Okay people. Here we are, finally on the threshold of breaking into the double digits, and it’s time to get excited, because I’m about to crank it up to a whole new level of awesome. For this monumental post, I’m going to take you on a whirlwind journey…
To the past.
It was an uncommonly warm fall day in October 2010 – score one for global warming! – and I found myself immersed in the great time-sucking wonder that is YouTube. Flipping through my subscriptions I saw a new video posted by one of my favorite channels. I watched it 3 or 4 times, marveling at how simultaneously funny, adorable, silly, sweet and downright awesome it was, then went back for the 400th time and rewatched all of their other videos. While doing so I found myself thinking: DAMN, this is TOTALLY AWESOME. I wish I had a forum in which to express how TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME this is. If only I had a space in which to publicly geek out about this and all the other TOTALLY AWESOME things I come across on a daily basis…
And thus, a blog was born. And it was totally awesome.
That channel belonged to a fabulous duo of ladies who go by Powerfox and Ponymane, also known as Jackie Tohn (Powerfox) and Jes Hudak (Ponymane). Yes, Jes Hudak of the best albums of 2010, this phenomenal video, and my constant yammering about how totally awesome she is. Anyway, Powerfox and Ponymane are two hilarious, gorgeous and extraordinarily talented singer-songwriters, both of whom have – as Ron Swanson would say – stared into the eye of Satan’s butthole, and taken on the tempest of woe that is American Idol.
I suppose that this is the point at which I admit that while I generally only watch scripted television as a rule, I do make one major exception, and that is American Idol. Why? Because despite what haters who want to hate might say, it is totally awesome. Granted, sometimes on Idol TPTB and/or the American public make frustratingly bad decisions. For instance, Jes Hudak made it past the auditions and was cut in the group rounds in Hollywood back in season 5, though she was never shown (I would know, I watched that season particularly closely – yeeeah POREH). Jackie Tohn made it all the way through to the voting rounds in season 8 but fell victim to the uberdumb Top 36 format and never really got a proper chance. But it’s just as well because if they had made it, we wouldn’t have Powerfox and Ponymane!
I first came across Powerfox and Ponymane last winter when they began to create weekly videos during the final Idol rounds in which they mirrored the themes of the week with their own fabulous renditions of pop songs. In doing so they ended up putting the actual Idol contestants to shame because – with the exception of the endlessly awesome Siobhan Magnus – Power and Pony were more entertaining and better singers than any of them. Yep, I said it. Judge for yourself:
American Idol Season 9 Winner Lee DeWyze, Inspirational Songs:
Powerfox and Ponymane, Inspirational Songs:
No, okay, sorry, I’m not going to hate, this blog is a hater-free zone! Instead let’s focus on PnP and some of their other standouts from the Idol weeks, like Elvis Week:
Sinatra Week:
Shania Twain Week: (or not)
Judges’ Choice Week:
and they already kicked off the new season last week with a fabtastic tribute to the new judges:
Some of their best stuff has been outside of Idol though, like these:
Raise your hand if you’re in wuv! Oh look, my hand is in the air!
So there she is, the big 1-0, and I am SO beyond psyched to finally, officially shout to the world that
POWERFOX AND PONYMANE ARE TOTALLY AWESOME
ShwaBAAAAM!
Things that are Totally Awesome 