This ain’t yo mama o yo papa’s Oz.

Prior to seeing Oz the Great and Powerful today, I was aware that my favorite reviewer, Dana Stevens of Slate, had given it a terrible review. Her devastating headline: “No brain, no heart, no courage.”  After seeing such a scathing (and effective!) headline, I decided not to read the rest of her review. Consequently, and probably for the better, I went into Oz with low expectations. I found that there were a lot of admirable pieces to movie, as well as some flaws that for the most part I was willing to overlook. On the whole I would say that the movie was on the low-mid range of entertaining.

Getting more specific, what I liked the least was director Sam Raimi’s choice to have a rather dull witch-on-witch battle scene during the film’s climax where they shoot magic streams at each other, essentially canceling each other out. Please, please, please directors and writers, choose some new novel way to show a battle between magic users instead! How many damn times did I have to see Harry Potter and his enemies shoot reciprocal magic streams at others? Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings? I’m sure you readers know the kind of scene I am talking about.

Can’t magic be more exciting in some way? Please filmmakers, don’t make another fantasy movie with this lame type of climax.

The other serious flaw in Oz the Great and Powerful was the lack of character development for all of the witches. This is a great example of what I describe as a “five minute movie.” If they had chosen to have five more minutes of character development for these characters, the movie would have been much much stronger. Great actresses were put to waste here as one-dimensional characters. But I will say Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams all looked really hot (but not hotter than my wife of course!). But thinking of my dear wife, where was the human eye candy for women? Certainly James Franco can’t fall into that category. Here in Oz he appears quite dishoveled, yet does have a pretty humorous set of sleazeball lines.

As a final criticism, the Emerald City CGI looked like sh*t. That was the best you could do? Really? The one in the original film looked better.

So here are some things I liked without giving too much away:

1. It’s well done how the film pays tribute to the original Wizard of Oz film and its structure, and yet finds the ability to add some new elements that expand the universe.

2. I like how the Wizard was a pretty unlikable guy. I know it would have been marketing poison, but a more serious film wherein he stayed selfish the whole time would have been more interesting. But still, they made a choice to make him kind of the anti-Dorothy which in some ways worked well for our more jaded modern society.

3. There were many strong visuals, and I actually thought the black and white introduction to the film was its strongest part. I kept wondering how the reviews could be so middling in the first 15 minutes as it got off to a fantastic start. This part had excellent character development, pacing, and storytelling.

4. Other than the witch-on-witch battle part, I thought that the writing for the climax was a clever aspect to the “origin story” of how the wizard came to occupy the Emerald City.

Ultimately I think that this movie will make a lot of money and that there will be people who like it, but that it will also be shortly forgotten. A sequel would seem foolhardy for obvious reasons, but that’s never stopped anybody.

1. the age of our daughter (4) preventing us from going to the movie theater often (babysitters cost mucho dinero these days)
2. higher quality television choices, and
3. a generally uninteresting slate of films released across the entire year.

So with these caveats, I’ve decided to write a little bit about what were my favorite and least favorite films of the year. Granted, these aren’t “the best” or “the worst” but the ones I personally would recommend or chastise.

My Favorites

Beginners

This film will probably get a little more attention in the upcoming weeks, as it has been predicted by many film lovers that Christopher Plummer will receive the Academy Award for Supporting Actor for his performance in this film. That’s probably a good thing, because I simply thought this was a very well-written movie and perhaps the most convincing portrayal of how the world works in all of my movie-going experiences from the year. That being said, this is probably not a film for everyone.

Ewan Macgregor plays the central character, an artist in his 30s whose father (Plummer) recently passed away from cancer. Through a series of detailed memories and flashbacks, we learn that his mother had also passed away several years earlier. After this occurs, his father decides to come out of the closet as a gay man and gradually proceeds to take up with a live-in boyfriend. Meanwhile, in present time Ewan McGregor’s character meets a charming woman at an artists’ Halloween dress-up party, and she is intrigued by his cute, yet deeply troubled demeanor.

The movie interweaves the present romance of Macgregor with his experiences with his father during the later years of his father’s life. We slowly begin to understand why McGregor’s character acts the way he does, why commitment and the risks associated with a serious relationship can be so challenging, and how his approach to this new romance makes him just as much of a “Beginner” as his father was to being openly gay. There’s also a talking dog. Don’t worry, it talks in subtitles and says thoughts that it seems a dog would actually say.

So if you aren’t scared away by this description of the film, then you would probably like Beginners. It’s a hard film to write about, because there’s so much more to it than simply Plummer’s character coming out after the death of his wife. But I’m excited to see more films from Mike Mills, the writer / director.

Win Win

An attorney attempting to keep his family from financial ruin (Paul Giammati) becomes the legal guardian of an affluent and senile client who seems to have no family in Win Win. This unethical choice takes an unexpected turn when the troubled teenage grandson of his client suddenly appears. Just like Beginners, a basic description of Win Win doesn’t seem to do it justice.

I’ve never really liked Paul Giammati as an actor because his performances have always felt like someone laboring to show us he could “act.” You know what I mean. But his skill in a complex role won me over in this film that never felt over-the-top.

It might also be because my job relates so much to “disconnected youth” that I liked this film and its portrayal of a young man with lots to offer, but who had received little of the care and support he needed from adults to succeed.

Between Beginners and Win Win, the later is definitely the more accessible film. It pauses for more laughs and probably is easier to relate to for the masses. I don’t think it received any award nominations, so it’s definitely in need of some more attention given its high quality as a film.

My Idiot Brother

Quite possibly the lowest-stakes movie of the year, watching My Idiot Brother is like going out to breakfast on a Sunday morning. It really goes down easy and doesn’t demand much of a viewer in a good way. Sure, as one relative put it, it has “a couple of chuckles” and is never really laugh out loud funny, but Paul Rudd’s performance is hard not to like. He plays a kind, friendly, biodynamic organic farmer who goes to jail in the 1st scene for attempting to give pot to an undercover cop at a farmer’s market. When he gets out of jail several months later, he tries to get his life back on track and seeks refuge in the homes and families of his 3 sisters. Some funny things happen. This is probably the type of movie that will be played on tv endlessly for years to come, as it’s pretty harmless entertainment and has a warm aesthetic.

Moneyball

In any other year, Moneyball would have been easily left off of my list, but as I said earlier, it seemed like a particularly weak year for films. The movie, however, takes on a subject that only rarely seems to get covered in movies and yet it is probably a universally appreciated topic (and no, I’m not talking about baseball). Simply put, there are very few movies about work. Moneyball is largely about how it takes some cojones to stand up for new ideas and new ways of doing things in the workplace.

The movie is based on true events involving Billy Bean (played by Brad Pitt), the general manager of the Oakland A’s professional baseball team. He adopted a more robustly statistics-driven method of evaluating baseball players and their value. In the past 10 years this strategy has become normalized across all professional sports, thanks to Beane and others who paved the way. It’s hard to believe that what nows seems like such a “duh” idea was rejected as controversial only a decade ago. But I think many people can relate to how challenging it can be for new ideas that seem unconventional to gain support in the workplace. Conservative tendencies and a lack of desire to “rock the boat” can make even the more open-minded shrivel in fear, even when not much is at stake. Of course, there are bad ideas, but Moneyball happens to cover one of the good ones.

Cedar Rapids

Much like My Idiot Brother, Cedar Rapids is a low stakes movie. Nonetheless it was one of the movies I enjoyed watching the most in 2011. Ed Helms, known for his roles on The Daily Show, on The Office, and in the Hangover movies is the lead here, and plays a naive, unworldly insurance agent who through a variety of new circumstances is forced to go represent his company at an annual regional Conference for insurance brokers. After arriving at the Conference, our hero is forced into confronting his inexperience with the underbelly of life, and must navigate a world of insurance agents where some appear to be friends and others foes. Alright, so perhaps that doesn’t really describe what this movie is about in any specific way that would make it seem like a comedy, but it’s definitely fun, has some good laughs, and like most good comedies of recent years, takes time to develop characters that eventually possess a depth that is relatable and humane. It’s also just a movie about the power of making new friends, and the funny things that can happen at big conferences.

Honorable Mentions

The Way

In the hands of a better director, The Way could have easily been a Best Picture nominee for the Academy Awards. At times amateurish and confused in its messages, The Way nonetheless has a great vehicle for its story that help the film to overcomes its weaknesses and be memorable.

Emilio Estevez (yes! the one you are thinking of) directs his father Martin Sheen in the story of a father who travels to Spain after his estranged middle age son (Estevez in a small, but important role) freakishly dies. His son had commenced a coastal pilgrimage / backpacking trip known as the Camino del Santiago (The Road of Santiago), also referred to as The Way of St. James. On his first night out, the son dies of unusual cold weather in the mountains.

In honor of his son, Sheen’s character chooses to complete the pilgrimage using his son’s backpacking gear. He meets others who are making the trek for their own reasons. We gradually learn what motivates each character’s trek across the course of the film.

One of the strengths of the movie is its cinematography. The beautiful scenery and countryside of Spain made me want to also make the journey. But it’s dialogue like “You don’t choose a life, Dad. You live one” that made the film seem riddled with cliches from time to time (I also see that it was used on at least one of the movies promotional posters). On occasion, however, Estevez has scripted some great scenes that suggest if he keeps making movies he will get better.

The Big Year

Despite all of its flaws, of which there are many, I still found The Big Year to be somewhat memorable in a year when movies seemed to be lackluster. It’s based on a book about birders, people who love birds so much that they count and track how many species they see in a calendar year. The person in the United States who sees the most species has “The Big Year” and gains tremendous recognition among fellow birders. The movie has Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Rashida Jones among its stars. You really could put Rashida Jones in just about any movie and it will make me happy (but, hey, why aren’t they putting my wife in movies too?*) Anyhow, all of our comedic stars and others are competing to win The Big Year. The movie is destined to become Sunday afternoon fodder for TBS or TNT. It’s pretty easy to palate, but also is a little bit of a one-trick pony movie. The flow is a little tedious, the stakes are low, the jokes are minor chuckles, and  it could have brought a little more nerd to the movie than it did. But then again I’m a “birdnerd,” an enthusiast not quite at the level of a birder, but still pretty high up there in my adoration for animals and birds– perhaps someone else might find the skim the surface level of ornithology slowly permeating throughout the movie to be appropriate. Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed the movie.

The Least Favorites

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

How can you fuck up a pirate movie so badly? Seriously, this movie was so boring we turned it off with about 15 minutes left to go. There are few things in this world that have the inherent magic of pirates. It is the sort of thing where if you just say the word, it will instantly get people excited and bring a smile to their face (think dinosaurs, spaceships, magicians, etc…) I’ve always found that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have been a bit middling (although I thought the 2nd movie was fun). My guess with this one was that the bad reviews would lead me to have such bad expectations that the movie would turn out to at least be entertaining. But boy was I wrong. The movie was without any sense of joy or wonder. It appears that this 4th Pirates of the Caribbean film has a new and amateurish director at its helm. The pace of the movie is one speed the whole way through. The only thing good about this movie was looking at Penelope Cruz– but we can look at her in any movie right? The movie was also about journeying to the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH! How did they fuck this up so badly? Strongly recommend avoiding this one.

Friends with Benefits

Can men and women have sex and just be friends? This movie explores the novel topic with less gusto and heart than the similarly-themed and rather crappy No Strings Attached, the Ashton Kutcher / Natalie Portman movie from earlier in 2011. If that line doesn’t scare you away, you should know that Levi Novey thinks the script for this movie was incredibly bad, lazy, and a waste of time. He stopped watching at about the 45 minute point, angry that he had wasted 45 minutes of his life. At least Mila Kunis isn’t that hard on the eyes. Here’s an idea: how about putting her and Penelope Cruz together in a movie with Rashida Jones about birdnerds walking the Camino del Santiago that’s actually good. If you understand this idea, I’m proud of you for reading this article so completely.

Your Favorites and Least Favorites?

So what were your favorite and least favorite movies of 2011? Any you are looking forward to in 2012? I’m looking forward the most to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Alright that’s it! Thanks for reading.

* Token note to get cover for making that statement. Love you honey!

As a crowd-pleasing family film, Dolphin Tale takes few risks but will still most likely be enjoyed by its target audience.

It tells the “based on true events” story of Winter, a dolphin that lost its tail after getting caught in a crab trap off of the Florida Gulf Coast. After rescue and recovery, Winter learns to swim anew, in part thanks to a first-of-its-kind prosthetic dolphin tail.

To craft a movie around this core story, a fatherless, alienated young boy is employed as the film’s protagonist. He makes initial contact with Winter and develops a bond with her as well as the animal rescuers who facilitate her rescue and care. As we expect in this kind of film, the experience transforms the boy from a quiet, anti-social, wounded loner who is disengaged in school into a happier, gregarious, conservation nerd who rallies his community.

To its benefit and eventual detriment, Dolphin Tale only develops the supporting characters as necessary. We rarely stray from the foreground and the movie is more efficient in its storytelling because of it. That being said, I can’t help but feel that this is a case where an additional five minutes of character development for one or several characters would have elevated the film considerably.

As the chief marine biologist and director of the marine conservation center / aquarium where the majority of the movie takes place, Harry Connick Jr. is vastly underutilized in a role that could have been meatier and memorable. Likewise, Kris Kristofferson and Ashley Judd get little time to exercise their acting chops even though they deliver sincere energy to their limited roles. Even Morgan Freeman, who gets one brief scene to shine a tad more than the basic plot demanded, feels like he is there to simply lend the film’s credits some extra starpower.

So while competently made and engaging, the makers of the movie ultimately chose to take few risks. Of the film’s subplots (of which there were 4 by my count), one was at least partially successful in lifting the movie beyond its cliches and emotional manipulations. Without going into too much detail, the film shows how one character who sustains a major physical disability through war finds inspiration through the shared challenge faced by Winter, the injured dolphin. In the film’s closing credits, we see footage of the real-life rescue of Winter and also see how several people with disabilities interacted with Winter, creating templates for scenes that made it into the film.

An additional flaw to the movie is its lack of ambition toward providing any sort of ocean conservation messages. Even though the source of the movie’s plot is the direct result of a crab trap and fish nets, we never hear these matters given even a moment of discussion. Given that the movie portrays the enchanting appeal, magic, and sense of place for a conservation center / aquarium as well as any film I can remember, its an odd choice not to even give a token mention along the lines of “hey, our oceans are in pretty bad shape. We should protect them.”

In a post-Cove world, this is surprising for a set of filmmakers that obviously care enormously for their subject matter and bask it in a positive glow that will make many kids want to work with animals. The stakes are high for our oceans, and yet the film loses an opportunity to actually connect the dots for both children and adults. Sure, the movie isn’t intending to break new ground, but I felt happy that my 3 year old daughter was watching the film with me, and yet also felt like the kid-gloves were a little too soft for even her eyes.

As something of an aside, Ashley Judd has become an outspoken environmentalist in recent years. Most recently she has worked to end destructive mountaintop removal coal mining. I wonder if she is also disappointed that the movie opted to take a pass on providing some conservation messages beyond its intrinsic appreciation of dolphins and the natural world.

All of these criticisms standing, most people who go to see Dolphin Tale are going to be happy with what they get. It’s a film that doesn’t set its sights too high, but also energetically and competently tells a story that many people will  enjoy.

A couple days ago we hopped into our car and pulled out of the driveway. Moments later, I saw an interesting looking insect clinging to our windshield. I thought it looked like a praying mantis, and sure enough Alicia thought it was too.

After a few moments of high stakes 30 mph driving, we pulled over and Alicia plucked our new friend off of the windshield. Alicia’s mom once kept a pet praying mantis in her home in Peru, and as a result, within moments of getting home Alicia had created a makeshift terrarium for the praying mantis. She’s been obsessed over the past few days with getting this tiny fellow a meal, and so we’ve tried a number of insects from our yard, as well as some flightless fruit flies we keep for our carnivorous plant terrarium (yes, that’s another “pet” that merits discussion at a separate time).

At only about 0.25 inches long, it does seem like the praying mantis is a nymph. We have yet to observe it eating one of the insects we have tried to bring in for its dining pleasure. So far, we’ve mostly been using large leaves from some zucchini we are growing to create habitat and ideally give the nymph a few smaller insects to munch upon that were lounging on the zucchini (see photo above). We are getting concerned, however, that the praying mantis won’t make it much longer if it doesn’t eat.

Any suggestions? Has anyone ever kept a wild praying mantis as a pet before?

Photo © Levi T. Novey

In an effort to address a $10.4 billion state budget debt, Pennsylvania politicians have decided that eliminating funding for a program that has an approximate budget of $4.6 million dollars will be a step in the right direction (or, for those keeping track, making up for approximately 0.04% of the budget shortfall) . There are people like myself who hope that this does not happen because we think the benefits provided by the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps far outweighs its costs, especially for the 250+ people the program enrolls annually.

Keep reading on The Huffington Post

Season 10 of American Idol is terrific. Whereas previous seasons have lost viewer interest and enthusiasm, I personally think that this might be the best season so far. Why?

In short, the contestants are much, much stronger as a group than in previous seasons. I think a lot of credit should be given to new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez for helping to make this happen. While such a declaration may provoke chuckles, there are some numbers to back it up. According to American Idol, in comparison to all previous 9 seasons, this year the judges brought twice the number of people to the 2nd round of competition. Then they vetted them more thoroughly than any other previous season.

Whereas in previous years it was usually obvious which individuals would make it to the end, this year the dead weight was dropped much earlier. Almost all of the remaining 13 contestants should be able to be successful after the show, and it’s impossible to imagine that many won’t also land recording contracts. They also have some of the most unique and diverse styles of singing and performing ever seen on American Idol.

In addition to the show having a much stronger crop of contestants, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez have been excellent additions to Randy Jackson as judges. In a time of national snideness, they are surprisingly kind, thoughtful, and articulate in explaining how they think contestants might improve their performances. Steven Tyler is funny, and has a unique way of saying things that makes watching him a pleasure. Jennifer Lopez is likewise eloquent and charming, and seems to be taking her judging duties with a seriousness that never felt present from Paula Abdul or the other women to judge on the show (admittedly, she doesn’t seem to be minding the “dress-up” part of judging either). Most of all, the 3 judges seem to be much more unassuming and graceful in their criticism than judges ever were in previous seasons. It’s allowing us to watch a feel-good show full of talented singers without the sense that we are also going to tear some of these people down.

So with that lengthy introduction over with, here are my predictions about who stands the best chance to win the competition. For those who have never watched American Idol, the way that America votes is not always fair– meaning that sometimes people remain on the show longer because of their personalities even if their talent doesn’t surpass that of other contestants.

From Least Likely to Win to Most Likely:

Ashton Jones

Valdosta, GA

Ashton Jones was one of the 3 contestants “saved” by the judges this week. She was not voted into the top 10 by Americans who voted. Unfortunately for her and the other 2 individuals who were saved, this is almost always a predictor that they will be the first to leave now that the judges will not have the power to “save” people they think deserve another look. Ashton herself even seemed surprised when the judges chose her. For her last performance she choose to sing Monica’s “Love All Over Me” (watch video). It was a competent performance but ultimately forgettable and a bad song choice– which is a death wish on this season of Idol. Prediction: Finishes 13th.

Naima Adedapo

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Naima was also saved by the judges heading into the final round of American Idol. She is a terrific singer, but has a style that admittedly is not that of the type of person who tends to win American Idol. She sounds like a great Lounge / Jazz singer, as evidenced by her strong performance of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Summertime” (watch video). For whatever reason, however, she is not a fan favorite and doesn’t seem to have a voting bloc to keep pushing her through (might it be her unconventional appearance?). I fully expect her to get a recording contract though, and be highly successful as a singer. Prediction: Finishes from 10th to 12th.

Stefano Langone

Kent, WA

Stefano is a talented musician and singer who has written some of his own songs. His style of singing is a little retro though, and that’s my guess as to why he hasn’t resonated with voters. He sang Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” in his performance this past week (watch video) and had a couple rough notes. When he had his opportunity to sing to be “saved” by the judges, he blew away the other 6 competing for this slots with Smokie Norful’s “I Need You Now” (watch video). As I mentioned earlier though, not making the top 10 by votes is usually not a good omen for getting much farther. In any other year, Stephano would probably make the top 5 on American Idol, just another indication of how strong the singers are this year. I’m going to predict that he leaves early, but admittedly, with strong performances it’s possible Stephano could stay much longer. A recording contract and success seem likely in either case for Stephano. Prediction: Finishes from 10th to 12th.

Haley Reinhart

Wheeling, IL

Haley sang Alicia Key’s “Fallin” in her last performance (watch video). This is a challenging song, and I thought Haley did a good job. She was voted into the Top 10. So why do I envision her exiting so early? In a season chock full of characters, dynamic and niche singers, she doesn’t stand out. Neither her voice or personality seem very distinctive, and I think that’s a huge disadvantage this year (even though it generally always prevents people from getting to the final spots). Prediction: Finishes from 10th to 12th.

Thia Megia

Hayward, CA

The producers of American Idol have led us to believe that Thia Megia was close to being cut several times. They also can’t stop reminding us of how young she is: 16. Her last performance used music to a minimum, and the clarity of her voice was impressive. But singing Irene Cara’s “Out Here on My Own” also seemed risk-averse and a tad dull (watch video). I think when Thia’s versatility finally is put to the test, she is going to have trouble (this should happen sooner than later). Nonetheless, she seems to have a lot of fan support. Once again, once you get to the Final 9 of this year’s contestants, it’s hard to predict how things will go. Thia in my estimation will leave early. Prediction: Finishes from 7th-9th.

Paul McDonald

Huntsville, Alabama

In most other years, Paul McDonald would seem like a unique contestant. He has a quirky, raspy voice. His performance of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was a clever move, that illustrated a willingness to go mainstream when his voice generally dictates that he do something else (watch video). He did the same song for his initial audition, and you can easily notice how different Paul sounds. This tension will ultimately make Paul’s difficulty in staying on the show tough– he is not really fit in the mold of the type of singer needed to win the competition and it almost seems to be going against what makes him special if he chooses to do more conventional songs. Some of his mannerisms on stage are also an indication that he might be nervous or ill-suited for this kind of musical performance. To get a more well-rounded idea of how he sings, watch his version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Prediction: Finishes from 7th-9th.

Scotty McCrerry

Garner, North Carolina

This year, like some others, American Idol has 2 contestants who are primarily country music singers. Scotty McCrerry is a 16 year-old, Southern boy who sounds a lot like an unpolished Josh Turner (watch his initial audition). He has a deep voice but it is unclear how much range he can pull off. This is painfully obvious in his awkward group performance of the Beatle’s “Hello, Goodbye.” In his last performance he sang John Michael Montgomery’s “Letters from Home.” (watch video). It was a performance that played to his base of voting support, but otherwise seemed kind of dull and perhaps did not widen his appeal. The good news for Scotty is that he can feel confident that he’s going to get a recording contract and probably pretty easily become at least a minor country music star. Whether or not he goes far on American Idol is another question. Prediction: Finishes from 7th to 9th.

Lauren Alaina

Rossville, Georgia

Lauren Alaina is the other country singer on American Idol this year. She probably has a slightly more versatile voice than Scotty, and has been compared as a cross between Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood by Randy Jackson. While this was intended as a complement, I think it underscores that Lauren might not have a distinctive enough voice to capture the hearts and minds of Idol’s viewers. Her most recent performance of Reba McEntire’s “Turn On the Radio” was a risky choice, considering that this song is currently playing on country music stations and arguably features one the strongest female vocalists in the history of country music. She sang the song well (watch video), but most country music fans could probably tell that it was an indication that Alaina was good, but nowhere near in Reba McEntire’s ballpark. Her fan support should carry her to the mid-stages of the finals, but no further. Prediction: Finishes 6th.

James Durbin

Santa Cruz, California

James Durbin is one of the most fun-to-watch contestants on this season of American Idol. He’s that screamin’ classic rock star from your teenage years who is a little crazy. He walks around with a tail. Yes, you read that right. From his first audition, the producers of American Idol have made it clear that Durbin’s story arc was sure to last a while. He’s 22, unemployed, has a toddler, had a bass-playing dad who overdosed, and has been diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome and Asperper’s Syndrome. Got that? He’s also crazy talented. But his downfall will probably result because of his tendency to get carried away with over-the-top vocals. Watch his controlled, rousing rendition of Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” and that will show you everything you need to know about James. I think a recording contract and / or an offer to join a well-known classic rock band will happen for James regardless of how he finishes on American Idol. Prediction: Finishes 5th.

Jacob Lusk

Compton, California

Jacob Lusk is another example of a singer who while amazingly talented, probably doesn’t have the mainstream appeal to win American Idol. He has incredible range and it takes no imagination to see him scoring a quick recording contract and success in the gospel and R&B musical niches. Randy Jackson called his performance of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” the best single performance on idol ever (watch video). Although to be fair, Randy Jackson says things like that all the time. Lusk has shown a few signs of over-exuberance and immaturity in his celebrations that may wear on audiences. He also tends to suffer the same challenge as James Durbin: knowing when to not go over-the-top to constantly show off his talent. Watching his most recent performance of Luther Vandross’s “A House is Not a Home” shows this tension between Jacob’s talent and self-restraint. Prediction: Finishes 4th.

Karen Rodriguez

New York City, New York

Full of personality and Latina pride, Karen Rodriguez has the looks, poise, and talent to go deep into the American Idol finals. Her most recent performance of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” was notable for its technical strength, bilingual spanglish mix, and for Rodriguez’s knowledge of how to sing to the tv cameras as well as the audience (watch video). She will definitely get a recording contract and has a good chance of success in both American and Latin American markets. Her quest to become the first Latina American Idol could possibly give her the votes to get to the finals if she is consistently good, but my hunch is that she doesn’t quite make it to the final 2. Prediction: Finishes 3rd.

Casey Abrams

Wilmette, Illinois

In an ideal world, Casey will win American Idol. He’s unique, talented, can play instruments, and oozes charm and charisma. But if American Idol’s history of final 2s tells us anything, it’s that the more talented, personally unique, less radio-ready finalist tends to finish 2nd. Casey’s more than a gimmicky performance act though. We can get the sense that his voice was strong enough to make early fan favorite Chris Medina look really good during their rousing tag team version of the Beatle’s “A Hard Day’s Night.” (watch video: Casey appears around 23 seconds in). As an aside, Chris Medina had a touching personal story, but not a strong enough voice to make it to the finals. Not to be a broken record, but in any other season Chris Medina would have made it to the finals. Getting back to Casey, it’s hard to describe his performances except to say that you are always waiting to see what Casey’s going to do next– and so far it’s always been awesome. Check out his audition (video), his version of Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” (video), and his version of Kansas Joe McCoy’s “Why Don’t You Do Right” (video). Then watch his most recent performance, an electric show-finishing version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You.” Prediction: Finishes 2nd.

Pia Toscano

Howard Beach, New York

Pia Toscano has strong vocals, good looks, and the stage presence to win American Idol. While she was relatively obscure among contestants until last week, her performance of The Pretender’s “I’ll Stand By You” was a breakout performance (video). I would compare it to a walk-off homer in the 9th inning of a baseball game. It was the final performance leading into the finals, and will stick out in peoples’ minds for some time to come. This performance was the type that you usually see as the final 2 contestants duel for the victory– after a little coaching and assistance with song choice from Idol’s experts. So well played, Pia. Well played. Looking back at some of her earlier performances, as with Casey, it is easy to see that she made some of her fellow contestants sound better. Watch her group performance of Bruno Mar’s “Grenade.” What’s very surprising is that Pia and her biggest female competitor, Karen Rodriguez, were friends during high school. They sang together in an earlier round, in a surprisingly uninteresting version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” (video). I give Pia the edge over Casey and Karen though, simply because you can ride a spectacular performance like the one she made this past week a long way. As I mentioned earlier, American Idol voters also tend to choose winners who are classy, have wide appeal, and who are perhaps a little duller than the more unique contestants who reach the final 2. For this reason mostly, I would currently guess that Pia will win. Prediction: Finishes 1st, yet other contestants go on to greater post-Idol success.

This past week, President Obama headlined an event to herald the continuing work and progress being made on his America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, which aims to get more Americans outside while allocating additional federal funds toward land and water conservation.

While the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO) targets all Americans, getting young people outside and enthusiastic about the outdoors is a major priority of the initiative that deserves elevated attention. For instance, one study has indicated that today young people spend half as much time outside as their parents did. Childhood obesity rates have also tripled in the past 30 years. This information suggests that while getting young people outdoors will have its challenges, it will also come with great benefits.

Continue reading on The Huffington Post

Each year The Corps Network honors Service and Conservation Corpsmembers whose accomplishments and personal stories exemplify the positive role that Corps serve for individuals and communities nationwide.

As a member organization, we proudly represent over 150 organizations that operate in a total of 46 states and the District of Columbia. Approximately 33,000 young men and women join these organizations each year so that they can make a difference. They work on a broad range of projects, viewing themselves as the modern legacy-bearers of the legendary Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

Continue reading on The Huffington Post.

So when I saw news today that Milton Levine had died, “the co-creator of ant farms,”  I felt sad.

Even though I had never pondered who had invented ant farms prior to this moment in my life, it takes a certain amount of imagination to think that ants could make cool pets– if only given the right confines to live in the rooms of children.

That imagination proved to be well appreciated: according to The Los Angeles Times, Milton’s company sold over 20 million ant farms in his lifetime.

Milton once said that “Humanity can learn a lot from the ant… [and] I found out their most amazing feat yet. They put three kids through college.”

So farewell Milton Levine! Genius of educational toys! Rest in peace.

P.S. I once wrote about how some people think ants can help predict earthquakes. It’s a cool story– and it includes proof of my quest for a glow-in-the-dark ant farm. Read it.

These photos are from one of my family’s recent visits to the National Zoo. During the winter, the Zoo’s Amazonia building is a warm, humid, and enchanting refuge from the cold outside.

A good summary from the National Zoo’s website:

Amazonia, the largest and most complex exhibit ever built at the National Zoo, opened to the public in 1992. The 15,000-square-foot rainforest habitat of the exhibit includes a cascading tropical river and a 55,000-gallon aquarium for the display of Amazon River fish.

Within Amazonia’s dome, visitors find a living tropical forest with more than 350 species of plants, including 50-foot-tall trees, tropical vines, and epiphytes. This habitat is also home to dozens of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects typical of the Amazon Basin, all moving throughout the exhibit. Smooth-sided toads and silver-beaked tanagers breed freely, titi monkeys jump from branch to branch, a two-toed sloth hides behind large leaves, white-bellied hummingbirds zip about.

It really is as good as the description makes it out to be. But without further ado, more photographs.

The inspiration for a certain variety of toy?

This is a model of a beetle that lives in Chile. The actual size of the beetle is shown below the big model. But the materials that compose the model are what make it so cool.

The materials that make the beetle model.

It was a joyful moment to witness three bears playfully wrestling.

Red pandas are actually closer in relationship to raccoons than to panda bears. Still very cute in either case.

If you like what you have seen, you can view the complete set of photos on my Facebook page.

All photos © Levi T. Novey