American Idol 8 - Top 9 Perform

The top nine performed tonight and had a big songbook to choose from -- popular downloads from iTunes. The opportunity to sing more contemporary, hit songs was a revelation for some and a nightmare for others. Starting with AnoopDawg. 

Anoop Desai: He bought a ticket to the bottom three this week with a messy cover of "Caught Up" by Usher. The arrangement was a nightmare and since the song really has no melody, it was Anoop stalking around the stage, sneering at the camera and trying to be a pimp. I couldn't stop laughing. 

Megan Joy: Bob Marley's surely turning his grave and rolling a big fatty after MJ's boring, tuneless cover of "Turn Your Lights Down Low." She tried to keep the crack shimmy under control, but she look like she'd been run over by a Mardi Gras float. The judges ripped her to shreds. Vote for the Worst fans start dialing, because your girl is in the bottom three for sure.

Danny Gokey: It's been all over the blogs that Danny's grandfather died over the weekend, so I was fully expecting hardcore pimping for votes, but there was nary a mention. He sang "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts and it was fine. He oversings everything and his voice is so Michael Bolton-ish, middle of the road blah, that I just don't give a damn. Plus he's creepy Christian crazy.

  Allison Iraheta: I was going to praise the stylists for finally getting Allison of the day-shift hooker clothes, but then they stuck in an outfit that Cyndi Lauper would have rejected in 1983. Don't even get me started on that hair. She did a copycat version of "Don’t Speak" by No Doubt, strummed the guitar, but the judges were so fixated on what she was wearing, that their critique fell by the wayside.

  Scott MacIntyre: Umm...I know he's blind, but the judges must be going deaf, because his cover of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" was a wobbly, karaoke shout-fest. Simon called it his best performance ever. Wha-wha-what? Chances are he won't be in the bottom three, but he should be. 

Matt Giraud: Oh, dear. What was he thinking picking The Fray's "You Found Me?" And what the hell was he doing on a riser out in the middle of the audience playing keyboard? Possibly his worst performance of the entire season, even worse than when he tried to do Coldplay. He sounded like he was straining for a bowel movement, and nobody wants to hear that. Bottom three.

  Lil Rounds: Why does Lil continue to fight the comparison to Mary J. and Keyshia Cole? She needs to embrace it and cut out songs like the schmaltzy Celine Dion "I Surrender" she did tonight. It was pageant-worthy and shouty in the wrong places. This shit is no longer cute.

Adam Lambert: I cringed when I heard he was doing"Play that Funky Music," but there was no need to worry. It was simply amazing. He is so much better than everyone else on the show it's almost not fair. The Eddie Munster hair needs to go, though, future husband because that shit ain't cute either. Still, he's sexy as all get out. Dayum! 

  Kris Allen: Cute, sadly straight Kris had his "Adam Lambert Moment" this week with a shockingly good version of  "Ain't No Sunshine." He was at the keyboard surrounded by a string section and it sounded contemporary and fresh. Another song I might actually download from iTunes. 

Who's in the bottom three? Anoop, Megan Joy, Matt Giraud. Who's going home? Anoop.

Is YouTube Going The Way of Napster?

  Remember back in the late '90s/early '00s when Napster was free and you could download just about any damn thing you wanted -- from the latest album by your favorite band to outrageous porn? Those were the days. I still have dozens and dozens of CDs I made from Napster. The popularity of Napster ultimately meant its demise, and although it was reborn as a pay site, most folks decided the thrill was most definitely gone. When iTunes showed up, it was game over. Is YouTube heading in the same direction? I am an admitted YouTube junkie; I spend far too much time there, so potential changes makes me very nervous. 

For the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that YouTube has has started blocking music videos, television shows from other countries and removing audio. This is mainly because YouTube is under increasing threat of lawsuits by music companies and television networks who still don't get it. Music companies are the worst, trying to put a stranglehold on who can see music videos by their artists. A couple of weeks ago, YouTube users in the UK found that nearly every music video was blocked because Google didn't want to have to pony up more money to that country's Performing Rights Society. Is YouTube/Google trying to lose viewership and turn off potential advertisers? One has to wonder.

As for record companies, isn't the point of a music video to promote the artist? Why bother making a promotional video clip if it's going to be so regulated that no one can actually see it? Most record companies that allow their videos on YouTube also require that embedding be disabled so it can't be posted on blogs, websites, etc. This also makes no sense, because usually it's a fan who wants to share the music with others. Isn't this point? It's amazing that we're in 2009 and record companies still can't buy a vowel and solve the puzzle.

Now, comes word that YouTube is going to try and be more like Hulu and create partnerships to show "legal" television, movies and music videos. It sounds like user-uploaded videos will get the back-burner and the "You" in YouTube will become a misnomer. This stupid move falls right in line with what Facebook's redesign and Twitter's chirping about how to monetize its site. Everybody is trying to be the next social networking millionaire, but in the race to make money, the users who helped built these websites are getting the shaft.  There's all sorts of rumors out there: charging a monthly fee to use Twitter, charging for uploads to YouTube, some sort of fee for folks who overuse Facebook. 

The Internet is not nearly as fun as it used to be. There are too many viruses, too many con-artists, and too much greed. There's always something else ready to take the place of a site that doesn't meet user needs and demands. MySpace has been left in the badly-designed dust by Facebook, and now Twitter is threatening to topple it. Somewhere, a tech wizard is dreaming up the "next big thing" and in 10 years time Facebook and YouTube will either be dinosaurs or pay sites no one visits anymore. There's been plenty written about Net Neutrality, and how governments and corporations are eventually going to ruin the Internet as we know it. They just might be right. 

Oh, and just for shits and giggles, the video from YouTube post above is the brilliant Amanda Palmer. She's been trying to get out of her contract with Roadrunner Records for at least a year. The final straw was when Roadrunner fuckwits told Miss Palmer to cover up her stomach in a music video because she looked fat. Here's the new ditty Miss Palmer created to provoke Roadrunner even further. The language is colorful, but you should be used to that if you read this blog.

Another Blurb for Conquering Venus

The fabulous poet and novelist Kate Evans, author of For the May Queen and the forthcoming Complementary Colors, has sent over her blurb for the cover of Conquering Venus. Thank you, Kate!

Unflinching and mysterious, Conquering Venus is that rare combination of poetic and page-turner. Collin Kelley – who refreshingly faces taboos head-on – has packed his cinematic debut novel with compelling characters, meaty plot twists and satisfying surprises. This novel is freshly contemporary as well as, in its own fashion, a love letter to Paris. – Kate Evans

I've seen the final cut of the new book trailer for Conquering Venus, and it's stunning. It will go live on this blog in the coming days, along with the debut of the new Conquering Venus blog.

HomeGround Anthology

The fantastic folks who have been putting together the Kate Bush fanzine, HomeGround, for the past 27 years began the daunting task last fall of putting together an anthology of photos, articles, poems, interviews and more. The hardcover book will be out for Christmas, and I am honored that a number of my poems and my interview with John Carder Bush will be included. Many thanks and much love to Peter, Krys and Dave who have kept this incredible, vital magazine alive for so many years. I'm happy to have played a tiny part.

American Idol 8 - Motown Results

I've seen some really bad lip-synching in my time -- American Bandstand, Top of the Pops, Britney Spears anywhere -- but the group medley of Motown hits on American Idol tonight was the worst ever. The music was taped and it looked like the contestants rolled out of bed and ran down to the studio to film the "performance" bits. Lil Rounds should be ashamed for allowing Adam Lambert to out-sing her on the Diana Ross parts. 

The stage crew had to mop up the puddle of sweat that poured off Reuben Studdard during his performance, and Joss Stone dueted with Smokey Robinson. Joss Stone? She's still relevant? Stevie Wonder did some hits, and the contestants, Paula and Kara (nearly orgasmic) were over-emoting. Stevie's voice wasn't great, but "Superstition" is still one of the best songs ever. And Miss Paula Pills will dance to anything, so never invite her to a funeral. She'd be shimmying on the casket with her Sharpie mustache (pictured).

Thirty-six million people voted last night. The shocker was that Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre were in the bottom three with Michael Sarver. Another victory for Vote for the Worst, which mobilized its readers to keep the wretched Megan Joy around for another week. In the end, Sarver went home. He should have never been there in the first place.

First Blurb for Conquering Venus!

The lovely Gary Zebrun, author of the critically acclaimed novels Someone You Know and Only the Lonely, has sent over the first blurb for Conquering Venus! Thank you, Gary! 

From Memphis to London and to Paris, Martin Paige seeks redemption after a terrible and violent loss. The wonder is that he still believes in love, even when it appears like an apparition in an elusive and conflicted young man. Collin Kelley takes you on a sometimes frolicsome, sometimes tragic tour of the heart in this engaging first novel. - Gary Zebrun

Fellow blogger and fabulous poet Melissa Fondakowski (better known as Poet With A Day Job) has blogged about Conquering Venus after reading the sample chapters. You can read her post at this link. And another great poet and editor, Susan Culver, has written about Conquering Venus at her blog, Poetry Friends, and you can read her thoughts at this link. Thank you, Melissa and Susan for your support. It means more than I can say.

A steady stream of comments have been coming in about the sample chapters I've been sending around, and I appreciate everyone who has taken time to read the pages and offer praise and helpful criticism. 

Also, Ouroboros Review is now reading for issue three. It's a gorgeous online and print journal, so if you haven't submitted, I highly recommend it. If you haven't read issue two featuring my conversation with musician/poet/artist Vanessa Daou, check it out at www.ouroborosreview.com. 

American Idol 8 - Motown Week

It's Motown week on American Idol, which means another useless guest "mentor." Smokey Robinson was on hand to pimp the label's 50th anniversary. The Top 10 visited the Motown studios in Detroit and got a pep talk from Barry Gordy. As the show began, Simon commented that he wasn't really looking forward to the evening. He's obviously running the clock on his contract. They really need to start planning an end-game for Idol. 

Matt Giraud: Wearing an unfortunate sweater-vest ensemble, he probably did his best performance of the season with Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." He's still too Timberlake-ish for me, but Paula was creaming her panties over him and the girls were screaming, so he's safe.

Kris Allen: Wearing some futuristic prison jacket and acting more straight by the week (sigh), he did a good, not great cover of Marvin's "How Sweet It Is." The judges were back-flipping over him and Smokey was about to bust a facelift stitch, but I thought it was second-rate John Mayer.

Scott MacIntyre: Now appearing in an airport lounge near you...  His cover of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" was flat, rushed and he screwed with the melody of a classic song. Paula and Simon got into a fake, scripted fight and she pulled a box of crayons and a coloring book out from under the desk and plopped it front of him. Ho, ho, ho. 

Megan Joy Corkrey: There was absolutely no joy in her cover of "For Once In My Life." I don't think she sang a single note on key and she had the Amy Winehouse crack shimmy turned up to 100. When Randy calls you a train wreck, you might as well starting packing your bags. She's Vote for the Worst's top pick, and they better dial their fingers to the bone tonight to save her. Smokey Robinson was shining her on when he told her this song was a good idea.

Anoop Desai: Before I get to the song, I want to know who is dressing this boy? From the hoodies to tonight's ugly varsity jacket, it looks like the stylists are running down to Goodwill an hour before the show to find his wardrobe. He did a so-so version of Smokey's "Ooh, Baby, Baby." His falsetto sounded strained and breathy. I could see him back in the bottom two.

Michael Sarver: I hope they saved him a place on the oil rig, because he's coming home real soon. He butchered "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," strutting around the stage shouting the song and struggling to find a note. Paula called it "old Las Vegas loungey" (doh!), which is a slap in the face to old Vegas lounge singers. This just sucked. I don't want to hear him "sang" anymore. BFF Mal texted me after this and said Paula was more coherent this week than she's been all eight seasons. Don't get used to it, Mal.

Lil Rounds: Oops...Paula's meds must have kicked in because her effusive praise of Lil's cover of "Heatwave" was diametrically opposed to the other judges and my bleeding ears. She was screaming and rushing through the song. She was wearing a 60s costume, with her hair ironed out and one of Tina Turner's old dresses from her days with Ike. I don't think she'll go home, but damn it was bad. 

Adam Lambert: The performance of the SEASON so far. Channeling his inner Elvis/Chris Isaak, Adam cleaned up, put on a suit, slicked back his hair and performed an amazing acoustic version of "Tracks of My Tears." I might actually download this off iTunes it was so good. Top two for sure and quite possibly the winner if he keeps this up.

Danny Gokey: A corny, Disney film soundtrack version of "Get Ready" and his cocky, overconfident attitude flopped hard after the mastery of Adam's performance. He needs to take his Christian crazy, over-enunciating, frug-dancing ass back to Milwaukee. Still gives me the creeps and he ignored Smokey's advice (for what it was worth).

 Alison Iraheta: She got the pimp spot tonight, and knocked it out of the park. Her cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" was the second best performance of the night, but dayum can they stop dressing this girl like a day-shift hooker? The wardrobe people should be shot. Apparently, Paula passed out during the song because Simon was able to draw a mustache on her face. Probably staged, but hilarious. 

Bottom three: Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Lil Rounds. Although Anoop and Scott deserve to be there, too. Who's going home? My money's on Sarver. 

PJ Harvey & John Parish - Black Hearted Love

My favorite PJ Harvey album remains her collaboration with John Parish, Dance Hall at Louse Point, from 1996. They have collaborated again for a new album, A Woman A Man Walked By, which is out in April. This is the first single. It's brilliant.

Back on the Fiction Horse

After nearly a month of no writing -- okay, drafts of two poems -- I finally got back to work on the sequel to Conquering Venus yesterday. I had written myself into a corner and didn't know exactly what to do next. Luckily, BFF Joy B. from Austin walked me through some ideas and I created a mini-outline for the book's first half to get me back on track. I got five solid hours of writing in and feel pretty good about it. Everyone who's read the sample chapters either loves or loathes the character of Diane, and she's an even bigger player in the sequel with some really juicy scenes and un-p.c. dialogue. The final round of proofing Conquering Venus is coming soon, so I'm trying to get in as much writing on the new novel, before I turn back to the first.

Was very sad to hear about the suicide of Sylvia Plath's son, Nicholas Hughes. So much tragedy in one family is heartbreaking. Another oddly compelling death was that of UK reality star Jade Goody, who gained infamy for racist comments about her housemate, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, on the TV show Celebrity Big Brother. Goody apologized for her comments and turned her life around, then discovered she had advanced cervical cancer. In her final weeks, she openly sold her story to any tabloid willing to buy to raise money for her two young sons and campaigned for women to get checked for the cancer. Actor/comedian Stephen Fry called her "a kind of Princess Di from the wrong side of the tracks."

Poem-A-Day Challenge

Poet Robert Lee Brewer is holding a contest on his Writer's Digest blog, Poetic Asides, during the month of April. The Poem-A-Day Challenge will see poets submitting their work and a winner will be chosen daily by a guest judge. Judges include yours truly, Mark Doty, Patricia Smith, Dorianne Laux, Annie Finch, Amy King, Jericho Brown and some other fine poets. That's amazing company to be in. If you're interested in taking the challenge, which begins April 1 for National Poetry Month,  head over to the blog and check it out. The top poems will be turned into an eBook anthology!

Early Reactions to Conquering Venus

Around 100 people are reading the sample chapters of Conquering Venus, and responses have started coming in. The majority have been positive to stellar, but there's also been a few that were fairly negative. Not for the writing, but for the subject matter. Over the last 10 years or so, I lost count of how many editors were outraged by the storyline involving the characters Martin and David. Martin is a chaperone on the trip to Paris, and although David is 18 and has graduated, it's still a school-sponsored trip with a teacher, Diane, who should not allow or encourage a relationship between them. One reader called this irresponsible behavior, while another called it creepy and unbelievable. Creepy and irresponsible? Absolutely. Unbelievable? I have to disagree. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. 

I recall when I was in high school that a teacher and one of her students began having an affair just after he graduated. She kept her job. There was another instance of a teacher who was having an affair with a student and while that student was on a summer trip in Europe, the teacher flew over to join her. I could tell you other inappropriate stories, but you get the picture. Of course, Martin is not a teacher and David is no longer a student, but the implications for Diane are huge. Martin shouldn't be on the trip in the first place and Diane is a good teacher gone bad. She's a polarizing character by design. All the characters in Conquering Venus are flawed and damaged. Any moral compass they once had is broken, and they are adrift in their personal lives. All the characters get a comeuppance -- especially Diane -- by book's end. 

A few people have also commented that I don't reveal enough about the characters in the first chapter. This is also by design. I hate novels that telegraph the plot and every character's motivation in the first few pages. That's not a challenging read to me. The characters in Conquering Venus reveal themselves in layers and pieces, so by the end of the story readers will know these characters inside and out. I understand this is frustrating to some, but the plot of Conquering Venus hinges on a series of revelations that are surprises to the characters and should be to the readers. Since this is the first in a trilogy, the book also ends with a central mystery unsolved. I'm working on trying to solve at least part of it in the second book. 

American Idol 8 - Grand Ole Opry Results

The Internet rumor that Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Adam Lambert and Alexis Grace were a lock for the top four crumbled tonight when Alexis was sent packing. Michael "Mumbles" Sarver and Allison Iraheta were in the bottom three with her. It was an hour of tedium. Next week it's Motown and pre-empted to Wednesday because Obama's speech on Tuesday. 

In Memoriam: Natasha Richardson

The great Natasha Richardson has died from her injuries in a skiing accident. She was only 45 years old. I remember first noticing her in The Handmaid's Tale, then she went on to portray Patty Hearst, which is still one of my favorite movies. She was breathtaking as Catherine in the BBC remake of Tennessee William's Suddenly Last Summer and I loved her in The White Countess. On stage, she starred as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and won a Tony Award for playing Sally Bowles in the revival of Cabaret. She had recently performed with her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, in A Little Night Music and they were planning to do the show again for a longer run. She will be missed. 

American Idol 8 - Grand Ole Opry Week

The remaining 11 contestants were forced to sing country hits made famous at the Grand Ole Opry with Randy "Fire Marshall Bill" Travis as the mentor. This is my least favorite week every season. Let's just jump right in:

Michael Sarver: Before he was halfway through his cover of Garth Brooks' "Ain't Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up," I knew Simon would say he couldn't understand a word of it. The song is rapid-fire cornpone, but even I thought oil rigger man was singing too fast and more concerned about his good ole boy image than anything else. The judges didn't like it, but middle America was already trying to dial in. 

Allison Iraheta: I wonder if she took her jacket down to Home Depot to have them color match it for this week's shitty, burgundy hair color? The judges were falling all over her, but I thought she sounded a little flat and often breathless singing "Blame it on the Heart" by Patty Loveless. She's trying hard to work the Stevie Nicks' growl, but she lacks the nuance.

Kris Allen: Damn it, he's still cute. He sang Garth's "To Make You Feel My Love" and the judges were just a wee bit over the top in their praise. Yes, it was vulnerable and straightforward, but it didn't showcase his voice at all. Randy dubbed it "Tender Moments For My Dawg Kris." Somebody hand me the vomit bucket. 

Lil Rounds: Tackling Martina McBride's "Independence Day" was a huge misstep for Lil. It didn't suit her voice and slowing it down to try and find some R&B vibe just didn't work. None of the judges liked it, except for Miss Pills Abdul. Simon couldn't even bother to remember her name; he kept calling her "Little." 

Adam Lambert: Sooooo sexy. Damn! His Rocky Horror Picture Show version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" -- with a Middle Eastern vibe and sitars! -- was way over the top. It divided the judges, naturally, with Simon calling it self-indulgent rubbish and Randy calling it Nine Inch Nails does country. I liked it, but country purists were, as Simon said, probably throwing there TVs out the window. Randy Travis said, "I don't know what to make of this boy and his black nail polish," which was a polite way of saying this boy's a big fag. 

Scott MacIntyre: Kara actually had the most intelligent feedback -- shock! -- since Simon and Paula's bickering cancelled each other out: Scott just sounds the same on every song. Paula said he was using the piano as a crutch (hey, at least she didn't say cane) and it's disconnecting him from the audience. His cover of Martina McBridge's "Wild Angels" was fine, but boring.

Alexis Grace: Only two people should ever be allowed to sing Dolly Parton's "Jolene" -- Dolly herself and Paula Cole. The arrangement was slow and horrible, lacking the urgency this song requires, and Alexis' voice was all over the place. I hated it. 

Danny Gokey: Speaking of self-indulgent rubbish, Gokey's cover of Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel" started slow and pitchy and became shouty and and even more shouty. The judges were split, so let me help you out: his performance sucked and he's a creep. Period. 

Anoop Desai: I totally forgot NoopDawg was in the competition, which doesn't bode well for him does it. That was probably the reaction of most of America -- oh, yeah, Anoop's still on the show. So, I'm sure viewers were amazed as I was when he knocked Willie Nelson's "You Were Always on My Mind" out of the park. Straightforward, strong singing. Still, I wish he'd gone a bit crazy and done the Pet Shop Boys version. Oh, well...

Megan Corkrey: She was in the hospital this week with a bad case of the flu, and she worked her consumptive cough for all its worth. Her cover of Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight" was full of her herky-jerky movements and odd vocal tics. Bizarrely, the judges were lavishing her with praise. I don't get it.

Matt Giraud: Possibly his best performance of the season, covering Carrie Underwood's "So Small." The comparisons to Justin Timberlake and Michael Buble were flying about, but I just don't know if he's got enough traction to fight off Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey.

Who's going home? I'm not really sure. This might be a shocker week, where the judges are tempted to pull out their immunity status. If it were up to me, I'd kick Gokey off immediately, but realistically it should be Alexis or Lil Rounds. 

Weekend Update

On Saturday night, we had our first Poets Dinner at the fabulous southern comfort restaurant, The Colonnade. In attendance were (back row, l-r) Rupert Fike, Chelsea Rathburn, Dustin Brookshire, Cleo Creech, (front row, l-r) me, Karen Head, Christine Swint and Julie Blomeke. We were also celebrating the publication of the second issue of Ouroboros Review, which Christine co-edits. We had a blast and are already planning a second dinner in April

On Sunday, we had a big Atlanta Queer Literary Festival meeting and I can now reveal our keynote speakers: poet Staceyann Chin and novelist Manil Suri. You can read more about the festival at www.atlqueerlitfest.com. 

I'm also excited to announce that I have been officially asked by the Decatur Book Festival to be a featured author this year in conjunction with the publication of Conquering Venus. More than 70,000 people attended last year, so this is a big to-do. The event is Labor Day weekend, and I'll have more details soon.

Videographer/editor extraordinaire Tim O'Donnell whipped together a rough cut of the new book trailer for Conquering Venus last night and it's GORGEOUS! It looks like a trailer for a moody foreign film. Lots of black and white images of Paris, solitary figures walking along the Seine, cars rushing past the Arc de Triomphe. 

American Idol recap coming later tonight.

Interview on Moe Green Poetry Hour

My political ranting/poetry reading on The Moe Green Poetry Hour is now archived. I read a new piece and from After the Poison. Thanks to everyone who listened and to Rafael for being an amiable host.

Ouroboros Review Issue 2 Out Now!

The new issue of Ouroboros Review is available to read online, featuring my interview with poet and musician Vanessa Daou. I am thrilled that editors Christine Swint and Jo Hemmant agreed to publish this conversation. Vanessa is a fascinating artist, and it has been a pleasure getting to know her these past few months. Issue 2 also features some amazing poetry by names you might be familiar with: January O'Neil, Rachel Mallino, Iain Britton, Tammy Brewer, Joseph Milford, Dustin Brookshire, Amy Pence, Jennifer Delaney, Allan Peterson, Robert Wood, Blake Leland, Michelle McGrane and many more. Ouroboros is using the brilliant online program Issu, that makes reading the journal a breeze on your computer screen, but you can also purchase printed copies for $12. 

Thanks to everyone who has commented or backchannel emailed me about the sneak peek at the first two chapters of Conquering Venus! The offer is still open, just read the previous post for more details. 

Who Wants a Sneak Peek at Conquering Venus?

Vanilla Heart sent me a note this evening telling me that the ARCs (advanced reader copies) of Conquering Venus are going out in the next few days to the kind folks who have agreed to blurb it, to Publisher's Weekly and ForeWord. I'm nervous and excited!  

So, as part of my publicity/marketing/please-buy-my-book-plea, I want to give the readers of Modern Confessional a sneak peek as well. If you are so inclined, I'd like to send you the prologue and first chapter to whet your appetite for the rest of the novel. It's not a long, exhausting read -- just 22 pages in PDF format. Keep in mind this is the uncorrected galley, so there are probably wonky indents and stray grammar issues. 

If you're curious, comment below or backchannel email me and I'll pop it over to you. Some fellow writers over at Goodreads have read the sample pages, and one described it as "rip-roaring." Hooray! I hope some of you will accept the offer, too.

American Idol 8 - Top 13 Results

Since the Internet leaks like a rusty ship, the big "twist" on American Idol tonight was already common knowledge by lunchtime today. Taking a page from the French version of Idol, the judges now have an immunity card they can use once to save a contestant they think has been voted off too early. They can use it once and only up until the Top 5. When they finally use the "Judges' Save," no one will go home that night, but the next week the two with lowest scores go home. 

After the usual humiliating group sing (some of the worst dancing. EVER.) and the free Ford commercial they're all required to star in, the season's weirdness continued with the Top 13 moving into a big mansion, which hasn't been done since Season 2. It's a good thing Jasmine Murray didn't get too comfortable at the manse, because she was gone before Kanye West performed. Speaking of Kanye, there hasn't been this much vocoder used since Cher sang "Believe" back in 1998. I'm just sayin...  

Kelly Clarkson, after years of dissing Idol, she came back to the show last year after her third album went down like the Hindenburg. She's back on the Clive Davis train and has a big hit single with "My Life Would Suck Without You," which sounds just like "Since U Been Gone." Some DJ should do a mash-up called "Since U Sucked the Life Out Of Me." She's still my favorite Idol even if she's sold out her own artistic sensibility for pop glory. 

After the break, it was down to Anoop(Dawg) and Jorge on the chopping block, and poor little Jorge was given a one-way ticket back to Puerto Rico. The judges opted not to use their immunity card tonight. He looked so sad singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" as he was saying goodbye. I really liked that little mo.

American Idol 8 - Top 13 Perform

After nearly two months of audition shows, Hollywood week, Top 36 winnowing and wild card foolery, this weird season of American Idol is finally into the "real" competition phase. Paula Abdul was fabulously whacked out of her mind on pills and her outfit made her look like one of the geese sucked into Captain Sully's airplane before he crashed into the Hudson. Kara was wearing this giant 1983-era scarf wrapped around her throat and tied off in a bow like my Aunt Brenda would have worn to a funeral. Despite the judges always bitching about contestants doing Michael Jackson songs, guess what tonight's theme was? You guessed it, the Michael Jackson songbook. Blah.

Lil Rounds: I'm still concerned she's in it more for the money than the art. The judges loved her version of "The Way You Make Me Feel," (Simon thought it was good, not great), but I thought she sounded nasal and shrill, plus the arrangement was very Love Boat. 

Scott MacIntyre: Yep, he's still blind and the producers are never going to let us forget it. He picked some obscure album cut from Dangerous called "Keep the Faith" that is pure up with people pablum. I could taste vomit in the back of my throat. Paula and Kara loved it, Randy thought it was safe, and Simon hated it. Quote of the night from Simon: "You can be artistic, just not on this show." Doh!

Danny Gokey: It appears Danny and the producers took the hint from the online outrage about the continuous pimping of his dead wife, because she wasn't mentioned in his intro package. He did a Michael McDonald version of "PYT" and was frugging all over the stage like a constipated chicken. Paula was creaming her feathers, and I swear she's had some eye work done since last week. Her whole face looked tighter. They judges love him, but he gives me the creeps.

Michael Sarver: The oil rig roughneck sang "You Are Not Alone" (ack!) and it was fine. He's just some dude who got lucky. He's got an okay voice, but he's never going to win. I hope he didn't quit that day job on the rig.

Jasmine Murray: Cute, nice voice, but she's completely indistinguishable from every other pop singer wannabe. Simon called her performance of  "I'll Be There" robotic, and I concur. Maybe she'll make enough money off the tour to buy her mom a new wig. I'm just sayin...

Kris Allen: He was channeling John Mayer on his performance of "Remember the Time," and I liked it, but the real surprise here was that he's got a wife!  Simon hilariously suggested he should have kept her hidden for a few weeks, which seemed to baffle everyone everyone, but I got it loud and clear -- work those cutie pie looks for the tween and gay vote. Knowing he's all churchified and got a little blonde wife does kind rub the hot right off him. Sigh. 

Allison Iraheta: She's 16, has a good voice, but she looked like a day-shift hooker and that hair is just all shades of ugly. She sang "Give In To Me," and the judges are still calling her a dark horse. 

Anoop Desai: I'm already sick of the NoopDawg nickname, but I may not have to hear it again after his disastrous performance of "Beat It." Even Miss Pills Abdul swam out of her Vicodin haze and called it bad karaoke. Epic fail, Noop. 

Jorge Nunez: The judges raked him over the coals for his version of "Never Can Say Goodbye," but I thought it was fine. He has a great voice. I hope he stays and the "glam squad" make-up team they keep talking about holds him down and uses an Epilady on his eyebrows.

Megan Corkrey: Umm..."Rockin Robin?" Really? It was a terrible song choice and the twisty dancing thing is getting annoying, too. I've lost that lovin' feeling. 

Adam Lambert: Hang on...I'm still fanning myself over his hotness. Paula -- the medication now fully kicked in -- was having an Exorcist moment flinging herself back and forth in her chair, but he really just blew everyone else away with his cover of "Black or White." It was a wee bit shouty and the arrangement needed to be kicked up a few beats per minute, but his presence on stage and those notes he hits are stellar. 

Matt Giraud: Still working the Justin Timberlake thing sitting at the piano and covering "Human Nature." He's cute enough to make it a few more weeks, but I could care less. 

Alexis Grace: The pink-tips on her blonde hair are a bit 2007 for me and her choice of "Dirty Diana" was strange. They were running late on time, so her critique was basically good but not great. She'll probably stick around. 

Since they are voting off two tomorrow night, I'd say Anoop is a goner and either Jorge or Megan. They also mentioned some other big twist happening tomorrow night during the results show -- which will feature Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson -- that will change the competition. Oh, brother...

Being a Busy Bee

My friend Jackie (love ya, honey) sent me a note this morning wondering if I'd dropped off the earth since I haven't updated the blog in a couple of days. I'm still here, but incredibly busy.

Sunday afternoon was the rescheduled Poetry Out Loud regional competition at the Atlanta History Center, then I had to come home and do some editing for the day job. We started production on the April issue today. 

I'm also going to be working with the fantastic director/editor Tim O'Donnell on a slick, music video-style book trailer for Conquering Venus that will post to YouTube, this blog and wherever else I can place it. We've collected all the film, images and music and now it's just down to me to write a "script" to accompany the trailer. It will be about a minute and thirty seconds long. We have moody images of Paris, Venus de Milo and a gorgeous song. Should be finished by April. 

I'm also thinking of making up 50 or 100 electronic press kits that have the trailer and sample chapters of the novel to take to Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans. Vanilla Heart is doing the traditional paper and emailed press kits, but I want something that stands out. This might be cost-prohibitive, but I'm investigating. 

American Idol recap later tonight!

Saturday Notes

It's 75 degrees in Atlanta today, and tomorrow it will be nearly 80. Just last Sunday we were in the middle of a snowstorm. Ummm...global warming much?

Thursday night I had another conversation with the great poet and musician Vanessa Daou. We continued the conversation we started back in October when I was in New York about inspiration, poetics, art and how that all intersects with the music she makes. Last night, I worked for three hours honing the Q&A down to a manageable length. The interview with Vanessa will be published soon in a literary journal that I love. I won't name it here until we get the all clear, but I'm excited that it's found a home and will be accompanied by two of Vanessa's amazing poems.  

I really should be working on the second novel, but instead I'm working on a marketing idea for Conquering Venus that will soon involve all of you who read this blog. I hope you'll accept the challenge. More soon!

American Idol 8 - Top 13?

The big twist tonight on American Idol was that instead of a Top 12, there will be a Top 13. Going through: Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai. I don't think Jasmine or Matt deserve to be there, but these were the judges' choices and America had no vote. Tatiana has more personalities and accents than Madonna, and she was speaking in this exaggerated Spanish accent, falling on the floor, sobbing and faltering badly by singing "Saving All My Love For You" for the third time. I thought Ricky Braddy did a great job with "Superstition," but the judges weren't having it. Matt's desperate attempt to look and sound like Justin Timberlake was pathetic, but it was the only reason they put him through. Next week, the competition begins and Kanye West (?!) and Kelley Clarkson will be the guests. I guess that means two looooong hours on Tuesday.

Novel, Poetry & Kindle

I'm still planning to launch a blog for Conquering Venus, but just haven't had time to get it all together. I have a lot of photos, a timeline of the creation of the novel and I'm going to build an interactive Google map of all the locales in Paris where the story takes place. I need to spend a weekend on it, but I haven't had a free weekend in ages. I'm still stuck at the 200 page mark on the second novel and now realize that about 100 pages need to be rewritten to shift the narrative to a slightly new track. My BFF Joy B. from Austin talked me through it on the phone and for the first time ever, I made an outline of where the story needs to go. 

Many thanks to Nancy at the Breathing Poetry site for reprinting my poem "Secret Origins of the Super-Villains," which originally appeared in Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. 

Last night the Poetry Atlanta board gathered to watch the screener of the documentary we've been working on for the last few years, showcasing local poets performing at venues around the city. Tim O'Donnell did an amazing job of filming and editing the film. Some of the featured poets include Natasha Trethewey, Beth Gylys, Opal Murray, Gypsee-Yo, Karen Head, Alice Lovelace, Sharan Strange, Jon Goode, the late Shannon Leigh and many more. I'm on the film reading "Wonder Woman" and also interviewed in the Q&A session. Title and release date to be announced soon!

Amazon has released a Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which means you'll be able to download and read Conquering Venus on the plane, train or in your automobile. The image above is a screen shot of what the text looks like on an iPhone.

American Idol 8 - Third Round of 12 Results

Woot! I got three out of three on my American Idol pics: Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds and Jorge Nunez made it through! Then at the end of tonight's episode, the judges picked eight contestants to sing tomorrow night in the "wild card" round. This is where the fuckery began.

Not surprisingly, Anoop Desai, Megan Corkrey and Ricky Braddy made it, but the others are vomit inducing. Jasmine Murray and Matt Giraud both sucked ass -- and not in the good way -- last week, yet somehow they are in wild card contention. Matt wrecked Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and has no business being back on the stage. Princess Von Smith? Really? Jesse Langseth, who mauled "Bette Davis Eyes?" Kim Carnes should sue, and Bette should rise from the dead and stub her cigarette out on over-earnest Jesse. 

The other surprise (not!) was the return of Tatiana del Toro. She was sobbing, fainting and generally putting on her crazy act. Whether she makes it or not is up to the judges. America has no vote tomorrow, and the last three to make up the Final 12 will be decided by Randy, Simon, Paula and useless Kara.

American Idol 8 - Third Round of 12

I cannot believe American Idol is on three nights in a row. That's torture. The final round of 12 performers sang tonight, results are tomorrow when three more go through to the finals and then on Thursday the judges/producers pick three "wild cards" to make up the Top 12. So who's through after tonight? Without a doubt Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre, despite his mediocre performance, and the third spot should go to Jorge Nunez, but god knows how America will vote. There were a lot of blah performances. Read on.

Von Smith: Looking vaguely like that kid from Malcolm in the Middle, Von reined in his inner screaming queen and performed a decent version of "You're All I Need to Get By." The judges were uniformly gushy, even Simon, who said his outfit was appalling and compared him to Clay Aiken. That's code for "Von's a big 'mo." I have to tell you in all the eight years Idol has been on, I can't remember this many gay boys. However, there's only room for one queen in this kingdom and Adam Lambert is a lock for that.

Taylor Vaifanua: Simon summed her up as forgettable and bland, and I can't disagree. She sang a soulless version of Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You," and struggled with her lower register in the opening verse. She was better in the chorus, but she's a goner tomorrow night. Kara, who week after week continues to prove how useless she is as a judge, made some comment about wanting the song to tell her where Taylor likes to shop. Even Paula gave her the side-eye on that one.

Alex Wagner-Trugman: I didn't really remember this dork from auditions, but he's totally unforgettable -- and I don't mean that in a good way. He shouted Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," added in a few weird growls, knocked over the mic stand a couple of times and mainly looked like he was having a fit. I wanted someone to grab a spoon and stick it in his mouth before he swallowed his tongue. Apparently, he was trying to channel is inner Joe Cocker, but all I was getting was grand mal seizure.

Arianna Afsar: Say what you will about ABBA, but those ladies could sing their asses off. Arianna had no business going near "The Winner Takes It All." Hell, Meryl Streep did it better in Mamma Mia. Arianna tired to make the song contemporary by adding unnecessary vocal runs and changing the melody. The song is a classic. Do not fuck with ABBA. She's outta there. 

Ju'not Joyner: The judges were just giddy over his version of Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah," but I thought it was a one-note yawn. It was a very odd song choice and didn't show any of his range, which we saw tiny glimpses of in Hollywood. Just a very meh performance for me, dawg.

Kristen McNamara: The karaoke host was much better than I thought she was going to be after her meltdown in Hollywood and the drama between her, Nathaniel and Nancy Whateverhernamewas in Hollywood. She sang an odd jazzy version of Tracy Chapman's "Gimme One Reason." She has a good voice, but she looks totally lost and, unfortunately, will be totally forgotten tonight because much better singers came afterwards.

Nathaniel Marshall: The tats, the piercings, the Olivia Newton-John headband...Princess Nate was rocking his e'mo hard tonight. He sang a theatrical version of "I Would Do Anything For Love" and the judges endlessly debated his merits, his look, what kind of album he would make. Simon said Nathaniel was fun, but made him uncomfortable. I think that's the point. They milked his critique for all it's worth, and that might translate into votes, but I doubt Adam Lambert's throne is in any danger.

Felicia Barton: She was brought back to replace Joanna Pacitti after a tabloid exposed her for being a uber-plant and friends with all of the producers of the show. A good thing, too, because Felicia can actually sing. Her cover of Alicia Key's "No One" was a bit copycat, as Simon noted, but she's got potential. 

Scott MacIntyre: Let's be honest here -- the vocal on his version of Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" (which happens to be one of my favorite songs from the 80s) was good, but not great. However, the fact that Scott is blind and a genuinely nice guy makes it nearly impossible to rag on him. The judges were uniformly complimentary, although I wonder if he wasn't vision impaired if Simon would have been so nice. I'm just sayin...  He's through to the next round. Trust me.

Kendall Beard: I have no memory of this girl at all. She sang Martina McBride's "This One's For the Girls" and it was okay. She likes country music, has wholesome good looks. All the country fans who put through unworthy Michael Sarver might vote heavily to try and counteract all the queens. 

Jorge Nunez: He's Puerto Rican, has a sexy accent, is swarthily adorable (that's him pictured above) and Paula was nearly creaming herself over him. He did the George Michael take on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and is so damn charming that if voters don't put him through it will be one of the biggest injustices of the whole show. If they don't, he's a wild card contender for sure or Paula will beat somebody down with her cheap jewelry.

Lil Rounds: She already sounds and looks like an R&B star. She channeled her inner Mary J. and definitely gave the best vocal performance of the night with Ms. Blige's "Be Without You." Unless she falters somewhere along the way, I can easily see her in the final two. You heard it here first.

Wordsmiths Books Closes & Other Notes

I found out yesterday that Wordsmiths Books in Decatur has closed its doors. Despite Zach Steele's best efforts, the economy just put the final nail in the coffin. Many thanks to Zach, Russ and everyone over there for all their support and giving Poetry Atlanta's reading series a home for the past two years. Paul Guest and Megan Volpert were slated to read at the next Poetry Atlanta Presents... on March 21 and I am actively looking for a new venue for the series. More soon. 

A new poem, "Jean Arthur at the Lincoln Memorial," will appear in the next issue of Hobble Creek Review. Thanks for taking this one, Justin!

The loverly Rachel Mallino, along with all her other projects, has created a new online poetry journal called Slant. The mag is looking for poems about dysfunction. That's half my body of work, so I'll be sure to submit something. Mary Biddinger's work is up first on the site, which features three poems by the same author at one time.

Many thanks to Jameson Currier at the QueerType blog for giving a shout out to Conquering Venus in his latest update.

Snow In Atlanta At Last

We've already got about two inches of snow on the ground and might have up to four by the end of the day. It's really gorgeous outside, and it's not sticking too badly to the roads. However, with temperatures dropping, there is concern the slushy will freeze over. The Poetry Out Loud regional competition I was supposed to emcee today was just canceled, so I'll be home today drinking tea and watching the gorgeous snowfall.

Yesterday, I hosted the first part of the Poetry Out Loud regionals at the Atlanta History Center. The students were amazing and I know the judges -- which included Katie Chaple and Travis Denton -- had tough decisions to make. Thanks to Melanie Eisenhart and the AHC for asking me to emcee. It was a fun afternoon.

On Friday night, I went down to Fayetteville and read during the 11th annual Blended Heritage event at the Fayette County Library. It was standing and sitting on the floor room only. There were 175 people easily. It was a treat to see so many old friends and hear the great Ferrol Sams read from his novel in progress. Many thanks to Christeen Snell for inviting me.