...and I really should be working. Working on some graphic stuff in photoshop for one of the media's we will be using this weekend and boredom set in and got me off track. I ended up messing around and creating a new header for the blog. Not really my favorite - just thought it was time to change things up....and would actually force me to post.
What do you think of the new header graphic? I doubt it will stay for long....
Well I figured it was coming. This season of American Idol has been disappointing. It started with the ousting of Josiah Leming and now the voting off of Carly Smithson last night. I guess that’s alright since David Cook is still really the most talented in this year's group. But A.I. has always been more of a popularity contest than a talent competition.
I hope that America doesn’t get it wrong as they have in the past and vote for their heart throb and not the most talented. That has happened in many past seasons. Remember Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks and the other untalented American Idol winners? I guess not since they all have been dropped from their record labels due to poor sales. Come on America, let’s let some talent win this year’s America’s favorite talent contest.
This morning an earthquake measured 5.2 Rictor scale woke most of the Midwest. I didn’t get in from church doing our set change till about 2 in the morning so I was out cold when it all happened. I did however get to experience a 4.2 aftershock this morning while standing in our church auditorium. It was quite eerie. I have never experienced an earthquake or anything like it before. Fortunately, its nothing like what you hear about on the West Coast.
....we are getting a summer intern for the lighitng team. Actually it's like we are just getting to hang with an old buddy for the summer. Mark Brunson will be returning from attending San Francisco State U. back to The Crossing for a few months and filling the super coveted position of Tech Intern! Mark, or better known as Brunson, was a vital part of the lighting team here before he went off to San Fran...we are stoked about him coming back!
I already admitted that I have been slacking on posting to the blog but I just opened up my blog reader and realized that I am a bit behind on blog reading too....937 posts behind.
With all of the rain we have had here in St Louis in the last month or two lawns are green and lush and flowers are blossoming. I am so ready to get behind all this crazy weather. I spent a few hours this morning out in the yard mowing and trimming. I think this is the earliest in the year I remember getting the lawn mower out.
It's that time again! We are pulling out over 200 feet of aluminium trussing from this past message series and creating an uban loft/coffeehouse feel on stage for this weekend. This will be a one off and the next series design will be huge.
This whole American Idol singing Shout To The Loft is still bothering me. And I was right – this topic now floods the results page when googgling it. I am not totally sure if I am bothered by the lyric changes that were made for the show or if it was the way the contestants were staged and performed the song or just the fact that all the Christians on the internet are so thankful a show like that would do a Christian song.
Music is art. Art is free for interpretation of the one interacting with the art –rather it’s the interpretation the artist meant for it to be or not. The words that were changed in the song did not change the song’s ‘Christian’ status. In fact, I wonder if the original author of the song would have used the new lyrics if this song would still be as timeless as we all believe it to be. There is some thought that the lyric change is watering down the message to make it more palatable for the wide audience American Idol reaches. Is that right or just politically correct for our current culture? I serve in a church that uses music and media to open minds of those in attendance. Often this music is secular and based on the message the song can communicate. We do our share of worship music too, but don’t change to lyrics to make it more appealing to those in attendance.
I always appreciate when music or media has a message that is morally correct. Whether it comes out of the secular culture or Christian culture. So I love the fact that American Idol took on a worship song. I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve with a song like this and why they decided to change the lyrics. If it was to beefing up the audience base would a song like this do it? If was to beefing up the audience base then why in the world did the follow the song with Ben Stiller coming out and having every other work bleeped as he rants while the credits roll.
So I guess what really is bugging me is how this song was performed. Backed by a choir of faces familiar to the dancers on the show, the contestants wearing all white did a side step sway to the mid tempo ballad. It was disappointing to see talent and a show like this stoop low for the production of this song. For me, it was all but worshipful - the staging, lighting and the confetti….yes, confetti. Is this really what people think Christian music looks like? The cheese factor made me shake my head and laugh.
Sorry American Idol. If this was your attempt to get me to watch your show more consistently I think you blew it.
I have had a couple of good friends encouraging me to sign up for Face Book. I'm not really sure. I mean - why? I can barely keep up with blogging. If I wanna chat with someone I just send them an email...or if they are lucky I'll call - but that's seldom. I tried Twitter and gave up on that attempt. And anyway, isn't Face Book a social networking site for students? I mean, do old people really get on there and write on each other's walls? Am I just getting old and disconnected from the current culture? I don't even have a picture of me on this blog, do I have to post one on my profile for 'Face' Book?
So many questions. Do they really need to be answered?
I knew this would hit the blogosphere fast. One posting reads….
As a finale, the Idols perform “Shout to The Lord”. They’re dressed in white and backed by a gospel choir. The song ends with a shower of white confetti.
Ah, yes. Nothing says confetti like a good rendition of Shout To The Lord. Unfortunately, this rendition wasn’t calling for any confetti. Besides the high cheese factor of the constants sing the song on the ‘ ‘Idol Gives Back’ episode, the visual production of the staging, lighting and effects did this song a total injustice.
To top it off American Idol decided to change some of the lyrics to make God a little more appealing to it’s audience. They started by singing "My Shepherd, My Savior, Lord there is none like You..." rather than singing the actual lyrics: "My JESUS, My Savior..." I guess it would be too controversial to actually make it clear that the Lord that they're shouting to is Jesus.
This all reminds me of Exodus 20:3 & 4. Who is your Idol?
I received the ‘traffic report’ for the blog today and realized I had only posted seven times in the month of March. That was down compared to the whooping twelve posts in February and the amazing 30 in January. I’m slacking on my blogging.
Somehow in the last three months though, I had over 1,300 visits to my little place on the web. That is like 400 visits a month. Visitors from all over –local, national and international. So, welcome. I will do my best to step it up a notch…I know, I know – I already said that before. But I will make this April better.
