Deep Ellum Festival

On a glorious sunny Saturday, I was able to attend the Deep Ellum Arts Festival for the second year in a row. Since I had eaten before the festival, I was able to resist the giant corn dogs, the lamb and chicken pitas, the funnel cake and the roasted peanuts. To be honest, I did have a giant, sickeningly sweet strawberry lemonade and a fruit smoothie, but I’ll blame my indulgence on the heat.

I was excited to see my favorite artist from last year was a returning vendor. I stopped by his booth and many, more… Maybe too many. The festival offers treats for fans of almost all artistic genres. There were jewelers, sculptors, painters, herbal bath salts and soap makers, etc. I managed to resist my purchasing urges and leave with only a few items…

Okay, I left with a number of vendor cards as well, but follow-up purchases don’t count, right? For those of you who are not interested in the artists or their wares, more than 75 musicians were on hand to entertain the masses. SkyTram founders were excited to find numerous artists that will be gracing our Skanoramic Muse section in the upcoming weeks.

Deep Ellum is always a place to visit fun, hip stores and restaurants and once again showed why it’s the perfect venue for an arts/music festival.

American Idol: Meaningful or Just Plain Mean?

American Idol has given us a plethora of talent throughout its tenure. Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Rube Studdard and, of course, Carrie Underwood. In the past, fans knew that Simon Cowell will be a jerk, Rand Jackson will say "Yo" and "Dog" way too many times and that good ol’ Paula will be there to encourage the contestants and have something nice to say, now matter how terrible the performance.

When AI announced that Paula would not be returning this season, we didn’t’ know what to expect. When auditions began, guest judges took Paula’s place and previewed what the void that couldn’t be filled. Victoria Beckham was boring, Mary J. Blige was especially mean and Avrile Lavigne in her devil hoodie was just plain scary. Other than Shania Twain and Neil Patrick Harris, the guest judges seemed to bring down the level of respect contestants received and reduce the other judges to juvenile antics.

I know that the talent is often terrible, and that horrific performances spell ratings gold. But this season it was evident that the judges didn’t have rhyme or reason to the people they advanced. Good people were passed over, while people with personality but no talent went to Hollywood.

When we finally reached the Hollywood round, Ellen DeGeneres made her first appearance as the new judge. I’m hoping that it was simply bad editing… but her first night on the show, she was a sour-puss, not very nice to the contestants and her jokes fell flat.

Night two wasn’t much better. The talent was subpar and there are no early front runners. In the past, the show focused on the gifted singers. Those with awful voices were sprinkled throughout the auditions, but this season, they were the main focus. Group night is always stressful, but you can’t blame an individual for a poor group performance. Contestants that judges praised in the individuals competition were callously eliminated after group performances, like Matt Lawrence from the Orlando auditions. I want fan favorites and I want talent. The drama seemed to emanate from the contestants and carry over to the judges. I’m hoping that Ellen cheers up a bit and warms up to the contestants.

Paula was the heart of AI, and without her, the judges seem exceptionally cold.

Top Three Reasons Conan Should Switch Networks

1. We miss the old Conan! Remember when Conan used to be laugh-out-loud funny. I miss his face morphs and political incorrectness. Moving to an earlier time has curbed his humor and restricted his range of “acceptable” material.

2. Know/Go where you’re appreciated. NBC’s behavior has been deplorable. They have not supported Conan and hindered his changces of success from the get-go. Airing Leno before Conan was a no confidence vote from day one.

3. Mainstream Madness. Conan has never been for the mainstream audience. Conan helped secure his comedic footing as a writer for The Simpsons on Fox. Fox has already stated their love for the experienced late-night host. A move to a different network may be just what he needs to return to his former glory.

Signs of Successful Future! Conan has been fearless in his monologues lately. He’s not afraid to poke fun at NBC and has done it with integrity. He knows that he’s been mistreated and his jabs are poignant and hilarious. As Conan returns to his humorous heyday, he should be on a station that deserves to reap the rewards.

The SkySpin On Sports: Why The Redksins Will Fail in 2010

A few weeks after The Washington Redskins ended their season with a woeful (4-12), Owner Daniel Synder awarded GM Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan to lucrative contracts. It's the old adadge, if you don't understand your past history, you're going to repeat the same mistakes. It's my opinion that Synder will commit the same errors in 2010.

If you overpay for coaching, you are doomed to fail. Former Denver Head Coach Mike Shannahan may have earned two Super Bowl Rings, but what has he really accomplished since his retirement. His disappointing playoff record is well documented and he has spotty results. What has the man won since John Elway retired?? In terms of his coaching ability, Shanahan achieved only mixed results with Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler at quarterback. Congratulations, you have just a paid 10 million dollars for head coach with marginal talent evaluating experience (e.g. Maurice Clarett).

Daniel Snyder fails to understand that you must build through the draft-not overpay for acrimonious players with egos (you know who you are-Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth). If Shanahan and Bruce Allen are going to improve the Redskins, they are going to have to build through the NFL draft. Perhaps, The "Deadskins" will have to cut Portis and say goodbye to the much maligned Jason Campell. There offensive line has been decimated with injuries and are starting to get a bit long in the tooth. If they can draft a quarterback with a Colt McCoy type quarterback with the fourth pick in the nfl draft, sign Anquan Boldin away from Arizona and commit to Quinton Ganthers for one season as their starting tailback...they may have a chance.

It's time for Daniel Synder back away and commit to drafting talent and not trading picks for aging, overpriced players. In March, we will have a better barometer on the Redskins off-season plans. Until then, its time to stop evaluating players on statistics alone and start acquiring talent with heart and a commitment to team goals.

The New Year's Blow-Out Mixtape

If you have read our top albums, singles and remixes from 2009 on SkyTram, here is an additional list of great electro-pop tuneage that you should have on your 2010 mixtape.

New Year's Blow-out Special: 2010 Mixtape

1. Passion Pit – Little Secrets (Felix Da Housecat Remix)
2. The Infadels – Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)
3. Cheryl Cole – 3 Words (Lohman Brothers Remix)
4. Penguin, Penguins – Animals (Kissy Klub Version)
5. The Streets – Blinded By The Lights (Tristan D & Daz Bailey Remix)
6. La Roux – Quicksand (Alex Metric Remix)
7. Little Boots – Earthquake (Sasha Remix)
8. Fenech Soler – Lies (Alex Metric Remix)
9. Miike Snow – Black & Blue (Jaymo & Andy Remix)
10. Grum – Heart Beats
11. Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence (Lee Haslam Remix)
12. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – Dance The Way I Feel (AVH Remix)
13. La Roux – In For The Kill (Skreams Remix)
14. Jack Penate – Pull My Heart Away (From The Beach Remix)
15. Florence & The Machine – Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)