Earth Day, Idol and Blagojevich

I've been catching up on several things after a brief hospital stay and some recovery time, but hope to be Mindless again on a regular basis very soon. Until then here are some musings on Earth Day, Idol and Blagojevich.

NBC has announced a June 1 premiere date for its summer reality show, "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me out of Here." If the title sounds familiar, it's because it's a remake of a reality program that first appeared on ABC in 2003 that drops D-level celebs into the heart of the Costa Rican jungle for a month in a Survivor meets Big Brother like battle. D-level celebrities is being generous in nature to describe NBC's casting which includes Janice Dickinson, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Geraldo Rivera, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, and Sanjaya Malakar. Indicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had been contracted to participate in the show, but the US District Court judge who is presiding over Blagojevich's trial, yesterday denied his request to travel outside the U.S. for filming.

Is NBC's programming slide so bad under Jeff Zucker that this is what they consider entertainment for three prime time hours a week? I didn't think it could get worse then Celebrity Apprentice - but in can - even without Governor Blagojevich!

Speaking of the jungles of Costa Rica - today is Earth Day! I will be upfront and say that I haven't ever really paid much attention to being overtly "green." I mean I do use my recycle container to collect the cardboard and such the city of Nashville recycle program accommodates. I purchased the re-usable grocery bags at Kroger to use in place of plastic (though it seems I always forget them when I make my grocery run).But that is the extent of my regular "green" way of living.

I just don't understand why getting "green" and getting back to basics has to cost so much? I was buying some cleaning products the other day and had the intention of getting "green" - that was until I looked at the pricing. Similar items that were "green" in nature were more than $1 more expensive than the Windex, Lysol and Pledge "non-green" offerings. If you are eliminating the harsh chemicals and colorings and such, shouldn't the pricing go down? Isn't that the principle of reduction? Just doesn't make sense to me - oh and don't get me going on hybrid and other "green" cars and the retail costs they carry - I mean if the car is $15,000 more than the comparable vehicle, seems somebody's green gets wasted to save another green. So I ask, during these tough times, is it more important to save the "green" in your wallet or the green in the trees?

I haven't been as focused on American Idol this year as in season's prior. I am not blaming Kara DioGuardi, the new fourth judge, for my less-than devoted viewership, but there is a strange feel to the eighth season and do I really need all four judges to say that a contestant didn't "make the right song choice" and that they "need to be true to who they are as an artist."

The show does get props for what seems like the best group of vocalists to reach the top ten in the show's history. In past year's there have always been two or three members of the top ten that were propelled by being a "performer" or simply by their quirky nature instead of vocal ability. (Didn't I mention Sanjaya Malakar already in this posting?). It's enjoyable to see the vocal talent and range of this year's group.

The show's producers this season eliminated the six guy, six girl format for the big show that had been used in year's prior. This year the judges selected the top 12 (actually 13) performers regardless of gender. This left a disproportionate number of guys versus girls for the show, but a more overall talented group of vocalists.

The other major change in format will play out on tonight's results show. This year the judges were provided a one-time save option during the last 10 weeks. The option allows the judges to overturn a nationwide vote if they believed that America got it wrong - think back to the early goodbyes of Jennifer Hudson, Daughtry and others.

Last week, the judges exercised their one-time save on Matt Giraud, but in doing so, created a double elimination, where two will go home tonight.

Unfortunately for Matt (who is actually one of my top three favorites this season), the judges save may have only delayed the inevitable. Danny, Adam, Kris and Allison seem to be building their creativity and performance each week, clearly separating from the pack. Despite his performance of Stayin' Alive, don't be surprised if Matt winds up in the bottom three again with Lil and Anoop - two of whom will say goodbye.