Let me tell you about my cousin, Shannon. He was born November 19, 1980, with congenital heart defects. Doctors at the time he was born were not hopeful that he would survive the night. I can picture God looking down with a little smile on His face saying, “You just wait!”.

Shannon did survive the night. In fact, will the help of two open-heart surgeries and medicine, he has been able to live a relatively normal life. He even excelled at baseball in high school and college. He graduated from Georgia Southern with a degree in Sports Management. He’s worked major events such as the Super Bowl. He has also worked with several sports teams including the Jacksonville Suns, the Lakeland Thunderbolts, and the Georgia Force.

Earlier this year, an illness has left him at the point where nothing more can be done except a heart transplant. We are calling upon the God who has proven over and over again that miracles still happen. I would like to ask you for your support as Shannon and his family go through this time.

Here is what I would ask:

1. Please commit to praying for Shannon— that a compatible heart would become available and that he will remain healthy until then.
2. Please also pray for the family of the donor. We know that our miracle will cause heartache and grief for another family.
3. Please make the commitment to become an organ donor. What a wonderful testimony of generosity and selflessness.
4. According to the  Georgia Transplant Fund’s Web site, the average cost for the anti-rejection medication after a transplant is between $20,000-$32,900 per year. If you feel God is leading you to offer some financial support, please visit here:

• Shannon’s Georgia Transplant Fund Web page

You can keep updated on Shannon’s status by visiting his CarePages Web page.

Thanks,

Matt

The show started its eighth season with a little more drama than the producers had anticipated. The decision to bring fourth judge Kara DioGuardi to the table kept the media busy last summer. They had to find out who this songwriter was and why she was chosen to add her two cents to the Idol piggy-bank. After this season’s premiere, media and fans alike recognized that she not only knew what she was talking about, but she had the pipes to back it up.

The introduction of DioGuardi quickly became a sore spot for Idol alum Paula Abdul. Perhaps it was because the addition of Kara to the show caused Abdul’s watered down, non-sensical comments to stand out even further. There were definitely a couple of tense episodes while this was playing out in the media. The set designer might as well have put a wall between them. Eventually, they made up.

That wasn’t the only crisis this season. The producers seemed to be trapped in a different mindset of time. They could not keep the live show to fit in the allotted time. Some blamed the addition of the fourth judge. I say it was poor planning.

So as producers look at next season, I have a few suggestions:

1. I think the show should return with only 3 judges….Simon, Randy, and Kara. Paula should be given the title of “Idol Mom.” Her responsibilities include encouraging the contestants with off-camera peptalks.
2. If this isn’t possible and Paula is to remain a judge, she should be given a script of four pre-written comment options. She would pick the appropriate one and not deviate at any time.
3. In addition to revealing the bottom 3 (0r 2) each week, they should also reveal the top vote-getter for the week.
4. They should eliminate the “themes” for each week. There is a reason no one sings disco anymore.
5. Contestants for the first three weeks should have a consultant help them with song choice. After they make the final ten, they are on their own.
6. For time-management: they should no longer introduce each judge and allow clapping and cheering for each one. That’s a waste of time. In the time it takes to introduce one judge now, they could announce all of them.

 

 

 

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