Week 1: Lost 5 pounds! (5 in total, Raised Over $60 for MS research!)
By LoudmouthLee | June 8, 2009
Not bad, not bad! I have been very vigilant with my logging of what I’m eating, and I’m definately not starving myself. Actually, I find that I’m eating all freaking day long! I really enjoy the high fiber aspect of my diet. The fiber completely fills be up, and I don’t feel the need to snack on really bad stuff.
My cravings have completely changed as well. Before, I would crave Chinese Food or Pizza. Now, I crave mustard, and things I can put mustard on. I have no clue why this is… maybe I’m pregnant. Or maybe not.
I have really worked out a good workout routine with my good friend Willy T. He really got me started in the right direction, and I now have a set schedule where I do cardio for 5 days a week, with 3 days of weight lifting thrown in there. Here’s the low-down of my schedule, so you can ask me “How was the Gym?” and make sure I went! 
Mondays: Cardio & Shoulders/Abs
Tuesdays: Cardio Only
Wednesdays: Off
Thursdays: Cardo & Biceps/Triceps
Fridays: Off
Saturdays: Cardio & Chest/Back
Sundays: Off
What’s really great about this schedule is that I’m only in the gym for 4 1/2 hours a wekk, and that includes shower and get ready for work time. Really, all I’m doing is working out for 2 hours a week. I can handle that. I just need to go 300% while I’m in the gym to make it count. If my soreness is any indication, I’m succeeding.
Leave some love. So far, so good!
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Week 0: Welcome to Lee’s Weight Loss / MS Fundraiser!
By LoudmouthLee | June 1, 2009
June 1st, 2009
Today, it starts.
I have devoted a year of my life to get healthy, and help a great cause at the same time. As most of you already know, I am looking to lose approximately 100 pounds over the next year (with an healthy average of 1-2 lbs a week). Every 1st of the month, I will be getting on a scale and recording my weight, and posting it here. I have a network of great friends who have donated a money amount per pound and, after a year, the money I raise will be going directly to the MS Society.
So far, we’re getting very close to the $10.00 per lb mark, and that’s only after 1 day of donations! That’s absolutely amazing, being that if I lose 100 pounds, that’s $1000.00 to the MS Society. Fantastic! I want more donations, though. Please, if you’re reading this, pledge! If you can’t pledge, just cheerlead. I like cheerleaders. Don’t tell my wife, though.
It dawned on me last night that… “I’m going to have to tell everyone what I weigh now!” and all of a sudden, this didn’t seem like such a great plan anymore. I have been hiding or lying about my weight for a number of years now. Coming to grips with that, I guess, is the way to address the problem. I’m about to do something scary. I’m about to honestly admit my current weight. It’s more than it was a few months ago, when I had quickly shedded 20 lbs like it was nothing.
I currently weigh 310. That’s a FRIGHTENING thing to say. 310. I’m nearly DOUBLE the weight I should be. My goal for year one is to go from 310 -> 210. And then, year 2, from 210 - 175 (or so). In other words, I’m looking to drop around 40% of my weight.
I have always had a fear of failing. By putting all of this out in the open, I’m putting all my chips on the table. By taking donations.. I wouldn’t just be failing myself if I don’t succeed…. I’d be failing my friends, my family, and a very worthy organization. That’s just not an option.
I’ll be blogging here pretty regularly. If you ever are curious about what i’ve eaten in a given day, I’ve decided to make all of this information public domain knowledge. You can feel free to see what I’m putting in my system every day at http://www.livestrong.com/profile/loudmouthlee/
I’ve decided that, by disclosing everything, I’m must less apt to make mistakes. It’ll be tough, but I really appreciate each and every one of my friends supporting me.
See you guys in a week with update #1 of 53.
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Why did Adam Lambert lose American Idol 8? The top 5 reasons why Adam is not the next American Idol.
By LoudmouthLee | May 21, 2009
What do the 4 following things have in common?
- The Red Sox coming back from 3 games down in the ALCS to the New York Yankees to ultimately take the series and break the curse.
- Chris Moneymaker surviving a large field of players to win the World Series of Poker in a field full of poker sharks, introducing Poker to the masses.
- Lordi, a death metal-ish religious band wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Kris Allen defeats Adam Lambert for the American Idol 8 contest.
The short answer is “They’re all massive upsets!”. However, the realy answer is “They all surprised the populace by having the perfect storm in place.”
In other words, there are very real, tangible reasons as to WHY Adam Lambert lost. Here’s 5 of them, and realize.. I’m not hating whatsoever (okay, maybe a little).
1) Much to the chagrin of his fans, Adam isn’t as marketable as you think. All of you need to start doing research on the way rock is percieved in this country… from a billboard charting standpoint, they rarely, if ever make big dents there, unless they’re really special. Take the ultimate in rock and roll, Jimi Hendrix. He has an epic discography, however, on the billboard charts, he wouldn’t be a two-hit wonder… or even a one-hit wonder. Jimi would be a NO-HIT-WONDER, With “All Along the Watchtower” just barely cracking the top 50. Just because you like rock music doesn’t mean the rest of the country does. Adam’s brand of “Rock” isn’t quite as marketable as Daughtry’s, either.
2) At the beginning of the season, judge and producer pimping is helpful, however, at the endgame, the pimping will ultimately backfire. Especially in this case, this holds to be true. When Simon broke it open in the final performance show by saying that “He’s looking at a superstar.”, he did two different things… made Adam Lambert’s fanbase complacent, and made Kris Allen’s group rabid. There has to be some point when the judges stop trying to sway votes and just give honest critique. Producers, it backfired on you this year majorly.
3) Kris Allen may have won American Idol 8, but Kris Allen’s family have won our hearts. There was no sweet family backstory on Lambert’s side, but when Kris’s dad gave him that hug in the Top 3 package, I teared. When Kris said “Don’t cry, mama.” when his mother got a bit misty, I got misty. Kris Allen’s family scored him major brownie points with the family vote. Allen was a good kid, coming from a typical American city. Lambert may not fall into the American ideal of a “good wholesome boy.”
4) When Richard Hatch won the first Survivor, he set a precident that has been followed in nearly every offering since then. In American Idol, there has never been a singer who played the game better than Kris Allen. Kris could have mailed it in and simply sang “Heartless” again, since it was arguably his best performance of the season in the final 2 show. Instead, he deftly remembers that Danny Gokey (put the Go in Gokey! Thanks Idolatry!) has a very large fan base, and his votes were going to go somewhere. So, by Kris singing ” ‘Aint no Sunshine”, he solidified the Gokey vote in a way that Lambert couldn’t overcome. Adam’s version of Mad World was very good, but he would have done much better for himself competing for Gokey’s votes with “Tracks of my Tears.”
5) Have you ever seen the movie Major League? Rocky? The Mighty Ducks? Shrek? America loves the underdog. Plain and simple.
This season, with all of its flaws, rejuvinated my interest in American Idol. Here’s to a good end to a good show, in spite of the judges, producers, and everyone else who tried to manipulate the outcome.
Kudos to Kris Allen, our hardest fought, and probably most deserving American Idol ever.
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American Idol 8: Top 13 Power Rankings and predictions! Your next American Idol is…
By LoudmouthLee | March 6, 2009
It’s time, once again, to predict the winner of American Idol! I have consulted one of the greatest Reality TV / Game Show minds that I know to help me with these predictions. Please allow me to introduce a lead writer of Game Show News Net and American Idol Poster for Yes But No But Yes, Gordon Pepper.
Gordon and I have each put together a power ranking, and then have averaged them out. I’m telling you. These power rankings are completely foolproof and you should run to your nearest bookie and plop down the farm on these. Or not. Your choice.
In all seriousness, we have a bottom heavy top 13, and by no means is this the “Most Talented” 13 as we’ve heard Randy say a few times.
With that in mind, in reverse order, the order of finish for your American Idols. Remember, you heard it here first.
#13) Michael Sarver (Best Case Scenario - 10th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 13th Place.)
Seems like a great enough guy, and America sure seems to love him, it just makes me wonder… if Von Smith was in Week 1 and not Week 3, would Sarver have even been invited to the Wild Card round? My guess is no. He’s a decent singer, I just highly doubt that he has the vocal chops to hang with the big boys (and girl) and lacks the personality to really draw people in.
#12) Jasmine Murray (Best Case Scenario - 7th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 13th Place.)
Going into the Wild Card Round, this was Von Smith’s spot to lose. All he had to do what not screw it up. Jasmine, please mail your first check from whatever royalities you get from this show to Von Smith. She just can’t quite hold a note for long enough without going off key. I can see one or two good performances out of her, but her first wrong turn will battleaxe her.
#11) Allison Iraheta (Best Case Scenario - 6th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 12th Place)
Vocally accessable, but in turn, the least talented of all the female contestants, Allison may be the most interesting person in the competition. It seems that Allison has done her homework in regards to song choice (As Gordon pointed out to me, No one has EVER gone home singing Heart’s “Alone”.) If Allison continues to do that, she may go further than we think. However, just on the overall “winability” of Allison, I don’t think she’ll hack it.
#10) Megan Joy Corkery (Best Case Scenario - 6th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 11th Place)
Note to judges on American Idol: Just because someone can’t dance, you don’t have to call them quirky. You’re insulting all of our intelligences. She’s a fine singer with absolutely no stage presence whatsoever. If I see her arms flail around one more time, I’m going have go into convulsions.
#9) Jorge Nunez (Best Case Scenario - 6th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 11th Place.)
Pimpage #1 bites the dust on the list. He’s only a marginal singer (the second WORST out of all the men remaining) but has his latin flair. The judges seem to truly adore him, and it escapes me why. I didn’t know we needed an uglier, less talented version of Enrique Iglesias.
#8) Kris Allen (Best Case Scenario - 3rd Place. Worst Case Scenario - 13th Place.)
Where to put Kris Allen? The world is completely split on him right now. I know some people are calling him the next David Archuleta. I’m not sold, but he has similar vocal chops and goofy demeanor. Do I think he’ll make it far? I’d bet on the lower end of the spectrum. My buddy Gordon? Higher end. I’m just a negative nancy, I guess.
#7) Matt Giraud (Best Case Scenario - 5th Place. Worst Case Scenario - 8th Place.)
Expect to see a lot of Giraud, especially when the Judges instruct him exactly how to act, dress and sing. Matt Giraud seems to be the Judge’s pet project for this season, and truly, he’s got talent. For singing ability alone, I do not think he has any shot to be the next American Idol. However, I think he has a chance to really do some damage once he’s allowed to tickle the keys.
#6) Adam Lambert (Line is OFF)
He would have been 3 or 4 going in, but with his “kissing” pictures populating TMZ’s websites, we are forced to ask ourselves… Is America ready for an Openly Gay Idol? I don’t think so. I mean, yeah… we all knew that Clay Aiken was gay… but he didn’t admit it until after the show. Remember what happened with David Hernandez last season? It’s a toss up. Oh, and Adam, we’re not doing Wicked anymore. Stop making everything sound like a Broadway Track.
#5) Alexis Grace (Best Case Scenario - 2nd Place. Worst Case Scenario - 8th Place.)
For once, the Idol Producers got it right. Alexis needed to drrty herself up and get an edge. And she did. And she can sing. One of the better complete talents in the competition, the question remains if she’ll be able to learn as she goes. I can’t see her winning it all, but I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Alexis squeaked into the top 2 by an act of God. It’s happened before (see: Diana DeGarmo)
#4) Anoop Desai (Best Case Scenario - 2nd Place. Worst Case Scenario - 5th Place.)
America loves Anoop. Seriously. He’s a damn goofball. He has personality coming out of his ears. He’ll have the Desi community ringing up the phone lines to no end. The question, however, is about his vocals. Are they good enough to win the competition? The initial answer is a No. He’s fun, and he can sing, but when push comes to shove, is My Perogative going to win American Idol? I somehow doubt that.
#3) Scott MacIntyre (Best Case Scenario - 1st Place. Worst Case Scenario - 5th Place.)
What do we do about Scott? He’s got a sob story (if Idol didn’t tell you 100 times, he’s blind). He’s a good piano player, which is especially cool since he’s blind, and he’s a mediocre singer. The problem is… he is a REALLY mediocre singer. There’s very little depth to his singing and, well, I’d rather listen to most of his list over him. Will the “Neil E. Boyd” effect work here…
#2) Lil Rounds (Best Case Scenario - 1st Place. Worst Case Scenario - 3rd Place.)
…or will it die out to major Idol Producers Pimpage? Lil Rounds has been shot to the moon. She can definately sing. She’s been put in everyone’s face quite a bit. Are we buying into the hype? She shouts in the higher register and she flourishes quite a bit… not always for the best. However, if she continues to pick the right songs, she’ll be in the final two.. along with…
#1) Danny Gokey (Best Case Scenario - 1st Place. Worst Case Scenario - 3rd Place.)
What do you get when you cross Scott MacIntyre’s sob story with Lil Round’s pimpage? Give up? You get Danny Gokey. Pimped to no end and don’t forget, his wife died. His vocal chops are there. His ability is there, and don’t forget, he must avenge the removal of his best friend during the casting episode. All this comes together for a wonderful Gokey treat. Your winner of American Idol, Season 8.
Disagree? Leave a comment. Agree? Leave a comment. Don’t care? Leave a comment. Enjoy the season, and don’t forget, if you get pissed at the show, you can always do what I do and VFTW.
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The best trivia games on the internet!
By LoudmouthLee | February 25, 2009
Due to the fact that Amanda has requested this, enclose is a list of the BEST trivia sites on the planet (at least, right now.) When I get more, I’ll just post a new blog.
Sploofus is a pretty neat website with the infamous “Question of the Day” and Who/Where the heck am I? Tons of quizzes to take when you’re looking for something to do. Justin (Mr. Sploofus) and I have spoken a few times, and I’m very sure he’ll be trying to take this website into a new level. Enjoy them at http://www.sploofus.com
If you’re like me, you love populating lists. There’s something very fufilling about working under a time constraint and working to get every part of a list (Think: ESPN’s Stump the Schwab round 1 and VH1’s underrated World Series of Pop Culture tiebreaker). New quizzes every day. The addiction runs deep. Go to http://www.sporcle.com
This may be a new one on you, but PopJax (now known as VideoJax) takes harmless YouTube clibs and asks you a question about it. Get 4 in a row and win lots of points! Combine all of your different areas of addiction (Trivia and Youtube both rank up there.) See how the game works out at http://www.videojax.com
Frustration Trivia isn’t all that special to look at. It’s a plain, boring website. However, the game involved with it happens to be an interesting twist. You have 60 minutes to answer 100 questions. However, they know, flat out, that some of these questions are obscure. So, they tell you. GOOGLE IT. But, you only have an average of 35 seconds per question. My personal best? 92. Then I got careless. Try to beat my high at http://www.frustrationtrivia.com
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