A Review of Stori Telling

This is a book that I probably wouldn't have read if a blogger hadn't pointed it out and offered to lend it to me. That said, I'm glad she did. Biographies are always fun to read since it is always fascinating to see life from someone else's perspective.

Spelling was born right around the same time as me so she was growing up in the 70's and 80's too but in a very different world than me. She was growing up in Beverly Hills while I was growing up in the Midwest. She had a Nanny and cooks and maids while my family only had one car.

I didn't necessarily have a high opinion of Spelling before reading the book because of the media and the book helped correct some of the stereotypes. For so many reasons it is never a good idea to let the media shape your opinion of anyone. My opinions of many people have changed once getting to hear and see them speak on their own behalf.

Spelling obviously had some advantages being Aaron Spelling's daughter but it also hindered her in some ways in her career. It opened some doors but closed others.

I wouldn't call her a role model and I wouldn't say that she inspired me but I came away liking her. She comes across as very real and honest and true to herself, and a lot can be said for that. I thought that while she was critical of her Mom she was more than fair after some of the stuff her Mom put her through. She is also honest about her weaknesses and is very loyal to her friends that have been like a family to her.

I would put this in the category of a fun book to read and once you pick it up it is hard to put it down.

Book rating--8 out of 10 stars!!

Previous Book Reviews:
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books

David Cook Wins it by 12 Million Votes!!

DAVID COOK SINGING WITH ZZ TOP!


Last night was an incredible night!! Our boy, KC's own, walked away the winner of Season 7 of American Idol!! Despite the whining by many critics, this year was a spectacular season for American Idol and over 97 million votes were cast Tuesday night. Cook won by 12 million receiving 56% of the votes compared to Archuleta's 44%.

All the signs were pointing to David Cook winning but I was still incredibly nervous. When Seacrest announced Cook the winner I screamed so loud I'm sure the neighbors heard. Right before the announcement Simon gave Cook a well deserved apology for being too harsh the night before. I commented to many of my friends that it would've been too little too late had David Cook lost but alls well since David Cook's fans obviously could've cared less about what Simon had to say.

It was a great night and helps make up for an election year that sucks. And look, David Cook even brings Kansas City Democrats and Republicans together. I found a fellow David Cook fan in Kansas City who happens to be a Dem but we put politics aside to celebrate David Cook!!

Congratulations David Cook!! You have a bright future ahead of you with a lot of fans who love you!!

Related Links:
Missouri's Lt. Governor Congratulates Cook
Voters Select the Next 'American Idol'
TOLDJA! Cook takes "American Idol"
David Cook Wins American Idol

Previously:
David Cook Round-Up!!
Vote for David Cook Tonight!!
Kansas City Loves David Cook!!
David Cook Tickets!!
My Favorite American Idols--Top 10--Season 7

David Cook Round-up!!

Cook's 2nd song last night was a new one that he picked, "Dream Big". I ABSOLUTELY loved it and was stunned when the judges didn't. Not only did he do an awesome job of singing it but I LOVED the message!!

Of course, Cook is going to be a huge singer whether he wins tonight or not. He has already established that. The question is does it help or hurt his career to win? Many have speculated that Chris Daughtry was actually helped as a "rocker" by coming in 4th on American Idol and not winning because he had more creative control with his album and American Idol didn't own him. He obviously has been way more successful than that season's winner, who was Taylor Hicks.

That said, I think David Cook will be just as successful as Daughtry (and I'm a huge Daughtry fan) whether he wins or not. I would just like him to win, there is just something about having your favorite win.

Last night, I thought it was all over when the judges, specifically Simon all out declared Archuleta as the winner. Nevertheless, my kids and I spent the night voting. We monitored Dial Idol all night and we were shocked to see David Cook way in the lead the entire night. As of this writing, he still holds a 12 percentage point lead over Archuleta. Obviously, the Dial Idol is not always right but it seems hard to believe that they could be that far off. I also participated in this poll and was surprised again to see that the majority of the fans there thought that not only SHOULD David Cook win but that they thought he WILL win.

Either way, David Cook is a winner and I look forward to his first Cd. Below are some interesting articles I came across in reading up about him. What I found amusing in one article is that I fit into his largest group of fans, women in their 30's ;-))). Imagine that!!

Related Articles:
Who Should Win Idol?
Cook’s future looks as bright as it does uncertain
David Cook Wins...if he loses
The Year in Idol

Vote for David Cook Tonight!!

I know many of you are tired of me talking about American Idol and David Cook but tonight is the crucial night. It is the battle of the 2 Davids. I really can't stand the other David, David Archuleta. The thought of him winning the American Idol title is just too much to take.

So, everyone's homework tonight is to at least tune in to the end of American Idol and get the numbers and VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!! The numbers are toll-free!!

American Idol airs Tuesday night from 7:00 Central/8:00 Eastern to 8:00/9:00!! Voting usually last for 2 hours after that but sometimes on the final night they extend it for 4 hours. VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!!

May 19th Edition of Conservatism With Heart!!

LIVE TODAY at 9:00-10:00 am CST!! To listen, go here!!
Some of the articles & topics that I might be discussing:

--Consequences of repressed emotions
--Bush's Knesset Speech
--Democrats' Response
--Obama: Wrong on Iran
--McCain gets it right for a change
--McCain buys into the Global Warming hoax
--McCain needs to think carefully when picking a VP
--The Supposed Short list of running mates for Obama and McCain
--The Governator backs same-sex marriage ruling in California
--Schwarzenegger calls for 'rebranding' GOP
--And more.....

To be a part of the show, call in, toll-free 1-877-864-4869!!

To listen to podcasts of my previous shows, go here!

My Book List So Far...Part 4

It is a good thing I started out so strong on my goal of 50 books this year because I have definitely slowed down. Right now, I am still halfway through my World War I book and my Lincoln book but I have also started the above Tori Spelling book. Again, my eclectic interests are revealed in that I love history and politics while at the same time loving pop culture things, like the life of Tori Spelling.

I didn't even know about the book until stumbling upon a blog via Don. His daughter started a blog and I visited and she was talking about 2 of my favorite topics, American Idol and Beverly Hills 90210. We got to talking and she offered to lend me the book. I was drawn in and I've already started reading it. Hopefully it will get me back on the wagon of reading again and I can get my other half books finished as well.

Below, I have updated my list. The titles in blue are the ones that I've read since the last post.

Here are the books that I have read and/or listened to on Cd so far:

1) The Faith of the American Soldier--Stephen Mansfield
2) My Grandfather's Son--Clarence Thomas
3) A Patriot's Handbook (CD)--Caroline Kennedy
4) 1776 (CD)--David McCullough
5) One for the Money--Janet Evanovich
6) Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich
7) Three to get Deadly--Janet Evanovich
8) Four to Score--Janet Evanovich
9) High Five--Janet Evanovich
10) Hot Six--Janet Evanovich
11) Seven Up--Janet Evanovich
12) Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich
13) To the Nines--Janet Evanovich
14) Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich
15) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
16) Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich
17) Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (CD)
18) Twelve Sharp--Janet Evanovich
19) Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
20) Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich
21) Facing Terror--Carrie McDonnall (CD)
22) The Spiritual Heritage of the U.S. Capitol--David Barton (CD)
23) The Faith of George W. Bush--Stephen Mansfield (CD)
24) Danger in the Shadows--Dee Henderson (CD)
25) T is for Trespass--Sue Grafton
26) Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
27) Then Sings My Soul--Robert J. Morgan
28) The Negotiator--Dee Henderson (CD)
29) Wings of Silver--Jo Petty
30) Moments From America's History--David Barton (CD)
31) The Spirit of the American Revolution--David Barton (CD)

Previously:
Book List 1
Book List 2
Book List 3

Links:
50 Book List

Tuesday Smorgasbord

1) Hippy-Crites!!
This doesn't surprise me at all. A London Paper outs a bunch of Hollywood Celebrities as being complete hypocrites on what they are doing versus what they are lecturing the rest of us on when it comes to "saving the planet".
Hat Tip: Cajun Tiger

2) Ron Paul continues to plot a revolt against McCain at the GOP convention!

3) McCain ticks off conservatives, yet again!!

4) David Archuleta's father loses his backstage Idol pass.
There had been rumors that Archuleta's father was one of those control freak Dads and I think to some extent that has been confirmed. The final straw was this last weekend but it appears that he's been harassing many at American Idol, including some of the other contestants for awhile. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference in his performance in the next 2 weeks without his father's interference.

The article that I linked to above compared Archuleta's father to Joseph Jackson and that really set some alarm bells off for me. I started seeing some similarities between David Archuleta and Michael Jackson, and not in a good way.

5) Reality Check on American Idol!
I thought this was one of the best articles I've seen at accurately describing fan bases for the different contestants. As I waited hours in line to see David Cook I turned to one of my friends and said, "Would women our age be standing in line to see David Archuleta?" No way!! The writer points it out so well when she says this,

"Let's face it. Unless you're under 12 or in serious need of therapy, you don't have a "thing" for David Archuleta."

One of the Djs at a Kansas City radio station here said that it was incredible because Cook's fans ranged from little kids to older adults, you can't say that about David Archuleta. That says it all!!

6) New Beverly Hills 90210 Spin-Off Series--
So far it looks like both Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling have signed on to play in this new spin-off series. I have my doubts about how good it will be but if both of them have agreed to be in it I will at least have to give it a try. I'm really hoping Jason Priestly signs on as well.

Kansas City Loves David Cook!!

My friends, kids and I had an awesome time at the David Cook concert last Friday, May 9th. The top video is an amateur that was right below him and the sound isn't good but you get an idea of what it was like and then he pans at the end to the huge crowd (more than 10,000 of us). The 2nd video is the local Fox station's coverage of the beginning of when he finally showed up and sang.


The gates were supposed to open up at 3:00 pm so we showed up at around 1:15. There was already a line but we ended up getting fairly good seats on the left side of the field. For quite awhile it was cold and cloudy. Yet, by the time the gates opened up and we got our seats the sun came out and the sky was gorgeous. There was a parade in his honor from 3-4 and of course it ended up running late so he didn't show up until around 4:20. It was a long wait, but worth it.

Kelly Urich from the radio station, Mix 93.3, MC'd the event and he did a great job. My oldest daughter and I are fans of 93.3 so we enjoyed seeing Urich. Here is the interview Cook did earlier in the day at the radio station. The Chief's Cheerleaders were also there.

The only irritation was when the Mayor of Blue Springs decided to start introducing City Council members. We all groaned. We had just waited 3 hours to hear and see David Cook. I didn't know or care who was on the Blue Springs City Council, and I'm a political junkie. Other than that, it was all good.

As we waited in line many of us talked and we all agreed that Syesha will probably go home this week and the finale will come down to the 2 David's. It will then come down to who has the bigger fan base. If this past Friday is any indication, David Cook's is big, strong and loyal.

It also has a lot more to do with him just being from Blue Springs. If David Archuleta was from Blue Springs you sure wouldn't have seen me giving up a day of my time and waiting for 3 hours. I am a HUGE David Cook fan and it just turns out to be AWESOME that he is from the Kansas City area. I think he is going to be a huge hit whether he wins or not, just like Daughtry has been and I'm a huge Daughtry fan.

So, Good luck to David Cook over these next 2 weeks and if you haven't been, VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!!!

May 12th Edition of Conservatism With Heart!!

LIVE TODAY at 9:00-10:00 am CST!! To listen, go here!!
Some of the articles & topics that I might be discussing:

--David Cook Concert
--Survivor Finale
--Photo Ids to Vote
--Jenna gets Married
--Burma Aid Trickles In
--And more.....

To be a part of the show, call in, toll-free 1-877-864-4869!!

To listen to podcasts of my previous shows, go here!

One Man, One Vote!

Even though there are countless examples of fraud, that I and others have documented; Democrats continue to scream about how unfair it is require a photo id to vote. Jo Sapp, President of the League of Women Voters in Missouri wrote a letter to the Editor in the KC Star this past week and had this to say,

"Research shows that photo ID requirements encourage racial and ethnic discrimination at polling places, prevent eligible voters from participating, and limit turnout. Genuine instances of impersonation at the polls are rare, and the costs of this proposed solution to an unproven problem are great."

She says this is an "unproven problem" even though people right here in Missouri have been indicted for voter fraud. I would like to see her "research" that proves that photo ids "encourage" racial and ethnic discrimination. Unbelievable!! Once again, the photo ids are FREE, and if you can't find a ride to get your id how do you find a ride to the polling place??

I was going to write another post on this myself since the latest Supreme Court ruling. Yet, before I got a chance Representative Doug Ervin in his latest "Capitol Connection" said it much better than I could. Here is what he had to say on the Missouri House passing HJR48:

One Man, One Vote
by Representative Doug Ervin

"Elections require candidates or issues to be on the ballot. They also require registered voters to show up at the polls and cast their vote. America is known for its claim to “one man, one vote”. Voting is a treasured right that allows a citizen to participate, to give voice and influence, at all levels of government, but it is only effective when we can ensure it is free from fraud and corruption. Each vote cast by each voter should have equal weight when compared to the votes of friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. The consequences of elections are immense giving some unscrupulous individuals motivation to try to manipulate the system, thereby lessening the importance of your vote.

There have been numerous examples of voter fraud that have occurred around the country and here in our own state. One of the most outrageous occurrences happened several years ago in St. Louis where Ritzy Mekler was registered to vote. Regardless of her party affiliation and knowledge of the issues and candidates she should never have been allowed to vote. Ritzy’s ineligibility to vote had nothing to do with her residency or that she was a concerned Missourian – no, her problem was that she was a dog. If it wasn’t so true, it could be funny, but if Ritzy would have been required to produce photo identification, she would not have been allowed to vote.

Voter fraud like this diminishes the power of your vote and the votes of all registered voters in Missouri. For that reason, it is critical that we preserve the integrity of the voting process by ensuring it is safeguarded against attempts of fraud. Our system must be one that guarantees only those who are legally entitled to vote are able to participate in the process. Of course, that excludes dogs, even cats, as well as felons, non-residents, the deceased, and the countless other examples of attempts at defrauding the system.

One of the most important things we can do to protect the voting process is to require voters to identify themselves with photo identification. This simple requirement would help deter fraud and ensure that those voting are not doing so under a false pretense. The General Assembly approved this requirement in 2006 and it was signed into law by Governor Blunt. Unfortunately, the Missouri Supreme Court later tossed out that law ruling the law violated the state constitution by imposing too great of a burden on voters. Despite the fact such a requirement is not a burden, it is arguably the cheapest and most effective way to keep a corrupt few from stealing an election – the Missouri Supreme Court thought otherwise.

The good news is that a recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court has re-opened the door for a photo identification requirement by upholding a similar law in Indiana. While that decision doesn’t have a direct impact on Missouri, it does demonstrate that our attempt to provide for free and fair elections was appropriate and does not create an undue burden on registered voters.

The General Assembly is working to pass HJR48 to give voters the opportunity to amend our state constitution to require Missourians to present government-issued photo identification to election officials before voting. For those without any form of photo identification the legislation would require the state to provide these individuals with at least one form of identification at no cost. This proposed constitutional amendment would better protect the voting process from fraud while also ensuring that Missourians who want to vote are not prevented from doing so.

With just five legislative days remaining in this session timing is critical to secure passage in both chambers before time runs out. This legislation was passed by the Missouri House today (May 8, 2008) and is now in the hands of the State Senate. Asking a voter to provide a simple form of photo identification is not an unreasonable request and now we also know that it is not unconstitutional. Voting is one of the most fundamental rights we have as citizens of this republic and we must take this step to further protect that right so the importance of each vote is never diminished or negated."

David Cook Tickets!!

I really should be posting on more serious issues like Myanmar, or Obama's nauseating victory speech or perhaps the conservative backlash against McCain but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to talk about something a lot more fun and pleasant.

Last Week I found out that David Cook was planning his hometown concert and since he is from the KC area that meant he would be coming here. Unless you've been living in a cave you know I am a huge David Cook fan. I then tried to figure out how to get a hold of the tickets. There was no word and I literally didn't find out until Monday night that they were only going to be available on Tuesday from 9:00 to 4:00 at 5 different locations in Blue Springs.

There were only 10,000 tickets and each person was only allowed to get 5 tickets. I was going with 2 friends and some of our kids so my one friend and I headed out to get there at 9:00 am. I had no idea what to expect. Would it be a short wait, hours?? We just didn't know. Two of the locations were on the same street so we figured that was our best bet because that way we could pick between the two. That ended up working out well because the one place had a much shorter line than the other. It ended up only taking 15 minutes and we had the tickets and we were out of there. Yet, apparently the tickets were gone in 6 hours so I'm glad I got there when I did.

Woo-hoo!! I was so excited, I felt like I had one of the Willy Wonka golden tickets ;-)). The tickets were free but they recommended that you give a $5 donation for each ticket to the American Cancer Society which we all freely did. It was very exciting.

Last night everyone was calling like crazy for him because obviously, if he got voted off there would be no concert. There were even "watch parties" where people got together just to call in for him. It doesn't look like he is in any danger though. According to Dial Idol he is #1 and unless something bizarro happens, it looks like Jason Castro is going home tonight.

All that to say my friends and kids and I are off to see David Cook this Friday. My oldest daughter said maybe we would be on Tv. I told her it was pretty unlikely seeing that we are going to be in a crowd of 10,000 but you never know ;-). Either way we will have bragging rights that we were there!!

Tuesday Thoughts!!

1) I'm getting in line to get David Cook Tickets this Morning!!

2) My youngest son aka Cute Boy got baptized this past Sunday! It is kind of special because I realized that I have had the privilege of praying with all 4 of my kids to accept Christ and my husband as a Youth Pastor has been able to baptize all of them.

It was funny because our Pastor told him to make sure he spoke up (big mistake) which he freely did. He is not shy at all and he is up in the baptismal waving at everyone. The other person who got baptized is a friend of my husband's and does not like being the center of attention at all so he and Cute boy were quite the opposites.

3) RT's Encouragement Post with a Jeremy Camp song!

4) I am now on my 3rd round of medicines to prevent my headaches. The 2nd one took away my headaches but made me a basket case, so that didn't work. I'm also doing another set of tests as a result of my MRI results. I'll be glad when I get all of this resolved.

5) Obama and Hillary continue to duke it out!! The Primary that never ends........ I didn't hear Rush yesterday so didn't hear what the latest is with Operation Chaos.

6) I am re-watching Season 1 of 24, I really miss David Palmer!!

7) Did Obama Marinate for 20 years in Pastor's ideas?

8) Jenna Bush won't be getting married at the White House!

Conservatism with Heart!!

LIVE TODAY at 9:00-10:00 am CST!! To listen, go here!!

Some of the articles & topics that I might be discussing:

--David Cook Coming to KC
--Jack Bauer for President?
--Who Should Go Away!
--Obama hopes to distract voters from his core beliefs
--Supreme Court clears way to require photo ID for voting
--The Melodrama over oil
--And more.....

To be a part of the show, call in, toll-free 1-877-864-4869!!

To listen to podcasts of my previous shows, go here!

Saturday Smorgasbord

Your Superpower Should Be Super Speed

You're quick witted and fast to act. You're mind works at warp speed. From your perspective, everyone else is living in slow motion. You get so much done, people have accused you of not sleeping. Definitely not a couch potato, you feel a bit crazy if you're not busy doing something. Why you would be a good superhero: You're be the first on the scene... and likely to finish the job before anyone else shows up Your biggest problem as a superhero: Being bored by everyone else. Including other superheroes!

What Should Your Superpower Be?

1) My List of People Who Should Go Away!--Patrick M read my mind with this list, I loved it. I agree with everyone he's got on here.

2) Jack Bauer for President: Terrorism and Politics in 24--Now here is a candidate I could actually get behind ;-), too bad he isn't real. Yet, the book is, I think I will have to check into it, extremely intriguing.

3) Democrats have no desire to ease your pain at the pump!--Democrats won't allow us to drill for oil, build more refineries, etc... and now they won't even consider a temporary suspension of the gas tax to ease the taxpayer's pain at the pump. Sick of high gas prices, you know who to blame.

Thursday Thoughts!!

1) My boy, David Cook did awesome again this week on American Idol! It was Neil Diamond week and David's 2nd song was, "All I Really Need is You".

He is coming to Blue Springs on May 9th and there are going to be 10,000 tickets made available. I am hoping to be able to find a way to get a hold of some of them.

2) I don't even know what to do with Paula Abdul anymore. She made a huge gaffe Tuesday night and every one was just kind of left speechless. It has gotten to the point where my kids and I cringe when its her turn to talk. I don't even think she has a drug or alcohol problem. Its sad, I'm not sure what the disconnect is for her but I feel bad that she keeps humiliating herself in front of millions of people.

3) Obama hopes to distract voters from his core beliefs
Krauthammer outlines Obama's problems with great clarity in his column. Here is an excerpt:

"Then came the three amigos: Tony Rezko, the indicted fixer; Jeremiah Wright, the racist reverend; William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist. And then Obama’s own anthropological observation that “bitter” working-class whites cling to guns and religion because they misapprehend their real class interests.

In the now-famous Pennsylvania debate, Obama had extreme difficulty answering questions about these associations and attitudes. The difficulty is understandable. Some of the contradictions are inexplicable. How does one explain campaigning throughout 2007 on a platform of transcending racial divisions, while in that same year contributing $26,000 to a church whose pastor incites race hatred?

What is Obama to do? Dismiss all such questions about his associations and attitudes as “distractions.” And then count on his acolytes in the media to wage jihad against those who have the temerity to raise these questions. As if the character and beliefs of a man who would be president are less important than the “issues.” As if some political indecency was committed when Obama was prevented from going through his 21st — and likely last — primary debate without being asked about Wright or Ayers or the tribal habits of gun-toting, God-loving Pennsylvanians."

And the bad news for Obama is that 70% of Americans think that Wright has been a problem for his campaign. Obama's attempt to throw Wright under the bus on Tuesday was insulting. Rush was right when he said it would be similar to Hillary coming out and saying that she had just now discovered that her husband has been cheating on her for the past 20 years and she is just now deciding to divorce him. To think that we are supposed to believe that Obama didn't know what his Pastor was preaching about for the past 20 years is absurd. Either Obama is extremely ignorant or a liar. Neither is a very appealing option.

4) Supreme Court clears way to require photo ID for voting
The great news about this ruling is that as the title points out this now clears the way for states like Missouri who have already passed Voter Id laws to be upheld. This is good news for American citizens but bad news for those who like to commit voter fraud via dead people, illegal citizens, etc...

5) Today is the National Day of Prayer!