X-Men 3, and the AI finale

the movie X-Men 3 is fabulous!!! If you like action movies, have seen the other 2 movies and enjoyed them -- don't miss this 3rd movie! I was totally impressed.

If you didn't see the other 2 movies, rent them and then go see this movie. You'll love it!

My husband got lucky and won free passes for us to go see a special early viewing of the movie in Greenville, SC.

So last night right when he got home from work, we jumped in the car (sans kids!!!) and drove down to the Hollywood20 in Greenville. We got there an hour early to make sure we got seats since they always overbook promo events. It was well worth the wait!!!

I can't give anything away. I will say that Kelsey Grammer was GREAT as the Beast. Some have said his costume was a bit cheesy.....but hey he's playing a huge great big blue guy. How can you avoid a bit of cheese? And, it's a comic-book based movie........you have to expect just a bit of that. I thought he looked great, and played the part well. I couldn't visualize him in the part at first....but his was by far my favorite performance.

The action sequences are awesome. The CGI is seamless, and there are a few scenes where I was just taken aback. Very well done!!

And one bit of advice: DONT LEAVE BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE DONE. There is an extra scene at the end of the credits that you don't want to miss.

And, the PG-13 rating on this one is pretty accurate. I wouldn't advise taking any kids under 10 to this movie. The action sequences in this one are a bit scarier. There's no gushing blood or anything disgusting but some of the action sequences would be too much for younger children. You'll know what I mean after you see the movie.

All in all -- we had a fabulous time!!! With a collection of teenagers and a 2 year old, we don't get to go out alone very often.

Big thanks to my teenage son who babysat the baby (and did very well -- he had on a clean diaper when we got home, was happily playing and had been fed a sandwich for supper) so we could go out. :)

Right when I got home, my son and I jumped on the couch to watch American Idol.

On the way home from the movie, I turned the radio off because I didn't want some DJ giving away who won before I got home to watch the finale on Tivo.

I admit I actually watched the show all season long. Usually we just watch long enough to see all the bad auditions at the beginning of the season. This year was a bit different. We had to watch through Hollywood week to see what Crazy Dave did -- he certainly had fun! And it was good to see him on finale week. What a kook! Then I noticed that they actually had some people that were DIFFERENT this year -- Mandisa was overweight and a Christian singer, Paris had a jazz background, Elliott was a funky blues singin' hebrew (very COOL, very talented young man!), and Taylor had grey hair and played one heck of a harmonica, and Kevin "chicken little'' made it into the finals.

We kept watching. The show stayed interesting! I wanted to see how far Taylor would get. He was my favorite from the beginning. Mostly because he was not a cookie-cutter performer. And when he performs, he has a GOOD TIME. I just love his STYLE.

I was all ready last night for Kat McPhee to win. She's 21, beautiful, and yes....extremely talented. But she fits the mold that Fox wanted -- she would be the easy winner to market. Taylor on the other hand -- he doesn't really sing pop music, he doesn't look like the typical pop star, and he has grey hair. He reminds me of a southern, funky Michael McDonald. And he has a great stage presence -- he jumps around, has fun, and is just entertaining to watch.

For me, watching Taylor dance around in a bright purple velvet jacket belting out a song and making the audience go wild is much more entertaining than Katherine sitting down on the stage warbling out a weird arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.''

I thoroughly enjoyed this season of American Idol. And last night's finale....I thought the top 12 contestants performances were great! I enjoyed seeing the guest stars as well, with a couple of exceptions.

What was up with Toni Braxton? She sang horribly and was acting.....well gee, do you really think the bump and grind is appropriate during "In the Ghetto''??? I imagine the producers were glad to see the number end before she had a wardrobe malfunction. And Meatloaf -- it was great to see him, but not everyone realizes that he is ill. I'm sure people were wondering why he didn't sing very well and was shaking, etc. He has a neurological disorder.

Prince was....well, he was Prince. lol. That man either has Dick Clark Anti-aging syndrome, or a VERY good plastic surgeon. He looks just like he did when I was in high school dancing to "Little Red Corvette'' and "1999.'' He sang well -- but I think his song choices were a bit suggestive for a family program. But then, what Prince songs AREN'T suggestive. The man is like one big penis.

Dionne Warwick is a such a beautiful person. And she was wonderful! Looks fabulous!!

My question is.......why don't they ever let Paula Abdul perform?? We all know she can sing....at the end of the season she should get to belt one out. :)

Well, that's my take on my little dose of reality TV and the new X-men movie. :)

TTFN!!