Fox 12-Oregon
KPTV
By Pamela Appea
Gossip Blog on American Idol Column
And Then There Were Four (Who is Going Home.)
Originally Published April 30, 2003
I was really shocked when Ruben ended up in the bottom two on Wednesday night. What happened?
To quote Simon (who along with Randy and Paula was utterly shocked), ‘This is a singing competition people.’
It’s hard to eliminate people, and Joshua, however cute he may be, is not as strong as a singer as Ruben. Anyone can tell you that. So Trenyce was the one to go. She took it well. Someone said Ruben was taking his audience for granted. I disagree. I think he isn’t and he is a great, an amazing singer. He looked really worried before Ryan pulled him out of the general group.
**
I just watched American Idol and I am still thinking—wow!
Everyone Ruben, Clay, Trenyce, Kimberley and Joshua were truly good, better than good in a mostly 10 out of 10 kind of way. Still I get a feeling, a strong feeling, that this season’s winner will be a man (a Southern man, sorry Josh!)
So, on Tuesday night, we all got to hear the American Idol finalists sing not just one—but two—songs. I suppose the show producers wanted to start off with a bank, which is why the producers chose the lively 60s songs to go on first, and the quieter, gentler crooning tunes of Neil Sadaka came second. And of course, all of the singers needed a rest break. I would have arranged it so that the Sadaka songs came on first, and the more energetic 1960s came on second, so we could have ended with a bank, but Nigel and his crew didn’t call and consult me.
Do I mention the guest judge was the one, and only Neil Sadaka.
And I suppose the fact that I haven’t heard of him before shows that I need to do some serious music and entertainment cramming. (I do know the 1970s song they played during the introductory clip. As for all the other songs, blame it on a generation gap.) Neil Sadaka is a gentlemen, and I like his positive spirit. He wasn’t quite a Paula, but almost.
Now, let’s get the bad news out the way! All of the judges are ganging up on my Joshua—and that is so unfair! It seems totally unrelated, but Joshua is the only non-Southerner left, like I said already in a previous column.
Simon came right out and said Joshua wasn’t good enough. It was what the other judges didn’t say that was telling. And poor Joshua’s wife looked kind of sad at times too. Was it just me or did they keep on zooming in on Josh’s wife—more than usual?
To his credit, Joshua did do a good job at being a crooner (parts 1950s, part county, part Josh) when he sang the “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” song and then the more upbeat “Bad Blood.” (It’s hard for Joshua to look truly pissed off when he’s singing, as he seems like a pretty low-key guy.) I’ll give my Joshua an 8 or 9 out of 10 (as I am as bad as, if not worse than, Paula) for both songs, but that just wasn’t good enough for the majority of the judges.
Ruben started out with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Simon was quick to say that the outfit was kind of interesting in a shiny way. Well, actually, I thought the outfit was interesting in a shiny kind of way. Simon didn’t think the outfit was shiny or interesting. He said he gave the outfit a 2 (although he also became the show’s resident expert in drag show apparel when evaluating Trenyce.)
Moving on, Randy thought Ruben was great saying, “You sound like a winner.” Neil said, “I don’t ever get nervous” when Ruben comes on. I am like Neil. Sometimes I do worry whether an American Idol contestant will sing well (like Trenyce or Joshua) although Neil was too much of a gentleman to name names.) Then Ruben picked up the Neil Sadaka song “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Paula said “stellar,” and Simon said, “absolutely sensational.”
Kimberley Locke sang “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and the Neil Sadaka song “Where the Boys Are.” Randy said “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was “Good” and Neil said she was “ear delicious.” For the second song, Neil told Kimberley “You did me proud.” And Simon, of all people, told Kimberley, “You’ve raised the bar.” Kimberley looked and sounded great to me and her look is becoming almost diva-ish.
Clay’s songs got a lot of praise—from everyone. For the first song, Clay picked the right song for his voice, “Build me Up, Butter Cup.” (You should probably remember this song from the Something about Mary movie.) Clay danced! (Didn’t you see that Paula?) And he seemed to be having fun in a way that almost approximated Ruben. All in all, Clay did an amazing job. Clay got his highest praise from Neil who told him, “I would kill to produce your first CD.”
But for the second song, “Solitaire,” Clay looked a little sleepy. Did Clay take a nap between the other singers? Or maybe he didn’t have Trenyce’s olive oil to wake him up? Who knows? Anyway, Paula said Clay showed a “vulnerable” side during his “Solitaire” performance (the second song), while Simon said, “You lost some of the facial things.” (Trust Simon to focus on something when he can’t think of anything else to say.
So, let’s sum up. Clay and Ruben are still on top. They were both in top form on Tuesday night and didn’t waver.
If the show is going to continue to rate the bottom three, I guess Joshua, Trenyce and Kimberley Locke will end up there. Not to Ryan: at this point, you guys really shouldn’t call it bottom three. But, that’s just me.
As for other fun and quirky things about Tuesday’s show …
Rickey was happily part of the audience, wearing sunglasses because?
Trenyce looks like a toothpick in the second outfit she wore. You need a little more meat on your bones Trenyce! I’m surprised the olive oil shots aren’t packing on the pounds.
Tia and Tamara (from the show Sister Sister) are definite American Idol groupies these days.
What else?
Ryan had jokes up his sleeve all night, calling Ruben “Big Boy,” changing the music when introducing Simon and picking that bright lime green (I think that was the color. All I know is that my eyes were overcome by the brightness) shirt for Tuesday’s show. Ryan you can’t blame the fashion stylist for everything. I am sure you must own some of these interesting shirts you like to wear!
Tune in on Wednesday night to see who’a going to get voted off!
Originally Published April 30, 2003
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Gossip Blog on American Idol Column, And Then There Were Four (Who is Going Home.)-- Fox 12-Oregon KPTV
Fox 12-Oregon
KPTV
By Pamela Appea
Gossip Blog on American Idol Column
And Then There Were Four (Who is Going Home.)
Originally Published April 30, 2003
I was really shocked when Ruben ended up in the bottom two on Wednesday night. What happened?
To quote Simon (who along with Randy and Paula was utterly shocked), ‘This is a singing competition people.’
It’s hard to eliminate people, and Joshua, however cute he may be, is not as strong as a singer as Ruben. Anyone can tell you that. So Trenyce was the one to go. She took it well. Someone said Ruben was taking his audience for granted. I disagree. I think he isn’t and he is a great, an amazing singer. He looked really worried before Ryan pulled him out of the general group.
**
I just watched American Idol and I am still thinking—wow!
Everyone Ruben, Clay, Trenyce, Kimberley and Joshua were truly good, better than good in a mostly 10 out of 10 kind of way. Still I get a feeling, a strong feeling, that this season’s winner will be a man (a Southern man, sorry Josh!)
So, on Tuesday night, we all got to hear the American Idol finalists sing not just one—but two—songs. I suppose the show producers wanted to start off with a bank, which is why the producers chose the lively 60s songs to go on first, and the quieter, gentler crooning tunes of Neil Sadaka came second. And of course, all of the singers needed a rest break. I would have arranged it so that the Sadaka songs came on first, and the more energetic 1960s came on second, so we could have ended with a bank, but Nigel and his crew didn’t call and consult me.
Do I mention the guest judge was the one, and only Neil Sadaka.
And I suppose the fact that I haven’t heard of him before shows that I need to do some serious music and entertainment cramming. (I do know the 1970s song they played during the introductory clip. As for all the other songs, blame it on a generation gap.) Neil Sadaka is a gentlemen, and I like his positive spirit. He wasn’t quite a Paula, but almost.
Now, let’s get the bad news out the way! All of the judges are ganging up on my Joshua—and that is so unfair! It seems totally unrelated, but Joshua is the only non-Southerner left, like I said already in a previous column.
Simon came right out and said Joshua wasn’t good enough. It was what the other judges didn’t say that was telling. And poor Joshua’s wife looked kind of sad at times too. Was it just me or did they keep on zooming in on Josh’s wife—more than usual?
To his credit, Joshua did do a good job at being a crooner (parts 1950s, part county, part Josh) when he sang the “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” song and then the more upbeat “Bad Blood.” (It’s hard for Joshua to look truly pissed off when he’s singing, as he seems like a pretty low-key guy.) I’ll give my Joshua an 8 or 9 out of 10 (as I am as bad as, if not worse than, Paula) for both songs, but that just wasn’t good enough for the majority of the judges.
Ruben started out with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Simon was quick to say that the outfit was kind of interesting in a shiny way. Well, actually, I thought the outfit was interesting in a shiny kind of way. Simon didn’t think the outfit was shiny or interesting. He said he gave the outfit a 2 (although he also became the show’s resident expert in drag show apparel when evaluating Trenyce.)
Moving on, Randy thought Ruben was great saying, “You sound like a winner.” Neil said, “I don’t ever get nervous” when Ruben comes on. I am like Neil. Sometimes I do worry whether an American Idol contestant will sing well (like Trenyce or Joshua) although Neil was too much of a gentleman to name names.) Then Ruben picked up the Neil Sadaka song “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Paula said “stellar,” and Simon said, “absolutely sensational.”
Kimberley Locke sang “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and the Neil Sadaka song “Where the Boys Are.” Randy said “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was “Good” and Neil said she was “ear delicious.” For the second song, Neil told Kimberley “You did me proud.” And Simon, of all people, told Kimberley, “You’ve raised the bar.” Kimberley looked and sounded great to me and her look is becoming almost diva-ish.
Clay’s songs got a lot of praise—from everyone. For the first song, Clay picked the right song for his voice, “Build me Up, Butter Cup.” (You should probably remember this song from the Something about Mary movie.) Clay danced! (Didn’t you see that Paula?) And he seemed to be having fun in a way that almost approximated Ruben. All in all, Clay did an amazing job. Clay got his highest praise from Neil who told him, “I would kill to produce your first CD.”
But for the second song, “Solitaire,” Clay looked a little sleepy. Did Clay take a nap between the other singers? Or maybe he didn’t have Trenyce’s olive oil to wake him up? Who knows? Anyway, Paula said Clay showed a “vulnerable” side during his “Solitaire” performance (the second song), while Simon said, “You lost some of the facial things.” (Trust Simon to focus on something when he can’t think of anything else to say.
So, let’s sum up. Clay and Ruben are still on top. They were both in top form on Tuesday night and didn’t waver.
If the show is going to continue to rate the bottom three, I guess Joshua, Trenyce and Kimberley Locke will end up there. Not to Ryan: at this point, you guys really shouldn’t call it bottom three. But, that’s just me.
As for other fun and quirky things about Tuesday’s show …
Rickey was happily part of the audience, wearing sunglasses because?
Trenyce looks like a toothpick in the second outfit she wore. You need a little more meat on your bones Trenyce! I’m surprised the olive oil shots aren’t packing on the pounds.
Tia and Tamara (from the show Sister Sister) are definite American Idol groupies these days.
What else?
Ryan had jokes up his sleeve all night, calling Ruben “Big Boy,” changing the music when introducing Simon and picking that bright lime green (I think that was the color. All I know is that my eyes were overcome by the brightness) shirt for Tuesday’s show. Ryan you can’t blame the fashion stylist for everything. I am sure you must own some of these interesting shirts you like to wear!
Tune in on Wednesday night to see who’a going to get voted off!
Originally Published April 30, 2003
KPTV
By Pamela Appea
Gossip Blog on American Idol Column
And Then There Were Four (Who is Going Home.)
Originally Published April 30, 2003
I was really shocked when Ruben ended up in the bottom two on Wednesday night. What happened?
To quote Simon (who along with Randy and Paula was utterly shocked), ‘This is a singing competition people.’
It’s hard to eliminate people, and Joshua, however cute he may be, is not as strong as a singer as Ruben. Anyone can tell you that. So Trenyce was the one to go. She took it well. Someone said Ruben was taking his audience for granted. I disagree. I think he isn’t and he is a great, an amazing singer. He looked really worried before Ryan pulled him out of the general group.
**
I just watched American Idol and I am still thinking—wow!
Everyone Ruben, Clay, Trenyce, Kimberley and Joshua were truly good, better than good in a mostly 10 out of 10 kind of way. Still I get a feeling, a strong feeling, that this season’s winner will be a man (a Southern man, sorry Josh!)
So, on Tuesday night, we all got to hear the American Idol finalists sing not just one—but two—songs. I suppose the show producers wanted to start off with a bank, which is why the producers chose the lively 60s songs to go on first, and the quieter, gentler crooning tunes of Neil Sadaka came second. And of course, all of the singers needed a rest break. I would have arranged it so that the Sadaka songs came on first, and the more energetic 1960s came on second, so we could have ended with a bank, but Nigel and his crew didn’t call and consult me.
Do I mention the guest judge was the one, and only Neil Sadaka.
And I suppose the fact that I haven’t heard of him before shows that I need to do some serious music and entertainment cramming. (I do know the 1970s song they played during the introductory clip. As for all the other songs, blame it on a generation gap.) Neil Sadaka is a gentlemen, and I like his positive spirit. He wasn’t quite a Paula, but almost.
Now, let’s get the bad news out the way! All of the judges are ganging up on my Joshua—and that is so unfair! It seems totally unrelated, but Joshua is the only non-Southerner left, like I said already in a previous column.
Simon came right out and said Joshua wasn’t good enough. It was what the other judges didn’t say that was telling. And poor Joshua’s wife looked kind of sad at times too. Was it just me or did they keep on zooming in on Josh’s wife—more than usual?
To his credit, Joshua did do a good job at being a crooner (parts 1950s, part county, part Josh) when he sang the “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” song and then the more upbeat “Bad Blood.” (It’s hard for Joshua to look truly pissed off when he’s singing, as he seems like a pretty low-key guy.) I’ll give my Joshua an 8 or 9 out of 10 (as I am as bad as, if not worse than, Paula) for both songs, but that just wasn’t good enough for the majority of the judges.
Ruben started out with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Simon was quick to say that the outfit was kind of interesting in a shiny way. Well, actually, I thought the outfit was interesting in a shiny kind of way. Simon didn’t think the outfit was shiny or interesting. He said he gave the outfit a 2 (although he also became the show’s resident expert in drag show apparel when evaluating Trenyce.)
Moving on, Randy thought Ruben was great saying, “You sound like a winner.” Neil said, “I don’t ever get nervous” when Ruben comes on. I am like Neil. Sometimes I do worry whether an American Idol contestant will sing well (like Trenyce or Joshua) although Neil was too much of a gentleman to name names.) Then Ruben picked up the Neil Sadaka song “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Paula said “stellar,” and Simon said, “absolutely sensational.”
Kimberley Locke sang “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and the Neil Sadaka song “Where the Boys Are.” Randy said “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was “Good” and Neil said she was “ear delicious.” For the second song, Neil told Kimberley “You did me proud.” And Simon, of all people, told Kimberley, “You’ve raised the bar.” Kimberley looked and sounded great to me and her look is becoming almost diva-ish.
Clay’s songs got a lot of praise—from everyone. For the first song, Clay picked the right song for his voice, “Build me Up, Butter Cup.” (You should probably remember this song from the Something about Mary movie.) Clay danced! (Didn’t you see that Paula?) And he seemed to be having fun in a way that almost approximated Ruben. All in all, Clay did an amazing job. Clay got his highest praise from Neil who told him, “I would kill to produce your first CD.”
But for the second song, “Solitaire,” Clay looked a little sleepy. Did Clay take a nap between the other singers? Or maybe he didn’t have Trenyce’s olive oil to wake him up? Who knows? Anyway, Paula said Clay showed a “vulnerable” side during his “Solitaire” performance (the second song), while Simon said, “You lost some of the facial things.” (Trust Simon to focus on something when he can’t think of anything else to say.
So, let’s sum up. Clay and Ruben are still on top. They were both in top form on Tuesday night and didn’t waver.
If the show is going to continue to rate the bottom three, I guess Joshua, Trenyce and Kimberley Locke will end up there. Not to Ryan: at this point, you guys really shouldn’t call it bottom three. But, that’s just me.
As for other fun and quirky things about Tuesday’s show …
Rickey was happily part of the audience, wearing sunglasses because?
Trenyce looks like a toothpick in the second outfit she wore. You need a little more meat on your bones Trenyce! I’m surprised the olive oil shots aren’t packing on the pounds.
Tia and Tamara (from the show Sister Sister) are definite American Idol groupies these days.
What else?
Ryan had jokes up his sleeve all night, calling Ruben “Big Boy,” changing the music when introducing Simon and picking that bright lime green (I think that was the color. All I know is that my eyes were overcome by the brightness) shirt for Tuesday’s show. Ryan you can’t blame the fashion stylist for everything. I am sure you must own some of these interesting shirts you like to wear!
Tune in on Wednesday night to see who’a going to get voted off!
Originally Published April 30, 2003
Friday, April 18, 2003
Are There Secrets on Your Hard Drive?
Are There Secrets on Your Hard Drive?
Content written by Pamela Appea for KPTM-Fox 42
Originally posted April 18, 2003
You may have heard recent warnings about protecting your private information when either selling or dumping your computer. It could be as risky as throwing away your wallet, with all your credit cards and personal IDs inside.
Is there a foolproof way to make sure that data disappears? Your may have wanted to do this to your computer at one time or another. But it may actually be a good idea if you’re about to replace it with a bigger, better model.
“Your personal data is at risk when somebody resells a machine,” said Mark McLaughlin, an expert with Computer Forensics International.
Just ask Todd Baitsholts. He has an old computer he wants to give away to charity. First, he reformats the hard drive, and then he reinstalls Windows. “We hope to erase all the data. And not have it accessible to anyone,” Todd says.
That should do it, right?
To find out, Todd agrees to let computer expert Kevin Kranz take a look at the machine. Here’s what Kevin found.
“These are all the directories; I was able to get information from,” said Kevin. “These are old invoices, financial data, a treasure trove for someone who might have identity theft on their mind.
It took me about 35 to 40 minutes to get this data,” said Kranz. The list of recovered files takes up pages and pages.
“It is suprising that they were able to get this much information off of there,” said Todd. And Mark McLaughlin says, “Well, a file is never really deleted until it’s overwritten. And that’s a very fundamental issue in computer forensics.
Todd wasn’t the only one at risk.
McLaughlin tested eight hard drives purchased at a second hand store about the country, “We found some unbelievable things. Credit card numbers. Social security numbers of celebrities, of Oscar-winning actors,” said McLaughlin.
But, there is a way to give yourself peace of mind. One person to call is Jitendra Suthar. Suthar’s business takes in hundreds of old computers every month around Omaha. His technicians will get rid of all of your sensitive information for you. But he knows not all computer re-sellers will take time to do this, unless you’ve specifically told them to.
Suthar owns Computer Renaissance in Omaha. “Whoever you are giving it to, either take an agreement from them that they will do it, or like a lot of companies do, they will do it before they hand it off. And on an individual basis, like you know, my home computer or anything like that, I would do it myself before I let it go,” Suthar said.
Even as this graveyard for government computers, KPTM selected three discarded hard drives at random and had them tested. Guess what? There’s undeleted data galore. So how can you protect your data? Reformatting it doesn’t do it? It makes the file inactive. But the file contents are still there,” said Mark McLaughlin. And while erasing data magnetically helps scramble the files, even it is not foolproof.
“What they should do first, is wipe the drive,” said McLaughlin. You can buy software that scans the disc and bit by bit overwrites the old data. In other words, the program replaces the important stuff with frivolous numbers.
But, this process takes time, in fact it can take anywhere from three to 20 passes. “And when you overwrite it so many times, it’s unrecoverable,” said Mark. The software costs about $40. But the best method for making that data disappear, according to McLaughlin, is both free and easy.
“What I recommend is taking the drive out of the machine and taking a drill and running a drill through it several times,” said Mark. “You can use a drill or a hammer—whatever it takes to physically destroy the drive.”
Content written by Pamela Appea for KPTM-Fox 42
Originally posted April 18, 2003
You may have heard recent warnings about protecting your private information when either selling or dumping your computer. It could be as risky as throwing away your wallet, with all your credit cards and personal IDs inside.
Is there a foolproof way to make sure that data disappears? Your may have wanted to do this to your computer at one time or another. But it may actually be a good idea if you’re about to replace it with a bigger, better model.
“Your personal data is at risk when somebody resells a machine,” said Mark McLaughlin, an expert with Computer Forensics International.
Just ask Todd Baitsholts. He has an old computer he wants to give away to charity. First, he reformats the hard drive, and then he reinstalls Windows. “We hope to erase all the data. And not have it accessible to anyone,” Todd says.
That should do it, right?
To find out, Todd agrees to let computer expert Kevin Kranz take a look at the machine. Here’s what Kevin found.
“These are all the directories; I was able to get information from,” said Kevin. “These are old invoices, financial data, a treasure trove for someone who might have identity theft on their mind.
It took me about 35 to 40 minutes to get this data,” said Kranz. The list of recovered files takes up pages and pages.
“It is suprising that they were able to get this much information off of there,” said Todd. And Mark McLaughlin says, “Well, a file is never really deleted until it’s overwritten. And that’s a very fundamental issue in computer forensics.
Todd wasn’t the only one at risk.
McLaughlin tested eight hard drives purchased at a second hand store about the country, “We found some unbelievable things. Credit card numbers. Social security numbers of celebrities, of Oscar-winning actors,” said McLaughlin.
But, there is a way to give yourself peace of mind. One person to call is Jitendra Suthar. Suthar’s business takes in hundreds of old computers every month around Omaha. His technicians will get rid of all of your sensitive information for you. But he knows not all computer re-sellers will take time to do this, unless you’ve specifically told them to.
Suthar owns Computer Renaissance in Omaha. “Whoever you are giving it to, either take an agreement from them that they will do it, or like a lot of companies do, they will do it before they hand it off. And on an individual basis, like you know, my home computer or anything like that, I would do it myself before I let it go,” Suthar said.
Even as this graveyard for government computers, KPTM selected three discarded hard drives at random and had them tested. Guess what? There’s undeleted data galore. So how can you protect your data? Reformatting it doesn’t do it? It makes the file inactive. But the file contents are still there,” said Mark McLaughlin. And while erasing data magnetically helps scramble the files, even it is not foolproof.
“What they should do first, is wipe the drive,” said McLaughlin. You can buy software that scans the disc and bit by bit overwrites the old data. In other words, the program replaces the important stuff with frivolous numbers.
But, this process takes time, in fact it can take anywhere from three to 20 passes. “And when you overwrite it so many times, it’s unrecoverable,” said Mark. The software costs about $40. But the best method for making that data disappear, according to McLaughlin, is both free and easy.
“What I recommend is taking the drive out of the machine and taking a drill and running a drill through it several times,” said Mark. “You can use a drill or a hammer—whatever it takes to physically destroy the drive.”
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