Playing: No More Heroes (Nintendo Wii), The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)
Redraft: Chapter 4 of 32
I found a hardcover copy of Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer in the bargain stack at Barnes & Noble, which was the excuse I'd been waiting for to look into this titan of the mystery genre. Interestingly enough, I had acquired the audiobook version of the book about a year ago, but had never gotten around to listening to it. After reading the first few chapters in print, I finished it off with the audio version.
Connelly has the genre down cold; his straightforward prose is the kind of writing I'd hope to produce if I ever tackle a book in that vein. Moreover, as far as my law student knowledge goes, he seems to have the legal jargon and experience of a criminal defense attorney down pretty cold. I found myself craving more--and discovered that a sequel, bringing Lawyer's Michael Haller and Connelly's mainstay protagonist, Harry Bosch, together. Proving that it never rains but it pours, the release date is Oct. 14--the same day the third Mistborn novel will be released.
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I managed to play No More Heroes for a few more hours last week, raising my assassin ranking from 10th to 9th and trading in my beam katana for a new model. It's a great game with an irrepressibly cool style, for a great price--so if you have a Wii and $30 in your pocket, there's really no excuse not to buy it.
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The World Ends With You (Subarashii Kono Sekai, or "This Wonderful World" in Japanese) is Square Enix's non-FF entry into the DS market, with character designs from the designer of Kingdom Hearts, and a unique "pin"-based fighting system that has players potentially controlling two characters at once--the main on the touchscreen with touch controls, and the partner on the top screen with the keypads. Add a hip-hop/J-pop soundtrack and Square Enix's usual brand of plotline insanity, and you end up with a game that may be among the best on the DS. Playing the entire game through could take more than 20 hours--perhaps even more than 30 if played for completion. The control scheme takes some getting used to, but it's a must buy for any Square Enix fan, or any gamer who likes games that force you out of the usual box.
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I usually ignore a season of American Idol after I've had a good laugh at the (un)talent showcased during the audition episodes. I don't subscribe to the judges taking pot shots at people for their appearance or social awkwardness, but I have no qualms about laughing my ass off at tone-deaf delusionals who are utterly convinced that theirs is a talent for the ages, and attempt to prove it by puffing up their egos to, quoting the Doctor, the exact size of Belgium. Occasionally a member of the top 10 catches my fancy to the point where I occasionally tune in to monitor their progress as the finalists are whittled down.
David Cook won my unwavering audience with his rendition of "Hello," which I still find to be his finest performance. Any singer who can take on a well-known song like that and utterly own it--blowing Lionel Richie's original rendition not only out of the water, but into outer space--earns my interest, and I was pleased to see him consistently prove that he has what it takes to be a great performing artist--a great voice and a great ear for music--with or without the American Idol crown.
David Archuletta impressed me as well, having as good (or better) a voice as Cook and proving, with his late-round triumphs in song selection, that he may have the better ear too. That Archuletta is only 17--a full eight years younger than Cook--only makes his accomplishments even more praiseworthy. But Archuletta is, for lack of a better term, a love songster, and no matter how well he sings his genre of songs, Cook will always win more style points for his rocker stylings.
*SPOILER: For those hoping to enjoy the American Idol Finale, please do not read any further until you have witnessed the results.*
Cowell was mostly right the night before: Archuletta dominated the final performance show, consistently out-picking and out-performing Cook in each of the three rounds. (In my opinion, though, the second round went to Cook for doing more with his song than Archuletta did with his.) But it seems that, in crowning Cook the winner of season 7, America agrees with my appraisal of the genres.
Rock beats love songs every time.
David Cook won my unwavering audience with his rendition of "Hello," which I still find to be his finest performance. Any singer who can take on a well-known song like that and utterly own it--blowing Lionel Richie's original rendition not only out of the water, but into outer space--earns my interest, and I was pleased to see him consistently prove that he has what it takes to be a great performing artist--a great voice and a great ear for music--with or without the American Idol crown.
David Archuletta impressed me as well, having as good (or better) a voice as Cook and proving, with his late-round triumphs in song selection, that he may have the better ear too. That Archuletta is only 17--a full eight years younger than Cook--only makes his accomplishments even more praiseworthy. But Archuletta is, for lack of a better term, a love songster, and no matter how well he sings his genre of songs, Cook will always win more style points for his rocker stylings.
*SPOILER: For those hoping to enjoy the American Idol Finale, please do not read any further until you have witnessed the results.*
Cowell was mostly right the night before: Archuletta dominated the final performance show, consistently out-picking and out-performing Cook in each of the three rounds. (In my opinion, though, the second round went to Cook for doing more with his song than Archuletta did with his.) But it seems that, in crowning Cook the winner of season 7, America agrees with my appraisal of the genres.
Rock beats love songs every time.
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