Bye, Bye, A.I.

             Well, no more American Idol. I must admit I’ll miss it. It was my guilty pleasure, though we certainly had an on-again off-again relationship, AI and I. There were whole years when I didn’t watch at all. But who can forget Sanjiah, or the first time I ever heard Jennifer Hudson’s magnificent voice? I always came back like some demented homing pigeon, and I must say, for the most part I was never disappointed. It’s thrilling to watch a new talent, someone nobody has seen before, somebody who is obviously going to be a big star.I watched the finale last week and actually teared up a couple of times, and I bet I’m not the only one. They really went all-out, pushing nostalgia while they reminded us again and again that we would meet the last American Idol by the end of the two-hour extravaganza. Former contestants returned to help end it all: Fantasia, Taylor Hicks and the afore mentioned Jennifer Hudson, to name a few. All the old judges were there, including Simon The Terrible and even Paula Abdul. Did anyone else notice the look

J-Lo shot Paul A. when they all came out together? Ellen was conspicuous by her absence, I thought. Wonder where she was? See? I really got involved.

 There have been talent searches before, but something about this one was different. Its contemporary rivals, X Factor, America’s Got Talent and The Voice were all good, but all carbon copies of AI. Years ago we had Ted Mack, where Frank Sinatra got his start, and then there was Star Search, where Sam Harris’ career was launched. None was as good as American Idol. As a rational human being, I realize the world will not come to an end because a television show is over. As an American Idol fan, I’ll probably still spend time in the shower rehearsing whatever I would have sung if I could have tried out. At least for a while. 

#46

Uh-oh. A blog block. How can this happen? There’s so much going on right now, you’d think I could find a hundred things to write about. Okay, let’s see. Donald Trump? Already written about him. What more can I say? Hillary Clinton? No surprises there. She fights on. The whole election thing? I don’t have to tell you how crazy it is. You can see that for yourselves. How about snow in April? Once, when I lived in New York City, it snowed on May 9. I remember this particularly because I was doing a concert at the Village Gate that night and we’d hired horses and carriages to take us to the after-show party. We had to cancel them. So snow in April isn’t so bad, except that I have already planted my peas. I’m hoping the extra moisture will be good for them. I’ll let you know.

I’ve been working on a show, (costumes) for the Provincetown Theater, “The Dresser”. Tony Jackman has put together a wonderful cast and I think it’s going to be great. They open Wednesday night. Oh, and B. and I went to the Central House to sample the work of their chef, who is a “Chopped” winner. (If you don’t know what “Chopped” is, watch the food channel for a fascinating time.) The food was very good, as was the service. Has anyone else noticed that the level of quality and creativity in our restaurants is enjoying an upward swing? Thanks, Foodies! We’re reaping the benefits of the craze. I think we should be doing even more to make Provincetown a food destination. We’ve got some wonderful chefs working here. How about some food events? Yum! Just a thought.

Okay. Blog block dissolved.