Quote of the Week [1/31/12]: Walt Disney

(Image courtesy of NASA)

I love coming across fantastic, inspiring, moving, funny and other quotes that stand out to me. So I thought I'd share various quotes in the weeks to come that I've come across. My idea is to share one a week here on this blog.

Here is this week's Quote of the Week:

All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.

--Walt Disney

I love this quote. And it's very reflective of what the one and only Walt Disney has been able to accomplish himself. The thing is, I've been in the thick of it during a difficult time when I was trying to make my own dream come true of becoming a teacher. I hit some roadblocks, and I ended up changing majors in college. I spent almost my whole life trying to pursue this dream.

Recommendations of the Week [1/29/12]: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Glee & More

(Image courtesy of Yellow Bird)

It's time for another of my Recommendations of the Week. These recommendations can be something that happened in the past week that I read, watched, participated in, etc., or something coming up in the following week. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments section below.

Jeff Dodge's Recommendations of the Week [January 29]:

Movies:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Foreign Film-Sweden)

A couple of weeks ago, I recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the original, Swedish version. They captured that book extremely well, and I had a blast watching it. And it was only the second ever movie I've seen where I've had to read the English subtitles throughout (the first for me was The Passion of the Christ).

American Idol 11 Week 2: The Best from San Diego / Aspen / Galveston Auditions

(Image courtesy of FOX)

As I mentioned last week, I will not be extensively covering American Idol until the live shows begin. But I won't be silent in the meantime. Each week, I will provide a list on this blog of my favorites from each audition city.

American Idol 11: San Diego Auditions
Air Date: Sunday, January 22, 2012 [10-11pm ET/7-8pm PT]

Audition City: San Diego, CA (aboard aircraft carrier USS Midway)

*Ashley Robles - "I Will Always Love You"
  She has a 5-year-old daughter, and is a DJ at night.

53 went through to Hollywood.


American Idol 11: Aspen Auditions
Air Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 [8-9pm]

Audition City: Aspen, CO

No one stood out in this episode.

31 went through to Hollywood.


American Idol 11: Galveston Auditions
Air Date: Thursday, January 26, 2012 [8-9pm]

Audition City: Galveston, TX

Skylar Laine
  Country voice

Baylie Brown
  She auditioned back in season 6.

Kristine Osorio
  She is in the middle of divorcing; now a single mother.

54 went through to Hollywood.

Tomorrow (Sunday, January 29), my latest Recommendations of the Week will be online.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Photo of the Week [1/25/12]: A Snowman Among Snow

As you could see from last week's photos, these photos and videos I feature might not always be ones I found online; they may also be ones I have taken myself. This week's Photo of the Week is a snowman a few of us built recently. Last week, the Pacific Northwest was pounded by a major snowstorm; I live in the area and we were definitely hit hard.

While out in the snow, I decided to build a snowman, and others helped me finish it. I didn't know that snowmen could grow hair, did you? You can't tell in the photo, but the hat he's wearing says Alaska on it, so I guess our snowman traveled all the way from Alaska, where I'm sure the temperature suited him.

(Image courtesy of Jeff Dodge)

The other night, it rained while we all were asleep and much of the snow melted. Yesterday, I looked out the window again and there's no snow left in that area; only sticks, rocks and a carrot remain. With the rising temperatures as well as the rain, our beloved snowman passed away.

If there's a fantastic photo or video you've taken or seen recently, sent it to me via Twitter or e-mail, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge; I tweet various thoughts and opinions there.

Quote of the Week [1/24/12]: Lady Gaga

(Image courtesy of talktomegaga)

This week's Quote of the Week was submitted by @FunkyMrG on Twitter. By the way, he runs the great entertainment website, The BizzNiz. I recommend you check it out.

"Don't tell me the Sky is the limit when there are footprints on the Moon."

--Lady Gaga

Here is what @FunkyMrG said about this quote: "It allows people to believe that just when they think they can't go further, they see something else in the distance to strive for! Keep going, work for what you believe in, fight to make the dreams you have a reality and have the faith in your ability to do it!"

This above quote has been said in different variations by others before, but it's great to hear Lady Gaga say it, don't you think?

What do you think of this quote? What does it mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

You might have heard that the Northwest was pounded by a snowstorm last week. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so tomorrow's Photo of the Week will feature a photo I took of a snowman a few of us built. As a tease - I didn't know snowmen could grow hair.

If there's a great quote, photo or video you've come across, send it to me via Twitter, e-mail or in the comments below, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. Anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated).

Recommendations of the Week [1/22/12]: Smash, Alcatraz & More

(Image courtesy of NBC)

Wow! This week went by fast, at least to me. Did it for you? And based on traffic to the blog, you enjoyed reading the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote and the Alcatraz prison photos that I took 10 years ago.

It's Sunday, so it's time for another of my Recommendations of the Week. These recommendations could be something that happened in the past week that I read, watched, participated in, etc., or something coming up in the following week. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments section below.

Jeff Dodge's Recommendations of the Week [January 22]:

TV Shows:
Smash (Pilot Available on iTunes & On Demand Now; Premieres February 6, 10-11pm, NBC)
Alcatraz (Mondays, 9-10pm, FOX)

Starting this past Monday, the pilot for Smash became available to view on iTunes, Comcast On Demand and other outlets as well. I watched the pilot and immediately fell in love with this show. Forget February 6 when the show makes its primetime debut; I'm looking forward to February 13 for episode 2! There's been so much promotion so far, so I can't fathom how you wouldn't know what this show is about. But just in case you haven't, Smash is about putting on a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe, going from conception and casting to rehearsals and eventually to finally performing it for the public.

Smash has an extremely strong cast, including Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston. I won't give a line by line account of each plot point because the show hasn't aired on TV yet. But this is what I will say. I know I've only seen one episode, but if this pilot is anything to go by, I love that they're not relying on the music too much, as Glee has unfortunately progressed to over the past couple years. Granted, Glee did start out as a character and story driven show. But anyways, the songs that were included were placed in just the right moments and weren't forced or out of place. Since the show is about putting on a musical, they placed the songs in the areas where they should be, such as during auditions or rehearsals. And that final number performed by McPhee and Hilty was exceptional; I was blown away by the song, the voices, production level and editing. Some TV critic online (I can't recall who it was) has seen episode 2 and said the continuation of this story doesn't disappoint at all. Can't wait!

I've already seen the pilot twice now, once by myself and once with my parents. And I don't think I'll be able to resist watching it again on February 6.

And by the way, starting on January 23, Smash will be available to view on NBC.com and Hulu.

Now onto Alcatraz, the new J.J. Abrams show that debuted this past Monday. I came into this show with both excitement and trepidation. Excitement because it's J.J. Abrams combined with Alcatraz - should be a winning combo. Trepidation because I was worried that it would become too much like any other crime show, like Grimm did. After watching the 2-hour premiere, I did come out of it with excitement. Based on just pilots, Smash was probably better. There are areas where Alcatraz could improve. But the parts that excited me are what's making me want to continue watching. There were some shocking revelations and other things that came out of nowhere that just blew me away (including the second Alcatraz prison). If the show can continue doing that sort of thing, I might be in it for the long haul.

During some of the scenes where we could see familiar parts of Alcatraz, I got excited because I've been there in person as a tourist (have you seen the pictures I posted last week yet?). It was cool to see the outside of the Administrative Building since that's one of the pictures I took.

Music:
Kellie Pickler: 100 Proof (In Stores January 24)

If her previous two records are any indication, this new one, 100 Proof, is going to be just as fabulous. I've heard two songs so far from the album, "Unlock That Honky Tonk" and "Tough." Both fit Kellie Pickler's voice extremely well. Kellie seems to get more attention for her quirky personality, but when it comes down to it, she has one of the best voices in country music, I believe. She didn't have the best voice when she was on American Idol season 5, but she's been able to bounce back and truly grow as an artist in her career. I'm looking forward to 100 Proof, and I hope you are, too.

Politics:
State of the Union Address (Live this Tuesday night, 8pm ET/5pm PT)

Every year, the President of the United States speaks before a joint session of Congress for the State of the Union address. Last year's was an interesting one, with the Republicans and Democrats sitting with members of the opposite party instead of separately to show a sense of unity after Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in Tucson. Unfortunately, in the year since, things are back to normal with partisan gridlock. And now that we're in the middle of an election cycle, this year's could be interesting as well.

Website:
TV Watch Online (@TVWatchOnline)
Bieber Guy (@Bieber_Guy)
BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge Blog:
Recommendations of the Week [January 15]
Quote of the Week: Martin Luther King, Jr. [January 17]
Photos of the Week: Alcatraz Prison [January 18]
American Idol 11 Premiere: The Best from Savannah/Pittsburgh Auditions

TV Watch Online BLOG:
Golden Globes 2012: My Predictions vs. Winners

Bieber Guy:
Review: My Worlds Acoustic

BuddyTV (Articles I've Written):
'Glee' to Go Jive Talkin' with Bee Gees Tribute
Exclusive Interview: 'White Collar's Marsha Thomason on the FBI, Cable TV and 'Lost'
'Glee' Casts Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Rachel's Dads
Exclusive Interview: 'Royal Pains' Reshma Shetty on Season 3, Her Medical Background and Learning
'Survivor: One World': First Impression Awards

#1 Recommendation: Smash

Tomorrow (Monday, January 23), my next Bieber Guy review will be online over at my Bieber Guy blog. This week's review will go more in-depth with the single from Justin Bieber's My Worlds Acoustic, "Pray."

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

American Idol 11 Premiere: The Best from Savannah/Pittsburgh Auditions

(Image courtesy of FOX)

If you have followed me before over at the TV Watch Online BLOG, you will know that every year I do Idol-Talk, where I give my commentary on every episode of American Idol. And I have done this with America's Got Talent as well. Over the course of last summer and fall, I did the same thing for both America's Got Talent and The X Factor, but this time over at the former OMGWire.com.

Now that American Idol has started up again, I'm back. But this time, things will be different. I am thoroughly exhausted from covering these talent shows all year long last year. American Idol from mid-January to the end of May. A week later, America's Got Talent starts up and runs through mid-September. A week after that, The X Factor begins and runs through into December. This past month has been the only month that I've had off from doing these recaps/reviews.

I'm being serious when I say I was exhausted once X Factor ended; I enjoyed the show, but it wore me out. And when American Idol was almost here again, I'm being truthful when I say I wasn't really looking forward to it. But once I started watching the premiere this week, we were barely into the first hour and I was hooked right back in. They know how to get you, don't they?

I've never really enjoyed recapping the early episodes because it's hard to write down everything when many of the auditions go by so fast. That's why I prefer the live rounds when I can take my time and write some comments after each performance during the commercial break.

So that's what I'm gong to do. I will not be doing my full-blown Idol recaps/reviews until the live shows start up. But that doesn't mean I won't be sharing my thoughts on these auditions. No, no, no. On this blog, I will be taking a little bit of time each week to sharing a list of my favorites and the best singers from the auditions. So here they are...

American Idol 11 Premiere: Savannah Auditions
Air Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 [8-10pm]

Audition City: Savannah, GA

David Leathers, Jr. (17) - "Remember the Rain" / "Never Can Say Goodbye"
  He looks 13, and has a higher pitch voice reminiscent of a young Michael Jackson.

Elise Testone
  She has an old-soul sound, though her audition went by a little too fast.

Amy Brumfeld - "Super Woman"
  She lives in a tent in the woods.

Stephanie Renae - Carrie Underwood's "Inside Your Heaven"
  She reminds me of both Carrie Underwood and Lauren Alaina. She does need to open her mouth more when singing, though.

*Schyler Dixon
Colton Dixon - David Cook's "Permanent"
  Brother/Sister. They both auditioned last year. This time around, only she is auditioning, but he is there to support her. After she auditions, the judges ask Colton to audition. She's got something in her voice I like; he's got a good voice, too. The judges majorly broke the rules because he didn't register; he should be automatically disqualified. Unless the producers set this whole thing up; if so, it sounds more like something Simon Cowell would do on The X Factor.

42 went through to Hollywood.


American Idol 11: Pittsburgh Auditions
Air Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012 [8-9pm]

Audition City: Pittsburgh, PA

Creighton Fraker
  I'm really intrigued by him, but I don't know what to think either way.

Erika Van Pelt
  She sings at weddings.

Hallie Day - "I Will Survive"
  When younger, she attempted suicide.

38 went through to Hollywood.

These Idol posts won't be as long in the future. I just had to set everything up for what's to come. And by the way, once I start doing my regular Idol recaps/reviews, I might be doing them not on the T.W.O. BLOG or here, but on a different website - more details to follow.

Tomorrow (Sunday, January 22), my latest Recommendations of the Week will be online.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Photos of the Week: Alcatraz Prison [January 18]

Last week, I debuted my weekly Photo/Video of the Week segment when I showed a YouTube video of a cat pushing another cat down an opening in the floor. This week, I want to share some photos.

Two days ago, FOX premiered their brand-new J.J. Abrams created TV show, Alcatraz. I was able to squeeze in time to watch the premiere yesterday. I think I might give my thoughts on it in a different post coming soon, but I think it definitely has a lot of potential to be a great show. There were some things I really loved, and some things they could work on. But regardless, this is a show that I've been anticipating for months now. And there's a big reason why, besides the fact that it's created by the genius that is J.J. Abrams.

I went to San Francisco about 10 years ago when I was younger. I took a bunch of pictures all over the city, as well as when we went to visit Alcatraz prison. Ever since going there, I've always had this fascination with Alcatraz; I don't know what it is about it, but it interests me. Since it's been turned into a TV Show and it just debuted this week, I thought I would share with you all some of the pictures I took when I went there, to give you a sense of what it's been like since closing down and being used as a tourist destination.

Alcatraz Prison, Spring 2002:

(All images courtesy of Jeff Dodge)

Arriving on the island

Water Tower (seen in Alcatraz Premiere)

Warden's House

Administrative Building (seen in Alcatraz Premiere)

"Alcatraz and the American Prison Experience"

Rows and rows of prison cells

Looking inside one of the prison cells

Some of the things in the above photos may seen familiar to those of you who watched the Alcatraz premiere, such as the Administrative Building seen within the first two minutes of the show and the water tower briefly shown.

Have you ever been to see Alcatraz prison in person? If so, what'd you think of it? And did you watch the series premiere of FOX's Alcatraz? Will you keep tuning in every week?

Alcatraz airs Monday nights at 9pm on FOX.

If there's a fantastic photo or video that you've taken or seen lately, send it to me via Twitter or e-mail, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. Anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Quote of the Week: Martin Luther King, Jr. [January 17]

(Image courtesy of Library of Congress)

I love coming across fantastic, inspiring, moving, funny and other quotes that stand out to me. So I thought I'd share various quotes that I've come across in the weeks to come. My idea is to share one a week here on this blog.

But this week will be a little different. It's still a quote, or rather, a few quotes. But they are quotes from a speech that we've heard for years. On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Today's quotes are from his most famous speech, "I Have a Dream."

Here is this week's Quote of the Week:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

---

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

---

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I think we need to listen to these words carefully, because they still hold true today. We still need to let freedom ring, we still need to make sure that everyone is created equally, people need to be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin or their religion or their sexual orientation or anything else. These most basic of issues that Dr. King preached back then are still coming up today, and we need to do something about it.

What do you make of these quotes and this speech? And how do you think Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message still resonates today? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tomorrow's Photo of the Week will feature photos that I took quite a few years ago when I visited San Francisco; the photos will be of Alcatraz prison. This is to celebrate the series premiere of the new FOX show, Alcatraz, which debuted this Monday.

If there's a great quote, photo or video you've come across, send it to me via Twitter, e-mail or in the comments below, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. Anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Recommendations of the Week [January 15]

(Image courtesy of Yellow Bird)

Hello everyone! I've made it through the second week of my new blog here. I hope you've been enjoying what I've put up this week, like my favorite quote of all time by Nelson Mandela and the YouTube video of a cat pushing another cat down an opening in the floor.

So since it's the start of another week, it's time for another installment of my Recommendations of the Week. These recommendations could be something that happened in the past week that I read, watched, participated in, etc. or something coming up in the following week. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments section below; I would love to read what you have to say.

Jeff Dodge's Recommendations of the Week [January 15]:

Movies:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Foreign Film-Sweden)

I read the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson last summer/fall. The first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, became my favorite book I read in 2011. Over the previous year or so before then, I kept hearing about these books and seeing them on the bestsellers lists. Since an American film version was going to come out at the end of that year, I decided to read the books to gear up for the movie. And before I started reading them, I also found out there were Swedish films made out of the books (if you aren't already aware, the author was Swedish and the books first came out over there).

I wanted to go through this process the right way, so I first read the books, then I was going to watch the Swedish films, and then finally the American one. Yesterday, I finally saw the Swedish film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, English subtitles and all. And I really enjoyed it. I believe this is only the second film I've seen where I've had to read subtitles because it's in a foreign language (the first was The Passion of the Christ). Since I've read the book and loved it, I could easily nitpick certain things with the translation from book to screen, such as the climax. That scene didn't feel long enough; I would've sworn there was more to it in the book. But I was able to just really enjoy it as a film. The cast all did a great job, including Noomi Rapace as the titular character, Lisbeth Salander; she looked a little older than she's supposed to be, but that didn't bother me that much because Noomi was able to really capture the spirit of what Lisbeth is all about.

In the next couple of weeks or so, I will be watching the remaining films, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And when it comes out on DVD, I will be sure to watch the American version of the first book. I'm interested to see how Rooney Mara interprets Lisbeth. I've seen the trailers and some images for this version, so I'm really looking forward to it. And I discovered recently that extended versions of these Swedish films came out, so I might have to catch up on those some time as well.

TV Shows:
Golden Globe Awards (Tonight, 8pm ET/5pm PT, NBC)
Smash Pilot (Monday, Comcast On Demand)
Betty White's 90th Birthday (Monday, 8-9:30pm, NBC)
Alcatraz Series Premiere (Monday, 8-10pm, FOX)
American Idol Premiere (Wednesday, 8-10pm, FOX)

There's a lot of good TV coming up this week. First, we've got the Golden Globe Awards tonight. If you haven't yet, click HERE to check out my predictions. Tomorrow night, NBC will also be airing a special celebrating Betty White's 90th Birthday. I absolutely love her, don't you? I can't imagine anyone not loving her, am I right? I will be tuning in to that special, for sure.

Then there's Smash! I've been anticipating this show for months and months now, ever since it was announced way back when that American Idol's Katharine McPhee had been cast in the starring role on some new musical show. Smash follows the journey of bringing a Broadway show about the life of Marilyn Monroe to life, from conception and casting to performing for the public. Besides Kat, there are other excellent casting choices, including Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston.

Smash doesn't officially make its primetime network debut until September 5 (or, the day after the Super Bowl, as NBC has been promoting it), but we can watch it early on Comcast On Demand beginning January 16. There will be other ways to view it earlier starting January 23. Over the past several weeks, I've been watching all the promos, previews and featurettes for Smash, and I can't stand it anymore; I need to see this show! And if Smash lives up to its hype, don't be surprised to see it again on a future Recommendations of the Week.

Wow, there's a lot going on on Monday. Besides Betty White's special and the early look at Smash, Monday night will also see the series premiere of J.J. Abrams' brand-new show, Alcatraz. Besides Smash, this is another show that I've been anticipating for months now. In recent weeks, there have been various previews released. And I've been able to get a sense for what the show might be like. I do have a little worry for this show, though. I worry that the crime show aspect of it may overwhelm it and it will have a feel like any other crime show (even though it involves Alcatraz). I mean, look at Grimm. That show had a fairy tale aspect, but it was still bogged down by feeling just like any other crime show, which turned me off. J.J. Abrams is a genius. After Alias, Lost and Super 8, I still have faith in him, though.

I went to San Francisco years ago when I was younger. I took a bunch of pictures when we went to visit Alcatraz prison. Ever since going there, I've always had this fascinating with Alcatraz; I don't know what it is about it, but it interests me. That's another reason why I want to watch this new show. Speaking of the pictures I took, I'm hoping to put some of those pictures up on the blog here for this week's Picture of the Week. Stay tuned for that.

Then on Wednesday night, it's the return of the #1 show on TV, American Idol - the show that I watch religiously. After The X Factor aired this past fall, I am a little worn out from these shows, but I'm still looking forward to coming back to the show that started it all. I just hope that it's not the "beautiful" and "in it to win it" show of last year and that Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are able to be more tough on the contestants and not be like the coaches on The Voice.

Politics:
South Carolina Primary

If you're a political news junkie like I am, then it's a great time to be following all the latest political news. Two states have already voted, and now it's time to focus on South Carolina, who votes on Saturday.

Websites:
TV Watch Online (@TVWatchOnline)
Bieber Guy (@Bieber_Guy)
BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge Blog:
Recommendations of the Week [January 8]
Quote of the Week [January 10]
Video of the Week [January 11]
Jeff Dodge's 201 Golden Globe Predictions

TV Watch Online BLOG:
T.W.O: Golden Globes 2012 Predictions

Bieber Guy:
Review: Book - First Step 2 Forever

BuddyTV (Articles I've Written):
It's Official: No 'Glee' Spin-Off, Graduating Seniors to Stay
'Glee' Casting Rumor: Sebastian to be Series Regular in Season 4?
*Exclusive Interview: India de Beaufort Talks Playing a Villain and Fashion on 'Jane by Design'
*Exclusive Interview: Dillon Casey Talks Loyalty and Romance 'Nikita'
     *BTW-I actually did interview the above actor and actress, and I'll have more coming up soon.

#1 Recommendation: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish Version)

Tomorrow (Monday, January 16), my next Bieber Guy review will be online over at my Bieber Guy blog. This week's review will cover Justin Bieber's My Worlds Acoustic.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. And anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's been updated). And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Jeff Dodge's 2012 Golden Globe Predictions

(Image courtesy of MTV)

Whenever the Emmys, Golden Globes and Oscars come around, I always make my predictions for who will win over at TV Watch Online. With the 2012 Golden Globe Awards coming up Sunday night (8pm ET/5pm PT, NBC), I have now posted my predictions online. Click HERE or the link below to check them all out.

JEFF DODGE'S 2012 GOLDEN GLOBE PREDICTIONS

Who do you think should win? Does it conflict with who you believe will actually believe? Share your own predictions in the comments below.

Video of the Week [January 11]

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I want to share various quotes, photos and videos on this blog whenever I come across something that stands out to me. Yesterday, I shared my first Quote of the Week, a Nelson Mandela quote about education, which is my favorite quote of all time. Today, I will feature the first Video of the Week.

A TV show I was watching last week showed this YouTube video of a cat pushing another cat down  an opening. It's very short, but extremely hilarious. Here is this week's Video of the Week:

What'd you think of this video? What do you think was going through that cat's head to think he should push the other one down?

If there's a funny or other stand-out photo or video that you've seen lately, send it to me via Twitter, e-mail or in the comments below, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. Anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Quote of the Week [January 10]

(Image courtesy of South Africa The Good News)

I love coming across fantastic, inspiring, moving, funny and other quotes that stand out to me. So I thought I'd share various quotes that I've come across in the weeks to come. My idea was to share one a week here on this blog (once in a while, I might switch out a quote for a Tweet of the Week if there's a certain tweet that stands out to me).

Here's this week's Quote of the Week:

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to to change the world."

--Nelson Mandela

I fist came across this quote back in my Junior or Senior year of high school. Our history teacher had us go around the room, read the various quotes on the posters and other papers hanging on the walls, and pick a quote to write about. I picked the above quote. And ever since that day, this quote has stuck in my mind.

At the time, I was planning on becoming a teacher after high school and college. I did begin majoring in Elementary Education for a while in college, but it never ended up working out for me. And while it still pains me sometimes to think about what could have been, I think in the end, everything worked out the way it should have. I ended up graduating with an English degree and now I'm a freelance writer and editor.

And even though I'm no longer going down that teaching path, the above quote is still my favorite quote ever because it's so very much true. Look at our education system right now. Look at what it takes now to get a good job in our country. Look at the gap between the rich and poor. It's everything. It all comes back to education. An education can do wonders.

What does an education mean to you? What do you think receiving a strong, quality education can do for our next generation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, January 11) will be my first first Photo/Video of the Week. It will be just like today's Quote of the Week. I will share either a photo or a video that I've come across lately and want to share with you all. Some TV show was playing a YouTube video last week, and I just loved what happened in the video so much that I knew right away what my first Video of the Week was going to be.

If there's a great quote, photo or video you've come across, send it to me via Twitter, e-mail or in the comments below, and I might share it on this blog.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. Anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Recommendations of the Week [January 8]

(Image courtesy of 20th Century FOX)

Well, I've gotten through the first week of this new blog. I hope you have enjoyed all of the flashback writing pieces that I featured over the past several days, from my Harry Potter essay and X Factor On The Scene Report to my interviews with Kaleb Nation and Mahsa, and everything else.

What I would like to do on Sundays is to provide my Recommendations of the Week. These recommendations could be something that happened in the past week that I read, watched, participated in, etc. or something coming up in the following week. And feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments section below; I would love to read what you have to say.

Jeff Dodge's Recommendations of the Week [January 8]:

Movies:
Super 8
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I watched these two films recently. I loved the vintage 70's feel to Super 8, and paying homage to Steven Spielberg (reminiscent of E.T.). The chemistry between the kids was perfect; it didn't feel forced or out of place. The train crash was one of the best disaster moments in a movie I've ever seen.

And with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. The motion capture animation was beautifully rendered. I'm very picky on what movies I'd be willing to shell out money to buy, but I could see myself buying this movie. And I hope Andy Serkis gets the attention he deserves at the Oscars. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if this film wins for Best Visual Effects (though I would also want Harry Potter to win as well).

TV Shows:
Once Upon a Time (Sundays, 8-9pm, ABC)
Fear Factor (Mondays, 9-10pm, NBC)
Mobbed (Wednesdays, 9-10pm, FOX)

I've been watching Once Upon a Time; it is one of my favorite new shows on TV right now during this 2011-2012 season (along with American Horror Story). I was a fan of Fear Factor when it originally was on the air way back when. And I've been watching every episodes of its return; the gross moments are so gross that it's hard to turn my head away from it.

I'm a fan of Howie Mandel, so I've been watching every episode of Mobbed. I don't know how it's been doing in the ratings, but this is one of the best shows on TV right now. There's so much suspense near the end when we don't know how the invited person is going to react. One recent episode had a guy who has been in an online relationship with a girl for about five years confront her in person about starting a face-to-face relationship. If you're a fan of Howie Mandel, music, dance, drama, reality TV, this is the show for you.

TV/Politics:
New Hampshire Primary

If you're a political news junkie like I am, then it's a great time to be following all the latest political news. After the extremely close results in the Iowa caucus, it's time to focus on New Hampshire, when this state's primary will be held on Tuesday.

Websites:
TV Watch Online (@TVWatchOnline)
Bieber Guy (@Bieber_Guy)
BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge Blog:
Welcome to my BLOG!
2012: What I'm Looking Forward to This Year
Interview with Author Kaleb Nation
Interview with The Apprentice's Mahsa
Jennifer Lawrence - From Winter's Bone to The Hunger Games
The X Factor Seattle Auditions - On The Scene Report
Why I Refuse to Say Goodbye to Harry Potter

BuddyTV (Articles I've Written):
'Necessary Roughness' Season 2 Preview Guide: After the Boom
'Grey's Anatomy': Never Can Say Goodbye
'Grey's Anatomy': With or Without You, Mer-Der
'Grey's Anatomy': Will Pompeo and Dempsey Be Movin' On Up?

#1 Recommendation: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Tomorrow (Monday, January 9), my next Bieber Guy review will be up over at my Bieber Guy Blog. This week, I will be reviewing Justin Bieber's book, First Step 2 Forever.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. And anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Today's Feature: Why I Refuse to Say Goodbye to Harry Potter

(Image courtesy of Daily Mail)

Today is Day 5 of featuring either a writing piece or something I have participated in from the past couple of years (and originally posted on either the T.W.O. BLOG or OMGWire). Yesterday, I featured my On The Scene report from attending one of the Seattle audition tapings for The X Factor. I hope you enjoyed getting the inside scoop on that, as well as the pictures.

Today is the final day for this feature as part of Launch Week. Last summer, the final Harry Potter movie was released. And after I saw that final movie for the first time, I started writing down my thoughts on it all ending. I put it aside for quite a while. But when the DVD was released a couple of months ago, I thought it would be the perfect time to share it online. The below essay was originally posted on OMGWire.

Until Next Time...
Or, Why I Refuse to Say Goodbye to Harry Potter
By Jeff Dodge

I didn't want to write this. I really didn't. It's been about four months now since the final Harry Potter movie came out, and I may have been in denial. In denial that the end was here and it's passed by me in a flash. I didn't want to write this, because I didn't want to say goodbye.

I first met Harry Potter in 1999. I was 11, the same age Harry was when he received his letter to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I never received mine, but I got so much more than just a mere letter. On Christmas Eve of that year, I received the first three books as a Christmas gift from my step-grandma. I had never heard of this series before, but thanked her because she knew I loved to read. Little did she (or I) know how much that one choice would change my life forever, would turn out to be more than just a simple gift.

But it didn't start that way. I began reading Sorcerer's Stone, and can you believe it when I say I didn't get very far before I stopped reading and stored the books away? At that time, it didn't catch my attention for some reason. A few months later, though, I was going through my closet and rediscovered Harry Potter sitting there with my other books. I decided to give it another chance. And boy am I glad I did. I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if I didn't. Before I knew it, I had swallowed up all three pretty much in one gulp and hungered for more. The problem? The fourth book wouldn't be released until summertime. And so Harry Potter went on the backburner again, but only temporarily. On the morning of July 8, 2000, I received a call from my mom (I had stayed at my grandparents' beach house the previous night) that UPS or some other delivery truck had pulled up and delivered a package. She didn't think she had ordered anything, so she was a little confused. But when she opened it, there was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I had completely forgotten that I had entered a contest through one of the bookstores at the mall to win a free copy of the book. I told her to make sure to bring it with her when she came out to the beach house later that day. To the average person, two weeks might seem like a short time to read a 734 page book. And at the time, it was fast for me. (My speed time would quicken for the remaining books).

Goblet of Fire changed everything. Not just for me, but for the fandom and the franchise. After Goblet of Fire, I discovered Harry Potter fansites, who were all dissecting and analyzing the books for clues to what would happen next. I read through every single news item and rumor to see what the plot of book 5 would be. It was excruciating to have to wait three (THREE!!!) years for Order of the Phoenix.

Tragedy struck just over a year later, on September 11, 2001. Just over a year after we read that Voldemort returned to the wizarding world, just as strong as ever. Who hijacked those planes and flew them into those towers? Were they You-Know-Who's most trusted and loyal Death Eaters, sent to cause chaos and destruction in the Muggle world? No explanation, not even one involving Harry Potter, could create any sort of reasoning for what happened on that day.

We were not only having to wait three years for the next book, but also reeling from the horror of 9/11. Fortunately, we had something to look forward to in the meantime, something to keep our mind off of the tragedy. The first movie came out in the fall of 2001, and my great-aunt and I watched it together that November. Before this, my great-aunt had fast become a Harry Potter fan as well. We may be two generations apart, but it goes to show that Harry Potter is no mere "children's" series. I still remember leaving the theater after seeing that first movie and questioning the differences between the book and the movie. My aunt pointed out that not everything can make it into a movie. That's when I first learned about the ways of translating a book for the big screen. She and I have gone to every single HP movie in theaters, and switching over to IMAX when Harry Potter started playing there (beginning with Prisoner of Azkaban).

And over the years from one movie to the next, I cheered and jeered along with every other fan on the filmmakers' decisions. Cheered for John Williams' iconic music. Jeered the exclusion of who the Marauders were (effectively destroying one of the major plot points in the entire movie). Praised the darker tones of the latter films. Winced at Daniel Radcliffe's terrible crying ability in PoA and the freeze-frame of his face as the final shot of the movie. Criticized Michael Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore in GoF and OotP. And applauded the filmmakers' attention to detail with the sets, costumes and locations.

But back to the books now. When Order of the Phoenix finally came out in 2003, I zipped through it in three days. My grandpa was extremely impressed with my speed time there (my parents were on vacation at the time). I became angry along with Harry when nobody (not even Dumbledore or his best friends, Ron and Hermione) would tell him anything over the summer about what the wizarding world was doing after the return of Voldemort. Starting with GoF and continuing with this book, the frenzy was on to pre-order the books as soon as they went on sale for pre-order online, and to have them delivered the same day as the release date.

Two years later came Half-Blood Prince, which is my favorite HP book to this day (and I beat my record by finishing it in two days). Sure, it takes on the darkness that the previous one did, but J.K. Rowling (or Jo, as we call her) perfectly balanced it out with the comedy, which I loved. During the climax when Dumbledore and Harry have returned to Hogsmeade/Hogwarts after seeking out the locket horcrux, my heart began to beat fast seeing how weak Dumbledore had gotten. And up on the astronomy tower, my heart beat faster and faster as Malfoy, Snape and the Death Eaters had Dumbledore surrounded. When Snape carried out the deed, my whole body felt numb. How could that have happened?

Then came the dreadful day that was July 21, 2007, the day the final book came out. I dreaded that day like the plague, just like I dreaded the day four years later when gearing up for the final movie. The first chapter of Deathly Hallows was all about Voldemort, which didn't seem to be a good sign for Harry's prospects. All within my first two days of reading, two fatalities occurred that got to me. I was stunned to find out that Hedwig died. Sure, she never talked and was never a major character in the series. But Hedwig symbolized Harry's childhood, and ours as well. And we knew were were growing up when this fateful event occurred. Out of all the major deaths in the series, none have matched the shock and emotion I felt when Bellatrix's knife stabbed Dobby, causing his death. Dumbledore was a bigger and more present character than Dobby, but for some reason, Dobby's death stung. That was hard to recover from. On the third night, just before midnight, I finished the final chapter, the final page, the final paragraph and then the final sentence: "All was well." Sure, Harry turned out all right in the end, but how could anything be well right now, when the series that I grew up with just came to an end? I wasn't thinking about the future movies or anything else; I was focused on the books.

As I said, I first met Harry Potter in 1999 during my first year of middle school, and the same age that wizards and witches begin at Hogwarts. The final book came out a year after I finished high school. And the final movie was released only a month after I graduated from college. I think the timing of it all is very symbolic, don't you think?

There are only a few major things in my life that I can point to and specifically say how much it's influenced me to become the person I am today. One is a combination of attending 10th Street Middle School (where everyone has to play an instrument) and watching American Idol. Through those two outlets, I not only learned how to play music, but I gained an immense appreciation and love for music of all kinds. The other is being introduced to Harry Potter. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't remember everything I learned in school (sorry teachers), but I do know Harry Potter pretty much inside and out (thank you Jo!).

If it weren't for Harry Potter, maybe I wouldn't have appreciated J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis even more than I already did. If it weren't for Harry Potter, maybe I wouldn't have been introduced to Twilight, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Tunnels, or The Hunger Games. But I did. Who knows, maybe I wouldn't be writing my own stories now if it weren't for Harry and Jo. And for that, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Who would have thought that a book would cause millions of people around the world to go to their local bookstore...at midnight, no less, and read, no matter if it was the middle of the night or the middle of the afternoon? That's what the power of a book can do.

I didn't want to write this, because I didn't want to say goodbye. The tagline for the final movie claimed, "It All Ends." But I realize now that I don't have to say goodbye; that I, in fact, refuse to say goodbye, that it doesn't have to end here. Why? Because "It is out choices, Harry..." as Dumbledore so wisely put it. I choose not to give up. Harry Potter will always be in my life, long after the books and movies. I look forward to the many times when I will go back and revisit the book series (including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard), starting with "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much" and concluding with "All was well," rewatching the movies, listening to the soundtracks again, being able to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme part someday for myself, and yes, with the new chapter that is Pottermore. "It's not really goodbye, after all." Dumbledore never spoke truer words. However flawed, he always had the wisest of words to pass on to us.

But more than all of that, what Harry Potter has give me already is something that I can never give up. It's embedded deep within me, in my veins, in my heart, in my brain, in my whole being. The story of Harry Potter is on the fiction shelf in your local bookstore and library. But in truth, there is nothing fiction about it at all. "Of course it's happening in your head, Harry," Dumbledore said, "why should that mean it's not real?" There's nothing fiction about the power of choosing between what is right and what is easy, the power of choice itself, of love, of friendship, of loyalty, of right and wrong. That is all real, and it all has sprung forth out of the pages and into our everyday lives and made us who we are, has made me who I am and who I will always be.

I didn't not want to write this. But I did. And now I am glad I did. Because instead of saying goodbye to Harry Potter, I am looking at this as a book itself. With the release of the final movie behind us, we have finished one more chapter on this journey. Another chapter will begin soon. And another after that. And even more, for years and decades to come. I can look back on all the great memories, and reminisce. That is why this isn't goodbye. Harry once said of Dumbledore, "He'll never be gone -- not as long as those who remain are loyal to him." I would say the same thing of Harry. Harry Potter will never be gone, not as long as those who remain are loyal to him (and to Jo).

So I thank my step-grandma for introducing me to the series in the first place. I thank my great-aunt for being there with me on this journey through all the books and movies. And a very special thank you and immense gratitude to Jo herself for the series that defines a generation. My generation, in fact. (Mine is the only generation to have grown up with the series, and I wouldn't have it any other way). That day on a train when an idea popped into her head about a boy who discovers he's a wizard. Who knows how that idea sprang forth in the first place. That's the great thing about writers; a genius idea can come out when nobody expects it.

And I come away from this being able to gladly quote J.K. Rowling herself as she concluded the chapter of this journey that is the books, and that is...

All Was Well.

Jeff Dodge, Ravenclaw

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. And anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me or e-mail me.

Stay tuned for my Recommendations of the Week, which will be up here on Sunday.

See ya later...

Today's Feature: The X Factor Seattle Auditions - On The Scene Report

(All images courtesy of Jeff Dodge)

Today is Day 4 of featuring either a writing piece or something I participated in from the past couple of years. Yesterday, I featured my opinion piece on why Jennifer Lawrence would make a great Katniss in The Hunger Games, based on my viewing of Winter's Bone.

Today's feature is an On The Scene report I did last summer (June 2011) when I attended one of the Seattle audition tapings for The X Factor season 1. It was originally featured on OMGWire. But for the first time, I will also be including the pictures I took while there.

The X Factor Seattle Auditions: On The Scene Report
On Wednesday, June 29, 2011, I attended one of six audition tapings in Seattle for Simon Cowell's new singing competition show, The X Factor. If you are not familiar with this show, it essentially replaced Pop Idol (the original Idol incarnation in the world) in the U.K. Unlike the various Idol shows, including American Idol, Simon Cowell has direct control over The X Factor. He's the creator, executive producer and judge. During season 9 of Idol, he made a deal with FOX here in the states that would, besides letting him retire from Idol, bring The X Factor to American and debut in the fall of 2011.

During the past couple of months, Simon has not only announced the judges (himself, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid) and host (Steve Jones), but the nationwide casting call has begun, sending the judges all over the country in search of the best big singer or singing group. Their final stop took them to Seattle, in my homestate.

This On The Scene report will take you through my experience of attending one of the Seattle audition tapings.

Key Arena, waiting in line

The action began outside the Key Arena as we waited in line (standing, for over an hour, mind you). Fortunately, it wasn't raining, only some light wind. Not too far away from the line, a camera was set up with a bunch of crew people surrounding it. The host of The X Factor, Steve Jones, was on a slightly raised platform, talking into the camera. His back was to us people in line; he was closer to the front of the line than where I stood, though I was still pretty close and could see what was going on. Since those in the front of the line would be on camera, they had two crew members cuing them when to waive their hands in the air, when to cheer, etc. As a viewer of shows like American Idol, I am familiar with seeing shots like these on camera, so seeing the set-up of it all is interesting to watch in person.

Host Steve Jones

About a yard behind me in line, a producer placed a contestant and her brother and mother into the crowd. With a different crew member holding a hand-held camera, the producer had the contestant talk to her family, and to give the camera other reactions, including having her think about her upcoming audition. After they had the shots they needed, the family were taken out of the line and whisked away. We noticed later on that the producer and camera woman were at a different part of the line way back behind us somewhere, apparently doing the same thing with different people. I found this whole thing to be fascinating. On American Idol, when they do intro videos to certain auditioners, they show various shots of the contestant, sometimes with their family doing things and/or in line. What was particularly intriguing about this was that this line we were in was for people to be in the audience watching the auditions. But by placing that family in in the line, it seems like they're going to make it appear on air to be as if they were in the audition line (maybe recreating when they were initially in the audition line however many weeks before?). If they end up showing that bit on air, it will be interesting to see if they play it the way I just said.

After what seemed like forever waiting in line, we finally made our way inside and to our seats. We were seated a few rows up in the back section. Being in the back section may seem like bad seats, but they were anything but. By being raised up a little, we could see everything -- the stage, the judges and everything else. If you are at all familiar with the Key Arena, you will know how big the arena is inside. But they only used half of it; the other half was blocked off, out of sight. The stage was at about the midway point on the floor. From our vantage point, we were about straight on facing the stage. Most of the right side of the seating in the arena (our right) had a huge covering over all the seats, blocking them from anybody sitting there. I couldn't figure out at first why they did this, but soon realized that most of the cameras were on that side of the arena, facing towards the stage and audience; one of those cameras was on a very long rig and had the ability to make wide, sweeping shots across the audience. There was another camera up in the seating area where people could sit, up and to the right of us. And two more cameras were situated at the back of the stage, facing outward. Besides the judges table, the "control room" was also on the floor, but quite a ways back from the judges. And from where I sat, I could see the monitor where all the cameras' feeds were displaying all at once. And from that, I later realized that one of the cameras on the stage was to shoot the judges.

Leading up to the start of the taping, producers and crew were getting everything ready. And at one point, a lady came up on stage to do sound check. She talked to the audience and proceeded to sing "Last Dance." She was, actually, surprisingly good. Then the stand-ins for the judges talked into the microphones to check for their sound levels. And the audience kept saying we couldn't hear them, so they had to turn up their mics a few times.

According to our tickets, the taping was scheduled to begin at 2pm, but didn't start until about 2:30 or so.

Steve Jones, the host, came out from backstage real briefly to say a few words, but we didn't see him again after that. And we were informed that during the time we were waiting for the taping to begin, the contestants were backstage being interviewed.

Steve Jones talking to the audience before auditions

The judges were introduced and came through the audience, shaking hands and such as they made their way to their seats. Nicole and L.A. got to their seats first, because the audience was there to see Simon and Paula. The order of the lineup at their table, from right to left if you're watching at home on TV, is Simon, Paula, Nicole and L.A. Simon and Paula are in their usual Idol seats. L.A. took Randy's seat. And Nicole had the seat where Kara sat during her first year on Idol.

Before the taping began, each of the judges said a few words to us. And they mentioned that it was Nicole's birthday, so we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. For quite a while, every singer that came out mentioned her birthday, which I could tell she just loved. Then it died down and there wasn't any mention of it for a long time. Then, during her commends of one contestant later in the afternoon, she randomly blurted out that it's her birthday; the audience laughed at her when she did that.

The first act to perform was a trio of three men. They had beautiful harmony together; they were one of my favorites out of the whole night.

Immediately after that first group departed the stage, the hair and makeup people swarmed the judges table, applying touch-ups to all the judges. I'm sure they were already camera-ready when they first came out, so why do they need it again after only one act has performed? We found that to be quite ridiculous, frankly. I know they have to look perfect for the camera at all times, but this seemed a bit much. The hair/makeup people came back out after a few more acts had passed, and then at least one or two more times during the remaining time of the taping. If you have ever read any of the American Idol on-the-scene reports from various websites (such as EW.com), you'll know that during most of the commercials, Jennifer Lopez had her team out constantly. Sorry for the constant Idol mentions, but it's the closest show I have for comparison.

Whenever a singer or group came on stage, the judges would ask various questions, including finding out their name, age, job and musical influences. And what I found surprising was that the judges would ask for a different song after they first performed. I know that that happens on the Idol auditions, but they asked for different songs quite a lot, even asking some for the list of songs they had lined up. Overall, the judges spent a lot of time with each contestant. There was only one time where they whisked someone off fast. After her song, they did a quick no vote and that was the end of that.

X Factor banner outside arena

Most of the time when the judges were waiting for another singer to come out, they would be chatting amongst themselves the entire time. And even when a singer or group came out, they would continue talking to each other and not acknowledge the singers until they got to their spot on stage. Even though I would hate to have a seat behind the judges (you wouldn't be able to see hardly anything), I would have loved to be sitting right behind them and try to hear what they were saying.

Whenever the judges were taking too long on a contestant, there was a guy backstage who would walk a little on to the stage (but behind the camera) and make a hand motion to signal to the judges that it's time to wrap it up. This happened quite a bit.

I noticed that it seemed most of the auditioners were from out of state. There were a few from Washington, but many were from elsewhere, like California, New York and Tennessee.

One lady who came out said "I'm a wreck" after introducing herself. Her clothing seemed a little worn and shoddy, but it fit her quirky personality. She kept saying "I'm a wreck" over and over again throughout her time on stage.

The youngest auditioner was a 13-year-old girl. Either her grandma or mother wanted her to sing "At Last," but the judges wanted her to sing something that she would sing if she were in her bedroom with friends. She had a hard time picking a song, but eventually sang "Man Down" and then "Bust Your Windows." The judges remarked how violent the subject matter of her song choices was, and didn't feel she was ready for the show at this time. She cried after being rejected.

One of the older acts was a group of about four to five 40-year-old women. Paula said they needed to work on their image more. Both Paula and Nicole talked about image and style a lot throughout the taping.

A guy by the name of Stacie came out wearing a completely white outfit that would fit in well in Vegas. I don't remember what he said his age was, but Simon didn't believe him; he thought the contestant was older.

A trio of school-age students came out (high school, maybe?), one girl and two guys. Simon felt they were too theatrical and wanted less of the guys and more of the girl, saying the girl was the star of the group. So she sang on her own. Funnily enough, after her solo, the judges now wanted the group back together again, Because of their theatricality, there was some mention of Glee among the judges.

One auditioner used to have sociability issues, until three years ago when music came into his life.

At one point between singers, the judges took a quick break. Simon darted off somewhere backstage. We know he's a smoker, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was going back to have a smoke. During this break, L.A. left the table as well. But the girls stayed at the table.

Before the third to last contestant came out, a crew woman walked up to the front of the judges table to tell something to Simon. I'm not sure what really happened, if she tripped or what. But whatever happened, she ended up knocking over one of the Pepsi cups, causing the drink to spill all over Paula's lap. You could tell the woman was just stunned and couldn't believe that she just did that. She walked around to the other side of the table and gave Paula a big hug. Crew members, out of nowhere, swarmed the table, cleaning up the mess. I'm surprised that Paula didn't go backstage to change into something else, but they must have been able to clean it up well enough. After they cleaned everything up, the hair and makeup team swarmed the table yet again.

The X Factor Stage

One of the auditioners was a man who was just 70 days out of rehab. Musically, he has been influenced by Eminem, and it certainly showed in his performance. He mixed a few different styles to his song, including R&B, hip hop and rap. The combination of his rehab story and performance caused the judges and audience to give him a standing ovation. The judges wanted to make sure that if he makes it on this show, he needs to stay clean and sober. Simon, especially, wanted confirmation from him on this, even waiting to vote yes until he was satisfied with the answer. The way everything was set up, from the sob story and impressive audition to the standing ovation, I think it's safe to say that they will be showing this audition on air.

I have to say, overall, the talent over the course of this taping was not too bad. Even the ones who were cut had a voice of some sort. There was really only one singer who was absolutely terrible. She performed near the end and argued constantly with the judges when she received negative comments. She couldn't sing a note in tune. She said that L.A. is a big-time producer, Nicole and Paula are both singers, but "what have you done, Simon?" What do you mean, what has Simon done? He's only one of the biggest music producers and television personalities in the entire world. Since she's trying out for this show, I'm assuming she was aware of Simon from being on Idol, so how could she not know this? Simon kept giving her critiques, and she tried to continuously one-up him with smart alek remarks back at him, the "what have you done, Simon?" being one of them. The audience at one point boo'd her, and it looked like she was trying hard to restrain herself from talking back to us. When the judges asked her who told her she could sing, she said her grandma. And "we all know grandmas never lie," she said, to which Simon replied, "Your grandma must be deaf."

One of the best singers of the night was Haley, who I believe had the final spot of the night. She is a 17-year-old high school junior with an impressively great voice. Simon had her name off her selected songs. The judges kept saying no to all of them, except for "Bleeding Love." Simon said she reminded him of when Kelly Clarkson first auditioned back in season one of Idol. When someone like Simon makes a remark like that, you listen. He's been right about a lot of things (including saying that not only would Carrie Underwood win the show, but that she would also sell more records than any previous Idol winner), so a compliment like that is high praise indeed. Being in person listening to singers in a venue like this, the sound is much different than what you hear on TV. So if they air her audition, I hope she sounds as good as she sounded in person, because she's one of my favorites from this taping.

There's no question that Simon's opinion on American Idol meant a great deal, and viewers wanted to know what he would say next (disregarding his final season where he was bored out of his mind). And I greatly missed his presence during season 10, when Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson turned the show into the "that was beautiful" and "you're in it to win it" show and rarely gave critiques. That is why I can't wait for The X Factor to air in the fall. And being there in the arena to hear him was great. I loved his comments, especially the negative ones. Just from this brief glimpse into the auditions, so far my favorite judges are Simon and Paula. Paula was really good at balancing the positive with the critiques. No matter what anybody thought of her during her run on Idol, her final season was her best in terms of what she said, and I saw that at this audition stop. When Nicole was first announced as Cheryl Cole's replacement, there were a lot of negative comments online regarding the decision to put her as a judge. They said she didn't bring a lot to the table as a judge on The Sing-Off. I'm not that familiar with her, so this was really my first time getting to know her and see her personality and such. And I can see why the online reaction was the way it was. Even though we already have Paula on the panel, I can already tell that Nicole's going to be the Paula of the group, doing whatever she can to say something positive. And I couldn't really gauge what L.A. Reid's personality is like. He's definitely not afraid of telling the truth, so I hope that continues during the run of the show.

From where I sat, it was obvious that it was the Simon and Paula show. Nicole and L.A. were in their own little group at the table, talking to each other a lot. But Paula did talk to Nicole frequently as well.

The taping got over at about 5:15pm or so.

As the judges departed, they shook hands and interacted with audience members as they made their way out. At one point, Simon came over to our section. Even though I mentioned we had great seats, that was the moment when I was wishing I was a few rows down.

One of the X Factor trucks outside of the arena

I am someone who loves the behind-the-scenes of movies and TV shows. That is why I love watching the special features on DVD's. And that is why I loved being in the audience for The X Factor. We got to see things that you wouldn't normally see on air. The seating that is blocked off for the cameras, the crew preparing for the show, cuing the audience how to react to the singers, among other things. I can't wait for the Seattle audition to air and see how they edit everything together, what makes it on the show and what gets cut.

The X Factor premieres Wednesday, September 21 and Thursday, September 22 from 8-10pm on FOX.

If you watched The X Factor this past fall, one contestant I mentioned above might sound familiar. The singer just out of rehab was Chris Rene, who eventually placed in third. Back then witnessing his audition live in person, I never would have imagined he'd make it as far as he did. Other singers I saw that were shown on TV were the trio of three men who performed first (The Anser) and the girl who talked back to the judges.

I had a blast attending that taping. And if the show ever comes back to Seattle for future auditions, I will do whatever I can to be there again. Over the course of this first season, I wrote up recaps/reviews online. Click HERE to read my thoughts on the finale.

Tomorrow's featured piece will be an online essay I wrote on why I refuse to say goodbye to Harry Potter.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. And anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's updated). And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me or e-mail me.

See ya tomorrow...