Part 7: Conclusion of the FCKC War With ACI - Closing Thoughts

Closing Thoughts, Morals, Takeaways, Life Lessons, etc.

So, in case you haven't figured out why I don't care about obliterating my bridges with Glenn and Fingaz as discussed in FCKC War Footnote - Miss Slik's Advice On Burning Bridges and BONUS THEME SONG! ... I will not be competing in the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship next year in the Spring of 2014. Seriously.

I’m probably banned from competing in it anyway based on what has happened, which I’m OK with. But even if I would be allowed to compete by ACI, I do not want to. It is just not in me to go through this again for another 3 months of my life. I get nothing from it of any real value… In fact, I actually lose things of real value i.e. money for food, drinks, costumes, props, etc for and during competitions, vacation time from work, my friends, my sanity, my sleep, etc..

I had contemplated it though. I think in order to do it, I'd need a vocal coach, costume designer, and choreographer to assist me throughout the entirety of the competition. They would help ensure every part of the criteria was met to the letter and each performance was basically on par with shows like the Grammies, MTV, CMA's, etc.. Then, if I didn't win I could claim more foul play and start an even bigger war next year about issues with non-adherence to the criteria (which has also been a problem in the past) and more unfairness to contestants. But I don't think I want to put myself through that.

However, for anyone who thinks this is just a stupid karaoke contest and doesn’t understand why so many people are as angry as they are about the unfairness, I hope you get that we invest THREE WHOLE MONTHS EVERY SINGLE YEAR of our own lives along with the lives of our family, significant others, spouses, friends, etc. who get dragged along week after week, night after night, just to support us and contribute to those 10 measly Crowd Response points. All we do is sleep, eat, breath, crap, drink, and most of all, sing karaoke. I’ve lost several friends and even boyfriends over this contest. In fact, the length and detail of these 7 total posts should give you an extreme indication of how seriously we take the FCKC.

Even if I had won the whole shebang, what would $1,500 and a title have cost me? I hate who I become as a contestant in the FCKC. I hate who A LOT of us become when we compete in this contest. We are terrible people who would kill each other for three months because of this contest.

One of the winners this year who just missed that big prize said her only point of consolation for not winning 1st place was that she at least beat out a 13 year old child… a little boy she has had daggers for that had beat her our every year since he was 8 or 9 years old. I looked at her 2 years ago during my first time competing and said, “Do you realize you’re basically saying you’d shank a 9 year old for a karaoke title?”

Normally she’s a very lovely person who is quite friendly and loving of children so I found this extremely shocking. She even likes this kid under normal circumstances. He’s a very nice kid. I personally think he’s amazing and we both agree he should be on TV. But this is what I’m talking about. It’s disgusting behavior.

I’m disgusted with myself for having turned on my own friends… people who have done absolutely NOTHING to me EVER but be nice, caring, awesome people. This is most evident with Vince and Nani who beat me at the venue final for Fast Eddie’s Fairfax. I criticized their performances for weeks and scrutinized Vince's energy level and audience connection that night along with Nani's vocal ability (she really should sing more Country songs though because SWV does not show her range very well)... The thing is, I wasn't even the only one joining in on this discussion. However, bygones and sincere apologies go out to them whether they knew what was said or not because they didn't deserve to be shredded.

For real though, want to know of whom I am extremely envious and insanely, beyond blindly jealous of? Nope.. Guess again... It is definitely not the people who won at the Fair. I’m actually super happy for them, especially 2nd Place Winner Lauren and 3rd Place Winner Atir because they are both friends and fellow members of the Chuka League. WHOYOUWITH?!?!

Honestly, the person of whom I am the most jealous is my friend and another fellow Chuka League member, the Air Guitar Super Champion of the World, Richard Fraina. Why? Because he had the most fun that Friday night out of any of us. He didn’t make it into the rounds at the Fair and seemed cool with it. He also didn’t bad mouth anyone or hate on any of his friends.

“Went to celebrate Fairfax sang two songs at karaoke then saw sponge filter live and everclear. Got to hang out with friends and talk about music between bands overall a good night” and then he tagged a girl named Heather, Naniboo, and myself.

I saw him at the end of the night when I was getting ready to leave. He came back with the most gigantic smile on his face and pulled out 2 CD’s he got from the bands. His look on his face was the same as my friend Mele’s and mine the year before after we saw Legends of Hip Hop on the main stage at Celebrate Fairfax. It’s a look of mind-blown awesomeness at the craziness that has just transpired. I love the bands that performed and have been fans of them for years. I wish I would have just forfeited my spot and gone with him to see the show instead.

Here is where this whole situation becomes supremely ironic... The first week of competition, Richard was a judge at Fast Eddie's Fairfax for a Qualifier. We got into an argument when I lost because he deducted points from my score for cursing in my song, Nicki Minaj's "Did It On 'Em". You are allowed to do that during the Qualifiers because the bars most of the weekly competitions take place at are not family-friendly establishments. He disagreed and said that no cursing was one of the rules. My response was, "Yeah, you can't curse at the Fair but you can in the Qualifiers!" I had learned this lesson during Week 1 of 2011 when I competed in my first Qualifier ever.

I was so mad at him I didn't speak to him for at least a month after that night. But, who was right and who was wrong? The rules don't really specify and they probably should. At least I can walk away knowing that I somehow made a difference for the contestants by making a huge stink about it all... and that makes me happy. No matter what, I guarantee it will still remain a vicious cycle.

In the meantime, we still have about 8 months until the blood bath that is Karaoke Season begins again in March of 2014.

Hold up....

And just in case you missed them:

• The FCKC War with ACI - Part One
• FCKC War Footnote - Miss Slik's Advice On Burning Bridges and BONUS THEME SONG!
• The FCKC War with ACI - Part Two: The Incident at The Fair Friday Night

• The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn
• The FCKC War with ACI - Part 4: More Aftermath and F You to Some People
• The FCKC War with ACI Part 5: The Judges, The Judging, and the Outdated, Arbitrarily Non-Officially Changed Rules
• The FCKC War with ACI - Part Six: Getting Official Word from Mr. Barry Feil!

ATTENTION: STALKER ALERT!!! BIG RED FLAGS!!! HUGE RED FLAGS!!!

So just in case you thought I was kidding about having 7 Evil Stalkers/Stage 5 Clingers in my post Adventures in Dating: Seemingly Desperate Dudes Who Weird Me Out, here is a prime example of a situation which has now escalated and makes me THANK GOD I own a gun....

Remember the dude I referred to in Why Does Dating Suck? Cause Dudes Be Trippin That's Why! who threw up the BIG RED FLAGS?!?! Well, I don't remember if I mentioned this, but I did hear from him again and was forced to block him on both PoF and the Sprint website for my phone. 

But somehow he managed to find me on Facebook and sent me a friend request either late last night or early this morning.

He is the top one, Rusty Evans... I was like "Noooooo... Can't be the same dude."  

So I checked out his profile and sure enough, it totally is the same guy... What a fucking psycho?! For real, did he think he could trick me into accepting his friend request so he could step the stalking up a notch? Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these pictures I screenshotted from his Facebook profile. Should I disappear and my dead body drifts onto the shores of the Potomac River, this dude is the prime suspect at this point...

I also took it to the interwebz on a real computer so I could get a bigger pic to show you guys...

Here is the message I sent him before I blocked him on Facebook:

"I don't know how you found me on Facebook but you have crossed a serious line. I told you before to leave me alone and not to contact me again for any reason. I've already had to block your phone number and profile on PoF. I will also be blocking you on Facebook. If you did not understand before then I will say it one last time...

LEAVE ME ALONE AND DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT ME AGAIN FOR ANY REASON. IF YOU DO, I WILL CONTACT THE POLICE TO FILE HARASSMENT CHARGES AND OBTAIN A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST YOU."

I blocked him as soon as I sent the message. But he must have been sitting on his phone looking out like a hawk because he's a stalker and has no life beyond harassing me apparently. Here is his response...

LOVE how he tried to make it seem like I must be crazy and conceited. There is no way an Invite All would work to find my account. My cellphone number is not associated with my Facebook profile nor posted in my contact info for a reason. Also, the email address connected to my PoF profile isn't the same one I use for Facebook. Even if it were, he didn't know any of them. So how the fuck did he find me?

My friend Jeannie thinks he Catfished me. I spent more time today than I care to admit trying to figure out how he could use pictures and just my first name to find me. Special shout out and thank you to Brandon for being my awesome, super sexy guinea pig who let me attempt to Catfish hunt his profile down even though it didn't work. 

I will have to do a follow-up post about Catfishing because there are a CRAP TON of crazy ways people can use just your pictures to find your social media profiles on the interwebz. The only thing I can figure is he used one of my PoF pics on Google Images search and found my blog then found my Facebook profile through some serious recon he could've been doing for the past couple months. Guess I need to change some pics around and watch what I say a little more to safeguard my private life.

In the meantime, while I totally <3 y'all, please do not take the liberty to try to add my Facebook profile. I have a Facebook page dedicated to the blog that needs "Likes" and I promise starting today I'll be better about updating it more frequently. So please check out my Miss Slik's Guide to Gracefully Faking It Through Life Facebook Page and hit the Like button.

Theme Songs to Help Kill Whatever is Left of Your Wednesday...

Thanks to typing up my last post for y'all Adventures in Dating: Seemingly Desperate Dudes Who Weird Me Out I now have Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby stuck in my head... Because for real, who doesn't like Vanilla Ice?!?!

So here is the original...

and Yes, to answer that guy's question, I do like dubstep... and this remix of Ice Ice Baby is kinda not sucky...

And then you should watch this because it's hysterical. Adam Scott and Parks & Rec are the BEST...



Adventures in Dating: Seemingly Desperate Dudes Who Weird Me Out

So I started talking to this guy a few days ago. He seemed cool and we bonded over a love of movie trivia. His username is from Back to the Future, which is an epic movie. I told him about my voicemail greeting that nobody ever gets which is "Hi! This is Niki! Leave a message!" He knew it was from Swingers so I was highly impressed... Blah blah blah...

Well, he sends me this message like Monday night....

It's super long and involved. The first part refers to my favorite movie being Pulp Fiction and Samuel L. Jackson, who is the F-ing man and this dude CLEARLY does not know what he's talking about by saying his acting is limited. The second part refers to him asking me if I have 7 evil exes who will try to fight him like in Scott Pilgrim.. I said "No, more like 7 evil stalkers/stage 5 clingers who will probably try to fight you or at least mean mug you." Third, I was drawing a blank on who Veronica Vaughn was and apparently he was referencing the movie Billy Madison which I've never seen. Third, he asked me what my favorite flavor ice was. The rest of his message had been word association and he'd just made a Beck song reference. I thought we were on music and answered Vanilla.. because who doesn't love Vanilla Ice?!?

I meant to respond back to him but I forgot about it because I got all busy talking to some other guy with whom I'll be going on a date this Saturday (hopefully he won't be weird, scandalous, losery, or a douche and end up in this segment of my blog *fingers crossed*). Plus considering how long the message was I just didn't have the mental capacity to respond back at the time I received it.

Anyway, last night I was minding my own business playing my guitar when the first message below comes through. I'm like "Oh crap! Totally forgot to respond to this guy." Then I read the message and I was like "WOW! Sooooo not going to respond to this guy!" But it wasn't until the second one came through like an hour and a half later when I was like, "OH. MAH. GOD. WOW." No. I did not get the Swingers reference... But, we already shared a moment on that days ago and reenacting it via several PoF messages is not a turn on.



Now as far as I know this dude is not a douchebag. He's just kind of weird and obviously lacking in game. If you happen to be a single lady doing online dating and his constant barrage of movie references is a turn on for you then please search his username on PoF and have at it. However, don't tell him how you found him deal? If you happen to be a dude doing the online dating thing then here is an example of what not to do OK?

The FCKC War with ACI - Part Six: Getting Official Word from Mr. Barry Feil!

Monday Afternoon - 6/10/13:

I did a little bit of digging based on Mr. Fingaz having said that he had spoken with the Director of Celebrate Fairfax because I wanted to know if he had told the truth. Well, there are 3 Directors and they are all women so I assumed this male Director was imaginary. But, being the professional that I am… journalistic integrity, truth-seeker, etc. I called the main line and pressed whatever button connected me to Media and Communications. I got the voicemail of VP and Managing Director Meagan Butkus. I left Ms. Butkus a message regarding this incident and let her know I was fact checking for an article I was writing.

Tuesday Morning - 6/11/13:

I received a call back from none other than the CEO & President of Celebrate Fairfax, Mr. Barry Feil. This is the person with whom Fingaz spoke so it was actually appropriate he was the person to return my call. I essentially got the Final Word on this situation “straight from the horse’s mouth” as they say.

Feil basically told me the same thing, that they go by FCC guidelines and "If it's on the radio, it's Okay." I began to break down for him exactly what FCC guidelines are but the second he used the term "community standards" I knew he wasn't stupid and did already have some familiarity.

He also told me that he has a nine year old daughter who, at only seven years old, knew all the words to the song "Gives You Hell" by All American Rejects. He said he didn't like it but there was nothing he could really do about it... and he's right. I feel for Barry Feil and do not envy his position. He's basically caught between a rock and a hard place. He is in charge of putting on an event every year that has to be relevant knowing in essence it contributes to situations like kids learning songs packed with "light profanity" at young ages.

Like it or not folks, this is the day and age we live in. There are supreme court cases going on as we speak that can and will change what is allowed to be said on radio and TV. Thanks to Safe Harbor Laws and people like Howard Stern, there really isn't much you can't do on the air short of showing hardcore pornography or graphically depicting obscene sex acts on the radio. I don't envy parents with small children because no matter what those parents do it is frankly impossible to shield kids from this... and it's not like you can wash your kids' mouths out with soap anymore like our parents did when we cursed when we were kids (think A Christmas Story) without fear of Child Protective Services showing up at your door.

But, here is the gist... If "light profanity" is allowed to be sung in songs at Celebrate Fairfax  in the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship, then the Official Rules need to be updated to reflect that with the clarification that "If it's on the radio then it's Okay." As it stands, the Official Rules were not observed and the people who followed them, like me and the other "sore losers", did get shafted because we could have sang more relevant songs.

The good news is that Mr. Barry Feil understands that and has agreed to update the Official Rules next year for 2014 to reflect it. 

Well HOLY CRAP! Somebody in charge of something to do with this contest actually admitted some kind of fault and did not call me a sore loser for daring to broach this topic... AND is even going to take action that will make the contest a little more fair for the contestants going forward. While this was not exactly the resolution I had in mind, I am still happy with it.

I later found out during the conversation that he only returned my call because he thought I was a reporter. He thought he got duped for a second...

No Mr. Feil, while I did take several courses related to journalism at George Mason University and worked for the Times Community Newspapers for nearly 2 years, I am not now nor have I ever been a reporter. But, I also never claimed to be. All I said was “I’m writing an article and am attempting to do some fact checking." As you can see, that was true. For all you know it could’ve been an article for karaoke enthusiasts, which is also actually kind of true.

I did want to be a newspaper reporter several years ago. But, the specific courses for the concentration in Journalism conflicted with my full-time work schedule at the time and paying my rent in full on time was of higher priority to me than selecting this particular concentration. I decided to go with Public Relations instead because the courses were nearly identical and the potential income of PR executives is A LOT more than that of a reporter unless you are Brian Williams or Katie Couric.

However, I am a published author and current blog writer, which in its essence is tantamount to being a reporter. Blogs seem to be the beginning of all things newsworthy these days and reputable media sources circulate our posts through the PR newswires. If I put enough SEO’s in this post and somebody decides the content of any or all of it is “newsworthy” it is very likely this story could become the basis for other articles then published by what you would consider more reputable media outlets.

In the meantime, please note that our obscure little blog which has only existed for about 2 months, is read in, at last count, fifteen countries on four continents and gets anywhere from 100-200 clicks on an average day. However, my readership has quintupled since I began this FCKC War with ACI series of posts and continues to grow. The only people who know that are me and the watchdogs at Adsense who decided I have satisfied their readership requirements sufficiently enough to allow me to have paid advertising on my blog. 

Why am I telling you all this Mr. Feil? Because you gave me your word that you would update the rules for the FCKC next year to reflect what we discussed and I intend to hold you to that. I encourage my readers to do so as well. I would also suggest that you read The FCKC War with ACI Part 5: The Judges, The Judging, and the Outdated, Arbitrarily Non-Officially Changed Rules to see the other rules that should probably be updated while you are at.

Stay tuned for Part Seven - The Conclusion of the FCKC War with ACI....

And just in case you missed them:

• The FCKC War with ACI - Part One
• FCKC War Footnote - Miss Slik's Advice On Burning Bridges and BONUS THEME SONG!
• The FCKC War with ACI - Part Two: The Incident at The Fair Friday Night

• The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn
• The FCKC War with ACI - Part 4: More Aftermath and F You to Some People
• The FCKC War with ACI Part 5: The Judges, The Judging, and the Outdated, Arbitrarily Non-Officially Changed Rules

Happy Tuesday People! Theme Songs Dedicated to Michael Jackson!

Today is the 4 year anniversary of the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. There is no denying 2 things about Michael Jackson: 1) He was super weird and had some serious deep-rooted issues and 2) He was an extremely talented musician who put out some of the most ridiculously epic, supremely awesome songs EVER!

I've personally been a fan of his since I was a little kid. One of my fondest, happiest memories I have of my childhood was dancing with my dad in the dining room to this song while it was playing on the radio...

And being dazzled by the light up sidewalk in Billie Jean...

I also learned all the words and the dance moves to Thriller. This video used to scare the bejesus out of me...

And I remember sitting in my living room with my parents watching the premiere of Black or White on broadcast TV when Macauley Culkin was still relevant (and apparently allegedly being molested along with Wade Robson... but we won't get into that)...

One of the first CD's I ever got was HIStory: Past, Present, and Future and my little brother Ian and I bounced around the living room listening to Scream on perma repeat pretending to be Michael and Janet because I made him learn how to do the dance for that too...

But as an adult, there are only 2 songs that endure as my all time favorite MJ jammies...

The first is Dirty Diana. Every time I hear it I can't help but stop what I'm doing to sing along and slow groove in place to it...

And my supreme favorite that I actually made a breaks remix of because I LOVE it that much... Keep It In the Closet...

 

Here is my remix posted on my Sound Cloud profile if you feel like listening to it... Keep It In The Closet With Remixmaster Slik

BOOM... R.I.P. MJ <3

Happy Monday Theme Songs YAY!

Only Monday and already this week is dragging. It's going to be in the 90's today, tomorrow, the day after that, etc. I'm daydreaming wishing I was in a pool.

Since it's officially Summer now...

Will Smith - Summertime

and another fave of mine...

Sublime - Summertime

Now I've also gone a little country today... Why? Because I can. I was listening to one of my fave country stations on the way to work and these songs came on...

Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson - As She Walks Away

This one is good too...

Jason Aldean - The Only Way I Know

Also heard this one this morning and it is my freaking super jam...

Academy Award Winning Three 6 Mafia - Sippin On Some Sizzurp

And finally, I ran across this little gem and it is the hotness. I LOVE Trina. She always tells it like it is cause fools should know they place..

Trina feat. Killa Mike - Look Back At Me

BOOM! Got more coming up so stay tuned!

Adventures in Dating: Douchebag Dudes With No Game

Now that ya'll are paying attention, I guess I need to start beefing up my Sex, Love, and Dating section because you keep checking it out like you expect to find more than one post. I've been on several dates in the past several weeks and I've been DYING to break them down.

So I had a date a few weeks ago with this guy I met through the dating website I'm on. He was on and off about communicating.. Like we'd talk a lot one day and maybe try to meet up but it wouldn't work out and then nothing for a few days... Then he'd send me these random pics he thought were funny.

This was the first one....

Ummmmm... Yeah, because nothing turns me on or lets me know you're into me quite like pics of tranny dating profiles on PoF. He told me there are quite a few transsexuals on there. My response to him was "If that's what you're into.. I guess the heart wants what the heart wants.. or the penis rather.. Patti Stanger on Millionaire Matchmaker always says the penis does the picking".. He swore up and down he was straight and loved boobs and vaginas.. I was like "Well consciously maybe.. But not subconsciously apparently. Subconsciously I'm sure I'm attracted to a bunch of things I'd never consciously admit to.."

My example was making an Eiffel Tower in a 3-some with this dude and a big-dicked, big-boobed tranny... which the more I thought about it, actually seemed like it could be pretty hot. I like boobs and large penises and theoretically this tranny would have both. He told me he was cool with that and to pick one out... WHAAAAATTTTT?!?!?!? That ladies and gentlemen should've deterred me from ever speaking to this dude again. It is a giant red flag.

Really though, I've gotten to the point with dudes where I just don't care anymore. I'm a douchebag magnet as you will discover. I've been experimenting with new and different ways to push their boundaries and see what they'll let me get away with. Why not right?

Anyway, we tried to meet up and again it did not work out and again I didn't hear from him for a few days. I was about ready to write him off until I got this...

So I laughed because who doesn't love Will Farrell and joking references about male genitalia and A Few Good Men? Then I let him know he'd just about gotten written off because I was tired of being shot down on hanging out. I told him I wasn't going to ask him if he wanted to do anything anymore... but that since he was the dude and I'm theoretically the chick in this scenario, he should be the one asking me anyway... So then he asked me out to dinner.

We ended up going to Champp's because they have karaoke on Friday nights and I wanted to practice my songs for the Fair. I thought he was cute in person but had a serious issue with blinking way too much... either because he has some kind of weird eye condition, thought it was flirtatious, or the more logical explanation, he lies a lot (abnormal amounts of blinking signal lying).

Anyway, we finished dinner and I finished my like 6-7th girly tequila drink and we rolled out. He walked me to my car and I go to hug him and thank him for a nice night. He kissed me... Then copped a feel everywhere like that was supposed to do something for me... Then he says to me "Are you ready to make some poor decisions?" (Sidenote: this dude kept talking to me about making poor drunken decisions. I kept telling him, "I don't make poor decisions. I make bad decisions.. HORRIBLE ones even." For real, who makes poor decisions when they're drunk?)

I just busted out laughing. I was like, "OH. MAH. GOD! Yeah, I'm going to go home alone. That is my decision." Well, he didn't like that very much and began to storm off like a bratty 3 year old who got sand in his crack, packed up his G.I. Joe's, and announced he didn't want to play anymore and was going home. I stood there watching him walk off and was like "Really dude?! WOW! Sorry you didn't bring your A+ game tight enough to close on the first date. Besides, I don't see a tranny anywhere, so clearly you did not come prepared."

For real, if you're a dude, you shouldn't expect to get it in on the first date. Chicks are at least supposed to get a grace period of a minimum of 3 dates before you should begin expecting anything. This dude was actually a good-looking guy who, despite being somewhat corny, probably could've gotten it after another date or 2. But, acting like a bratty little kid is not exactly a turn on.

So, I haven't heard from him since... no weird pics or discussions of poor decision-making... which I'm totally OK with. However, I did see him while I was walking up to the gate at Celebrate Fairfax. I noticed him walking right in front of me and we both did one of those like hand shielding the face moves to try to make ourselves invisible like "Please don't let this person see me." All I could think was "WOW! What a douche!"

His name is Sam. He's like 29-30, 6 ft., black hair, blue eyes, works for US Customs, lives in Alexandria, and lies about his penis size. If you're on PoF and you come across him then duck him like it's your job and avoid him like the plague because he is wack and you don't need that in your life. Trust me. Personally, I'd take that tranny any day over this fool since it would probably be way more fun.



The FCKC War with ACI Part 5: The Judges, The Judging, and the Outdated, Arbitrarily Non-Officially Changed Rules

The Reality Of Just How Unfair The Situation REALLY Is…

For this next part, just in case you want a reference point, here are the Official Rules posted on the Celebrate Fairfax Website.

So of course, we've already gotten into the issue over the profanity rule that was not adhered to and flouted... which if you were reading The FCKC War with ACI - Part 4: More Aftermath and F You to Some People you'd know apparently has unofficial loopholes. Per Anthony, the Director of Celebrate Fairfax said "If it's on the radio then it's OK." Well, that is not what the Official Rules say. The radio allows quite a few curse words to be said and the list of those words is constantly growing. So we already know that is subject to bias and interpretation.

Now let's explore a few other issues that create problems for this karaoke contest.

First, this rule was arbitrarily changed and disregards the official posted rules as well:

1. Contestants will be judged in the following five categories:

I. Physical Presentation

II. Crowd Reaction and Participation

III. Choreography/Entertainment Ability

IV. Vocal Presentation

V. Overall Performance

Now here is the part that really matters...

"2. Each contestant shall be judged on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the

highest score for each category (i.e. the lowest score possible is a 5 and the highest is a 50 from each judge)."

Well, that is not what Anthony aka Fingaz told us in his messages and official posts...

"Did you know? The Celebrate Fairfax Contest is judged on an 80 point scale, divided into the following categories:

Physical (10 pts):

I like to call this one the "extra credit" category; let's say you're singing Prince and you show up onstage in a royal purple 3/4 coat wearing a ruffled shirt, purple pants, and carrying a prop guitar? EXTRA POINTS. Singing Diana Ross, and you take the stage in a flowing sequined gown? EXTRA POINTS. Belting out "Thriller" and you wear the zippered jacket and a sparkly glove? Well, you get the point. LITERALLY.

Crowd Participation (10 pts):

This deals with the audience's reaction to your performance, and how they participate with you during your performance.

Choreography (20 pts):

your entertainment ability and how you express the mood of the song. does not necessarily mean how well you dance.

Vocal Ability (20 pts):

the individual quality of your voice in relation to the rhythm of the music; how well you blend with the music

Overall (20 pts):

pretty self explanatory; your total performance.

Hope this helps break down some of the questions you may have."

So how and when did the point scale change from all categories being equally weighted at 10 points per item to Choreography, Vocal Ability, and Overall being raised to 20 points per item? And if it did then why were the Official Rules not updated to reflect it?

Also, we have no clue what our scores are. They never tell us. It's entirely possible Glenn and Anthony could've lied about my score to help cover their BS. How would I know? I actually think each contestant should receive a copy of their scorecards so they know exactly who scored them how and comments about why. That would eliminate any issues with confusion over what happened. You would then know your total score and exactly why you lost. It would create transparency because then you are able to compare your scorecards with other contestants if you wish to and also have written suggestions to help you improve for future competitions. As it stands now we have no clue what our scores are/were so there is no way to know how or why the people who won actually beat us “sore losers”.

Next, there is another rule that states:

"6. Contestants, their family or associates are not allowed to have contact with a competition

judge before or during any competition connected with Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. Contact

includes verbal conversations and handshakes."

Well that's pretty hard to adhere to when a lot of the contestants are friends with the judges because they come out to the karaoke shows in the area, particularly those of Anthony aka Fingaz. Last year, two of the judges actually came up to a group of the semifinalists sitting by the stage before the contest and said "Hello" to all of us. Fingaz actually came over and said "We don't want another situation like last year" and then they said they couldn't continue talking to us and walked away. (Remember this, it is important). 

In fact, one of the judges spoke to several of us prior to the Wild Card Round because we were saying "Hello" to our friend. I didn't even know this person was a judge until several minutes into the conversation when they finally told me. Technically, we should've been disqualified too per the rule. But how are we supposed to distinguish between our friend who is just there to support us and our friend who is there because he is one of the judges? They should be wearing signs or t-shirts or at least know to tell us at the beginning of the conversation "I can't speak to you right now because I am one of the judges."

But, this is where the perception of bias begins. Anthony aka Fingaz claimed I accused him of some kind of conspiracy I guess in what I said on my Facebook profile in The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn. I did not. I simply stated the truth about a situation that happened in 2011 with the judging.

OK, so in 2011 what had happened was Avi, the kid who won 1st Place for 2 years consecutively, finally lost to Reggie. Avi's father complained to Anthony aka Fingaz and said that the only reason Reggie won was because he was shown favoritism. Mr. Jackson saw Lou and Reggie talking so he knew Reggie was friends with one of the judges, Lou, and he also saw Reggie's mother sitting on the stage behind Mr. Fingaz during the contest. 

Like I said, Reggie is an AMAZING singer who legit deserved to win. I didn't get to know him or his mom as well as I do now until after the contest but I didn't see anything wrong or unfair about how it all went down. However, word around the campfire is that Mr. Jackson threatened to sue over it and they updated the rules for the next year. This is why if you win 1st Place you can't compete again and have to be a judge.

So, Semifinals in 2012.. The situation in 2011 is why Fingaz came over and told Reggie and Lou not to talk to us, the contestants, anymore. But here is what got everybody riled up... Avi and his sister were both Semifinalists that year and they both made it through to the Finals. Now, Avi is a beast and his win was to be expected. However, the conspiracy came about because of his sister. She is not as animated and does not have the same stage presence that Avi does. People believed she only got put through because their father complained the year before so the contest was basically rigged.

Now is that true? Honestly, I don't know. I really hope that it's not because I really want to believe that Lou and Reggie actually have the moral integrity that I give them credit for... But, could it be true? It is possible. And even if it's not, the truth is still irrelevant because all that matters is the way it looks.

The judges are not some trained professionals who are qualified with actual credentials that would give them any sort of standing to tell you anything in any real way about your performance. They are friends of Mr. Fingaz. This is another problem that creates issues over bias and unfairness. This is why there have been questions every year.


Also, there is a rule that states:

“Decisions of the judges are final. No arguing with judges is allowed. Any contestant, their family or associates who argue with a judge may be deemed to be using offensive behavior and the contestant may be disqualified from the competition.”

So basically they created a rule specifically to keep you from being able to disagree with Mr. Fingaz’s friends who are not necessarily even qualified to tell you, or your child in some cases, a single thing about what happened. Up until the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was one of his friends and could have very well been a judge had I not been a participant in the contest. Do you think I’d have given a crap if you’d wanted to argue with me if I judged you? NOPE! I’d have said bring it on because I’ll stand behind any decision I make. 

THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO QUALIFICATIONS FOR BEING A JUDGE DURING ANY ROUND OF THIS CONTEST AT ANY VENUE INCLUDING THE FAIR… 1) BE A FRIEND OF MR. FINGAZ, 2) CANNOT BE A CONTESTANT. THAT IS IT.

After the issues in 2011 and 2012, I suggested that they should have people from NBC4 since they partner with Celebrate Fairfax. I also suggested they could get some music teachers from local schools to judge, which would highlight the fact that Arts programs are being cut and maybe have some sort of fund raising tie-in that helps the community. This would've eliminated the perception of bias with the judges and made the contest a lot more fair.

Obviously my suggestions were not considered or implemented for 2013 and neither were anyone else's. Had they been we would probably not be in this situation year after year. Maybe these blog posts will make the difference for next year... or not.

To be continued.... Part 6 is coming up!

And just in case you missed them:

The FCKC War with ACI - Part One
FCKC War Footnote - Miss Slik's Advice On Burning Bridges and BONUS THEME SONG!
The FCKC War with ACI - Part Two: The Incident at The Fair Friday Night

The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn
The FCKC War with ACI - Part 4: More Aftermath and F You to Some People

Sad Monday My People.. Theme Songs Dedicated to My Girl Abby and in Loving Memory to Her Brother Erin

It's a sad day my people. Unfortunately, this weekend one of my closest friends Abby lost her older brother Erin. He was taken from this world way to soon. I understand that when God decides he wants to call you back home, you don't get the option to hit ignore on your smartphone. However, I will never understand why God decides to take good people away from other good people who love them at such a young age. You see, Erin was only in his 30's.

I had the good fortune and distinct pleasure to have known Erin as well for a brief time and spent one super kick ass Labor Day Weekend/my 29th Birthday Weekend with him in Gettysburg last year. If you've ever heard me say "Good thing I didn't forget to put extra glitter on my vagina!" that was actually a phrase coined by Erin.

Erin was a good dude... a super fun and incredibly unique individual, a loving, caring and devoted brother, son, father, and friend. He and his sister Abby are two peas in a pod as she is incredibly fun, unique, loving, caring, and devoted as well.

My heart breaks for Erin, Abby, and their entire family. I hope you fine interwebz people will join me in extending my sincerest and most deeply felt love, prayers, and condolences to Abby and her family.

So, today the theme songs are dedicated to Erin and Abby...

This first batch is for Erin....

First, a song that came immediately to mind when I spoke with Abby this morning...

Billy Joel - Only The Good Die Young

Next, a song which Erin played for me the morning he told me not to forget to put extra glitter on my vagina. This was a song he and Abby used to laugh about together...

You Can Touch My Boobies

Also, a song that will forever remind me of Erin because we met Terrance Zdunich aka Graverobber from Repo! The Genetic Opera at HorrorFind Weekend... All the ladies and even a good amount of the men got giddy over Terrance because I'm pretty sure they wanted him to inject his zydrate into a certain part of their anatomy. Erin is the one who got the closest because he caught a peek at Terrance's junk in the men's room. Priceless moments...

Zydrate Anatomy

Finally, a song that Erin and Abby would sing together at karaoke when he would come out with her... He and I actually did a duet together at Skaraoke during HorrorFind Weekend..

So here is Erin's and my rendition of The B52's - Love Shack...

R.I.P. Erin... You are already definitely being missed dude.

This next batch is for Abby. Honey, if any of this puts a smile on your face for even a split second today then I will feel like I somehow did my job as your friend.

I met Abby at karaoke a few years ago. Abby, our friend Leah, and I are the Superstar Karaoke Divas. Abby has the most amazing voice and she can kill some Paramore like it's her freaking job. Paramore is extremely hard to sing just FYI.

This is her main go-to song and if you have heard or ever do hear her sing it you know that I'm not lying about how good she is...

Paramore - Decode

Also, Abby I promise I will finish learning how to play this song on guitar like you asked me to... and once I do then I will teach you how to play it...

Paramore - The Only Exception

Next is a song I make Abby sing for me whenever I can get her to because she does it so well...

Flyleaf - All Around Me

Now here is the song Abby always makes me sing for her whenever she can get me to...

Lady Gaga - Poker Face

Finally... Girl, you know I had to take it there....

Styx - Mr. Roboto

I love you Abby and I've got your back. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you will get through this. Pretty sure you've said that exact same thing to me and you were right. You were also there for me every step of the way just like I will be there with you. <3 <3 <3