American Idol Redux

“Tea for Two”

Here's a recap of my latest post from USA TODAY. Here's a link:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-05-22-idol-coaches_x.htm

Talk about a tight race. It’s tighter than the election of 2000, and if history repeats itself, the Supreme Court may have weigh in to decide the winner - the Court being those pesky purveyors of American Supremes; the Idol Mod Squad of Randy, Paula and Simon. It was a shame to see Elliot hit the road, but there couldn’t have been a finer tribute - kudos to the editors of those ‘farewell’ videos, they capture the essence of the Idols, and in this case, showed a heartwarming depature for a kid from the pharmacy counter in Virginia who went all the way to singing in his hometown’s baseball stadium. A classic Idol moment.

I think Taylor’s first solo album would aptly be named “Soul Patrol.” Why not? They got him this far, he might as well honor them with a nod. He’s going to have a lot of fun in the studio, with or without his hometown band, and he should build on his foundations with material from his root mentors; Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Otis Redding, or Michael McDonald. But there’s a few titles I’d like to hear from Taylor, like John Lennon’s “Imagine” done with the backing of a gospel choir, Ray Charles “You Don’t Know Me” done with Billy Joel, Van Morrison’s “Real Real Gone,” or any Muddy Waters tune, as long as he plays his blues harp on the tracks. He might give a shout out to Ray beyond the pearly gates by doing his own version of “America the Beautiful;” he’s got a shot of being asked to sing that at every down home grits fest they can get him to roll up his sleeves for. Kelly Clarkson scored with her version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” but “America” is more suited to Taylor’s chops. Other oddities come to mind; Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks “I Feel Like Singing,” a version of “Soul Man” with Clarence Clemmons backing him on sax, or “Midnight Rider“ with Dickey Betts‘ new band, “Great Southern.” His choice of Michael McDonald for the Idol Cd was sharp, but can’t wait for him to have some fun with “Sweet Home Alabama” or even my hometown anthem “Sweet Home Chicago.” I’d like to hear his take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” if only to see if he can match Jeff Buckley’s haunting version, which I can‘t seem to get off my car‘s CD player. As for duets, big blues voices like Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, or Bonnie Raitt would all have some fun with the funky white boy’s joie de vivre. I’d shy away from getting mired in the insipid song list the Clive Davis assembly-liners churn out for the Idol contractual CD’s - they’re hard to sing, have little or no soul, and although sell piles of ‘units‘, taste like Chinese fast food; listen once, you’re still hungry for something more substantial. Suffice to say, if it don’t fit like an old boot, don’t put it on your foot. Mr. Hicks is a triple threat, being able to sing, play guitar and harmonica, and despite having pitchy moments, technology can smooth out the pitchiest voice - including stars like Rod Stewart who returned to the show to prove why he sounds so good in the studio. (My mom asked why she couldn’t vote off Rod after his performance on the show.) The odd occasion Taylor hits a clam can be ironed out in post, and his live shows will drown out any sour notes via his megawatt enthusiasm. As for a producer, I’d drag Grammy winning Russ Titelman out of his Hudson River digs, and get him to work the same magic he did with Eric Clapton, Chaka Khan, Rickie Lee Jones and Randy Newman, among others. If Taylor stays true to his roots, he’s going to have a Kelly Clarkson career, no matter if he wins the Idol crown or not; it’s time for another “Blues Brother” wave to sweep the country. I thought Taylor should win from the moment he picked up his harmonica and wailed it at the gob smacked judges, seconded by my two year old dancing around the house chanting his name like a mantra. She‘s got his vote, even if it’s by a half point.

Kathering McPhee knocked “Over the Rainbow” onto Waveland Avenue, and wouldn’t hurt as a title for her first solo album. She really can sing a capella, and I’d love to hear her do a rendition of Tracy Nelson’s overlooked paean “When You Went Away.” I also loved the snippet of coloratura she did with Andrea Bocelli; perhaps she can strong arm curmudgeon David Foster into getting Andrea to do a Lucio Dalla “Caruso” with her. As odd as it sounds, a pairing with Kellie Clarkson would make synergistic sense - politics aside - since Simon pointed out how similar they can sound. Would love to hear them both wail on “It’s Raining Men.” Mac’s performances of Whitney Houston, or other “big vocalists” demonstrated how fearless she is at attacking songs that are out of her range - in the case of her own choice of material, I’d allow people like Simon to tell her what to sing, and how to sing it, as he was on the money with “Rainbow.” She may enjoy doing the wild stylings of a Christina Aguilera, but it rarely feels organic - and she’s scored best when she was singing fun songs, heart breakers, or even Aretha, when she obviously felt she had nothing to lose by kicking off her heels and rocking the house with “Think.” This is the kind of material she can own, and the women vocalists she’s tried to emulate by giving the songs the Michael Bolton full-throated blast have been the least successful. However, that being said, I’d like to hear her version of “Piece of My Heart,” Joni Mitchell’s “California,” Sting’s “Fields of Gold” or even a standard like “Autumn Leaves.” As for a producer, I’d cozy up to Glen Ballard, who when not winning Grammy’s for his work with Alanis Morrisette, has been known to create magic even in the San Fernando valley. I think Katherine is well poised to snatch the crown from Taylor, and I’ll polish my own apple by noting previously she’d have the chops to “sail under the wire” to the end. Her dad’s ubiquitous tears aside, I just happen to believe Taylor’s going to be doing the tears of joy with that smidgen of a point that decides the victor. However, my choice for Kat’s most sentimental duet on her solo album would be one with Elliot Yamin, who would bring a jazzy feel, an emotional lift and a cute counterpoint to her talented vocals. After all, wouldn’t they make the perfect American Idol twosome?

RichMartini: The Dalai Lama & The Mouse

RichMartini: The Dalai Lama & The Mouse

The Dalai Lama & The Mouse

Was in Tucson today, went to see the Dalai Lama.

It's always good to see him - he's surrounded by really nice people and I always enjoy seeing them as well. Today he was hosting an interfaith conference, with a Catholic Bishop, a Protestant Minister, an Imam and a Rabbi. I know, it sounds like the start of a joke, but it was interesting to hear everyone talk about compassion.

The Protestant Minister - his name escapes me, told a very cool story, which I'd like to post here.. it went like this:

This Minister was camping in the woods about 12 years ago, up in canada, and about day 9 he was meditating (a protestant minister who meditates; cool!) and he was suddenly aware of a sound behind him. He looked back and saw a mouse coming out of his backpack of food. He said his first reaction was to freak - he needed to kill that mouse, and get him out of his food supply. He saw him scamper under a leaf and into a hole. Then after thinking about it for a minute - he's a minister after all, he changed his attitude, then thought, "You know what I'm going to share some of my food with that mouse and make a little mound of food so we can both have it."

So he went over to the mouse hole and knelt down, put a little food out, and said a little prayer 'Here you go mouse, I'm going to share this food with you, because you probably need it too." Then he went back to his perch and sat down to meditate some more. After some time went by, and he was deep in meditation, he opened his eyes and saw the mouse was sitting on his knee, looking at him.

True story.

So. What does that tell us about compassion? I thought it was pretty amazing. The Dalai Lama was as well.

Karl Rove - American Hero

Ah. The hero has finally come out of the closet. It turns out that the Deep Throat behind the outing of Valerie Plume, CIA agent, was none other than the brilliant man who ran George Bush's two campaigns. So we have this paragon of virtue to thank for using the Constitution as he sees fit, for the benefit of us all. I guess one could argue that Clinton's right hand man Dick Morris wound up in a scandal between the sheets, and in this case GB's right hand man has wound up with some serious poop on his hands. So, maybe it's a law not to out CIA agents. So what? Rove is quoted as saying "I never game her name." Well, most likely that's because he didn't know her name - didn't care to know her name - he was in the process after all, of trying to bury someone who had come out and spoken the truth about the fictitious reasons we went to war with Iraq. What part of the word treason isn't clear here? Our nation tries to impeach a President for lying about his sex life, how dare he!!! and now we have a Congress and a nation sitting on its hands - after all who cares about some CIA agent whose career was ruined? And the careers of all those people who worked with her, now under suspicion in the countries she worked in - hmm.. maybe even some of them executed? Could it be? But we have this hero - this Karl Rove, who will go down in history as the man who brought us George W. He obviously knows the President will never fire him - otherwise he wouldn't have told the reporter that he's giving his permission to reveal his source. Forget that the President said "whoever gave that leak will be fired" knowing full well who it was. Does anyone doubt that Karl Rove told George Bush before he told anyone else that he was behind the felony? Does anyone doubt what George Bush's response to that information was? "Whoever it was will be fired." That is, unless I change my hand. The nation's security is at risk. In fact, forget the Constitution, because I decide who is needed or not needed. Hmm. Are there any other lies that have been told to the American people in recent memory that come to mind? There's an old saying about "you get what you deserve;" in the case of the American public, we certainly are getting it in spades. Hail Karl Rove. The untouchable American hero, who as an example to our children, will do anything to get elected, anything to crush his enemies, including treason - well, maybe just a felony - because after all it's not how you play the game - it's how you win the game. Democrats will wring their hands and cover their heads, because secretly they wish they had a Karl Rove on their team who would do anything, just anything to win. A shining example to all those other nations that we excoriate for human rights abuses, for corruption - when we dare not look in the mirror.

Deep Throat

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Always Connect

Always connect...

Ishmael Merchant died this week. He was 68. They say he died from a 'burst ulcer' - didn't know that you could die from that. They packed him up in a box and flew him back to Mumbai, where he was from. They said his box went to the house of a friend. Well, Ishmael was gay - I hope it went to the house of his best friend or lover, or whatever. But of course that's not in the article. Not that it should be - just noting the non mention - and that whenever you read the paper, if you read between the lines, you always get a bit closer to the truth. Truth is I met him once - at a dinner in Cannes, one of those fabulous affairs, where everyone is dressed to the nines and a waiter walks around with free champagne and cocktail treats until they seat you at a big table. Somehow I was at his table - he was wearing a big white caftan kind of thing - well there's an Indian name for it - maybe it was a white sari - and he was sitting next to some princess type - older woman, royalty blah blah blah. And I started chatting with him, not about movies, but about how unusual the Cannes experience is - because of time and place you wind up meeting people you never thought you'd meet, having conversations you never thought you'd have.. And he looked over at me, smiled and said "Always connect." I've thought about that since then - when I"m tired, trapped in some airport somewhere, waiting for my starbucks - impatient, in a bad mood, cranky, ready to take someone's head off for an incompetent move that cannot be tolerated at any.. and I stop and hear his voice and say outloud; 'How ya doin'? ' Of course since I'm from chicago, i can be forgiven for doing what all chicagoans do everywhere on the planet - 'how ya doin' is a universal greeting in chicago, usually followed by 'what high school did you go to?' friendliness for the sake of a laugh - finding some way to break the ice that surrounds us every day when we're out in the world. Or "what's up on your side of the counter today?" and you hear all kinds of tales.. I love to collect stories from people, they go into my work sometimes, and other times, I can see people lighten up physically just because I've taken the time to ask how they're doing. Or phone operators, who are bored out their minds - i'll ask "so where are you located now?" sometimes it's in colorado - atlanta, canada, even india... but just by taking that extra time to connect - 9 out of 10 times the transaction goes that much quicker, the outcome is that much more favorable, and the memory is that much happier. So, I salute you Mr. Merchant, and in your next life whatever it may be; may you always connect.

The Pope et al

Hmmm. Cardinal Ratzinger. Well, not that I was partial to my cousin, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, but I was a bit put off by this choice. A bit? Let me put it more succinctly - he's not longer the Panzer Cardinal; he's "The Panzer Pope." This is a guy who served in the Nazi Hitler Youth. Oh, there were extenuating circumstances I know - but has anyone bothered to read what his excuse was about serving in the Army? "I had an infected finger, so I never fired my rifle." Oh my. So one finger goes, the rest are not of any use? Anyone notice that he served some of his time in the army protected the BMW plant, working alongside prisoners from Dachau? Cheese Louise. Okay, forget for a minute that every one of his public stances lines up with the Nazi party - so he doesn't want women as priests, he doesn't want homosexuals in the church, he doesn't want married priests in his church.. hmm.. what's left? Gypsies? Forget for a second that he came out and said that Turks were not Christian enough to be considered part of Europe - shall we burn some of their books as well? Am I just missing the point? Didn't John Paul II spend time making Opus Dei one of his pet projects, and wasn't Ratzinger the choice of the OD fellas? I'm not paranoid. But I'm going to think twice about baptizing my next kid into this place - he actually said that the scandal of sex abuse in the church was 'limited to one percent of the priests' and that he felt the US media - anti Christian in its bent - was out to destroy the Church. Can anyone see the words anti-Christian media and not think of what's going on up in Capitol hill? So - here I am ranting from the relative anonymity of my blog. But the Pope should have known better - JPII that is - let's not forget the stories behind what happaned to JPI (check out the book at amazon.com - In God's Name - published in England) - which happened to be the subject of Coppola's film: "Godfather III" - somehow all the critics, bent on critiqueing his daughter's performance, missed the point that FFC nailed the Church for it's complicity in the murder of JPI - basically following the facts outlined in the above mentioned book. There's some solace in the fact that an Italian professor once told me; "All American Catholics are Protestants.. they choose which dogma to believe and which to leave behind, which in essence, is Protestantism." Maybe he's right. I'm subscribing to Rantism.

What's up with moi

Okay, it's the middle of April. Taxes are upon us again. I'm sitting in an edit bay with the amazing Josh, who is cutting our Tibetan documentary.. a trip around Mt. Kailash with Buddha Bob. If you know who the Bob is, then you'll know what i'm talking about. It'll be finished in a week or so, touched up over the next month and hopefully released in the fall. Four weeks in Tibet - don't know what I'm going to call it yet, but soon.

Olivia is 19 months now, and little Romeo is due in August. Actually we haven't agreed upon a name yet, but since dad passed away this past year, and he was Romeo Charles, it sorta makes sense. Although I'm partial to Rich - since then he won't have to build a new blog. I can just will him the passwork, you know? Somehow I don't think he's going to care about blogs by the time he's 25.

Got to find a way to leave information for my kids - Just turned 50, when they're in their twenties, I'll be in my 70's, by the time they get to this amount of useless information in their brains, i'll be gone and won't be able to pass along any of my sageness.. or what the hell i've learned in this lifetime. and if you can't pass along some of that, what the heck are we doing here anyways? If we all lived a bit more along the lines of 'what am i going to leave for my kids, or my kids kids,' the world might be a different place. Might be.

So this is a place for musing, for bashing the current administration whomever it is, and generally for having some random thoughts. I'll try to keep up the good work as they say. Hello to all my pals who've found this blog.

xo

R

Mt. Kailash, western Tibet 

Blog number one

Okay, Martini Man was taken. Martinia Mania taken. The Martini Shot was taken. Hmm.. maybe not. we'll have to check that one as well. if there's no more blogs from me, it's cause i went to the martini shot. be right back