Who Knew I Could Channel Blondie... Unexpected Most Popular Gift for Christmas at the Beans'

So, for Christmas this year, El 3atal got me a gift that I was fairly sure was purchased because he wanted it. Or maybe because it was on sale. Or maybe both. (Side note, for those who wonder, yes I know it was on clearance because it was given to ME to wrap with price tag still on it... haram ya El 3atal.)

Seriously, though, he got me a PS3 game. Yep. Me, who pays the PS3 only when forced. And, he got me American Idol. For those who aren't familiar (is there ANYONE that isn't familiar?!), this is a show where people from all across America compete to win a record deal and some other stuff (I don't watch, so I don't really know what they win)...

I've always thought the show had a desperate Star Search feel myself. I've never been a fan. Okay, one notable exception would be the tryout of William Hung. For those who didn't see it, I'm dropping it in. It's definitely worth a watch.



William is a gawky, geeky, Asian fellow who needs serious orthodontic work (can we say braces anyone?). But, he has the BEST attitude. Coming off the popularity of this clip and the enjoyment fans got out of him, he actually made 3 albums in 2004 and 2005 including the amusingly titled Hung for the holidays.

So, I'm not so much a fan and you can see why I thought El 3atal was buying the game for himself. It's a karaoke game (I've never actually DONE karaoke FYI). But, I opened it on Christmas and expressed the expected appreciation of the gift that I had wrapped... Teehee. And then we played it . . . And the unexpected happened. I LOVE IT! Okay, the Beans love it too. The girl beans are huge fans of singing the theme song for Titanic. ButterBean blows all of us away scoring a perfect score every single time. JuniorBean loves Baby Don't Hurt Me (of Night at the Roxbury fame). And they would play every day if we let them... JujuBean actually does all of the showmanship movements (but pays less attention to the words and tune forgetting to sing as she throws her hands about). And, El 3atal, well he's almost as good as I am.

I'm the best at the game, but to be honest it's because the songs are songs I love from my era. Or at least 1/2 of them are. I found an unknown talent for singing Heart of Glass (who knew I could channel Blondie?). But my favorites are the ones I grew up on. You know, like Tainted Love, You Can't Hurry Love, I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight, Sweet Dreams... you get the picture. It's the 80s come to life in my sitting room. And it was THE big hit of this Christmas season. Who knew?

So, maybe we should schedule a bloggers competition. And, it leaves me wondering why the local version of this show (can't remember it's name) hasn't done something similar. Because few youth of Jordan today will have my intimate knowledge of 80s songs... And, if you don't know the song it's not nearly as fun... At any rate, anyone who wants to sing is welcome to challenge me to an American Idol contest (Yes it's complete with the three judges giving you feedback on your performance. And yes Simon can be just as brutal.)

Happy Idol!