Quick Review: Amy

Amy Winehouse, gone way too soon, and the worst part is that her death didn't have to happen. Using never-before seen footage as well as interviews with people in her life (for better or worse), Amy documents her early life, career and, ultimately, her demise. And to see how so many people in her life used her, or otherwise utterly failed her -- her father, ex-husband and manager, in particular -- is heartbreaking. If there is such a thing as karma, they will someday, somehow pay for their transgressions. Her drug and alcohol abuse turned her from an incredibly talented singer-songwriter into a target for comedians and the paparazzi. I left the theater angry that we can no longer hear her voice. There should be a class for any young performers who are either attracting attention, on the verge of potential stardom or have gone the route of American Idol, The Voice, etc., and said class should consist almost entirely of this documentary. My grade: A.

WTHIWWY: Cee Lo Green

Cee Lo Green

Let me see if I understand what you're saying, Cee Lo Green. So if a man sexually assaults an unconscious woman it's not rape because if the woman isn't awake to say "no" that's the same as giving consent? Really? Is that what you're saying, Cee Lo? You seriously think you can drug a woman in order to have sex with her?

And now your "reality" show's been canceled; whether it was because you're a pig or because of lousy ratings is possibly subject to debate. (Hey, NBC, can we kick the pig off "The Voice" permanently as well?)

Cee Lo Green, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???

Ew York

Since I'm up late I decided to post the pictures I took when I went to New York for a weekend in early March. EDIT TO UPDATE: I posted them to Shutterfly and hoped to have a slideshow embedded into this post but using the code they provided, no slideshow appears. So just click on this link.

The main purposes for the trip: my friend Kurt was auditioning for The Voice on the Saturday of that weekend, so while he auditioned I went to see "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

The trip wasn't exactly a success. It wasn't horrible, but there were a number of problems throughout. It started with Megabus. (That's their sign at left -- hence the title of this post.) We were supposed to leave at 5:30 pm but the bus was quite late -- an hour, at least, as I remember. We stood out in the chilly air and watched while at least two competing buses (Bolt Bus, which is actually owned by Greyhound) arrived, picked up passengers for New York, and went on their way. Once we finally got on our way, the wi-fi on the bus was wonky.

We finally got to our small hotel, which was in Chinatown, and were told that because a regular room wasn't ready that we would get the "penthouse." The elevator doesn't go to the penthouse without your room keycard to unlock it. Our key didn't work. After the staff couldn't get it to work, they decided to put us in a first-floor room for one night. It was freezing with no heat. We went back to the desk, and after another wait  someone got the key to unlock the elevator button for the "penthouse." The elevator opened right up into the room -- there were no other rooms on the floor. It wasn't exactly luxurious but it was larger than a typical room. It also had a fuse box and some other electrical switches and an emergency phone for the fire department and a door to the roof of the building. I had images of maintenance men traipsing through our room or worse. (I took a video; if I get around to posting it I'll update this.

The Voice DID Wear Me Out

Another post I'm finally getting around to: it was almost two weeks ago that I accompanied my friend Kurt as he went to the New York auditions for season two of "The Voice."

The "New York" auditions that were held at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that is. The ones that required he be there at 7 am. And, as we are both financially challenged, there was no realistic way to swing a hotel. So we took the Greyhound bus from Philadelphia to the Port Authority terminal at 3:20 am. I had gotten up at 9:30 am the previous day. With SEPTA's overnight service the way it is, I had to leave my house well before 1 am to get to the terminal and not be rushed. I didn't bother to even try to sleep beforehand, and I couldn't sleep on the bus ride either, as I was not comfortable at all. The bus may have had air conditioning but it wasn't hitting me.

We arrived around 5:30 am and then had to wait for the first New Jersey Transit bus that goes by the Meadowlands. That would be the 6:50 am bus. Our one advantage was that, by being there that early, we were at the front of the line to get on the bus, and it was packed. Many people were using this route to get to the Izod Center, but we got to sit.

At about 7:05 am the bus dropped us off. Not in front of the Izod Center. Oh, no. That would have been convenient, after all.

The Voice May Wear Me Out

My friend Kurt is auditioning for season two of "The Voice" tomorrow. The New York auditions (those closest to here) are being held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at the Izod Center, formerly the Continental Airlines Arena, and originally the Brendan Byrne Arena. (And if you know who Brendan Byrne is, you win...nothing. At least nothing from me.) This place is in the Meadowlands Sports Complex, where the New York Giants and Jets of the NFL will play once the lockout is finally over, and the Izod Center is where the New Jersey Devils and Nets used to play before both teams moved on to the new Prudential Center in Newark.

So, logistically speaking, it's in the middle of nowhere in northern New Jersey.

Kurt had a friend who was driving him tomorrow, until said friend had to cancel because of unexpected work commitments.

Have I mentioned that the Izod Center is in the middle of nowhere?

He has been instructed to arrive at 7 am. The plan is to take a Greyhound bus to New York City and then a New Jersey Transit bus that goes to the Meadowlands. To get there at 7 am or so requires taking the 3:20 am bus from Philadelphia to the Port Authority terminal, and then the first NJT bus on the Meadowlands route, which leaves at 6:50 am. This basically means it is impossible to get any sleep before going on this trip, and my guess is that with the number of people attending, it will be an all-day affair.

And, out of concern for his well-being and because this is a big deal to him, I am going along for the ride.

(Have I mentioned that the Izod Center is in the middle of nowhere? And that today's high temperature was 98, and tomorrow it's expected to hit or go past 100? And that none of the coaches/judges shown above are actually going to be there, I assume, since these are the very first rounds of auditions?)

The next 24 hours or so are going to be interesting, if not torturous. My cell phone is fully charged. Expect Facebook and Twitter updates.

The Voice -- Over

I tried, I tried, I really tried. But it's over. I've removed "The Voice" from my DVR series recordings. I liked it at first -- the drama of whether one of the celebrity coaches would turn the chair around as a contestant sang was fun -- but it's just boring now. I tried watching the first live show (well, it was live last night; I recorded it and only got around to watching a little while ago).

From about the 30-minute mark on I fast-forwarded through most of it, and only stopped near the end because I had somehow learned (via commercial or maybe a story I read) that Frenchie Davis was covering "When Love Takes Over," my favorite song of summer 2009. And by the way, she wasn't that great. Nor were one or two others that I heard. They weren't awful, but they weren't incredible.

Yet every comment from the coaches (at least those I heard -- as I said, I did a lot of fast-fowarding) were on the order of "you're amazing, I love you" and so on. Christina Aguilera -- I just find her really annoying now, especially after she chose a song by that horrible Ke-dollar sign-ha for one of her girls to sing.

I'm sorry, but if I'm going to watch one of these singing shows I need Simon Cowell or someone like him, and "The Voice" just doesn't have it. So with Simon and Paula Abdul both on "The X Factor" it's obvious I'll be giving that show a try in the fall.

I'll say this, though -- we need to get Patrick Thomas (pictured) out of his clothes right away...

How Krispy Kreme Made Me Feel Like A Kid Again

(Update with tweet from Krispy Kreme below)

I know I promised this yesterday but didn't get to it. So now I need to get it done before the Phillies-Marlins game (with Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson in a rematch of their two battles from last year, one of which resulted in Halladay's perfect game). Plus "Glee" is on, and I'm also watching "The Voice." I'll have to write about that. Plus some other stuff, at some point. Anyway, let's get to this...

A new Krispy Kreme opened up in Center City last week. We've had Krispy Kreme locations in the past, but never downtown as far as I know. And the most recent ones (one was at the Roosevelt Mall) closed some time ago. Now they're back, and the line was well out the door when I walked by last week. As it happens I was in town yesterday, and on my way back to the 15th Street El station (the Market-Frankford, or Blue Line, for you out-of-towners) I walked by the new Krispy Kreme. The line was short. I went in.

Now, I do have to confess to some confusion. Everyone seems to make a fuss about going in when the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign is turned on. It was on yesterday. I didn't get hot doughnuts, though. I'm not sure -- do you have to specifically ask for hot doughnuts? I didn't notice anything explaining this; nor did I see a separate line for them. I just got in the line to the counter where all the different varieties were on the shelves. I got two chocolate iced glazed doughnuts. They were fine. They were fresh. They weren't hot, though, so I don't know if I missed out on something.