My apologies for the lack of posts as of late. Been busy with school work and checking out new bands on MySpace. (Okay, that last one isn’t a very good excuse, but nonetheless…) Okay, brief rundown:

- Went back to the old layout. I just like it better. Love the NB boys, but it just didn’t look right.

- Chikezie leaves American Idol. A little bit of a shock, considering relatively weak-voiced contestants like Ramiele and Kristy Lee have stuck in there. Plus, I really will miss calling him Cheezit.

- David Cook does a stellar rendition of Chris Cornell’s remake of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. I’ve always loved Chris’s version of the song, and hearing David Cook sing it? Holy crapanoodle. My MP3 player is screaming at me to play a different song.

- The Artemis Fowl books are excellent! I just wrapped up The Opal Deception and I believe this has been the best series I’ve read since the Harry Potter books. Seriously. You just gotta love Mulch Diggums. He rocks.

- Currently reading “Me2″ by M. Christian. I…don’t really know what to think thus far. I did flip through the book a bit, reading tidbits here and there, and I did get a few unexpected sex-ed lessons. Hm. Keep an eye on The Bookshelf Reviews for my upcoming review on this book.

Now…next week’s American Idol theme: Dolly Parton songs. Oh, boy. I fear for the guys on this one. Cheezit would’ve probably done well with this theme, if given the chance (go figure). Kristy Lee will be all right. And someone will do “I Will Always Love You”. It’s inevitable. MyIDOL member wgm4 seems to have the ultimate list of choices for each contestant. Out of her list of songs, let’s see what would be the most suitable song (at least in my personal opinion). Give me some slack - I’m not that familiar with Dolly’s songs:

David Archuleta - “When I Get Where I’m Going”
This is a beautiful song, and though the higher notes kind of worry me, I think Archuleta’s youthful vocal could swing this song right in his favor.

Carly Smithson - “Raven Dove”
This slow one could really accentuate her beautiful vocals. Keeping it stripped with just a piano would be even better and it’d give Carly more room to belt it out.
Alternative: “Sweet Music Man”

Michael Johns - “House of the Rising Sun”
I had originally picked “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” but the Animals’ version of this would be absolutely perfect for Michael. The vocals would be right, the music would be right, it’d just be right.
Alternative: “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”

Brooke White - “Me and Bobby McGee”
Brooke could possibly even pull off the Janis Joplin version of this. I would usually put a slower song with Brooke, but I can really see her singing this. It just seems to fit her.
Alternative: “Jolene”

Kristy Lee Cook - “Islands in the Stream”
This wouldn’t be too bad a choice for her. I’m sure there are better out there, but her natural country twang should keep her in the game right now.

David Cook - “Little Sparrow”
In this instance, you pray to run across a Dolly Parton song that Three Days Grace or Our Lady Peace remade in recent years. No such luck thus far, but given the options, I think an acoustic version of this song (with slight lyrical shifting) could help him survive the week. Fingers are crossed.

Ramiele Malubay - “Do You Think That Time Stands Still”
This song is just begging to be Idol-ized. Hopefully the slowness of the song could give Rami the chance to strengthen her voice and earn her keep in the top 10.

Syesha Mercado - “Almost in Love”
The bluesy feel of the song would make this a good song for Syesha. Slower, too, to give her more belting room.
Alternative: “I Will Always Love You” (if you must…)

Jason Castro - “Seven Bridges Road”
Wasn’t on the suggestion list, but Jason is a hard one to pick for. I always loved the Eagles’ live version of this song, so perhaps Jason’s softer tones, combined with some good backing acoustics, could work this one out.

This is gonna be one hell of a weird week.