Entry 11

Yo!

So... The Memorial Day weekend has come to a close, and tomorrow morning, we all go back to work, while right on the horizon ahead is the realization that SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED! (*cue majestic trumpet fanfare) ......Now, then: Hands down, one of the biggest talked-about things on the web this past week was Taylor Hicks' victory in American Idol 5 last Wednesday night. I don't want to bore you by going into a tirade about how Hicks looks old enough to even be Simon Cowell's dad (seriously, dude. Three words: JUST-FOR-MEN), or the striking character similarities of the top 6 this year to the characters from "The Breakfast Club." David Spade did a good enough job of pointing that out on The Showbiz Show the other week.

Instead, I'm going to take the high road, and offer an honest congratulations to "Mr. Soul-Patrol", as well as point out something else interesting about Idol: Again, I'm not going to say predictable crap here, like how the only real controversy on Idol is in Paula Abdul's pants (just ask Corey Clark). I just want one simple question answered: What happened to the African-American winners? Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino; what happened to 'em?
Last year's winner, Carrie Underwood, still has stuff going on now, as anyone who saw this year's CMT awards can tell you (I was just flipping past it while channel-surfing that night, I swear. I can't stand country music), and Clarkson just came out with another album a couple months ago, but it seems like once the "velvet teddy-bear" and Fantasia won in 2003 and 2004, respectively, they had a lotta fame that summer, came out with their singles
and full albums later that year, and then when the next season started, you didn't see them any more, except for, of course, their pictures on the backdrop of the big wallpaper of the room the Idol auditions happen in, kinda like that wallpaper is the "Idol Hall-of-Fame", or something.

Wanna know what's even MORE hilarious? the other week, that Nickelodeon cartoon, "The Fairly OddParents" had a special episode directly parodying Idol, called (what else?) "Fairy Idol". I know, real original title. Anyway, near the end of that episode, the bad guy in that show, voiced by Norm MacDonald, of all people, did a duet song with the lip-synched voice (the voice was briefly dubbed into another show character) of... wait for it.... Fantasia's "Idol 3" finale rival, Diana DiGarmo. Even the runner-ups are keeping busy, but what about those two WINNERS?? Oh, Fox Network, you've got some esplainin' to do!!!!!! Bottom-line, if Idol 6 sees another Black winner next May, and that limelight happens to last shorter than Evan Marriott's celebrity status (he was "Joe Millionaire" #1, remember? Of course you don't), it's this teenager's opinion that it'll be time to start doing a letter-writing campaign for "Nightline" or "48 Hours" to do a news expose on something viewers under the age of 25 can care about wholeheartedly for more than 15 minutes. .........But that's just me. Later!

-D.

P.S. Oh, by the way, if you happen to be one of those cartoon viewers like me who would really hate it if Pokemon went permanently off the air, show your support for the franchise by watching the spin-off show, "Pokemon Chronicles" (yes, it's airing stateside now), which premieres by kicking off Toonami this Saturday, June 3 at 7pm on Cartoon Network (Great scheduling move, CN. "DuelMasters" WAS getting tiring). Maybe if Chronicles gets decent enough ratings here, it'll motivate CN to pick up season 9 of the original show in the fall, regardless of how out-of-place-sounding the new voices are. Maybe the WB--- oops, I mean, the CW's fall schedule loss can be CN's gain....... One can only hope.....