Holy overload

They start in the control room, as Ryan kicks off Idol Gives Back. Oh, jeez. Every time you vote, NewsCorps will donate .10, up to $5 million. Bono is showing up tomorrow; as for tonight, it's Jordin and her five boring sidekicks.

For the third time they run footage of Simon and Ryan in Africa. Some of the clips have been shown before; I guess it's a good thing they're exposing America's largest tv audience to this. Still, the show itself, the raison d'etre, is only gonna pale even more by comparison.

At one point Simon proclaims the conditions intolerable; unbelievable; just round. Oddly enough, the song underneath it all is Cry on Demand, with the refrain I didn't mean to cause any trouble.

Chris Richardson is doing Change the World; he sings it exactly the same way and just as poorly as he's done every other song. Sitting, in a sportcoat and open tie--just horrid. He's got confidence; apparently doesn't know or care that he's flat, finishes on a screech. Randy likes it, first time in a long time it was great; Paula calls it fantastic, likes his journey; Simon says it feels like the competition starts tonight, good vocal, really well. Gosh, the phone lines are gonna be open for four hours, with two numbers for each contestant.

Melinda Doolittle up next, first Ryan is emphatic that we can help change the world; more padding, and some clips of poor places in the U.S. Louisiana with Randy, rural Kentucky, Navajo nation in Arizona, Atlanta....

Doolittle doing There Will Come a Day; in black dress. She's as usual quite good; maybe because I like the song I don't feel as eh as usual listening to her. Big voice comes out, as do her determined gestures. She looks nervous afterwards soaking up the adoration; Randy says it's great as always, Paula says there's no one like you you're magical; Simon is cracking up, says he loved it cause it wasn't a copycat performance, very believable with an incredible second half, a vocal master class.

Blake Lewis is preceded by Ryan thanking corporate sponsors; you know, this show has pretty much lost whatever YouTubish appeal it had once upon a time. It's slick and the definition of corporate--one of the other networks could dent its ratings by putting up something raw and authentic against it. I mean, Blake's doing Imagine for gosh sake; it's like Madison Avenue's idea of counterculture. He's good, though; in funky sportcoat, oddly leaning back in a chair with an arm leaning on the pianoa, a total pose. Good vocal tone, if over sung a bit; I wonder what happened to the slightly weird Blake, who did his own thing--this is pretty standard stuff, no beatbox or anything thrown in. He's lucky he's got a nice voice. Randy is like great choice, kindof blah performance--Blake is staring daggers at him; Paula says nice sensitive, emotional performance; Simon says iconic song is hard to choose, but didn't go anywhere; although important part is you sang it with sincerity.

LaKisha Jones next, but first more clips from Africa. If they really wanna make a difference, they should also suggest websites for people to visit, thing for them to read, run phone numbers of politicians, etc. I mean, why not really make a difference, instead of merely coming across as making a difference. LaKisha, oddly, chooses Fantasia's I Believe--I mean, we've already seen the original sing, what is she trying to gain? In black dress; very dramatic, but song just isn't very good. Her voice is big, but almost hard to listen to for me, such little variation. Randy says not your best, but liked it, hard to follow Fantasia; Paula says you're a powerhouse, spends most of her time praising Fantasia; Simon says Paula was trying to say she preferred Fantasia's version better, doesn't like the shouting. Oh-oh, she's pretty much gone.

Phil Stacey in tux-like outfit, singing The Change. He's a very sincere singer; I think the bug eyes and bald head help with that--he looks like a giant baby, all innocence and no guile. Vocally it's just okay; the song isn't a very good one (it'd be almost impossible to write something about the Oklahoma City bombing that can stand on its own I think); but I don't dislike it or him. Randy is happy that you're back with another strong performance; Paula says you've found your comfort, this was your best; Simon says I really like you, glad you're back with confidence--but maybe stay with the country feel of your voice, you could do very well because people like you.

Jordin Sparks, looking elegant in a brown dress with her big smile. A ConAgra-sponsored film about a food bank; Simon says he had no idea place like this exists in America. Uh, okay.... He really likes everyone, starts hugging people. Simon says 9 million kids don't have enough food every year in America, which seems low to me. Jordin doing You'll Never Walk Alone, so much going on in our country and around the world. Wow, what a great slow, breathy beginning; she totally gets your attention. Very deliberate performance; she's trying something new vocally here, it's pretty captivating. She's the only person who consistently gets the audience applauding during her performance; there's something immensely powerful about listening to her sing, she's by far my favorite of the night. Randy says that's one of the best vocals by any contestant ever on this show in six seasons; Paula says an amazing, haunting song, you're glorious; Simon says you were fantastic, you'd have a hit record with that.

Yup, she's the only reason I'm still watching. Melinda needs to pick up her game. Wow, and a quick peek at DialIdol shows she's out in front on a night with really heavey call volume.

Jordin Sparks
Melinda Doolittle
Blake Lewis
Phil Stacey
Chris Richardson
LaKisha Jones

This is (still) Germany

BBC, German army in 'racist video' row:

A video aired on German TV has shown an army recruit on firing practice being ordered to pretend he was in New York's Bronx facing hostile African Americans.
In the grainy 90-second video, the instructor tells the soldier to swear as he fires his gun.

US civil rights leader, Al Sharpton, said it was outrageous to depict blacks as "target practice".

New York officials say they are saddened and frustrated that the Bronx district is depicted so negatively. ...

During the filmed training session, an instructor tells the soldier: "You're in the Bronx, a black van pulls up in front of you and three African-Americans get out and start really insulting your mother... act!".

The soldier then fires his gun several times and shouts obscenities in English, as the instructor encourages him to curse even louder.

The clip was filmed in a forest in July 2006, near the barracks of the northern German town of Rendsburg .

The German army said it has been aware of the video since January and was investigating it.

It is the latest in a series of scandals to hit the German military.

A group of 18 army instructors are on trial in the country accused of abusing and humiliating recruits during training in 2004.

Last year, German newspapers published images of German soldiers serving in Afghanistan posing with skulls.

Universal classic

The Times is doing a series looking at "China's embrace of Western classical music"--soon to be followed by a series on America's love affair with Eastern cars?--that is riddled with the expected exotic Orient tone.

The latest piece, Pilgrim With an Oboe, Citizen of the World, by Daniel Wakin, includes this funny-if-it-weren't-sad section:

Despite his extraordinary ability and success, Mr. Wang, like many Asian-born musicians, has had to confront preconceptions about his ability to connect with Western classical music. At the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Richard Woodhams of the Philadelphia Orchestra, a German conductor said he would be happy to show Mr. Wang how to play Brahms, since it was not in his culture, he recounted.

“You don’t have to be German to play Brahms,” Mr. Wang said. “I was very hurt. People think that way? It never occurred to me.”

Mr. Woodhams counseled him to work extra hard because some critics would blame stylistic failings on his nationality, Mr. Wang said. “I had to go the extra mile,” he added. “It may seem like I won a lot of auditions. But I worked harder.”

Sometimes, Mr. Wang said, he gets naïve questions like, “Did you listen to classical music when you were growing up?”

“There are things called CD players,” he said with some sarcasm. He pointed out that he probably grew up listening to far more classical music than most American youngsters. “The thing I don’t understand is why it should make a difference,” he said. “I am a Chinese guy when I look in the mirror, but I’m a world citizen of music.”

Times photo of Liang Wang by Todd Heisler.

Rare breed indeed

The Times had an brief chat with soccer player Cobi Jones that included these lines which, in combination, cracked me up:

YOU HAVE A SPECIAL VIDEO GAME ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE? I am a kid from the ’70s, when video games first started coming out, so I definitely have to say I am a video game junkie to this day. I am a rare breed of a guy in his 30s that still plays video games.

WHAT ARE YOU READING? I am in the middle of “Fast Food Nation.” That is the main one I am trying to get through. I am also reading “Infidel.”

AP photo of Cobi Jones by Robert Casillas/The Daily Breeze in the Times.

Unmusical theater

In another example of how the Times is busting with so much content they let lie things other papers would blow up, Jesse Green spoke with theater historian Ethan Mordenn for a piece that wound up being headlined Tolstoy Was Right: Flop Musicals Are All Unique, but, really, could've been called something else:

Q. So instead he’s a sellout movie producer.

A. Nowadays a Moss Hart would want to be Aaron Sorkin because no play on Broadway is as interesting as “The West Wing.” It’s the best dramatic writing in the last 30 years.

Q. And is that all right with you?

A. No. But no one’s asking me. When Cool came in, it was the end of theater. Cool is not eloquent. Cool is: “What are you rebelling against?” “What have you got?” If you can say that, then theater is dead, because theater is moral, it’s glamorous, it’s about being smart, it’s about sophisticated gay people helping the heteros understand that they’re stupid and boring.

Q. This is, no doubt, an example of your famous overstatement.

A. Well, that’s gay people’s role in the culture, isn’t it? Now, though, they’re liberated from that role. They can be real boys; they don’t have to know about Auntie Mame. They still have an ironic perspective on the world because they grew up pretending to be straight. But they don’t have what I call the Knowledge.

Well, Mordenn does have a discerning eye when it comes to the West Wing.

New age art

The Rubin's one of my favorite museums, in part because they try new things.

Even if (especially if?), sometimes, the things they try make you raise an eyebrow, which was my reaction after reading Mia Fineman's Times piece, Travels Abroad Lead to Journeys Within:

On a recent Thursday afternoon the photographer Lynn Davis sat nursing a cappuccino in the airy, ground-floor cafe of the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea. The Rubin, which opened in 2004, is primarily devoted to the Buddhist art of Himalayan Asia, and that afternoon Ms. Davis, a slender woman with translucent skin and a gleaming mane of white hair, seemed to radiate an air of inner tranquillity and relaxed contemplation. ...

Although Ms. Davis’s photographs don’t relate directly to the Rubin’s mission of promoting the art and culture of the Himalayas, the committee felt that her work “was in line with the values and energy of the place,” said Mr. Melcher, who helped organize the exhibition and published the accompanying catalog.

“It couldn’t be more appropriate because Lynn has traveled a spiritual path,” he said. “She is a student of Buddhism, and it’s an undercurrent in her work that people haven’t looked at before.”

Of the 30 photographs on view several depict important Buddhist sculptures and monuments in China, Japan and Thailand. In others the religious reference is more oblique. A tightly framed photograph of stone steps half-covered by desert sand in a cemetery in Dunhuang, China, powerfully evokes the Buddhist principle of impermanence. The relationship between form and emptiness, another fundamental concept in Buddhist philosophy, finds expression in a dramatic view of the sky through a hollow rock formation at Arches National Park in Utah.

In order to integrate the show more fully with the Rubin’s collection of more than 2,000 Himalayan paintings, sculptures, textiles and prints, the museum invited Ms. Davis to choose a group of artifacts to be displayed in the galleries alongside her pictures.

At first glance the eight objects she selected — all elaborately detailed, metalwork sculptures — seem to have little in common with the spare, elemental forms in her photographs. But for Ms. Davis the objects and images have a deeper resonance.

“I don’t want to use the word spiritual,” she said, “but the spirit behind them is the same.”

Although Ms. Davis has some familiarity with Eastern religious art from her travels in Asia, she chose the objects on the basis of their beauty or emotional appeal, not necessarily for their art-historical significance. (She replaced several of her initial selections with artifacts that the Rubin’s curators considered more noteworthy.) ...

An eighth-century statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with 10 radiating arms had a somewhat more prosaic appeal. “That’s how I feel when I’m on the road with all my bags and cameras,” she said. “I often wish I had a few extra arms when I’m working.”

I don't know; I'm planning to go see the exhibit, and will probably 'like' it.

But the knock on non-Western art collections in the West for years has been its amateurish nature--I have literally seen items in museums that were encased behind glass just because they looked 'exotic' or were from some 'remote' corner of the world, rather than on the grounds of any artistic merit.

I mean, even if the artistic judgment of Western curators isn't that developed when it comes to non-Western art, at least they should apply it, rather than in essence saying well, it/they all looks/look the same, it's not Picasso so who cares.

This Rubin exhibit could be a return to those days; it's definitely all very New Agey, which in my book means an insulting denial of merit, even as the practioners mouth platitudes.

True knowledge doesn't come easy; I'm not sure museum exhibits should be built on someone browsing through the collection, picking out what makes them 'feel' a certain way, judging entirely based on looks.

I mean, that's the job of the museum visitor.

“Iceberg #6, Disko Bay, Greenland, 1988" by Lynn Davis via the Times

Cherry time

Dried Cherries May Help Travelers Fight Jet Lag, The Times:

Instead of pretzels, long-haul flight attendants might want to consider handing out bags of dried cherries to passengers. According to Dr. Russel Reiter, a nutrition researcher and one of the world’s authorities on melatonin, cherries might help fight jet lag. “Tart cherries contain melatonin, which is then absorbed into the blood stream influencing your biological clock,” he said.

According to Dr. Reiter, when flying east (say from New York to London) travelers should eat a handful of dried cherries (which have even greater levels of melatonin than fresh cherries) 30 minutes before trying to sleep. Once at their destination, they should eat a handful of cherries 30 minutes before going to bed every night for the same number of nights as the time change. (For a five-hour time shift, eat cherries for five consecutive nights.) When heading west, do the same regime, only eat your cherries the night before departure.

“We have not tested them on humans specifically for jet lag but think it should work,” he said, adding that concentrated cherry juice, and even cherry pie should have the same effect. For more information go to www.choosecherries.com

Uncredited photo found online.

Believing in each other

The apt above drawing by 'Shout' goes with Natalie Angier's Times review of David Sloan Wilson's Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives.

It's a pretty thought-provoking review; doesn't waste much time jabbering about religions, instead has paragraphs like this:

Wilson explores the many fascinating ways in which humans are the consummate group-thinking, team-playing animal. The way we point things out to one another, for example, is unique among primates. “Apes raised with people learn to point for things that they want but never point to call the attention of their human caretakers to objects of mutual interest,” Wilson writes, “something that human infants start doing around their first birthday.” The eyes of other apes are dark across their entire span and thus are hard to follow, but the contrast between the white sclera and colored iris of the human eye makes it difficult for people to conceal the direction in which they are looking. In the interdependent, egalitarian context of the tribe, the ancestral human setting, Wilson says, “it becomes advantageous for members of the team to share information, turning the eyes into organs of communication in addition to organs of vision.” Humans are equipped with all the dispositional tools needed to establish and maintain order in the commons. Studies have revealed a deep capacity for empathy, a willingness to trust others and become instant best friends; and an equally strong urge to punish cheaters, to exact revenge against those who buck group rules for private gain.

Of course, even as humans bond together in groups and behave with impressive civility toward their neighbors, they are capable of treating those outside the group with ruthless savagery. Wilson is not naïve, and he recognizes the ease with which humans fall into an us-versus-them mind-set. Yet he is a self-described optimist, and he believes that the golden circles of we-ness, the conditions that encourage entities at every stratum of life to stop competing and instead pool their labors into a communally acting mega-entity, can be expanded outward like ripples on a pond until they encompass all of us — that the entire human race can evolve the culturally primed if not genetically settled incentive to see our futures for what they are, inexorably linked on the lone blue planet we share.

Interesting books

Things to read, on the 8th day of the week.

-The Undercover Economist, Tim Hartford
This book applies basic economic theory to such modern phenomena as Starbucks' pricing system and Microsoft's stock values.

-Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq, Stephen Kinzer
Beginning with the ouster of Hawaii's monarchy in 1893, Kinzer runs through the foreign governments the U.S. has had a hand in toppling, some of which he has written about at length before (in All the Shah's Men, etc.)

-The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick

-A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals With Ingredients From Jars, Cans, Bags and Boxes, Nancy Silverton

-At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches, Susan Sontag
Literature and politics are inextricably intertwined and unified by moral purpose in this powerful collection of pieces (a couple not previously published in English or at all) by iconic critic and novelist Sontag (Regarding the Pain of Others), who died in 2004.

-A Letter from Japan: The Photographs of John Swope, Ed. by Carolyn Peter
Even before Japan’s official surrender in 1945, the photographer John Swope (1908-79) traveled around the country taking pictures that documented the war’s effect on the people and the land. The 144-page letter he wrote to his wife about his experience is included here, along with several essays about his work. Above, the city of Hamamatsu, Sept. 6, 1945.

All summaries from the Times Book Review, unless otherwise noted

Sailing off

In poetry as in life so much is about tone; William Logan's review in the Times of Derek Walcott's latest collection bothered me from the first line:

Poets behave like conquistadors wherever they roam, picking up a new verse form, a lover, some inventive cursing, a disease. Would Byron have been Byron without Italy and Greece? What would Eliot and Pound have become without the hostility of London? Can we imagine Hart Crane without the Caribbean or Elizabeth Bishop without Rio? Derek Walcott has crossed so many borders, his poems read like a much-thumbed Baedeker. To a boy born on St. Lucia, the rhythms and intonations of English verse were a passport to the elsewhere; but they came with a burden — the language of the colonial masters was not the one caught in his ear at home. “How choose,” he wrote, “Between this Africa and the English tongue I love? / Betray them both, or give back what they give?”

Yeah, poets would be like conquistadors if they slaughtered and stole wherever they go. The rest of the review continues in a condescending, passive aggressive vein; there's some very odd writing in there, actually, it's like someone professing to your face they like you, they really do, as they proceed to trash you to everyone else.

Really, the above watercolor by Olivier Kugler is the best part of the review.

Place in the world

What can't man do....

Run through Sahara more than personal challenge, ESPN.com: Three runners embarked on an epic journey to run across the Sahara Desert, not only for the challenge but also to raise awareness of some of the most impoverished nations of Africa. Three runners -- Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin -- ran for 111 days over 4,300 miles through six countries (Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and Egypt) and lived to tell their tale. Engle took time to share stories about this incredible journey with ESPN.com contributor Graham Bensinger. ...

When we did the math, we realized that we need to really cover 40-50 miles per day, every single day. It became obvious we couldn't physically train our bodies for that type of stress. What we really did was try to go into the expedition as healthy as possible. Of course, we did a lot of running, hundreds of miles a week in preparation. It was much more of a mental exercise than physical. We weren't going very fast, but we were running 14 hours per day, every single day. It was much tougher on the mind than it was on the body. ...

The average day is very monotonous. We're up at 4 a.m. I was the taskmaster, although Kevin referred to me as the monster. Part of what I did as the expedition leader was focus on getting us going every day. We'd start running at 5 a.m. and take a break around noon for some lunch and even a quick nap on the hottest days. We'd start running again at 2:30 p.m. and not stop until 9:30 p.m. We'd get five hours of sleep and get up and do it again. There wasn't a lot of variety going on in our lives at that point. ...

One of the things that really motivated us was the fact we decided that water was our real focus during this expedition. That sounds obvious for runners, but what I mean by that is we actually aided in setting up a NGO [nongovernment organization] called, "H20 Africa." The goal was to help bring attention to the problem of clean water in Africa. In particular, bring attention to the problem in the Sahara Desert. It was very motivating for us just to run through these towns and villages and see people that were happy, well-adjusted and family-oriented. But almost every place we encountered lacked access to clean water. We're hoping that in phase two of this expedition, happening now, we're able to bring attention to that and solve a few of the problems over there.

Q: I recall reading a story from Don Webster's blog. You all encountered a 7-year-old boy whose parents left him alone for a couple days, with very little food and drink, while they went to search for water. It seemed stories like that were common.

A: Very common. That little boy was incredible. I have children of my own, Brett and Kevin, who are 12 and 14. I couldn't imagine leaving them anywhere in the world. I couldn't imagine leaving them in the house for two or three days by themselves! Just picture this 7-year-old boy who is out there in the desert in his nomadic camp. He's fending for himself while his parents are off with the camels on a two-day journey just to get enough clean water to bring back to camp to last for a week. Then, the process starts all over again.

Photo of Kevin Lin, Charlie Engle, and Ray Zahab pacing their route down a straightaway on the Trans-Saharan Highway in Mauritania by Don Holtz at Running the Sahara.

Don Imus deconstructed

One of the best assessments of Don Imus comes from Sports Illustrated's reliably straight-shooting Dr. Z, who unlike Don is a real journalist.

OK, let's get right into it. Hudson from San Francisco would like my take on the Imus situation. Fine. Here it is:

Imus represents a breed of journalists I call festering boils. They're professional irritants. They continue to fester, causing irritation, occasionally pain. Then, if we're lucky, they pop and they're gone. A couple of years ago Rush Limbaugh, another of this breed, festered on ESPN, a network that, unfortunately, I had to watch. Then he popped, with that Donovan McNabb viciousness, and he was gone. Thank God. Relief all around. At least he wouldn't be part of the football world any more.

The weakness of these people is that their continuing outrageousness gives them a feeling of invincibility and they step over the line and they overplay their hand. Rupert Murdoch's publishing whiz, Judith Regan, who was going to publish that O.J. Simpson book, If I Did It, went over the line and she was canned. She left in her wake another of her brainstorms, another piece of this irritant-type of trash, Peter Golenbock's 7, the Mickey Mantle Novel, detailing a fictitious affair between Mantle and Marilyn Monroe.

That's the book Regan proudly sponsored, and they're all of a piece, Golenbock, Regan, Imus, Howard Stern, Limbaugh. There is little wit or intelligence involved in what they do, very little evidence of work involved or hard research to back up their pronouncements. Be loud, be outrageous, is what their sponsors want, and they oblige.

Now Imus, who has been a professional irritant for years, went over the line and popped.

He's gone from his two major outlets. CBS Radio did an assessment of the balance sheet, which is how corporate people adjust their morality, and decided that whatever financial gain Imus might generate in the future would be offset by the loss of advertising revenue, plus image, when Al Sharpton's activism would be felt. If the network would have canned him right away, I'd have been impressed. But while it was deliberating, I heard the whirl and click of the tumblers, the ring of the cash register. Someone else surely will pick him up, because there are always those who tune in to people such as Imus. Oh, it'll be from a high moral plane, of course, about how he has seen the error of his ways and repented and so forth. It will be the return of a familiar irritant, the same old boil. All we can hope for will be that he'll be even worse next time, that the pop will be louder. And more permanent.

Building the world

Buried in a Washington Post 'wow, aren't they exotic' piece about how people in China are moving to housing complexes modeled on famous foreign cities--"In Nanjing, there are Balinese retreats and Italian villas. In the southeastern city of Hangzhou, there are Venice and Zurich. In downtown Beijing, everything is about Manhattan, with Soho, Central Park and Park Avenue"--is this eye-popping statistic:

Between now and 2015, about half the world's new construction will take place in China, with as much as 6 billion square feet of space expected to be added each year. All over the country, block-like concrete edifices and empty fields are giving way to flashy architectural developments that promise to give the new middle class a taste of places most of them have never seen.

Wow; if half the world's construction will take place in one country, I think the rest of us better get used to standing in line for everything from concrete to architects.

Photo (and article) by the Post's Ariana Eunjung Cha

Bell curved

There's an extraordinarily interesting Washington Post 'article' on their website by the always-entertaining Gene Weingarten.

It shows off some pretty nice web journalism touches (long-form writing, chopped up video snippets, user comments), but ultimately is great on the strength of its (Timesish) idea: what would happen if Joshua Bell played in the subway?

It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work, which meant, for almost all of them, a government job. L'Enfant Plaza is at the nucleus of federal Washington, and these were mostly mid-level bureaucrats with those indeterminate, oddly fungible titles: policy analyst, project manager, budget officer, specialist, facilitator, consultant.

Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

There was no ethnic or demographic pattern to distinguish the people who stayed to watch Bell, or the ones who gave money, from that vast majority who hurried on past, unheeding. Whites, blacks and Asians, young and old, men and women, were represented in all three groups. But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away. ...

Right there you have our world in a nutshell--adult inhibitions choking off freedom!

Edna Souza is from Brazil. She's been shining shoes at L'Enfant Plaza for six years, and she's had her fill of street musicians there; when they play, she can't hear her customers, and that's bad for business. So she fights.

Souza points to the dividing line between the Metro property, at the top of the escalator, and the arcade, which is under control of the management company that runs the mall. Sometimes, Souza says, a musician will stand on the Metro side, sometimes on the mall side. Either way, she's got him. On her speed dial, she has phone numbers for both the mall cops and the Metro cops. The musicians seldom last long.

What about Joshua Bell?

He was too loud, too, Souza says. Then she looks down at her rag, sniffs. She hates to say anything positive about these damned musicians, but: "He was pretty good, that guy. It was the first time I didn't call the police."

Souza was surprised to learn he was a famous musician, but not that people rushed blindly by him. That, she said, was predictable. "If something like this happened in Brazil, everyone would stand around to see. Not here."

Souza nods sourly toward a spot near the top of the escalator: "Couple of years ago, a homeless guy died right there. He just lay down there and died. The police came, an ambulance came, and no one even stopped to see or slowed down to look. ...

That should make Joshua feel better; we won't even stop for death, let alone music. The Post beats the point home with:

If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?

The funny thing about this paragraph is everyone says it of everyone else; but we can't all be the ones in the bemoaning position, most of us are in the responsible position.

I'd wager that 99% of what most people do all day is warped by psychological and what they see as societal issues; most even good work is warped, and most work (in the sense of life output not literally workplace activity) isn't good.

Irony, of course, being the guiding principle of our time and warping all it touches especially when it's unwitting:

White guy, khakis, leather jacket, briefcase. Early 30s. John David Mortensen is on the final leg of his daily bus-to-Metro commute from Reston. He's heading up the escalator. It's a long ride -- 1 minute and 15 seconds if you don't walk. So, like most everyone who passes Bell this day, Mortensen gets a good earful of music before he has his first look at the musician. Like most of them, he notes that it sounds pretty good. But like very few of them, when he gets to the top, he doesn't race past as though Bell were some nuisance to be avoided. Mortensen is that first person to stop, that guy at the six-minute mark.

It's not that he has nothing else to do. He's a project manager for an international program at the Department of Energy; on this day, Mortensen has to participate in a monthly budget exercise, not the most exciting part of his job: "You review the past month's expenditures," he says, "forecast spending for the next month, if you have X dollars, where will it go, that sort of thing."

On the video, you can see Mortensen get off the escalator and look around. He locates the violinist, stops, walks away but then is drawn back. He checks the time on his cellphone -- he's three minutes early for work -- then settles against a wall to listen. ...

So, for the first time in his life, Mortensen lingers to listen to a street musician. He stays his allotted three minutes as 94 more people pass briskly by. When he leaves to help plan contingency budgets for the Department of Energy, there's another first. For the first time in his life, not quite knowing what had just happened but sensing it was special, John David Mortensen gives a street musician money. ...

Of course, on the Post video, they fast-forward through all but 50 seconds of Mortensen's three special minutes.

Uncredited photo of Joshua Bell found in various spots online.

Waiting on Jennifer

Blogging hour-long American Idol results show live; a bunch of things spread out, Ryan promises. Randy says Latin songs are hard to sing, despite what some might think; Paula gets messed with by Simon; Ryan asks Simon about what he says to Sanjaya, Simon says straightforwardly it was a compliment.

Group song starts with everyone with their backs turned; they pair Sanjaya and Haley; wow, Jordin has a cool brown dress on. Man, Blake really is smarmy; overall it's not bad.

Btw, the New York Post, in its usual blaring way, had an interesting piece about Sanjaya today: 'IDOL' MUSIC DIRECTOR: 'SANJAYA CAN WIN!':

By MICHAEL STARR, MANY people think "American Idol" lightning-rod Sanjaya Malakar should've been gone weeks ago.

But don't tell that to the show's musical director, Ricky Minor.

"You know what? I think that he could win the show," Minor told The Post yesterday.

"He's gotten this far because he really is what he is - he's got this huge smile, he's a handsome guy and is really likable.

"People are pulling for him - and people really care about him."

Malakar, the 17-year-old from Washington, has polarized "Idol" viewers with his affect, his strange hairdos (including his much-talked-about "fauxhawk") and his questionable singing talent.

"I can tell you he can sing," says Minor, now in his third season as "Idol" musical director. "I think there are people who are naysayers, but I've run into a lot of credible people who really enjoy his voice.

"He has a connection to the lyrics and people are pleasantly surprised.

"This isn't a singing competition alone. It's for a star to emerge," he says. "Sanjaya has a huge likability factor. I think it's possible for him to win based on the way he's moving through the competition. "

Minor hires and conducts the "Idol" band, decides musical arrangements and interacts one-on-one with the finalists "if someone wants to talk about something personal," he says.

Eight finalists remain going into tonight's elimination show (9 p.m./Ch. 5).

"In the beginning they were all having a hard time because they started reading the blogs and the junk people were saying about them," Minor says.

"I told them, 'Don't read [the blogs]. Believe in what you're doing and work hard on your craft.' "

Yeah, don't read the blogs!

Gosh, it's gonna be a long nights; AI's become so bloated--trivia contest, songwriting competition, now Ryan doing a man on street segment. They ask a bunchof people able Sanjaya, including this cute little girl who didn't like anyone but Sanjaya and LaKisha. It's funny, most of the people don't even know anybody's names.

Hmm, so Akon comes out--AI's apparently so big they can just bring him on without any hype. I've never heard him, only seen his photos; seems different, Wikipedia says he's Senegalese-American. His song's definitely got an international flair to it; little by little, first with soccer and now with music, America's youth are joining the rest of the world.

Ford commercial is great, the Idols morph into each other as various Ford cars do the same (not sure why Ford wants to draw attention to the fact that many of the cars are essentially the same, being built on the same chassis).

Blah, blah, FOX gives Idol Gives Back $5 million; they rerun scenes of Simon and Ryan's trip to Africa, featuring a 'school in a box'. Lots of crayons, chalk, paper, rulers--but no books. Some kid draws Simon with breasts, it's pretty funny; Simon blushes as Ryan does some man touching with him.

They're setting it up so Simon will sing if they raise X amounts of dollars. There's a funny mash-up of Tony Bennett 'auditioning' and the judges ripping on him. The audience is like awwww....

Halfway through, still all padding. Back from break and they show the finalists in their seats; finally get to the recap. Of course they finish with Sanjaya/Simon. Ryan talks to the contestants, Haley admits it hurt when Simon made his comment about his clothing as Ryan goes down the front row talking to them--skipping over Chris.

Phil stands, and he's in the bottom three; LaKisha stands, and she's safe; Jordin (after Ryan says 'Haley' by mistake, drawing a puzzled look from the skimply-dressed one) is safe; Sanjaya is told to sit down for the moment, they're gonna do him and Chris one-on-one having realized he's the only one people care about; Melinda is safe, Haley--as we already knew--is not; Ryan asks Sanjaya to stand up again, then tells him to sit down (he's not going home tonight, they wouldn't jerk around someone who was); Blake is safe; Chris stands up with Sanjaya--and Sanjaya is safe, it's Chris (to some boos).

Wow, if I had to pick a bottom three, this is exactly the three I'd have picked. Nice that as the season goes on America is seeing the light!

They mess with who they send back, and it's Chris. Phil repeats he's just blessed to be here; they show more puffery about J.Lo, with the Idols praising her. Wonder if this was part of the contract; St. J.Lo. I do like her, though; she's tough--and there's a hilarious bit at the end where Sanjaya talks about gettting her number (but not telling Marc Antony about it). He's really quite funny.

Then, Jen from the block comes out, sings a song in Spanish--wonder if Simon will complain about not understanding a word of it. Wow, anyone who still doubts this country is changing just has to watch this--the biggest show in the country, and the centerpiece is a pop idol singing entirely in Spanish. I wonder if the Peter Kings and Tom Tancredos of the country are watching; it must be pretty grim to be on the wrong side of history.

It's quite a performance, I mean, really, between this and Prince there's nobody this show can't get; I'll bet record companies will start timing their new releases to the AI season to get maximum exposure for their stars.

Ryan asks her about the judges' feedback, she laughs and says she probably comes from the Paula school of criticism. Ryan's trying out his Spanish in kicking to commercial; really, in the future j-schools should study this as a watershed moment.

35 million votes cast, but not enough for Haley, who at long last gets kicked off. She should never have made it out of the semis; it's ridiculous. They show her 'highlights'; here's my initial impression of her out of San Antonio:

Then, someone good I think. Earnest chick; reminds me a bit of McPhee by her behavior. Odd v-shaped back black outfit. Haley Scarnato; and she has a good voice, pretty powerful, but also controlled, not just loud--maybe a bit generic. Sings convincingly, not just performing. Paula likes her, Randy says it was okay, Simon says a bit cabaret; nothing so unique. They give her a shot, why not.

I gotta tell you, I was remarkably prescient about the Katharine McPhee thing--both had a fakeness to them that I didn't like, and while Haley turned out to be a vocal mess, she shared McPhee's cold-bloodedness I think.

Anyway, see ya; now let's work on getting rid of Phil and Chris.

Siete

American Idol's cut to seven starts with Ryan and the contestants huddling backstage on Latin Night, talking about gosh knows what. They introduce Jennifer Lopez, based on the way she talks to them you can tell she's smart.

Melinda Doolittle up first, doing Sway; Lopez advises her to be sexy, she says that'll be her biggest challenge. All in black; silky smooth if nothing else. It's okay; but no warm intimacy or energy, it's all cool, laid back, more jazzy than anything else. Very good tone, but I don't think she works for Latin music. Crowd luvs her; Randy says another solid performance, to shrieks. Smooth and sultry says Paula, subtle; Simon says he didn't like it--no personality, appeared much older, loungey; someone as good as you has to wow us every week. Lazy and wooden, to boos.

LaKisha Jones next, getting the big guns out of the way. In kind of a tigery red/black dress, matches the Coke advertising. Singing Conga, Lopez says she needed help with movement, audience is cheering her tape; it seems pretty fun, actually. Whoah, LaKisha--starts out standing on the table in the audience, totally going for it tonight; a frenetic quality to it, not totally natural--also poor dress choice; but she's really trying. I actually think she could lose votes tonight, seems so un-Idol-like. Sings well, but it all seems so forced. Randy likes it, calls it hot; Paula says she felt it was more safe than anything else, need to step it up; Simon gives her a chance to respond, she says she felt she was outside her comfort zone, but Simon says he agrees with Paula, you were having fun but not sure about everyone at home, and the dancing wasn't very good.

Chris Richardson next, also in red/black. I'm sensing tonight is gonna be bad for everyone but Jordin, none of them really have any that cool Latin flair. He's doing Smooth, not very well in rehearsal; Lopez says he needs to sing slightly higher. Hmm, he's actually not bad to start--off-key true, but a little bit of urgency in the voice. Now it's degrading, it's more chanting than singing. And so out of tune. Oh, gosh, he's wailing. Randy says very cool, Paula says it was a hot, sexy performance; Simon says bad vocal, but felt more contemporary and at least a good performance. Hmm, Simon was just praising to praise, he wants Chris to stick around tonight.

Haley Scarnato next, oh boy. Turn the Beat Around, which Lopez says is hard because it's all about rhythmn; they bring Blake in to do beatbox. Out in crazy striped top and tight black shorts. Singing tentatively, and off the beat; and off key too. Can't understand her; she's actually no longer singing, just reciting lyrics. Does her patented pageant-style moves; almost perfunctory movements, she's really horrid. Randy pans it, says really karaoke; Paula just says you had fun up there; Simon is laughing, says you have a good tactic with the clothes--can't do well based on your voice so just tart it up. Vocals were so rushed, couldn't understand most of it.

Phil Stacey, doing Maria, Maria--hmm, based on rehearsal seems pretty good. She shows her goose pimples, has some praise for him. In ridiculous poseur outfit--cap, leather; starts out odd, not quite in the groove. But slow and controlled; it's at least interesting what he's trying to do, but oh so not believable. Like Elvis doing In the Ghetto. As it goes on it gets worse; it's just stupid, and off-key; breaks on last notes. Somewhere thousands of Hispanics are cracking up. Randy says you didn't quite connect, mostly boring; Paula says vocally good except for end; Simon says you're a nice guy but no originality, lifeless, flat, nothing there to get excited about. Ryan offers him an out, is it tough on the voice; he dodges, says totally randomly his daughter just got a stuffed animal cow, she calls it Simon Cow.

Jordin Sparks, who I think will bring it. In tan top, black pants; asked what theme she'd choose, she said 80s music--born in December 1989! Wow. Lopez loves her, says her rendition of Rhythmn's Gonna Get You reminds her of Michael Jackson. Wow, she's having fun right from the get-go; she really likes performing. Very dramatic, with nice head movements; by far the best of the night, and she's just started. Totally has got the sultryness, the playfullness down. Maybe a bit slow, deliberate at times; but nails the final part, so confident and a big voice. Randy says absolutely wonderful and great to see someone as good as you; Paula loves her authenticity and calls her adorable; Simon says okay, not stunning, no progression though.

Blake Lewis, doing I Need to Know by Lopez's husband; she tells him to be more believable. Out in hat and red top, khakis; hmm, he has a good, fun vibe--he's such a ham, this song totally plays into that. It's too bad he always looks like he's kindof got a sneer on his face; audience is into it--he creates dramatic tension. Dance moves are hilarious; no cutesy beatboxing though. Randy says best song choice, hot performance; Paula says smart performance, captured the essence of who you are; Simon says best choice, best performance.

And we close tonight with Sanjaya Malakar. Mesami Mucho, Lopez says he really impressed her, she says she loved him; advises him to take his time and not rush. Wow, it's fun watching her coach him, says it's a great choice for him. Slow and sultry, on a stool, calm; audience screaming for him--wow, he's good! My gosh, hair is relatively normal, he's in a sportcoat. Some mike problems, but very controlled and smooth, and above all totally believable. Even his Spanish seems good. It's like he doesn't even care about the audience, just doing his thing--and people are transfixed. Yeah, Sanjaya! Randy says one of the smartest contestants he's ever met, that was actually really good; Paula says smooth, it was nice; Simon says he couldn't understand a word of it, sang like a 14-year-old; I'm going hate myself for this--but it wasn't horrible.

Well, this might be the beginning of the Sanjaya run to the top. We'll see; so much depends on his song choice, and confidence. Odd that the judges weren't more effusive in their praise, I guess he's really gotta dig himself out of his hole with them.

Sanjaya Malakar
Jordin Sparks
Blake Lewis
Melinda Doolittle
LaKisha Jones
Chris Richardson
Phil Stacey
Haley Scarnato

Los Niños

So let's say there's a group that makes up about 20% of the people in your country; and which happens to be the fastest-growing group.

You'd want to bend over backwards to get to know this group, right? I mean, they're likely to have significant power, which is only going to grow, right?

If nothing else, you'd conclude whatever such a sizable part of your country cares about is likely to be something the entire nation should care about too, right?

Which is why all this anti-immigrant sentiment is idiotic. Hispanics are that group; and even though the vast majority of them are here legally, the anti-illegal immigration 'outcry' is being used as a stick by racists to beat them all with (after all, you can't tell someone's immigration status by looking at them on the street, and most proponents of immigration 'reform' don't care).

Yeah, sure, for a while longer racist whites can probably form a working majority in some parts of the country to push through their fears; but that day is dwindling fast.

Which means whoever you think 'won' the 'debate' between Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera on FOX, I can tell you who's gonna win the war.



And whichever copy editor at the Washington Post who thinks Hispanics need to 'plead' for anything in this country has a pretty poor grasp of politics. You'll see how much pleading Hispanics are gonna do when you look out your window on May 1.

Pleading to Stay a Family

N.C. Aizenman in the Washington Post: As the government's crackdown on illegal immigrant workers has intensified in recent months, so have the consequences for a large subgroup of U.S. citizens: American-born children of illegal immigrants.

Numbering at least 3.1 million, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute and the Pew Hispanic Center, such children range from teenagers steeped in iTunes and MySpace to toddlers just learning their ABCs.

Until recently, their parents' illegal status had limited impact on these children's lives, because, although every year hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are detained attempting to cross the U.S. border, once they make it in, they are rarely caught.

But the increase in raids against companies employing illegal workers is beginning to change that. ...

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which seeks to limit immigration, said he has sympathy for children in Jessica's situation -- but no more so than for any other child victimized by a parent's mistakes.

"Kids often pay for the bad decisions of their parents. If you do something wrong that sends you to jail, well, your kids suffer for that. If you are careless with your mortgage and lose your house, your kids suffer along with you," he said. The parents "knew what they were doing when they had kids here, knowing that they were still illegal immigrants."

Krikorian applauded the new efforts against employers of illegal workers as a welcome departure from years of lax enforcement of immigration laws within U.S. territory.

In fiscal 2004, for instance, the government deported about 51,000 immigrants who had been in the United States for more than a year, accounting for just 3 percent of the number of immigrants expelled and less than 1 percent of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

Krikorian said lawmakers would only make matters worse by granting judges more discretion to allow those now being arrested to remain in the United States if they have U.S. citizen children, as proposed in a bill recently introduced by Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.).

"You'd be making having a kid an automatic get-out-of-jail-free card," Krikorian said. "You'd basically be saying that every illegal alien gets to stay permanently just because they had a kid once they crossed the border."

Krikorian also cautioned that by pushing the issue, immigrant advocates will strengthen sentiment in favor of revoking the automatic citizenship granted to nearly anyone born on U.S. soil -- a right set forth in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. ...

Oh yes, listen to the wise white man, who cautions us how to proceed--language is so interesting in cases like this, where some still believe they're the lords in a feudal society. As Stephen Biko said, "Not only are whites kicking us; they are telling us how to react to being kicked."

This country was built on the simple premise that if you could make it here, you were free; and if you were lucky enough to be born here, you're an American; "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

It's a concept that for most of the world is still tricky--I'll tell you right now we will never amend our 14th Amendment to take away that right; you may as well white-out 'We the People'.

Krikorian and his ilk are the same people who set up and tried to maintain Jim Crow in the South; the Nietzschean outgrowth of that is likely to be repeated here, as the Post article concludes about one of the immigrant kids:

His mother, Consuelo Castellanos, watching from a pew nearby, dabbed at her own tears and admitted to mixed emotions.

"I'm really worried that this is going to traumatize him even more," she said in Spanish. "But I'm also amazed and proud. I don't know where he gets this bravery. Normally, he's so shy, but he's so determined to fight for us."

Shoulders of giants

What's more American than members of established groups passing on their knowledge to new immigrants; lending a helping hand that can be something as simple as a nod of acknowledgment that I've been there, you'll make it too?

We're a great country because of this continual cycle of renewal, a refusal to let newcomers fend for themselves. Implicit in this national ethos is a recognition that otherwise, it--however you want to definite it--can happen again.

Times change, but only because we make sure they do:

Relatives of Interned Japanese-Americans Side With Muslims, Nina Bernstein in the Times: Holly Yasui was far away when a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled last June that the government had wide latitude to detain noncitizens indefinitely on the basis of race, religion or national origin. The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit by Muslim immigrants held after 9/11. But Ms. Yasui, an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, had reason to take it personally.

Her grandparents were among thousands of Japanese immigrants in the United States who were wrongfully detained as enemy aliens during World War II. And her father was one of three Japanese-Americans who challenged the government’s racial detention and curfew programs in litigation that reached the Supreme Court in the 1940s.

Now, Ms. Yasui, along with Jay Hirabayashi and Karen Korematsu-Haigh, a son and a daughter of the two other Japanese-American litigants, is urging an appeals court in Manhattan to overturn the sweeping language of the judge’s ruling last year.

The ruling “painfully resurrects the long-discredited legal theory” that was used to put their grandparents behind barbed wire, along with the rest of the West Coast’s Japanese alien population, the three contend in an unusual friends-of-the-court brief filed today in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“Their interest is in avoiding the repetition of a tragic episode in American history that is also, for them, painful family history,” the brief states.

In recent years, many scholars have drawn parallels and contrasts between the internment of Japanese-Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the treatment of hundreds of Muslim noncitizens who were swept up in the weeks after the 2001 terror attacks, then held for months before they were cleared of links to terrorism and deported.

But the brief filed today is a rare case of members of a third generation stepping up to defend legal protections that were lost to their grandparents, and that their parents devoted their lives to reclaiming.

“I feel that racial profiling is absolutely wrong and unjustifiable,” Ms. Yasui, 53, wrote in an e-mail message from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she works as a writer and graphic designer. “That my grandmother was treated by the U.S. government as a ‘dangerous enemy alien’ was a travesty. And it killed my grandfather.” ...

The brief counters that the ruling “overlooks the nearly 20-year-old declaration by the United States Congress and the president of the United States that the racially selective detention of Japanese aliens during World War II was a ‘fundamental injustice’ warranting an apology and the payment of reparations.”

And, it adds, the district court’s deference to the government “ignores the tragic consequences of such deference” for 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Among those people was Ms. Yasui’s grandfather Masuo Yasui, who immigrated to the United States in 1903 and became a successful businessman and apple grower in Hood River, Ore., where his nine children were born and raised.

By 1940, he was one of 47,000 Japanese immigrants who lived in the 48 states, nearly 90 percent on the West Coast. They had remained aliens because federal law forbade naturalization of any person of Asian ancestry. Since the law also forbade Japanese immigration after 1924, the United States had been home to all of them for at least 17 years on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. ...

The Hirabayashi and Korematsu grandparents, too, died before Congress enacted a law apologizing for the internment and offering compensation of $20,000 each for the survivors. Signed into law in 1988, the law was intended partly “to discourage the occurrence of similar injustice and violations of civil liberties in the future.”

By then, courts re-examining the cases of the three Japanese-American litigants found that the government had suppressed evidence that security fears were overblown. For example, what the Army had suspected were signals sent to Japanese submarines from California hillsides had actually come from “farms where people used flashlights to go to outside toilets,” a former Justice Department lawyer testified.

Corbis photo by Dorothea Lange in the Times.

Eight's more than enough

Big smiles all around as American Idol seeks its own version of the Elite Eight. The recap's a bit more fun than the actual performances were; the Ford commercial's okay, they're all working at a fantasy eco-car wash (Kermit makes a guest appearence).

Ah, they finally launch the song writer contest; no explanation why it was delayed, and not much of a sell. Hmm, they stick them in groups of three, Blake/Chris/Sanjaya, they'll be fine. Haley/Gina/Phil, that's gotta be it.

Top three for sure--Jordin/Melinda/LaKisha, the only one to get a hand (they're arranged by height, it's funny). That group's all safe, not surprisingly.

Sanjaya's group is safe, yaay. Another good night of voting by America; Sanjaya's dad is hi-fiving people in the audience as they go to break. A special guest performing live, they say....

Trivia question is who was 'jokingly' referred to as Chicken Little. They thank Allstate for giving money to their charity; Tony Bennett can't sing, apparently he has the flu. They plug his CD anyway; and replace him with--Michael Buble, who I've never heard of, and who seems to mess up a couple of times.

Or maybe his style is to just clip his words--he has this hilarious moment where he lopes across stage to the band. Reminds me of an old man's idea of a young man; hmm, his stylistic ticks really border on making him seem an incompetent performer. Afterwards he messes around with Ryan, asks if he's wasting his votes by still voting for Antonella Barba, the joke falls flat--his delivery leads much to be desired.

Ryan sends Phil back to safety, to widespread cheers. The two remaining hug; Haley's crying. Randy says he's a bit surprised, after saying he wasn't surprised; Haley's crying, Paula won't say if America got it right; Simon says he's not surprised, Gina gives him the look of death.

And it's--Gina, after 33 million votes cast. Ugh, unbelievable--people are booing, Gina starts crying a bit. Aww, too bad, she was just starting to grow on me. Curious when the backlash against Haley starts, she should've punched out a looooong time ago. She tosses away her good luck charm, sings us out. The words to Smile fit the moment perfectly, it's quite a good performance, except when she stops briefly halfway through; the other Idols come out to stand around her--Jordin gives her an assist at the end, it's so sweet.

I'm just glad Jordin made the top three vote-getters.

Looking for heart

American Idol's looking to cut for eight, with Tony Bennett helping. Ah, yes--once again, skewing young.

Tony calls them a rare group, very competent.... Blake Lewis up first, doing Mac the Knife. Tony wants him to think more about the meaning of the song, and slow down a bit. In silly sport coat--looks like a kid playing dress up; don't really like it. A bit perfunctory, like he's just rolling out his act; tone is also a bit odd, pitchy too. Good finish, though, even with the silly scatting. Randy likes it, good choice--some pitch problems, but funky jazzy cool. Paula says he's a hip cat, it was great and cool; Simon says good choice, performed well, 7 out of 10.

Back, with shots of a sign in the crowd that reads Simon is Always Right. Wow, some huge names for their Idol Gives Back show... pretty much everybody. Phil Stacey next, who says Tony's his hero. Night and Day, Tony says speed it up; one of the better singers he's heard for a long time. In sharp suit, swallowing his words to start. Slow, with some nice tone in his voice, and a big smile. Eh, an okay performance; sounded a bit odd at times. Randy says okay, no real connection; Paula says good news, like a young Frank Sinatra--Simon is like what?!; but have more joy, and warmth in your vocals overall. Which Frank Sinatra are you referring to asks Simon; all the joy of someone singing in a funeral parlor. He's right, it was very mannered. Trying to focus on my wife, he says afterwards, to big awwwws. He's totally getting a Constantine vibe going.

Melinda Doolittle, doing I've Got Rhythmn; Tony says she's really good, has a big chance in the business. She is, as always, amazed. Hmm, in interesting print dress; sultry and slow and very professional, it's like being at a jazz club to start. Then picks it up, it's another patented great performance with lots of color and emoting. And big notes; audience really likes her; and a big finish. Crowd gives her a long standing O. Randy says it's a lesson in singing every week; Paula echoes you're like a master class, it was flawless; Simon makes fun of Paula, says first half was a bit cabaret, tells audience to shut up mockingly over its boos; loved the second half. We'll never criticize you, this is a problem--we like being mean.

Chris Richardson followed by Jordin Sparks, they do a funny looking back and forth at each other bit as we go to break. Chris is asked what he thinks about most as he picks a song, he says what you like/audience/judges. In hat, vest and jeans; doing Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Tony tells him to memorize the lyrics. His voice is off-key from the get-go; his acting is what Simon will call cabaret. He's totally flat, it's strange how off he can be without apparently realizing it. It's just okay, like mediocore karaoke for me. Randy says this was one of your best performances, came out with a vengeance, very cool and young and hip. Paula likes it too, and that he didn't compromise. Simon says that was very good, believable--who knows, I may be wrong but I feel like everyone's just doing happy talk to keep him around. Simon says probably one of the strongest tonight; well, there's only been four total tonight.

Jordin Sparks doing On a Clear Day, Tony says she's terrific, intelligent and sang in tune which is rare nowadays. In black vest, white shirt, black pants. Starts off a bit off; very breathy; but good confidence, and definitely a great voice. I don't know, not connecting so far; maybe not the greatest song choice. But so much charisma, and a big finish. Randy loves it, the bomb, very pro and controlled; Paula says you're a magnet of joy, Simon is totally cracking up--winds up saying I'm so fricking proud of you, you're gonna sail through to the next round. Simon says you sang it well, but didn't achieve what Chris did before you, making it young and current. Everyone disagrees, hmmm, Simon's definitely trying to keep Chris around.

Gina Glockson, doing Smile--written by Charlie Chaplin?! Hmmm... Tony says she sang beautifully, Tony says when he sings it he thinks of 9/11 and the soldiers in Iraq. Uh, okay. Wow, in sleek black dress slit high, on stool; good look for her. Nice vocal tone; very bare lyrics, slow.

Ah, Sanjaya Malakar.... Tony has high words of praise for him--he can sing, has a lot of courage. Out there in white suit, slicked back hair; Cheek to Cheek. Not a bad voice at all; definitely cheesy, but fun--dances with Paula, just out there doing his thing; definitely weak spots, but not horrible. Randy says you've turned in quite an entertainer; Paula says you're charming, thanks for the dance. Incredible, says Simon sarcastically.

Haley Scarnato, in beaded green dress. It's astonishing she's still here, kisses up to Simon beforehand. Saving My Love for You, Tony says she doesn't get the song. God, it's so cheesy, she's sitting down (with her back to the audience); trying for that fake intimay. She keeps looking around for the camera; then suddenly changes the song into something brassy. It's a mess; plus she's off-key. So cheesy. Randy is like I thought this might be a good week, but--what do you think Paula. Who just says did I mention green is a good color for you. They kick to Simon, who just says I think you have good legs. Pagentry says Simon--so odd, they're all trying not to say anything negative about her.

Lakisha Jones closes what so far has been a mediocore night. Stormy Weather; she's very good says Tony. In black and beige gown; very brassy from the get-go, like Porgy and Bess. It's the usual quality LaKisha performance, builds througout, audience applauds her big notes; she's very determined looking, emphatic gestures. Randy says perfect song, pitchy early but great ending; Paula says you look gorgeous, sound great; Simon says sassy, great performance, back on form.

Idol, unfortunately, isn't. And on recap, Haley's performance is even more embarrassing.

Melinda Doolittle
Jordin Sparks
Gina Glockson
Lakisha Jones
Sanjaya Malakar
Phil Stacey
Blake Lewis
Haley Scarnato
Chris Richardson

Two shining moments

In politics, like everything else, both the things that grab the headlines and a flood of information can sometimes blind you to the telling details.

The big story Sunday was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign announcing they had raised more than $26 million in the first three months of 2007, shattering the previous record (which was around $8 million).

Buried in the story, however, was a key line--Clinton wasn't revealing how much of that money had been raised for her primary fight, and how much for the general election.

It's obviously an important distinction; mixing the two numbers is like telling someone your salary's $1 million... based on lumping together the next 10 years.

How about Barack Obama? He hasn't officially reported yet, but his campaign is leaking that he raised $20 million.

As Richard Baehr wrote in his Obama, not Hillary, won the 1st quarter fundraising derby post on American Thinker:

[G]o beneath the raw data and a different victor emerges.

Obama is the winner of fund raising first quarter race. He raised over 20 million, Hillary raised 26. But much of her money was in $4600 slices: 2300 for the primary election, 2300 for general election. Since she already announced that she will not take federal money for general election, she was free to collect money for both.

Obama has not decided yet whether to forgo public financing for the general election, so virtually all of his money is just for the primary, and he is limited to $2300 per donor.

Most analysts thought Hillary would raise 30-35 million and Obama 15-20 million. According to Drudge, Hillary found it necessary to transfer $10 million from her Senatorial Campaign Committee in order to pump up her total to $36 million.

Clearly, Obama has had an extraordinary rise and Hillary is worried.

I'd say Hillary is more than worried. Remember, the candidate who raises the most early doesn't always win--just ask Howard Dean about that.

However... Hillary had all the advantages coming in, and she's not someone who's got a lot of new people to tap into at this point. She's had years to cultivate donors; has 100% name recognition; has the support of tons of operatives and party officials; represents New York, where a giant percentage of the top donors live; has a big network in California, the other fundraising hub; and has hubby Bill's magic Rolodex to draw from.

They pulled out all the stops; and it didn't work. Heck, as the Times notes in its After 2000 Loss, Obama Built Donor Network From Roots Up piece:

Mr. Obama appears to have such a firm hold on so many of Chicago’s big donors that Mrs. Clinton, who grew up in a Chicago suburb, did not even have a fund-raiser here during the crucial first quarter of this year. ...

And Chicago has become almost completely an Obama town. Though Democrats here still express respect for Mrs. Clinton, "if she’s raising any money in Chicago, I don’t know who’s doing it," said Mr. Schmidt, the lawyer who was once co-chairman of President Clinton’s fund-raising here.

Ouch; if you can't get people to believe in you in your hometown, you're really in trouble, as Al Gore learned when he lost Tennessee to George W. Bush in 2000.

Rudy Giuliani's got the same problem as Hillary, except worse. Not only are things still coming out about his past, but he lost the first quarter fundraising race to Mitt Romney, who raised $20 million to his $15 million.

It seems insane that a man who raised $15 million in three months can be seen to be in trouble--but that's the way the game is played now, with the compressed primary calendar and spiraling arms race.

Looks like the Final Four's set for the presidential race; only question is whether Hillary and Rudy deserve their current #1 seeds.

AFP photos of Obama by Mannie Garcia, of Romney by Mandel Ngan.

Oden-mite

Ohio State's Greg Oden is in the middle of what may be a game for the ages, if his teammates can give him a little bit of help.

With 13 minutes left in the NCAA championship game against Florida, he's got 17 points and 10 rebounds. Florida's been trying to play him with 3 different players, two of whom have 3 fouls.

The number don't show his full dominance; Florida's just shooting from the outside, and on defense has almost given up guarding him once he's got the ball, focusing instead on trying to prevent him getting the pass.

Since everyone and his uncle (but not me) picked the defending champs Florida in this game, it'll be interesting to see what happens down the stretch.

The Gators have pretty much been in control most of the game; if they hold on, it'll be the first time a school has ever won both the basketball and football championships in the same year.

Oden's played pretty much the entire game except for 2 minutes; just picked up the fourth foul on Florida's star, Joakim Noah. Down by 11, bit over 8 minutes to go.

Now just under 7, OSU's press has cut the lead to 8; Oden's picked up two fouls in the last 5 minutes, though.

22 points, 11 rebounds for Oden; team's down by 6 with 5 minutes left.

Back down by 11 with 3:30 left--Ohio State has missed 10 3's in a row. That's the story of the game, which pretty much is over....

Florida wound up winning, 84-75. NBA-bound Oden finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. And CBS, of course, ended the night with One Shining Moment.

AP Photo of Oden by Gerry Broome

Mission accomplished?

This is one of the dumbest plays I've ever seen in sports.



The Wizards wound up losing the game in OT--the playoff race in the Eastern Conference is so tight this year this loss may have giant implications down the road.

Makes you wonder if we brought the same kind of fanatical coverage to other fields that sports gets what other kinds of idiocy we'd uncover.

Times in triplicate

Everyone's still abuzz over the forceful dunk attempt by Ohio State's Greg Oden in the national semifinal game against Georgetown.

The Times apparently liked it so much they quoted Oden talking about it--three times. On the same page.

-In Matchup of Big Men, Ohio State’s Oden Comes Out the Ultimate Winner, Joe LaPointe: “I wanted to get in there and just tear the rim down,” Oden said.

-Timing Is Perfect for Oden and Buckeyes, Pete Thamel: “I was out for 17 minutes,” Oden said. “I wanted to get in there and just tear the rim down.”

-It’s Hard Getting to the Final Four, Even if You’re Supposed To, George Vecsey: "Asked how he felt at halftime, Oden said: "I was out for 17 minutes. I wanted to get in there and just tear the rim down, you know."

Uncredited Reuters photo of Oden dunk attempt found in various places online.

Rising forms

An otherwise uninteresting--to me--Times Sunday Arts section had Alan Riding's piece on the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Aalto’s Renown Rises From the Chair .

Most memorable to me was Aalto's Church of the Three Crosses in Imatra, Finland. It's a great photo, even greater form. Less memorable to me, but attached to the church photo is Villa Mairea, which the Times says many consider Aalto's finest work.

Photos by Gustaf Welin/Alvar Aalto Museum and Kalevi A. Makinen/Alvar Aalto Museum in the Times

For he's an Englishman

Jane Perlez's Old Church Becomes Mosque in Uneasy Britain article in the Times is one of those pieces where you shake your head at both the tone of the piece as well as the facts of the case.

On a chilly night this winter, this pristine town in some of Britain’s most untouched countryside voted to allow a former Christian church to become a mosque.

The narrow vote by the municipal authorities marked the end of a bitter struggle by the tiny Muslim population to establish a place of worship, one that will put a mosque in an imposing stone Methodist church that had been used as a factory since its congregation dwindled away 40 years ago.

The battle underscored Britain’s unease with its Muslim minority, and particularly the infiltration of terrorist cells among the faithful, whose devotion has challenged an increasingly secular Britain’s sense of itself.

Britain may continue to regard itself as a Christian nation. But practicing Muslims are likely to outnumber church-attending Christians in several decades, according to a recent survey by Christian Research, a group that specializes in documenting the status of Christianity in Britain.

More conspicuous than ever in both the halls of power and in working-class neighborhoods, Britain’s 1.6 million Muslims, about 2.7 percent of the population, are at once alienated and increasingly assertive. ...

In all, [Sheraz] Arshad and his father made eight applications for a mosque, and even proposed buying a modest terrace house on the edge of town to be used for worship. Mr. Arshad said he tried to buy land from the council but was rebuffed.

Often there was booing at council meetings, and, he said, cries of “Go home, Paki!”

The authorities’ official reasoning for the rejections was generally that a mosque would attract outsiders — a veiled reference to Muslims — to Clitheroe. ...

On Dec. 21, the night of the vote on the mosque, the council chambers overflowed with 150 people. The police were poised outside. The vote was 7 to 5 for the mosque; there was no violence.

“I went in resigned to the fact we would lose,” Mr. Arshad said. “In the end, it was very humbling.” ...

But the fight is hardly over. Beneath the official vote lies a river of resentment among those who fear that the broader patterns in Britain will emerge here. In one sign of the tensions, some of the church’s windows have been smashed.

“There was so much opposition,” said Robert Kay, a hired driver. “The people who were for the mosque were those who were not going to end up with it on their doorstep.” ...

In the nearby town of Kendal, an Anglican vicar, Alan Billings, has written a book, “Secular Lives, Sacred Hearts: The Role of the Church in a Time of No Religion.”

As thinkers like Tariq Ramadan keep saying, at some point non-Muslim Britons have got to realize someone who's Muslim has just as much claim to be British as someone who's Christian.

The country's changing; it'd be nice if non-Muslim Britons would make their peace with it, before demographic reality shoves it down their throats.

And at some point, media outlets like the Times have got to start calling a spade a spade and portray ugly racism equally regardless of who's targeted, and stop letting pass unchallenged quotations where the word 'people' is used to mean non-Muslims, and the decline of churches is synonymous with the decline of religion.