How to Talk to a Liberal and American Idol

Hooray for Taylor Hicks! I started rooting for him the moment I saw him in the initial try-outs. I love his unusual style and the way he stuck to being himself, even when they tried to make him over. He really is the classic American story. An underdog, almost doesn't make it through the trials, unconventional appearance, and his own style rising up to grab the gold ring and succeeding. He was the only performer on American Idol who consistently made me put down whatever I was doing to watch him perform. Most of the others were nice background noise, but Taylor was fun to watch. Congrats to him!

American Idol seriously needs to put on some relevant musical stars in its next season. I mean, c'mon Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach? Most of the performers weren't even born the last time either of them had a hit. Al Jarreau and Prince seem just as outdated. Next year let's skip kissing up to stars that haven't had a hit in years and are simply promoting their greatest hits collections and focus on some singers that are relevant to the music the American Idol will actually be singing. Part of the fun/horror of watching the show this year was the atrocious song choices, but the songs were forced on the competitors by producers assigning theme weeks. Theme weeks stink; next year just let them sing!

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter is absolutely her best book yet. Clever with a savage, sharp wit this book made me laugh out loud and feel very glad that I will never be the target of Coulter's sharp tongue. This compilation of her columns jumps around chronologically, but follows a thematic format. Reading her columns published in the days and weeks after 9/11 and the 2000 election brought back a lot of memories, but also educated me. Coulter is smart and doesn't pull any punches, but occasionally she gets hung up on an issue, like Clinton's impeachment. While I don't agree with all of her political stances, reading her makes me look at my views anew and gives me support for those we do agree on. If Coulter keeps improving this way, I can't wait to read her new book Godless coming out next month.