It's a darned good thing I declared the end of hockey talk in yesterday's Blog, because the only stupid NHL news yesterday was that Mats Sundin signed for a year with the Leafs. If there's one thing I hate about the end of the Playoffs, it's that we now have to listen to Leaf Nation rising again...BLECH!!
Last night I watched my first episode of the summer of Canadian Idol. I believe the audition rounds kicked off last week, but I missed the debut. To be honest, I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the show since the first season, when I fell in love with the underdog Ryan Malcolm from Kingston who went on to win the whole she-bang. The next year, that floopy haired angel-boy won, and I lost interest. Last season, I watched on and off, and was proud that Eva Avila, a Gatineau native, eventually won it all, but I really didn't care.
This season, however, I've discovered a new twist that really boosted my interest in the show. This year, contestants are allowed to bring in instruments to audition with if they wish. And I am a sucker for boys with guitars. Most of the guys who came in with 6-strings slung around their necks...Well, I loved 'em.
There were a few who did not impress, like the guy who called himself "Strings" and sang "Purple Haze" after plugging in his electric guitar and making a lot of racket by running his face up and down the strings. I couldn't have agreed more when Sass begged him to stop.
But there was a young cutie-pie teacher who played "Beast of Burden", and a burly-looking boy who sang "Drift Away". Both made it through to Toronto, and they were two of my favourites on the night. Oh, and the rocker from Saskatoon who they showed playing with his band before his audition - the judges weren't sold on him when he came in and strummed for them, but after Farley asked him to sing the last line of O Canada, they handed him his gold ticket to T.O. And there was also a hot young dad who not only won my heart with his guitar playing, but he had the most adorable little boy...I would've put him through just because the kid was so cute.
These are the parts of the audition process that I love - when someone walks in there, and really knocks your socks off. The rest of it I find contrived, twisted, and painful at times. There are the people who walk in who profess to be stars-in-the-making, but they sing so badly, it'd almost make you want to change the channel. Then there are the people who know they have no talent, but they do something whacky just to get on TV. It's gimmicky, and while it might've made for good TV a few years back, it's all just getting old now.
But I really do think the introduction of instruments in the audition process has breathed a bit of new life into the Idol process. And judging from the snippets they showed of next week's Toronto Round, the boys will be allowed to bring out their guitars again.
Guaranteed, I'll be in love with one of these lads before the summer's out!
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Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Blog LIVES...But the Sens Do Not
Hey guys!
My deepest apologies for abandoning my Blog for the past few weeks. For a few days, I was just too busy. But then the Sens lost to the Ducks in the Stanley Cup Finals, and ever since I've been trying to create an appropriate tribute to my team and their glorious season, while also capturing the grief and pain I experienced as a result of the Game 5 loss last Wednesday night.
I went back and read some of my Blogs from last October and November, when I was literally freaking out over this team. They were playing some pretty bad hockey, and not living up to any expectations I had for them in '06-07. I never gave up on them, but I have to admit, by mid-December, I was pretty sure it was going to be my first year as a Sens fan without an appearance in the Playoffs.
Then, all of a sudden, there was this miracle of sorts. A bunch of our guys - including Jason Spezza, Mike Fisher, and Antoine Vermette - got hurt around Christmastime, and somehow, instead of crumbling, the rest of the team blossomed. They started to buy into the coach's system, they began playing like a cohesive unit, and by the time April rolled around, they had one of the best records in the second-half of the season in the NHL.
The playoffs were a blast through three rounds, as we rolled over the likes of the Penguins, Devils, and Sabres. Those were some pretty fun months. I'll never forget how I felt watching Daniel Alfredsson score that OT goal in Buffalo to clinch the title of Eastern Conference Champions and send the modern-day Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time. It was like a dream finally coming true - the sweetest poetic justice, and for once, glory seemed so close, I could almost touch it.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. As easily as we defeated three of the strongest teams in the East, the Ducks man-handled us, and claimed the Cup in just five games. The only night where it felt like we were even close was Game #3 in Ottawa when the Sens won 5-3. Watching them lose last week was heart-breaking. As time ticked down in the third period, tears streamed down my cheeks, and I cried right through the handshakes, the on-ice interviews, and the presentation of the Cup. I didn't feel happy for the Niedermeyer brothers, or Teemu Selanne, or Chris Pronger. It wasn't special to me in the least. For me, it was like watching someone having their teeth pulled. The only reason I stayed to watch it all was because I never missed one moment of these Stanley Cup playoffs, and I figured I had to see it right through to the bitter end.
In the days since, I've been able to put aside a lot of that hostility and disappointment, and reflect on what an awesome year it has been. People keep trying to put a damper on my spirits, though, by insisting that Wade Redden's going to be traded to Edmonton over the summer. I've got more post-season paranoia than ever before, but at least this off-season will be a short one, and before I know it, the boys will be back (and hopefully Wade will be too).
Can't wait!
And a special thanks to those of you who sent me thoughtful messages of "condolences" in the wake of the loss last week. I know it seems silly, but when the Sens lose, it really does devestate me, and you guys rarealy make fun of me for it - you just seem to understand. So thank you so much for that! Enjoy the next few months of (mostly) hockey-free Blogging, because it'll be back before you know it!
Summer can now officially begin!
My deepest apologies for abandoning my Blog for the past few weeks. For a few days, I was just too busy. But then the Sens lost to the Ducks in the Stanley Cup Finals, and ever since I've been trying to create an appropriate tribute to my team and their glorious season, while also capturing the grief and pain I experienced as a result of the Game 5 loss last Wednesday night.
I went back and read some of my Blogs from last October and November, when I was literally freaking out over this team. They were playing some pretty bad hockey, and not living up to any expectations I had for them in '06-07. I never gave up on them, but I have to admit, by mid-December, I was pretty sure it was going to be my first year as a Sens fan without an appearance in the Playoffs.
Then, all of a sudden, there was this miracle of sorts. A bunch of our guys - including Jason Spezza, Mike Fisher, and Antoine Vermette - got hurt around Christmastime, and somehow, instead of crumbling, the rest of the team blossomed. They started to buy into the coach's system, they began playing like a cohesive unit, and by the time April rolled around, they had one of the best records in the second-half of the season in the NHL.
The playoffs were a blast through three rounds, as we rolled over the likes of the Penguins, Devils, and Sabres. Those were some pretty fun months. I'll never forget how I felt watching Daniel Alfredsson score that OT goal in Buffalo to clinch the title of Eastern Conference Champions and send the modern-day Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time. It was like a dream finally coming true - the sweetest poetic justice, and for once, glory seemed so close, I could almost touch it.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. As easily as we defeated three of the strongest teams in the East, the Ducks man-handled us, and claimed the Cup in just five games. The only night where it felt like we were even close was Game #3 in Ottawa when the Sens won 5-3. Watching them lose last week was heart-breaking. As time ticked down in the third period, tears streamed down my cheeks, and I cried right through the handshakes, the on-ice interviews, and the presentation of the Cup. I didn't feel happy for the Niedermeyer brothers, or Teemu Selanne, or Chris Pronger. It wasn't special to me in the least. For me, it was like watching someone having their teeth pulled. The only reason I stayed to watch it all was because I never missed one moment of these Stanley Cup playoffs, and I figured I had to see it right through to the bitter end.
In the days since, I've been able to put aside a lot of that hostility and disappointment, and reflect on what an awesome year it has been. People keep trying to put a damper on my spirits, though, by insisting that Wade Redden's going to be traded to Edmonton over the summer. I've got more post-season paranoia than ever before, but at least this off-season will be a short one, and before I know it, the boys will be back (and hopefully Wade will be too).
Can't wait!
And a special thanks to those of you who sent me thoughtful messages of "condolences" in the wake of the loss last week. I know it seems silly, but when the Sens lose, it really does devestate me, and you guys rarealy make fun of me for it - you just seem to understand. So thank you so much for that! Enjoy the next few months of (mostly) hockey-free Blogging, because it'll be back before you know it!
Summer can now officially begin!
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