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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2006 > April
April 2006
5/1: Possible song spoilers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to K.T. Tunstall’s myspace Web site, Kat will be doing “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” a top 10 hit on the hot AC chart. I saw Tunstall in concert recently and she is amazing! Her single is now a fixture on Dave FM and Star 94. I actually said I thought Kat could do a great job with this song in my blog a couple days ago. For folks unfamiliar with her, she’s a wonderful 30-year-old U.K. artist with thoughtful, smart lyrics and an attractive, mildly edgy mien.
MJ’s Idol blog says Taylor might tackle Bon Jovi’s no. 1 country single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” a wonderful tune aided and abetted by our very own Jennifer Nettles. For you trivia buffs, this is apparently the first rock group to ever land at the top of the country chart.
MJ also said that Paris is doing Prince’s “Kiss,” which actually came out in 1986, two years before Paris was born. But the loophole is that Tom Jones and Art of Noise did a lovely remake of the song in 1988. (I remember it well!).
And check this out from the advocate.com. It’s an exclusive in-the-audience look at last Tuesday’s show. The biggest get: Katharine’s teary dad complained to the judges after her performance that they were unfairly harsh on her, something that Ann Nesby told the spy they as relatives weren’t supposed to do. Kat’s dad managed to corner Paula while Randy & Simon got away. The spies also said they sat near Paris’ family and Elliott’s family and that Paris’ family was more animated. The observers also noted how small Paris is, yet how big her voice is.
5/1: possible Idol 5 compilation songs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One Web site is listing what appears to be the likely “Idol 5” compilation tracks. It’s not on amazon.com yet so this is purely tentative.
Here’s the link at idolforums.com.
Artist: American Idol (Season 5) compilation Title: TBD Configuration: Full length album CD Selection number: 82876-85757-2-7 Street date: May 23, 2006
Sales Info: List price: $18.98
Tentative Track Listing: (Subject to change - sequence TBD)
Kevin Covais - “When I Fall In Love”
Melissa McGhee - “What About Love”
Lisa Tucker - “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)
Mandisa - “I’m Every Woman”
Bucky Covington - “Superstition”
Paris Bennett - “Midnight Train To Georgia”
Ace Young - “Father Figure”
Katherine McPhee - “Think”
Kellie Pickler - “Walkin’ After Midnight”
Chris Daughtry - “Wanted Dead Or Alive”
Taylor Hicks - “Takin’ It To The Streets”
Elliott Yamin - “Moody’s Mood For Love”
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4/30: Randy reups
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Following contract extensions through 2009 for Ryan, Simon and Paula, Randy gets his props so we’re guaranteed the quartet will be around for three more seasons. I recall writing after season one that they should drop Paula and Dunkleman. We know which one is gone and in the world of oblivion. And somehow, this team has become so part and parcel of the show that “Idol” paid huge bucks to keep them together. By 2009, that would be eight seaons together, a long long period of time. I wonder how the show will be viewed by that time.
Here’s the E! story.
4/28: Pickler interview at ew.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I listened in on the PIckler press conference for all print media and didn’t even get a question in there were so many people on the line. (They only give us 30 minutes.) Kelli didn’t really offer much in the way of revelations. She truly is grateful for the “Idol” staff, the production people, the behind the scenes folks. She’s the first “Idol” contestant I’ve heard spend so much time pouring so much praise on the lower-end folks. She must have felt a connection to them given her circumstances.
She was bright, chipper and optimistic. She didn’t come across nearly as ditzy as she did on the show. fueling speculation she have poured on the ditz on the show because she knew it would be appealing. She may not have done it deliberately, though.
Here’s the ew.com one on one with Pickler.
She readily admits (and rarely do ousted contestants ever say this), “I deserved to go home.” And she said she would have done “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi from 1986 if she had survived. She hadn’t picked a current song yet but she would have done country. She also hopes to go into TV or film, not just music.
Q: When the judges trashed you, you always apologized. Didn’t you ever want to stand up for yourself, Kevin Covais-style?
A: No, I felt like in the beginning of the show they get us through the first few rounds and they saw the potential in me. They see more potential than you do. It’s hard to see it when you’re on the inside looking out. I felt like I let them down.
Q: But weren’t you ever angry?
A: I’ll be honest with you. It’s really hard to get on that stage in front of millions of people and have the judges pick you apart. But at the same time, this is what we signed up for. In this business, if you can’t take constructive criticism, then get out and run fast. That’s what it’s about right now, though, taking constructive criticism. That’s what they’re there for. I would rather them say, ”Kelly, you need to work on this” than tell me what I want to hear.
Q: You’ve had some interesting moments on air, not knowing what a minx or calamari is and mispronouncing salmon. Some people think you were just putting on a dumb blonde act. Were you?
A: To be honest, that kind of hurt my feelings. I don’t think people realize I went from a small town in North Carolina to Los Angeles, so of course there are going to be things I don’t know. It did hurt my feelings. But hey, you know, when they’re talking about me, they’re giving someone else a break.
4/27: Kat homage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Youtube has a lovely photo montage of Katharine to the song “Your Body is Wonderland” by John Mayer.
Or let me say HAD. It’s been pulled. The Fox police apparently are on the rampage, even though this video only consisted of frame shots of the show, not actual video. (Apparently, folks who attempt to show any shots of the show itself have their bits pulled quickly from this site.)
4/27: Idol tour coming Aug. 3 at Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the second year in a row, the Gwinnett Arena is the site for the American Idol tour. It’s scheduled for August 3, according to pollstar. So mark your calendars. Tickets don’t go on sale until closer to the final but I’ll get that info up as soon as I get it.
For true addicts, there are dates in Richmond July 29, Greensboro July 30, Charlotte August 1 and Columbia SC August 2. After Atlanta, the Idols go to Sunrise, Fla. August 5, Tampa August 6, Birmingham August 8 and Nashville August 10.
For neophytes, the “Idol” tour only involves the top 10, not the top 12, so fans of Melissa McGee and Kevin Covais, you’re out of luck — unless one of the top 10 can’t make the tour.
Scarily, I have been to all four Atlanta “Idol” tour dates — the first three at Philips and the one at Gwinnett last year. Year one had solid attendance. Year two, with Ruben and Clay, was a full house. Year three was only about 3/4 full and was easily the worst year for the “Idol” concert tour. Last year was a full house, albeit at a smaller location.
4/27: Two-pronged theme next wk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Idol is repeating a couple of themes from past years. The final five will sing a song from the contestant’s year he/she was born and a current Billboard top 10 chart hit. Plus, it repeats the record number of votes received. Let’s hope next week, the producers can control Ryan and the judges so they don’t rush again near the end of the performance show.
Here are the years each contestant was born (correct me if I’m wrong):
Chris Daughtry: 1979
Elliott Yamin: 1978
Taylor Hicks: 1976
Paris Bennett: 1988
Katharine McPhee: 1984
Various top 10 charts can be viewed here. Can’t imagine anybody will sing Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day,” will they? :) I wonder if songwriters of current songs are now more or less willing to clear their songs for “Idol.” Would Elliott take on James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”? Would love to see Kat take on K.T. Tunstall. Chris will likely pick something from the modern rock charts. Current songs include the latest by Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers (who he’s already sung) and Foo Fighters. Paris could go after Mary J. Blige or Rihanna. What could Taylor do?
Here’s the Fox press release:
KELLIE PICKLER IS ELIMINATED FROM THE “AMERICAN IDOL� COMPETITION
NEARLY 48 MILLION VOTES RECEIVED – NEW RECORD FOR A PERFORMANCE SHOW
TOP 5 FINALISTS WILL PERFORM TWO SONGS EACH – ONE FROM THE YEAR THEY WERE BORN AND ANY TOP-10 BILLBOARD CHARTS FROM THIS WEEK – ON NEXT WEEK’S PERFORMANCE SHOW TUESDAY, MAY 2, ON FOX
Top 4 Finalists to be Announced on May 3 Results Show
The AMERICAN IDOL phenomenon continues as more than 47.5 million votes were cast this week after the Top 6 finalists performed their favorite classic love songs. Last night, international superstar Andrea Bocelli mesmerized the audience with his new song “Because We Believe,� accompanied on the piano by producer David Foster. It was revealed that Kellie Pickler received the fewest votes after Tuesday’s performance show, ending her quest to become the next American Idol. Pickler, from Albemarle, NC, sang “Unchained Melody.� Next week, the remaining contestants will each perform two songs – one from the year when they were born, and any Top-10 Billboard charts from this week.
So far this season, AMERICAN IDOL shows incredible growth compared to the same telecasts last year, increasing +12% among Adults 18-49 (12.7/31 vs. 11.3/29), +10% among Adults 18-34 (11.6/32 vs. 10.5/30), +6% among Teens (9.3/28 vs. 8.8/27) and +14% in Total Viewers (30.6 vs. 26.8 Mil).
Next week, television’s hottest show gets even hotter when the Top 5 finalists (Paris Bennett, Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin) sing two songs each as they compete head-to-head again on Tuesday, May 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). Tune in the following night to find out who receives enough votes to stay in the competition and who must go home on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, May 3 (9:00-9:32 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.
Fourteen-time Emmy-nominated AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment, Ltd.; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Nigel Lythgoe, President, 19 Television; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.
Go to AmericanIdol.com for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news. Check out photos from the different audition cities, along with special, behind-the-scenes information on AMERICAN IDOL. For photos of the finalists, please go to www.foxflash.com. -FO
4/26: Kellie goes home!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By golly, Kellie is gone!
DIalidol had Kellie within his “margin of error” so that’s fine. Paris gets a reprieve. I’m sure there won’t be too much complaining tonight.
So I can’t say if I was right or wrong this time about a “bottom three.” There was only a bottom “two.” Kellie and Paris. I only got one right and I got Kellie right. So I’m five out of seven in predicting who will go home. That’s a lot better than last year! I’m 14 out of 20 then in terms of the bottom since I didn’t have Paris in my original bottom three.
For the first time, the loser didn’t even have time to sing a single note! I’m sure nobody is going to miss that this time around.
Maybe all that frantic voting last night spurred on by Mike S, Dialidol numbers & the Paris brigade saved Paris!
So what’s the theme next week? I have no clue!
4/26: Kat’s wardrobe malfunction
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I caught Kat’s button popping on my DVR after a friend of mine informed me of the incident and I watched it. And some enterprising character caught a frame of the moment. Don’t worry. It’s not FCC problematic — just a bit more than what Kat wanted to show off. McPheever indeed!
4/25: Pickler in a pickle but Paris could be going home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kellie Pickler may be Amercia’s darling but she sure won’t be the American Idol after her past two performances. I think she’s starting to wilt under the pressure.
The bottom three? Both Taylor and Kellie are both due for a fall for the first time. And Katharine will join them. Who will go home? Sorry, Kellie. (These are my immediate thoughts before I see dialidol.com’s numbers.)
I must be letting my hometown bias toward Paris get to me because she is clearly at the bottom on dialidol.com (which measures busy signals) though Kellie is within shooting distance of losing. Kat’s in fourth, just ahead of Elliott. Taylor is currently the Ronald Reagan of the group— he’s Teflon proof! (Mike S was right!) And Chris is deservedly at the top.
“If you can’t cut it in my studio, you’re gone. It’s not softball, it’s hardball,” said songwriter David Foster. Andrea Bocelli was a pushover but fun to listen to.
- Chris Daughtry (Bryan Adams “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”) — I hate this song with a deep passion. He’s going to have to do something extra to get me to like it. He’s almost making me like it. He is singing it with heart, with warmth, with style. It’s far better than Bryan Adam’s version. And that’s enough to give the top slot again to Chris. Randy: “Amazing!” Paula: “Love you!” Simon: “That was a very very good choice of song. And it was a great performance, very sexy song.” (He was the last one on and they had to rush the comments.)
Tie-2. Elliott Yamin (“A Song For You” by Donny Hathaway) His fans are apparently now called Yaminians. This was the first song he sang early on, he said. “I’m pumped!” he told Ryan. And he wants to give Donny some props. And one of the backup singers is Donny’s daughter. As David Foster said, it’s a very stylized song. Elliott is again in his element, very confident, very secure in this song. It’s very good but didn’t blow me out of the water. Randy: “Did not like the arrangement. It was overshadowing the vocals. But I love you. You were the bomb tonight.” Paula is crying. “You move me!” Simon giggles. “Seven weeks ago, I said in my opinion you are one of the best male vocalists we’ve ever had. In parts, that was a vocal master class. That was superb.”
Tie-2. Paris Bennett (“The Way You Were” by Barbra Streisand) — “She has volume like me,” Andrea said. She has that ’70s flip hair and opts for a signature Barbra tune. And she can handle it far better than Mikalah Gordon! It’s old fashioned but heartwarming. I enjoyed it! Randy: “I thought it was pretty good. I wasn’t blown away. I liked it. I wasn’ tover the top. You can sing anything.” Paula: “I felt you oversang it a little bit. But best female vocal tongiht. Simon: “Very good vocal. Bit old fashioned for my taste. I felt you were trying to impersonate an older artist.” Hey, Simon. Stop stealing my adjectives! :)
4 — Katharine McPhee (Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”) — Kat’s taking on a major risk with Vonzell Solomon’s favorite song from last year when she finished third. But at least she has some operatic skills as she duets with Andrea Bocelli. And cleavage alert: she is finally wearing a decent dress! (A button pops at the bottom of her dress near the end but nothing shows.) Kat’s version is much mellower and vanilla than Vonzell’s. She torch sings it reasonably well with solid intensity. As good as Whitney? Or even Vonzell? Um… no. Randy: “I was a little bit worried this week. It was a good choice of a song. Keeping it real. It was too big for you… You’re talking about Whitney in the prime. That didn’t come close, I’m sorry.” Paula’s mike is off. “There were pitch problems. Last week, when you sang, you were in your zone, you didn’t push your vocals. When you sing in your natural voice. Yo udon’t have to oversing. Sometimes, you tend to follow up flat when you hit the power note… Your money is your intimate vocals.” Simon: “Very simple. By choosing that song, I am as good as Whitney Houston. You’re not. That was the problem. It was quite old fashioned and cabaret. You went backwards. You sing a Whitney song, you have to be as good. You are not.”
5 — Taylor Hicks (James Ingram’s “Just Once”) - Great song pick that fits him perfectly. Foster liked him a lot and he’s a tough cookie. Taylor’s charisma carries him through. It’s a wee bit too much like the original and in fact, not as good. After the David/Andrea buildup, I’m disappointed. Randy: “That song was completely the wrong song for me for you. It was like weird karaoke.” Paula: “There are sensitive sides for you… it wasn’t my favorite songs but you look as handsome as heck.” Simon: “You looked uptight tonight… you hear that every night every day of the week in hotel lounges, a performance like that. It was the phrasing, the performance as a whole. It was not a winning performance.”
6 — Kellie Pickler (Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody”) She’s single! “I’m lonely,” she said. Noting the song is from Ghost, she hopes to one day have a pottery partner. “I don’t have anyone to play pottery with,” she said, adorably. “What color hair does she have?” Foster asked Bocelli. “Blonde,” said the blind man. The song is one that Clay Aiken pulled off in season two. Can she? It starts sort of blah. She looks way too morose. She said during the rehearsal that she felt it was robotic. And it is. And dull. This could kill her. She could be gone tomorrow night after two bad weeks in a row. Even when she hits the high notes, she doesn’t show any emotion. And that rouge on her face doesn’t do her any favors. Randy: “There were pitch problems. The high note was in tune. It was very strange. Wasn’t the right song.” Paula: “I don’t see you raising the bar each week. I adore you. I think America has fallen in love. At this point, it’s about greatness. I didn’t feel that from you.” Simon: “That deserved tears. But for a different reason. It was like the neverending song. It was like it was not going to finish, so monotous and bland. There was no heart, no warmth from your vocal at all. You were like a robot.”
4/25: Paula-Ryan rift?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This looks like much ado about nothing but AP felt a need to run it:
BC-People-Seacrest-Abdul,0355 ‘Idol’ host tells magazine of feud with Abdul AP Photo NYET140
NEW YORK (AP) — “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest says he and judge Paula Abdul aren’t speaking to one another, but Abdul calls reports of a feud “ridiculous.”
Seacrest told People magazine last week that his relationship with Abdul was “awkward.”
“I don’t know what the deal is. It’s very awkward,” he was quoted as saying.
The 31-year-old Seacrest, who openly spars with “Idol” judge Simon Cowell, told the magazine:
“Simon and I go back and forth with each other, but it’s in a different way.”
Asked if he was speaking to Abdul, Seacrest answered, “No.”
Seacrest also said he hadn’t talked to Abdul about the apparent rift.
“You know, I walked past her dressing room the other day and there was a group of people gathered in front of the door, so I can’t even talk to her,” he said.
Abdul dismissed reports of off-camera animosity in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press.
“Reports of a feud are ridiculous,” the 43-year-old former pop star said. “We are one funny dysfunctional family. There’s nothing but love.”
Any tension between the “Idol” host and judge might have come after their separate appearances on “The Tonight Show.”
In Seacrest’s March 30 guest spot, host Jay Leno joked about Abdul’s “loopy” behavior in an “Idol” episode, to which Seacrest replied: “Well, have you listened to her album?”
And when Leno playfully asked whether Abdul had been drinking alcohol, Seacrest said, “Hey look, I don’t look in their cups to see what’s sitting before them on that table. But at times I feel like we have reeled her in.”
During her April 10 appearance, Abdul shot down rumors that Seacrest was dating “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher.
“He only kisses the mirror,” Abdul said. “And honestly, do you think Teri Hatcher is that desperate of a housewife?” ———
4/25: Idol ratings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since we in the Idol blog world aren’t competitive types, I want to thank MJ for linking to mine today. His or her site is here. MJ has some solid Idol ratings numbers from this season vs. last season:
He (or she?) noted that the gap this year between performance and results shows is wider than last year. Not sure why that is. But overall, Idol ratings are up more than 10% any given week. It’s been an astounding season so far for Fox.
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4/24: Bocelli on Idol Wednesday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the official press release on the Andrea Bocelli appearance Wednesday. Good news: Idol will run a 32-minute results show again.
Monday, April 24, 2006
INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR ANDREA BOCELLI TAKES THE “AMERICAN IDOL� STAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, ON FOX
“Classic Love Songs�-Themed Performance Show on Tuesday, April 25 To Feature Finalists Rehearsing with Bocelli and Producer David Foster
Andrea Bocelli, whose voice has transcended all languages and spoken to the hearts of millions around the globe, will perform “Because We Believe� from his platinum album “Amore� on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, April 26 (9:00-9:32 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. On tomorrow’s performance show (Tuesday, April 25, 8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the finalists will sing classic love songs after receiving guidance from Bocelli and the Grammy-winning producer of “Amore,� David Foster, and one of the contestants will sing one of Foster’s songs. The show will feature highlights from the finalists’ first meeting with Bocelli and Foster, who gave them advice as they prepared to perform their songs.
Born in the Tuscan countryside near Volterra, Italy, Bocelli was shaped by the region’s traditions and his parents’ insatiable thirst for their son’s success. Opera greats such as Mario Del Monaco, Beniamino Gigli and Franco Corelli set a high standard for Bocelli, fueling his musical passion and increasing the intensity with which he pursued his dreams. In albums such as “Romanza,� “Songo� and “Andrea,� Bocelli brought his boyhood dreams of becoming a world-renowned singer to life. He became the top-selling classical recording artist in history, selling nearly 50 million albums worldwide to date.
“Amore,� Bocelli’s newest release, was recorded under the Tuscan sky at his home studio. The album’s concept came from “Amore� producers Foster and Humberto Gatica, and co-producer Tony Renis. The result is a pairing of some of the most beautiful love songs of the world with arguably the most romantic voice in the world. Featuring guest performances by Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder and Kenny G, “Amore� also includes the classic “Besame Mucho,� the Olympic theme “Because We Believe� and a heartfelt rendition of “Can’t Help Falling In Love.�
Producer and songwriter Foster is a 14-time Grammy Award winner with an unprecedented 43 Grammy nominations. Over the course of a stellar three-decade career, he also has received seven Juno Awards, an Emmy Award and three Oscar nominations. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Madonna, *NSYNC, The Corrs and Natalie Cole.
Fourteen-time Emmy-nominated AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Nigel Lythgoe, President, 19 Television; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.
For photos of Andrea Bocelli and David Foster with the IDOL finalists, please go to www.FOXFLASH.com. Go to AmericanIdol.com for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news. Check out the special, behind-the-scenes photos and information on AMERICAN IDOL.
-FOX-
4/24: Elvis theme coming & other Idol revelations
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Executive “Idol” producer Ken Warwick did a press phone conference today from 2 to 3 p.m. EST. At least 15 reporters asked questions, from In Touch magazine to mtv.com to the Birmingham News to the Washington Post. It was a great hour.
He revealed to me that an Elvis Presley theme is forthcoming in “a couple of weeks.” He also said it breaks his heart that he can’t get clearance to do Beatles songs and can’t convince the Eagles to do a theme week.
To reduce busy signals, there will be two phone numbers for each of the six contestants Tuesday.
The performance snippets we see at the end of the performance show comes from the rehearsal, which many of you have noticed.
He never spoke directly with Prince reps about Prince doing the show so it never got very far.
He will reject any big star who refuses to work wtih the kids.
He said he decides the order of the contestants on a number of factors. He prefers upbeat songs to open or end the show. He won’t have a contestant open or close a show two weeks in a row.
He said it’s unlikely the show would film Kellie seeing her dad leave jail because it would be unfair to the other contestants. But he might do it on the final results show if she’s still around once the votes are in and if she’s willing to do it.
He was bemused that “American Dreamz” didn’t do well this past weekend. “People have been copying us since series two and doing a pretty lousy job of it. It’s another one for the pile.”
Greensboro was his favorite audition ever, that this will influence future audition cities.
I asked him about dialidol.com but he didn’t seem to mind its existence since only he, Nigel Lythgoe, the Fox standards & practices office and the third-party company that does the voting know who the bottom three really are.
He also noted that the finalists get paid a standard AFSTRA weekly fee for being on the show. I’m not sure how much that is but it’s probably only $2,000 a week or something relatively modest.
He also noted that no finalist can release an album until three months after the winner’s album comes out. He said they can do other things within reason but need to ask. Fox oversees that process, he said.
4/24: Love, American style
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Are you looking forward to tomorrow night? Since this is love songs, I presume there will be a lot of ballads. Could we be snoozing through this one? Will we get goosebumps?
Also, Simon Cowell talked to the NY Post. Here’s the story. As usual, he is Simon and the Psost gets some good quotes. Such as:
His take on some post-“Idol’ finalist careers:
“It’s like every artist in the world today, particularly when you don’t write your own material. You are always at the mercy of what your next song is. I can’t sing you one of Ruben or Fantasia’s songs. But I can remember in my mind all the big Kelly songs. The simple answer is Fantasia’s songs aren’t as good as Kelly’s are.”
On Ryan Seacrest:
“Ryan [Seacrest] is the most competitive person on the planet,” says Cowell of the show’s host, “and I just wind him up.”
“If he reads about something I’ve done professionally, he’ll get straight on the phone to his agent: ‘You’ve got to get me something, now.’ ”
4/21: More on Diana
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Diana is at the Rialto May 12.
Also, she sings as Cosmo’s voice on the Nickelodeon cartoon “Fairly Oddparents” episode on May 19. I watched most of the episode and it includes an extensive “Idol” parody in which folks compete to be the “Fairy Idol,” or a new fairy godparent, which apparently is a good gig.
4/21: Was Bo in a bar fight??
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The alleged fight was originally reported on Page Six in the New York Post. Here’s the mtv.com story.
I haven’t seen Bo make an official comment to refute this account — or not.
4/21: “Idol” parody in theaters today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Early reviews for “American Dreamz,” a thinly veiled parody of “American Idol” and a certain American president are relatively poor. On rottentomatoes.com, which consolidates reviewers’ thoughts on movies, only 37% liked the movie.
Here’s an example of a mixed review.
My fine colleague Phil Kloer gave it an A-minus.
Here’s a sample of Variety magazine hating the flick.
Anybody plan to see it? I’m kind of curious since I like the director Paul Weitz’s past two films, “In Good Company” and “About a Boy.”
4/20: Ace goes home - finally!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, Ace Young is finally taking a trip back home, or at least down the street since he lives in Los Angeles. Nobody on this blog is surprised.
Dialidol.com predicted the bottom three to a tee, with Paris and Chris joining Ace. I predicted Paris, Ace and Elliott, so again I got two out of three. My tally is now 13 out of 18 in picking the bottom three and three out of six in who leaves.
As we saw, Kellie and Taylor remain powerhouses and the only contestants left who have not been in the bottom three.
Next week: the greatest love songs of all time. The coach: Andrea Bocelli, the blind Italian opera/pop crossover artist.
4/20: Idol impact on sales
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I did a bright in today’s paper about the guest stars on “Idol.” Barry Manilow’s latest album saw its sales more than double from 32,000 to 78,000 for showing up. Queen had three songs land in the top 100 in iTunes after its appearance. Surely, Rod Stewart’s songbook CDs will see a spike after tonight.
The NYT did a fine story about how music labels are now jockeying to get acts on the show.
Interesting kicker:
It is not clear exactly what determines whether a particular contestant’s performance will generate a sales spike. The results can be unpredictable. On the March 1 episode, for example, the contestant Chris Daughtry sang “Hemorrhage (in My Hands),” which had been a hit for the rock band Fuel in 2000. Sales of the digital single soared to more than 17,900 copies the following week, up from just over 1,100, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Mr. Daughtry’s timing was fortuitious: Fuel recently parted ways with its lead singer, and is now auditioning for a new one. “It just came out of the blue,” said Paul Geary, the band’s manager. “Our Web site lit up. This guy gets on the air and nails the band’s biggest hit. I think he’d be a contender for the gig.”
4/19: Diana, Simon thoughts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For my Paris story, I had called “Idol” fan Fred Bronson, who is the “Chart Beat” columnist for Billboard magazine. I’ve known him for 15 years. Great guy. He called me back yesterday, too late for the story. Reason? He was in New York City to see Diana DeGarmo in “Hairspray.”
“She was great on the show. I was very impressed. She did a fantastic job,” Bronson said.
He’s real buds with her and even hung out with her for lunch at Tribeca Grill and the View on top of the Marriott for dinner. He said he had even mentioned my name to her since he had just gotten my phone message and she never said she had seen me the week before. So that confirms to me that Diana didn’t recognize me last week. I had made the assumption she knew who I was because we had met at least four times before. But as Fred noted, she meets dozens of new people a day. And even during his meal with her, folks came up to her.
“She’s enjoying being in the show and living in New York City,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Simon spoke to TV Guide (Julia Louis Drefus on the cover)
He wants to get into movies and is set to produce his first feature film, a “Fame”-like drama starring unknowns about the music business.
Not surprisingly, he doesn’t like infants. “I’m not good with babies,” he said. “If they could be born at 7, maybe life would be different. Kids, I get. But babies? I just don’t feel this desire to have another me.”
His thoughts of the 21 Century theme night, when the kids didn’t have Stevie/Barry/Rod guidance. “It was painful. I thought, ‘Left to your own devices, you’re all useless.’ ”
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4/18: What a wonderful night!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As opposed to the 21st century theme night, picking the best of the ’30s and ’40s proved wonderful for almost all the remaining seven finalists.
Elliott will likely finish in the bottom three out of default, not that he deserves it. Ace is a gimme at the bottom. The tricky one now is going to be who will join them? Paris, I’m hoping, won’t land there, but she may. Who else is left? The problem is the Taylor/Kellie contingents are way too strong although I placed them at the bottom. Chris was rock solid and Katharine was too strong. So who will go? I’m saying Ace even if Kellie had the worst performance.
The early dialidol.com numbers have Taylor and Elliott at the top! Kellie appears safe with Katharine on the edge wtih Chris (surprise!) for the bottom three. I was afraid Paris would be near the bottom, unfairly. And naturally, Ace is clearly a shoo-in for going home. I’d be shocked if Chris was in the bottom three but Fantasia and Ruben were in the bottom three at a similar point in the competitions seasons two and three. And I agree with Mike S. The comments Simon made about Kat were a bit hyperbolic. She was excellent but didn’t make the others look like amateurs. I’m really glad to see Elliott doing so well. Good for him!
Chris Daughtry (Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World’) — As he did on “Walk the Line,” Chris pulls off a thoughtful, slower piece. I even like his jacketless 30s style suit. Mature, deep and, well, wonderful. He has solidified his favored status. Randy: “For everyone that thought there wasn’t another side to Chris, you just slayed. You showed the sensitive side. It was the bomb! Paula: “You have shown that you are in this to win it. You broke out of any mold [Simon] thought you were in.” Simon: “Well. I have to take a certain amount of credit for that performance. I said you have to change your style. You’ve proven my point by listening to me. Chris. I thought it was a great performance.”
Paris Bennett - (Nat King Cole’s “These Foolish Things”) — She takes us back seven decades into a smoky jazz club and she does it with confidence, verve and style. Very impressive! Randy: “You just stand very proud. I think this was your greatest night ever. It was so the bomb. Every note in tune. This was a classy, great performance.” Paula: “This reminds me of falling in love with you in that audition. If you made an album in this genre, it would blow up.” Simon: “It was stylish. It was cool. You bewilder me. You talk like Minnie Mouse. Yet you sing in that very grownup way. There are two sides of you. I prefer the singing to the talking.”
Katharine McPhee (Ella and others, “Someone to Watch Over Me”) — Standards fit her perfectly, as Rod says. And she does exactly what we’d expect. Hits all the notes with aplomb. Randy: “This is your element. You love these kinds of songs. I loved it. It was excellent!” Paula: “Tonight, I feel like I’m falling in love the essence of who you are.” Simon: “I really think Katharine the others look like good amateurs. It was in a completely different league.”
Elliott Yamin (Sinatra’s “It Had to Be You”) He really looks comfortable tonight in that smoking jacket. It’s another solid performance, showcasing his vocal skills. Bravo! Randy: “Good song choice. What a difference a couple of weeks make. Everyone is relaxed.” Paula: “You are contemporizing a genre like Michael Buble but more soul like Harry Connick Jr. You are so in the American Idol zone.” Simon: “Elliott. It was a good vocal. However, personality will play a key role. I think it lacked a degree of personality. I am slightly concerned for you.”
Taylor Hicks - (Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me”) He loved the SNL gentle mockery this past Saturday. Then onto business: This is not a terribly vocally challenging song and Taylor doesn’t seem all that challenged until the end. He places a cool exclamation point on it. It’s good but not as good as Paris or Chris. Randy: “What a difference different music makes. I’m just blown away tonight. You’re all in this element.” Paula: “Sam would be proud of you. Every note perfect. The ending was superb.” Simon: “Started, I thought lame cabaret. Then, magic.”
Ace Young (Nat King Cole’s “That’s All”) - Whoa! Watch that slicked back hair! I’m bored. He’s perfectly proficient but I’m not buying it. Randy: “When it started out in the suit. I liked the vibe. But you know what was cool. You had a problem in the bridge but you worked it out in the end. False is your money.” Paula: “It’s a whole new Ace. I love it.” Simon: “It wasn’t bad. It was a little bit nasally in the middle of the song. It was a charming performance.”
Kellie Pickler (Ella Fitzgerald’s “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered” ) — She’s bubbly, a firecracker, Rod says, as we all know. She got both the words AND lyrics correct. She begins strong. Then there’s a lull or two and it’s a little weak near the end. Not sure what happened there. “I butchered it!” she said. Randy: “It started well. It was pitchy in spots. Very tough, very tough.” Paula: “You look exquisitie. For me, I loved the beginning.” Simon: “It was a boring song. It’s almost like you didn’t choose it. It didin’t suit you. You didn’t have to bother with the bewitched or bothered. You could have just done bewildered. Wasn’t great.” “I agree,” Kellie said. “Nerves kind of get to you. I got ahead of the music. I value their opinion. They were right.”
4/18: Update on Scott Savol
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know all of you Season four Scott Savol fans (and hatas) are breathlessly wondering what “Scotty the Body” is up to. MTV.com gives us the answers.
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4/18: The South rules!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a vaguely condescending style, the Washington Post points out how Idol is dominated by “Southern Hicksville, USA.” Every winner and runnerup comes from the South, with the only exception Carrie Underwood, who comes from Oklahoma. Here’s the story
The writer does parse out some numbers but can only guess why the South is so dominant.
As I’ve reported before, and has been consistently true, since 2002, Atlanta is one of the top 3 markets in the country when it comes to watching “Idol,” competing with Greensboro and Birmingham. Last week, 45% of TVs that were on in Atlanta were tuned to “Idol,” equal to 642,000 households or more 1 million viewers. That’s almost as many people who watched it in the much larger Los Angeles area. Interestingly, Idol does relatively poorly in Knoxville, Houston and Nashville.
4/18: The Paris Bennett profile
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s my profile on Fayetteville resident Paris Bennett. For you regulars who already know tons about “Idol,” I doubt the story will add much to your cumulative knowledge of her, but merely reinforce what you already know. She strikes me as smart, sweet and ambitious. And as we all know, she’s a chameleon.
4/17: Rod Stewart/Idol press release
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The only new news is the song he’ll sing. And we can be relieved to know we’re back to a 30 minute results show. Phew!
I’ll post my mini-profile on Paris Bennett running on the front of tomorrow’s print Living section later today.
ROD STEWART TAKES THE “AMERICAN IDOL� STAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, ON FOX
“American Songbook�-Themed Performance Show on Tuesday, April 18
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award winner Rod Stewart joins the elite group of artists working with the AMERICAN IDOL finalists this season. Stewart, arguably one of the greatest male singing voices of the rock era, has sold over 135 million albums worldwide and has had 27 Top 10 songs on the Billboard charts. He will perform “The Way You Look Tonight� from his 14-times-platinum, chart-topping “Great American Songbook� series on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, April 19 (9:00-9:32 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. On tomorrow’s performance show (Tuesday, April 18, 8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the finalists will sing classic tunes from the great American songbook. The show will also feature highlights from the finalists’ first meeting with Stewart, who gave them advice as they prepared to perform their songs.
Stewart’s “Great American Songbook� collection is the biggest-selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history. It all started with the release of “It Had To Be You…The Great American Songbook� in 2002, followed by “As Time Goes By…Volume II� in 2003. “Stardust…Volume III� earned Stewart his first Grammy Award and entered the chart at No. 1 in 2004. “Thanks For the Memory…The Great American Songbook Volume IV� (2005) is the newest album in the highly successful “Songbook� series, which has positioned Rod Stewart as “the voice� of these beloved songs for a new generation.
Stewart’s career has spanned over three decades and he became a household name in 1971 after his album “Every Picture Tells a Storyâ€? featuring “Maggie May” hit the airwaves. The album and the single held the No. 1 spot in both the U.S. and the UK simultaneously, a chart first. His other hit songs include “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,â€? “Tonight’s the Night,â€? “You’re In My Heart,â€? “The First Cut is the Deepest,â€? “Downtown Train,â€? and the multi-platinum, chart topping, Grammy Award-winning “Great American Songbookâ€? collection. Stewart’s “Thanks for the Memory…Vol IVâ€? is highlighted by vocal duets with Elton John, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross. Other celebrity duets and guest performers on previous “Songbookâ€? albums include Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Dave Koz on “Stardust…Volume IIIâ€? and Cher and Queen Latifah on “As Time Goes By…Volume II.â€?
Stewart is currently one of the top-grossing musical artists according to both Forbes and Rolling Stone, and his highly successful “From ‘Maggie May’ to the Great American Songbookâ€? tour was completely sold-out for three years in a row.
4/17: America’s Got Talent auditions this weekend in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you think you can sing — or juggle or hold a fork on your nose or play the sax or pretty much anything — NBC and Simon Cowell have a (pointless) talent show for you: “America’s Got Talent.” I guess its a cousin of The Gong Show in that it mixes apples with oranges. There was also a show on Fox a few years back called “30 Seconds to Fame,” which didn’t exactly rocket folks to fame but did give them 30 seconds of exposure. It did mix talents of all sorts and was fun in a purely ADD sort of way.
Here’s the press release, noting the Atlanta auditions dates:
April 16, 2006
From Producers Of AMERICAN IDOL - NBC Announces Open Casting Call For New Talent Competition
Simon Cowell & FremantleMedia, the producers from AMERICAN IDOL, team up with NBC in the search for the hottest variety & novelty acts from across the country! Are you talented? Audition at one of our open calls for the chance at being Simon′s next big discovery and a huge cash prize!
Talents of all kinds are invited to try out. Individuals and groups welcome, singers, dancers, animal acts, bizarre novelty acts, magicians, comedians, belly dancers…all ages…the sky′s the limit!! The series is scheduled to premiere this summer on NBC. Don′t miss your opportunity to perform before a panel of celebrity judges on television and to prove to America YOU have what it takes to be the next big star!
Open Call Dates/Locations
Doors scheduled to open 10:00 AM
No early lineups. Anyone found camping overnight will be removed.
Registration will take place from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM You must show up during these times to register and audition. There will be no exceptions.
Monday, April 17 The Westin- Times Square 243 W 42nd St (at 8th Avenue) Enter through Theatre Entrance (E-Walk) on 42nd St. NEW YORK CITY, NY 10036
Wednesday, April 19 Sheraton - LaGuardia East Hotel 135-20 39th Ave. FLUSHING, NY 11354
Saturday April 22 & Sunday, April 23 America′s Mart Building 2 - Atlanta Gift Mart 230 Spring Street ATLANTA, GA 30303
Application and Form Instructions
ALL applicants (including all members of a multi-person act) MUST fill out an Application and Personal Release. Only those acts involving stunts or elements that may be considered dangerous should fill out a Doctor′s Release. All acts with animals MUST fill out the Animal Questionnaire and come with all immunization papers and a certificate of health issued by a licensed veterinarian.
Production reserves the right to refuse an audition to any individual or act, in its sole discretion.
If your act contains fire or the throwing of knife/sharp objects, please send in a VHS tape or a DVD. Due to the risk of danger present with such acts, you will not be permitted to perform at the open call. This does not disqualify your act.
A photo ID is required in order to audition.
Applicants under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and must have parental permission.
Please come to the audition dressed in as much of your costume as possible.
For faster and simpler registration, please print out the application and release forms and have them filled out prior to lining-up.
Candidates must be either a US citizen, legal permanent resident of the US, or possess a current legal visa allowing you to seek employment freely in the US.
If you are unable to attend one of the open auditions, please send your tapes to:
AMERICA′S GOT TALENT Talent Department 6399 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048
Please download and fill out all required paperwork. Paperwork includes Personal Release and Talent Application. Animal Questionnaire/Physician′s Release should be filled out only if it pertains to your act. Submissions without proper paperwork will not be accepted or viewed.
For any other inquiries please email Americantalent@aol.com or call 323-315-5160
Photo Credits: NBC Universal
4/14: Simon predicts Paris to win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Extra! tonight:
(Los Angeles – April 14, 2006) Extra sat down with America’s reigning King of Mean and he gave his thoughts on everything from to whom Ryan and Paula owe their success to, to who he thinks will win American Idol.
Extra sat down with a surly Simon, who immediately launched into what he thinks host Ryan Seacrest would be doing if he weren’t the host of Idol. “He’d still be, ‘Hi, it’s Ryan Seacrest. It’s 4:07 am, the sun’s coming up, and here comes the Bee Gees.’� Simon also says Ryan should cough up a piece of the wealth that bought him a reported $11 million bachelor pad and a new Astin Martin. “I think Ryan would be the first to admit that without me he wouldn’t be affording those things.�
Ryan wasn’t the only one Simon set his sites on; fellow judge Paula Abdul was a target as well. “Paula through me, or mainly through me, has become interesting,� he says, “You come to me as empty vessels and I try to give you a personality, and luckily with Paula it worked.�
As for his Idol commentary, he first tees off on Taylor Hicks’ on stage movements. “It’s ungainly, all over the place. It’s funny. I’m not disputing the guy can sing, but it’s all a bit stupid.�
Hearthrob Ace is up next… and Simon makes a grim prediction about all the ladies’ favorite. “I think his days are numbered.â€? Ditto, he says, for the popular Katharine McPhee. “She’s reaching a point where she’s looking so perfect and sounding so perfect, ironically, it can work against you… She won’t win.â€?
As for who WILL win? Simon isn’t shy. It’s all Paris. “You gotta give the girl some credit. She’s a tough little thing, isn’t she?�
The full interview with Simon airs tonight on Extra. Check local listings for show times.
4/14: That was an imposter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some jokester posted under my name yesterday at 5:13 p.m. It’s a faker. (Ditto to anybody else posting under my name last night or this morning.) Not me at all. Why would I post something in the blog comments section of that magnitude rather than make a real blog item? So if someone tries that again, please email me or call me at 404-526-5688 and flag it for me. A friend of mine flagged this one down for me.
So in summary: Paris isn’t going anywhere. I was just at Starr’s Mill High School this morning and was interviewing some of her friends. That’s why I hadn’t even been on the blog lately.
4/14: History of the #3 finisher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The third-place finisher the first four years have a lot in common. They’re all women. And none of the four were considered favorites to win. In fact, all were arguably serious underdogs at some point in the competition.
Season one: Nikki McKibbin. People to this day can’t believe she actually outlasted Tamyra Gray. Modestly talented, Nikki was known more as the single mom with a modicum of attitude and cool hair than her vocals. I remember her owning a karaoke business in Texas and I presume she’s back doing that. Nobody had any expectation she would beat out either Justin or Kelly.
Season two: Kimberley Locke. I wasn’t impressed with her until a few weeks in when she sang “New York State of Mind” and her stock went up accordingly. Her finish at No. 3 was not a surprise by the time they got to that point but this was Ruben and Clay all the way to the final two. Of the four No. 3 finishers so far, she’s had the most success, with a Lane Bryan spokeswoman gig and a couple of hit singles.
Season three: Jasmine Trias. She was sweet and well loved in Hawaii and the Phillipines. She made her mark with that flower in her hair but her personality was pretty bland and her vocals inconsistent. Nobody was shocked when she was eliminated before Diana and Fantasia. The fact she got as far as she did was a minor surprise. Many thought George Huff would have beat her out.
Season four: Vonzell Solomon. Early on, she was a bit nervous on stage and it showed. She was not considered a favorite to even finish in the top 6 early on but she kept on improving. She was possibly on of the “most improved” in the history of “Idol” from beginning to end, really blossoming in confidence on stage. She richly deserved a No. 3 finish but again, the general consensus going into the final three was a Bo/Carrie showdown.
This season might be a bit different. There are now four candidates people are seriously considering for the final three: Taylor, Chris, Kellie and Katharine. While I’d say Chris is the current favorite to win, he by no means has it locked. And any of the other three could potentially win it all though I think there’d be a significant backlaash if Kellie won. And Taylor better start stepping it up if he wants to grow his fan base. Katharine has been inconsistent while Chris has kept true to himself.
4/13: Bucky talks to the press
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bucky Covington, as expected, was downhome sweet and wonderfully goodnatured today via the weekly “voted off” contestant print phone press conference.
I asked him about Paris for a profile I’m working on about her. He said she was a “cutup.” I then asked him about Atlanta. He said his dad almost got a job here while he was a teenager so he almost ended up living here.
On his bar experience: “It gives you an edge in terms of voices being strong. When you’re used to playing Wedneday, Friday and Saturday nights in a smoky little bar. A minute and a half a week is nothing, even with rehearsal times. It strengthens your voice.”
His favorite bud on the show: Elliott Yamin
Toughest week: Stevie Wonder. “But when I came across ‘Superstition.’ Heck yeah. We can knock this out.”
On his enunciation issues: “It’s somethng I need to work on. The key is: keep learning.”
On the 1998 car crash twin swap story as the worst thing folks could find about him. He joked that if that’s all they could find, “they’re not looking hard enough.”
On the influence of Bo: “He opened a lot of doors for a lot of people. He did the show a lot of godo comig on. Doing a heck of a job. Carrie, too. They opened up for Chris and me. Taylor even. Hats off to him.”
On his wife: “I did a good job picking that one.”
On Simon’s sometimes non-productive comments— he referenced the Simon comment about Paris, dubbing her song performance “weird” this week. “That tells her nothing. He should have shut his mouth. But he’s selling the show. He does a good job selling the show.”
Future plans: He said he needs to move to Nashville to pursue a music career.
4/13: A lovely note from a Diana fan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I received this email last night from a Diana DeGarmo fan who read my “90 Seconds with Diana” blog item from Monday:
Rodney, Rodney, Rodney. Same pompous a** that you were in school.
Has it ever occurred to you that maybe Ms. DeGarmo didn’t have time for you because throughout her entire AI season you went out of your way to NOT praise our very own hometown girl?
Are you so dense that you never wondered why ALL of Jennifer’s phone calls & emails were returned but yours RARELY were? [He’s referencing AJC reporter Jennifer Brett, who covered Diana during the 2004 “Idol” season for the Gwinnett section]
The scarce few minutes DeGarmo recently granted you were more than you deserve. Her recent exhaustion is more than your desk-jockey butt could EVER relate to. Go work for the Enquirer, where you belong.
P.S.: You’re not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, are you, chap?
4/12: Bucky is finally going home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We were all predicting Ace to go but Bucky’s departure is no major surprise. He’s truly a nice guy and not a bad singer. He just made it further than most of us would have thought. And yes, Ace is still around despite being in the bottom three again. Elliott unfairly landed in the bottom three too.
I got two out of three of the bottom three right (I thought Katharine would be back in the bottom three but was wrong.) And for the third time in five tries, I got the “who got booted” prediction wrong.
Thoughts?
Rod Stewart will be in the house next week. Presumably, they will be picking American standards, which Stewart has been milking for several years now.
4/12: Paula takes potshots at Ryan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to this New York Post story, Paula Abdul told Jay Leno Monday that Ryan Seacrest was angry he was not on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, along with the three judges. (A picture of a fake book with Ryan is held by Randy, I think.)
Paula said the three of them were not actually together, that it was all photoshopped.
She also mocked his love life and purported relationship with Teri Hatcher.
He only kisses the mirror,” Abdul said of Seacrest. “And, honestly, do you think Teri Hatcher is that desperate of a housewife?”
Ouch! A Seacrest spokeswoman denied this. “Ryan hasn’t spoken to Paula about either Rolling Stone or his personal life.”
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4/12: Daniel Powter loves Idol!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That song “Idol” plays whenever someone gets ousted, “Bad Day,” is now at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, partly thanks to “Idol,” of course. Here’s the USA Today article. Daniel Powter can’t complain. And true - it’s a catchy tune, insanely catchy.
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4/12: Song changes ruffle feathers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is from the new AOL gossip site tmz.com
Apparently, the last-second song changes by Taylor and Katharine annoyed the producers and cost them a lot of money. Also, they even told Chris that picking “Innuendo” was a mistake. We’ll see tonight if the song choice lands him in the bottom three.
4/11: Under pressure!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the first time, thanks to USA Today and the permission of the PR folks at Fox, we knew ahead of time what the finalists were going to sing tonight.
And we all anticipated Chris might have problems picking such a dark, unfamiliar tune. And while he did a good job, the song was unpleasant. But I don’t think it will necessarily land him in the bottom three.
Tough call tonight. I’d say Ace and Katharine will fall to the bottom. I’m actually unsure if Bucky will, too. But I’m going to place him there although I liked his performance. It’s just been three weeks since he’s been there and he’s due. Who will go home? I’ll go with Ace. I’m not sure the disenfranchised Mandisa fans would go to him.
On dialidol.com, the bottom two are clearly Ace & Bucky but it’s not clear who might be ousted. Chris and Katharine in a virtual tie for third from the bottom so either one could land there. Chris could use a scare. Elliott is very close to being in the bottom three, too. Only Kellie, Taylor and Paris are in safe territory.
Taylor Hicks (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”) — He switched songs, like Katharine. He dropped “We are the Champions” for “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Funny— Fantasia sang it a couple years ago and she’s in the audience right behind Paula. He looks peppier than last week. He’s moving well. And he just hits a home run! Taylor’s back! Randy: “The last two weeks, I’ve been wondering. Where is Taylor. Tonight, Taylor’s back and he’s kicking. That was hot!” Paula: “We’ve heard that song so many times. It was a breath of fresh air.” Simon: “Are you drunk? I thought it was ridiculous.”
Paris Bennett (“The Show Must Go On”) — Will the show keep on going for Paris? Wow. She’s gone for the rocker chick look. She’s committed to this song and really digs in. She did a showstopping finish. I think she pulled this one off far better than last week. Randy: “You worked it out.” Paula: “Keep on rockin’ ” Simon: “I thought it was a little weird.”
Elliott Yamin (“Somebody to Love”) — He didn’t know the song before he started singing it. Queen said it was a difficult song to sing. He was solid but missed a few notes and I was hoping the final note would really excite me. Didn’t quite do it. Still, I enjoyed it. Randy: “Probably the hardest song to sing tonight with the all the chord changes. There was some pitchy problems but overall, I loved you. It was really really good. Paula: “Best vocal tonight. You gave the best Elliott Yamin performance.” Simon: ” You chose the tough one. I agree with Randy. It was an in and out performance but you probably pulled it off.”
Bucky Covington (“Fat Bottomed Girls”) — Bucky picked a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek song. It has a bit of a Southern flavor to the tune, which works to Bucky’s strengths. Will this turn Bucky haters into lovers? No. But it should keep his fans motivated. He’ll probably survive again. With confidence, it was probably his best performance to date. Randy: “Nice way to start the show. A lot of energy. A little pitchy problems but I liked it.” Paula: “You made ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ a country rock song.” Simon: “It was a good choice for you I guess. The song was bigger than you. I thought it was quite mediocre.”
Kellie PIckler (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) — Can she pull this off? I can’t imagine, but here we go. That blonde wig deal looks absurd. This is a song so easy to karaoke and this definitely feels it. I can’t buy her doing the rocker act. Then again, Carrie tried a similar tact a year ago and got away with it. Overall, Kellie didn’t totally embarrass herself. I guess that’s a compliment. Right? Randy: “When I first heard today that you were going to do that song. I was worried. But you know what. It’s a fly jacket. Guess what: I was entertained.” Paula: “It was extremely ambitious. Constantine - it was his shining moment. You started a little hesitant but you showed the rocker chick that you are.” Simon: “You are a very brave girl. The whole look was like night of the living dead. On paper, it should have been hideous.” “On paper?” she asked. Simon looked flabbergasted: “Never mind. I think it worked.” (Simon to self: no analogies around Kellie. Even simple ones!) Kellie then explained: “I think it’s his accent. I don’t get what he said.” Oooooh boy.
Ace Young (“We Will Rock You”) — He lacks the power of Freddie to pull off the chorus but he actually does a solid job in his lower registers verses. I would have preferred seeing Taylor do this. Ace did a passable job, if not killer. Randy: ” That’s a big song. I was worried. How is Ace going to do this? Dude, for me it was about a five or six. Just alright. It was karaoke for me.” Paula: “I feel like band. It’s their song. They don’t want it bastardized. I like what you did in the middle. A little pitchy. You know what time it is in the competition and you took a risk.” Simon: “Ace. I think Randy was being generous. I think it was a complete utter mess. It was all over the place. It was ‘We Will Rock You’ gently. I really really hated that. Sorry.”
Chris Daughtry (“Innuendo”) — The song is so obscure, the current incarnation of Queen hadn’t even played it before. It’s rather dull. He definitely gives it that Chris rock edge but the song does nothing for me. Randy: “I’ve been a fan since your day one… I gotta say. I was expecting big things tonight. You did not disappoint. You delivered.” Paula: “Was that last night a high c? They probably didn’t perform that because they couldn’t do it.” Simon: “They don’t perform that song live because it’s not a very good song. I will grant you the best vocal tonight and most believable vocal. It’s s shame you didn’t decide to entertain the audience with one of the great Queen songs. The song was too indulgent.” I’m definitely in Simon’s camp here.
Katharine McPhee (“Who Wants to Live Forever”) — She took Mandisa’s song, a lovely dramatic theatrical ballad. Very Broadway. It’s a good fit for Katharine but she starts a bit weak. She didn’t pull off the subtle very well. Once she lets loose, she’s better. It didn’t blow me away. I was expecting more after how much I enjoyed her a week ago. Randy: “It’s good to hear you switch songs. This is your element. A little pitchy in spots and a bit too big for you at points but all in all, a good job.” Paula: “You made the right decision to stand there to be glorious. Big singers like Celine and Barbra take on. You did a great job.” Simon: “That was almost the moment. There were problems at points. The lighting director made you look amazing. It was one of the strongest tonight.”
4/11: Even the NYT is into “Idol”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The snooty New York Times has jumped aboard the “Idol” bandwagon this year like no other. Not only did they do a big piece Sunday about Kevin Covais, a local boy, but now they’re even parsing out the pundits, including our oft-cited www.dialidol.com. The story also pointed out a site called www.hitwise.com
The site, using Internet searches, shows the same basic top 3 as dialidol: Kellie, Taylor and Chris. But it did a similar dissection of “Dancing With the Stars,” which ended up landing Stacy Keibler at No. 3 when searches alone would have indicated her victory. But the site may discount searches merely for pictures, whch Stacy obviously was getting. The same issue may be propping up Kellie, who is getting tons of image requests while Taylor & Chris searches focus on music.
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4/11: USA Today reveals who sings what tonight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those who haven’t read the previous blog discussion (under Diana DeGarmo), USA Today overheard a rehearsal for the Queen songs each contestant picked. So for the first time in “Idol” history, we’ll know ahead of time what songs will be sung tonight.
Here’s the link to the story.
The word is that Taylor’s take on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” will make up for last week’s Denver disaster (which may have been exacerbated by illness.). And yes, we are going to hear Kelllie Pickler try to outdo Constantine. That, as noted, could be the strangest 90 seconds in five years of “Idol.” And thank you Bucky for doing “Fat Bottomed Girls.” We’ll see if that saves him. I can actually see Ace doing “We Will Rock You.” And I’m looking forward to Elliott’s “Somebody to Love.” Good pick for him.
Chris is going for a dark, relatively obscure song “Innuendo,” which probably won’t grow his fan base but won’t hurt him either. At least nobody will necessarily compare it to what they know since only big Queen fans are probably familiar with it.
Katharine is taking the song Mandisa wanted to sing, the elegant “Who Wants to Live Forever.” It will take a certain amount of subtelty to be effective. Can Katharine rein it in effectively?
Paris is going for another ballad. It’ll be interesting if she can capture the art of the dramatic that Freddie embodies in that song.
At least nobody is doing “Radio Ga Ga,” one of the dopiest song titles in rock history.
(Persnickety Prince won’t be going on the show. He couldn’t possibly waste his time actually talking to the contestants. Here’s a link on the topic.)
4/10: 90 seconds with Diana DeGarmo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association convention today at the Georgia World Congress Center and at the Fox Reality Channel area (you can’t really get this channel yet locally), they had Ryan Starr (season one) and Diana DeGarmo (season three) there to do some promotion.
I was surprised Diana was willing to squeeze in a trip to Atlanta for Fox on her only off day during her five month gig on Broadway playing Penny in “Hairspray.” It’s an eight performance a week gig and she spent a couple of hours signing autographs and singing a couple of hours. She also did an interview ith Fox Reality Show “Re-mixed,” a reality show talk show hosted by former MTV VJ Kennedy.
The folks at Fox Reality promised me some time with her, then reneged, saying she was too tired to even answer a couple of questions. “I have my headline! ‘Ditched by Diana!’ ” I told the male Fox exec, who was not technically PR but more a marketing guy with minimal training dealing with press. I rode his female counterpart pretty hard, too, and she wasn’t even as nice as the guy. I think my general flabbergasted nature and the fact I hung around telling everyone in earshot about getting snubbed convinced them to give me a couple of minutes with her. Even then, they made it seem as if they were giving me 90 seconds with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor or Paul McCartney, not the runner up of “American Idol 3.”
For those 90 seconds, Diana was polite but not exactly warm. She probably was genuinely tired and not in the mood to deal with reporter questions, consdering her schedule. She offered me a few platitudes about how great her experience has been on Broadway, how she’s made lots of friends, how she quickly adjusted to the routine. And she noted that Broadway is more stable than anything else she’s ever done. Her advice in terms of staying energized: “drink lots of water.” I didn’t even get around to asking her about the current season of “Idol.” Unless she has TiVo, she probably hasn’t watched any of it. Then she was out of the room and gone without even a handshake or a thanks.
Seriously, I’m probably expecting too much from Diana. In retrospect, she has never given me much of her time. Despite requests in the past, I’ve never had a lengthy sit down face to face interview with her or hung out with her in any casual setting. She’s always kept me at arm’s length. And the Q & As we’ve had have always been pretty much that, not actual conversations. That’s her choice. What I am to say? I’m just a reporter.
It’s funny that I got more warmth from Morgan Fairchild, former “Falcon Crest” star who was at the trade show to promote Here!, a gay on demand cable network. She was sweet, funny and just plain nice. I then ran into a Fox spokeswoman, who is about 25 years old, who asked me, “Who is Morgan Fairchild?” I officially felt old.
4/10: My interview with Mandisa
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fox gave me eight minutes with Mandisa today so I had to race through my questions. Fortunately, she kept it pithy:
Q: Any regrets picking Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine�?
A: Not at all! I love that song. I heard from an inside source that Simon couldn’t get it out of his head. Imagine him singing ‘Any Man of Mine’ all day long!
Q: Were there any songs you wanted to sing but couldn’t get clearance?
A; I wanted to do “Rock Steady� by Aretha Franklin. That was my initial audition song but they couldn’t air it.
Q: Your parents live here in Atlanta and so does one of your brothers. Do you come here often?
A: I have a lot of friends down there. I was there over Christmas. I hope to come down pretty soon to see my folks.
Q: Ever thought of moving here?
A: It’s a possibility. I like my home base of Nashville and Atlanta because it’s not the rat race of Los Angeles and New York.
Q: You’ve done a lot of backup singing. Who have you worked with?
A: Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill. A lot of contemporary Christian artists. Twila Paris, Rich Mullins.
Q: When you made comments before singing Mary Mary’s “Shackles� and referenced “lifestyle,� were you talking about the “gay lifestyle�?
A: No! I was not. That’s such a personal song for me. It was more about the addiction to food I’ve had all my life. It was a lifestyle of giving in to every food craving I had. God has freed me from that.
Q: You’ve said you’ve lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the competition. How did you do it?
A: Exercise and eating right. It really comes down to a lifestyle choice. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Q: Given your religious background, is it fair to say you’re anti-gay?
A; No. I think I’m pro-God. It means I’m pro love. I love everybody no matter what.
Q: In an interview with “The Advocate,� you said you wouldn’t perform at a gay-sanctioned event. Why not?
A; I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it.
Q: Someone on the “Idol” bulletin boards said some girls were shouting racial epithets after Ryan Seacrest said you were off the show. Did you hear this?
A: I didn’t hear anything.
Q: You got onto “Idol� thanks to Atlanta radio station Star 94. How did that happen?
A: I listen to them on the Internet. I heard about the contest to send someone to Chicago to audition for the show. I was going to audition in Memphis but they cancelled it [due to Katrina]. I called in and sang about a minute of “Rock Steady� and won!
Q: Do you have any idea what your future plans are?
A: I don’t really know. It’s been a whirlwind. I’ve had a lot of different offers. I’m just going to rest for awhile. I need to sit down and pray about what my next steps will be, see where the Lord takes me.
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4/10: Misc. links
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a funny story about Bucky and his twin brother Rocky in an accident coverup many years ago
Still missing Kevin Covais? Here’s the New York Times trailing him to his high school
And according to the L.A. Times, Ryan Seacrest has purchased Kevin Costner’s 10,000 square foot Spanish hacienda in Hollywood Hills (five bedrooms plus staff quarters, a media room, a billiards room, a tennis court, a gym, a pool, a spa and grassy yards) for $11.5 million.
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4/10: Will Idol rock you this week?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Queen week next time around. We’ve already heard “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” twice on Idol and Constantine has immortalized himself with “Bohemian Rhapsody.” So what Queen songs will fit the eight remaining contestants next week?
Will Chris do “Another One Bites the Dust?” Or “We Will Rock You/ We are the Champions” He’s tailor made to do a Queen song.
Speaking of Taylor, could he do “You’re My Best Friend” and actually not cruise control it like last week?
Elliott could work “Somebody to Love.”
Who could do “Killer Queen”? Ace maybe? or “Under Pressure”? And what could Kellie or Bucky do?
I’m certain we’ll see a few “Fat Bottomed Girls” jokes now, too?
I know the regulars here have already sifted through this topic but newbies and lurkers, jump right in!
4/7: Mandisa has no regrets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On a press phone call Thursday, she repeatedly said how much she loved the Shania Twain song she sang that many blamed for her departure. She expressed no regret and said the vote hasn’t sunk in yet.
She also said she loves everybody and meant nothing about gays in her comments before singing “Shackles” last week.
And she said she would have sung Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” next week if she had stuck around.
I’ll be talking to her Monday. Anything y’all want to ask her?
4/7: Abdul says she was assaulted
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Paula Abdul says she was assaulted at a party. She cited a concussion and back injuries after the guy shoved her against a wall. But she appeared to have no sign of injury on last night’s show.
4/6: Seeking folks who know Paris,Mandisa,Taylor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For a possible future story on Paris, I’m seeking folks who know her personally. If you do, please email me at rho@ajc.com or call me at 404-526-5688.
Also, I know Mandisa has family in the area and so does Taylor. If anybody knows either of these two, too, get a hold of me.
Thanks!
4/5: Mandisa is out in semishocker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In this case, www.dialidol.com got it right: Mandisa is out.
After two weeks of poor song selection, Mandis saw her fan base take a vacation, leaving behind the likes of Ace and Bucky in the race. In fact, Ace & Bucky weren’t even in the bottom three: Paris and Elliott were there, too.
I got two out of three right in terms of the bottom three (making me 9 for 12 so far) but in a case of wishful thinking, chose Bucky incorrectly over Elliott. And I chose Bucky to leave, too. More wishful thinking that didn’t happen. Oh, well.
Ryan pointed out Kellie, Chris and Taylor were given the first passes and presumably had the highest vote totals. Based on dialidol.com, those three have had the most consistently high busy signals throughout the competition and are the likely final three, unless someone else really steps up to the plate. Katharine is the only one I can see now who could break up that triumvurate.
Let the outrage begin! And please keep the racial epithets out. I will delete them! I’ll weigh the weight comments.
4/4: Take me home, Idol road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kenny Rogers was aboard to coach, Paula was surprisingly tough and oddly, Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock were in the audience. And Simon got to joke about Ryan’s date with Teri Hatcher: “I’m not trying to look like someone out of ‘Desperate Housewives!’ “
We had some surprisingly robust performances by Chris and Katharine, who moved up a few notches after almost losing last week. Ace, another frequent bottom dweller, did well enough to stay alive. Mandisa and Paris didn’t bring it. And Taylor definitely disappointed. But he’s probably still safe.
(Theme next week, according to idolonfox.com is Queen! Thank you bloggers for finding that out. You’re making my job easy! :) )
The bottom three? I’m guessing Paris, Mandisa and Bucky. Who will go home? I think Paris might be in trouble this week but maybe the Bucky fans will assume he’s safe tonight and he’ll finally get the boot. My prediction: Bucky will go home by a spur, ironically on country night. I’m taking the complacency theory. I noted this before I checked dialidol.com, which currently has Paris, Mandisa and Elliott at the bottom with Mandisa going home. Bucky is ranked No. 5 out of 9. He’s just outside the supposed margin of error to be in the bottom three. Dialidol hasn’t been correct the past couple of weeks but it does show the enduring powers of Kellie, Taylor and Chris and the improvement in Katharine’s voting patterns this week. Voting is still going on the West Coast and that might change things a bit. I’ll check in the morning.
Chris Daughtry (Keith Urban’s “Making Memories of Us”) — He’s going for one of Keith Urban’s best songs ever. His voice is a bit darker than Keith’s but that helps the song, which is full of wistfulness. Rock on Chris! Randy: “Every week, we hear you do the rocker thing. It was good for you to change it up. I really enjoyed it.” Paula: “You showed versatility and still stayed true to who you are.” Simon: “It was great to see a different side of you. The two weeks, you as contestants have chosen boring uninteresting songs and the audience at home deserves better than that.” Simon always hated country. Who cares!
Katharine McPhee (Faith Hill’s “Bringing Out the Elvis”) — She opted for sultry over pure country and it’s a wonderful fit. She’s showing confidence and a dose of sexiness. And she actually picked a passable outfit, too. Randy: “Kind of bluesy country. I liked it. You sang it very nice.” Paula: “That is your style, your niche. Sexy, hot, cool.” Simon: “That song was so peculiar.” “You just don’t like country,” Katharine says, rightfully so.
Kellie PIckler (Reba McEntire’s “Fancy”) — She actually sounds a lot like Reba on this one. She does a far better job with this than Sara Evans last week. And she ends it with an exclamation point. Her best in awhile. Randy: “Finally, you’re in your element. I thought it was great.” Paula: “This is a great night for you.” Simon: “It’d be a shocker if you didn’t do well tonight. I hated the song personally but I thought your performance is very good.”
Elliott Yamin (Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Comes”) This certainly doesn’t sound very country the way Elliott approaches it. Again, he places his souful spin on a tune and it’s quite heartfelt. Randy: “Right now, I’m sitting here. I love this song. Finally, the competition has started. That was hot!” Paula: “You are such a breath of fresh air to this business. You are humble. You are understated. You know you’re great, but you have that careless, reckless abandon.” Simon: “I thought it was a good song choice. It wasn’t a great vocal. It was a bit hesitant, like you were nervous. I didn’t feel that same confidence. You’ll have to do better than that in the future.”
Ace Young (Keith Urban “Tonight I Wanna Cry”) I’m a huge Keith Urban fan and he is tough to sing. But this song is a great fit for Ace’s voice. Sure, since it’s Ace, it’s a much wimpier version of the ballad. He’s a bit unsteady at points but for Ace, one of his better performances. Randy: “These are hard songs to bring personalities to. It was nice, but really boring for me. Good thing. At least at the end you showed your falsetto.” Paula: “I think Ace you have a knack for picking up a song for your voice. That’s who you are, a contemporary nice take on the song.” Simon: “I think the last couple of weeks, you haven’t chosen the right songs. Tonight, you did. Very good.”
Bucky Covington (Gary Allen’s “Best I Ever Had’) - Pop fans might remember Vertical Horizon’s version a few years ago so it’s not that unfamiliar. He’s so ordinary in a bar band way. It’s not memorable but he’s comfortable. Randy: “It was alright. Started a little out of tune, then you got it out of your tune. Good song choice for you.” Paula: “This is your element. Wear that hat proud.” Simon: “It sounded okay to me.”
Mandisa (Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine”) - Definitely won’t be a karaoke version. She didn’t forget the lyrics. It was good but not great. It didn’t quite work. Randy: “Weird song choice for me. The beginning wasn’t hot for me. You were finding your lower range and it wasn’t quite connecting. The good thing is the last four bars, you got it together and showed some personality.” Paula: “You can sing the phone book. The song, I don’t know.” Simon: “I thought the song is horrible. [Why is it I get booed for being constructive?] It was fun. It was cutesy. I liked the four seconds afterwards.”
Taylor Hicks (John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Road”) — It’s a pleasurable, kind of kitschy, light song for Taylor. He works it out okay. Still kind of on cruise control. Randy: “It was probably a pretty good choice for you. The vocal wasn’t all that exciting. I didn’t see you exude your personality.” Paula: “I feel like you are so full of life. The song choice didn’t allow you to shine.” Simon: “I thought it was safe, boring, lazy. It sounded like you chose that song 10 seconds ago. Didn’t do anything for you.” Agreed.
Paris Bennett (LeAnn Rimes “How Do I Live”) Yawn. I hate this song. What a bore. And Paris doesn’t improve upon LeAnn’s version. She starts surprisingly weak. She gets better on the chorus but this song is such a stillborn, I don’t think Aretha Franklin could save it. Randy: “I could tell this was a tough song for you to do. People might htink country might be easy. Great melodies are hard to sing… just alright for me tonight.” Paula: “You have a powerhouse voice. I don’t feel you connected with the song. And you struggled to find that place where you own the stage like you always do week after week.” (Paula gets booed!) Simon: “I disagree with Paula. [In a first!!]. I thought it was very good, an excellent choice of song. Reminded me of early Dionne Warwick.” Where did that come from???
4/4: ‘Idol’ fashion sense or non-sense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
instead of discussing the theme tonight, which we’ve already done quite a bit, let’s discuss fashion. I have zippo knowledge about fashion so I’m going to leave it up to you fashion mavens. Who dresses consistently the best? Who is the worst?
The Washington Post in this story pins down Paris Bennett having the worst sense of fashion. I can say Katharine hasn’t been any better. The fashion writer gave Chris the only consistent props for his low-key rocker stylings.
4/3: Question of the day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Welcome to a new week and a new month!
Here’s some food for thought: which of the 9 remaining contestants would you want to hang out with, say, at a basketball game, a pizza place or a bar?
I’m thinking Chris or Taylor would be great, just to hear war stories.
