Sometimes guys have to do things to make their  girl friends/wives happy.  Not that the following won’t be fun for men:   My girl friend has never been to a BLACK AND WHITE BALL.    We’re going  Saturday night.   She loves to dance, so we’re going to start  the evening at the venue featuring one of my favorite “oldies”bands; “BIG BANG BEAT.”     I haven’t  been to a B & W for ten years, but my experience has been that it’s mostly all good.   The difficult part is  getting out after the party is over. And yes, the lines for food, and the porta-potties can be long at times.   But the many goods far outway any inconveniences.
                     SEX AND THE CITY has been one of the most widely anticipated flicks in many a moon, especially among the ladies.  Recent midnight openings has seen hundreds of women-many arriving in gjroups of ten or more-after starting the evening  with a cocktail or two, and then to see their four favorite gals cavorting on the streets of Manhatten.
                               After recovering from the B & W Ball, I plan to devote part of my Sunday to ‘SEX & the City.” A word of advice:  Buy your tickets online.  Most theatres  expect sell outs for at least the first week.
                     Enjoy the weekend.

         Sorry for the delay.   I was out sick for a couple days, and then I had jury duty.   But the good news is,  American Idol got it right. 
                            And in what was suppose to the “closest vote in Idol history,” David Cook won by 12 million votes.  I think it was a case of the teens not having the numbers to counter the superior singing ability of the tousel-thatched David Cook.   This time, it was a case of the singer with superior talent gaining the nod.
                     Regis and Kelly asked Archeleta   if he has a girl friend.  David just smiled and said that there was just too much going on right now.  He  said he wants to “focus on his music.”    David added he has the Idol tour this summer, and then his senior year in high school in the fall.    School officials say that David was a very shy unassuming student that was not well known by his classmates.  Something tells me that will change.
                                                                 WHAT’S GOIN’ ON WITH DAVID COOK?

                    The Idol winner says he’s dating former Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell.  She was a  finalist on season two.  Cook says he looks forward to “hangin’ out” with her.
                                                                      TONY SOPRANO’S BATHROBE

                    I can’t say I’ll be bidding on the bathrobe  that James Gandolfini wore on “The Sopranos.”  But just in case you’re looking for a quirky fathers’ day present,  why not Tony Soprano’s bathrobe?    It was the one he wore  each morning to walk down his driveway and get his paper.
The  robe is expected to garner about  $1,500.  If you don’t want the robe, there’s 24 other outfits available.  How ’bout the  the blood-soaked outfit he wore when Uncle Junior shot him?
                             It’s all for a good cause:  Proceeds will go to a nonprofit group that helps soldiers  who were badly wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.   The auction will be held June 25th.
                          Thanks for the phone calls and e-mails.  Keep ‘em coming.

This coming Monday is Memorial Day. While many of us think of it as the beginning of the summer season, or even just a 3 day holiday.  It is more importantly an opportunity to stop and say thank you to those brave men and women who are fighting for our nation, their families and those whose profound sacrifices are the foundation of our democracy.

For me, Memorial Day is a time to think about the sons and daughters of our great nation who are far away from home, their families and the courageous and fearless sacrifices of those who have given their lives so that you and I might live in freedom.

The brave men and women who have left behind their families and friends to fight for our country deserve nothing less than our highest appreciation and deepest gratitude.

Will you join me in thanking those men and women who are fighting today, their families and remembering the sacrifices of those who have given their all for our freedom?

I encourage you go to a local parade or other memorial service to seek out a veteran and take a moment to stop and say thank you.

IWithout veterans and their commitment to fighting for our nation, you and I might not be celebrating with our families and friends this weekend.

So to those who are fighting for our country and those who have fought for our nation, I say thank you.

I am truly honored to be able to call myself an American.

Happy Memorial Day.

God Bless America,

This is one of my favorite times of the year…the sun has kissed the earth in the Inland Valleys and rewarded us with some the sweetest fruit. 

     OK….LET’S GET IT ON.   This should be one of the closest finals in Idol history.  In one corner, it’s David Cook, who has an incredible voice.  Yes, and strange hair.  But if this competition is decided on talent alone, the Idol title is his.  BUT, and this is a big BUT……..
                 David A has the “cuteness” factor going for him.  The teenage girls love him.   But is that enough?  Let’s say that David A gets the vast majority of the under 21 vote, and David C the over 21 vote.    Then the winner should be (drum roll)………..DAVID COOK.   But I think everyone will agree, that it will be very close.  But you know something??  It really doesn’t matter that much anymore.  You don’t have to win the IDOL competition to be a success anymore.   We can all probably think of at least six former Idol “losers” that have great careers at the moment.
                                                                                      REUNION TIME

          I am off to MC my Chico Stat e fraternity college reunion.  When I was there, we were named one of the nations top party schools.   We were the “Animal House” before the movie version.  And it’s my job to “roast” all the guys that are there.  It was easy the first couple years, cuz I remembered a lot of their antics at school.  But now I find I am running out of material.  So I have been buying Don Rickles and George Carlin cds and stealing material.  I try to make it fit my old college buddies.  It’s fun, but it aint easy.          See you Tuesday, and thanks for responding to the blog.   Talk to you soon.

Today’s trivia on the KOIT More Music Morning Show:

A: Indiana. After California and Indiana, the rest of the top five are Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. After the US, New Zealand is the biggest consumer of ice cream.

If you really have to have something to celebrate today, I guess you could do worse than the 50th birthday of Velcro. Swiss engineer George de Mestral came up with the idea in the 1940s after studying burrs that stuck to his dog’s fur and his wool pants during a walk in the woods. He named his invention Velcro, a combination of “velour” and “crotchet,” the French words for velvet and hook. Production began in France in 1958, and then moved to Manchester NH where they had a big blow-out earlier this week.

Manchester’s a very small town.

This is my favorite kind of weather, but with the inland temps here on the brink of hitting the triple digits over the next couple of days, we’re all being urged to take heat related precautions, especially to fight off dehydration….like leave the salt off of your margarita glass. Enjoy.

I was out riding this morning in  Las Trampas Wilderness Park  and I came across a group of Mom’s and their kids…

Actually, it was the camera crew from channel 5 – KPIX’s  “Eye on the Bay”
they were out filming a story for future use, so if you see this segment and you see a woman on a horse – That would be me!

    Simon was correct when he told Jason Castro to pack his bags.    And Jason was happy he was voted off.   He said when the contestants had to sing two songs instead of one, he knew he was in trouble, cuz he couldn”t remember the words.  And if he HADN’T been voted off, he would have been in worse trouble next week, when they have to sing THREE songs.  Jason went on to say that being voted off made him as happy as he was when he found out he made the final 24.
                  Just a thought:  When the singers are forced to sing 3 songs on one show,  why not let them use the telepromptor.  It only seems fair.

Everybody seems to think it’s going to be a battle between the two Davids-Cook and Archeleta.  But……….will their respective votes tend to offset each other, allowing the talented Syesha Mercado to knock them off? It should be interesting.                    
           What do you think?

Well, I was hoping that Jason the football player would have been released from “Dancing”  last night…
but it was not meant to be…
Mario went home, I think a week or two too soon…Jason, is just too stiff and…well, awkward? 

My favorite contender has been David Cook, since his take on “Billie Jean”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

I hate being sick!   All last week I had this virus that left me feeling as if someone had thrown me in a dryer and tumbled me for 20 minutes!  Tired, aches and pains and loosing my voice.  Well, now I’m back – about 90% and I hope I don’t relapse!