TV-"American Idol" 08-the Miami and Omaha tryouts;"Dance Wars 08" first elimination; Book Review-"The Michigan Murders"

American Idol 2008 went to Miami and Omaha. We've got great pic montages and a video remix of all the promising candidates.

Dance Wars 08 loses the first contender and those two were so bad you just have to see the video.

Plus a book review "The Michigan Murders" by Edward Keyes. The young man was an all-American type of fellow beloved by his family.

But he was a vicious murderer and his mother was so proud of him.

Pic of the Day

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”American Idol” 2008 Goes to Omaha and Miami

Before we continue, here’s a smirk. I am a bit of a talk radio freak although, heh, check out this Blog, I like televised reality shows and thanks to the miracle of DVR, I can do both!

So there’s this radio talk show guy, replaced Drudge on Sunday nights and I really like him. Last night he’s on the radio all upset over John McCain, as am I folks, and lambasting the silly American public all busy watching “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars” and paying no attention to the presidential campaign.

Someone needs to tell this fellow that hey, we can walk and chew gum at the same time out here in la-la land. I am a fervent fan of “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars” and duh, there’s no more dedicated political junkee than my own wise self, not that I’m especially proud of my obsessions. Everyone should have their own special list of obsessions is how I see it.

Anyhow, what with the Super Bowl (what a game…wow…hey, on occasion I watch football too!), all the primaries and what-not, pretty much no one’s paying attention to “American Idol” 2008. Thus I remain out here, watching that lying John McCain steal the Republican nomination whilst also keeping up with the candidates for the next “American Idol” and just for good measure, checking in on the Super Bowl.

There was nothing spectacular about the AI team’s visit to Omaha or Miami but yon ladies and gems, below some pic montages and below this, a video remix of the best of the candidates from both cities.







Prior Links to Posts for "American Idol" 2008
======================
Premiere Show 2008-Philly and Dallas
San Diego and Charleston
Miami and Omaha Tryouts AI2008

A Grammy Reminder

Musicians Can Submit An Instrumental Performance Online At YOUTUBE.com.

For A Chance To Perform With GRAMMY-Nominated Foo Fighters In A Special Segment On Music's Biggest Night™

Fans To Vote Online and Via Text Messaging to Determine Who Will Be the Featured Instrumentalist

Following the successful "My GRAMMY® Moment" segment with Justin Timberlake on last year's telecast, The Recording Academy, CBS Interactive and YouTube will present the second installment: "My GRAMMY Moment" 2008 for THE 50th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS, scheduled to be broadcast live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 10 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

”Dance Wars” 2008

Even with the pressure of ever-monitoring the presidential race, the Super Bowl, and “American Idol” 2008, I still watch this rather unusual dance reality contest.

For the episode that aired on 1/28/08 had the first contender sent home. Bruno’s team lost that week’s show and Bruno had to eliminate one of his team.

Below, some pic montages and below this, a video remix of this episode. You gotta watch this remix because at the end there is featured two of the worst singers on the planet. Charity got the cut from Bruno.







"Dance War" 2008 Contenders
==========================
Bruno's team
============
Charity-b-sent home 1/28/08
Zack-b
Phillip-b
Lacey-b
Kelsey-b
Tony-b

Carrie Ann's Team
==================
Mariel-c
Allysa-c
Marquis-c
Chris=c
Bradley-c
Elizabeth-c
====================

Prior Links to Posts for "Dance War" 2008
======================
Premiere Show
Maxx and Corrina sent home
Begins America's Votes
Charity Sent Home 1/28/08
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Focus on TV Posts of Fame

Those Wacky TV Chefs. Includes Rachel Ray and the sexiest chef of them all.

TV News Pundits including Russert, spitting Matthews and the one I adore.

"Dancing with the Stars" of 2007, reviews, pics and videos.

American Idol 2007 and The Bachelor. One night's review with links to all the others.
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”The Michigan Murders” by Edward Keyes

Here’s a True Crime book written in 1976 and it was a bit of a time warp to read a story written so long before the advances in DNA and crime detection that makes investigating murders so much easier in this new century.

Seven women were murdered in Washtenaw county, Michigan, all in the vicinity of the University of Michigan. The perp’s name was James Armstrong and he was, like most serial killers, a fellow who looked as all-American as they come.

The book’s author was a collaborator in the famous book “The French Connection”. Thus while the book’s prose was accurate and properly punctuated, this was not a True Crime book with any “meat”.

Keyes did an okay job of detailing the investigation into the crimes, the trial, the legal stuff. I closed the book wishing I knew about James Armstrong, what made him tick, his family, his warped world.

This is the thing a True Crime writer SHOULD be doing. If I wanted to read a cut and dried tome about a crime and the subsequent investigation, I’d read “True Detective” for God’s sake.

Two words: Ann Rule.

OTHER TRUE CRIME BOOK REVIEWS
==============================
"WITNESS-Amber Frey's story."

She did the right thing in turning in the fine Scott Peterson.

Did anyone ever teach this woman the art of birth control?

"WITNESS-Amber Frey's story."
----------------------------------
"Tainted Roses"

So here you have it. A truly AWFUL true crime book that I'm bothering to write a review on that readers be warned.

A murderer, Paul Mack...alias Sean Lanier, meets up with a recently divorced woman, sweet talks her into romance and marriage, then is exposed on "America's Most Wanted" to his new wife's horror.

Guess who his wife was? Margie Danielsen.

That's right. The book is written by the "victim" of Sean Lanier and so far as I'm concerned, this woman is a certified idiot.

"Tainted Roses"
----------------------------------
The Summer Wind-George Anastasia

Anastasia is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and attended the trial of Capano. His perspective on the reporting is distant and less personal than Rule?s account. If someone held a gun to my head and only had one choice to read about the nefarious Thomas Capano, I'd suggest they go with the Rule version. Maybe it's a woman thing, but Rule always brings that female insight often lacking in the prose of male true-crime writers. Nonetheless, Anastasia did a fine job and his skill as a writer is quite evident.

The Summer Wind-George Anastasia
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"Fatal Analysis" by Dr. Martin Obler and Thomas Clavin

A Book Review of a true crime book "Final Analysis" by Dr. Martin Obler.

It's a good true crime story about a serial killer, his shrink and efforts to stop the killing.

Only thing, although proclaimed to be true, I didn't believe a word of Obler's psychobabble nonsense.

It's almost a sin to classify this book as non-fiction.

"Fatal Analysis" by Dr. Martin Obler and Thomas Clavin
----------------------------------
Shattered" by Debra Puglisi Sharp

Also, a Book Review of a book by an author that promised me an interview but she didn't deliver. I read the book anyway, here's the review but I don't think much of people making promises they don't keep.

She was held hostage by a crack-crazed nut for six days, hog-tied and repeatedly raped and tortured until she finally got to the phone to freedom.

It's a compelling book, this "Shattered" by Debra Puglisi Sharp.

Too bad she's not a woman of her word for all her heroism.

Shattered" by Debra Puglisi Sharp
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"Unspeakable Acts" by Jan Worthington

A True Crime Book Review of "Unspeakable Acts". This book is more accurately a tome. Half of it could have been deleted. For this tale of two hippie doctors eliciting tales of abuse in a daycare center in the hysteria of the mid-80's is almost entirely fiction.

This is a great study of how the Lamestream Media creates a story from thin air.

"Unspeakable Acts" by Jan Worthington
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"Missing Beauty"

A True Crime book review-"Missing Beauty" by Teresa Carpenter, tells the story of a very intelligent scientist who gets caught up in the world of prostitution, drugs...and murder.

"Missing Beauty"
----------------------------------
"Unfinished Murder" by James Neff

A book review, "Unfinished Murder" by James Neff. The book title is indicative of a True Crime that is considered by many to be a killing crime not quite complete. He's a serial rapist and this is a story of his life and how he got caught.

"Unfinished Murder" by James Neff
----------------------------------
2 BOOKS ON JONBENET RAMSEY-PERFECT MURDER, PERFECT TOWN-Lawrence Shiller, JONBENET BY DETECTIVE STEVE THOMAS

It was never my intention to become an expert on the Jonbenet Ramsey case, but given my complete and total absorption in the two books most recently read following the colon, I must say I'm pretty much up to snuff on all the players, suspects and victim: "Jonbenet" by Detective Steve Thomas; "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" by Lawrence Schiller.

2 BOOKS ON JONBENET RAMSEY
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"Evidence of Love" by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson

I could not put this book down.

For if ever there were two couples so very, very odd while appearing for all the world to be so perfectly normal, it would be the Montgomerys and the Gores of Collin County, Texas.

Then there was the Methodist church and the strange preachers combined with weirdly devoted parishioners and oddball church-sanctioned "marriage counseling" that added to the reader's perception that this book HAD to be fiction; surely churches and normal people don't behave like this.

"Evidence of Love" by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson
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"A Wife's Revenge" by Eric Francis

A rather unique book review here. We've got "A Wife's Revenge" by Eric Francis. Coincidentally as I read this book this story of Susan Wright was featured on CBS' "48 Hours".

Thus we have video of this book's subject, a pretty woman who killed her husband in a most heartless and horrific manner.

"A Wife's Revenge"