The Killers: "A Dustland Fairytale"

I used to watch David Letterman religiously when I was in college, but late-night TV in general isn't as attractive an option these days as a good full-night's sleep. And even if I was able to stay awake long enough to watch, staying up to the end of the show just so I could see the musical "talent" is just not worth it. Most live performances, irrespective of whichever of the vast myriad of talk shows that are on at that hour, are highly average at best. Recently, however, I managed to keep my eyes propped open long enough to be absolutely transfixed by one group's performance on Letterman. If you missed this amazing performance, I am so excited to be able to share it with you here. From the first plucks of the harp to the final guitar chords, The Killers' performance of "A Dustland Fairytale" had me mesmerized, glued to my seat, and completely drawn in.

From what little I have been able to find about this song, lead singer Brandon Flowers wrote this song about his parents. They met, grew up and fell in love in the same trailer park. His dad was an alcoholic and converted to Mormonism when Brandon was five. (Brandon is still a devout and practicing Mormon, even as a rock-&-roller.) The last part of the song refers to his mother, who is battling cancer of some form, and was still alive as of December of 2008 when Rolling Stone interviewed the band for an article (a very good article, I might add, and worth reading). I considered adding the lyrics, but all I could find were various attempts by someone besides Brandon Flowers to decipher the words. I am including, however, the stanza about his mom:


Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep
It's such a bitter form of refuge
Ahh don't you know the kingdoms under siege
And everybody needs you
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one
In the of the cadence in the young man's eyes
And where the dreams roll high


Here's their performance from Letterman. Enjoy!!

Daytime Drama...or 57 Channels and Nothing's On

When I was in high school, many of the popular girls watched soap operas, or as they are called today, DAYTIME DRAMAS. And because I wanted to be popular too (I wasn't part of that group), I started watching soaps as well. I started with "All My Children", since that was the one I had heard the most about. Once I was hooked there, I added "General Hospital" to the list. Eventually, since "One Life to Live" was right between the other two, I ended up watching three hours of soaps each day that particular summer.

Alas, if I could only have THAT time back!!!

Since then, I have cut out watching television during the day. I simply don't have time for it. Yes, ladies, even Oprah. I actually never really got in to Oprah (GASP!!!). I did watch her show a few times, and each time ended up being a huge emotional investment, usually either tears or anger. As I said before, I just don't have time, or energy, for that.

Oh, and no offense intended to those of you who do watch soaps. They're just not my thing.

Once Baby Bit was born, however, I needed something to do while nursing her. Normally I would've grabbed a book and polished it off by the time she was done feeding. But I was typically in a sleep-deprived stupor, so if I read anything, I would have to go back and read it again later since I wasn't quite coherent enough to grasp it. So I grabbed the remote and started flipping. It took me a while, but I ran across a few daytime shows that I actually like. Some I had heard of for some time but had never seen; others were completely new to me. So here, in no particular order, is some of my favorite mindless drivel from daytime TV:

1. Clean House & Clean House Comes Clean (The Style Network): okay, this one really is my favorite. They ask such great questions when helping a family declutter their home. So great, in fact, that it has inspired me to go through my stuff and get rid of some things with which I thought I would never part. My grandfather's rocking chair, for example. I never sit in it, and neither does anyone else. I don't even remember my grandfather sitting in it, for that matter, so it doesn't really hold any memories for me. All it does is act as a catch-all, so out it goes. Too bad...it's a beautiful chair with a great creaking noise. :-) But I'm getting rid of it. Little Bit has begun tossing a few things as well. Maybe by this time next year my house will be a Clean House! :-)

2. Airline (The Biography Channel): THIS one scares me a bit. It shows typical daily drama for airline employees. It's amazing what is required of the employees in this industry. One episode in particular showed a passenger that had been removed from the plane because she was drunk. The poor employee that had to deal with her got a verbal assault full of expletives that went on for quite some time. Makes me a little nervous about flying. I think I'll stick to ground travel.

3. What Not To Wear (The Learning Channel): This is a fun show! I LOOOOOOVE before-&-after shows, and this is a good one. Stacy and Clinton are just a bit on the pompous side, I think, but I suppose they can be because they are good at what they do. Nick and Carmady, the hair guy and make-up babe, are incredibly compassionate with the people they help. Stacy and Clinton could use a dose of that. After all, there's no need to ridicule someone who doesn't know better. If they know better and don't act on it, well, THEN they can be uppity. But some of these people just plain don't have a clue and DESPERATELY need the help. All in all, they do a good job, and I love the show.

4. Carter Can/Red, Hot and Green (HGTV & DIY Networks): These two shows have Carter Oosterhaus as their host, and I just like to watch him. He makes my eyes feel good. ;-)

5. Ace of Cakes (Food Network): Love, love, LOVE Duff and his gang!!! These people are absolutely AMAAAAAAAAAZING when it comes to decorating cakes!!! They seem to have a lot of fun doing it too.


So those are my top favorites, but there are a few others I like that didn't make my favorites list: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Food Detectives (both on Food Network); I Want That! and any of its "sub-shows" like I Want That! Tech Toys/Kitchens/Bathrooms (Fine Living Network...actually this one should be on my list! It's awesome!); What You Get For The Money (also on FLN), and Cool Tools (DIY Network). That last one is an oddity for me. I'm not a tool-gal, but some of the tools this guys shows are pretty cool, even for those of use who are "DIY-challenged".

So maybe daytime TV isn't quite so mindless after all. :-)