American Idol started last night and there's another episode tonight. I didn't watch it when it was on last year. The beginning is really funny and sometimes sad. There are tryouts for singers in about a half dozen cities. In each city there are thousands who show up. Some of the singers are just incredibly bad and are funny to watch. The sad part is that they are often shocked to find out that they really can't sing. Paula Abdul and two men that I've never seen before are the judges. Ever so often, there is a singer who really has talent. I don't know whether they will find any superstars, but it is certainly worth taking the time to look. For some of the people, this may be their only shot at their dreams. One thing that I've noticed so far is that Paula never seems to be the deciding negative vote. Only two out of three yes votes are required to be invited for the next stage in Hollywood. Paula never seems to be the one no vote. I think she knows how hard it is to be an aspiring singer and doesn't want to hold anyone back, if possible.

Joe Millionaire was on Tuesday night. It started with the five remaining women and ended with four. It's beginning to get interesting because the guy is starting to realize the mire that he is sinking into with his web of deception. In Chess terms, he has no end game because eventually he will have to admit the truth. I liked yesterday's episode because one of the women actually told him that she didn't think the relationship was worth continuing. She doesn't know he's broke, yet! I find it refreshing that she wouldn't pursue someone just for $50 million. She may be the only one on the show who knows that class comes from within and is not something that one can buy. Perhaps before the end, the guy will know it as well.

It was Janis Joplin's birthday yesterday. She would have been 60 years old. Hard to believe. It's a shame when people throw their lives away before they've had a chance to figure it all out. She's one of the few singers who actually brought chills to my spine while watching her perform. She did it just by singing and not with what she wore or how she danced. Just one of the many reasons that I dislike Madonna who mostly just bores me when performing. Janis also made me appreciate singers like Darlene Love who really has pipes. I look forward to seeing Darlene on David Letterman every December when she brings down the house singing a Christmas song which has become a tradition on the show. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Janis. You left too soon.

I found a book on Amazon.com called "The Plot Thickens". It has twelve short stories by contemporary writers brought together by Mary Higgins Clark for charity. Each of the writers was to write a short story containing the elements: a thick fog, a thick book, and a thick steak. Janet Evanovich, one of my favorite authors, wrote one of the short stories as did eleven other writers in the detective-mystery genre. It should be interesting. It's too bad that they couldn't extend the contest to writers of the past like Edgar Allen Poe, Dashiell Hammet, Mickey Spillane, Agatha Christie, or even Mark Twain.
===
Speaking of Dashiell Hammet, author of "The Thin Man" and "The Maltese Falcon", it reminds me of a friend of mine who had a great-uncle named Dashiell DuShane or simply Dash DuShane. That's a great sounding name. That's the kind of name that precedes you into a room and lingers after you've left. Maybe I should write a detective story. Anyway, with just about everyone today being named Matthew or Michael, a few more Dash' s would be nice. It would even make a nice girl's name. Although she would probably get a lot of jokes about being fast, she would never be forgotten.
===
That reminds me of one of my all-time favorite lines in a detective novel. I don't recall the name of the book or the author, but the phrase stays with me:
...She was a blonde. The type of blonde that would make a Bishop kick out a stained glass window.
I'm not even Catholic, but I know exactly what he meant.