Big Leather Couch

BLAKE LEWIS: Another song of the same style – hip hop/R&B…Has not shown any versatility so far…Not saying he doesn’t do it well, but what happens when we get to the themes? Blake, thank you for not beat-boxing though. Not bad…He has been better.

SANJAYA MALAKAR – oh no…the voice is just not ready…Squeeky, pitchy, raspy… boring…. We disliked this performance a lot. He is way out of his league.

SUNDANCE HEAD: Oh my… Is it our ears, or was he off-key badly at the beginning? He struggled trying to hit the notes the whole song. There was no excitement from the crowd until the end. Extremely pitchy.

CHRIS RICHARDSON: Began a little pitchy…but then pulled it back and sounded very good. Last week we questioned if he could do different styles. He listened and changed it up tonight and did a fine job. I am impressed with his choice.

JARED COTTER: During theme weeks, they make them sing tough songs. Why would someone pick Stevie Wonder on their own. You will be compared to one of the legends…and unless you are incredible, the comparison will hurt you. His weakest performance to date. Just did not make the song memorable, It wasn’t horrible… but eh….

BRANDON ROGERS: Not a great song to showcase your voice… Wrong time to bring something like this out. And I don’t think he did it very well on top of that. His timing seemed off near the end. Very forgettable.

PHIL STACEY: Very off-pitch to start…again, when he belts it, he is much better, but he hurt himself this week…his entire song was shaky – start to finish. The song was a very bad choice.

CHRIS SLIGH: Finally, someone who owns the song this week. He took advantage of the “pimp spot” and showed how off all the other guys were tonight. His vocals were the best of the evening, though not his best performance of the competition.

The guys, once again, showed how much weaker they are then the girls…It was – overall – a very boring show…




Wonder if we sound like a broken record on these picks….let’s see if America wakes up and finally listened.








CREDITS:

HEADERS: VEM2007

Gotta gain weight…gotta gain weight…gotta gain weight…trying to get to 372 pounds. Also buying one of those racks they used in medieval times. Think if I can stretch my 5’9” frame to 6’6”, and gain 182 pounds I can get a 7 year $50 million contract to play football for the Dallas Cowboys.

That is what Leonard Davis got yesterday to play offensive line for “America’s Team”. Now, unlike other sports; football contracts are not guaranteed, but $18.7 million of the 50 is guaranteed and his signing bonus? A record $16 million…nice going Leonard. After 6 disappointing seasons in Arizona, now you get to go home to Dallas…

How long before we hear old L.D. is in a strip club throwing around hundreds of dollars like local player “Pacman” Jones cornerback of the Tennessee Titans.

Y’all heard about the “Pacman” haven’t ya. He is in a strip club in Las Vegas at 4am in the morning, the weekend of the NBA All-Star Game - because you want to bring all these overpaid children to a place like Las Vegas and turn them loose - throwing hundred of dollars in $1 bills onto the stage…

A stripper goes to pick the money up and doesn’t get permission and that made “Pacman” treat her like a wide receiver on a post pattern and he banged her head on the stage...and that started it all...


FROM THE TENNESSEAN.COM:

Don't be fooled by police reports or a bar tab featuring several $600 bottles of Patron tequila; Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones wasn't such a high roller the night he and his entourage allegedly ignited a brawl in a Las Vegas strip club that ended in the shooting of three people, the club owner says.

Rob Susnar, co-owner of the new Minxx Gentlemen's Club and Lounge, Monday questioned initial police reports that put $81,000 — supposedly used by Jones to shower 40 strippers in a practice known as "making it rain" — in the hands of the troubled football player about 5 a.m. Feb. 19. Club employees changed $3,500 into singles for the sports star, said Susnar, who was not there himself.

The $81,000 that police recovered from the hotel room of the Houston club promoter who organized a four-day party at Minxx contained cash that Jones and other celebrities threw on stage and money that the promoter collected at the door from the $100 cover charge, Susnar said.

Susnar said he didn't want to see Jones, a man he says he hates and blames for the paralyzing of one of his newest bouncers and the potential collapse of his new business, claim tens of thousands of dollars that don't belong to the player.

The recovered money was stored in a safe in promoter Chris Mitchell's room at the Silverton Hotel and Casino, according to a police search warrant that says it is "in all probability, the money from Adam 'Pacman' Jones' plastic bag."

An eyewitness and club employee, who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety, said he saw Jones before the brawl reaching into a black, plastic trash bag and throwing fistfuls of bills into the air while the player danced on stage with the strippers. He didn't know how much was in the bag.

Meanwhile, rapper Nelly and producer Jermaine Dupri, who left once the fight broke out, displayed their money in blocks of $1,000, peeling off bills and tossing them over the dancers, the employee said.

Susnar estimated that the music celebrities threw about $10,000 in bills.

A spokesman for the Las Vegas Metro Police Department would not comment on the origins of the money found in Mitchell's hotel room.

"We're done talking about it," Bill Cassel said. "The investigation is continuing. We will not release any more information at this point."


First off..this club owner is totally doing a back-pedal here to try and ave his club. You can't trash pro athletes and then think others will show up to party there.

As someone said the other day, hundreds of dollars, 4am and a strip club just equals trouble.

Not saying this is going to happen to Leonard, gee we don’t even know Leonard…but this rash of football and basketball related violent stories is just too much.


But HEY… it ain’t only sports stars that lead lives of privilege and get away with things we’d be in jail for.

C’mon down to Memphis and be a big time politician…if you are, you don’t have to pay business taxes, property taxes, utility bills…

The Ford’s of Memphis are a four generation family with clout here in this area. City councilman Edmund Ford’s utility bill on his business and home is $16,000.00…not a penny paid.

About $3 thousand on business taxes…unpaid.

But Edmund Ford isn’t the only one getting free utilities around here. So are 5 other city council members and ..OH let’s not overlook the MAYOR!


My concentration is off this week with thoughts of Birmingham this weekend. Yes, I am excited to see Taylor Hicks in concert, but more so, I am excited to meet the 50 people who will be congregating there for the concert.

Some I don’t know other then some emails and they email names.. others have become special people in my life.

We have laughed together online. We have suffered sad times together. We bonded over Mr. Hicks, yes…but we stayed together because we found we liked each other.

Then, as has been said by others, there are some people who could not make the trip for various reasons and it was cause a hole in the festivities.

We will be calling some on our cells from the concert to allow them to experience part of it. We have promised some to make posters with their names on it so when we take a group photo, they can be shown “in spirit.”

Some of you are laughing now and wondering what the attraction is to this singer. I just say, buy his CD and put on “Places I’ve Been” or “Just To Feel That Way” or or “The Right Place””Soul Thing” or “The Deal” (the last two original compositions) and listen to his ability to take some words and make them special.

But as I said, it will be the time before and after the concert that will create the lasting memories of friendship.




CREDITS:

MUSIC CODES: Best Audio Codes

BIG SHOT: Billy Joel; Composer: Billy Joel

OK Kiddies, it has happened...Yesterday began four different scenarios and none of them took flight. So, as not to bang our head on the table any longer, we went back into the archives to June 14, 2006. This was out first work of fiction here on THE COUCH.

As such, even though we looked at it, we could not put the Manic Monday word "BLOW" into the first sentence.

Don't forget to visit over at MORGEN'S for all the participants this week.

Now, hope y'all enjoy..."THE DRIVE"


The fog rolled across the highway obscuring the lines down the center and along the edge. White fingers grasped the steering wheel willing it to stay centered in the lane and not to wander.
Eyes stared straight ahead trying to make out the next 10 feet of roadway and hoping to not see anything unknown.

Why had you decided to leave this late? What compelled you to think you could make the drive after hearing the weather? Well who listens to the weatherman anyway these days? The only job where you can be wrong more then a weatherman and not be fired is in direct response where a 5% success rate is considered excellent.

Was it that important to get to the destination tonight and not tomorrow? Did it really matter to anyone else? Probably not, but you am compelled to reach the goal and not be swayed by things over which you have no control...like the weather.

That is when the shadow crossed over the road. Your foot lifts off the accelerator and hits the brake...maybe a little too hard, and the back-end of the car begins a slow fishtail to the left. Remember the lessons...turn the wheel into the turn...do not hit the brake again...do not jerk or over-react.


But the car is not responding... the backend fishtails further to the left over the centerline. The car is almost perpendicular to where it should be and the chalk white fingers are turning harder now...turning the wheel...urging the car to realign itself to the road.

Slowly, control of the car is regained...the pounding of your heart in your ears is drowning out the music which had been playing on the radio. Your chest feels as if it is about to explode and you ease the car to the shoulder, pulling off a bit more then normal to ensure the next car down this road does not plow into you.

As the car rolls to a stop, you put it into park and only then realize there are beads of sweat rolling down from your hairline along your forehead and dripping onto your face and into your eyes. You wipe your face with the back of your right sleeve and will your heart to return to a normal rhythm...

What was that back there? A deer? It was too big for a deer? A bear? No, it moved too fast. A large black shadow...nothingness. Now you are thinking crazy...it must have been an animal...that is all.

Reaching down to the center console, you grab the 1/2 bottle of water left and lift it to your parched lips. Drinking steadily, you do not stop until you see the void bottom of the bottle in your vision.


Putting the car back into drive, you pull back onto the road and immediately realize the fog is now denser then before. Your hands grip the wheel even tighter...you know you should just pull over and let the fog lift, but you are being driven by unseen forces.

The road begins a gentle curve to the right as it also begins the decent from its highest point on the mountain. You think you can see the lights of the town below, but know it is only your imagination at play...the fog is too thick.

AGAIN...a black shape passes in front of the car only this time, you can not stop...the blackness envelops the car...you wait for impact but it never comes. Just blackness.

Both feet are now stomped down on the brake pedal, but the car is not even slowing down...in fact it is picking up speed. You hear a loud screeching noise and then realize it is you, screaming a bloody, bone-chilling scream.

All at once, the blackness is gone and there is nothing.


You, sitting in your car...in your driveway...as you had been 3 hours before. The clock on the dash reads midnight, the exact hour you left home to make your journey. The water bottle by your side is full and the seal has not been broken.

You reach and open the door and walk back to your home. As you open the door, you tell yourself, tomorrow is just as good a time as any to make the trip.


THE COUCH NOTE (From Original June 14, 2006 Post): When I sat down today, I was not sure what the subject was going to be and then the fingers began typing. I truly had no idea where the thoughts would lead or how I would complete them. So, let's just say....today's blog wrote itself...Hope you enjoyed it.

OK, business first...no word yet...but I expect I should hear something by tomorrow the latest...(NOTE: THIS WAS ABOUT MY JOB OFFER- WHICH I RECEIVED!)

We have a new friend joining the Blogging world and have linked to their site....Ladies and gents...welcome Turnberry and her blog "And As The World Turns".

Turn brings her Southern sensibilities to her blog and we here at THE COUCH look forward to reading her thoughts...


I received this in an email yesterday and thought it was a blast...so much so, that I illustrated it also:

An old Italian man wants a job. He is a very skilled worker who has worked all his life and he does not want to retire.

The foreman that interviewed him is very impressed by this old man's work ethics butwon't hire him until he passes a little math test.

The old man agrees and the foreman begins: "Here's your first question," the foreman said. "Without using numbers, represent the number 9."

"Without numbers?" the Italian says, "Dat isa easy." And he proceeds to draw.


"What's this?" the boss asks.
"Ave you gotta no brain? Tree and tree and tree make a nine," says the Italian.
"Fair enough," says the boss.

"Here's your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99."
The Old Italian stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. "Ere you a go."



The boss scratches his head and says, "How on earth do you get that to represent 99?"
"Each of da trees is a dirty now. So, it's a dirty tree, and a dirty tree, and a dirty tree. Dat is a 99."

The boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this nice little old Italian man, so he says,
"All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100."

The old man stares into space again , then he picks up the picture again and this time makes a little mark at the base of each of the trees and says, "Ere you a go. One hundred!" The boss looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!"



(You're going to love this one!!!)

The old Italian man leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and says,

"A little doga come along and crapa by each a tree. So now you gota dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, data makea one hundred."

"So, when ahma gonna start?"

I just loved that one kiddies..... bwahahahahahahahahaha

And I never said I was an artist!


Long day today, I agreed to play in a charity golf outing though I have not picked up a club in over two years, so I must make my way to the range to hit a bucket of balls...

Will spend a whole lot more time on THE COUCH tomorrow...

Thanks for sitting on THE COUCH, hope you enjoyed your stay.

GINA GLOCKSTEIN: Sorry got home late and TiVo was not set correctly - missed her performance.



ALAINA ALEXANDER: All over the place. Didn’t hit any big notes. Very pitchy. Off from the music.



LA KISHA JONES: Really enjoyed Paris doing this song last year. Liked this version even more. This is the front runner this year. She knows her voice, she knows the music, she knows it all. This girl should never be nervous.



MELINDA DOOLITTLE: OH I did get a chill on that first wooooooaaahhhh, and it lasted the whole song. A real talent. Interesting that she and LeKisha sang back to back…you might be seeing them sing back to back on the final showdown show. What a voice….the notes were all perfect. Not a missed phrasing. Marvelous. Brilliant. I take it back…she is the one to beat.



ANTONELLA BARBA: Began very pitchy. Did not like the big note. She just is not that good a singer. Though overall it was a much better performance then last week. Still nothing could be that bad again. Why do people continue to sing Celine…it only brings out the worst in them. I wonder if they say "Well the judges said she couldn't sing it BUT I can..."??? When will they learn to NOT PICK ON THE JUDGES?



JORDIN SPARKS: She started off a bit rocky and then came on strong hitting some great note. She, once again, shows she has the potential to have an incredible career. She needs some more training. She will be around for a while, but I don’t think she is there until the end. Personally, I like this girl.


STEPHANIE EDWARDS: She came out stronger this week, and she was good last week. Excellent phrasing. Terrific notes. She sits right behind Melinda and La Keisha in my mind. This girl could be a spoiler down the line.



LESLIE HUNT: Immediately she showed she has a much better voice then she showed last week. The a capella opening was excellent. Still not sure her voice is powerful enough when the band comes in. The scat wasn’t the best. And the last note was a bit off. It just didn’t work overall.


HALEY SCARNATO: This girl decided to kick it up this week. She came out with a rocking hot song. The song is very much a song with a ton of background, hid her voice at times. Worked the stage well, and hit most of her notes. Last week we put her in the middle of the pack…think she moved up a few places this week.


SABRINA SLOAN:We said last week that she owned her song and had the vocal chops. If you didn’t see it then, she threw it at you tonight. Unfortunately, once again it is the last note that kills her. She has a very big voice and will be around for a while. Nicely done.

Overall a much better night then the guys. I truly wonder if they tweak the rules next year to bring the top 12 in and not make it an even split...