It’s that time again, when we look back at the successes and short-comings of the year behind us and make plans to implement change in the year ahead.  No, it’s not late December, but late August, and the resolutions being made don’t (necessarily) involve dieting, improving our social lives, and reigning in our unruly expenditures.  Instead, they involve classroom management, lesson planning and assessment. 

     For educators, Labor Day often holds as much of a sense of hope, anticipation and uncertainty as New Year’s Day does for the rest of America.  This is a time of new beginnings, an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or rededicate ourselves to our long-term classroom goals.

     Personally, I consider the resolutions that I make at the end of August to be more vital – and, in many respects, more viable – than those I make in January.  And I find that I am much more likely to follow through on resolutions that are written, rather than just mental or spoken.  So this year, I’ve decided to share my resolutions, and to encourage other educators (or others in general) to do the same.

Resolution 1:  I resolve to blog more.  I originally started this blog as a way to share ideas, vent frustrations and celebrate successes.  But, as usual, I got so wrapped up in my own process throughout the school year that I all but shut out the rest of the world.  This year, I want to reach out and invite the rest of the world in, at least once in a while.

Resolution 2:  I resolve to use my time, particularly my prep blocks, more effectively.  It can be tempting to see prep blocks as “chill out” blocks, particularly on those difficult days.  But if I can accomplish at least a little something each prep block – grading a set of quizzes, updating my assignments on yourhomework.com, or simply hanging posters – it will be less to accomplish after school.

Resolution 3:  Tied into #2, my third resolution is to get assignments graded more quickly.  I am notorious for taking a longer time to grade written assignments, meaning that I am constantly stressed and my students are often in limbo waiting to see how they did.  It’s not that I procrastinate the grading process, but I agonize over each word, each answer, each point that is deducted.  If I agonize less and turn assignments around faster, my students and I both win!

Resolution 4: I resolve to continue improving my communication with parents.  This is an area where I have experienced some improvement over the last several years, making more contact particularly through email.  This year, I would like to expand that contact, hopefully creating parental email lists for each class and sending periodic class updates or perhaps (dare I dream it) a once-a-term or even monthly e-newsletter.  (It’s good to dream big!  Now if they just finish putting the new electrical and computer wiring in our classrooms, I might have a chance of pulling this off!)

Resolution 5:  I resolve to continue laughing.  On the first day, I tell all of my students – particularly my freshmen, who are often nervous and slightly overwhelmed by a new building, new teachers, a new schedule, etc. – that if they do nothing else in my class, they will laugh.  Sometimes it might be with me, and sometimes it might be at me, but before the year is over they will laugh.  I think laughter is an incredibly important tool in the classroom, because it loosens everyone up and improves their mood and outlook, if only for a moment.  Scientific evidence suggests that people tend to learn better when they are relaxed, and what better way to relax than to laugh?

With these resolutions now documented for myself and the world to see, I am ready to welcome a new school year!!  (And oh yeah, I wouldn’t mind losing a little weight, too.)

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G'day all,

During my travels last week I caught the last few notes of "Telephone Line" By the Electric Light Orchesta and was reminded of a day back in 1978 or 77 when I was sitting back stage with Jeff Lynne.

I remember I was moaning to him about something that had happened on my last trip, something about a mis-directed bag or another earth shattering event, and he said to me:

I always remembered what he said. And I try to put that into practice, even though it's not always easy. Complaining is a very contageous thing and it's easy to get caught up in it. So for this week, try to be complain-free. It will be harder than you think and you will find that you will be aware that some people complain A LOT. But give it the old college try and see if it makes a difference in your attitude, your job and your main squeeze. Till then, Have a G'day.

Bruce

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!

Mario then told me something I will never forget, he said "You know Bruce,  most times kindness is better than truth."

He was right. And whats more, he went on to explain "This is his birthday, his party, it’s his day - let him have his day."

So in honor of my good friends Mario and Emerson, I invite you to:

Take The McToose Challenge #17.

Don’t correct anyone for 24 hours.

You will be surprised how difficult this will be, and you will also become aware of how much time people spend correcting other people about trivial things. Do your best and see how long you can go, and then try to extend this non-correcting exersise to 2 days and then 3 and then a week. Don’t worry if you don’t make it too far at first, just be aware of it and start fresh again. Perhaps find a buddy and make a pact to help each other for the first day. See if makes a difference to other people and how it makes you feel.

Till next time, G’day and Happy Birthday Emerson.

Bruce

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

While I was going about my business of being a celebrtiy explorer and traveler the other day, I was reminded of a conversation I had a while back with my good friend Pele. We were chatting about the different places we had visited and I commented that it seemed that everywhere he went, people were always glad to see him. He chuckled and told me something I never forgotten. he said "Y'know Bruce I've be fortunate to travel all over the world like you, and I've always found that no matter where you go or who you have to deal with, if you start your conversation witha smile and a kind word, you chances of having a pleasant encounter increase dramaticly"

I've always remembered what my friend said, and I try to put it into practice every day. Now that doesn't mean that it works 100 percent of the time, but I have found that like Pele said, my chances of something good happening go up quite a bit with just those two simple things. A smile and a kind word.

So if you want to have a G'day, think of my mate Pele said and try it yourself. You may be surprised. Pleasantly.

Have a G'day,

Bruce

So, I've missed a few blogging weeks, for which I apologize, but all I can say is Life Happens and I've been pulled in various directions the last few weeks that have kept me away from the blogging scene.

     In terms of the past weeks' Idol shows- I was not at all disappointed to see Kristy Lee Cook go two eeks ago- as I thought she was the weakest of the remaining 7. However, I was truly sad to see Carly go last week, because I thought she did a great job, and she has done so well all along, and I thought she'd be right up there in the final 3 or 4. But, what can you do. At this point in the competition, we have the best of the best, and as Paula loves to say weekly on the results show "Someone's got to go each week".  

     My thoughts on last week's show- In terms of the contestants, I thought they all did a really good job last week. I am a HUGE Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, so I absolutely loved last week's show!!!  My favorites, in no particular order, were  David Archuleta's pop version of "Think of Me" (from Phantom of the Opera), which I thought was truly amazing; David Cook's "Music of the Night (also from Phantom), which I'm really glad he sang as it was written- it was nice to see him step out of his rocker personality, and Syesha's "One Rock and Roll too many (from Starlight Express)- absolutely loved her performance She could easily be a Broadway performer! I also really liked Carly's "Superstar" (from Jesus Christ Superstar).

     I thought Brooke and Jason did a good job on their songs- "You Must Love Me" (from Evita) and "Memory" (from Cats), respectively, with Brooke being the stronger of the two, especially considering she forgot the lyrics at first, and was then able to restart and sing through without issue. But I didn't think they were as strong as the other 4, and I had them in my bottom 2. Oh well- wrong again!! :) :)

  So, on to this week- Neil Diamond songs... Again, I'm a HUGE Neil Diamond fan, so I was looking forward to this week. Here is a brief summary of my thoughts from last night:

   David Cook was my top favorite of the night! I absolutey loved both of his songs ("I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need is You"), and would gladly by his single of either/ both of them.

   Syesha was my next favorite. I thought she sounded wonderful on "Hello Again" (truly loved the tone of her voice throughout the song), and I thought her performance on "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime" was terrific!!

    David Archuleta was right behind Syesha in terms of favorites for me. I liked what he did with "Sweet Caroline", and although "America" wasn't my favorite song choice of his, I thought he did a good job with it.

   So once again Brooke and Jason are in my bottom two, with Jason being the lowest. (Sorry, Jason!) I was not a fan of Brooke's "I'm a Believer", and thought it was just okay, at best. But I thought she did better with her second choice, "I Am I Said", but still not as good as the Davids or Syesha.

   And Jason, well, I don't know what to say. I thought his "Forever in Blue Jeans" was good, but it lacked energy for me. Whenever I listen to Neil Diamond sing it, it always picks me up and makes me want to move, but Jason's version didn't do that. And while I think he did better with his second song, "September Morn", than his first, his second performance was still very boring to me, and honestly made me feel a bit sleepy.

   So, those are my thoughts. I'd love to hear what anyone else thought, and I'm curious to see how America voted and who's going home. (I'm really hoping the rest of America is thinking along the same lines as me, so my 3 favorites stay in it a little longer!)! 

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!

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    So family illness and household responsibilities kept me away from the blog scene for a bit, but here I am again, albeit late with this blog. By now I'm sure you've all heard/ read that Michael Johns was last night's poor unfortunate soul. I really liked Micahel and was alittle sad to see him go, but overall I was impressed by all performers Tuesday night, and honestly couldn't decide at first who I thought should be in the bottom three.  I've been thinking for the last few weeks that Kristy Lee should be the next to go, but I thought she did a great job with Martina McBride's "Anyway", and as much as I didn't want to see anyone else go, I thought she deserved to stay after that performance.

   Brooke sang "You've Got a Friend"- Paula loved her, and Simon and Randy weren't wowed by it, but thought it was okay. I personally liked it, but I've always loved that song, and as long she didn't butcher it, I was bound to enjoy it. I figured she's probably be safe.

     David Cook sang "Innocent". I thought he did a great job, and Paula loved it, but Randy didn't think it was his best performance, and Simon thought it came across a little "pompous". But David has been so strong in all of his performances, that I was pretty sure he would be safe, and wasn't worried for him.

    David Archuleta sang "Angels", and I was again blown away by him. HE was one of my favorites last night. I really love how he changes each song he sings in some way. The judges also enjoyed it, and it came as no surprise that he was safe.

   Jason sang "Over the Rainbow", and it was easily my absolute favorite performance of the night. He sang it so wonderfully, and I loved that he actually played the ukelele too!!! I truly loved everything it, and am so gald that judges were wowed by it too!! He truly is unique, isn't he??

      Syesha sang "I Believe", and  I thought Syesha sounded good on it. Of course, I'm not familiar with the song (I'm not a Fantasia fan, and when I'm not listening to children's CDs, my radio is turned to country) so, I can't say a whole lot about it. Paula thought it was one fo Syesha's strongest moments, but Randy and Simon said she lacked the emotional connection that Fantasia has when she sings it. I thought Syesha connected okay, but then again I've never seen or heard Fantasia sing it, so I can't really say too much else about it.

       Carly sang "The Show Must Go On", and none of the judges were thrilled with it, and Simone even said it was an "angry performance". I hadn't thought about it at the time, but watching it again, yeah, I guess I can agree with him there.

       Michael sang "Dream on" and I thought he did a really good job. I enjoyed listening to it and watching him, and although Paula loved the song choice, Randy and Simon thought the song choice didn't represent who Michael really was a singer, and so they didn't like it.

  So, going back over things the bottom three made sense to me. And I was pretty sure Carly would be safe, but was wondering how the votes would go between Michael and Syesha. Michael has never been in the bottom 3 before, and Syesha has been there a few times, so I truly expected Syesha to be going, and was surprised that it was Michael and not Syesha. Of course, it seemd as if Carly was the most surprised of all that Michael was going. I can't get over how truly stunned she looked and sounded when Ryan read the results. 

     Well, there you have it. Due to a crazy week, I haven't seen all of Idol Gives Back yet (thank goodness for our DVR), but am definitely looking forward to seeing what this year's show was like,  and how it compared to last year's. Have a great week, and I'll try to be more timely with ym blog next week, but no promises.

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’m at work now and everything feels like it did the day before.  It always amazes me how much employees feel that they are entitled too.  People complain about the work environment while they lean back in the chair behind oak desks in a 15x15 office overlooking an ocean bay.  I look at the picture of my Grandmother on my desk and wonder what she would think of this work environment.  I know she worked in a shoe factory in Gardiner many years ago.  I’m sure they didn’t care about her feelings back then.  It was plain and simple.  You come to work…..to work.  You punch in, make or do things and then go home.  You’re not there to take care of personal business, make friends or socialize.  They are paying you to make or do X.  In my Grandmothers case it was to make shoes.  I wonder what would have happened to her if she had gone to work, went to her boss and said, “you know….I feel like you don’t appreciate me” or “I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed.  I think I’ll take tomorrow off”.  You and I both know what would have happened.  Sometimes I wish I could go back to those times.  You work hard and you get rewarded by getting a paycheck and keeping your job.  In these times, it’s easy for someone to do basically nothing and get by just fine.  Especially if they are feared by upper management.  A man that worked in a very successful corporation for 30 years once told me that whenever he would do annual reviews on his staff he would ask himself, “Knowing what I know now about this person, would I hire them today if they walked into my office for the first time?”  If he answered no to that question then the person was cut from the company.  Sounds like a very practical way to keep the cream of the crop!

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!

So we've made it to the Top 10, and overall I thought the contestants did really well, and I enjoyed listening to them. There were 4 songs/ performances of the night that I loved. Syesha's "If I Were Your Woman", Chikezie's "If Only for One Night", Michael Johns' "We Will Rock You"/ " We Are the Champions", and David Archuleta's "You're the Voice".

   I thought Syesha sounded amazing, and really showed what a powerful voice she has, and was glad to hear that the judges thought so too.

    And even though Randy and Simon weren't impressed by Chikezie last night, I thought he was really good. Despite the fact that it was a slow song, it wasn't a boring song for me. Instead it was a nice, mellow song choice and put me in a calm mood, without putting me to sleep. I could easily see myself buying that single for those moments when I'm stressed out and just need something easy to listen to.

   Michael Johns once again wowed me last night, although I was a little nervous at first. I wasn't a huge fan of how he started off "We Will Rock You", but I absolutely loved his "We Are the Champions"! And I'm really glad the judges enjoyed it as much as I did!!

    I've never heard "You're the Voice", but from the moment David Archuleta started singing it, I was hooked. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about David's voice that catches my attention and draws me in. Maybe, as Paula has commented a few times, it's the purity of his voice, or maybe it's something else, but either way, I am still a huge fan of his, and am glad that at least Randy and Paula both liked his performance!

   I also enjoyed Jason Castro's "Fragile", and even though it had no wow factor, according to the judges, I thought he sounded very good on it, and enjoyed listening to him. I especially liked the bilingual aspect of it.

   I was also pleasantly surprised by Ramiele's "Alone".  I love the song in general, and although it wasn't my favorite version of it (I still love the way Carrie Underwood performed it a few years ago), I think this was my favorite of Ramiele's performances. There were definite pitch issues (although I suppose we should cut her a little slack since she was sick), but in my opinion this was  the most powerful performance we've heard from her, and it was nice to see that there's some power there.

   I have to admit, I was not a big fan of David Cook's version of "Billie Jean", but I think that has more to do with the fact that I'm so used to Michael Jackson's version, that any other sounds extremely strange to me.  While I wasn't a fan of the song, I still think David has a great voice, and have to agree with the judges that it was indeed a brave move, and am glad that the judges liked it, because I definitely think David is talented and deserves to be in the competition for a long time still.

   I liked Brooke's "Every Breath You Take" , but didn't love it. I thought the first part sounded better than the last part, and although I couldn't have told you exactly why the last part didn't sound as good as the first part, the judges thought like I did, but attributed it to the fact that the band joined in halfway through, and thought she should have gone just piano for the entire song. Either way, although I didn't love it, I did like it, and I'm becoming more and more a fan of Brooke's as the weeks go by, so I'd like to see her stick around for awhile.

   So that leaves Carly and Kristy Lee, who I think had the worst performances of the night (not that they were horrible, but they were certainly not my favorites.)  I've always liked "Total eclipse of the Heart", and was looking forward to hearing Carly sing it, but it was not what I expected, and I was disapopinted. She sounded okay on it, but it held none of the appeal for me that the song usually does. (I think my biggest problems with it were that I'm used to hearing it sung in a higher key than Carly sang it, and I didn't like it in the lower key, and I definitely did not like the ending. I guess I have to agree with Simon's comment that "something wasn't quite right" with it.  But I think with past performances Carly has proved that she should hang around in this competition a little longer!

   So, we're left with Kristy Lee, whose performance I liked the least last night, and who I think could/ should go. "God Bless the U.S.A." is one of my all time favorite songs, and I thought I would really enjoy Kristy's performance, but I didn't.  First, it was odd to hear the beginning of the song sung in the third person, "If tomorrow all the things were gone, you worked for all your life, and you had to start again...." and then switch back to first person for the chorus. I understand why she did it, based on the lyrics, but it was just odd and I wasn't a big fan. And I didn't find the rest of the song that great either. It wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for. Although the judges seemed to like it, and c'mon, how could you not vote for the cute country girl singing such a patriotic song, right?

  I guess we'll just have to wait until tonight to see what the rest of America thought. Although I'd love to read what others thought before th eresults show tonight. So any other idol fans out there, feel free to jump in and share your opinions.