It's St. Patrick's Day! I'm never quite sure what to make of this particular holiday, since it immediately brings to mind losers wearing green hats and guzzling green beer — or worse, parades that won't let the gays in. But in an attempt to accentuate the positive, here are seven (that's lucky!) delightful Irish people and things:

1. Carly Smithson

I'm still not entirely sure she can live up to all the hype, but American Idol contestant Smithson was great last week. I hope she'll continue to rock out, though I really don't think the Ann Wilson comparisons are right. There can be only one Ann Wilson. But kudos to Smithson for bringing Heart to the masses.

2. Roisin Connor (Siobhan McCarthy)

If you stopped watching Bad Girls after Helen and Nikki left the show, tune back in to see Roisin and Cassie, another star-crossed couple. Sometimes they wear very nice soooots.

3. Emma Donoghue … continue reading

Today on the Chicago Tribune blog The Watcher, TV critic Maureen Ryan exposes an American Idol contestant who has already made an album. Carly Smithson, highlighted on last night's episode of Idol, released a major-label album in 2001 under her maiden name, Carly Hennessy. She got through to the Hollywood round on Idol in 2005, but had visa issues (she's Irish) and had to leave the show.

Apparently her MCA-backed album failed to launch her career: It sold only 378 copies in its first week. So she's still trying to get that big break.

Is this a cover-up on the producers' part, or no big deal? Says Ryan,

True, the singing contest is inevitably going to feature people who have had professional careers and recording contracts. But there’s a difference between someone who’s been a backup singer or had a few self-released or indie albums and someone who’s had major backing from one of the biggest record labels in the world.

Isn’t this competition about discovering fresh new talents? Smithson was hardly undiscovered. Fine. Just tell people that.

I guess that's just it; it depends on what the competition is about and how you define fresh. Yeah, she made a record, but not many people heard it — it's like that tree falling in the forest. Only more tuneful. How "undiscovered" can you be, anyway, in the MySpace age? … continue reading

They may not be well-known in the States, but British girl group the Sugababes have been one of my favorite musical acts for about seven years now. Indeed, they’re a big hit in the U.K. generally, having notched up six No. 1 singles as well as a Brit award (our equivalent of the Grammys). This despite persistent rumors of infighting, and multiple lineup changes that perhaps make them the U.K. equivalent of Destiny’s Child.

They burst on the scene in their first incarnation in 2000:

Baby-faced Keisha Buchanan (left) and feisty Mutya Buena (right) were already friends from school, while the enigmatic-looking redhead Siobhan Donaghy (center) was added by Buena’s manager. Their first big hit single, when they were still in their mid-teens, was "Overload." It made use of the girls’ sweet, throaty, pop-soul harmonies (reminiscent of the group En Vogue) and their barbed-wire attitude, as well as their multiracial look (Buchanan’s background is Jamaican; Buena’s is Filipina, Irish, Spanish and Chinese; and Donaghy’s is Irish):
… continue reading

Lately I've been watching billiards every time I happen to catch a broadcast on ESPN. Over the holidays, I watched Allison Fisher win the Women's Professional Billiards Association Championship, and shortly after that I watched Karen Corr win the WPBA Midwest Classic. (Fisher is English and Corr is Irish — they were both raised on snooker, I'm guessing?)

And this past weekend, I caught some of the World Cup of Trick Shots, featuring Jeanette Lee and Ewa Laurance. Ewa is fascinating — not only is she stunning and skilled, but when she serves as an announcer for the tournaments, she's smart and funny. No wonder they call her the Striking Viking.

Here's Jeanette Lee in action — they call her the Black Widow: … continue reading

She's been out of public consciousness for awhile, but I still love Sinéad O'Connor. For one, she possesses one of the most beautiful shaven heads on the planet, something which fascinated me as a teenager (much to my mother's anxiety).

Not to mention the flexibility and power of her voice. "Nothing Compares 2 U" is still a classic. … continue reading