Amie's blog

Chef Jeff will be at Celebrate Maine on August 10.  Come on out and say "hi" to the Chef while sampling his recipes... then log back on here to MyFOXMaine.com for more of Chef Jeff's recipes and cooking tips!  I just saw his recipe, and I can't wait to try it out!!!!

Celebrate MAINE Festival is a two-day extravaganza that will showcase the best of Maine in food, art, crafts, and much more, August 9 and 10.  The festival will be held this year at the historic Raitt Homestead Farm Museum in Eliot, which is partnering with the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce to host the event.

Have a question for Chef Jeff?  Email him at chefjeff@myfoxmaine.com!

It's been awhile Hell's Kitchen fans, but let's dish (pun intended).

I'll skip the recaps, you can catch them here, but wow...

I won't spend a lot of time on past weeks, but the past two have been really good choices for voteoffs... First, Matty...

Matty was really, really, really was the obvious choice to go home.  I think the "losing his mind" part was probably over-edited to look that way, but he just couldn't stand the heat anymore... and I was relieved that it was him that was sent home.

Ok, so last week I can't tell you how excited I was to see Bobby finally go home!  He's been riding the mediocre train the whole show and I don't know why he was still there except that he managed to stay off the radar, despite his initial "General Bobby" pomp and circumstance. 

 

I do think he deserved to go home over Jen, who has really been escalating annoyance level wise, don't you think?  Though she did get a bum deal when no one believed she didn't put her fish up too early and it was someone else, but honestly, she's been so loud the whole time she probably was right in thinking she did it to herself. 

 

If she could just tone down her cocky-ness, I'd probably like her better about now, as she certainly has talent.  I probably would have liked Bobby better if he'd have been less arrogant too, but... well he's gone, so he's done...  I guess I was just looking for more of an underdog.

 

I like the final four, they seem deserving.  I hate to jinx it by listing it here, but I'd like to see the final match up between Christina and Petrozza. Either one would be a good winner, I guess I'm more rooting for Christina though.  She's young, she's a culinary student, she she's likeable and hasn't made any huge fowl-ups that I can remember off-hand. 

Petrozza had some weaker moments early on and has rallied back, he'd be a good winner too. 

 

If Cory or Jen makes it to the final expect lots of boasting and over- confidence.   I am excited to see the how the next few weeks play out. 

One note before I go... does anyone else notice a change in Chef Ramsey lately?  His comments as contestants leave have been somewhat more biting and I feel as though some of his tantrums have been slightly more overblown lately, such was the case a few weeks ago when he shut down the kitchen when things weren't going as well as he'd like.  Sure it was bad, but it wasn't as bad as he was playing it... but I wasn't there.  There was also a "Get Out" that he jumped up in the air waving his arms, it made me laugh out loud! Anyone else pick up on that, or am I just noticing his behavior more?

Stay tuned, finding a winner is just around the corner!

Please join Alicia Fournier, a 9 year old girl from Scarborough with epilepsy, and her very talented friends both young & old for a night filled with songs & celebrating, with proceeds to benefit a great cause!

Your $50. donation includes a 2+ hour live show with performances of all your favorite Broadway songs, entry to the raffle with prizes like Red Sox Tickets and a spa package, and a champagne reception.

Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 7pm at The Portland Players, 420 Cottage Rd in South Portland.

FMI & tickets: Julie (207) 885-1307

Ok, so Wednesday night did anyone doubt it would be a battle of the Davids? 

Not that Syesha isn't great, she is, but she's been on the bottom quite a few times now, whereas the Davids have sailed on by. 

All three of them have a great deal of talent and will have successful careers.  It will be interesting to see how they all do when it comes to album sales in the upcoming months.

Any predictions as to WHICH of the Davids will come out on top?  Which is your preference?

Disclaimer: Spoiler in this blog, if you haven't yet caught up on your DVR, don't read below!!

Wow... ok so I definitely wouldn't have thought going into this week that Ben was going home... but what an episode, huh?

Things I liked:

-Matt got a chance to rebound

-Ben serving iced teas to the winning team, and being pretty nice about it

-PETROZZA being such a gentleman!! I love that he didn't throw someone "under the bus" as they say.  Even though he was approached to form an alliance of sorts against Louross, he kept the higher hand and nominated per his feelings as to who deserved it, veruses strategy or intimidation over another chef... Well done Petrozza, well done.  He's now earned the spot among my favorites.

Things that I didn't like:

-Matt gloating that Ben went home before he did... It's no big achievement buddy, you still have a ways to go.  He also said that he didn't care when he went home, as long as he went home after Ben did.  What happened to wanting to win Matt?

-The turn in Jen's attitude.  She got her first reprimand from Chef Ramsey and didn't seem to be able to rebound.  Snap out of it!  Even though she was probably right about him telling her not to take control and then having a problem with her being too quiet... did she really think she was going to miss out on the abuse?  Sorry Jen, it's HELL's Kitchen after all, and would you feel complete if you didn't get a taste of the fire?

-Rosann falling to pieces.  She was the leading chef when it came to the initial "signature dish" challenge... what happened?  I thought she might have the gumption to make it far in this competition, but lately, I feel like she's on the slide toward hanging up her jacket.  We'll see.


Things I'm looking forward to seeing:

-Whether Matt just had a lucky stride after switching teams, or whether or not he can truly hold his own in the red kitchen. 

-Which member of the red team will join the blue team next week.  Anyone have a guess?  I'm saying Cory is most likely to join as she's already been hitting on most of the team and would most likely be an asset to the team.  Plus, all the girls don't like her, so she'd be smart to.  We'll see! 

-Anyone who has predictions about who will be winning the competition this year.  Any guesses? Is it too soon to tell? 

Since there wasn't an elimination in week 5, I'm wrapping it all up with week 6... hey, it's been a busy week...

I'm very glad Ramsey decided not to send Christina or Louross home in week 5, neither were the worst on their team.  I would be interested to know how long it took Vanessa to recover and if she ever regretted her decision to leave after she was burnt.  Was it a cop out because she felt she couldn't handle the heat?  Will she be back in another season?  Did she get what she wanted out of this season already? Perhaps some notoriety...   In any rate, she's gone, and for the sake of filling out the scheduled weeks for the show, it worked out well that Ramsey didn't send home Christina or Louross.

It's certainly taking a mean turn in Hell's Kitchen lately, huh?  Matt, or Matty, is getting targeted in the blue kitchen... unfairly or fairly, it's hard to tell really.  He could be stronger that's for sure, but it does seem like he's being bullied a bit.  I thought for sure he'd be sent packing this past week, though I do think Shayna was stuck in slow motion and was a good choice to be sent packing.  I didn't really appreciate Ramsey's comments about her changing diapers, but that's Ramsey for you.

Am I wrong, or does it seem like this season the teams were able to complete a dinner service slightly earlier than seasons past?  I'll have to check my blogs from last season.  In any rate, I'm eager to see how Matt makes out in the women's kitchen.... let's see if he can take the heat there better than he did in the blue kitchen.  Does he remind anyone of Aaron in the last season? 

I'm also watching Christina closely, I think that she may eventually snap with all the strategy going on in the kitchen.  Either way, at least they're putting the drama aside enough to get the service finished in Hell's Kitchen and were able to complete the Sweet Sixteen party... Will the drama get in the way?  Well, stay tuned...

A little late in my Hell's Kitchen thoughts, but what is there to say...

THANK GOODNESS THAT IDIOT JASON WENT HOME!!

Since this whole cooking thing didn't work out, maybe he can go home and brush up on his ironing for a future reality series which would feature Jason versus ANY woman in the world who could kick his smart-mouth to the ground in a cloud of dust any day.  I realize he was doing it to make an image for himself and gain the 15 minutes of fame while on the show, however I do hope he gets a wake-up call... karma, right?

Love this look on Ramsey's face... the... "I can't believe you're that dumb of a donkey" look.

In any rate, the dynamic in the red team is certainly different after Cory's big upset the week before when she nominated Christina and Jen.  I'm glad Christina stayed above her game and nominates Vanessa instead when she's chosen to pick the nominee for their team.  I don't think Vanessa deserved to go home over Jason, as she did well in the chicken challenge and I'm glad to get Jason out of the way.  The timer rang, his fifteen minutes of fame are OVER.  Also, what was that little tissy fit when Petrozza had to beg Jason to come into the kitchen. What a bunch of sissies... I said it last season and I'll say it again, what did you expect in HELL's Kitchen?  It's not cake-walk kitchen, coddle kitchen, or happy times kitchen, it's HELL.  Have you even seen the show before? 

 

Ok, I'll end on a more pleasant note.  Bobby was a little easier to take this week, he did an ok job at tableside. I'm really glad they didn't kill the chickens.  I understand where food comes from, but that just would have been brutal to take on television.  It was a good example though, as each time a dish is wasted, its a wasted life of one of the birds they held, or a fish, etc.  I really hope they get their acts together as the waste, as we saw in the first episode, is astronomical. 

Does it worry anyone that these experienced chefs get food sent back so often?  I know Ramsey has high standards... but these people have served people before to their OWN standards... get what I'm saying?   See you tonight on FOX!

Maybe I was just more tired this week, but for me last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen was a little less exciting than the premiere.  Maybe i just had more time to build up excitement for the first episode... it doesn't matter really, but in any rate, here's my take on it.

(WARNING: I will be giving away the ending, so if you set your DVR and haven't watched... don't read this yet!)

I still want Jason (the jerk-o loser who claims winning Hell's Kitchen would leave him "beating women off with a stick") to go down, after another series of wonderfully insightful comments on how he views the opposite gender.  It seems to me like he's doing it with direct intentions of gaining more face-time on camera.  It's working, but the idiot isn't going to be winning many viewers' support (I'd hope) with comments like that.  Moron, loser, idiot... ok, I'm moving on.

Another contrived idiot is Bobby.  He is the most insincere person I think I've ever seen, to me, he's a big joke.  He tried to step it up from being such a passive loser captain as he was in the premiere, but it's such a joke that he just looks ridiculous.  He tried to be a good teammate to Petrozza when he was sent upstairs to learn the menu (I'll get back to THAT), but was it weird to anyone else when he's buttoning his jacket for him?  The whole taking him under the wing thing seemed pretty forced and very much strategy.  Petrozza later snaps at him when they get down to cooking and Bobby is shaking a finger at him.  I wish I had an instant replay of that now, as it was very strange and it looked more like he was doing an impression of someone than actually trying to do his best.

Ok, so Petrozza.  What's with the blue team?  I really never like to choose sides but there's just too many losers on the blue team that I really don't have many there that I'm backing.  Go ladies!  And no, it wasn't a gender thing, it's a personalities and talent choice... because for my buddy Petrozza... could you PLEASE learn the stinking menu?  How do they really expect to serve anyone without knowing what the choices are?  Duh?!

As for the sorting of the wasted food, I think we've seen it every season and while it is probably effective for the chefs, it was a little too deja-vu for me. If you were to analyze the fish cutting challenge it seemed as though you could watch and see what the teams are really about: the blue team rushed through and somehow made it work, the red team more methodically worked their way through and somehow weren't coming together in the end.  When the blue team won the challenge, it pained me to watch them celebrate as they acted like they have sailed through each challenge instead of barely getting by.  I only hope it inspires them to take the dinner services more seriously and to work as a team.

I thought it was an interesting choice that Chef Ramsey made when he sent Craig (formerly known as the chef with poor taste in hats) and Rosann (last week's team-save captain) out to be servers in the front of the house.  I understand that there's too many cooks in the kitchen right now and that it's a way to create interest and balance things out but I think in choosing Rosann he chose the ladies' fate in the challenge.  Perhaps that was intentional as to see if anyone else would step up, apparently they didn't.  It did seem a bit unfair that he chose their captain though.  In any rate, when Craig hit the lady dining in the restaurant in the back of the head with the chair... well that's priceless.

Jen has proven herself to be all talk and self confidence.  I don't like how she was blaming Corey for losing the tie-breaker for her team, it was pretty childish.  She's starting to get on my nerves, though I wonder who she'll pick on now that Barbie's gone...

No surprise that it was Sharon heading home.  I thought Corey's strategy was ill-spirited and I like that it blew up in her face, she's certainly the target of Christina and Jen right now, deservingly so.  I'm glad that Chef Ramsey didn't just accept those nominations blindly and shows that he's truly the puppeteer of Hell's Kitchen.  It seems as though Corey identified who she believes are the fore-runners of her team.  I like Christina, but she's got to get stronger in the emotional moments of elimination times... though honestly she was probably just shocked and is sensitive to attacks on her character.  I didn't think it was good taste when the men were laughing at her at this emotional moment, however that could be the product of well-placed editing as well so I'll try not to hold a grudge.  Jen needs to learn when to shut her mouth apparently, as it was edited to seem like she talked for hours. 

That's my take on this week, here's hoping that Chef Ramsey's new kitchen isn't doomed before it begins!  See you Tuesday nights on FOX23!

"Sharon had great attention to detail. Unfortunately, not for cooking, but for her make up."

I can't tell you how excited I was that I didn't have to wait until this summer for season 4 of Hell's Kitchen... I'll skip the detailed wrap-ups that I did last season, as you can see them here, but instead will comment on the show, I'll hope you'll join me in commenting....

Ok, so let's jump right in to the fire that is Hell's Kitchen... First......

What the HECK was that intro?  If I never watched the show before that probably would have been enough to make me think this show was something of fantasy, what with references to knights and Ramsey as the "dark lord".  For existing fans, i.e. me, it was pretty funny... but I hope some new fans carried over from Idol weren't weirded out by that bizarre and very dramatic introduction to this season.  Although I LOVED that Ramsey was on the bus coming over to the kitchen to hear the inital banter... hilarious!!

A few new items to note for this season:

- there's a new female sous chef, Gloria

-Jean Phillipe seems to be increasing his on-screen presence with each season

-new "captain" distinction in the teams

Here's my inital - judge the book by the cover- feelings about the contestants so far:

(BLOGGER WARNING: Stop reading here if you set your DVR and haven't watched/ don't want to know who was voted off yet!)

Bobby: So far, he is the most full of himself, declaring himself a general and whatever else.  This immediately makes me think that he's over compensating for his fear of not being able to hack it in the kitchen, I hope he falls flat on his face.  He's all talk, no action and severely annoying.  When it came down to him and Dominic in the to-be-eliminated final two, I was cheering for him to be sent packing, but he sticks around and Dominic heads home.

Dominic: Dominic reminds me of someone I went to college with.  The stay-at-home dad seemed very sweet and I was rooting for him.  I was surprised he was nominated to be in the bottom two, as he certainly did have his share of pitfalls that evening but was not the worst in my opinion... and I was really very disappointed that he was sent home as I thought he could be this season's underdog to root for. 

Louross:  He did well at the dinner service (comparatively, since no entrees were sent out by either team, so really, "well" is very conditional).  He seems to be the sassy one of the men's team and I hope he focuses less on being the sassy card and more on being a better chef, as there's obvious room for improvement.  I'm slightly bitter at the thought of Louross as I think his choices of the bottom two were poor and he should have sent Jason and Bobby up for the Ramsey decision.

Jason: Well this guy certainly entered the competition with the right intentions, as if he wins he will be "beating the women off with a stick".  Some of the comments he made throughout out the episode (including the "shame" of "losing to a bunch of girls") make me want to beat him with a stick.  He's a pig and has yet to exhibit any real talent in the kitchen to back-up his lack of personality.  I hope he gets sent packing in an ego-shattering and humbling moment where he realizes he is not the great prize he thinks he is. Loser.

Matt: I felt bad for Matt when Ramsey threw up his prized dish that included caviar and white chocolate... It does sound gross, but the poor guy seemed passionate and looked as if he were about to cry when his signature dish was spit up.  I hope he has a chance to rebound his dignity.

Craig: Craig is the one with the stupid hat.  I really think he HAD to know Ramsey wouldn't welcome this with open arms, but I do think it's funny that he explained he wears it because it makes him taller. 

Ben & Petrozza:  I grouped these two together because I have less to say about them.  Ben didn't have much screen time that I can immediately recall and the little bits of Petrozza time were mostly in the promo for next week's episode, so I'll have to wait to criticize... I mean analyze, them fairly.

The blue team overall: It seems as thought this team gave themselves the toughest start and lacked the overall drive to make their first service a success.  They went to bed early without studying the menu and should be embarrassed they couldn't recall even ONE entree just minutes before the restaurant opened... I guess they didn't expect to make it that far into the service... they were right.

On to the ladies now:

Jen:  She seems very confidant, and some of her one-liners cracked me up, especially the one about Sharon, who she has dubbed Barbie because "she's blonde and has big knockers".   Is it appropriate? No.  Could she possibly make a one liner next week that makes me think she's a jerk? Easily. But so far, she's the comic relief for me.  She does seem to be slightly overbearing and overconfidant, but this may actually help her to go further in the competition as you have to be slightly cut-throat to make it in Hell's Kitchen.

Sharon:  Barbie is yet to really step up to the plate, she has been labeled as being more concerned about her appearance than her cooking, and she's going to have to work hard to sway that image, as I think Chef Ramsey has noticed that too.

Vanessa:  Vanessa's signature dish was the only one Chef Ramsey really liked, so kudos to her.  For that, her teammates elected her the captain... only problem is that Vanessa's strategy seemed to be to just cook well and stay quiet until she gained her ground in Hell's Kitchen... but she failed to mention this when she was unanimously voted her team's captain.  Ooops.  She's lucky her team "won" , otherwise she'd certainly be on the chopping block.  She needs to steal some confidence from Bobby, maybe it'd balance him out.

Rosann:  Rosann's dish didn't do all that badly in the inital round.  She seems very likeable and seems to be standing out to Chef Ramsey as he booted Vanessa out and put Rosann in as the captain when Vanessa's mouth was shut for too long.  She seemed to do well leading her team, let's see if she can keep it up when it rests on her for the whole service.  She seems like she could be a decent leader.

Christina: Based on the limited time Christina was shown, she seems to have some promise but needs a little bit more experience.  She is a culinary student still and lacks professional experience, so she's going to have to work hard to catch-up and I hope she can take the heat.  She seems very sweet, I'm rooting for her.

Shayna and Corey: Shayna was serving table-side, she seemed to do well, but with her and Corey I haven't seen enough to intially pick on them like I have the others. More to come on them I suppose.

The red team overall: The ladies seemed at first to have it all together and have a plan.  They chose a captain (although one that was mute) quickly and studied their menu.  They seemed most prepared for the service and were mostly having issues with quality control than anything else.  I do think they deserved to be the top of the two teams, despite that it's not that impressive to win a round in which no entrees were served. 

Everyone is going to have to work a bit harder if they expect to impress Chef Ramsey.  I know my impressions are somewhat harsh, but they're honest... go ahead and debate it with me if your impression was different... Or agree with me too, thanks for reading!

Ahh, it's sweet to be back in Hell's Kitchen! Here's to Tuesdays on FOX!

Can I tell you how excited I am that Hell's Kitchen is returning to FOX???

APRIL 1 at 9PM!!  Set your DVR's everybody, you're not going to want to miss a moment!  I can't wait!!

Here's more info!

I usually reserve my idol thoughts to commenting on Idol7fan's blogs (which are great, check them out), but I feel like I have a bit more to say today, so here's a full-fledged blog for your enjoyment... or to completely tear apart and disagree with me... I report, you decide. ;)

Ok, so I'm really excited about the new Idol set.  It's much more dynamic and after seven years, I'm glad they're changing things up a bit this season with the new set, new graphics, and the ability for the contestants to bring an instrument  if they want... as I think Blake's beat-boxing last season helped to showcase that he had more talent than just singing... it probably kept him in the competition longer.

I'm glad we finally hit the top 12 and can get to know these contestants more as personality does make a difference in the competition, as I think it's safe to say America doesn't want any wet blankets as their next idol!  So who do I like?

The theme worked better for me this week than the decade weeks (60s, 70s, 80s) up till now.  Ryan said they're doing it again next week... for me, this doesn't really excite me but maybe they'll add some sort of twist to avoid the potential feelings of deja-vu.

I'm still struggling with names, so bear with me... but I like David Archuletta, as most of America does, and I hope that he stays humble and sweet and doesn't let the attention go to his head.  If any other contestant would have fogotten his/ her lyrics they'd probably be flying home today... but David, of course, had no issue and went on through to the top 11... did anyone think he wouldn't?  He's quickly becoming America's sweetheart, I can see the "claymates" hanging new posters already...

I don't think Asia'h should have gone home last week,... but moving on from that I really don't understand after this week's performances how Kristy Lee Cook is still hanging in for another week.  The country twang that worked so well for her last week seemed odd this week, so perhaps this third chance will work to her advantage next week, much like Chikezie turned his fate around with just one performance.  Well done this week Chikezie, it seems like now he has found his way to shine. I think if he stops shining even for a moment he'll be heading home however.

I think David Hernandez was trying to do the same thing as Chikezie, trying to use a high energy performance to help win over America's votes. For him though, things fell short, and like Idol7fan, I couldn't exactly place what it was exactly that didn't pan out... but the judges were right, it was just overdone somehow... and now he's done... too bad, because I did like him originally.  I wonder how much the outside media influence and his former occupation rumors played in to America's votes... I guess we'll never know.

Amanda Overmyer... Ok, so Amanda's rock style isn't exactly the CD I'd run out to buy, but I'm glad she's in the competition as she's something different than the girly-girls who smile and are overly excited about positive feedback.  I think she's a refreshing change and definately stands out in the competition.  Would I buy her CDs?  Probably not.  Am I secretly rooting for her? A little.  Did I overnight become a rocker? Not at all... But again, I like that she's different and find myself watching her to see if she'll crack a smile, at least a little.  I don't think she'll win, but she's fun to watch.

I really enjoy Carly, Brooke, and Jason's performances week after week.  I also enjoyed Ramiele's performance this week, though I guess I was the only one.  I thought her voice sounded great, and yes, it was a slow song and she could have performed more, but I enjoyed it and think she's getting picked on a bit more than she deserves.  Michael Johns and David Cook were also good performances, but I can't recall the details about their songs too well now.  For me, they're going to have to do more to capture my vote.  Syesha Mercado also had a nice performance, but had the job of going first, which is always tough on the voters... she's going to have to do something over the top next week to stay in this race.

Did I mention everyone?  Oh wait, I forgot about the wanna-be show stealers of Paula, Randy, and Simon.  I think this year they're getting out of control trying to one-up each other... and yes, we get it... Simon doesn't get along with everyone... but the bickering really can get distracting and often times we don't get to hear everyone's comments.  Paula too needs to work on some new positive liners... I get that she's the "good cop" of the three, but sometimes it just doesn't seem sincere... sorry Paula.  Ryan also had some lame lines last night, everybody's joining the "nobody likes Simon" bandwagon, which too me is getting a bit overdone.

And now for the format changes... I don't think I liked the bottom three all singing, it's awkward. Though I do understand that it would be incredibly difficult for the newly voted off contestant to sing right after their dreams are smashed, it seems just as hard to sing with the uncertainty of your future... and I really don't need to relive the previous night's performance for all three, especially with the recaps, etc.  Especially since the ones who are re-singing are the weakest of the singers... I'd rather hear the top person sing their song again! Now there's an idea Idol producers!

The caller segment was weird and unnecessary.  I don't feel as though it contributed to the show in any way but to round out time to make it an hour long show instead of a half hour... I like that they're bringing back former contestants and am waiting for my favorite... Melinda Dolittle (who SHOULD have won last season... ahem) to return.  I like Katherine McPhee though and enjoyed seeing her again, I noticed they're saving the winners for the big finale... so stay tuned!

Hahaha, this was too good to pass up...

 

The good, the bad, and the ill-costumed turned out for the first two premiere days of Season Seven of American Idol.. .

I really can't believe some of these people!  I know everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, but do you really want to be costumed as a fool while doing it?  Well, whatever it takes I guess. 

The "Glitter Girl" has gotten some national press for her seemingly bi-polar response to the judges comments. I'm not really sure what to make of her, but I do feel for some of the contestants who really genuinely tried to do their best but didn't realize their lack of singing talent. 

Did the judges seem different this year to anyone else? What about the cloaked singer who got his chest waxed for the extra two minutes of air time?  Is it really worth it that much to see yourself on TV?  Isn't that why there's Utube? Someone help me cope with this insanity until we get to Hollywood!

Did anyone else not get any trick or treaters to their home last night?  I'm so bummed! 

Parents, are kids still trick or treating?  Perhaps in today's society it's too risky to send kids door to door...

 

Hope everyone had a nice Halloween!

On today's show, Ray mentioned Jeff Foxworthy's CMT speech.  I looked it up and thought it was pretty touching, so here I am sharing it with you.  My little disclaimer is that I got it from another website... enjoy it anyway, it has a very nice message.

"I started thinking about why I like country music and doing this show so much, and here's what I came up with, y'all.

"I like country music because it's about the things in life that really matter. It ain't about braggin' about how you're gonna mess somebody up, or how somebody ain't respectin' ya. It's about love, family, friends -- with a few beers, a cheap woman and a two-timin' man thrown in for spice. It doesn't take political sides, even with things as ugly as war. Instead, it celebrates the brave men and women who go to fight 'em, the price they pay to do it and the longin' we have for them to return home to the ones that they love.

"It's about kids and how there ain't nothin' like 'em. I get tired of hearin' about how bad kids are today, because there are a lot of great kids out there that just need somebody to love 'em and believe in 'em. Country folks love their kids and they will jack you up if you try to mess with 'em!

"People in country music don't forget the people that allow them to do what they do for a livin'. They sign autographs and they take pictures with the fans because they know without 'em most of us entertainers would be gettin' a lot dirtier in the course of our workday. We are thankful that people want to hear the songs and the jokes that we write. Country music doesn't have to be politically correct. We sing about God because we believe in Him. We are not trying to offend anybody, but the evidence that we have seen of Him in our small little lives trumps your opinion about whether or not He exists.

"We love country music because it touches us where we live. It's about mommas, and when they were hot, and when they are unappreciated, and when they were dyin'. It's about daddies and the difficulties they have sometimes at tellin' the people that they work so hard to protect and provide for how they feel about 'em.

"Country music is about new love and it's about old love. It's about gettin' drunk and gettin' sober. It's about leavin' and it's about comin' home. It's real music sung by real people for real people, the people that make up the backbone of this country. You can call us rednecks if you want. We're not offended, 'cause we know what we're all about. We get up and go to work, we get up and go to church, and we get up and go to war when necessary.

"All we ask for is a few songs to carry us along the way, and that's why I love this show, because it ain't some self-important Hollywood hype with the winners determined by somebody else. On this show, you decide who goes home with a trophy and you get to dance and sing along with the people that bring you the songs of your life."