FRIDAY FUNNY! MIDWEST CELEBRITIES....

Nothing against people that live in the midwest...Hell, even though I wasn't born and raised here...I have lived here for 18 years and I just thought this was too damn
funny not to share with you. The last one cracks me up! So, without further ado...

This is what celebrities would look like if they moved to the MidWest...


Britany Spears























Catherine Zeta Jones & Michael Douglas






















John Travolta


















Sarah Jessica Parker




















Tara Reid



















Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen



















Sharon Stone

















Gwen Stefani

















Ashlee Simpson





















Nicole Kidman



















Paris Hilton















Pam Anderson


















Jennifer Aniston



















Cameron Diaz


















Johnny Depp




















The Beckhams



















J Lo and Mark Anthony

















Tom Cruise



I don't care who you are....that right thar is funnnyyyyy!!!!!!

Have a great weekend ya'll!

How clean is the hotel room you stay in?

Yesterday, here in the office where I work...one of our managers was discussing the hotel room he stayed in last week. He commented how dissatisfied he was with the housekeeping of said hotel room. Now, this guy is new to our branch....nice guy, but seriously, this dude's cleanliness expectations are worse than Danny Tanner, played by Bob Saget...you know this guy, from the television show, "Full House"...


When at the hotel, he said he crawled down beneath the sheets to the bottom of the bed, took a pen and made a small x on the bottom of the sheet. The next day, upon returning to his hotel room, he pulled the sheets back, to check and see if the x was still there. That way, he would know if the maid had changed the sheets or not. Lo and behold, the x was still there. He threw a fit, demanded that housekeeping return, reclean the room, he was going to stay there, watch them this time, to see that they did. He said he also takes his own anti-bacterial wipes with him, to wipe down the bathroom, counters, phone, etc...

Now, in my opinion, that is a little excessive. Unitl I found out that he had developed a staph infection from the hotel he stayed at. I thought alot about it..so, I did some research online...just to see how clean some hotels really are. I found, that my co-worker may not be overly excessive after all.

Here is what I found...from MSNBC.

Hotel rooms are public places, and you are sharing them with other people.

1. Choose your lodging well.
Know that a smaller property may be cleaner than a large one. The more rooms a housekeeper has to turn over, the more likely he is to cut corners.

2. Give the room a good inspection. You can get a sense of the cleanliness of a room as soon as you walk in the door. But take the time to look in the bathroom, under the beds, in drawers, etc. And pull back the bedcovers! Bedbugs and other critters can be an issue at even the nicest properties.

A vigilant guest who liked to pull back bedcovers found one of the biggest problems ever a hotel. He found lice in his bed, and the hotel was able to track the little bugs to their source. An elderly couple, who were very sweet but obviously had hygiene issues, had brought a suitcase full of lice on vacation with them. The hotel had to shut down three floors for extermination.

3. Speak up. If you feel the room is not up to par, say so. And don’t worry that you will have to move rooms. Chances are you won’t have to. Give a housekeeping supervisor about 15 minutes in a room, and he can usually rectify any problem. But if multiple rooms, common areas, and especially restaurants or pools at a property all seem unclean to the point of being unsafe, you have every right to leave and ask for a refund.

4. Ditch the bedspread. How often are the bedspreads cleaned? The truth is: not that often. Cleaning bedspreads is expensive, and most folks would balk at the room rate if that cost were passed on to the customer. So yes, that comforter could very well be dirty. Remove it if you like.

But have heart: A nice trend we’re seeing at some properties is the use of duvets with removable duvet covers that can easily be cleaned after each guest. Ask about the linens when you book your room; you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

5. Carry your own cleaners. If you really are phobic about germs, or if you know you pick up every little virus, you may want to do your own wipe-down of your room. Antibacterial solutions are easy to find in travel sizes. Take some with you and wipe down the telephone, door handles, bathroom fixtures — whatever “bugs” you. Bring your own heavy-duty hand-washing soap, too, if you like.

But don’t stress too much. Most housekeepers do a great job and wipe down all surfaces with industrial-strength cleaners. (That recent study that showed how a person with a cold can contaminate a room? They tested for germs before the room was cleaned, not after.) That’s not to say that some budget-conscious housekeeping managers water down the chemicals! So feel free to take extra precautions if you like.

So, knowing what I know, do I take all these precautions when I travel? Honestly, no. I do check for bedbugs — they’re scary! And when I turn in for the night, I pull that bedspread totally off the bed.I do believe that there are more germs on that community fax machine in the office — and on my child after a day at school — than in an entire hotel room. But as cozy as that room might seem, it’s not really your home away from home. It’s a public place, and it doesn’t hurt to treat it as such.

What are your thoughts on hotel room cleanliness?
What precautions if any do you take when sleeping at a hotel?

Do you use the bedspread, reclean the bathroom?

Let's discuss......

AMERCIAN IDOL..SEASON 7...VOTED OFF!

Wow...was my predictions totally off this week.

Eliminated This Week - Jason Yeager, Alexandrea Lushington, Alaina Whitaker, Robbie Carrico





So, do you think the right ones went home?

I know when I reveiewed the guys a few days ago, Jason was in my bottom two...I changed my perdictions up, based on a few idol polls I had seen around...but, were they ever wrong.

I really do not know what next week holds...but, let's tune in and find out.

Dixiechick...out!

American Idol...Season 7...Top 10 Girls....

Well, last night the top 10 girls rocked out, or didn't...to songs from the 70's.
I was not impressed with a single one. To me, it seemed that the majority of the girls, were just picking the wrong darn songs. I thought they were better last week, which allowed the guys to outshine them this week.

Let's recap...

So, the former recording artist, Carly Smithson..was up first...she sang "Crazy on You" by Heart..(I love heart)...her performance was pretty good...I give her four out of five stars.


The judges comments:

Randy~The beginning wasn't so good, but it was better towards the middle and the end. You seem to have more problems with the lower notes, kind of pitchy.
Paula~You are an amazing singer and you did an amazing job.
Simon~Much better than last week. You are an incredible singer, but I don't think that was the right song for you.

I agree with Simon....she did ok....not one of my favorites...but, I think she will be around for awhile.

Second to perform...Syesha Mercado..singing "Me and Mr Jones" by Billy Paul...


I like this girl....I thought she did fairly well last night. The song wasn't right for her. She definitely needs to up her game as far as song choices go. More upbeat, high tempo song would be so good for her.

Here is what the judges had to say:

Randy~That was not a great song choice. You need to pick songs that work with what you have, songs that you can really belt out. It was soft~went nowhere. Just alright for me.
Paula~I like your interpretation, what you did with it. But in softer songs, you tend to go off, fall out of pitch.
Simon~It was a bit indulgent. That song was not written for a girl. It was a silly thing to do. It was not designed for your voice; not a clever choice for you.

Third up...our other little pre recording artist...Brooke White...singing "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon....


Brooke is your wholesome next door kind of girl..I like her...last night she chose to sing with her guitar..nice touch, but I think she does better with piano. I give her four out of five stars.

Here is what the judges thought:

Randy~It was a great song choice. I liked it. But, I don't think you brought anything different to it.
Paula~It was the perfect song for you. It suited you. You brought familiarity to it.
Simon~I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect song for you, absolutley connected.

I don't think Brooke will be going home tonight, that's for sure.

Next up..the little woman with a powerful voice...Ramiele Malubay...singing "Don't ve Me This Way" by Thelma Houston.

She is such a little cutie....I thought she sang well, but not as well as last week.
I still give her four out of five stars. If you can make it on cuteness factor alone, she will make it to the top three females.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~It was just ok for me. The song choice was weird.
Paula~You are the one to beat. Your vocals are amazing. Although, I don't feel like with this song, you were able to perform your magic.
Simon~You were much better last week. This was not a memorable performance.

Memorable or not, Simon..this little chickie is going to be around a little longer.

Fifth to perform...Kristy Lee Cook..singing "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt....




I thought she was just ok...she looked good. She is a very pretty girl and I think that alone will keep her in for a while. She will most definitely be in the top 8 I am thinking. For her performance last night, I give her four out of five stars.

Here is what the judges thought:

Randy~100% improvement over last week. It was a better song choice, In tune and I liked it.
Paula~You're back. It was a good song choice for you.
Simon~It was a huge improvement. At this point, I really don't know how to label you. I think you should go the Country route, that is where you have potential.

Who knows, if she listens to Simon, she could end up being the next Carrie Underwood...nah.....

My, oh my....what I am about to show you next..there is no words..what the hell happened to my home girl...Amanda Overmeyer...Honey the stylist screwed you over last night...WTF???????? Here is Amanda...singing "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas...

Girl looked like Cruella Daville...she sounded terrible, looked terrible. I am so afraid, because of this performance, she is going home. I gave her two stars out of five. Amanda...you have let me down.

Here is what the judges thought:

Randy~That was not the right song for you. There was too much melody. The verses were pitchy.
Paula~You got some moves. You can dance. You are a brilliant artist and you need to do what feels right. That was not the right song for you.
Simon~That was terrible. From the hair, to the clothes, to the song. I couldn't wait for it to finish. It was contrived, nothing was real about it.

Wow, Amanda...I just don't know what else to say. I would rather see you try to be Janis Joplin.

Seventh..Alaina Whitaker...singing "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Olivia Newton-John..

I believe Alaina has potential.....she just needs to work on being herself. As far as last nights performance goes...I give her four out of five stars, even though I feel the song wasn't right for her.

Here are the judges comments:

Randy~It wasn't the right song for you. You have a strong voice, when you belt it. That was restrained. Very pitchy.
Paula~I think you did a good job. I forget how young you really are. You are very mature for your age.
Simon~I like you, but it was almost as if your grandmother prepared you for this performance. It was very old fashioned. Almost pagenty. You are one of the dark horses of this competition. Sort yourself out.

She is definitely a beautiful girl, that alone will keep her in for awhile. She is not going home tonight.

Eighth...Alexandria' Lushington...singing "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago...

I thought it was just ok...kind of mundane, robotic. Nothing impressive. I give her three stars out of five...she is definitely in my bottom three.

Here is what the judges had to say:

Randy~It was safe. You have mad vocal skills and you need to challenge yourself more. It was boring.
Paula~I have never heard a female take that song on. I feel you made it your own. I am impressed and I feel you are relevant to this competition.
Simon~I was a big fan of you in the early stages of this competition. I think you are struggling now. You were in and out of tune. It was boring for me.

Ninth....Kady Malloy...singing "Magic Man" by Heart...


It was just ok for me...to me, she is just another "pretty girl" of the competition. She does nothing for me. If she doesn't up her game, I see her going home soon.
I give her two out of three stars.

Here is what the judges thought:

Randy~You never found the notes. It didn't work for me.
Paula~When you powered it, you sounded great, but on the low notes, you lost it. You really need to come back, define yourself and who you are.
Simon~I am frustrated. Everything you do on film is fantastic, but you come out here and it does not go anywhere. There was no melody.

Girl...you look great, but you sucked. Stick to your impersonations of Brittany.

Last on the show last night, but possibly first to go home tonight...Asia'h Epperson...singing "All By Myself" by Celine Dion....

All I can say is that it was terrible. What the hell was she thinking. Celine Dion is an amazing artist...no one can come close to replicating her vocals...especially not some want to be little girl. I gave her one star, just because she killed this Celine Dion song...and I love Celine.

Here are the judges thoughts...

Randy~It was a difficult song. I think you did a good job.
Paula~You did it. That was great. The ending was what counts.
(um, no Paula...she screwed up the beginning and a half assed singer does not sell records)
Simon~That was one of the top Diva songs of all time. You are not that good of a singer to be able to pull that off. That song showed you up. You almost got away with it, but fact is..you didn't. It was a silly decision.

Simon, I couldn't agree with you more.

So, my choices for going home tonight are..Amanda Overmeyer and Asia'h Epperson.

For the guys...Luke Menard and Danny Noriega.

Who do you think is going home tonight?

Tune in tonight for the vote-off.

Dixiechick...out.

Which American Idol Judge are you?

Which American Idol Personality Are You?

More on American Idol. Created by BuddyTV

My son..the artist...

As I have mentioned before...my eight year old loves to draw....and for eight...he is pretty darn good.

He free handed this the other night in the car....in ten minutes....and "painted it" when he got home....am I biased or is this really good for an eight year old....

You be the judge...click on the picture, enlarge it....



Do you know what it is...it is a fall harvest picture...complete with cornucopia, pumpkins, gords (sp?), etc....in the forefront is an Indian head band....The dark area, behind the head band..that is the shadow, emanating off the cornucopia...his words, not mine...Is he a cool little boy or what?

It's great to be loved...if only for my American Idol post...

An award...I am honored that my friend Troy, from Not World Famous felt I was deserving of this totally cool award...
Although the guy in the picture is so totally uncool looking...I swear I look nothing like that...My hair is darker. Ha....seriously, though...thanks dude...

Here is his post, awarding this totally cool award to me:
To Dixie Chick: It takes someone who is super-cool to be so accurate a judge of what is and what isn’t cool. Seriously, when it comes to American Idol, can she call ‘em or what?




After all the hard work I put into my Idol post, it is awesome to be recognized for it. You are so cool Troy for recognizing the coolness that is me! You rock!

Now, to pass this award on....

Janet:
She is wonderwoman to her her Wonderhubby and Five...yes, Five Wonderkids...I totally heart her and I am going to drag her to blogger this year if it kills me! If only I could be as cool as her.

Ajooja : His sense of humor surpasses all levels of coolness. I love starting my days out with him...probably would my nights too, if we were both not so happily married!
Flat...my new blogger girl crush...we are definitley going to meet next month, when Hubby and I go to back down to Nashville...although I know I will be so imtimidated by all of her coolness! She has some hilarious stories...and she is a big hockey fan, so check her out, read her archives, link her....but the buck stops there dudes...she is happily involved...with Bat Shit....don't let the name fool you...he is as hunky as she is gorgeous!

Well..that's it...as far as the awarding goes...not as far as the coolness factor. All of the blogs on my blogroll are cool or they wouldn't be there...trust a girl on this...but, It would take me two days to give a run down of everyone on my blog...so, if you are reading this, I didn't call your name, and you want to be cool like us...just link back to me, and claim the cool button for yourself.

Who love's all of ya'll? Dixie!!!!

Whoo Hooo...now go revel in all of your coolness~

I screwed up....Corrected Idol Post ahead...

Ok..I totally screwed up with my AI post...I have David Archulettas picture where David Cooks should be and blogger will not let me fix it.

So...here is the final two recap from last nights performance the way it should be.

Ninth...David Cook...singing "All Right now"...


I thought he did a great job. He is definitley rocker material. I give him four out of five stars.

Here is what the judges had to say:

Randy~You are a real rocker. Smart choice of song.
Paula~You are the real deal!
Simon~It was believable.

Tenth....David Archuletta...singing "Imagine"....

I have to give the kid props...not only is he one of the youngest contestants, but he has the most amazing voice and he has a lot of nerve...to sing a John Lennon song, Wow~unbelievable. I give him five out of five stars.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~You know what I have said about the young ones this season. That was one of the best vocals I have ever heard on this show. You were born to do this.
Paula~You are ridiculous~I could just dangle you from my rearview mirror. That was the most moving performance I have ever heard. You are destined for super stardom.
Simon~It was risky to do John Lennon, but it worked for you. You are definitley the one to beat in this competition.

Well, that's a wrap....

Here are my top two and my bottom two choices..

Top Two: David Archuletta and David Hernandez

Bottom Two: Luke Menard and Jason Yeager

Who are your favorites? Who do you think are going home? And what do you think about the contestants with previous record labels?

Dixiechick...out!

American Idol....Season 7...Top 10 Boys....

Last night was 70's night on Idol...and I thought the boys, overall did a fantastic job...Much better than last week, in my opinion.

So, lets recap...

First up....Michael Johns...Singing "You Can Go Your Own Way"...


I thought he was much better than last week...a little off key, but maybe that is just the way he sings....I give him three out of five stars. Here is what the judges had to say:

Randy~I was ready for you to let go, but you started slow. Not your best dude.
Paula~You are a great contestant. You got the crowd working. You are charismatic and charming, a seasoned Performer. Nice way to start the show.
Simon~I feel that was your weakest performance. You are just coasting along. It was a weak choice of song.


Second up...Jason Castro....singing "I Just Want To Be Your Everything"...


I felt he did alright, except toward the end...his voice went out of range...was a little off key...but, I give him four out of five stars.

Here is what the judges had to say:

Randy~The guitar is cool as an act. The vocals were just ok, kind of karaoke.
Paula~I think you are cute. The song choice was clever, but next week, come back without the guitar. Be vulnerable as an artist..just be you.
Simon~The song was a horrible choice for you. It didn't suit your vocals..it was average.

Third to perform...my hometown boy...Luke Menard...singing "Killer Queen"...


He was average...better than last week...I give him three out of five stars. But what really bothers me is the fact that he has recorded a record and is part of an Acapella group that has toured. I like him, don't get me wrong..but I am a little annoyed, not only with him but several other Idol Contestants.

What the hell is up with some of this year's contestants having previous record labels? I thought American Idol was supposed to be about raw, undiscovered talent? When did the rules change? It kind of pisses me off. Seriously, should any of those with previous recording experience, of any kind, be allowed to win? I don't think so....
I would really like to hear all of your thoughts on this....

Ok, I will step down off of my soapbox...moving on.

Here are the judges comments regarding Luke...

Randy~Pretty good. Better than last week. There were a couple of pitch problems, but it was a tough song.
Paula~Perfect song choice. This is a great week for you. Contestants like you are what makes me fight to get people in the Top 24.
Simon~I think the song choice was a mistake. You are always going to be judged by the original artist of any song you sing. The original for this song was charismatic and had personality, you are not charismatic, nor do you have personality. You are theatrical and whiny.

Unfortunately, I think Luke may be heading home.

Fourth..Robbie Carico...another contestant with recording history...singing "Hot Blooded"....

Not only did dude open for Brittany Spears at one time...he also drag races cars...as far as his vocal abilities go..dude is definitely a rocker....and a favorite of mine.
I thought he did a fantastic job and I give him four out of five stars.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~Pretty good job. I don't know if rock is your thing, Rock is like an attitude and I didn't hear it in your voice.
Paula~How does anyone know who you are but you. You played it safe. When you play it safe, you lose your personality and character.
Simon~I thought it was ok. (Robbie started to get a little argumentative with Simon)..You don't have to get so defensive. I actually thought the vocal was ok.

Contestant five...Danny Noriega...singing "Superstar"...


He too, claimed to have been in a rock band, a punk rock want to be band, when he was in 7th grade or something. Although, he did admit they sucked and it was a lot of screaming noise. Very funny! Glad to see he has improved since 7th grade. Dude should be a woman...he is very pretty, almost feminine in the way he carries himself. Maybe that is just my opinion...but that is what I think. I think he does have a mellow, smooth voice...although, he is not my favorite. I don't know what it is about him, but I don't care for him. He did sound great last night, I give him four out of five stars.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~You are a fun guy! There were some problems with the vocal. You could have sped it up a little more. Seemed to me you were thinking when you were singing. You need to let that go.
Paula~You have amazing vocal skill. Don't overthink it, just perform.
Simon~This was better than the disaster last week. You look great on camera.

My favorite vocal of the night, followed Danny...David Hernandez....singing "Papa was a Rolling Stone"...

This dude was amazing...I thought he did a fabulous job and I totally give him five stars out of five.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~This is the dude we fell in love with. That was hot~how to put it down!
Paula~Your voice is so pure, every note was in the pocket. Amazing~perfect.
Simon~Best vocal of the night. When you are given criticism, you take it as a challenge. I am now a fan.

Seventh...Jason Yeager...singing "Long Train Running"...


I was not impressed...dude is in my bottom two. I give him two stars out of five.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~The 70's was the greatest era ever. The song choice did not do you justice. It was pitchy and a little karaoke.
Paula~It is great to see the fun side of you. But, the song didn't show your vocal range. Pick singer songs.
Simon~It was just ordinary this week. The ending was horrific and corny..just ghastly.

I have to agree with Simon.

Next up...Chikeze Eze....singing "I Believe to My Soul"....


Before he sang, we found out where his unusual name came from...It is Nigerian....His performance was solid, much better than last week. I think he will stick around for a while, if he performs as well as he did last night. I give him four out of five stars.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~Chikeze is back. This is the guy we fell in love with in auditions. That was blazing, that was hot.
Paula~That was clever, to pick a song with a story. It was fun, it was brilliant.
Simon~You look better, you sound better. It was a million times better than last week.

Then the banter started...Chikeze and Simon started talking about the suit he wore last week. Chikeze said he wasn't going to let Simon get to him and Simon called him obnoxious. Uh oh....watch yourself Chikeze.

Ninth contestant of the night...David Cook..singing "All Right Now"...



I have to give the kid props...not only is he one of the youngest contestants, but he has the most amazing voice and he has a lot of nerve...to sing a John Lennon song, Wow~unbelievable. I give him five out of five stars.

Here are the judges thoughts:

Randy~You know what I have said about the young ones this season. That was one of the best vocals I have ever heard on this show. You were born to do this.
Paula~You are ridiculous~I could just dangle you from my rearview mirror. That was the most moving performance I have ever heard. You are destined for super stardom.
Simon~It was risky to do John Lennon, but it worked for you. You are definitley the one to beat in this competition.

Well, that's a wrap....

Here are my top two and my bottom two choices..

Top Two: David Archuletta and David Hernandez

Bottom Two: Luke Menard and Jason Yeager

Who are your favorites? Who do you think are going home? And what do you think about the contestants with previous record labels?

Dixiechick...out!