Real Kato Blog: 2010 March

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Articles: 2010 March

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Page 1

American Idol Week 3: Top 10

Wednesday, 2010 March 31 - 1:20 am

As predicted, Paige went out last week. No surprise. This week: Usher, mentoring for soul and R&B week.

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Permalink 2 Comment

Posted by Ken in: music, television

Yesterday's Frozen Meal: Lean Cuisine Pasta Romano with Bacon

Tuesday, 2010 March 30 - 1:57 pm

"In a fire roasted tomato sauce with romano cheese."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Friday's Frozen Meal: Lean Cuisine Herb Roasted Chicken

Tuesday, 2010 March 30 - 1:57 pm

"Chicken breast & creamy herb sauce, roasted potatoes & vegetables."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Wednesday's Frozen Meal: Lean Cuisine Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Tuesday, 2010 March 30 - 1:57 pm

"With mushrooms & basil". No fancy description here.

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Posted by Ken in: food

American Idol Week 2: Top 11

Tuesday, 2010 March 23 - 10:14 pm

The theme is Billboard #1 Hits. Miley Cyrus is the mentor tonight. Huh. It's hard to imagine an adult taking advice from a 17-year-old kid who uses AutoTune when she performs, but whatever.

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Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: music, television

Today's Frozen Meal: Smart Ones Lasagna Florentine

Tuesday, 2010 March 23 - 1:41 pm

"Rich, five layer lasagna with ricotta cheese, zucchini & spinach."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Yesterday's Frozen Meal: Marie Callender's Beef Tips in Mushroom Sauce

Tuesday, 2010 March 23 - 1:35 pm

"With Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans & Cranberries."

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Posted by Ken in: food

History in the Making

Sunday, 2010 March 21 - 10:17 pm

This is one of those nights where people might actually want to watch C-SPAN.

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Posted by Ken in: politics

Today's Frozen Meal: Smart Ones Savory Steak and Ranch Grilled Flatbread

Friday, 2010 March 19 - 1:59 pm

The full name is actually "Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® Artisan Creations Grilled Flatbread Savory Steak & Ranch." These things have too many dang names. "Seasoned Beef Steak, Fire-Roasted Green Bell Peppers, Onions, Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, with a Creamy Ranch Sauce on a Flatbread."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: Marie Callender's Honey Roasted Turkey

Thursday, 2010 March 18 - 4:32 pm

"With Cheddar-Bacon Mashed Potatoes, Gravy & Vegetables."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: Lean Cuisine Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Wednesday, 2010 March 17 - 1:50 pm

"Layered pasta with seasoned meat, tomato and reduced fat mozzarella cheese."

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Posted by Ken in: food

American Idol Week 1: Top 12

Tuesday, 2010 March 16 - 10:53 pm

It's Rolling Stones night.

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Posted by Ken in: music, television

It's That Time Again

Monday, 2010 March 15 - 11:03 pm

Well. You know the drill. American Idol is back, and I have to blog about it. I think this year I'll skip trying to give them scores and keep running averages and all that... that got to be too much of a hassle.

We're at the top 12, so here's my prediction on how each of the contestants will finish.

12. Tim Urban. It's easy to see why he didn't make the original cut. He's completely out of his element. He's got the Brady Bunch boy-next-door look, but his vocals are weak and he looks like a lost puppy on stage. He won't last long.

11. Katie Stevens. She has a lot of trouble staying on pitch, and she lacks confidence on stage. When the judges say she doesn't know what kind of singer she is, what they really mean is that she lacks credibility as an artist.

10. Paige Miles. Her biggest problem is a lack of charisma. Much like Katie, she seems nervous on stage and that hurts her vocals; it all seems like karaoke with her.

9. Aaron Kelly. He actually deserves to leave sooner than Katie, but he's what I call "grandma-friendly": young and harmless-looking. That's a big draw for the Idol demographic, so he'll stay around longer than he should.

8. Lacey Brown. I actually really want to like her, but I find it hard to. It seems like she's trying too hard to please the judges instead of expressing herself as an artist. In other words, it comes off a little phony. Last week's performance was good, but she's going to have to really work to draw people in.

7. Andrew Garcia. Andrew would have been a shoo-in for the top 3 if he could have kept doing things like his Paula Abdul cover. But as the judges said, he seems to have peaked too soon, and he's starting to seem like a one-trick pony. He has potential, but he's going to need to find a new gimmick.

6. Didi Benami. You know, she's pretty and she's likable, but her vocals aren't great. She's had several uneven performances. I think she's got the potential to improve, but I haven't been wowed so far. I think she'll hang around for a while based on her likability, but I can't see her winning.

5. Michael Lynch. Okay, his rendition of "This Woman's Work" was crazy good, and he's definitely an interesting character. I'm just not totally convinced he can keep things interesting from week to week. He's talented and likable, but I fear we'll get bored with him at some point.

4. Crystal Bowersox. She's unquestionably talented, but you get the feeling that she's just performing exactly what she's performed in coffee houses for the last ten years. She's all but admitted that she's selling out for the money. She carries an attitude that she's too good for this show, and I think that'll cost her eventually.

3. Casey James. Let's face it: he's here based on his looks. But he's inoffensive and he's not a bad singer. He'll coast through a long way before the voters eventually realize there's not much substance behind the face.

2. Siobhan Magnus. Yep, she's weird. It's almost like she's got Asperger's syndrome or something; she's seems so disconnected. But I think she clearly has the best voice out of everyone, and she deserves to be recognized for that.

1. Lee Dewyze. You might be thinking, "Wha?" He's not very flashy or memorable. But he sounds exactly like the kind of guys you hear on the radio nowadays. He's current and consistent; you won't hear him butchering some 1940s standard. It's his mainstream appeal that makes him the favorite right now.

Now, that isn't how I want things to play out. I'd love to see Lacey take a chance and end up flooring everyone with some breakout performance. I'd love to see Andrew find a new gimmick. It'd be great if Siobhan seemed more in touch with reality. And it'd be fantastic if Michael wowed us week after week with alternative music. But it's mainstream America that decides these things, and there's a limit as to how far contestants can stray from the tried and true formulas.

Top 12 competition starts tomorrow.

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Posted by Ken in: music, television

Today's Frozen Meal: Healthy Choice Grilled Basil Chicken

Monday, 2010 March 15 - 1:53 pm

"Chicken Tenderloins with Linguini & Vegetables in Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Sauce."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Recipe Chicken Pizza

Wednesday, 2010 March 10 - 1:23 pm

Not barbecue, but "BBQ recipe". I guess they want to completely eliminate the possibility of being sued because this wasn't cooked on a barbecue grill. "Pizza topped with BBQ Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, Smoked Gouda Cheese, Red Onions, and Cilantro." (Wow, a serial comma!)

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: Healthy Choice Salisbury Steak

Tuesday, 2010 March 9 - 2:48 pm

"Salisbury Steak in Sautéed Onion Gravy, Green Beans, Red Skin Potatoes & Caramel Apple Multigrain Crisp".

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pepperoni (Pizza)

Friday, 2010 March 5 - 3:23 pm

"Pepperoni, mozzarella cheese & marinara sauce on a thin crust." It's pizza-like, but interestingly, the box doesn't have the word "pizza" anywhere on it. 200 calories per portion, but there are two portions in the box. Sneaky.

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Posted by Ken in: food

Wednesday's Frozen Meal: DiGiorno Supreme Pizza For One

Friday, 2010 March 5 - 11:18 am

Geez, I'm falling behind. "Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, red peppers, onions; sausage & pepperoni made with pork, chicken, and beef."

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Posted by Ken in: food

Yesterday's Frozen Meal: Anne's Italian Turkey Sausage with Cannellini Beans

Wednesday, 2010 March 3 - 9:42 am

"Gourmet Frozen Meals Made with Lots of Love." If you haven't guessed, this isn't a store-bought meal: this was made by Anne, who is awesome in every way. (If it were made by Con-Agra, it would say "... Made with Lots of Love, Broccoli & Apple Multi-Grain Crisp.")

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Posted by Ken in: food

Today's Frozen Meal: Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken

Monday, 2010 March 1 - 1:06 pm

"Chicken Breast with Sweet & Sour Sauce; Roasted Green Beans & Yellow Peppers with Edamame; Kashi 7 Whole Grains & Sesame Pilaf."

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Posted by Ken in: food

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