Typically when I watch a movie, I like it to leave room for discussion. The film is a main course; the discussion is dessert.

Ben Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone" leaves the viewer with too much of the latter without enough of the former. Yes, it was well done. It was a top-notch crime procedural although, in parts, it felt like it could have been a TV movie.

Also, Amy Ryan and Titus Welliver had breakout roles, earning the former an Oscar nomination. Heavy praise was heaped upon Casey Affleck, but I thought it was mildly undeserved and would have liked to have seen Mark Wahlberg or Matt Damon get the part of Patrick Kenzie, a private investigator who stumbles into a missing child investigation with his partner-girlfriend, played by Michelle Monaghan.

If you haven't seen this film and would like to not have the ending SPOILED for you, go now.

*****

How the movie ends: A corrupt police chief, played by Morgan Freeman, arranged the kidnapping of the little girl (Amanda McCready), played by Madeline O'Brien in part because he lost his own child some years back and in part because he believed he could give the 4 year-old a better life.

The girl's mother, played by Ryan, is a drug-abusing whore of sorts. She leaves the girl at home alone, and by all rights should have the child taken away by social services.

But in a stunning development, the relationship between Monaghan's character and Affleck's ends because he decides the appropriate thing to do is return the kid to the mother. Monaghan insists that Affleck allow the toddler to stay with Freeman because the girl "is clearly happier with him."

This really surprised me because I feel strongly, very strongly, that Affleck did the right thing here. Hell, I commented to somebody that I wouldn't have been able to continue a romantic relationship with Monaghan's character after that on principle. Not only was it the legalistically proper thing for Affleck to do (turn in the police chief), it was the morally proper thing also.

Think about the slippery slope here.

I don't think most of us would approve of a parent taking drugs in front of a kid or abandoning a child to do those things. However, what other dilemma might allow us to slide this slope to the pits of moralistic hell? How about saving a child from two smoker parents, a decision that might keep the child's lungs fresh? How about arranging for a kidnapping to save a child from a father who spanks her? Some folks are adamant that spanking is abuse.

I think they are insane. However, these folks exist.

Could we approve of an "arranged kidnapping" in the event of obese parents, saving the child from the trauma of not only their parents' likely premature death but also from a lifetime of poor eating habits?

Can we "reappropriate" children to parents based on wealth, faith, etc?

Based on what little I know about philosophy, Affleck's character exercised what's called the "categorical imperative." I had to look this up, but Monaghan exercised what's called "consequentialist" reasoning, which is an ethical stance that values the result of a situation more than it does whether or not the action is right or wrong.

Perhaps I'm a weirdo, but while results are important, the morally proper thing to do is more important.

And it disturbs me just a little that, I suspect, most people think Affleck's character did the wrong thing.

Good movie, not great. I'll give it a hearty B+.

Now, what did YOU think?

Typically, I don't post the original of a song I'm covering online for two reasons. First, you usually know the song I've worked up, but in this case, I'm not so sure.

If you're not familiar with Ferras (pronounced fuhr-AHS), then you're missing out on one HELL of a talented guy. He's a terrific singer and player, which leads me to the second reason I typically don't post the original of a song I'm doing.

Because it usually knocks mine right out of the water. But that's OK because this kid deserves every bit of positive attention we can muster for him.

He's sick. Off the chain. However you'd like to put it.

Here's me:

Here's the kid wonder, Ferras:

It is probably just dumb luck that some Massachusetts pregnancy pact has dominated the news about the time a new NBC show called Baby Borrowers debuts.

But smart parents will require their teen children to watch this show, whose debut I finally saw tonight. NBC markets the program by saying, "It's not a TV show; it's birth control."

I found that hilarious. Yet it's more than that, and I found the show to be brilliant, heart-warming and societally edifying.

Borrowed from a popular British show, Baby Borrowers was also immensely entertaining, in both a schadenfreudish sort of way with evil laughter at cocky kids thinking they're ready to be parents and in a softie sort of way at seeing genuine frustration in these same teens at how tough it is physically and emotionally to be a parent.

Plus, there are babies. Sweet little babies.

In a nutshell, here's how the show works: Five real-life teenage couples who have never lived together -- but who have talked about having kids soon -- move in together, emulate pregnancy, take care of babies, take care of toddlers, pre-teens, teens and even aging parents (old folks). Each for a few days or weeks. All the while, they will work jobs, deal with relationships, in-laws and, well, kids.

Watch the preview:

The hope is not that they will be scared from ever becoming parents but that they will learn what it is to become a selfless provider. That is the best way I can put it. Am I wrong?

A nanny is on stand-by within reach of the child if any immediate danger is sensed. And the parents have full video view of the proceedings and are in walking distance of the houses used, so that they can intervene when necessary.

Nobody gets voted off. There are no prizes. This is not a contest, and the primary motivation on behalf of these teens is to see whether they're ready for parenthood. Contrarily, the motivation of the parents who decided to participate is to help these teenage couples understand that parenting isn't a lifestyle choice.

It's work and sacrifice. One of the real-life parents noted that she became a super young mom and had to forego a lot because of it, and she hoped that participation might keep some unready couples from taking that step.

Our couples include Kelsey and Sean. Kelsey thinks she's ready to start dropping pups right now, and Sean takes great pleasure in this experiment, sure that they're not ready at all. What was odd about Wednesday night's episode (8 p.m. CDT, NBC) was that it turns out he's a natural and, perhaps, she's struggling.

Their big mistake on the first episode was in expecting a baby to just go to sleep without any prep. No bath. No change of clothes. No diaper change. Nothing. Then Sean "jokes" that they should just put "it" in the other room so it can cry itself to sleep, which brought the real-life parent marching over.

Good for her. She chewed them out royally but tactfully.

I laughed like hell through much of this show because teens, especially teenage girls really think they "get it." It ain't nothin' but a thang to be a mom. I can work. I can be mommy, and I can still have a social life.

The minute real work enters the equation, problems start.

And for Alicea, this was especially true. She and Cory decided at the end of Wednesday night's debut episode that "she" would be the parent to take a job, not because she thought she would be the financial provider for the family but because the real-life parent bitched her out for NOT FEEDING THE CHILD.

I'm telling you: This is a beautiful, wonderful show, and I feel slightly evil for taking pleasure in these teens' misery.

Kelly and Austin were described as a traditional values Southern couple, but she pussed out on wearing the pregnancy belly because "it hurt." She then cried and moaned because Austin laughed at her whininess.

Oddly enough, Austin showed a slab of maturity by noting that sometimes a partner just has to suck it up and wimp out, if you will, apologize and move on. Not so much compromise but surrender for the sake of peace and progress.

In fact, outside of the "it" mistake on Sean's part, the guys on Baby Borrowers have been surprisingly patient and competent. Competent for their ages, that is. Sean in particular had developed a stunning bond with his baby, something the real-life parent noted in her intervention. She noted how disappointing it was that Sean would have this bond with a beautiful little girl and then refer to her as "it," adding that while he protests that it was just a joke, he doesn't really "get it."

Amen. Amen. Amen.

The most able couple so far, to me, is Jordan and Sasha from Katy, Texas. Perhaps it's that they haven't had any major problems yet, although the way they worked together during their mock pregnancy, as partners, was impressive. Likewise, the way Jordan stepped to the plate to put the nursery together so Sasha could rest was commendable.

Skater couple Morgan and Daton from San Diego are using the show to put their relationship to the test, but while Daton has stayed pretty calm through this process, Morgan is struggling. In fact, outside of Sasha, all the "moms" are struggling.

It's only been a week, but my initial assessment is that these teenage girls vastly overestimate their ability and readiness to be mothers while the teenage boys probably underestimate their ability to step up. Not sure how this reflects on real life and the masses, but considering so many families have no father, I'm hoping some teenage boys watch this show, too.

I haven't introduced the parents, and I really don't have time to right this second. However, the show's creators, best I can tell, hit a home run by picking who they picked. One of the fathers intervened when he saw that his daughter was crying and crying, and he gave the teenage parents a valuable lesson about patience.

Plus, he missed his baby.

I don't watch shows like Extreme Home Makeover, but Baby Borrowers has that level of sappiness, potentially. On the other hand, there is real societal value here, potentially. There is no preachiness on the part of a narrator; it's all observation from our perspective.

And it's fascinating without any semblance of disingenuousness.

Home run, NBC.

Again, if you've got a kid between 13-17, make 'em watch this. This is good stuff, even for an old guy.

One of the aspects of watching a show like FOX's So You Think You Can Dance? each week is that not only do we grow to like certain dances, we grow to like certain choreographers and styles.

Specifically, I'm talking about Napoleon and Tabitha, the hip-hop duo. I'm particularly on board with their slow routines, which were appropriately tabbed as "lyrical hip-hop" routines by this week's guest judge, Adam Shankman.

In the first week of the Top 20, we get Joshua and Katee performing to "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, and this week we get Chelsie Hightower and Mark blowing the roof off to Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love."

Hate the song. Loved the routine.

It was one of four great routines tonight, two of which were from the aforementioned Nap and Tab. The other great routines came from Joshua and Katee, who killed with a samba from Tony and Melanie to "Baila, Baila" from Angela Via. The Fort Worth kid (Joshua Allen) continues to prove he can do all.

However, for my money, both Mark (Kanemura) and Gev (Manoukian) are on the way up big time. While I have always like Hightower (gorgeous legs), Mark's ability to portray any emotion in dance is winning him fans. Last week, he was the strong, condescending leading man, and this week, he was a master manipulater, literally thieving Chelsie's heart.

And, little Gev. What can I say? He comprises what I'm calling the SYTYCD Underdog Duo, made up of him and Courtney Galliano, who reminds me a ton of somebody who would have been in Saturday Night Fever 31 years ago. Gorgeous. Definitely has an East Coast, New York vibe going, and she and Gev have a very charming chemistry.

Their rumba from Tony and Melanie to "Wishing On A Star" by 1970s group Rose Royce was stellar. I graded each routine after it was done but before the judges spoke, just to see how I'd compare. I thought my A was going to be nullified by the fearsome threesome, but Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Shankman liked it just as much as I did.

Twitchington were on their game again tonight. Kherington Payne, looking cute as a button as always, had to don her cape and hip-hop shoes to keep up with Twitch, who specializes in the style. They worked a solid Nap and Tab routine to Busta Rhymes' "Don't Touch Me Now."

It was light and bouncy and fun to watch. See, my technical terms are awesome.

Jessica was again carried by Will Wingfield this week, although even the Debbie Allen protege made strides in the personality department, according to the judges. They performed a Doriana Sanchez routine to Bonnie Pointer's "Heaven Must Have Sent You," and while the gentlemanly Will did his best to insist to America how good Jessica is, she manages to look completely inferior next to him.

Perhaps he's that good. I don't know. She's cute though, and I'm a sucker for cute, so I'll shut up now.

While there will be three couples in the Bottom 3, there are two sure bets. Comfort and Chris, who did a Tyce Diorio jazz routine to "Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson. Judges said they needed to be a bit more animalistic, and I agree 100 percent.

Comfort and Chris, by a mile, are the worst pairing of the season. They could have paired her with Will and Jessica with Chris, and perhaps Susie and Marquis would still be here. Or Rayven and Jaime.

Chelsea Traille and Thayne will be in that Bottom 3 as well. It's funny because just two weeks ago, they earned a spot on Mary's hot tamale train. Murphy told Chelsea she was plum off it tonight and that Thayne was holding on for dear life.

Mary did give Joshua and Katee two first-class tix to that train.

And, I would too. For the record, I thought Chelsie and Mark were the best. Joshua and Katee were close behind, and Courtney and Gev trail only slightly. Twitchington is comfortable in fourth position, but not by much. They were very solid, too.

Kourtni Lind and Matt were fun and quirky on a contempoary routine from Sonya Tayeh, who made her SYTYCD debut tonight. However, I'm not sure they'll be able to escape the Bottom 3.

No worries. If there is any justice, this week's elimination is a slam dunk, and Comfort and Chris will be headed home.

Here's my video recap:

I've vacillated all day as to whether I'd go with my gut or my head as it regards the late, great George Carlin, who died of heart failure late Sunday.

But I'll tell you like it is in the %&$^# spirit of the man who made the seven words you can't say on television famous. In honor of a man who was a master wordsmith, I'll not mince any syllables.

George Carlin was an important humorist and a vital First Amendment advocate. However, he also came off as preachy and miserable. Carlin's rants against religion, pro-lifers and Republicans were supremely well thought out but generally unfunny.

Sorry, but the biggest comedic turnoff for me is for the performer to offend the audience. It's one thing to pay $50 for a Dice show, knowing full well what happens when the nursery rhymes spew forth.

It's another to take your family to see one of the five most famous comedians of a generation and listen to a rant about how religion is "bull****." The major inconsistency with Carlin's career is that sometimes you'd get the "seven words" bit, sometimes you'd get the routine about the differences between baseball and football and then others, you'd get Carlin's beef with God.

Carlin has about as many conservative fans as Kathy Griffin or Rosie O'Donnell, and I'm not a conservative. So, I'm not coming from that place. However, it's not my idea of entertainment to hear a guy blabber on about there being no God. Why would I pay $100 for that?

Why would a reasonable person laugh at somebody calling him or her an idiot?

Yes, I know Carlin's work was supposed to be humorous and thoughtful, inciteful and insightful. Carlin was a provocateur, and there is nothing wrong with being remembered as a brilliant provocateur.

I DO think George Carlin was a brilliant provocateur and satirist and even humorist, generally. His relevance to an entire generation is unquestionable, and to a class of folks, he's a counterculture hero.

All I ask from my comedians, really though, is that they be funny.

That a few endorphins get released.

And while Carlin would always make you stop and watch, and stop and think, he never made me stop and laugh. I actually found the guy to be kind of a downer.

A brilliant dude perhaps, just not my bag.

A few days ago, I intimated that one of the best new songs of 2008 was Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," and I wish to amend that statement.

With half the year left, this tune IS THE SONG OF THE YEAR. It embodies pop brilliance, simplicity, thick production and phenomenal lyrics.

But was it ripped off from an indie band from Brooklyn, N.Y.?

For some of you, this is old news. You've seen the YouTube comparison clip:

Damn that Chris Martin some of you are surely saying after watching that YouTube post, right? Well, I say wait a doggone second.

I write. I play. I know my theory, and I've got some pretty strong opinions on this one.

If you know your Nashville Numbering System, you know "Viva La Vida" is 1-2-5-3. If we're following the bass line, it begins with a D-flat, goes to an E-flat, to an A-flat and then an F. The structure of the tune repeats and repeats without any changes, although the melody certainly changes.

The verse and the chorus have the same structure. As I said, I think "Viva La Vida" is a phenomenal pop song, and I like it as an early favorite for a 2009 Record of the Year Grammy.

On the other hand, Creaky Boards claims that Coldplay ripped this song from their composition, "The Songs I Didn't Write."

The irony is thick, and it seems like this could be a con, but I spent some time checking out this band and the whole of this particular song, and I have to say: I dig it. They have a nice pop, indie sound. However, the primary similiarity between the two songs (Listen to "Songs I Didn't Write") is in their hooks.

For Coldplay, the 1-2-5-3 hook is the entire song. For Creaky Boards, it merely encompasses about half their song. What you don't see or hear in the YouTube song is the parts of "Songs I Didn't Write" that are completely different, structurally, from the Coldplay soon-to-be smash.

However, yes, they are structurally similar at a basic level.

Melodically, they're not nearly as close. And, when one really examines the chords behind each song, we realize that Coldplay's song is actually, in terms of theory, more sophisticated, using an A-flat chord on top of the D-flat, an A-flat SUS on top of the E-flat, an A-flat and then an F minor 7.

Instead of those variations, Creaky Boards is using what sounds more like a minor chord, a third, a third and a minor chord. When combined with the 1-2-5-3 structure, the compositions seem eerily similar to the novice.

Then again, Creaky Boards' lead singer claims Chris Martin showed up at one of their gigs, where they played this song. If it can be documented that he did, Martin would likely need to prove that "Viva La Vida" had been written seven months before, as he's claimed in the press.

If brought before a judge, without direct evidence of theft, I suspect this claim is tossed fairly quickly. Copyright claims based on general similarities with basic structures are pretty thin.

Back in 1989, and I don't mind repeating this: I don't think it's a secret. But I worked with a local Norman writer and musician who was and is very popular within the Christian music community both here and in Nashville. He even went to write for a Brentwood, Tenn., based publisher and landed a hit song with a woman named Cynthia Clawson.

This cat is a good, good writer.

And one of the songs he had given to me on a demo, for my listening pleasure, was a track he had written and taken to Nashville about a year or two before, I think. It not only sounded like Don Henley's "The Last Worthless Evening," it was note for note for note.

Now, I don't have any communication with the writer to whom I refer, but he still lives in Norman. And he was always above the fray with this sort of thing. I think he understood what kind of industry the music biz could be, but he was always so grounded that I think it never bothered him to the point of considering a lawsuit.

In this case, if I recall it correctly, there was some concern that a producer on Henley's "End of the Innocence" CD (was that the title of it?) had access to this guy's songwriter demo and, hence, suspicions were super high.

Yet there are a finite combination of notes possible in music, believe it or not, and it is theoretically possible that two people have the same general thoughts and even the same specific thoughts, separately, as to a melody.

While I hope the controversy drums up some support for Creaky Boards' musical efforts, it shouldn't diminish Coldplay's greatness in the least. From a theory perspective, "Viva La Vida" is super basic, and it's likely that it sounds like many songs written out there in the world, parts known and unknown.

Sometimes, it happens.

To prove actual theft, the party claiming copyright infringement had better be able to establish uncanny theoretical and melodical similarities along with proof that the other guy had access to that song before the other was written.

And to me, the first part of that just isn't strong enough. Yep, the songs are roughly similar, but I assure you, they're not THAT similar.

One of the criticisms from knowledgeable dance aficionadoes regarding FOX's So You Think You Can Dance? is that less traditional routines tend to garner a disproportional amount of endearment from the masses.

In other words, hip-hop, contemporary and even disco routines get votes while choreography centered on waltzes, tangos and fox trots, perhaps, do not.

Well, score one for traditionalists as the Top 18 fought for survival Wednesday night.

Two couples continued their collective ascent to the top. Twitch and Kherington Payne executed a Viennese Waltz to near perfection, scoring points both technically and emotionally, while Joshua Allen and Katee Shean demonstrated their breadth of skill by killing on a Broadway number.

Jean Marc Generaux choreographed his waltz for the high school blonde and mildly geeky hip-hopper in honor of his daughter, who lives with Rett Syndrome, which causes motor function loss. Generaux said artistic movement, namely dance, brings smiles to her face.

And then judge Mia Michaels promptly criticizes Kherington for smiling throughout the routine, noting that she should have taken a more realist approach.

Bah, humbug.

Luckily, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe completely disagreed, and I think Twitchington won over the crowd and America both emotionally and technically.

Nevertheless, my favorite dancer so far, by a ton, is the popper from Fort Worth, Texas. Joshua has been questioned ever since the show began as to whether he could even pull off anything without a hip-hop beat.

And, boy, did he prove folks wrong tonight.

Tyce Diorio drew up a Broadway piece that was more Vaudevillian than it was anything the pop culture masses would recognize as Broadway. The routine was quirky and super fast, requiring a lot of running and some tricks with canes, and it was even a little silly.

But as a couple, Joshua and Katee not only reinforced their greatness from Week 1 to Week 2, Joshua got some acknowledgement that his future on So You Think You Could Dance? could include a spot in the finale.

Is he that good? Yes.

However, Will Wingfield is also an early sure-thing for the finale, as sure as shows like this can get in an early stage. His hip-hop routine with Jessica came off as pretty week, mostly due to her inability to hit her marks hard and keep up with Will when it came to unison dancing.

Let's just say the untraditional dances were particularly poor this week.

Comfort and Chris performed this routine from Li'l C, a crump routine they called it. Kind of like a militaristic hip-hop set, pretty aggressive with lost of pops and locks but without a lot of the waves and fluidity of other types of hip-hop.

Given that hip-hop is a strength for Comfort, she disappointed, while Chris looked like the tall, lanky white boy he is. It was awkward to watch, and while Mia Michaels commended Chris, Nigel called it like it was: Weak, weak, weak.

Courtney and Gev made a nice rebound this week, garnering little praise last week for their disco and fairly decent marks this week with a contemporary piece drawn up by Mandy Moore.

Part of the show tonight involved dancers revealing what they like and hate about their partners. And, Gev reveals that he hates the fact that Ms. Galliano has a boyfriend.

Dude, true THAT.

Their number was kind of a sweet caretaker, caretakee piece in which he seemed more like the woman in the relationship, judges said. This was a completely logical response given his admission, an indirect one albeit, that he has a crush on Courtney.

Technically great? No. Endearing? Heck, yes.

Chelsea Traille and Thayne weren't booted from Mary Murphy's hot tamale train but were kicked to the caboose after a jazz number from Mandy Moore. It looked disconnected, and any chemistry between the two seemed to be lost. Judges were underwhelmed and disappointed given their strong showing last week.

Chelsie Hightower and Mark performed an Argentinian Tango that got high praise from the judges, particularly in Mark's ability to go from quirky odd guy to leading man. One of the requirements for a proper tango is for the man to be uber-strong to the point of condescension toward his partner.

He did it, and between his personality and Chelsie's technique (best legs in the competition), it worked.

Almost but not quite there was Kourtni Lind and Matt who did a 1940s style fox trot to a Michael Buble rendition of "Foggy Day." Judges criticized the tall, lanky Matt for not extending his arms enough and both dancers for not accentuating key parts of their dance.

That's my technical description. Pretty pathetic, no?

But worst of the night came from Susie and Marquis who sleepwalked through a Cuban/Puerto Rican salsa that should have been hot, hot, hot. Instead, judges said, it was stale, stale, stale.

Given that Latin dancing is supposedly a Susie strength, this couple could be in mega danger. Then again, results night solos determine so much that it's still too early to say.

However, they're a sure thing for the Bottom 3, I think, as is Jessica and Will (primarily due to Jessica) and Comfort and Chris (primarily due to Chris). It wouldn't be a huge shock if Chelsea Traille and Thayne made a Bottom 3 appearance given the lukewarm reception to their jazz routine and that they went first, but neither would likely go home.

If I were a betting man, either Susie and Marquis, as a couple, will be eliminated Thursday night -- OR -- judges will send Jessica and Chris home. Neither has had a good first couple of weeks, and it seems pretty evident that neither is a real threat to win the whole enchilada.

What a difference a week makes on NBC's Nashville Star! At least this week, I knew what I was getting myself into.

While voters did the right thing in bringing Third Town's torture of tuneage to an end, they also surprised by allowing Arlington, Texas, resident Melissa Lawson fall into the Bottom 2. Lawson impressed last week by belting out Bonnie Raitt's "Somethin' To Talk About" and tried to one-up it by doing Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel (Natural Woman)".

By no means was Lawson anything better than one might see at Stumpy's on a Friday night, although I don't mean to bag on them. I played Stumpy's a few times back in the day and had a blast. But the Grand Ol' Opry or an arena it's not.

The problem, to me, for now is that a vehicle designed to find the next country music star is not focused enough on country music. Alyson Gilbert sings "Every Breath You Take," the 1983 smash from The Police. Coffey does his best to butcher John Mayer's "Waiting For The World To Change," and Justin Gaston beat us all into submission with "Hey There Delilah" from the Plain White T's

Not country. Not country. Not country.

At least Gabe Garcia picked a pop song that translated well into country music. The Lytle, Texas, native sang "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR. He got good marks for his vocal ability although I don't think his charisma is serving him well. And, he looks a bit like K.D. Lang.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The award for most improved goes to Minnesota's Ashlee Hewitt who did a respectable job of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Now, the big development of the week was that it was announced that each judge would work with a set of contestants, a mentorship a la The X Factor.

Jeffrey Steele works with the groups. John Rich gets the girls, and Jewel takes on the guys.

Rich told Hewitt that she needed to focus on finding songs that fit her range, and I can reinforce how true that is. I'd love to pick songs that I play based on how much I love them, but the truth is that I pick songs I can sing. That are in my range. That's the primary criterion.

But Ashlee has the look, the sincerity, the ability to play an instrument. The only thing missing is the writing, or so we think. Who knows.

One embarrassing, make-me-cringe moment was when Jewel told Ashlee, musician to musician, how good it was that she was doing bar chords instead of using the capo. Yes. But that's like heaping praise on an aspiring mathematician because he can divide.

Vocally, Laura and Sophie were again pretty good this week. However, Jewel criticized the duo for doing a Judds song ("Rockin' With The Rhythm Of The Rain") with which they were already familiar. It was very much a county fair, rodeo performance. No star quality whatsoever.

Shawn Mayer did her best with George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," but it was still terrible. Vocally, it was whack.

In terms of performance, Gaston should be the most concerned. His vocal performance was so weak that Rich said it was a mistake for him to be in the Top 12. However, his model looks could keep him around awhile. That's the cynic in me, yes, but I also understand the value of looks on a show dependent upon the masses.

On the other hand, if Lawson can't pull down more votes than what she apparently did with the primo spot -- the last song -- they she must not be connecting with the public. That spells doom for her long-term for sure and short-term probably.

One of these two is gone -- and if I have to call a winner for the night, it would be Hewitt. After two weeks, she's the only singer who comes near looking and sounding like she could have a career in this business.

Now, she's not great. Don't get me wrong. This show is still a massive turd, but she made pretty big progress from Week 1 to 2, and from the bottom of my cold but honest heart, I could see this girl with a career in country. Someday.

If you've read ryanwelton.com for any length of time since So You Think You Can Dance? Season 4 started, you'd know that I didn't give Joshua Allen much of a chance at all to succeed long-term in this competition.

Sure, I liked his style, but being the ignoramus that I am relative to dance, I figured his pop and hip-hop sensibilities wouldn't resonate with the public.

I was wrong. I am wrong.

I think Joshua can win this bugger.

And I don't think Katee Shean is the liability I think she once might have been. Paired with her best friend and roommate, Natalie Reid, I thought Katee might be in over her head. Together, they seemed like clumsy, girlie roomies dancing in pajamas to frivolous dance tunes, but paired with Allen, Katee comes off as all woman.

My standard caveat as it applies to this show holds true: I can't dance, but I don't pretend to not know what's artful and what isn't because I do.

And Joshua and Katee, in the first week of Top 20 competition, were artful and beautiful.

We'll know more next week, but if Allen's style is applied equitably across other genres, he could be a surprise winner as America's Favorite Dancer.

I'm still not totally sold, but I'm hoping to be convinced because he's who I rank atop my SYTYCD Top 5 for Week 1 of finals competition.

Watch Joshua and Katee again:

The rest of my Top 5 is as follows:

2. Chelsea Traille - Judges loved her more than I did, but she hits every mark like a champ and has the feel of a Vegas pro.

3. Will Wingfield - Three people of color in the first three spots of the Top 5? Heck, yes. Will might have been No. 1 if not for his Bottom 3 finish with Jessica. His lines, carriage, ability to be masculine in the most feminine of dances (not the tango), and his personality and training lineage (Debbie Allen) make him formidable.

4. Chelsie Hightower - Choreography from Mia Michaels aside, Chelsie's ability to dance all styles combined with her great legs make her a tough out once we get to the Top 10.

5. Katee Shean - I hope nobody takes offense to Katee being spotted so lowly. However, many of us remain unconvinced. As for me, I am almost convinced. The unassuming roommate performed in Week 1 like a champ. A reality television overachiever, somebody every average performer can get behind.

Thoughts? Who am I missing?

Idol would do well to adopt the elimination night routine of my new guilty pleasure, So You Think You Can Dance? Announce a Bottom 3 and make 'em fight for it.

Fighting, though, couldn't help Raven and Jaime as they were the first couple sent packing from Season 4's Top 20. However, they weren't the surprise of the Bottom 3.

First, Courtney Galliano and Gev survived. Didn't even make the Bottom 3. And, equally surprising, Will Wingfield and Jessica did fall into contention for elimination.

In a move of foreshadowing perhaps, Nigel Lythgoe said Will was good enough to be in the finale for the show, meaning I seriously doubt he'll be eliminated at least until we get to the Top 10. Kourtni Lind and Matt were also put on the chopping block, but the blonde Uma Thurman look-alike was spared unanimously by the judges. Wingfield was also spared unanimously, and as long as he and Lind do what the judges told them to do, they shouldn't fall into much danger any time soon.

For those of you who don't know the format of SYTYCD, a Bottom 3 is picked, and then each individual solos for his or her life. It makes an hour-long results show go by fast, and it gives the judges some tangible say in the process, beyond their opinions on performance night.

While I liked Raven and Jaime's routine to "American Boy" by Estelle and Kanye West, I didn't like their solos. Raven's more of a ballerina, and while I appreciated that she was the oldest chick in the competition, Nigel said her solo effort was merely on demi-point. Initially, I thought it meant she half-assed it, but a quick bit of research indicates she performed on the balls of her feet instead of on the tips of her toes.

So much for me pretending to know what I'm talking about.

On the other hand, Jaime tried to save himself with personality. The West Coast swinger couldn't match Matt's technique, and Nigel said it would be the only week he'd pick technique over personality, needing to make a big point with Matt, an obviously talented dancer technically.

It's funny. The hour-long results show for Idol is chock-full of filler, just a bore to watch until crunch time. The results show for SYTYCD, outside of the Pussycat Dolls, was immensely entertaining. And that the Bottom 3 couples have to dance for their lives only makes the hour go by faster.

In the end, it wasn't a stunner or a big disappointment to see Raven or Jaime go. I don't think they were long for this reality world, whether it was this week or next.

If you want more, check out my video report:

The beauty about being willing to give just about anything on TV at least one shot is that, every once in a while, one stumbles upon a gem.

And the first week of the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance? was everything it was cracked up to be. That I haven't followed this the past three years is a crime. Sure, I'm easy to please given that I've always been fascinated by American Idol; however, no lie, SYTYCD is not only a quality production, it's high quality entertainment.

The way the first few weeks of the Top 20 works is that each dancer is paired up with somebody else, permanently until we're down to the Top 10. It is possible that couples are split by elimination, but for now, they're fighting for their couples lives.

Everybody at home can choose to judge each dancer in his or her own way, but I tend to look at the overall package. I look at choreography, execution, personality and music. Yes, the choice of song is a big deal to me because it plays a big role in whether I'll be entertained or not.

Furthermore, this show continues to surprise me in terms of the quality of music used for routines. My favorite of the night was the Chelsie Hightower and Mark routine drawn up by Mia Michaels, something to the effect of an interpretation of what it would be like to be at Tim Burton's wedding.

I've never watched a Tim Burton movie, but I know the oddity of what Mia was going for, and it was brilliant. What made it doubly brilliant was the music from Michelle N'degeocello, a song called "Beautiful."

Seriously. Loved this.

A ton of what dance is about is in execution, but emotion plays a huge role, too. And the combination of that song, the choreography, the execution and personality of both Chelsie and Mark -- I thought -- was brilliant. Very romantic but in a sweet way, not a sensual one.

The judges liked them but were really high on Chelsea Traille who along with Thayne earned a spot on Mary Murphy's hot tamale train, the only two to do so all night. They did a cha-cha, and while Chelsea really hit her marks and was crisp, I'm just not feelin' her. Reminded me a bit of LaToya London from Idol. Technically perfect but a bit dry in the personality department.

I know. Throw things at me. If the judges had been forced to declare a favorite for the entire summer competition, it might have been Traille. I'm not sold yet. However, the judges were also very high on Twitch and Kherington Payne, a couple who I think will be a fan favorite for the next five weeks.

Like him. Love her. He's fun. She's cute and fun.

Unfortunately, he's the better dancer, and he really surprised everybody tonight by mastering a broadway routine from Tyce D'Orio. I don't know that the ghost of Gregory Hines was razed, but it was really good.

Will Wingfield got high praise for a tango he did with Jessica although she faltered a bit. The routine was good, and Wingfield -- a Debbie Allen protege -- was particularly on his game. However, I was a tad bored by it.

On the other hand, I absolutely loved the hip-hop routine from Katee and Joshua Allen. It's hard to say that Joshua really stands a chance long-term in this competition, but I think he'll continue to grow on folks. He's already grown on me, and his ability to turn a very average Katee into something more than a white-bred popper was really something else. To be fair, I do think she got criticized by Nigel Lythgoe for doing more a rib slide instead of a legitimate pop early in their interpretation of "No Air" from Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks, but this was another example of an excellent routine combined with personality and emotion.

The gist of the routine was that Joshua had just gotten his orders for Iraq and that she was devastated. While it seems like I'm issuing all the praise to Joshua, I really am pleased for Katee because she, more than anybody else tonight, raised her game from what we had seen in Vegas. We don't get a chance to know too much about these people, but the best I can tell about Joshua and Katee is that they're a couple of good kids.

(Note from Ryan: An hour after I've posted this, I finally found a video of Joshua and Katee online. And I have to give it up to Katee. She was really good. As a couple, this might have been my favorite of the night, at least tied with the Mia Michaels routine from Chelsie and Mark.)

I also liked Napoleon and Tabitha's other hip-hop creation, to the tune of "American Boy," for Raven and Jaime. Nigel wasn't sold on it, particularly that it came first in the programme. However, it was clever, and the choreography was stellar even if the dancing was only above average. In fact, two of the best three routines of the night belonged to Napoleon and Tabitha.

Still, Mia's was my personal favorite.

Speaking of personal favorites, outside of Sheila Kaiser, my other favorite dancer so far this season had been Courtney Galliano, about whom I was judging more on looks than ability, I suppose. She and Gev did not fare well with a pretty generic disco routine, and I suspect they could be our first eliminees.

Truth is, Galliano -- a New York Knicks dancer -- should be just great with the disco. She has that big city, East Coast look, kind of like a young Fran Drescher from back in the day. However, it just wasn't happening.

Her saving grace might be that the masses can most identify with disco. I don't know. I don't really have any finger on the pulse of how SYTYCD fans vote. We'll see.

If I had to predict, which I do, I'd say that Courtney and Gev are gone tomorrow but that Chris should probably watch out, too. If you can recall, he's the guy Nigel said had the personality of a tree.

He didn't tonight, but it was genuinely surprising how good these dancers were, these routines were and this show was. I'm a bigger and bigger fan by the minute.

If you'd like to check out my video recap, you can do so below. Or you can visit me at youtube.com/popcultureryan for regular recaps, rants, etc.

I've always been mildly entertained by some of the spam I get, enough so that I forward one or two to friends with smart-alecky remarks. Now, I'm going to share it with you.

The first one comes from this dude named Rich Schefren whose e-mails I never solicited ever, not once. I do not know this man nor am I looking for his get-rick-quick services yet he calls me by my name like he knows me. Like he cares about me. Go figure.

Today's spam was titled from drunk and broke to online success...

Hey Ryan,


See how a struggling Internet marketer went from being
drunk, drugged-out and broke...


... to becoming a successful online business owner in
two years.

This video tells all

He used the Internet to dig himself out of a seemingly
"bottomless" hole.

If someone with all of these issues can become
successful online, don't you think you've got a pretty
good chance too?

***

And they say these spam messages aren't targeted well.

So, there stood 12 supposed country acts we knew very little about, one of which would get the axe on Monday night's Nasville Star debut on NBC.

And I tried hard to give a crap.

In six seasons, the successful USA Network talent-show has yet to produce a successful winner. On the other hand, Nashville Star did give us Miranda Lambert, who I think is one of the more substantive country acts of the past decade.

Miranda Lambert -- "Gunpowder & Lead"

Seriously. Love Miranda Lambert. First, the vocals are always there. Second, she is a terrific writer, and to be a great country artist, you have to at least be cognizant of good writing. It's rare that a country artist writes his or her own stuff, but every artist worth his or her salt writes. Believe that.

So, knowing what little I know about the franchise of Nashville Star but knowing enough to know that it produced somebody genuinely talented like Lambert, I watched tonight's Star debut and thought, "Who the $%^# are these people, and where is the talent?"

The biggest problem with the 6th season of Star so far is that it's living up to Ryan Seacrest's proclamation that it's American Idol without the talent. Quite the indictment from a show whose actual musical worth is supremely limited.

A problem almost as big is that the show's new network audience wasn't given the chance to get to know anybody. Sure, the show stayed true to its pattern the past five years of getting straight to the action, if you will.

But I think it would have served the show well to rethink and reset, spending a couple of weeks at least on auditions. First, it gives us a chance to build loyalties and rooting interests. Second, for those who might not understand the country music industry, a couple of weeks of auditions would give us all the chance to grasp what the industry is looking for.

Heck, I don't know crap about dance, and the audition weeks of So You Think You Can Dance? offered a pretty fair education into what the pros seek.

So, there's a pretty big black hole where talent should be, and Star's producers haven't given us any time nor any reason to root for anybody. Was there anything worthwhile?

I'll be really honest. Tonight's Nashville Star was pretty close to as bad as ABC's The One from a couple of years ago, a show that espoused becoming a legitimate Idol competitor only to be cancelled in two weeks.

Moving to NBC was a big risk for Star, and the first episode failed pretty badly, at least critically. Heck, the ratings might be off the charts. Heck (again), that might not even be a surprise given my theory that country music fans will buy anything.

Sorry. I'm a huge country music fan in the Texas tradition of Willie and Waylon, Jerry Jeff and George Strait. Love the whole Red Dirt scene, too. However, an industry that features Taylor Swift as one of its iconic stars is hurting.

The youngster sang on Star tonight, and as Randy Jackson would say, "It was a bit pitchy, dawg."

Luckily for her, sycophantic judge John Rich was there to tell her how much she kicked ass. Unfortunately for us, the team of assembled judges was another point of weakness for the country music talent show.

Jeffrey Steele is a phenomenal songwriter, having penned Rascal Flatts' "These Days" and "What Hurts The Most," which is a wonderful, wonderful song.

Rascal Flatts - "What Hurts The Most"

However, nobody outside of the country music industry knows a thing about the guy. And devoid of a Simon Cowell-like personality, Steele comes off like wallpaper.

John Rich is quite the opposite, coming off as quite the confident performer. On one hand, Rich is what I really despise about country music of the past decade, way more focused on building a new audience than on pleasing its hardcore, traditional one.

On the other hand, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" is one of the best songs of any genre of the decade even if it's not quite "Old Country" by the great Mark Chestnutt.

Big & Rich - "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy"

Rounding out the judging trio is folkie Jewel, who is supremely talented in her own right. The problem with Jewel has always been her unwillingness to stick with the low-key folk stuff. One time she goes all-out pop and has a mild hit with "Intuition," and now she's going country and having some success there.

Many would call that being multi-dimensional, but it wreaks of desperate to me. Alas, although each judge is certainly qualified to be where they are on Season 6 of Star, there wasn't really any chemistry among them. Who was the bad guy? Where was the trademark a la Mary Murphy?

Have you noticed that I've mentioned nothing about any of the contestants? Well, only nine of this year's Star finalists are solo acts, which is a major departure for the show. We have Laura and Sophie who don't look like much but who were genuinely pretty good on the Tammy Wynette classic, "Stand By Your Man."

Unfortunately, the pair of trios -- Pearl Heart and Third Town -- were second rate. The former gave a pitchy rendition of "Wide Open Spaces" from the Dixie Chicks while the latter sang The Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira."

Quick tangent: I've always thought The Oak Ridge Boys were vastly underrated. First, you've got the guy with the funny hat and bird's nest beard. Then you have Davey Lopes singing lead (baseball reference for those over 35), and then you have the guy with the bass voice (Richard Sterban) who is infamous in pop culture circles for having committed suicide, which he did NOT. That would be Steve Sanders who replaced William Lee Golden at baritone for a time.

Oak Ridge Boys - "Leavin' Louisiana In The Broad Daylight"

Among the solo artists, only a couple stood out to me. First, Melissa Lawson, 32, has a pretty big upside (not to mention backside). Sorry, it was there. Melissa's a beautiful big woman with a pretty above average voice, and while she sang a gimme in Bonnie Raitt's "Something To Talk About," it's clear she was the favorite of the competition.

Gabe Garcia of Lytle, Texas, didn't sound all that great in singing a George Strait classic, but his vocal style is pure traditional country, a la somebody like a Freddie Fender. It's amazing to me that there aren't more Hispanic country stars. When I lived in south Texas, most of the Hispanic men were country music crazy. We used to have karaoke contests each week at Greek Bros in El Campo, and the Hispanic dudes were always the best country singers.

What's most telling though were that neither Lawson nor Garcia were all that great, particularly when compared with some Star competitors of years past. It left me wondering whether the show's producers were actually looking for potential long-term country successes or to build the most marketable cast possible.

You've got the youngins, the thirtysomethings, the black guy, the Hispanic guy, the military icon, a couple of hot chicks, the male model. It's almost textbook cliche.

When it came down to it, Allison and Charley were deemed the weakest performers by Star judges, who then sent Charley home. On one hand, Charley had a better country voice than many of the singers.

On the other hand, they all kind of sucked and so it didn't really matter.

Oh, don't you worry. I'm still going to watch. However, my hopes and expectations for Nashville Star are significantly lower as of 12:30 a.m. Tuesday than they were before I watched.

To everything (turn, turn, turn). There is a season (turn, turn, turn).

Tonight's post comes to you from a brand new machine. It was time; I put the old one down, out of its (uh, my) misery. Not sure that I'm done with it because there are some issues with backed up files and recovery from Carbonite that I hope to resolve in the next week.

However, setup took only a couple hours, and I mean a full setup. I picked up a quad-core processor Gateway machine with 3GB of RAM and 500GB of space for only $649 at BestBuy. I didn't need a monitor or a printer, both of which were part of a bigger package they offered, so I kind of think I got a steal.

We'll see. But I'd like to thank President Bush for the new computer. In all, it cost me $100 given that most of us got $600 from the government to keep us happy, er, spending. Mine is due to be in the bank next week, but I got a mailer from the feds two days ago, so I was comfortable enough in the certainty of my gift that I went ahead and made the purchase.

Besides, the entire thing is tax deductible for me given that the only thing I do on this machine is work, and I'm not just saying that to cover my tail. Blogs, side work, real work, production, etc. It's all done right here, and so a smokin' fast machine is really necessary to maximize my efforts.

And I have to say: When I say I set this bad boy up in a couple hours, I mean that I installed all my software, everything, in this amount of time. To be honest, I'm not seeing a ton of difference between this machine and the one Mom got earlier this year, which was a dual-core Acer.

However, she doesn't work her machines to death like I do, and the first thing I noticed on this bad boy is how much I can do at once. I don't think my single-threaded processing speed is any faster, but I think I can do three things at once, which is a bonus.

Alas, there is severe weather across Oklahoma, which means I might have to work later tonight -- and that's OK because I installed my VPN software already. It's kind of crazy how fast this thing is, but I have to give props to Toad for beating it into my head about the need for at least a dual-core processor. He said that quad-core would be ideal, and when I saw the price for this one, I couldn't pass it up.

Anyway, thanks George for the cash and Toad for the perseverance!

In the spirit of my good mood, I'll leave you with what I believe to be the song of the year so far. Coldplay is the most interesting rock band of the past several years, and the fact that they poop greatness reminds me a bit of U2. And by that I mean that even their poops smell good.

You get it. The first single from their new CD is called Viva La Vida, and I dare you, double-dog dare you, to be in a bad mood after hearing it. It's upbeat. It's lyrically interesting. Absolutely love it.

As summer neared, I had already decided that So You Think You Can Dance? would be part of my blog schedule this year. In its fourth season, the hit FOX summer show had escaped me until now.

Why?

Because I don't know jack about dance. In fact, if you ever see me dancing, there is a 100 percent chance alcohol is involved.

Because I was always worn out, tired of any reality television by the time Idol was done. Really, I still am. However, summer isn't a throw-away season anymore for television. Summer has turned into this mini market, not quite as important as other times of year, but growing more and more competitive.

Because I have grown uber-weary of the whole Dancing With The Stars franchise, so much so that anything having to do with dance, I thought, would grind on me like nails on a chalkboard.

Boy, have I been surprised though, surprised how much I've enjoyed this show. So I think I can watch So You Think You Can Dance? for an entire season. Yes, I do.

And I'll comment and critique but I cannot guarantee that anything will make sense to those of you who know about dance. I have to acknowledge just how much respect I've always had for dance, but I should also qualify that by "dance," I do not mean "dancing."

I could care less about "dancing"; however, the art of dance is something I can feel, if you feel me. Do you feel me? Do you dig?

First, I appreciate how much dancers suffer for their art. We musicians and songwriters suffer rejection, the demons in our heads and hearts and any number of things typically intangible.

Dancers suffer for their art in many of the same ways emotionally but also physically, always having to watch every nibble and having to maintain not only their shape but also their condition.

For the committed, dance can be brutal. And to be great in dance, one has to has to has to has to be committed, way more so I think than in music. With conventional music, I think, you can every once in a while find somebody who is great but lazy. You can find somebody not so committed but so very talented that it almost seems to excuse the slothfulness.

Second, I appreciate tremendously how much the people on this show are dedicated to their craft. Idol has always been a quest to get famous, period. So You Think You Can Dance?, to me, is about a rare chance to break into a business that is probably even smaller and more competitive than professional music. The art part of this competition, to me, is much more pure than other shows.

Lastly, and Idol fans will probably disagree, but the contestants on SYTYCD are infinitely more talented than somebody who merely "sings." Perhaps I devalue "just singing" because it seems so common, or perhaps I value dance so much right now because I can't do it and don't know squat about it technically.

Well, as of Thursday, the Top 20 was announced, SYTYCD's version of Idol's Top 24. Given that I was working so hard to prepare for my initial gig last week, I had to wait until tonight to catch up on episodes.

And I have a few favorites.

But my FAVORITE of the show did not make the Top 20, and I have sad gut. Sheila Kaiser, 18, a freshman at the University of Georgia, turned me smitten the second I saw her dance. Great legs. Great smile. Great song (called "Wonderful") from Annie Lennox. Great everything.

Some people have told me off the record that the reason they don't like this show is because too many of the styles are not what they would consider to be legitimate dance. And by that, I presume they mean hip-hop, popping and breaking, etc.

However, sorry, I'm a dance idiot, and I can assert as 100 percent fact that what Sheila did right there was beautiful. Art to a T. She's also mega sexy. Call me. I'm only 20 years older than you.

So, that's how it's going to be this summer. I'll let you know what I think and sound pretty stupid about it in the process. However, the first three weeks of SYTYCD really has me fascinated not only by the show but by dance in and of itself.

And, sorry again, but the judges on this show are infinitely more interesting than those on Idol. Mary Murphy is what Paula Abdul should be -- tough, knowledgable and lucid. And Nigel Lythgoe isn't merely a Simon Cowell clone. Dare I say, I think I might like Nigel more.

Even though I'm still disappointed my girl didn't make it to the Top 20, I've picked out a few of the dancers I'll be rooting for. Sheila, you can e-mail me by clicking the contact link at the top of the page. Seriously, I might be obsessed now. Kidding. Not really.

Anyway, I can't even begin to predict how the show will turn out in terms of a winner, but I can tell you who I like.

Unfortunately, I can't find any videos of her dancing, but my favorite remaining dancer is Courtney Galliano because she's smokin' hot. I figure she's a good dancer, too, but what can I say? I'm shallow.

I like the second dancer in there, too. She's Chelsea Hightower, but I don't care for any of the rest at all.

Kherington Payne. Like her. Girl next door. I'm creepy.

Among the guys, my favorites include Debbie Allen protege William Wingfield whose initial audition was really phenomenal.

Perhaps the most likeable personality among the guys is Stephen "Twitch" Boss who barely missed out on the Top 20 last season.

If you sense a pattern here with the male dancers, you'd be right. I much prefer the contemporary and even hip-hop routines to ballet or swing or whatever. My other favorite guy dancer is Joshua Allen, who auditioned in Dallas.

However, given the physicality of dance, I can't imagine that I won't be rooting for one of the girls to win. Who knows. This is my first ride on the SYTYCD hot tamale train, as Mary might say.

As soon as my favorite, Sheila Kaiser, had been eliminated though, she said perhaps she'll go back to school and focus on her biomedical engineering degree. My hope is that she'll return next year and crack that Top 20.

Because my gut hunch is that SYTYCD has me hooked.

Damnit.

Has my absence from the blogosphere been noticed by anybody?

Some of you knew I had been practicing non-stop for a gig at Othello's of Norman on May 31. That gig has come and gone, generally a success I do believe. And, it looks like I'll be getting more dates there and pursuing other venues, too.

However, I don't believe I've told the back story.

This was my first solo gig of any sort ... ever.

Well, I should note that I've played weddings, and when I was in high school and college, I played a couple local events as just some guy in a corner playing a piano -- and playing it fairly poorly, I might add.

In fact, in those early gigs, some 20 years ago, I'd freestyle. Essentially, I knew maybe 10 songs and then, after that, I'd play chords and make up melodies on the fly. I can't imagine how boring those might have been for folks in the audience.

Right after college, I played piano for a buddy's wedding -- and that event took so long to get started that I again ran out of material, resorting to a church version of "Suicide is Painless," the theme to M*A*S*H.

Some might argue it to be an appropriate wedding song. However, for me, it was the result of having a big bag of nothing to offer.

While I lived in Dallas (1995-2005), I played with two bands and had a brief cabaret duo going with the best singer I've ever had the pleasure of working with. It was groovy and many good times were had, but I was in the background, not so much as offering a background vocal even though I could sing better than at least one or two of our available vocalists.

That's not saying much, but alas if I've been guilty of anything in my 37 years, it's of being sort of a chicken shit. No offense if the language offends, but it's the most a propos term for my artistic efforts to date.

And in preparing for this little gig at this small but uber cool lounge in Norman, Okla., I had worked myself up into a tizzy of psychotic nervousness. I practiced non-stop for more than a month. I could barely eat three hours before the show, and I sweated like Albert Brooks in "Broadcast News" up to five minutes before the gig started.

Now, I specifically sought out this gig to shake myself of all this, to give it a go. To be that "singer, songwriter" I've always envisoned myself to be.

The piano part of the equation didn't bug me a bit. Heck, I've played the piano for so long that I'm probably overly confident in that regard. But it was that bit of confidence that led me to e-mail Othello's manager.

And based on some YouTube links I sent her, she gave me a gig.

First, I have to note how nice that was of her. At first, I said I would just be doing piano jazz without vocals but then changed my mind as I became more fervent about the purpose of this effort.

What's crazy is that 15 minutes into this three and a half hour gig, I grew mega comfortable on stage, at the piano, behind the mic. Sure, it helped that all the bartenders and waiters there were so danged nice and that the atmosphere of Othello's is so relaxed.

Adjacent to an Italian restaurant and a patio full of Saturday night revelers, Othello's has always been one of Norman's top hangouts. In fact, there are only a couple venues here with as rich a history.

(Editor's Note: My friends came out to the gig, and I was promptly informed that Scott -- their waiter for the evening -- is pretty much the best waiter they've ever had. No lie.)

Now, I'm not going to lie. For a first gig, I did pretty darned well, but there is a ton of room for improvement. Learn more songs. Read the crowd better. Get serious about basic vocal technique. However, I did not embarrass myself, and that was the win in and of itself.

In fact, I made an extra $26 in tips. Not too shabby. Got one when I played "Girl From Ipanema" and another when I played and sang Coldplay's "Clocks." That particular tip probably made my evening because while I am pretty good with the jazz, I want to branch out into more pop, adult contemporary and original music.

The biggest response I got was when I played an original called "Dear OG&E," my ode to the fine electric company whose services I was without in December 2007 due to Oklahoma's hellish ice storm. That was mega gratifying as well.

But it's just a start. I'm told I'll get some spots on the Othello's calendar for later in the summer and beyond, and I plan to pursue other playing opportunities.

The nerves are gone, and strangely enough, I don't envision myself pursuing anything with a singer or group at this point. I'm going to hit this hard on my own behalf, taking the knocks as I go and growing in the process.

Then again, it's another dish on my plate, and I have every intention still of gearing up hard and heavy for a summer's worth or great (er, bad?) television reviews and commentary. The blog will live!

Thanks to my friends who came out, I have a video clip of the show, a couple of highlights, if you will. These were not my best songs, by a mile, but for the next show, I hope to set up a tripod and camera to get the whole thing on DVD. But it's a good sampling of what I did last Saturday night and, hopefully, for years to come.