My 11 year old German Shepherd mix dog is named Reba. Yes, I wouldn't have named her after Reba McEntire now, but back then I was into country a lot. And I didn't know she's a Repuke.

1) What do you think of Wednesdays in general?

2) How long have you been on DU today?

3) What is your favorite music?

4) What brand of computer do you own?

5) What's one day of the year that you are excitedly counting down to?


My answers:

1) Probably the most blah day of the week for me

2) A couple hours in total; though I've been off and on

3) Classic rock (The Beatles, Beach Boys, Herman's Hermits, CCR, Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Shangri-Las, Elvis, Fleetwood Mac included,) power pop/pop rock (Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Bangles, Blondie, Go-Gos, The Corrs, Michelle Branch, Avril Lavigne, The Veronicas, Damone, New Pornographers, Fountains Of Wayne, The Pierces, Barenaked Ladies, Kate Voegele, Alison Ray, Marianne Keith, Madonna, Camera Obscura, The Charade, Sloan included,) Motown/soul (The Supremes, Luther Vandross, Aretha, Smokey Robinson included,) singer songwriter/folk/folk pop, and rock (Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Brandi Carlile, Cindy Alexander, R.E.M., U2, John Mellencamp, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls, Bonnie McKee, Jo Davidson, Nina Gordon, Sinead O'Connor, Josh Ritter included,) and The Dixie Chicks. I won't get into all the artists - you can get the idea.

4) I own a Gateway - despite its reputation, the computer has been a sturdy computer.

5) July 21 - the day Book 7 of Harry Potter is released

Here are a couple of mine:

- Always create a web to organize your ideas first. I've found I can write more completely then.

- I've found it useful for me to imagine what others might think of what I've written or done. Sometimes my own perspective will miss something that should be changed.

Here are some tips on music reviews that I got from Howard Cohen from the Miami Herald:

- Limit how many times you say "I" or "me" in a review - don't personalize

- Even though music is subjective, write your review firmly

- Don't worry about the rating too much - focus on content

I'd like to keep up what I'm doing with more free time, but I'm going to have to get into something. Hopefully something involving writing or a business.

See if you can add to this list I'm making.

Democrats:

Dixie Chicks
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Pam Tillis
Matraca Berg
Rodney Crowell
Emmylou Harris
Nanci Griffith
Faith Hill
Kathy Mattea
Tim McGraw
Maura O'Connell
Willie Nelson
Garth Brooks
Trisha Yearwood
Kris Kristofferson
Marcus Hummon
Carrie Underwood (based on strong rumors and a confirmation from a friend only)
Raul Malo
Allison Moorer
Steve Earle
Rosanne Cash
Todd Snider
Adrienne Young
Alison Krauss? (while researching, I saw she donated to People For The American Way)

Republicans and/or Bush supporters:

Brooks And Dunn
Sara Evans
Toby Keith (DINO)
Darryl Worley
Clay Walker
Alabama
Tanya Tucker
Lorrie Morgan
Rascal Flatts
Lee Ann Womack (supposedly neither party, but a blind supporter)
Reba McEntire
Vince Gill
Charlie Daniels
Miranda Lambert (very disappointed in this one - she's a great young talent)
Ricky Skaggs
Robert Earl Keen
Travis Tritt
Randy Travis
Neil McCoy
Gretchen Wilson (saw at DU that she was at a Repuke fund raiser)
Loretta Lynn
Hank Williams Jr
Mark Chesnutt
Craig Morgan

Maybe it will help those who haven't found much of today's music to enjoy.

Here's my list of some artists I sought out and loved, that don't get a lot of notice:

The Corrs (not as popular in the U.S.)
Camera Obscura
The Essex Green
Nina Gordon/Veruca Salt
Yo La Tengo
Damone
Leigh Nash
Thea Gilmore
Jennifer O'Connor
Lillix
The Weepies
Hem
Eisley
Stefy
Mojave 3
Wussy
Stacie Rose
The Like
Sufjan Stevens
The Pierces
Brandi Carlile
Amy Rigby
Courtney Jaye
Rogue Wave
Martha and Rufus Wainwright
Belle And Sebastian
Mary Gauthier
Libby Johnson
The Lemonheads
Margot & Nuclear So & So's
Josh Ritter
Cat Power
Pete Yorn
Rosanne Cash
Susan Cagle
Neko Case
Some Girls
Ingrid Michaelson
Regina Spektor
Pearl Jam
Holly Brook
Guster
Amy Millan/Stars
Allison Moorer
Gomez
Dirtie Blonde
Rainer Maria
Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
Ane Brun
Ellery
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Puffy AmiYumi
Lisa Palleschi
New Pornographers
Cori Yarckin
The Veronicas
Hope 7
Michelle Branch/The Wreckers (in case you missed them)
Butch Walker
Mindy Smith
Kasey Chambers
Steve Earle
The Decemberists
The Randies
Emily Haines/Metric
Cindy Alexander
Aslyn
Penelope Houston
Bonnie McKee
The Faders
Brie Larson
Megan Slankard
Maria Mena
Joseph Arthur
Butterfly Boucher
Abra Moore
Kay Hanley/Letters To Cleo
The Jayhawks
Neil Finn/Finn Brothers
Loreena McKennitt

And old standards like the Indigo Girls and Barenaked Ladies are still going strong.. if you want more artists, I could go on, but I'll stop for now.

Album: Rubber Soul by The Beatles

Movie: A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sim version)

Food: Mexican

Drink: Water

TV: The Simpsons

City: No favorite; haven't seen enough

My dog Reba is a mixed breed. She's big, long, and has a double undercoat - I think she has German shepherd, collie or border collie, and golden retriever.

Post whichever ones come to mind first.

Beatles - Abbey Road
Jo Davidson - Kiss Me There
The Cars - Greatest Hits
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
Anna Nalick - Wreck Of The Day
Hope 7 - self-titled
Allison Moorer - The Hardest Part
Paul Simon - Surprise
Melissa Etheridge - Yes I Am
Faith Hill - Fireflies (not a favorite, but it came to mind. I do give it 3 stars - would be 2 1/2 at best without the 3 Lori McKenna-written songs)

You can choose to put the town/city or a more expansive place like county.

I live in Montgomery County, PA.

There's no standard this time. Just ones that you feel are very underappreciated by the public.

Of the semi-popular artists, I'd like to see ones like Michelle Branch, Kay Hanley, Nina Gordon, Lisa Loeb, David Gray, Blue October, New Pornographers, Radiohead, Sleater-Kinney, The Donnas, Cheap Trick, Annie, Goldfrapp, Dixie Chicks, Saving Jane, Miranda Lambert, The Veronicas, Fountains Of Wayne, Rosanne Cash, and Anna Nalick get to be household names.

And these are some great artists who just need attention period right now:

Rainer Maria
Margot & Nuclear So & So's
Magneta Lane
Josh Ritter
Jo Davidson
Abra Moore
Bonnie McKee
Rhett Miller
Joseph Arthur
Hope 7
The Faders
Laura Dawn
The Cottars
Idlewild
Fefe Dobson
The Wreckers
Stars
Neko Case solo
Plumb
Fefe Dobson
Duncan Sheik
The Jayhawks
Angela Ammons
Hope Partlow (good album and even more promise)
Brie Larson
Sufjan Stevens
Stacie Rose
Julie Gribble
The Like
Amy Rigby
The Decemberists
Leona Naess
Thea Gilmore
Katherine Schell
Sonya Kitchell
Teenage Fanclub
Fisher
Eisley
Brandi Carlile
Lucinda Williams
Kasey Chambers
Steve Earle
Kathleen Edwards
Mary Gauthier
Halo Friendlies
My Morning Jacket
Cat Power
Herman's Hermits
Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley
Tuuli
Martha Wainwright
Jerra
Hank Williams III
Courtney Jaye
Leslie Mills
Fisher
Rogue Wave
Cindy Alexander
Aslyn
Keren
Marion Raven/M2M
Tegan And Sara
Maria Mena
Butterfly Boucher
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Shanti
The Postal Service
Mindy Smith
The Effection
The Raveonettes (more so for Chain Gang Of Love)
Kate Rusby

And more - I'll stop now.

I wanted to post on DU long enough tonight to put my evaluation. Song choices were not very good except for Chris's, Kellie's, Paris's, and Bucky's. And Kellie didn't do all that well anyway. Chris, the rocker, actually had the best performance of the night. Here are my quick ratings:

Ace Young: 7/10
Bucky Covington: 7/10
Chris Daughtry: 9/10
Elliott Yamin: 4/10
Katharine McPhee: 7/10
Mandisa: 7/10
Paris Bennett: 8/10
Taylor Hicks: 5/10
Kellie Pickler: 6/10

Rascal Flatts - Me & My Gang (on full album listening party) : I'm open to new country, but this CD is just so boring and safe. I never cared for them. C-

Here's mine (about my dog Reba):

We wanted to help out the SPCA, and we went to the one in northern Montgomery County. I very quickly picked out my dog Reba (she had really sweet eyes, was active, and was good with the handlers.) But we were put on a waiting list, as others wanted her. We went to another SPCA, but no dog we found was like Reba. So we waited. A couple days after, we got the call that we were chosen to own Reba! I think it helped that we kept calling, asking for the latest status on her. I couldn't have dreamed a better dog.

Reba got to the SPCA after she was abandoned with her sister by the road. It's bad enough to abandon a dog, but to make things worse, the SPCA was very close by! It was a policeman that found her.

here are my thoughts:

Ace Young: 9/10 - I don't think he'll be in the bottom three again. Very good.

Bucky Covington: 6/10 - He was off tonight. His vocals sounded really hoarse for some reason.

Chris Daughtry: 9/10 - His most interesting performance yet. Still a bit concerned about the distinctiveness factor, but he's proven that he's a good singer

Elliott Yamin: 5/10 - Ordinary is the most appropriate word for his voice IMO

Katharine McPhee: 10/10 - Wow - she was great! Love everything about her - her personality, her looks, and her voice. Her voice is very distinctive.

Kevin Covais: 2/10 - I almost never go below 2, but he ruined a very pretty song. He might be a nice person, but it's ridiculous IMO that Randy and Paula think he's Idol quality, giving good performances every week. Maybe they want the youth to keep watching?

Lisa Tucker: 6/10 - Thought she was better earlier in the competition. She was decent tonight, but it was too cutesy, as Randy said.

Mandisa: 10/10 - great song choice, great performance! She's the only contestant to be 9 or 10 every week in my ratings.

Paris Bennett: 9/10 - she's amazingly versatile for her young age. Not out of place in a group like the Ronettes.

Taylor Hicks: 4/10 - What happened? Oh Taylor, two 4/10s in three weeks. I think he's had a couple really bad song choices for his voice.

Kellie Pickler: 7/10 - I like the fact she gave "Walking After Midnight" a sultry, bluesy feel. Better than I thought it would be after I heard she was doing Patsy.