January Return Of American Idol To Fox Television

With hardly anything new to watch on television because of the current writers strike in Hollywood, American Idol is set to return to Fox Television this month with a brand new competition. Last year, American Idol ratings dropped for the first time in the shows history, but even on a bad night most networks would kill for the audience make up of this program. Just like in years past, American Idol will make viewers laugh in the beginning as they show a never ending stream of people that have little or no talent at all. Some of these terrible singers have made a bigger name for themselves that many of the winners, so there is an upside to preforming badly on American Idol.

After the initial laughter dies down from the people with no talent, a few good singers will eventually be whittled down until a select few are invited to compete in Hollywood. The entire early process of selecting the next American Idol is a remarkable experience to watch on television. While most of the early American Idol season shows are littered with people that have no business singing in their own shower, much less on national television. There are a few really talented singers put into each nights show to help this competition process along. That is where the now famous saying, 'you're going to Hollywood' was coin in American Idol's first season and it is still in use today.

Once the winning contestants get to Hollywood the television audience starts to learn more about why they tried out for American Idol and we get to hear their opinions as to why they should be crowned the winner and receive a lucrative recording contract. Of course, more than just the winner of American Idol often times gets a record contract as runner ups have often times had record sales exceed the winner. Just look at the difference in record sales between Clay Akin, the runner up and American Idol winner Ruben Studdard. The final few shows of each season of American Idol are special to me because show producers bring on actual singing celebrities to work with and often times advise the contestants. From Barry Manilow to Elton John, lifelong singing legends help to mold these new young voices into singing superstars themselves at some future date. The programming formula for American Idol is perfect for modern day television. No matter how many other producers and networks try to copy American Idol, the more they look foolish to the fans of the real deal.

Read more about American Idol:

Paula Abdul Craziness, Must Be American Idol Time
Long Shot Taylor Hicks Wins American Idol
Paula Abdul Acting Strange In Media Interviews
People Are Falling For 'American Idol' Hype Again
American Idol Time Again On Fox TV

January 11, 2008 Archives

Back To Jail For OJ Simpson, Bail Revoked

There is late word coming out of Las Vegas this afternoon that OJ Simpson's bail has been revolved and he will soon be heading back to jail in Nevada awaiting his upcoming trial. When I hear the term 'out of control person' the first man that comes to my mind is OJ Simpson. While others before him have gotten away with murder, in my lifetime OJ Simpson is the most famous one. Yes, a jury in Los Angeles found him 'not guilty' of murdering his wife and Ron Goldman – but in that racially charged part of LA almost any black man accused of killing a white woman would walk on murder charges.

Now, apparently OJ Simpson is going back to jail in Las Vegas because of some type of message he left on a telephone answering machine. OJ Simpson's bail agreement made it clear that he was to have no contact whatsoever with anyone involved in this Nevada case. My thinking is that OJ lost his judgment once again and broke the terms of his bail. OJ Simpson may have been able to get away with murder in California, but apparently law enforcement and the criminal courts in Nevada are holding this mans feet to the fire when it comes to his current legal problems. Other reports this afternoon say that OJ Simpson arrived at Miami's airport accompanied by his bail bondsman. I just can't seem to get the vision of OJ Simpson being accompanied by a bail bondsman at an airport out of my mind.

I don't think the Nevada judge that granted OJ Simpson's bail will give him another chance to break court rules, so more than likely OJ Simpson could spend several months in jail before his breaking and entering case comes before the court. In this tabloid driven society, some rich and famous people believe they either don't have to obey they law or somehow they are above it. At least in Nevada the court system is trying to treat OJ Simpson just like they would any other defendant and I'm sure to Mr. Simpson that kind of treatment seems cruel and unusual.

Read more about OJ Simpson:

OJ Simpson Will Stand Trial In Las Vegas
OJ Simpson Faces Justice In Las Vegas Court
OJ Simpson 'No Vacancy' At Top Las Vegas Hotels
Please - Not Another OJ Simpson Trial
Fred Goldman Obsessed With OJ Simpson

Gold Futures Rise To $900 Ounce Price, Record

Today, for the first time in history – the price of Gold rose to $900 an ounce in futures trading. That record price is bad news for an already hurting U.S. economy and spells bad news for optimistic economic watchers that hoped the United States would avoid a recession in 2008. The price of Gold is tied directly into the U.S. economy. As the 'good times rolled' in the mid to late 1990's, the price of Gold was low as were crude oil prices. However, over the past couple of years – Gold has seen a steadily rise in price while crude oil prices have gone through the roof.

The reason Gold rises during bad economic times in the United States is because the major money people around the world lose faith in the U.S. dollar. During good economic times, the U.S. dollar is a safe place to put idol money because of the stability of the United States of America. However, in recent months, the U.S. dollar has been dropping against other major currencies. Since other currencies are not as respected as the U.S. dollar, the richest of the rich are selling U.S. dollars and putting those assets into the oldest investment in the world, Gold. This demand for Gold drives the price ever higher to where today Gold future prices reached an all time record of $900 per ounce.

A long protracted and expensive War in Iraq along with ever increasing domestic spending by lawmakers in Washington have brought the U.S. dollar to one of the weakest points I have seen in my lifetime. When add to out-of-control spending and the lack of oil exploration inside the United States you come up with the perfect formula for the U.S. to fall into a bad recession in 2008. While President Bush is traveling the world trying to get people that have hated each other for thousands of years to talk peace, back here at home the U.S. economy is falling apart. U.S. economic problems are only partially the fault of President Bush. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are the real criminals when it comes to massive government spending and lack of oil exploration within the continental United States.

Everyday the price of Gold and crude oil rises is one more day that someone in America will either lose their job or find it difficult to get a loan for a house or a car. While Gold might be pretty to look at, in reality in the United States the more the value of that Gold goes up, the less likely average Americans are to get ahead economically in life.

Read more about the Economy:

Credit Card Charge Offs Could Lead To Recession
Will Fed Rate Cut Prevent 2008 Recession?
President Prepares To Freeze Adjustable Rate Mortgages
Mortgage Crisis Raises Recession Fears
Will Retailers Smile This Holiday Season?

Missing Marine Murdered/Buried By Officer Suspect

Breaking News Update: It was announced late Thursday night 04/10/2008 that Cesar Armando Laurean had been arrested in Mexico. Read the latest here.

Police in North Carolina are now saying that missing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach is dead. She apparently died at the hands of a superior officer that she had accused of assaulting her and she was preparing to testify against in a military trial. The suspect is not yet in custody, but North Carolina police say that this yet to be named suspect killed Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach and then buried her body. This whole story of the missing Marine has taken on a sad tone over the past few days as her own mother accused her of being a compulsive liar and then convincing police that her daughter most likely just ran off.

Yesterday, it was reported that Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach had purchased a bus ticket shortly before her disappearance, but today police are saying that the ticket which was purchased was never used. I wrote yesterday and I am still confused today as to why on Earth this young girls mother would tell everyone that her daughter was a compulsive liar? That type of statement would make others, including the police think she was some kind of runaway. However, in the end whether she was a compulsive liar or not – she is just as dead by the hands of a man that allegedly assaulted her. More than likely Maria Lauterbach's mother is suffering from some kind of mental illness and thankfully the police did not stop looking for the truth surrounding her disappearance.

Not only did Maria Lauterbach lose her life by the hands of a fellow comrade, but her young child is dead too. As the days and weeks go by, more information will be released surround this case of a dysfunctional family that had their young child murdered. Military families are always concerned when their loved ones are send overseas to fight in a war, but few worry about them when there are back home in the United States. Just like in civilian life, crime happens both on and off of military bases and Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach is just one of the latest victims of that crime.

Read more about Criminal Behavior:

Missing Pregnant Marine Compulsive Liar, Mother
Pregnant 20 Year Old Camp Lejeune Marine Missing
Alabama Father Throws 4 Children From Bridge
Two LSU Students Murdered Last Night
A Hero 'Jeanne Assam' Is Born From Colorado Church Shootings

Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Nevada Mexican American Votes

One of the next big battle ground states for the candidates for President will be Nevada. In previous elections, Nevada has been a reliable win for most GOP presidential candidates, but in recent years the Democrats have been gaining in this fast growing state. Hillary Clinton is hoping to tap into a huge Mexican American voting block in Nevada, so she is going door to door in poor Las Vegas Mexican-American neighborhoods in order to win their votes. The biggest issue Hillary Clinton will raise with Mexican-American voters in Nevada will be her stand on reforming the American immigration system.

Hillary Clinton told one Mexican-American voter in Las Vegas yesterday that 'no woman is illegal'. With that statement she was trying to not only reach out to Hispanic Nevada voters, but also to women. The battle to win Nevada will be hard fought on the democratic side because just yesterday Nevada's large and powerful 'Culinary Union' threw it's support behind Barack Obama. Along with that support comes the help of thousands of union members to get out the message about the Obama campaign and to do the leg work necessary to get Barack Obama voters to the polls on election day.

When Hillary Clinton makes pandering comments like the one about 'no woman is illegal' she might help herself with some Mexican-American voters, while at the same time alienating her campaign with Americans that want to see a tougher stand against illegal immigration. Hillary Clinton's pandering for votes is the main reason that 50% of Americans do not trust her and why her negative ratings are so high. It will be interesting to see if she will be able to turn out enough voters in Nevada to overcome Barack Obama's strong support in that state. Right now, I personally think it was a mistake for Hillary Clinton to make the statement that 'no woman is illegal'. Emotions are running high in the United States because Congress is not working to solve the immigration problem and with that one statement Hillary Clinton reminded some voters as to why they did not support her in the first place.

Read more about Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton Barack Obama's Vice President?
Hillary Clinton Preparing To Drop Out Of The Race?
Hillary Clinton's Campaign Over According To John Edwards
Hillary Clinton – Why Don't People Like Me?
Is Hillary Clinton's Campaign In Meltdown Mode?

Rudy Giuliani's Campaign Facing Money Problems

Today, it was announced that some workers on the Rudy Giuliani campaign for President team had voluntarily decided to work without pay for awhile. Of course, the Giuliani campaign quickly said that they were not having money problems, either. What has happened to the Rudy Giuliani campaign is that poor planning has caused the former New York City mayor to fall from his top position in national polls because he all but wrote off the first few primary's in Iowa and New Hampshire. Rather than compete in small states like Iowa and New Hampshire, Rudy Giuliani put all of his eggs in one basket in an attempt to win it all on Super Tuesday next month.

A funny thing happened on the way to winning it all on Super Tuesday. Mike Huckabee and John McCain came along and stole all the momentum from the Rudy Giuliani campaign and now Giuliani is fighting for his political life to stay in this race. In previous presidential elections the candidate that was able to raise the most money, usually won. However, in the 2008 race for the White House money is less important than in past years. The reason why money is less important now than in previous presidential elections is because of the Internet. Rather than coming home from work to read news about the presidential campaign in the evening newspaper or watch it on the nightly news, modern day Americans are searching for the political news they want instantly on the Internet.

This new Internet surge has also helped candidates with less than 10% voter support raise huge amounts of money, while at the same time not improving their standing in national or statewide polls. I believe that going forward, campaign cash will become much less important than having a good Internet support system that can get out the word and keep a candidates name front and center in voters minds on a daily bases. The Internet has not only changed the business world, but now it appears it is also changing the way we elect the President of the United States. For the past two presidential campaign cycles, candidates have praised or critized the work of bloggers. However, the campaign of 2008 might just be the first time in the history of U.S. politics that bloggers had a bigger impact on a presidential election than the mainstream media.

Read more about Rudy Giuliani:

Rudy Giuliani Goes Door To Door In New Hampshire
Rudy Giuliani Campaign Losing Momentum Before Iowa
Flu Symptoms Cause Rudy Giuliani To Be Hospitalized
Judith Regan's Revenge - Smear Rudy Giuliani For President
Will Pat Robertson's Endorsement Help/Hurt Rudy Giuliani?

Alabama Man Now Says He Did Not Throw His Kids Off A Bridge

A court appointed attorney for Lam Luong now says that his client did not throw his kids off of an Alabama bridge after all. Lam Luong, who just yesterday confessed to killing his four (4) young children by throwing them off an 80 foot high section of the Dauphin Island Bridge, now says that police forced him into that confession. Yesterday, Lam Luong told police that he threw all four (4) of his children off the Dauphin Island bridge because he was angry at his wife. Police have a witness that said they saw Luong throwing his children off that bridge and they still believe his confession yesterday was the truth.

Now Luong is claiming that some woman showed up at his house, claiming to be a friend of his children's mother wanting to take them shopping for cloths and food. Even though Luong did not know this woman, he went ahead and let the children go with her. Does that last story make any sense at all to anyone? Of course not, what has happened here is that Lam Luong has for the lack of a better term, lawyered up, and now his public defender is helping him try and get away with the murder of his four children by trying to blame their disappearance on some strange woman. Most likely, Luong while in some kind of drug induced state made a snap decision to kill his children as revenge against his wife.

Police and Coast Guard officials have trimmed back the search for these four missing and presumed dead children because of the difficulty in locating them after such a long period of time and also because of other more pressing search and rescue mission that might actually save lives. There is a good chance that these four missing children will never be found because the bridge that Luong originally confessed to throwing them off of drains directly into the Gulf of Mexico. Alabama prosecutors believe Luong's original confession and the word of their own eye witness in this case. I do not believe for a minute that police were able to get Lam Luong to falsely confess to killing his four children and if Lunong's court appointed attorney can't come up with something better than a strange woman kidnapping these kids, then his client has a date with the executioner at some future date.

Read more about Criminal Behavior:

Missing Pregnant Marine Compulsive Liar, Mother
Pregnant 20 Year Old Camp Lejeune Marine Missing
Alabama Father Throws 4 Children From Bridge
Two LSU Students Murdered Last Night
A Hero 'Jeanne Assam' Is Born From Colorado Church Shootings