Quest Club of Arizona

This week I discovered a program on National Geographic Channel called the Dog Whisperer. Cesar Millan is the dog whisperer. He works in Los Angeles and if I could describe him it would be as a dog psycholgist. But I would go further and add an owner psychologist because most of the problems he deals with are caused by owners. After watching him work with many very difficult problem dogs I feel guilty about my own dog, Scout, who I realize could have been changed and her bad behavior changed for the better.

I have made excuses for her like, “this is typical of her breed.” Cesar owns a dozen pit bulls and they are well behaved and affectionate. Scout is aggressive, will bite, snap, is dog aggressive, and unreliable. I have changed the way I live to accommodate her behavior, and have enabled her to continue with her bad behavior. I have committed the cardinal sin in that I treat my dog as a person and not as a dog. She is a canine. I talk to her, and feel if I give her enough love she will change. I have and she hasn’t.

Cesar says that dogs, like people, have to have rules, boundaries, and limitations. Talking to them does no good. If you want to change their behavior you have to do something. Today, Scout and I took our first walk in which I was in charge. Usually she walks well on a leash except if she smells something and wants to stop or change directions. Today I didn’t let her do that. I kept her walking next to me or behind me. If she got distracted and wanted to do something else I stopped and made her sit. Then when she had calmed down we started up again. It really went well. I was a little tense, but as soon as I realized that I let go of the leash and let it hang loosely. I feel really good about what we did.

Now I have to deal with the other misbehaviors. One of them is how she attacks the front door if someone knocks. I saw Cesar with a dog doing that to his front window. He went to the window and reclaimed it from the dog by specfic kinds of touch which he called a dog bite, and when the dog jumped up on the front door he walked between the dog and the door and made the dog calm down and back off, reclaiming the door. He said the couch, the window, and the door belonged to the dog, and now the owner had to take them back. That gave me an idea of what to do about my problem. I’m not sure yet what to do about the excessive barking at the TV and other sounds outside the house, but will keep watching the show and see how he handles that too.

I have to remember several things: My dog is not a person but a dog, and he will be happier if I treat him like a dog, and I am the leader of his pack. Then to remember to set rules, boundaries, and limitations and be consistant with the enforcement.

I have copied 12 shows so far and will transfer them to tape if anyone has dog problems or loves their dogs and wants to watch a master work with problem dogs, I can lend you my tape.

Tom Brokaw is hosting a program on Global Warming this week on the Discovery Channel to further our discussion about a movie no one has seen yet, An Inconvenient Truth. I will try to find the time and night it will be broadcast and maybe we can get a good discussion going. But first children, you must do your home work.

First I want to say that two men are going off tomorrow night, and my guess is that it will be Kevin and Will. Now having said that it isn’t because they had bad performances, as a matter of fact, in my opinion, they did the best they have done. It’s because there are 5 men better then they are. Tonight Kevin sang Don McLeans Vincent, one of my favorite songs, and he did it very well. I liked it alot. What did Will sing? Can’t remember the name but he was equally as good. So it comes to this. Tomorrow should end 8 men and 4 women. The men as a group are just better. A women may win this, but I don’t think so.

That brings me to Bucky. I thought he would be one of the first to go. I couldn’t figure it out. So tonight I paid attention because I was curious. If you like country, you gotta like Bucky. He looks country, his voice is country, he is getting better, and no one else on the show is country. So who are the country fans going to vote for. Bucky. He is sort of growing on me, and he is getting better. more confident. I don’t think he’ll go deep unless he develops a large following.

So that brings me to the main group of five who will contest for the title. I really like Gideon. I like his singing. I like what he sings, and I love his attitude. When he is praised, say by Randy, he anwers “thank you, God bless.” This boy was raised right, and when he said why he sang “When a Man Loves a Women,” he answered that it was for the women in his life, his mother and grand mother. Look out Kelly Pickler. Big likability factor going here. And it is hard to believe he’s only seventeen.
I liked Chris better tonight then last week. I do not like hard rock, and he is a rocker. I would probably never buy anything he sings. He is a terrific performer with a great voice and he can win, but he wouldn’t be my first choice.

Ace Young is beautiful, sexy, he has a great voice, and HE KNOWS IT AND PLAYS IT FOR ALL HE’S WORTH. HE PROBABLY HAS EVERY WOMEN OVER 20, OR MAYBE OVER 16 IN LOVE WITH HIM. But he’s obviously not my kind of singer. Maybe he’ll sing something I like and be more sincere and universal…appeal to men too.

Now I saved Taylor Hicks and Elliot Yamin for last because I wanted to compare them because I think they are at opposite ends of the spectrum . Taylor is a spectacular showman, and I want to jump up and clap, and maybe dance around the room, and I feel good watching him. Elliot is quiet and reserved, and hardly moves when he sings, but he has a gift from somewhere that is beyond the rest for me. I would buy everything he sings. He may not win because he doesn’t attract a following like say Chris would because of his personality, but he should win this, but I’m doubtful. But I am not doubtful about either one of them and their futures. And to think Taylor was almost not picked because of his gray hair. What a shame that would have been, and I liked his dancing. He reminds me of someone. Does Rod Stewart do that crazy dancing and throwing himself around the stage like Taylor, or is it someone else?

Well there it is for me. I like everyone tonight, and the men were awesome. The winner has to come from this group, but when the public can vote who knows. So what do you think? Who will make your final 12?

Mandisa, Mandisa, Mandisa…home run. Finally someone hit one out of the park. First time I got even remotely excited about anything I’ve heard. I know she won’t win, but she has an awesome voice. Too bad, but Ruben won and I didn’t think that was possible, but Ruben is a man. Hmmmm Pretty sexist, I guess, but true.

I’m with Simon on this one. I really like Kelly Pickler. She is picking exactly the right songs. She is not great, but she is playing it 100% right. I think she’s more then safe for the top 6.

The teen agers are safe too. They are really talented, and I am waiting for Lisa Tucker to hit a big one. I know I haven’t heard it yet. Paris is terrific although I don’t like Gloria Estaban’s music that well, so they move on without any trouble I think.

That brings me to Katherine McPhee. She might have the best voice, but there is something about her that puts me off. I think Simon would call it the likeability factor. She seems put on to me, fake, phoney. If I just watch her sing I really like her, and I liked the song she sang this week, but then the song stops and she starts….I don’t know. It’s like people who are trying too hard, trying to be cute, trying to be profound…she ain’t Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood even though she sings like they do, they were authentic, she’s not.

Ayla will probably survive even though she was ordinary this week. So that leaves Kinnik and Melissa. I like Melissa, but she wasn’t very good this week, and she has been on the bubble in my opinion. I think Kinnik has a really good voice, but she doesn’t perform very well. Way off this week.

So that’s my take, what’s yours?

It was the moment of decision. Who stays and who goes, and I think this time the voters got it exactly right. The men lost Jose and David, and the women lost Heather and Brenna. The only little hiccup in my opinion was the near elimination of Kevin. I would have thought by this time he had a solid following. I guess I was wrong. On the other side Cody seems to have some backers and he may turn into the dark horse of this contest.

Next week we start seeing some of the good talent eliminated. Time to get hot if you want to make the top 12, and that’s important since you make the concert tour group.

Boys night: I thought three of the performers were the best of the bunch: Chris Daughtry (liked the singer but didn’t like the song), Elliott Yamin, and Gideon McKinney. Then another group of good singers who could win, but not as talented: Ace Young (he is too pretty for my taste) who has a pretty good voice, Taylor Hicks who makes me feel good, who is original, Kevin Y…….the kid, who also makes me feel good. Kevin actually has a really nice voice, and is a good performer. I also like Will Makar who sings the old fashioned stuff I like, and has a nice sound.

That leaves the bottom three with Jose Sway Penada, who may have just been off tonight. He sounded off key to me. Cody Witherspoon, a Bo Bice clone without the charisma and voice, and David “Sinatra” Bradford. I actually like David but he seems limited to me.

I think that Simon and maybe all the judges like Elliott to win, but I think Chris has more charisma and that may separate the two. But the underdog may be Gideon. Million dollar smile, very confident and a great voice.

So that’s my take, what’s yours?

Tonight was ladies night and I am learning the names of the performers and I am starting to have some opinions about them. There are six spots in the finals and I think three of them are already occupied by Lisa Tucker, Paris
Bennett, and Katherine McPhee. There is one other lady who should be there, but there are questions. Mandisa reminds me of Joanne Dunlap from two years ago who was dynamite and was voted off in favor of a couple of teeny boppers. That would leave only two spots open if I’m on target. Tonight I paid attention to all the singers.

Here’s who I like for the remaining spots: Kellie Pickler. I hadn’t really paid close enough attention to figure her out, but she has a niche if she can figure it out. She needs to get down and dirty, raunchy….she could have made that Gretchen Wilson song work for her. Or something like Pat Benetar’s Love is a Battleground. If she picks the right songs she could go deep. She does have the likeability factor, and has had it from the beginning.
I also like Melissa McGhee. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about her that appeals to me. I think Melissa is versatile and can sing lots of different music. I also like the basketball player, but she is not a natural singer like some of the others.

I noticed that Simon and Randy are trying to force the teenagers to sing some other kinds of songs. I loved what Paris Bennett did tonight with Wind Beneath My Wings, one of my favorite songs, and she did a version I would buy, so take that Simon. This girl is so far advanced musically, I don’t see how she can lose. Lisa Tucker is also way beyond her years.
I liked Katherine McPhees song, and rendition. She is a very mature singer, but the judges don’t seem to like pop ballads. This lady can sing it all and should be there at the end with Paris, but she doesn’t have Paris’ likeability. She has to watch out that she doesn’t overplay her hand, and just keep it straight. The top singers don’t show off. They sing their songs straight and don’t resort to gimmicks.
Who’s leaving us Thursday? This hurts me to say this, but Heather Cox has to go, and she is drop dead gorgeous. If only she could sing. The others would come from Brenna and McKinnek.

So what do you think? Get your comments in here.

I keep breaking my heart over TV shows that I really like that get cancelled. Anyone remember Freaks and Geeks? Here we go again. Love Monkey is Ed becomes a music executive in a small independent music company after being fired by a national company. Instead of fleeing back home to Stuckeyville to find and win the heart of his high school dream girl, he flees across town to a small start up music company. So who could we get to play such a sentimental smuck? Maybe we could find that guy who played Ed. I hear he’s out of work. So they got Tom Cavanaugh to play Tom Farrell the music producer. This is a buddy show with four buds: one a married doctor who’s wife is pregnant, a business executive, a gay guy, and Tom, with each having his own story.

Tom’s old girl friend leaves him and now is back “out there.” Two ladies vie for Tom’s attention: Brand, his buddy-friend, and Julia who works with him and has caught his eye, and his attention because of her knowledge of music.
I liked it. Of course I was going to like Ed coming back on the air even if I hated it.

This first show really hooked me. In the main plot Tom is hired by a new start up Indie music company that is in process of putting on a benefit for school music programs. Most of the headline groups are backing out leaving only local talent. They need a headliner to draw an audience. Tom’s new boss and fellow workers including the very interesting and flirty Julia look to Tom. Well, big time guy, what can you do? Tom assures them he will get someone like Zoe, the current teenage star who has the nations number one song. But getting Zoe is complicated because she’s under contract to the company that just fired Tom.
Tom contacts Zoe and she agrees to do the benefit with one provision, she can sing one of her own songs, one she has written, not one of the teeny bopper songs she usually sings that are mega hits. Tom agrees. But now he has to convince Phil, his old boss, to let Zoe do it. After a rather contentious scene with Zoe and Tom, Phil agrees to let Zoe sing.

Tom’s new company has signed Wayne (Terry Geiger) who Tom discovered, but didn’t sign with his old company, and now he finds himself working with Wayne after all. Tom has Zoe come to the studio to sing her own song, “My Inner Pain.” She is horrible, but Tom discovers that Wayne is a big fan of Zoe. But they are caught between a rock and a hard place. They promised she could sing her own song, but now they need to persuade her to sing one of her hits.

Tom is torn over his promise to Zoe but after talking to Brand he decides to make this work. He will have to come up with a creative solution. Tom invites Zoe back to the studio where they listen to Wayne. Zoe thinks he is terrific, so Tom suggests that she sing her song with Wayne because of his advanced guitar playing and persuades her they’ll sound terrific together and she agrees to do it.

The benefit comes off and Zoe and Wayne sing My Inner Pain. It was terrific and I wanted a copy of it, but it probably isn’t out there.

So I like the music on Love Monkey, and I like Tom, and now I like Wayne and his music. There are lots of side stories with Tom’s buddies. It is well acted, and it has that same quirky something special that Ed had. I just hope that’s enough.

Following the format of the very successful American Idol on FOX comes their latest Skating with Celebraties. That follows last summer’s hit Dancing with the Stars. What makes American Idol go is the fans voting on their favorites and the comments of the three judges: Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Adul The biting comments of Cowell tend to put off first time viewers, but soon you begin to appreciate that he is more on target then the other two. Most of the time he tells the truth, the brutal truth. But he can be very unkind too. And I find that unnecessary at times.

The fifth season is under way with the very funny and sometimes sad auditions. It is hard to believe that some of these contestants actually believe they can sing.

Several past winners and finalists are doing quite well commercially with first years winner Kelly Clarkson being the gold standard, followed by second seasons runner up Clay Aiken, who even has a book out. Last years winner Carrie Underwood and runner up Bo Bice seem to have bright futures also. Bice is by far the best on stage performer with a very exciting style and a go for broke attitude. Two of the past winners Ruben Studdart and Fantasia, have not done as well and Studdart seems headed for the bust catagory.

I like American Idol for two reasons. I like the music, and I like to watch the contestants grow and improve.

I started watching Dancing With the Stars last summer because one of the contestants was Evander Holyfield, and I was curious to find out if the former heavyweight champion could dance. He could but not very good. This program also had three judges, and they were all tough. Kelly Ann Anabe, Len Goodman, and Bruno. Kelly was very Simonish.

But what got me watching the show to it’s conclusion was the judging of one of the contestants. In last place the first week was Kelly Monaco and her professional partner. I watched them thinking they must be terrible. But Kelly, who is a soap star on General Hospital, had a sort of kick ass attitude and I’m doing my best, working my butt off, and I don’t give a crap about the judges, I’m having fun. Well I watched her dance and thought I must not have any idea of what’s going on because I thought Kelly was as good as any of the rest of the dancers and maybe better then most, plus she had a killer body, and almost lost her top. Plus she was so personable that I started rooting for her, and in the end she won. So this year I’m back because of Jerry Rice, to see if he can dance, and he’s pretty good, better then Evander at least. But again, a female dancer has caught my fancy. Stacy Keibler is 6′ tall and a professional wrestler. Think she looks like a man, grunts, and stomps around the floor. Wrong! She looks like a ballet dancer. Just gorgeous and very good.

Now here comes my complaint against all the shows that have fans voting. There is no doubt that the contestants pick up a following. Some of them don’t deserve the following they develop because some very good talent gets put out, and some lousy talent doesn’t. Idol has had several really talented singers out early. Case in point the first season the early departure of Tamara Grey, who was probably the top talent that year, and the third season early departure of LaToya London who was also the best singer of that year, or at least the equal to the winner, Fantasia.

I mention this because on Dancing with the Stars this week, it is apparent that two contestants have distanced themselves from the group: Stacy Keibler and Drew Lachey. Now Stacy was the top vote getter, but Jerry Rice was next, and Master P, who is aweful, was fourth vote getter, while Lachey, who should win this, was almost put out. At times like this it seems ridiculous. Are people really trying to judge these dancers fairly. NO!

Finally on Skating with Celebrites the draw was the awesome crashes on the teases run to publicize the show. But on the first night no crashes, at least during the competition. This one is decided entirely by professional judges including my all time favorite, Dorothy Hamil. Bruce Jenner skating. Yikes! He survived and even got in a couple of little jumps, and I mean little. One contestant who should be familiar to all NFL fans and should keep the men watching was Jillian Barbarie. Jillian is one tough babe. She had some wild crashes in her practice sessions, and her coach kept trying to tone her down saying if you get hurt bad enough you’ll be out. Her answer, “I only know one way to do things, and that is to go all out.” And she did. She obviously was a former skater because she looked like one of the pros. She’ll come out of this as the star of this show by her athletic ability and toughness. And she seems like a nice person.

I guess my last comment is I find these three shows as good entertainment and lot’s of fun. Give em a look see and let me know what you think.