who dressed up in a Transformers suit. Not a great singing performance but I thought the outfit was very cool and it definitely surpassed Austin's 7 foot Armadillo as far as costumes go for this season. :)

So that's a wrap on American Idol's Season 10 Auditions and we are off to Hollywood to get it down to the top 12 contestants.  It's tough to choose among the many great singers that made it through the auditions, but based upon the ones who received "air" time, here are my top 12 pics . . .

Lauren Alaina
Naima Adedapo
James Durbin
Jacee Badeuax
Chris Medina
Jordan Dorsey
Travis Orlando
Melinda Ademi
Paris Tassin
Clint Jun Gamboa
Julie Zorrilla
Emily Anne Reed

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PhotoHunt: Fashion

"You are making 2 1/2 feet of irresistible, tubular, SEX!"  ~ Kinky Boots Movie

I'm not sure that these boots would qualify as being Fashion Runway worthy, but I found them a fun subject to photograph while I was exploring a cool Flea Market in Amsterdam.   (Check out the price tag, Yikes)

Thanks so much to fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, Sandra (A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with Too Much Luggage), for introducing me to Kinky Boots.  This movie is so memorable to me, I immediately thought of it when I saw these hanging in one of the stalls.  :)

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American Idol: Los Angeles gives us bupkis . . .

Delusional and Crazy was a perfect way to describe the contestants in last night's auditions.  LA was a huge disappointment for me and in some strange way I'm almost not so surprised.  Other than the Gutierrez brothers and Karen Rodriguez it's looking a lot like the next American Idol won't be coming from the LA auditions group.

Okay, I have to admit that watching microphone girl, Tynisha Roches, chasing Randy Jackson around the auditions room while singing was hilarious in a delusional and crazy kind of way.  Ow!   He, he!

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .