We may not have time to record, but we have time to write!

Hey all!

Yeah, we know we haven't released a new episode in a couple (or a lot of) months. But guess what:

COLLEGE IS DOMINATING OUR LIVES OH MY WORD.
*ahem*

Sooo with everyone's hectic schedules, it's more than difficult to record a show. Trust me, I've tried numerous times to schedule a session, but it's just not very feasible. While we wait for our to-do lists to die down, we'll be using this handy-dandy blog! E.g., today, I'll be writing about the X-Factor.

Yes, we're all American. However, ever since I heard about Britain's Got Talent last Spring (Whoo Diversity!), I've become a bit hooked on British talent shows.

Oooor maybe a bit obsessed. (They're so addictive! What can one do?) As I anxiously await the episode to be aired and then segments posted on YouTube, I've decided to give my predictions for the final 12.

The Boys:
-Joe McElderly. I think overall he has the best vocals of the group and a really good personality. His voice is kind of different, kind of bordering feminine. However, I think his strength makes him able to pull it off.
-Rikki Loney. Okay, he's just pretty darling. Sure he had the whole "I failed last year, but now I'm coming back!" thing going for him (which quite a few contestants had this season...), but he sang when he had just lost his voice and managed to do a fairly decent-ish job. Like Joe, his voice is really different, and I think some people will love it and some people will hate it. I personally want to see more of him.
-Ethan Borian. He was a toss-up. I'm a fan of his voice and really liked his auditioning rendition of "Use Somebody." However, the more songs he sings, the more I think he has a rather limited range. However, Lloyd seems a bit too young, and both he and Duane seem to need a bit more practice. I appreciate what Daniel does, I just don't think it could fly that easily in the pop industry. Maybe Britain's Got Talent? ;)

The Groups:
(Oh dear. I would feel sorry for Louis if he didn't bug me so much with his rudeness that overbears Simon Cowell's.)
-John and Edward. I CAN'T STAND THEM. However, Louis randomly likes them. Because he has the misconception that the public will like them and that he's fought so hard for them, I think he'll take that obnoxious pair of brats.
-Miss Frank. I don't think they're that excellent, but again, I don't think Louis, and the rest of the judging team for that matter, would have let them come back and put them in the final 24 if they weren't prepared to put them in the final 12. It will be interesting, though, to see how they do in the live shows.
-Kandy Rain. I think they have the best vocals, chemistry, and gave the best performances of all the groups. It's as simple as that.

The Overs:
(Okay, Simon has got it tough. THEY WERE ALL SO GOOD. But here's my (really-difficult-to-make) predictions.
-Daniel Pearce. Like Simon said, he gave it one million percent, and I would be really sad to see him go. His voice is a bit static, but he can still sing really well.
-Nicole Lawrence. Like Rikki, she's just darling. She's polite and cool yet has so much spark when she sings. I love her and would love to see her continue.
-Jamie Archer. Yeah, I'm just a really big fan of him. As much as I would love to see Danyl Johnson continue, he just can't seem to deliver a performance as good as his first audition, and I think instead we're getting a glimpse of his vocal flaws. Which is really a shame, because he had been my favorite.

The Girls:
-Stacey Solomon. She's got the voice and the personality. She has a really earthy, strong voice and she can pull off quite a few types of songs. She's also absolutely adorable and funny.
-Lucie Jones. I think she's good, but she could be better. I know Dannii and the rest of the public love her though, so I think she'll make it.
-I have no idea. I kind of want Nicole Jackson to go through because I really like her voice, but 1) She did get really lost during her last performance and 2) The producers haven't put her in anywhere else in the show. Keep in mind, the final 12 are preparing for the live shows now, and they've been chosen for a while. The editors and producers have to focus on them for the beginning of the season to showcase the talent and prepare the audiences to vote. Maybe Rachel Adedji will get it?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go watch the clips on youtube! It's really addictive, and in the good way - not like Twilight.

I might write a post after the 12 are announced, depending on how different they are from my predictions and how much I've read of my Psychology homework :) Later!

-Deborah

Oh, hello again, delays. It hasn't been a while.

A month or so ago, we recorded an episode about the Star Trek movie. It was a great discussion with parallels and explanations of black holes. Then 3/5 of the hosts' Audacity failed, and they had to rerecord their individual audio once everything else was put together. Since I'm one of the 2/5 whose Audacity didn't fail, I don't know the status of that episode's editing. I do know, however, that Sarita, our trusty editor, is out of town, and will be for at least 2-3 weeks. While the rest of us can record episodes and even edit the segments, we don't have the program that can put the music in and string everything together, plus it's Sarita's computer that can properly get everything on iTunes. Sooo it'll be a while. Again. It doesn't help that whenever we schedule a recording, something comes up for someone and we have to postpone it. Terribly sorry for the constant delays.

-Deborah

Book Themes

Summer is well under way--and that means more time for reading! So remember that if you're behind on the MAD Book Challenge, now is the time to catch up. Last month was a nice and easy Choose-Your-Own-Themes month, while we were all doing our final exams--but now it's time to get down to business.

With that in mind, here are the themes for the next couple weeks, starting tomorrow:

• July 6-12: TRILOGY WEEK
  For a couple of years now, I've had this tradition of reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy at the beginning of July. Anyone who wants to read along with me gets bonus points--however, feel free to read any trilogy.
• July 13-19: HARRY POTTER WEEK
  In honor of the 6th HP movie, which comes out on the 15th, I've set aside a whole week for Harry Potter! 10 bonus points if you read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (I'll be rereading it for the squigajillionth time, in anticipation of the movie).
  
  ONE MILLION TRILLION SQUIGAJILLION BONUS POINTS and my eternal respect and admiration to anyone who reads the entire series in just seven days. If you do this, you deserve a medal. It's very much possible--none of the books took me more than a day to read--but absolutely ludicrous. If you manage this, please, please email in at themadpodcast@gmail.com and tell us how awesome you are.
  
• July 20-26: CHRISTMAS IN JULY WEEK
  Read a Christmas novel! I know, I know--you're probably wincing. Ugh--it's all learning lessons and sappy family get-together stuff. If you're not too happy with this theme, allow me to recommend three awesome Christmas novels: Let It Snow, a collection of three stories by Marueen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle, respectively (worth it if only for John Green's story, although I'll admit that this one is a bit sappy); The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (not sappy in the slightest--it involves a Christmas miracle gone wrong, and a legion of holiday zombies. And it is exactly as hilarious as that sounds); and Hogfather by the always funny Terry Pratchett (in which Santa Claus mysteriously disappears and Death takes over the job). Bonus Points for reading any of those three.
• July 27-August 2: MUSIC WEEK
  For it to be considered "about music", the plot must not make sense if music is removed. Example: Terry Pratchett's Soul Music. It can be about a musician or band, or someone whose life is changed by music, or... Doesn't matter. Bonus Points if it involves violins :)

There you have it--you're all set for the next month. I just finished Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, which was my 52nd book, making me an official MAD Book Challenge winner. When you cross the finish line, email in and tell us!

Happy reading!

Episode 11 Information

Hey all,
Below are the links to the exact Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailers that we used for the commentaries in Episode 11. We only commented on trailers 1 and 4, but the 2nd and 3rd trailers that we merely discussed are listed for your convenience.

Trailer #1 (commentary & discussion)

Trailer #2 (discussion only)

Trailer #3 (discussion only)

Trailer #4 (commentary & discussion)

Also, another change of plans, our next episode will now be discussing the lasted Star Trek film, since the majority of us have seen it. After that, we'll most likely discuss The Series of Unfortunate Events and Paper Towns. However, knowing how often we change our schedule, I'm not promising anything.

-Deborah

And the Great Proctors said, "Let the AP exams be over." And they were. And it was good.

Today we took the AP English Language Exam.
It was fantastic.
Sure the multiple choice readings were surprisingly interesting, and I think we all feel confident in our essays, but the best part was keeping our student packs that are needed for every exam. Once you have no exams left, you keep your pack. That's right, the MADers are done with their AP exams!
We have nine days of classes before finals start, and then school is over. It is then that we will finally have time to record a new episode, Sarita will have time to edit it, and we will all have time to celebrate the return of the podcast.
We're brainstorming ways to make he show more creative and interesting, as well as getting the word out about the show, so if there's a segment or something you'd like for us to do or you have an idea, leave it in comments or email it to us.
We also created a Twitter! http://twitter.com/themadpodcast (Who says usernames can be too repetitive?) Follow us!
It's time for me to roll on out, so as always, email us (themadpodcast@gmail.com), check out the vlogs (www.youtube.com/themadpodcast), and look out for a new episode around the week of June 13th!

-Deborah

Panicpanicpanic (and oh yeah, May Themes)

So, if you still think we're just being lazy about releasing a new episode after reading Deborah's post, perhaps this will cause you to reconsider:

Things Which Staci Is Doing This Month

1. Five AP exams
2. One two-part IB exam
3. Seven EOCs
4. One 50,000 word NaNoWriMo
5. Obtaining a medical internship
6. Hopefully sleeping a little bit

This is a RIDICULOUS month for all of the MADers, and it's going to be a miracle if we manage to get everything we have to do this month done. The podcast, unfortunately, is temporarily on hold.

But neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night can put an end to the MAD Book Challenge, and after April's "Choose-Your-Own-Themes" month, I couldn't skip out on coming up with themes again. But since this is exam month for most students, I'm going with fun, hopefully easy themes. Here they are:

1. Week One: Movie Book (means was originally a book, then made into a movie. BP if you watch the movie in addition to reading the book. I'm not sure if I'm repeating this theme by accident, but if I am, I apologize.)
2. Week Two: Stack of Small Books (As opposed to reading one large sized book, read a bunch of super small kid books. 3-4 novels about as long as Goosebumps, Boxcar Children, American Girls... You get the idea. Alternatively, if for some reason you're not a fan of children's literature, read a collection of short stories. I, for example, will be reading some HP Lovecraft this week. Join me if you dare.)
3. Week Three: Book With An Orange Cover (The cover only has to be mostly orange. IF you're stumped, I recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon or Intensity by Dean Koontz (yes, that counts as orange).)
4. Week Four: Pirate Book! (Defined as a pirate book if removing the pirates from the plot would make the book no longer make sense. I'll be reading one of my favorite books ever, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, if anyone cares to join me.)

There you have it. This month was originally slated for both "Classic Literature" and "A Book About a Dog", but I changed it last minute for you because absolutely none of us has time for tackling a classic - and dogs always die in books, but I'd prefer something more uplifting at the moment. Happy reading!

*shifty eyes* Heeey Guyyys....

*Awkward cough*

So it's been a while since we've released a new episode...sorry about that. I went to France, Sarita went to Italy, Staci was writing, Sarah was instrument-playing, Marshall was studying. And everyone has pretty much been freaking out about school. Chances are it's going to stay like that for a bit, since everyone has AP exams next week and the following one. After a 1.5 week break, we have regular exams. Cue the nervous breakdowns and panic attacks.

BUT after that we shall most definitely be BACK. I don't know if we're going to try to squeeze in an episode into that week and a half, but we're definitely recording once school gets out. We're also planning to record and release episodes in a much more timely manner over the summer, and we hope to get into such a schedule that we can stay like that in the next school year. But for now, keep up with the blog (www.themadpocast.blogspot.com) and vlogs (www.youtube.com/themadpodcast). We're also working on getting videos out...more on that later. As always, email us at themadpodcast@gmail.com!

-Deborah

Series of Unfortunate Events. In more ways than one.

The next episode of the MAD Podcast will be discussing A Series of Unfortunate Events. The plan was to record today, but we've run into some... well, unfortunate events.

Sarita isn't going to be on because she hasn't read the books. Sarah is doing something today and can't record. Marshall, Deborah and I were just going to do the show with the three of us, but now Deborah can't record. Which means it would just be me and Marshall.

Now, we've done two shows in the past with only two hosts on them, and they've been quite successful. In fact, from some of the listener feedback we've been getting, they were two of our most well-liked episodes. But we're hesitant to do it again this time.

This episode will be discussing both the book series by Lemony Snicket and the movie starring Jim Carrey. We're really excited about this episode, because of the four MADers who have both read the books and watched the movie, two of us favor the movie and the other two favor the books. Unfortunately, as it worked out, Marshall and I both like the movie better. So the whole books-vs-movie discussion we had planned is going to be pretty flat if it's just the two of us discussing.

As such, we've decided to postpone recording until next weekend. This means that the episode will be delayed by another week, but we think it'll be worth it if we're able to have some conflicting view points.

Send in your thoughts about the Series of Unfortunate Events book series and/or movie to themadpodcast@gmail.com and we'll include your thoughts and ideas on the show.

Attention BP seekers:

For the Book Challenge, you can get ten bonus points every time you read one of the same books that I read. I've mentioned the books I read for the Challenge on my vlogs, but now that they're down here's a record of what they are, in case anybody wants them:

1. Book by a Hot Author: "Looking for Alaska" by John Green*
2. New Book by an Old Favorite Author: "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
3. Humorous Novel: "Jingo" by Terry Pratchett
4. Dinosaur Novel: "Anonymous Rex" by Eric Garcia*
5. Winner of a Printz Award: "The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak
6. Romance Novel: "Fulk the Reluctant" by Elaine Knighton*
7. Old Favorite: "The Truth" by Terry Pratchett
8. Fantasy Book (Classical Fantasy): "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind
9. Vampire Novel: "Guilty Pleasures" by Laurell K. Hamilton*
10. Movie Book: "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis
11. Horror Novel: "Cell" by Stephen King
12. Title Contains Food: "War and Peas" by Jill Churchill

That takes you through the end of March. Email themadpodcast@gmail.com with any questions about the Challenge--just put "MAD Book Challenge" or my name in the subject line.

*Note concerning novels marked with an asterisk:

I'm just putting a warning label on these for anybody who's concerned. Very mild warning for Looking for Alaska, only because there's been some discussion on banning it from schools and I'm probably obligated to say so. However, please don't let that dissuade you; it is truly a fantastic book and the scene in question is (a) not that bad (you ever read Fulk the Reluctant?) and (b) actually serves a purpose and makes a statement in the novel. You can check out John Green talking about this on his video project (username vlogbrothers on YouTube). I really recommend this book, and if you can read it without crying you have no heart.

Anonymous Rex deserves a warning more than Alaska. It's... ah... very weird. To the immature and those whose parents might disapprove of a book about inter-species...um...procreation, beware of this book. On the other hand, the protagonist is a crime-fighting velociraptor that dresses up in a latex human suit, so if you think you can handle it you should check it out just for the humor.

Fulk the Reluctant is as bad as it sounds. I've read worse fan fiction, but there is still plentiful bath scenes and stallion metaphors, so here is my official warning. Also, I thought it was terrible, so I don't recommend it anyway.

Guilty Pleasures sounds and looks like it would be bad (it has one of those pulp romance covers), but I promise you that it isn't. This warning is more for graphic violence, to any who might not want to read that. However, this is an amazing book (aaaugh I must not spoil it at all, but the ending is freaking EPIC) with really fascinating characters and a well thought out plot. Marshall recommended it to me and I, in turn, recommend it to all of you. It's also the first in a bajillion-book series, so there's plenty more to read for fans.

March Themes

Here are the themes for the MAD Book Challenge this March:

1. (Mar. 2-Mar.8) Vampire Novel
   Defined as a novel where, if the vampires were removed from the plot, it would no longer make sense. Bonus Points for all you creative people who don't read Twilight.
2. (Mar.9-Mar.15) Movie Book
   Meaning a book that has a movie based off of it (not the other way around). Bonus Points if you read the book first and then watch the movie (only applicable if you have not watched the movie before.)
3. (Mar.16-Mar.22) Horror
   No debating this one: you must be able to find it in the horror section of a library. Bonus Points if you read all of it during the nighttime (I'm choosing to define this is after nine o'clock).
4. (Mar. 23-Mar.29) Title Contains Food
   Means exactly what it sounds like. Examples include "Just Desserts" by Mary Daheim and "Just Plain Pickled to Death" by Tamar Myers. (In other words, names of meals and food words used to mean other things--in this case, 'pickled'--work as well). Bonus Points, however, if you read one with an actual food item in the title--an example would be "War and Peas" by Jill Churchill.

By March 29th you're due to have 12 books read (assuming you started the Challenge with us at the beginning of the year). If not, welcome to the Challenge--and for everybody, Good Luck!

Happy reading!

Clearly, Thursdays don't count

Heeey. *Shifty eyes*.

So. It totally doesn't count as me missing my vlog if I miss it on a Thursday, right? That's my extra day!

Sigh, I know, I know. Here's the thing. I do have some video footage to put up but it's only a couple minutes, and it's already really late so it wouldn't upload until like eleven anyway. And I can't film any more for it because I've missed my window of filming time and there is now NO GOOD LIGHTING ANYWHERE IN MY HOUSE.

I'm also missing out on this vlog because of something very, very amazing and crazy and insane which is taking up a lot of my time and which I'll tell you all about on Monday. And plus I'm the only one to have vlogged at all lately and I have two days, so I think I've earned a pass.

So for now I'm doing this written post. While I'm here, let's talk about books. And more specifically, the Book Challenge.

I hope you all are doing all right and keeping on schedule with the challenge. (I'd appreciate feedback if anybody wants to. Just email themadpodcast@gmail.com with the subject line "mad book challenge"). I'm currently on my fourteenth book. I believe Sarah has read about that many books, too. (I'm not sure how many the others have read).

Anyway, best book I've read so far? The Truth by Terry Pratchett. This is also the only re-read I've done so far, and it's written by my favorite author. I'd read it once before and loved it; I didn't realize how much I love it until the second time around, at which point I discovered that it is officially my favorite book in the world. So, if you're looking for a good book to read, definitely check it out.

Heads up for next week's theme, (Romance novel): I'm reading Fulk the Reluctant by Elaine Knighton (and yes, I know exactly how funny that title is). It is officially classified as "historical romance" and one of the most hilarious things I've ever read, although I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be. If they say "methinks" one more time... Agh. However, as I did with Anonymous Rex, I'm going to have to issue a warning on this one. Younger readers and anyone who thinks their parents might disapprove, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I will NOT be held responsible for recommending it to you. (And I'm not really recommending it seriously. It's fun to make fun of, but that's about it. Let us say that there is a scene where they literally leap across a field of sheep, jumping from back to back)

And since I don't think Marshall is blogging today, I'll add this on her behalf: go listen to The Bills, an awesome folk band (and for those of you who just immediately shook your heads, shame on you for being closed minded--they're excellent). They have an album called Let Em Run on iTunes which you should definitely check out--Marshall recommended it to me a couple days ago and it's fantastic. We may or may not be mishearing the words, but we're pretty sure that in one of the songs he says "I've got four illegal chickens in my backyard".

Aha! Now I have written a sufficiently long post, so I shall get back to my homework. Make sure to email in about how you're doing in the Challenge!

Ciao

February Themes

In just three days, Week Five of the MAD Book Challenge will begin--which means it's time to release the next batch of themes. Here they are:

Week 4: (Feb. 2-Feb. 8): Winner of a Printz Award
. No trying to sneak around this one. There better be a Printz sticker on that book!

Week 5: (Feb. 9-Feb. 15): Romance Novel
. In honor of Valentine's Day, which takes place during this week. As far as this theme goes, I mean that the book should have a sticker saying "romance" on the side. However, if you really, really don't think you can stomach it, I'll let you read any book that has the word "romance" in the description on the back cover, no matter what the genre.

Week 6: (Feb. 16-Feb. 22): Old Favorite
. Remember that you're only allowed 26 re-reads during the Challenge.

Week 7: (Feb. 23-Mar. 1): Classical Fantasy Book
. There are many different types of fantasy novels, and scattered throughout the Challenge I'll post themes of the different kinds. This week it's the classical variety--that means in the style of JRR Tolkien. I want to see elves and dragons galore. And before you ask: no, Harry Potter does not count (although HP readers should keep their eyes open for a very special theme sometime in the future!) Break out your LOTR and Chronicles of Narnia.



We're almost done with the first month of the Challenge! If you've been with us since the beginning: Only 11 months and 48 books to go! If you're a newcomer: Welcome, and good luck! Either way, I hope you're staying on schedule. If not, don't get stressed: there's still time, and you can't be that far behind. Now get back to reading!

Acccckkkkkkkk

It's Wednesday.
Which is my day to vlog.
I don't think there could be a worse Wednesday for me to start vlogging.

First, I got home around 3:50, feeling ridiculously sick. However, I sucked it up and recorded. Then, RIGHT when I was almost done recording, my camera fell. And turned off. And did not save my recording. So I had to do it over again. Right as I began editing, the power went out. Cue the incredibly windy storm! It stayed off for about 15 or 20 minutes, then came back on, and then continued to turn off and off for about 2 hours.

My editing system is incredibly stupid and only allows you to pick the start and stopping points of the video, meaning it takes me forever to cut stuff out. I also have two tests on Friday, meaning I need to start studying tonight.

So, I apologize, but my video will be out tomorrow. Not tonight.

On the plus side, you'll get a double-dose of MADers tomorrow!

-Deborah

Warning

Today is my day for the vlog (link in sidebar). I recorded the video on Saturday and it's all ready to go, but I'm having difficulty getting it onto YouTube for some reason - it's been uploading now for over forty five minutes and I've restarted it several times. This is just a warning that my video might not be up today; if so, know that I tried!

Awesome

Our YouTube account has officially been updated with our first ever video! Just click on the link in the sidebar, or here to go to our channel.

Remember that our daily vlogs will begin on January 5th.

We're BACK

Today Sarita, Deborah and I recorded Episode Nine (we've decided to consider the Twilight movie episode as a full episode). The show was about the musical 1776.

Unfortunately, Marshall wasn't with us due to technical difficulties, and Sarah had a scheduling conflict. Deborah, Sarita and I were all exhausted from partying on New Year's Eve (I got three hours of sleep. Ugh), so if we're repetitive on this one, just know our brains were NOT functioning normally. That being said, I think it went pretty well; we tried to be as energetic as we could, and there's an extended outro involving a lot of off-topic discussion (oops).

Look for Episode Nine on iTunes (and our official website, link in the sidebar) soon!