I joined the cast of Glee!

Along with my daughter and thousands of other Glee fans who attended "Glee Live!" at Radio City Music Hall this weekend.






























But we really did feel like a part of the cast, thanks to our amazing seats (eleventh row, orchestra -- I love you, StubHub) and how much the show felt like one big episode of Glee.

And while some performers disappoint in person, J-THREE-O and I can attest to the fact that the entire cast of Glee (that is, the members of New Directions -- Rachel, Finn, Mercedes, Puck, Quinn, Tina, Artie, Santana, Brittany, and Kurt, as well as "the Asian guy," who I just found out via Wikipedia is named "Mike Chang," and "the African American guy," whose name no one knows, who don't have any lines but are in more and more episodes) actually sounded better live -- and put on quite a show (see pictures, below).

Even Mr. Schuester and Sue Sylvester made a guest appearance, "via satellite," with Sue nearly stealing (or trying to steal) the show, by having Cheerios hand out Barf Bags during intermission.















Though some of the funniest moments -- or lines -- from "Glee Live!" came from ditzy blonde cheerleader Brittany (the actress, singer, and very accomplished dancer Heather Morris).















I wish I could have videotaped the entire "Glee Live!" show, from start to finish (though that is probably illegal), so I could watch it again and again. (If a DVD comes out, I am so buying it -- it was that good.) But I did videotape a couple songs, "Don't Stop Believing," which I either accidentally erased or taped over, and "Bad Romance," which I didn't -- and which received over 100 hits minutes after I posted it to YouTube last night.



I now truly feel like a Gleek.









UPDATED: Just found this video of "Bust Your Windows," sung by Mercedes, from the "Glee Live!" show in Phoenix. It was one of my favorite numbers from the "Glee Live!" show at Radio City.

I knew there was something squirrely about the Yankees!

I have heard of unusual promotions to get baseball fans into the stands, but this is just nuts!



Better, full version can be found here. (MLB won't let you embed videos. Boo.)

The squirrel, nicknamed Rocky, apparently thought it was Wildlife Day at Target Field in Minneapolis Tuesday, where the Minnesota Twins were hosting the New York Yankees. Or perhaps Rocky, who was visiting from nearby Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, mistook Twins third baseman Brendan Harris for Boris Badenov.

Whatever the case, someone should consider drafting that squirrel. Not only does he run faster than most baseball players, he struck out Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez.

Can women of a certain age wear bikinis?

(Or maybe the better question is, Should women of a certain age wear a bikini?)

You know it's almost summer when every day there's a new bikini or swimsuit offer from Victoria's Secret in your in box. And, I have to admit, Victoria's Secret does have some nice bikinis. And I could probably use a new swimsuit, and have actually been thinking about buying a bikini (though probably not one from Victoria's Secret -- unless they include a pair of C-cup breasts with it) as I'm in pretty good shape these days.

But recently I have been wondering if I am too old to be parading around in a bikini. (Not that I would be parading anywhere. More like leisurely strolling or sitting in a chaise longue reading a book.)

Yeah, sure, it's fine for some hot twentysomething swimsuit model to parade around in a bikini. (Curse you, Brooklyn Decker, and your not-so-little Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue friends, too!) But what about the other 99.8% of the female population, especially us women of a certain age? Is it still okay for us to expose our navels and a little bit of derriere in public? Or should I just opt for a muumuu? (Or does it have nothing to do with age and everything to do with confidence and/or how you look?)

Let me know your thoughts -- and if there are any rules for wearing a bikini -- via the Comments.

In the meantime, here's a bonus video clip from "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini," one of seven classic "Beach Party" movies made by American International Pictures back in the 1960s.

Lee DeWyze vs. Crystal Bowersox: American Idol Season 9 Finale (recap)

It seems like just a couple months ago that outgoing American Idol judge Simon Cowell (wink, wink) predicted Crystal Bowersox the winner of American Idol Season 9. But apparently Mr. Cowell (wink, wink) has changed his tune, according to this article in People, and now thinks Lee DeWyze will win it.

Frankly, I think Lee DeWyze will win, too. Not because Lee is the better singer or performer but because he has momentum going into the finale -- and I think the majority of American Idol viewers (that is the ones who actually vote) are females ages 12 to 24, who are more likely to vote for Lee than Crystal. Just sayin'.

Though at this point, I don't really care who wins American Idol this season -- I'm just glad it is almost over (though what I'll do on Tuesday nights, other than watching baseball games, I don't know). Also, regardless of who "wins," you know both Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze are going to walk away with recording contracts. So really, what's the big deal? They're both winners.

Btw, for those of you who care, Idol has set up a special "Season 9 Finale" page, where you can see videos of Crystal and Lee, read their Tweets, and leave comments. Woohoo!

And now, let the singing -- and judging -- commence!

Round One

So Lee DeWyze chose "The Boxer." A good choice, though perhaps a bit too safe. Or "a kiss on the cheek" rather than "a kiss on the lips," as Simon (wink, wink) said. Our grade for Lee DeWyze: B+

Crystal Bowersox also picked a pretty safe -- though good -- song in "Me and Bobby McGhee." What else can I say about Crystal at this point (without sounding like Ellen DeGeneres)? Crystal has been totally consistent, in a good way, throughout the season, and this was definitely one of her best performances. Our grade for Crystal Bowersox: A-

Round Two

So Simon Fuller chose R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" for Lee DeWyze. Another good choice, though not the best in terms of producing a "wow" moment or creating some musical tension. Also, not exactly an upbeat song, which doesn't help Lee's cause. Again, what can I say? It was another good performance, though nothing... special. Our grade for Lee DeWyze this round: another B+

And Simon Fuller's choice for Crystal Bowersox? "Blue Velvet," originally sung by Alannah Myles. Another good choice -- or so I thought until Crystal started singing. Now? Not so much. I actually thought that performance was a disaster. Crystal was off-key, and the arrangement just didn't work for me. Though clearly the acoustics in the Nokia Theatre are different than what I heard on our 40" Sony Bravia, because the judges luuurved it. Huh? Our grade for Crystal Bowersox: the spouse gives Crystal an A-; the kid, a B+; me, a B-

Round Three

OMG!!! NO HORRIBLE ORIGINAL SONG BY KARA DIOGUARDI?! The evening is starting to look up!

So if Lee DeWyze wins, he will record U2's "Beautiful Day"? I like Lee, and think he has a really good (yes, commercial) voice, and I am not a huge U2 fan, but seriously, why on Earth would you buy Lee's version of "Beautiful Day" over U2's (unless you are a 12-year-old girl)? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? FWIW, we (the spouse, the kid, and I) ALL thought that was Lee's best performance of the night, but was it enough to beat Crystal? Dunno. Our grade for Lee DeWyze's version of "Beautiful Day": A-/B+

And Crystal Bowersox's single? "Up to the Mountain"? I'm (somewhat) embarrassed to say I have never heard of this song, nor has the spouse, which is surprising, since folk is his thang. Anyway... per Wikipedia, it's a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. Well, that solves it. Not. Whatever. It was definitely in Crystal's wheelhouse. She sang it well. And I think Simon (wink, wink) Cowell was right when he said it was the best performance of the evening. But I was (am) still bored. Our grade for Crystal Bowersox's "Up to the Mountain": A-

Based on the performances tonight, and throughout the season, Crystal should win, IMHO, but I can't count Lee out. Until tomorrow, Idol fans. I'm off to watch me some Lady Gaga on Glee.

And the winner of American Idol Season 9 is... Simon Cowell! No wait! I mean Lee DeWyze. As predicted. Happy for Lee, but am majorly bummed for Crystal, though, as I have said dozens of times, Crystal will be FINE. Interesting show, for lack of a better word. Nice to see Paula Abdul again, who looked great. And nice to see all the Idols -- and be reminded that winning Idol doesn't guarantee success. (Btw, for those of you who, like me, were wondering where Season 7 American Idol champ David Cook was, he was at a charity event.)

For more on last night's American Idol finale, check out Craig Berman's latest column over on MSNBC. (Berman's been covering Idol for years and is very funny -- and accurate.)

Two more reasons to watch Glee

As if Gleeks needed another reason to watch Glee (you know, other than the great music, the amazing chemistry between the cast members, and the hysterical quotes that come out of ditzy blonde Cheerio Brittany's mouth each week). But I'll give you two more:

1. Tonight's episode, titled "Theatricality," features songs by Lady Gaga.



2. Matthew Morrison's (aka "Will Schuester's" or "Mr. Schue's") abs.*






















(More pictures from Matthew Morrison's June VOGUE photo shoot here.)

To quote Van Halen, I am "Hot for Teacher" (which should seriously be featured on an upcoming Glee episode).

*A special thanks to my friend, A., who ripped out that picture of Matthew Morrison from VOGUE and left it for me in my mail box. :-)

The difference between Democrats and Republicans?

So I'm driving with my daughter, a sixth-grader who loves social studies and history, and we see a bumper sticker bashing President Obama. And I sigh and make a despairing (though not disparaging) comment about the bumper sticker, and the driver of the minivan, and my daughter asks, "So mom, what's the difference between Democrats and Republicans?"

"Well, honey," I said, and then paused, wanting to give her an answer that was as objective as possible, "it kind of depends on who you talk to, or ask, and the definition has changed over the years, as the parties have changed."

"And?" she asked, waiting for me to give her some actually useful information.

And this is what I told her, off the top of my head, trying to remain neutral and factual, while trying not to crash into another car or a tree.

I said that in general Democrats tended to be in favor of a social safety net, or the public funding of programs like social security and medicare, which helped elderly people and people who needed extra help (the latter with health care); that Democrats (or most of them) believed in public and/or government funding of education and the arts, and in making sure everyone had access to health care; and that they tended to believe it was up to a woman to decide whether or not she would have a baby. (And yes my daughter knows what abortion is.)

As for Republicans, I told her that they tended to favor a small Federal government, and lower taxes (though who isn't for lower taxes?), which meant eliminating or cutting back on public spending (on things like education and the arts and health care, pretty much everything except defense); that Republicans favored States rights; and that most, especially Conservative Republicans, thought abortion and homosexuality were wrong and should be made illegal (whereas Democrats tended to support both).

Now I realize neither explanation is comprehensive (far from it), but if you had just a few minutes to describe the differences between Democrats and Republicans to a 12-year-old, without the benefit of a computer (or PDA) or a library, how would you describe each party -- while refraining from making any negative or biased statements about either party?

Let me know via the Comments. (And note: I will delete any and all inappropriate, vicious, and/or nasty comments.)

UPDATED: While discussing this post with the spouse, I was reminded of this classic blog post by the late great Jon Swift, titled "Pro-America vs. Anti-America."

What’s a poor girl got to do just to have some fun?

Friday, payday, Lordy got to get away
Had it with the wife thing, living on a shoe string
What’s a poor girl got to do just to have some fun?
All these years without any help
Guess what, honey, clothes just don’t wash themselves!
Neither do dishes, neither does the bathroom floor.

So, now if anyone asks, not that they would
I’ll be down in Uncasville and up to no good...



(If I'm going to lose money, I'd rather do it the old-fashioned way. And blackjack is way more fun than watching the Dow and NASDAQ -- and my retirement savings -- redline on CNBC. Also, did I mention there's free booze?)

UPDATED: Well, I won't be retiring any time soon, nor quitting my day job, but I did come home with an extra $80 in my wallet, after paying for lunch for two. And I (we) had a good time, and met some nice people. All in all, not a bad way to spend a few hours. Now excuse me while I catch up on work, go make dinner, do the dishes, and start the laundry.