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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > February
February 2008
2/28: Alexandrea Lushington’s exit interview, Robbie Carrico’s hair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Douglasville teen Alexandrea Lushington was the Queen of Poise Thursday when she was ousted in the semifinals of “American Idol.” Oddly, her friend and fellow contestant “Idol” David Archuleta was the one falling apart, tears flowing. Lushington ended up consoling him with a hug.
“I probably would have been the same way if he had left,” Lushington told me during a press conference Friday. “I’d never seen him that emotional before.” By coincidence, Lushington and Archuleta knew each other a few years ago when they competed against each other on CBS’s “Star Search.” (Archuleta outlasted her that time, too.)
They bonded as younger contestants: “We were minors so we were always in school. We ate lunch and breakfast with each other. Our dads would hang out together. We’d joke that our dads were like Laurel & Hardy.”
Lushington landed a song to sing Wednesday she had never heard before, the very mellow ’70s Chicago hit “If You Leave Me Now.” The judges were lukewarm, and the voters obviously weren’t impressed either.
“I could have done better and I’m capable of better,” she said. She took solace that judge Randy Jackson was a big supporter. “That gave me a slight piece of motivation. I don’t regret anything.”
TMZ a few days intimated that Robbie Carrico might be wearing (gasp!) extensions. This mtv.com story says it’s real. And so did Robbie today on the press conference:
“I’ve been growing this hair for a very long time,” he said. “I think it’s ridiculous they have to come up with something like that. No wigs!”
As for his Britney past, “I haven’t spoken to her in many years. It was a long time ago. We were friends on tour. That was pretty much the gist of it. It wasn’t that big of a deal. We went on a couple of dates. That was pretty much it.”
What song would have have sung next week if he had survived from the ’80s? Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” Could he do the snarl?
2/28: Hometown gal Alexandrea Lushington out, plus Jason Yeager, Alaina Whitaker, Robbie Carrico
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Poor song choice helped do in Douglasville teen Alexandrea Lushington, who picked a lame Chicago song and didn’t do enough with it to survive. In the blogosphere, she was among those targeted to go home after an okay week one and a mediocre week two. She also suffered from relative lack of airtime.
“To me it’s not really the right choice, but you know, listen, here’s the problem,” Randy said. “You’re a great singer, you’ve got great skills. You just picked the wrong song. It was the wrong time for that. You need to shine every time.”
She was very stoic about her departure, no tears during the broadcast. In her farewell, she sang “If You Leave Me Now” again and actually did it with more emotion and improved upon her performance that aired Wednesday.
Her “Star Search” competitor David Archuleta was seen crying emotionally. He beat her five years ago, too. Ouch. The cameras did not close in on any of the gals crying. She went over and hugged Archuleta. Awww….
Alaina Whitaker, the Carrie Underwood lookalike, being ousted was not a surprise. She did a pageant-like version of “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and failed to distinguish herself personality wise from the other blonde gals who got more airtime. She was really torn up over it and said she couldn’t sing. Such a sweet gal. She eventually got her act together to sing Olivia Newton John one more time, with the other gals surrounding her. Despite or because of her emotional state, she did much better than Wednesday. Go figure.
Kady Malloy and Amanda Overmyer were threatened but both had enough personality (and in Amanda’s case, a good first week) to survive.
Among the guys, the first to go was Jason Yeager, who was again one of the pre-top 24 ignored ones. He simply didn’t do anything special. We won’t remember him in about three hours.
And shocking no one, the ex-Britney boyfriend/former boy band/fake rocker dude Robbie Carrico was cut, too. He was simply overshadowed by David Cook, who seems more legit in that arena. Now if only Robbie had pulled off those alleged extensions live on air! That would have made him truly memorable!
So I got three out of four right. That’s not bad after getting only two right last week.
During the group sing, was it just me or was Amanda even worse than she was yesterday? And since it was a Bonnie Tyler song, she should have hit her little portion of the song out of the park.
And as you’ve noticed, I’ve stopped reporting on www.dialidol.com numbers. I personally think with more people text messaging, it makes the issue of “busy signals” less of an issue and ultimately makes the predictions less useful.
The Fox press release sent out at midnight EST notes that Blake Lewis will perform his next single “How Many Words” on the results show March 6. His first single “Break Anotha” went nowhere.
Reality check for the semifinalists who don’t make the final 12. Paula may say this is just the beginning but how many semifinalists have done anything of note?
On a related topic:
Has there been a season where the ostensible likely winner appeared so early in the competition? (I might repeat this blog entry topic on a slower day but I’ll post it now, too.) Justin was the early fave season one before Kelly overshadowed him by week two of the competition. Ruben & Clay had the tightest battle of them all season two and nobody could predict who could pull it off at any point. Fantasia was not necessarily a lock at this stage season three with LaToya and Jennifer Hudson nipping at her heels at this stage, but by the time she did “Summertime” in the top 8, it was over. Season four, Simon nailed Carrie as the winner very very early on and he was right. Bo made a nice run but couldn’t quite reach her. Season five, Daughtry and Taylor were considered the likeliest winners at this stage but nobody could predict who would pull it off. Last year, Jordin hadn’t broken out yet at this stage and even though LaKisha had blown us out of the water with her “And I’m Not Telling You,” I don’t think folks were fully convinced she had enough range and personality to take it all the way home. I don’t think Jordin became the true contender to win until the top 10.
In other Idol news:
Nigel has finally wrangled clearance after years of trying for the Beatles catalog. Woohoo! The top 12 will sing Beatles hits. This should be good! Ryan Seacrest broke the news yesterday on his radio show.
“It’s something we’ve waited for for seven seasons now,” Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told Seacrest. “Sony has agreed to release the Lennon and McCartney songbook to us.”
Next week, by the way is my decade: the ’80s! And Ruben is singing the farewell song! And for the April “Idol Gives Back” special, guests will include Mariah Carey Snoop Dogg, Daughtry, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood.
Amanda had a DUI. yawn. TMZ reported this and Robbie Castro’s alleged extensions to make him look more like a rocker.
And it seems David Archuleta’s version of “Imagine” was closer to that of the late jazz-pop singer Eva Cassidy. Check this out:
And he apparently sang that version a couple of years ago on “Good Day Utah,” which is probably why it was so smooth and nuanced. It wasn’t like he learned that rendition 72 hours earlier. This is similar to Daughtry two years ago when he sang a cool version of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” that was actually similar to that of Live.
2/27: Top 10 gals recap. Blah city!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is a rare week where not a single performance deeply impressed me. I didn’t give anybody more than a B-plus. At least Ryan didn’t say this was the best group ever again because tonight, that certainly was NOT the case.
The best of a mediocre lot? I’m going to give it to Carly out of default, followed by Syesha, then Kristy Lee Cook. My favorite Asia’h I rank fourth. Brooke and Ramiele are fifth and sixth, followed by Alexandrea. Kady Malloy is someone I so want to like because she’s so entertaining in film, as Simon said, but her vocals are oh so bleh.
The two worst performances were Amanda Overmyer and Alaina Whitaker. Who will go home? It might just be those two. I’m not looking at dialidol.com or your comments. Those are just my gut instincts.
Carly Smithson (“Crazy on You” Heart) - She works at an Irish bar and is a homebody. She opts for a Heart classic. This is a good song pick for her. She feels comfortable and sings it competently. Is her voice ultra special? I’m not quite feeling that. So it was good enough. Randy: “It was good towards the end. Beginning was a little rough. The lower notes give you more problems.” Paula: “It takes a fine singer to sing those big notes. It’s great to hear you back healthy.” Simon: “I thought it was a much better performance than last year. I still don’t think yet you’ve connected with the right song. You are an incredible singer. What you have done is chosen that one song that will give you that absolute moment.” B-plus
Syesha Mercado (“Me & Mr. Jones” The Dramatics) - She’s an actress and they show one of her commercials. She also imitates a baby quite well. She’s got a sexy, caressing voice and she does this song like a pro. I enjoyed it. Randy: “I don’t think this was a great song for you. You got that big belting voice… pick songs you can do that on, everything sparkles.” Paula: “You fall out of pitch on the softer notes. I liked the interpretation.” Simon: “I thought it was a bit indulgent. The song was obviously not written for a girl. I was put off as soon as you started it. It’s not a song designed for you.” B-plus
Brooke White (“You’re So Vain” Carly Simon) She’s a hair stylist. Well, of course she’s going to do Carly Simon! Her voice isn’t quite as good as Carly, though. It doesn’t quite have level of depth. This song is ultimately venomous and she’s way too happy singing it. Randy: “It was a great song choice. I always felt you had that Carly Simon vibe. I don’t think you brought anything different to it.” Paula: “I feel this was a perfect song choice. It suits you. I liked what you did. You brought familiarity.” Simon: “I absolutely loved it. It absolutely connected. The song didn’t sound old fashioned.” B
Ramiele Malabay (“Don’t Leave Me This Way” Thelma Houston) She used to Polynesian dance when she was young. (Sure beats Sanjaya doing it a year ago!). Good song choice for her silky voice. I don’t think she has the best stage presence. She should have moved around more. I enjoy listening to her more with my eyes closed. Not that she isn’t pretty but she lacks a vibrancy that, say, Asia’h, possesses. Randy: “This was just okay vocally. Song choice was weird.” Paula: “You powered through. It’s the same notes. I feel like you didn’t get to perform your magic.” Simon: “Astonishingly, I agree with Paula. Trouble with that song is I’ve heard it so many times at ghastly weddings.” She kept changing song choices. B
Kristy Lee Cook (“You’re No Good’ Linda Ronstadt) She’s a tomboy. She needs a serious comeback to stick around. What a strange walking style and stance! Nonetheless, this is her best vocal performance since “Amazing Grace.” Strange last note, too. Randy: “That’s 100% improvement over last week. Better song choice. I was waiting for a breakout moment that didn’t quite happen.” Paula: “You’re back!” Simon: “I couldn’t remember what you sang last week. My only worry is I don’t know what to label you. I think if you go country you’d make more of a statement. I’m not sure you did with that song.” B-plus
Amanda Overmyer (“Carry On My Wayward Son” Kansas) She’s a bookworm! Go education! She has such a gritty voice, it sounds like she has been smoking for 30 years. As we suspected, when she goes soft, she sounds really rough. Missed notes all over the place. She doesn’t even look all that comfortable. Randy: “It wasn’t the right song choice. Way too much melody. Too many instrumental breaks.” Paula: “You got some moves. You can dance! You got to do what fits right and not worry about anything else.” Simon: “I thought in your film, you came over as very natural, very cool. Nothing felt real. I couldn’t wait for it to finish.” C
Alaina Whitaker (“Hopelessly Devoted To You” Olivia Newton John) She has an OCD issue of ensuring her food doesn’t touch each other on the plate. The problem with her is we already have Carrie Underwood. It was okay but nothing to write home about. Randy: “I don’t think that was the right song. The verses were really pitchy.” Paula: “I thought you did such a good job.” Simon: “I like you. My problem is it’s almost as if your grandmother prepared you for this audition. Everything about you is old fashioned.” He sees her as a dark horse, though. C-plus/B-minus
Alexandrea Lushington (“If You Leave Me Now” Chicago) She sang every year for the Atlanta Fire Department. They show a video of her doing the National Anthem. I’ve always found this to be an exceedingly boring song and she does about as well with it as she could. It was solid but again, her upper registers aren’t as strong as her lower. It never hit the wow button. Randy: “It was so safe for you. You got mad vocal skills.” Paula: “I still feel that you did let go and do your own arrangement. You made it your own.” Simon: “I was a big big fan of yours in the early stages. It’s absolutely stuck in its time period and there’s nothing you can do with the song. You were inconsistent. You looked uncomfortable with it.” She admits being an underdog. B/B-minus
Kady Malloy (“Magic Man” Heart) She can sing opera. And she imitates Simon. Tough song. This is the one Amanda should have sung. Kady’s vocals are just a wee too mellow to take on such an edgy song. It was okay but no pop. Randy: “You never found the pitch.” Paula: “When you powered, you sounded great.” Simon: “I’m very frustrated because everything you do on film is fantastic. The opera was very good. Then you come out here like someone trying to impersonate Christina.” B-minus
Asia’h Epperson(“All By Myself” Eric Carmen) She was a cheerleader. Geez. What a boring song! She starts kind of slow, misses the first chorus but she does a nice ending. Randy: “I know you were sick. But I got to tell you. Very difficult song. Celine sang everything out of it. Highest degree of difficulty. You did a good job.” Paula: “It was great. You had problems in the low parts, low notes.” Simon: “You have got to be one heck of a singer to pull it off. Unfortunately, you’re not. You shouldn’t have attempted that song. You almost got away of it.” B-plus
2/26: David Archuleta dominates - top 10 recap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The night started slow and shaky but got better during the second half. Chikezie and Luke probably saved themselves but Robbie Carrico and Jason Yeager are in deep trouble.
David Archuleta just solidified his front runner status right then and there with “Imagine.” Phew! No contest. I can see him winning this easily.
The rest in order: David Hernandez, David Cook, Chikezie Eze were all excellent. Danny Noriega surprised me and I’m ranking him fifth. Luke Menard saved himself and I thought deserved No. 6. Close call but I place Jason Castro just ahead of Michael Johns, a disappointing No. 8. The bottom two are clear and as noted are Jason Yeager and at the bottom, Robbie Carrico.
Michael Johns (“Go Your Own Way” Fleetwood Mac) - First up! He’s big on tennis. Is this the first time Fleetwood Mac has ever cleared a song for “Idol”? It’s just an okay rendition. His vocals are a bit sloppy. It was good, not especially astounding. And that T-shirt is kind of ordinary. He likes to pull his mike in and out while hitting bigger notes. Interesting. Randy: “It started a little slow for me then you got into it. I wanted you to let you, you didn’t quite go there.” Paula: “You’ve got the whole crowd working. You’re a seasoned performer. You’re charming. You’re already there.” Simon: “It was by far your weakest performance. It’s what I call coasting along. There was no moment. A very weak choice of song.” B
Jason Castro (“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” Andy Gibb): What he hates is interviews. Loves singing, hates talking. He started strong, hit a few bad notes along the way, especialy in the chorus, but overall, charming. I liked it more than the judges. Randy: “As a vocalist, if I take [the guitar] away, the vocals just weren’t that good.” Paula: “I think you made a clever choice with the song. I liked the way you musically interpreted it.” She asks him to go without the guitar next week. Simon: “I thought the song was horrible. It was too schmaltzy, didn’t suit your voice. Your vocals were very weak on that. It didn’t got together this week. You looked uncomfortable.” B
Luke Menard (“Killer Queen” Queen) He’s part of an a capella group and has travelled around the world. Up third, he tackles Freddie Mercury. He is no Freddie Mercury on the charisma level. But he is darn good lookin’. Vocally, he’s very clean, just not anything breathtakingly special. Randy: “In degree of difficulty, you chose a tough song. I liked you better this week. This seems more your wheelhouse, your vibe.” Paula: “You picked the perfect song.” Simon: “It was a mistake. You are always going to be judged with the original. The singer of that song had charisma and personality. You didn’t. It was theatrical and verging on whiny.” B/B+
Robbie Carrico (“Hot Blooded” Foreigner) He drag races cars. He starts a bit sluggish, picks it up in the chorus. He’s like a less authentic version of Bo Bice. It’s quite karaoke. I don’t feel him being terribly hot blooded at all. Randy: “I don’t know if the rock is really really your thing. It doesn’t have enough oomph to be a rock voice.” Paula: “You played it a little safe. You have to up the ante.” Simon: “You don’t have to get so defensive. I thought the vocal was okay tonight.” C-plus
Danny Noriega (“Superstar” Carpenters) He sang in a punk rock band in ninth grade. I have to say he’s a far better vocalist than Sanjaya. He did a fine job. Wow! Randy: “I’m a fan of yours. You are a fun guy. There were some problems with the vocal. You have that slow vibratto. You should speed it up. Just let it go.” Paula: “You got amazing vocal skill.” Simon: “Last week was a disaster. It was better. It wasn’t a fantastic vocal. You were trying to so hard. What I do like is you stand out in the crowd and you’re interesting. And you look terrific on camera.” He said last week was a “disaster,” he admits. B-plus/A-minus
David Hernandez” (“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” The Tempations) He was a gymnast as a kid. He’s been my favorite pure vocalist in this competition and tonight, he proved it. That was really impressive. He had control of the stage and the song. Total soul patrol! Randy: “This is the David Hernandez we fell in love with!” Paula: “Your voice is so pure, it pierces right through the heart. You told a story.” Simon: “This may surprise you. In my opinion, that was the best vocal of the night so far.” A-minus/A
Jason Yeager (“Long Train Runnin’” Doobie Brothers) He plays multiple instruments. After last week’s soporific “Moon River,” he’s going to have to step it up to survive. This is better but he lacks the edge to truly pull of that song. He’s almost too clean cut. He just doesn’t have it. Randy: “It isn’t a singer’s kind of song. It was very pitchy and karaoke.” Paula: “It was fun to see this side of you.” She notes it lacks vocal range. “Pick singer’s songs.” Simon: “The simple truth last week was boring. This week was awkeward and ordinary. That horrific ending. It like you were drunk at a party. You are a quite good singer who can’t perform very well. I’m disappointed.” C-plus
Chikezie Eze (“I Believe to My Soul” Donny Hathaway) Why did he drop his last name? It makes him more memorable! His name is Nigerian, translates into “something well created by God.” It’s a mispronunciation but he lets it go. That was a solid performance, very soulful, very dominant. Randy: “Chikezie is back America!” Paula: “Very clever to pick a song in a story. Better remember my name!” SImon: “You look better. You sounded better. A million times better than last week!” A-minus
David Cook (“All Right Now” Free) He’s a huge crossword and word search man, a “word nerd.” Compared to Robbie Carrico, David is a much more convincing rocker. His voice has some edge and grit. Excellent! Randy: “You are our real rocker from the boys. I really really liked that. Smart choice of song.” Paula: “You are the real deal.” Simon: “It was solid. I don’t think that film helped you. Crosswords. That’s boring. That’s partly your problem. You don’t have a lot of charisma.” He talks back: “I don’t have to win you over with charisma. I have to win them over.” Simon: “I know the rules of this conversation… this is called an opinion. I don’t think a film like that does you any favors.” A-minus/A
David Archuletta (“Imagine” John Lennon”) He’s in the pimp spot. No surprise there. When he was 11, he got to meet Kelly Clarkson. He even had a video of himself awing Kelly while he sang “And I’m Not Telling You.” What a gutsy choice. He has that X factor. A tour de force in singing technique, with proper emotion and modulation. Bravo! Randy: “Dawg. That was one of the best vocals I’ve ever heard on this show.” Paula: “You are ridiculous. I want to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear view mirror.” (That has to be one of the funniest Paula quotes in history!) Simon: “Very very risky to do a John Lennon song, particularly that one. I got to tell you. Right now you are the one to beat. There are 19 very miserable contestants.” A plus
2/26: Fan names. What’s the next Soul Patrol?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The two most famous, rabid fan bases in “Idol” history were the Claymates for you know who and Soul Patrol for Taylor Hicks. And sadly, there were even a few Fanjayas for that dude from last year we’d all like to forget.
I’m going to freely steal a topic from www.idolator.com and ask if any of this year’s contestants will end up with anything quite so memorable?
Danny Archuleta could certainly have that type of following. Idolator said some are actually calling themselves Danny’s Fanny. That seems wrong. His mom suggested they be called Arch Angels. Some are calling themselves Archies. Any other ideas?
Danny Noriega’s fans? Danimals.
Robbie Carrico? Robbie’s Renegadez.
Luke Menard? Luke Force. (zzz…)
Rickey.org posted a poll asking whether Jason Castro’s fans should be dubbed Castronauts or Dreadheads. Dreadheads won.
Some Michael Johns fans are being considered the “Aussie Posse.” That’s not bad.
Some Carly fans are apparently calling themselves “The Fighting Irish” or “Mind Blowers,” in reference to her failed single from 2001 dubbed “I’m Gonna Blow Your Mind.”
Chikezie Eze: Eze Riders. (Hey, that’s pretty witty!)
There are more here.
2/25: Kyle Ensley on Ellen DeGeneres, Carrie Underwood on SNL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I left the “Separated at Birth” entry up all weekend on purpose since it was so much fun. Two more Luke comparisons: Bryan Cranston of “Malcolm in the Middle” and Hugh Jackman. But alas, let us move on:
Paula Abdul did a phone press conference last Thursday I forgot to check in on. I just listened to the replay. Ultimately, I didn’t miss much. She defended Carly Smithson, saying she was unknown so who cares about her past record deal? She was promoting her video for her new song “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” She complimented David A, Syesha, Jason Castro, Ramiele, Michael, Amanda, Alaina and Carly and as we know, it’s too early to pinpoint a likely winner.
Carrie performed “All American Girl” and “Flat on the Floor” (presumably her third single off her current CD) on “Saturday Night Live,” the first new episode since November 3, pre-strike.
Thank you, MJ, for this one of her doing “All American Girl.”
I loved that kid Kyle Ensley, the future politician. He loves to sing but he’s one of the few that has no desire to try to make it a career. He was cut for Colton Berry, the eliminated Ellen DeGeneres lookalike. So ironically, Kyle landed on Ellen last week:
I agree with Simon that Kyle deserved to stick around for pure entertainment value, but he might have ended up being the Chicken Little//John Stevens of the crew and deprive someone else a spot in the top six guys.
An Irish online betting site Paddy Power has already placed bets on the top 20. I’m sure Chris Sligh at this point was considered a front runner at this stage a year ago. At the moment, the favorites are David Archuleta (5-2), Michael Johns (11-4), Ramiele Malubay (5-1), Syesha Mercado (6-1), Jason Castro and Carly Smithson (8-1) and Asia’h Epperson (10-1). Odds are fairly good all seven will be in the final 12. The bottom three at 50-1 are David Hernandez, Luke Menard and Chikezie Eze.
Gone Country episode No. 5 featured a it more of Bobby Brown’s sleepwalking and he has an unfortunate habit of missing the bathroom when he needs to urinate. Poor Maureen McCormick accidentally steps in it. She also accidentally sees a bit more of Bobby than she would have liked and well, let’s just say he has big hands and feet, ahem. I never thought this show would go this direction*! Less memorably, the team learns line dancing, get some country clothing and work on their songs (though we still hear very little and Julio Iglesias Jr. has zip). Diana gets relatively little airtime on this one though she picks out a tight blue dress.
2/22: It’s Idol separated at birth! Zac Efron & David Archuleta? Michael Johns & Rocco DiSpirito?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Separated at birth!
Someone Friday noted the resemblance between Ted Lange (Isaac from “Love Boat”) and Chikezie. Well, judge for yourself:
And as a farewell to Garrett Haley, here’s Leif Garrett vs. Garrett photographically:
And don’t forget about Peter Frampton, too:
I asked him during the press conference Friday about the comparisons. He said he had no clue who either of them were until the first audition. He went back to the house and Googled the two names. “I was hoping they were decent-looking guys,” he told me. “I was pretty happy when they popped up.”
(By the way, he said he wasn’t able to sing any of his first three song picks and ended up getting assigned “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” He had never heard it before. He’s also more a pop-rock guy, which we didn’t get to see. I sense he probably wasn’t familiar with the list of songs and had a hard time picking one himself while some of the more experienced singers knew what they wanted and honed in on them.)
How about chef and “The Restaurant” star Rocco Dispirito vs. Michael Johns
Someone said a young Tim Daly (“Wings,” “Private Practice”), too. What do you think?
Or Carrie Underwood vs. Alaina Whitaker:
The judges compared Brooke White to Carly Simon, stylistically and (apparently) visually:
Does anyone like the resemblance to Mia Farrow?
And since he brought it up himself, ousted Colton Berry vs. Ellen DeGeneres:
I asked Colton about the Ellen DeGeneres comparison. Here’s his response:
“People have been saying it for years. You know what—I’m one of her biggest fans. So you know, I just looked in the mirror and figured, maybe everyone is right. Maybe I look like Ellen. May as well embrace it!”
I asked him if Ellen has asked him to be on her show yet? “I haven’t talked to her yet. She called Ryan Seacrest and laughed with Ryan about the comments I said. If Ellen’s reading this, give me a call!”
How about Luke Menard vs. Kyle McLachlan (“Twin Peaks,” “Desperate Housewives”)?
And folks have also suggested actor Bruce Campbell (“Burn Notice,” “The Evil Dead,” “Hercules” and Orlando Bloom.
This one I’m not buying 100% but they could be siblings: Danny Noriega and Jessica Alba:
If David Archuleta wore his hair with bangs, he’d look a bit more like Zac Efron:
Here’s another one I came up with late Friday— Jerry O’Connell (“Crossing Jordan,” “Carpoolers”) and Jason Yeager:
There were a few others that I looked at that didn’t quite click. David Hernandez and Ray Romano, Grace Slick and Amanda Overmyer and David Spade and Robbie Carrico. And yes, I did look at Nadia Turner and Syesha Mercado but their resemblance is mostly the hair, not the facial features.
2/22: Jordin Sparks No Air video, vote totals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Darling Idol blogger MJ has tracked voting totals. She noted that first-night voting in season five was 40 million, 32 million last year and just 28 million last night. Looking at dialidol.com, there were hardly any moments when folks had busy signals at all either night, though there appeared to be more fervor for some of the guys.
And here’s the video Jordin Sparks shot after I met her in Buckhead last month for her second big hit “No Air” with Chris Brown:
Plus, ratings last night for the Thursday night results show as 24 million, lowest of the season but not unexpected. It’s only down 1 to 2 percent from a year ago. This week as a whole is only down about 3 percent from 2007 and the gap has shrunken. Year to date, “Idol” has averaged 28.1 million viewers vs. 31.6 million a year ago after 13 episodes. The comparisons will get easier as we enter March and April because ratings started slumping a bit in 2007 as the competition dragged on and it became clear that this was a dull crew minus Sanjaya.
2/21: 1st four out - Garrett Haley, Amy Davis, Joanne Borgella, Colton Berry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Idol bloggers picked Garrett “Leif Garrett” Haley to take his hair and go home and he was indeed the first one out. (I was not one of them initially but understood why people disliked him.) Breaking up with him was not hard to do.
They psyched out Kristy Lee Cook by having her come up but then cut Amy Davis, the least surprising pick. Everyone agreed she was abysmal last night. Combined with a lack of airtime and it was over. She does “Where the Boys Are” one more time and again, she misses more notes than she hits. Pretty gal, wrong song.
Third out: “Mo’Nique’s Fat Chance” plus-sized model winner Joanne Borgella, who had not a prayer. They created faux tension by placing her next to Amanda Overmyer. But we knew who was going home. Another pretty gal with an indistinguished performance. Being the second one up didn’t help her either. (Ramiele looks devastated as Joanne sings “Say a Little Prayer” again!)
Fourth out is a minor shocker (especially paired with Chikezie): Colton Berry. He wasn’t on anybody’s radar to go compared to the first three but didn’t have a serious chance of winning either. Honestly, we all thought Luke, Jason Y. and Chikezie did worse. He sang ninth, which isn’t a bad spot either. In the end, he got virtually no airtime. I thought his Elvis cover of “Suspicious Minds” was good but obviously not good enough. I bet it was really really close in terms of vote count. (Ramiele, with Kady by her side, is crying again as he bows out!)
The episode also featured the Paula Abdul video for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow,” which you can see in yesterday’s blog entry. It’s clear from her limited dance moves that she can’t do what she used to 20 years ago. Blame serious back problems. She still looks good.
Group sing was the usual cheesefest. I did enjoy the 60s wigs and dress. I didn’t pay terrible close attention to individual singing.
Based on blog feedback, it also appears a lot of folks really didn’t like Amanda. And Carly is about as polarizing as it gets. And could Danny Noriega be this year’s Sanjaya?
In other Idol news:
Jordin Sparks is in Ghana hanging out with the prez.
One blogger thinks Michael Johns lip-synced Tuesday.
2/20: Top 12 gals, Paula Abdul video
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, here I am, better late than never.
There were plenty of first-night jitters and a few major disappointments, a few high points, a few low points. Overall, a mixed bag. In the end, the men and women are fairly evenly matched, as Simon said. There’s a decent top 12 in there somewhere.
Several of the gals were sick, especially Kristy Lee and Carly, the bookends of the night. It’s easy to pinpoint the two who should go home: Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella.
Here’s how I liked them in order: Asia’h, Amanda, Syesha are the top three. Ramiele, Carly, Alexandrea are my next three. Then Brooke, Alaina and Kady. The bottom three: Kristy Lee, Joanne and rockbottom Amy.
Kristy Lee Cook (“Rescue Me” Aretha Franklin) First up! Horse trainer with the past record contract who sold a horse to audition. She’s not soulful enough for this type of song. It’s very bland. She’s cute but this did feel very amusement park. She ends okay but overall, not great. Randy: “I know the pressure is crazy… it wasn’t your best performance. You had pitch problems throughout.” Paula: “Being sick and first one, that’s a double whammy. Don’t let that get in the way of your shine.” Simon: “This seciton, we get to see what you’re really made of. What did we get that? Not a lot. This song didn’t suit you. Your performance was robotic.” C+
Joanne Borgella (“I Say A Little Prayer” Dionne Warwick) She sang second, a bad spot. The plus-sized model who won “Monique’s Fat Chance” pageant. She is a pretty gal. She reminds me of Mandisa minus the pipes. She has a distinctive voice but it’s not terribly compelling. She simply isn’t drawing me in. Disappointing. Randy: “There are some nerves jumping on this evening. It was pretty good… your voice felt a little shaky.” Paula: “You’ve got to pull it together… I liked it, didn’t love it.” Simon: “I didn’t like it. You’ve got to come out and nail it. What you did there was a very average cabaret version of a cabaret song.” C
Alaina Whitaker (“More Today Than Yesterday” Spiral Staircase”), the youngest contestant. She sang third. She looks a bit like a younger Carrie Underwood. I liked the way she started the song. I’m not so keen on her “louder” voice. But she’s not bad, far better than Joanna or Kristy Lee. Randy: “You sang it with so much conviction and confidence.” Paula: “You nailed it.” Simon: “I think you’re very good. I hated the song though.” B
Amanda Overmyer (“Baby Please Don’t Go” Muddy Waters) The rock-and-roll nurse totaled her car on her way to Hollywood. She seems like a one-note gal with the Janis Joplin voice. We’ll see if she can do something else. Wow! A bluesy song! Great guitar work. How did this end up on the list Nigel created? I actually liked her for the first time. Her hair looks like she stole it from Elvira. Randy: “I loved that. A bluesy rocker chick, doing a little scat thing. I like the trousers, too.” Paula: “I just love everything you do. You’re authentic.” Simon: “I really like you. I like you because I genuinely believe you’re authentic… It was all over the place.” But Paula said, “That’s the song.” A-minus/A
Amy Davis (“Where the Boys Are” Connie Francis) A trade-show model and grad student, she also did Janis Joplin. She started the song really offkey. She is truly pitchy. Bad performance deluxe! Randy: “A lot of country singers scoop up to the notes. Patsy Cline is good. You have to hit it dead on. There were a lot of pitch problems.” Paula: “The camera loves you. Once again, I feel the nerves got a little bit of you. I don’t know if it was the most engaging song for you.” Simon: “It was a very boring song, incredibly cabaret… you need that country twang to make that song work and you don’t have that.” C-minus
Brooke White (“So Happy Together” Turtles) She’s the charming sweet innocent gal with the Carly Simon vibe. She has a very mature voice, not very modern feeling. She’s sweet and likable and that will get her by this week. There’s definitely a personality there, if not amazing vocal skills. Randy: “Front part was not good, back part was good.” Paula: “What this competition is about is originality. You have your own thing.” Simon: “You chose the right song. But there are times I feel like I’m in some washing-up commercial from the ’60s. It was very you. I’m struggling with the relevance.” B/B-plus
Alexandrea Lushington (“Spinning Wheel” Blood, Sweat & Tears) Our Douglasville teen is the seventh to sing. She’s starts very breathy. I like her mid-range but her upper registers are in key but not incredibly strong. She’s very energetic, very together. That’s a plus at this stage. I liked it, didn’t love it. Randy: “You blew the doors off that.” Paula: “You took control of how your entrance would be. You thought about your performance. Dope outfit. I saw more confidence than in any tonight.” Simon: “I didn’t get it. It reminded me of these horrible little shows you see, like some awful musical. I didn’t think the vocals are great.” B/B-plus
Kady Malloy (‘A Groovy Kind of Love” The Mindbenders) A recording studio assistant who can imitate Britney way too well. She’s got pageant-level good looks and her performance is kind of at that level, too. Sigh. Randy: “I loved the Britney thing. This song was okay for me. It was so restrained and controlled.” Paula: “We all knew when we first auditioned you is your personality. I want to see the life of you. Fun!” Simon: “Amazingly, for once, I agree with Paula. That was like night of the living dead.” B-minus
Asia’h Epperson (“Piece of My Heart” Janis Joplin) The gal with the Marietta connection whose dad died really blew me away during Hollywood. Can she do it again? Yes! She’s truly a beacon of light in this fog of mediocrity. She has a spirit that just shines on stage and she has a smoky voice that we haven’t really heard yet in this competition. She’s a keeper, a comer, someone who can win this baby. Easily the best of the night. Randy: “I loved you brought a little bit of you in it.” Paula: “You had some really good moments in that song.” Simon: “For me, it was my favorite of the night. You let go.” A
Ramiele Malubay (“You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” Dusty Springfield) I thought she was a bit overstylized up to this point but she is a looker! She picked a song that Nadia Turner season four owned. (I just watched Nadia’s version on YouTube and that reminded me why I loved her so much.) Technically, Ramiele is excellent. But I don’t feel an emotional connection. I’m not sure why. Randy: “You took your time. It built up. You saved it for the end. Very classy. Almost like a pro. That was hot!” Paula: “You are a force to be reckoned with.” Simon: “I didn’t like you when I first saw you. Then during Hollywood, I thought you were the most consistently good singer. Again, you outsung every single person.” B-plus
Syesha Mercado (“Tobacco Road” The Animals) A working actress, she’s got powerful pipes, even when she had laryngitis in Hollywood. Wow. She chose a rather edgy rock song and gives it a little sexy soul. That last note was a bit off but heck, she really put her heart into it. Phew! Randy: “You definitely can sing. There were a couple of pitchy things. Consistent.” Paula: “Joyful. Fun. Big!” Simon: “It wasn’t your best best performance. It didn’t matter. You are probably one of the most talented girls in this competition.” A-minus/A
Carly Smithson (“The Shadow of Your Smile” Barbra Streisand) Hmmm.. Michael Johns got the crucial last spot Tuesday. Now it’s the other former foreigner with Atlanta connections! This is more proof Nigel & Co. want her in the top 12, come hell or high water. She talks about her past record deal. Wow! It’s out in the open! Did we finally goad them into getting that revealed? Let’s get to it: she’s good. She’s very good, very self assured. Is she my favorite? Not at the moment. Randy: “That’s what this show is all about. I hear you have bronchitis. Guess what. The best vocal of the top 24 right there! Hot! Hot! Blazing hot!” Paula: “You do not even have to power of your voice. Beautiful inflections.” SImon: “I didn’t get it. There is so much hype about you. So much buzz about you. The song was too old fashioned for you.” Thank you Simon for the reality check. B-plus
In other Idol news:
Ratings for the men were 29 million Tuesday night, down only about 1 to 2 percent from the comparable episode a year ago, the smallest gap to date. That’s encouraging for those Fox execs.
Ken Barnes at USA Today noted download sales. “No Air” is the top download among “Idols” at No. 17 and is up to 306K. “Tattoo,” at 25, has sold 1.28 million. Carrie’s “All American Girl,” at 45, has sold 178K. “Before He Cheats,” at 64, has sold a massive 2.17 million. Daughtry has four songs on the chart: “Feels LIke Tonight” at 52 with 133K total. “Over You” at 84, with 878K total. “Home” at 94 with 1.34 mil total. And “It’s Not Over” at 142 and 1.67 mil total. So he has sold four million downloads. Impressive! This on top of his 3.79 million albums sold after moving another 38K (Grammy boosted.). Carrie’s “Carnival Ride” sells another 30K to move up to 1.86 mil and a little more than a month from hitting 2 million. “Some Hearts” moved 21K more and is at a staggering 6.28 million.
Other totals: Kelly’s “Breakaway”: 5.96 mil, “My December” at 751K. Pickler is at 718K, Blake at 264K, Bucky at 325K, Elliott at 494K and three weeks from 500K, Mandisa at 72K, Fantasia at 507K, Bo at 40K, Taylor at 700K, Kat at 367K, Clay at 523K, Ruben at 237K, Constantine at 24K, Paris at 21K and Kimberley at 18K.
And for your enjoyment, the Paula Abdul videe for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” It’s pretty typical as far as music videos go. Nothing special. I’m not sure why it ends with a shot of Ryan, Randy, Paula and Simon.
2/19: The 12 guys compete (and another ATL connection)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just heard (and got confirmation) that Asia’h Epperson, one of my early favorites also lived in Marietta for four years at one point in her life, probably at the same time as Carly Smithson! Sheesh! Hopefully, I’ll get to talk to her at some point. She’s got a great shot of making the top 12 based on what we’ve seen so far.
Before we get to the meat of the action, you may or may not have seen that iTunes will be the exclusive provider of “Idol” music but they won’t reveal sales figures, as not to “influence” the voting. Uh huh. (Ryan pimps the connection twice.)
It was a good night, not quite as good as I had expected given the lofty advance notice of these 12. Part of it may have been the limited 50 songs they had to choose from. (No Beatles, no Rolling Stones, no Supremes, et. al). It was far better than a year ago. (I read my account from that night and it wasn’t pretty.)
Who will go home? Jason Yeager and Luke Menard were both ignored early on by the producers and their vocals did nothing to break through. Zzzz… in both cases.
I didn’t have a clear favorite but I liked the top 3 about equally. I have to Castro the stop spot simply because he is truly an underdog. Danny’s over-the-top Elvis places him near the bottom for me but he will survive Sanjaya-style. The top 12 in order for me: Jason Castro, David Cook, Michael Johns, David Hernandez, David Archuleta, Colton Berry, Robbie Carrico, Garrett Haley, Chikezie Ezie, Jason Yeager, Danny Noriega, Luke Mernard.
David Hernandez (“In the Midnight Hour” Wilson Pickett) — He already did a 60s song for his first audition. Raised by single mom in Glendale, Ariz. — same city as Jordin Sparks. Simon was the skeptic. I think he has an amazingly pure voice. At this stage in the competition being first is bad but not fatal. Being second is worse. Does he have the stage presence? I’m not 100% sure. But he’s a solid singer, far better than many past top 12 contestants (including most if not all of last year’s men.) “I like the gospel thing in the front,” Randy said. “Fell a little apart at the end. Watch the long phrasing.” Paula: “It’s lovely. Perfect vibrato.” Simon: “It was better than I thought it was going to be. Beginning was terrific. Middle was rabbit in headlights. You have to loosen up a bit.” (Agreed.)
Chikezie Ezie (“I Love You More Today Than Yesterday” Spiral Staircase) He sang second. He made it to Hollywood a year earlier. He improved this year. He’s got a great voice but it was kind of boring. Maybe it was the song. Or maybe it’s him. Hard to say at this point. Randy: “It was pretty good. The only problem is you’re an old-fashioned singer… make it new, fresh, young.” Paula: “You’ve come a long way.” Simon (calls him jacuzzi): “I hated the whole performance. The suit is hideous. [Chikezie tries to talk back.] The wink was hideous. It was old-fashioned, corny, cheesy. This could have been something we filmed 40 years ago.”
David Cook (“So Happy Together” Turtles) He goes third. A bartender and musician from Missouri, he said he had no clue what that Simon term “worthy” meant in the first audition. I don’t particularly like his rocker looks but he does a fine job with this classic Turtles song. He’s less cheesy than, say, Constantine. Randy: “You worked it out making a rock joint out of ‘So Happy Together.’ It’s crazy!” Paula: “It’s worthy of great praise.” Simon: “I thought it was good. I thought you shouted the song a bit in the middle… You almost made it believable.”
Jason Yeager (“Moon River” Andy Williams) He sang fourth. He’s a 28-year-old singing server from Texas with a son. They give him an extended opening segment focused on said son. What an old-fashioned song. He does nothing to modernize it. He has a fair amount of charms and good looks, as well as solid vocal ability. Is that enough this year? I’m not sure. Randy: “All you guys can blow. You had a couple of problems pitchwise. Never lose concentration.” Paula: “I have such sentimental value to that song. I did my first ballet recital to that song.” [That was dedicated to my grandmother, Jason said. Awww…] Simon: “I bought my first puppy to that song. You came much older [than 28.] It was very cruise ship.”
Robbie Carrico (“One (Is the Loneliest Number) by Three Dog Night) He went fifth. Britney’s ex is all rocked out. “I was in an boy-girl group and toured with Britney Spearks,” he said. “I wanted to do rock bad.” It was good. He was a little nervous but did alright. Randy: “A nice version. You had me rockin’ out.” Paula: “You picked the perfect song. You are authentic.” Simon: “The only performance we’ve seen tonight that felt current. I’m struggling with the authenticity.” He doesn’t seem as authentic as Bo but more authentic than Constantine.
David Archuleta (“Shop Around” Smokey Robinson) He sang sixth. The former “Star Search” winner seemed liked a happy-go-lucky kid. He’s going to get the teen vote! There’s an impressive depth in his voice for his age. He’s clearly a pro. Randy: “I thought that was really brilliant. You were born with a gift.” Paula: “I feel that was a brave and bold choice.” Simon: “When you got it you got it. That was by a comfortable best performance of the night so far.”
Danny Noriega (“Jailhouse Rock” Elvis) He sang seventh. This kid annoyed me from the get go. He does like to bug his eyes out! He made it to Hollywood a year earlier like Chikeze. This was a high-risk song. Didn’t Taylor Hicks do this at one point? Danny seems a wee bit young to be doing this mediocre Elvis imitation, but it’s hard to deny a great voice. Randy: “You know how to have a good time.” Paula: “It was very warm, almost scalding. This was a safer song which allowed you to be a performer.” Simon: “I don’t understand a word you just said [about her colors.] It was verging on grotesque.” And wait—isn’t this song from the ’50s???
Luke Menard (“Everybody’s Talking At Me”- Harry Nilsson ) He sings eighth. We never saw him before. He’s a carpet cleaner and he was also someone who auditioned a year earlier. He was cut in Memphis. He’s got movie star looks. He’s got a bit of that Ace Young soprano vocals. He starts a bit slow with a very soft rock snoozer of a tune. But he picks it up midway, then slides back to way too mellow. Way too mellow. Randy: “For me, that song, it was very pitchy. It was almost consistently sharp.” Paula: “I am going to agree. I didn’t feel this was the best song choice for you. You have Kenny Loggins tenderness to your voice.” Simon: “Your problem was, it was forgettable. Nobody is going to remember that as being a great performance or great vocal.” He’s toast.
Colton Berry (“Suspicious Minds” Elvis) He sings ninth. Earlier, he gets some airtime during the Coke segment. “During certain angles I look like Ellen DeGeneres,” he said. Boy, that’s going to build his fan base! When he gets nervous, he sings the Teletubbies theme song. He’s the one who got the spot Kyle Ensley might have gotten. He’s a perfectly adequate singer and has some charm. He sounds better as he goes along. Randy: “You did a pretty good song. Started a little rough but by the end you were feeling your way.” Paula “It’s nice to see a different side of you. We’ve heard the ballads.” Simon: “It was okay. It wasn’t quite as bad as the other Elvis song. The whole idea is to find a recording artist. What did I get? Nothing. You have no relevance in today’s chart. Young kid singing an Elvis song.” I agree with Simon.
Garrett Haley (“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” Neil Sedaka) He sings 10th. He’s one of those we haven’t seen or heard yet. He is compared to Leif Garrett and Peter Frampton with his big hair. He’s cute and tried out on a lark while vacationing in San Diego. He is one of those truly inexperienced ones. That alone would make me root for him before I even hear him. As for song choice, didn’t we retire Neil Sedaka songs years ago when he was the guest judge? Ugh! Vocally, he could be Leif Garrett redux, too. He’s likable and he does what he could with a lame song. Will this make him stand out? No. But fortunately for him, there were less memorable performances that may save him an extra week. Randy: “You didn’t do anything with it. Don’t be afraid to make it your own.” Paula: “If you stay at that slow tempo, it brings the performance down.” Simon: “It was boring. Your voice sounded a bit whiny. You looked terrified.” It wasn’t that bad. But I agree that it felt old.
Jason Castro (“Daydream” Lovin’ Spoonful) He sang eleventh. He is the first one to opt for an instrument - a guitar! And he’s one of the six guys we barely saw. He’s the dude with the dreads who is a drummer and only has sung publicly a few times before this. He picks a sweet pop song by Lovin’ Spoonful. I like this dude. He has a quiet confidence and ease about him. He’s the best of the crew we haven’t seen much of despite a little vocal shakiness at the end. Randy: “Little pitch problems like that high note at the end.” Paula “You did blow me away.” Simon: “That was in the top two performances of the night. You like David have got it. Great choice of song. You made it sound current.”
Michael Johns (“Light My Fire” Doors ) Our former Buckhead boy from Australia gets the driver’s seat spot, the 12th position, the pole position that virtually guarantees him survival at this stage. The producers give what they usually think is the most powerful or upbeat performance the end spot. Oddly, he’s citing Atlanta, not Los Angeles, as his home. Okay, so he’s no Jim Morrison. (Morrison wouldn’t wear a scarf on stage.) But he’s really good and the type of guy who is clearly marketable. Watch the praise cascade down: “You just throw all caution to the wind. You sing great. I see a true legend rock performer. You’re like a Michael Hutchence.” Paula: “Excellent way to end the night.” Simon: “I would say you are the most consistent contestant we’ve had… You have the natural charisma of a lead singer.”
2/19: Alexandrea Lushington interview, Idol rewind, Josiah Leming update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wrote a print edition piece for today summarizing my three interviews with Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Alexandrea Lushington here..
Alexandrea Lushington could be this year’s local Diana DeGarmo. She’s only 17 and has performed many a National Anthem at local ballgames, just like Diana. She grew up mostly in College Park and only her sophomore year moved to Douglasville. So I don’t anticipate she’ll be pushing the “Douglasville” angle as much as Diana promoted Snellville. She’s now a junior at Douglas County High School, though obviously she probably is going to miss most if not all of this semester if she makes the top 10.
She was my last interview at about 6:15 p.m. EST Friday. She was clearly distracted as she was getting ready to rehearse in Los Angeles. There was a lot of background noise and I had to repeat questions a few times. Her answers were fairly short, too. So as I went over my notes, I realized I didn’t have much at all. I figured I spoke with her for less than 10 minutes compared to 15 minutes with Michael and 20 minutes with Carly.
Alexandrea began singing at age 2 or 3, said she wanted to be part of “Sesame Street” at age 5. Both her parents are musical; her mom was in a gospel group, he dad studied music at a Brooklyn conservatory. She said she performed at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem at age 7. She sang Jackson 5’s “Who’s Lovin’ You” and made it on stage twice. “The stage looked huge to me. Now when I looked back, it’s kind of small,” she said. She also did National Anthem work with Georgia Tech, the Atlanta Fire Department (her dad was a firefighter, her mom her agent/assistant), the Braves and the Hawks, to name a few.
She attended school in College Park until sophomore year of high school when she moved to Douglasville and attends Douglas County High School (better school system).
Her great grandmother, 94 years old, got more airtime than she did during the Atlanta audition episode. “She’s at the peak of her life,” Alexandrea said. “I’m glad Ryan liked her.” She said 20 people came to her audition.
As for her lack of airtime, “I can’t be disappointed not getting a lot of airtime. I’m just glad I have made it this far. They can’t help but give me airtime right now! It really doesn’t bother me. I’m focusing on my next performance.”
She said she loves all kinds of music— soul and rock & roll. Then she got cut off and the conversation abruptly ended.
UPDATE: I just heard she actually competed against David Archuleta on “Star Search” a few years back. Here’s the proof.
Onto other topics: I caught “American Idol Rewind” from this past weekend and it was the night Charles Grigsby was eliminated with the appropriately titled “Wiz” song “You Can’t Win.” He really wasn’t very good but seeing him five years later in an interview, I just can’t believe how much hair the poor guy lost. These performances simply solidified why Clay (“Somewhere Out There”) and Ruben (“A Whole New World”) would finish in the top 2 and why Julia DeMato would be eliminated the next week with her so-so take on “Flashdance.” Ruben, at this point, was really pimping out the “205” Birmingham shirts.
And do you wish Josiah Leming had made it? He was definitely an interesting story but he may not have been quite ready emotionally to handle the competition.
Access Hollywood caught up with him and I anticipate he will get a few more minutes of fame.
“My belief is that they were trying to make me look bad. They were trying to make me look like a crybaby and then trying to make me look like I was overconfident - but I’m thankful. If I could see them right now, I would give them the biggest hug ever because they have launched my career.”
It’s true! Josiah told me, thanks to this publicity, he has sold over 1,000 albums on his MySpace page and has earned himself a cool $9,000 in the process. Not a bad take for a kid who lives in his car. Although, he doesn’t live there anymore, Josiah tells me. It sounds like those days are over. Mostly, it’s because his car is broken down. Not to worry. A local car dealership in his hometown of Morristown, Tennessee has come to the rescue and offered him a car to borrow while he pursues his dreams.
Plus, it gets better. The President of Fox has called him and requested a meeting about casting him for something else and “The Ellen Degeneres Show” is flying him out on Monday to perform on the show.
Need more? MTV.com has him gabbing and gabbing about himself. There’s even video.
And his appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”:
Finally, Carrie Underwood is performing this Saturday on the first post-strike “Saturday Night Live” featuring Tina Fey as the guest host.
2/18: Carly Smithson interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At the Wall Street Journal, I worked in Atlanta with a colleague named Jennifer Ordonez. Now at Newsweek, she eventually moved to Los Angeles to cover entertainment and in 2002, wrote a memorable page one story about the screwy economics of the record industry using Dublin native Carly Hennessy as an example. Two numbers stood out: MCA Records spent an estimated $2.2 million on Hennessy including recording production living expenses, a video, a mall tour, imaging, and radio promotion. The teen-ager sold 17,000 singles and just 378 copies of her album three months into its release when the story came out.
Fast forward six years and we now have Carly Smithson, a possible favorite to win “American Idol.” I got a few minutes with her on the phone Friday because she lived in Marietta for two years with her eventual boyfriend from 2003 to 2005. That’s a good enough excuse for me, especially given how her story has been floating around the Web since November, when the top 50 were named. I didn’t particularly like her audition in San Diego, thought it felt desperate. But given her past, that desperation is truly heartfelt and justified. I started liking her a bit more when she sang “Alone” during Hollywood.
Talking to her one on one, I liked her a lot. I brought up the WSJ story immediately and she groaned - but goodnaturedly. She kept talking about her past record deal in the second person as in “you feel horrible” or “you can’t believe it’s happening,” like it was an out-of-body experience. I’m glad I caught her now because I’m sure after she answers the same questions 100 times, they won’t come out quite the same.
I didn’t properly prep for the interview - like re-reading the WSJ story in detail. Part of it was the last-second nature of my request since I only knew Thursday night about her Atlanta connection. And I should have written questions down because by winging it, I missed an obvious one. I forgot to ask her if she felt like “Idol” should have revealed her MCA deal early on and whether that would have any impact on people voting. She’s certainly not hiding it herself because she did bring it up in her video interview on www.americanidol.com.
“I kind of had a bad experience,” she said. Her viewpoint of the WSJ story: “It was nonsense. It was very damaging.” She ultimately didn’t buy the $2.2 million figure. Unfortunately, I didn’t recall the details in the story so I couldn’t go through it and have her dispute or agree with the specifics. I presume someone will eventually do that or already has. She did scoff at the fact in the story that she drove a convertible but the label did get her a Volkswagen Golf (which comes in a convertible option.). Anyway, she recalled getting signed at age 15 and moved to L.A. and said she lived in Marina Del Rey.
“We did a fantastic recording for a 15 year old,” but she said the label wasn’t happy with it and it sat around. Her sound didn’t match up with that of Britney and Christina and the hot sounds of the day. (This was 1999-2000, the peak time for boy bands and such.) She worked with Gregg Alexander, then lead singer of the New Radicals (“You Get What You Give”) and he pushed her more alternative.
“Gregg pushed the envelope with the lyrics,” she said. “I thought it was a great, cool record. I listen to it to this day. It had some great tracks on it. He helped me find exactly what my sound was. I was pleased.” Though she had been signed at 15, she said this record didn’t get done til she was closer to 17. Given the adult nature of the CD, they waited until she was 18 to release the single “I’m Gonna Blow Your Mind” (about oral sex). It was gaining traction, she said, but then 9/11 happened and “nobody was interested in shopping a new record.” It died. And that’s when the WSJ came out.
At that time, they tried to promote the CD in Europe. She moved back there. But she said the record company went away at that point and promotion really stopped. “The story forget to mention all that,” she said. “It looked like I put out a record and it went nowhere.” She said the reacton to the story “was kind of crazy. One article can have such a snowball effect. They believed everything in it.” [I gently told her this was the Wall Street Journal, not the National Enquirer.] “It was just bizarre. All these facts are in this aritcle and they’re taken as facts. Now you have no record company. The record company overnight was imploded. You have nobody with you.”
That’s when she moved to Atlanta with her new boyfriend Todd. “At that point, I really hated the music industry.” Singing “wasn’t my thing anymore” in Atlanta. “I just needed to take a rest, just be normal for a minute, have a normal job.”
She had met Todd (who is from South Carolina) in a Los Angeles airport and moved with him to Marietta with some of his roommates who did custom hot rods. She’d help out. “I have little hands so they’d hand a wrench to me. They’d fit my little hands in little spots in motors. It was cool.”
Carly worked at Buckhead’s Irish bar Fado as a waitress to earn cash. Her husband Todd worked at Sacred Heart Tattoo in Little Five Points. After the MCA debacle, she said she didn’t sing at all in public while in Atlanta. Strange coincidence: “Michael Johns used to sing at Fado Thursday nights,” she said. “We never spoke to each other until Idol.” Because of their name changes, she didn’t make the connection until they talked in the top 24. “I just wrote his name [Michael Lee at the time] on the chalkbaord every Thursday.” She said she loved Fado. “It was a great spot. It was very sad when we had to leave to come to California for music reasons.”
In 2005, she moved to San Diego and tried out for “Idol” but had visa problems, as “Idol” mentioned several times. “Paperwork got misplaced in the system,” she said. When she got cut from “Idol” in 2005 over visa issues, “it was awful, I swear. If you had no talent, that would have been easier than a glitch in your paperwork.”
She didn’t try out again in 2006, she said vaguely, “due to things happening in my life at the time.” Todd and Carly had opened a tattoo shop in San Diego. With auditions in San Diego this past summer, Todd convinced her to try one more time. “I went, I queued up. I got sunburned and auditioned. I had a great time.”
She said the reason she was so emotional was her low self esteem. “In this industry,” she said, placing her situation in second person, “you get so beaten down, your confidence is trashed. By the time you do something like auditioning again, it’s very hard… Everybody else had told you no. Why not these people? When they said yes, they were nice and excited, tell you you’re good. For me, it’s so emotional. I was overjoyed. I kept telling myself to stop crying. I couldn’t stop.” By the time the top 24 came along, she said she didn’t think she’d make it. She also said this was going to be her last try. “I wear my heart on my sleeve,” she said.
About her tattoos: “everything seemed to be positive. Todd and I talked about it. Should I wear long sleeves? But wearing tattoos is becoming not so taboo anymore. That’s just who we are. If people don’t like it, they won’t like me… I wouldn’t want to hid who I am at all. We’ll see how Middle America takes it. The public hasn’t voted yet. I have no idea.”
She said she agrees that this is an especially talented top 24. Her husband said, “you auditioned the wrong year!” She hopes the ratings rebound as people glom onto the better singers.
As for her struggles, “it was definitely meant to be. If I had everything when I was 19, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it. Right now, I love life. With the bartending and singing in bars, I had been at the lows and the highs. Everything is a bonus compared to the life I’ve had. Todd and I are lucky if we have $2 to our name. We’re still happy. We’re great together. We’re a great team. We’re very simple people. We’re not into going out and partying. We like to go to the beach and cook dinner at home. I’m a nester. I like decorating my house… I used to be excited about shopping and fancy restaurants. I’m not like that anymore.”
Interestingly, her CD “Ultimate High” that sold in the hundreds in 2001 is readily available on eBay. A week ago, it was selling for $5 or $6 including shipping. The day after she was named in the top 24? $18.99. The WSJ story said only 10,000 were even placed on shelves so if she goes far, this could become quite the collector’s item.
2/17: Gone Country, Jordin Sparks opening for Alicia Keys, chart update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I hope you’re all having a nice, quiet weekend.Tomorrow, I’ll post my interview with Irish gal Carly Hennessy Smithson, who lived in Marietta from 2003 to 2005. (Vote For the Worst Sunday today noted that Randy Jackson was an A&R head at MCA Records when Carly was there from 1999 to 2002. Could this be construed as a conflict of interest? I would have asked Carly if I had known this before I talked to her Friday. Oh, well…) On Tuesday, I’ll post my interview with Douglasville’s own Alexandrea Lushington. The boys, by the way, are on Tuesday, the gals on Wednesday.
Here’s the top 24 commercial.
Not much to say about this past Friday’s episode of “Gone Country.” The group did a car wash to raise money (Nope— nobody wore swimwear. It was all very G rated.). Then they visited a children’s hospital in Nashville, a tradition for country artists in Nashville. Bobby Brown was especially affected by a woman whose child was dying and he cried, cried a lot. In other words, it was all about Bobby again. Given his drinking issues, this might eventually turn into “Celebrity Rehab with Bobby Brown.” In the last minute or two, we finally seeing them start working on their songs at the end of the episode but we don’t catch anything Diana did.
CMT, by the way, noted that Diana has essentially ensconced herself in Nashville, staying at 13 acre dig. Here’s the scoop.
“I figured if I want to do it, I’ve got to be here,” she says. “So I’m here. I’ve been living the country life. I had wild turkeys in my carport a couple of days ago, and I about had a heart attack. I have deer in my yard all the time. I had some country history, so I’ve had a lot of old friends come out of the woodwork and say, ‘Finally! You finally came back from the dark side!’ It’s been fun. I’ve had lots of really huge writers and producers [contact me], so it’s all falling into place.”
And she gets into some detail of what her country album may sound like:
“Sort of like a country pop record, more in the vein of Martina-meets-Faith, with a little Dolly Parton thrown in, just because I’ve got to,” she says. “‘Jolene’ is my favorite song! I respect her and love her so much.”
Jordin Sparks, when I interviewed her last month, said she was trying to solidify an opening slot for a big star. Well, that big star is Alicia Keys. That’s an excellent pairing. They hit Philips Arena May 28. I won’t be in town. Bummer.
Kimberley Locke’s lyrical memories will be tested on a future episode of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”
How about sales? MJ’s blog reports that Jordin saw a small boost after her Super Bowl appearance and now is up to 491,000 (with 17K last week), so she should hit the 500,000 mark this weekend. With “No Air” one of the fastest climbing singles on the top 40 charts right now, she should be on pace to sell 15 to 20K for the next few weeks. That would get her within Taylor’s 698K by June, which is currently the low point of sales among past winners prior to Jordin.
Daughtry, with a hot fourth single “Feels Like Tonight,” is still in the top 20 after more than 15 months on the charts and is up to 3.8 million. Carrie’s “Carnival Ride,” with “All American Girl” another top 10 hit for her, is now up to 1.8 million while “Some Hearts” (the Grammys didn’t hurt here) up to 6.3 million, the most of any “Idol” album thus far.
2/15: Nigel Lythgoe says 60s theme next wk, defends Carly Smithson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe fed us media folks some tidbits today.
For instance, next week’s theme will be ’60s songs. This is the first time the semifinals will feature a theme. There will be a new set for the final 12. He also made sure the singers will sing more familiar songs that were cleared. “These are the 50 songs you can choose from the 60s,” he said, as opposed to letting the semifinals pick a potentially obscure song or one that doesn’t get cleared and they’re forced to swap out at the last second.
He promises only four celebrity guest coaches this year but hasn’t named any yet.
And the results show will feature more background packages on the contestants themselves and a “Where are they now?” segment. He referenced two examples of folks who will likely come back: Kimberley Locke and our very own Diana DeGarmo.
Plus, singers will have the opportunity to use instruments during the regular competition (as they did for the first time in Hollywood.) He said this worked well in Australia.
Nigel also incorrectly insisted that “Idol” had revealed Carly Smithson’s past with MCA Records. He was wrong. But he got rather testy when a reporter challenged him on it. The show did reveal her past visa problems so he might have simply forgotten. He said he wasn’t hiding people’s pasts at all, though “Idol” has conveniently left out record contract deals. Did they mention Joanne’s win on Monique’s Fat Chance or David Archuleta’s “Star Search” win? I can’t recall myself.
He also downplayed the potential backlash Carly is getting on the blogs for her failed time at MCA, saying that most people who vote don’t read the blogs and boards. And since “Idol” isn’t saying anything on air about it, indeed, it probably won’t matter. He did get quite testy over this line of questioning. Credit the wonderful Star Ledger writer Alan Sepinwall. I emailed Sepinwall and he merely wanted to know (before he got cut off) if they were going to mention their past recording contracts sometime in the future.
Finally, Nigel explained why they dropped group sings during Hollywood. Last year, he said, they cut people because they couldn’t remember lyrics. (Remember that Carrie Underwood 16 year old last year who they loved so much?) “It’s got to be their talent that lets them down. We didn’t ask them to spend a night with two or three contestants arguing and haggling over choreography. We don’t make them do that during the season. Why do it there? It was always done for the contentious side, get then aroused, get them tired, see how they coped under the pressure. [This year,] we just wanted to base it on talent. The proof will be in this season… We concentrated on their performances and gave them a second opportunity to sing. [In past years,] nerves would come into play and people were getting cut willy nilly. This season, we give them an opportunity to sing the next day.”
I got in line first and asked Nigel about the three “Idol” contestants with known Atlanta connections:
Alex Lushington: “She’s 16 and still remarkable. I think she’s one of those who took us a little by surprise by how quickly she realized what she had to do to get through the competition and really perform. Every time, there was no let off.”
Carly Hennessy Smithson: “She had a recording contract. She came to us a couple of years ago. We thought she was terrific. She did a Prince song. She sent chills down us. We lost her because of the visa. She returned. She stands a very good chance this year. She’s quite known by the public [courtesy of “Idol“‘s editing choices, of course] and she’s got a lot of talent.”
Michael Johns (Lee): “Wow. When he sang “Bohemian Rhapsody,” it was one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard. So amazing!”
He was also as bemused as I was that the two foreigners both happened to live in Atlanta at some point.
And when I asked if there would be any backlash to either Michael or Carly because they aren’t, well, American, he said, “We’ve never said you had to be an American citizen. You just have to be legal. And most of this country came from somewhere else, so I don’t see where the backlash is.”
He has no clue what has happened to Josiah Leming, the kid who lived in the car. He said the reason he didn’t make it was his voice was a wee bit shaky at points and he picked the wrong song at the end.
Another Atlanta angle: three contestants, including Asia’h and David Archuleta sang “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley at one point in Hollywood. They got clearance from Atlanta’s Cee-Lo but not DJ Danger Mouse in the end. So they couldn’t air those performances. He also said one of the Jasons sang it but I’m not sure which one—but that cost that dude airtime.
2/15: Michael Johns interview (updated)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s some sort of technical glitch here I need to tell the Powers That Be about so whenever I do an advance blog entry, it doesn’t allow commenting. Then I have to re-post it, like I am now. Sheesh. Anyway, hopefully you’ll be able to comment on this one.
There’s a phone conference with Nigel Lythgoe Friday afternoon so email me at rho@ajc.com if you have any good questions for me to pose to him. And I hope to talk to Alex Lushington soon. And I just found out Carly Hennessy Smithson, the Irish gal, lived in Marietta for two years. I hope to talk to her, too!
On Thursday, i did nab a few minutes to gab with Michael Johns, the Aussie native and former Atlantan (plus an early favorite who has gotten plenty of love from the “Idol” judges and producers.)
First off, he’s 29 and for most of his life, he was known as Michael Lee. Last year, he changed it to Michael Johns. (Lee was his dad’s name and he hasn’t been in contact with his dad since he was 15.) Johns is a multiple of his middle name John and his stepdad’s name John.
Anyway, Lee/Johns came to the States first on a tennis scholarship a small Tifton college around 1997. He stayed there nine months, then decided to move to Atlanta to pursue music. He’d heard it had a decent music scene. He landed at Buckhead bar CJ’s Landing, where he worked “literally picking up glasses and trash.” The owner Phil Goode (sic?) liked him and heard him sing so he decided to stick him on the stage, first on Mondays, then weekends. He was there on and off from 1998 to 2002 doing cover songs with a guy named Hank Barbee. (CJ’s was torn down last year as Buckhead Village goes through its major transformation upscale.)
“It was the best way for me to learn about the South and what pushed Americans buttons,” Lee/Johns said. Barbee, who played with him hundreds of times, said Lee was a quick study and learned hundreds of songs. He’d keep a notebook packed with lyrics of songs that people requested. One time, he even spontaneously did a few lines of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” Barbee recalled. Barbee also said Lee/Johns had a weakness for Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, as well as Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones.
He’s now a permanent U.S. resident who is eligible for full citizenship in a couple of years. “When I went back to Australia over Christmas, I hadn’t been there in five years. I felt like a visitor,” he said. (Australia will be airing “American Idol” in almost real time, he said.)
After this posted, Iain Bluett, the former keyboardist for Film, emailed me what he said were mistakes in the following graf. I’ll post what he said was wrong after the graf in question.
Around 2002, he joined a local band named Film. They played a couple of major-label showcases. Barbee said other members wanted to go with one label. He wanted to go another. So in the end, they split up. It became somewhat bitter and a keyboard player posted a site called www.therisingsucks.com (no longer up) which accused Lee of stealing songs for his new band the Rising. He said this guy was all wrong, that it was a “smear campaign” that was “completely unfounded and untrue” and he actually gets along with the other former members of Film. (I need to track down said members of Film for affirmation. If you know any of them, email me at rho@ajc.com.)
Here’s Iain’s response, with some grammatical fixes: “He joined Film in early 2000 and left in April 2001. Barbee doesn’t know what happened - he wasn’t in the band. We didn’t want to go with one label and him with another. He left after we (the band) were offered the deal by Maverick. He isn’t in contact with any other members and hasn’t been since 2003.”
Johns joined Madonna’s Maverick Records around 2004 and recorded an album. Then Warner Brothers merged with Elektra and Atlantic and Maverick dissolved. The record never came out. The band almost signed with Columbia but then management changed with the merger of Sony/BMG. Last year, he did a solo record, but then the indie label fell apart. He admits he hasn’t been such a lucky guy.
Lee/Johns told Barbee last year that he was going to go with “Idol” because it is one of the few places left to break it big. “I truly believe their the only outlet aggressively finding new talent anymore,” he said. “I don’t know if I had been ready at age 25 but at 28 [his last year of eligibility], I was like, ‘I need to make sure I’m free and clear of everything so I can be on this show.’ “
2/14: The mini-bios of the top 24
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fox sent out a press release with brief bios of each of the 24 semifinalists. Note that the show still isn’t referencing past record contracts that the likes of Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Lee Johns and Carly Hennessy Smithson have had. And they again make it sound like Michael lived in Buckhead, GA, a small town more than 50 miles east of Atlanta when in fact he lived in the Buckhead adjoining Midtown which isn’t a separate city.
I’m going to procure phone interviews with both Alex and Michael soon. Here’s the video of the top 24 photo shoot.. There are individual interviews with each of the top 24 on the site as well, an effort obviously for folks to get to know them better up front. Lots of photos, too.
Meet  AMERICAN IDOL Top Semifinalists:
Male singers scheduled to perform Tuesday, Feb. 19 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) include:
David Archuleta (17) - Born in Miami, FL, but grew up in Murray, UT. Â Archuleta began singing at age 7. Currently a junior at Murray High School, he has performed with an a cappella choir group and plays the piano.
Colton Berry (18) - Currently lives in Staunton, VA. Berry is a senior at Wilson Memorial High School. He began singing in church when he was 5 years old. Active in community theatre, he also mentors children in a music class at a local elementary school.
Robbie Carrico (26) - Currently lives in Melbourne, FL. Carrico began singing at age 16. He has been a member of two groups, Boyz IV Girlz and Missing Picket. Before auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, he was working as a painter with his father. In his spare time, Carrico enjoys racing cars.  Jason Castro (20) - Currently lives in Rockwall, TX, but was born in Dallas and raised in Rowlett, TX. Castro grew up playing drums and played in a band called Keeping Lions. Before auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, Castro was majoring in Construction Science at Texas A&M University.  David Cook (25) - Currently lives in Tulsa, OK, but grew up in Blue Springs, MO. Cook was born in Houston and graduated from Central Missouri State University in 2006. He has been singing since he was in the 2nd grade and also plays the guitar. Cook was a member of two bands, Axium and MWK.
Chikezie Eze (22) - Currently lives in Inglewood, CA. Eze began singing when he was 13 years old. Before auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, he was a T.S.A. (Transportation Security Administration) screener and a cashier. He also studied singing at Santa Monica College.
Garrett Haley (17) - Currently lives in Elida, OH, but spent his early years in Alamosa, CO. Haley is a junior at Elida High School. He began singing in elementary school and has performed in local talent shows and high school musicals.
David Hernandez (24) - Born and raised in Glendale, AZ. Hernandez began singing at age 6. He has performed at Urban Network Events, “Arizona Idol” and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade. He has been a member of the bands Tribét and Straight Up.
Michael Johns (29) - Currently lives in Los Angeles, but was born in Perth, Australia. Johns moved to the U.S. in 1998 to attend Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College in Tifton, GA, then moved to Buckhead, GA outside of Atlanta to pursue singing. Johns began singing at the age of 5 and also plays the guitar. He was a member of a band called The Rising.
Luke Menard (29) - Born and raised in Crawfordsville, IN. Menard began singing when he was a freshman in high school. He earned a B.A. in Communications from Millikin University in Decatur, IL, and worked for a finance company in Chicago. After realizing that was not the job for him, Menard began touring with an a cappella group called Chapter 6.
Danny Noriega (18) - Currently lives in Azusa, CA. Noriega has been singing his entire life. Prior to auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, Noriega had recently graduated from high school. In his spare time he likes to dance and make people laugh. He also loves animals.
Jason Yeager (28) - Currently resides in Branson, MO, although his hometown is Grand Prairie, TX. Yeager began singing when he was 2 years old. He was a member of a boy band called True This. He also plays guitar, piano and drums.
Female singers scheduled to perform Wednesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) include:
Joanne Borgella (25) - Currently lives in Hoboken, NJ, although born and raised in NY. Borgella has been singing since she was 3 years old. Before auditioning for IDOL, she was a plus size model. In her spare time she makes jewelry and designs clothes.  Kristy Lee Cook (24) - Currently lives in Selma, OR, but was born in Seattle, WA. Cook has sung for crowds since she was 13 years old. Prior to auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, Cook raised and trained horses. She plays the piano and was a member of the band Sixshooter.
Amy Davis (25) - Currently lives in Cedar Lake, IN, but was raised in Lowell, IN. Davis is a graduate student at Purdue University where she previously earned a B.S. in Horticulture. She began singing for her family at age 5 and has since performed with numerous groups, including the Amy Davis Trio and Echoes of Pompeii, a Pink Floyd tribute band.Â
Asia’h Epperson (19) - Born and raised in Joplin, MO. Epperson has been singing since she was 3 years old. Before IDOL, she was a waitress at two restaurants in Joplin. In her spare time, Epperson enjoys dancing and acting and also has a passion for makeup and fashion.
Alexandréa Lushington (17) - Currently lives in Douglasville, GA. Lushington began singing in her grandfather’s church when she was just 2 years old. She is currently a junior at Douglas County High School, where she sings in the school choir and is a member of the drama club. Lushington also plays the piano.
Kady Malloy (18) - Born and raised in Houston, TX. Malloy started singing as soon as she could talk. Before auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, she was singing in local restaurants and attending community college. Malloy has a knack for vocal impressions and also plays the tambourine.
Ramiele Malubay (20) - Currently lives in Miramar, FL. Malubay was born in Saudi Arabia and spent her early years in the Philippines. She has been singing since she was 12 years old. Before IDOL, she was attending school and was a hostess at a local sushi restaurant. She also plays the piano and guitar.
Syesha Mercado (21) - Currently lives in Miami, although she grew up in Sarasota, FL.  Mercado was a member of The Drum Studio All-Stars band and has a strong background in theatre and dancing. She began singing when she was 3 years old.
Amanda Overmyer (23) - Raised and currently lives in Mulberry, IN. Overmyer is a health-care specialist and is earning a bachelor’s degree in business management. She was lead singer for the band Steeleto. In her spare time, Overmyer loves riding her motorcycle.
Carly Smithson (24) - Currently lives in San Diego, CA, but was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. Smithson made her singing debut in “Les Misérables” at the Olympic Theatre in Dublin. Smithson moved to Los Angeles at age 13 to pursue her singing career. Before auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL, she was working in a bar and running a tattoo shop with her husband.
Alaina Whitaker (16) - Born and raised in Tulsa, OK. Whitaker began singing at age 4. Currently a junior at Metro Christian Academy, she has performed at festivals throughout Oklahoma and at school functions.
Brooke White (24) - Currently lives in Van Nuys, CA, but grew up in Mesa, AZ.  Before auditioning for IDOL, White was a nanny. She has performed as a solo artist with a backup band. White began singing at age 15 and also plays the piano and guitar.
2/13: The final 24 & better ratings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The spoiler 24 was 100% correct! (I apologize that this blog has become really strange—sometimes, I post and the commenting doesn’t work!)
They showed only a handful of the rejected this year. Overall, it looks like a solid 24 without a Sanjaya in sight!
We have:
Carly Smithson Hennessy. Yes, the pimped her story out AGAIN (minus the MCA deal, of course). And she cries and cries and cries — in happiness.
David Cook. I’m not that impressed but he’s one of this year’s rocker dudes.
They show a few poorer performances and rejects (Brandon Green, Amanda Hawkins, Buck Smith)
David Archuleta The judges love him and the 16 year old will get the teen vote.
Kristy Lee Cook Miss “Amazing Grace” makes it. She is absolutely adorable. She definitely has the looks. Does she have the ability to tough it out consistently in the vocal department?
Brooke White The sweet Mormon gal gets the thumbs up.
Danny Noriega He strikes me as overrated and a bit overconfident, too. But he’s through.
Three quickies that haven’t gotten much, if any, airtime: Jason Castro, Luke Menard and Atlanta’s Alexandrea Lushington.
Ramielle Maulbay This cute-as-a-button Asian gal with the soulful voice gets through.
Shawn Barrowes is out. (We saw him briefly yesterday). Lorena Pinot, too, is out. Drew Poppelreiter, who we’ve never seen before. He’s a southern boy, that’s for sure. Natasha Block is a goner.
Michael Johns, also known as Michael Lee, makes it through after a strong week. He’s definitely an early favorite. And being a former Atlantan, I will certainly be talking to him in the coming week, along with Alex.
Syesha Mercado, who is this year’s Nadia Turner/LaToya London type, is a sparkling personality with a great voice. I’m looking forward to hearing more from her.
Robbie Carrico is yet another rocker type and he seems like he has the skills based on what limited moments we’ve heard so far.
Garrett Haley is going on. Who is he? Kady Malloy gets a second or two of airtime. She as an early favorite but the “Idol” producers ignored her in Hollywood. Chikezie Ezie makes it, too. Amy Davis, Alaina Whitaker and Jason “we’ve never seen him before” Yeager get yesses, too.
Asia’h Epperson, one of my favorite female singers, is in the top 24. Go Asia’h!
David Hernandez, another one of my favorites, actually didn’t get a unanimous decision. “You’re going to work a heck of a lot harder to have a remote chance of winning,” Simon inexplicably said. What’s that about, Simon? Of course, we only heard one of his auditions. He may not have been as good the other times. I can’t wait to hear him next week!
Josiah Leming, a bit surprisingly, gets the boot. His last performance probably killed him. Poor guy. “I had a bad second audition,” he said. They wring every tear out of him.
They pit the final two guys. There’s geeky Kyle Ensley vs. Colton Berry. Another surprise: Kyle loses. And Simon liked him. I liked him, too. Simon said strongly how disappointed he is that Kyle was not in the final 12 guys. Shame.
Then it’s the two ladies: professional singer Cardin McKinney vs. professional model Joanne Borgella. Joanne makes it through though my DVR cut it off early.
So now it’s time to handicap.
In other news, “Idol” ratings were off 15 to 20 percent every episode year over year until last Wednesday, when the dropoff was a narrower 5 percent.
There was even better news last night, when the show drew almost 30 million, based on preliminary numbers. This is only a 3 percent fall from a year ago, the narrowest gap yet. And honestly, it was probably one of the best Hollywood episodes “Idol” has ever done so kudos to everyone involved.
Relatively speaking, “Idol” has done a much better job developing the potential characters we are going to see in the final 24. Last year at this point, we knew much less about most of the contestants.
2/12: Hollywood round, Jessica Sierra & one-hour results shows the norm
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After years of resisting the temptation of padding the results shows from 30 minutes to an hour, “Idol” has taken the apple and bitten hard. This year, every results show will be an hour long. They have improved the results show last year by adding more outside entertainment but still, it’s five minutes of news and 55 minutes of filler.
Two factors why this is happening: the results show ratings actually were up last year from 2006 while the performance night numbers were way down. And the writers’ strike means Fox doesn’t have that much in the till to fill the time anyway. And a bonus third factor: “The Return of Jezebel James,” a sitcom originally set to debut after “Idol” results next month is so bad (I’ve seen the first two episodes), I wouldn’t blame them if they just buried it and buried it fast on Friday nights and not even bother giving it an “Idol” lead in.
Meanwhile, Tmz.com reports that Jessica Sierra is no longer with baby. That’s probably a good thing.
Onto the show. And honestly, it is indeed a more talented crew. Some genuinely good singers got cut. I had a few early favorites. Michael Lee Johns impressed me. So did Asia’h Epperson. And I really fell for David Hernandez. I’m also fans of David Archuleta, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado. I was disappointed that Kristy Lee Cook needed to go back to “Amazing Grace.”
Overall, we heard 14 of the spoiler 24. (Atlanta’s Alex Lushington was only seen in passing and not heard.)
The set up is different from year’s past. All 164 get to sing solo and either get a free pass to day three or a second chance.
First up is chaste, nonsmoking, non-R-rated movie watching Brooke White. She’s also very talented, a warmth to her that Simon describes as evoking of “Carly Simon” behind her keyboard. (Yes, they can play instruments!). Honestly, I liked her more this time than when I saw her in auditions.
Then we see a bunch of people who have problems.
Lorena Pinot hits lots of bad notes doing Shania Twain. Amy Flynn hits a really bad note and is gone for now. Leo Marlowe went from “memorable” to “forgetable” in 30 seconds. Alisha Dixon, with guitar, hits massive bad notes. “It’s like angry girl in the bedroom screaming on the guitar,” Simon said. Micheal Sanfilippo wasn’t bad but the guitar didn’t help him either. Alyssa Coco, with the keyboard, had to give up on the keyboard. Shawn Barrowes was more about his keyboard than the vocals. Jake Mellema goes behind a drum set and sings “Hooked on a Feeling.” I kind of liked the guy but Simon pilloried him: “It was a horrible horrible song choice… there was absolutely nothing redeeming about it except we stopped it early.”
David Hernandez was deeply impressive. Wow! I love this guy! “Idol” gives him a lot of time. He has soul, looks and stage presence. “I loved it from note one,” Randy said. “Very very very comfortable up there,” Simon said.
Amanda Overmyer, the goth nurse who the judges liked (but I didn’t), was in a nasty car accident a week earlier but is well enough to perform. She seems like a lesser version of some of the better “Rock Star: Supernova” gals. But the judges still like her. “An artist like you can be big again,” Randy said. “Fantastic,” Paula said. “You have to learn some light and shade with your voice or it could be monotonous,” Simon said. But she goes straight to the final round.
Then there were the folks who forget lyrics. Buck Smith of Kingsland, GA can’t recall the words to “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Cardin McKinney has a great voice but messes up the words. Natashia Blach blanks out.
Ghaleb Emachah, the ladies man from Venezuala with the strong accent, seems overrated to me. Is he really that sexy? He sounds horrid, too. And that’s an understatement. “It was incredibly corny. I thought it was terrible,” Simon said. Paula is truly disappointed, crestfallen.
On day two, Josiah Leming (the guy who lived in his car above) is kind of cool opting behind the keyboard. He misses a few notes but captures Mika’s “Grace Kelly” with grace. “You’re cool,” Randy says, aping me. “This is the one I’m going to remember,” Simon said. He’s hard to forget. But I don’t recall him being part of the final 24. Too bad.
Danny Noriega is good. I didn’t think he was great, though. He is cute. Ramiele Malubay possesses some serioius soul and she’s adorable. Carly Smithson (Hennessy), our Wall Street Journal gal, is still a bit overstylized for my taste but I can understand why she breezes through. (Her Irish accent seems quite muted now.) Then our former Atlantan and Australian Michael Lee Johns is a tour de force. channeling Jim Morrison and even getting Randy to sing along. He is a player to be reckoned with!
David Cook has warmth in his voice that superseded the rough edges but I’m not loving it. “You have nice range, nice tone,” Randy said. “I wasn’t crazy about it. The minute you lose that guitar, you’ll be vulnerable,” Simon said. I tend to agree with Simon.
Robbie Carrico, a hirsute spoiler 24 I don’t think we’ve seen before, sounded great doing that crappy Bryan Adams song with some rocker ‘tude. We only get a few seconds of him though. Then it’s on to Jessica Brown, who looks a bit rough and has a rather unmemorable voice. Perrie Cataldo is a bit over the top. Ditto with Syesha Mercado, a spoiler 24. Colton Berry(below), another spoiler 24, is impressive for the three seconds we hear.
Kyle Ensley, the geeky politico wannabe, is a bit wobbly vocally but he has a lot of verve. The crowd eats it up. “I surrender,” Simon said. “What show is this?” Randy said. “A little corny,” Paula said. “It was abysmal,” Simon later noted. Simon walks away when Paula notes his “spirit.”
There were no cuts the first two days. Forty eight made it to round three. The remaining 116 have to try again. Part two, they only get a few seconds a capella.
Single mom Suzanne Toon does “Summertime” is just okay. Perrie Cataldo, single dad, is back. He wasn’t bad but not great. Close call for me. Both go home.
Amy Flynn, the abstinance preaching dance captain, has a vocal coach who made it to Hollywood season four. She tries out a Taylor Dayne song she just learned. It was good. Not amazing. And she fails. The gal who got into the nasty car accident gets cut (Kala Hatfield something or other). So is Angelica Puentes, who wanted to make her dad proud.
Kristy Lee Cook, a favorite with her “Amazing Grace” in the early auditions, didn’t cut it in the first round and goes back to “Grace” during her second round. Then there’s delightful Jeffrey Lampkin, part of the brother-sister team. l really enjoy this dude. Then there’s the ultimate in sob stories: Angela Martin, whose daughter is sick and her dad just died (they don’t say how he was killed. She did a great job, lots of depth and emotion. But she gets ousted while Jeffrey makes it, along with Kristy Lee Cook.
There are about 64 people left and 50 will make it. They get three background singers.
David Archuleta, the 16 year old prodigy, gets into “Heaven” and he has a truly pure voice. This kid is going to get votes! “That was the bomb, the best I heard yet,” Randy said. “You’re a gem,” Paula said. The top 24 are definitely in his sights.
Kyle Ensley (above) does a passable Josh Grobin but it’s a competitive field this year. “I thought that was a good little audition,” Simon said. He gets a surprising yes.
Jeffrey Lampkin (right) botches his audition. Awww… That’s a serious bummer! Joey Catalano has a migraine. We’ve never seen him before. He’s pretty good but gets a no. Again, more proof that talent is definitely better than last year.
Syesha Mercado snuck through up to this point and she’s ill, her voice, as Ryan said, “strained and tired.” Wow. She’s outstanding! She can barely talk. “You are one to watch in this,” Randy said.
We’re back to Michael Lee Johns, the Australian. And bizarrely, “Idol” credits him to “Buckhead, GA.” (There is a Buckhead, GA but not where he lived.) He hasn’t lived in Buckhead for at least three years. He goes for “Bohemian Rhapsody” and rocks it. “Best auditon of the day,” Simon said.
Then Carly Smithson Hennessy again. She was allergic to her dog and that was hurting her voice. They still haven’t referenced her MCA Records past. She picks Carrie Underwood’s “Alone.” It works. I like her much better this time. But you can tell she’s a pro, not raw in the least. That could annoy some folks. “That was a very good song choice for you,” Simon said. She’s through!
Asia’h Epperson(above) has great personality and R&B voice. She’s a spoiler 24 for good reason. “Your best auditon by a mile!” Simon said.
Annoying beauty queen Brooke Helvie picks Simon’s favorite song “Unchained Melody.” She misses the high note. Simon oddly says yes while Randy says no. Then— Paula says no! When does that ever happen?
Josiah’s the last performance. He is very stressed. They loved him the last audition. What will happen now? He doesn’t connect with the band so he goes purely acapella with “Stand By Me.” He seems on the verge of tears while singing. I’m not sure I liked it. “That to me was your worst performance,” Randy said. “That was not good.” “That didn’t work for me,” Paula said. “If you’re going to dismiss the band, be certain you are going to deliver an unbelievable vocal,” Simon said. “You lost a little bit of your charm.” All three judges still give him a yes given his past performances.
2/12: Hollywood baby! And update on Chris Sligh
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Finally! Ten long hours of auditions over four weeks. And we finally get to the bright lights of Hollywood for the 164 finalists tonight. That’s up from 132 a year ago. We get a big two-hour breakdown this year, up from one hour a year ago, when it felt unduly rushed. In past years, the norm was two hours over two nights. This time, they are doing two full hours in one night. Given the strike situation, Fox has no compunction adding that extra bonus hour from its meal ticket.
I’ll post a fresh blog later Tuesday so if you want to live blog about the show, feel free!
And Chris Sligh’s new single “Empty Me” hits Christian radio, Chris announces on his blog. He’ll be blogging about “Idol” for EW, too. I noticed he also wrote an open letter to the top 24.. It’s great stuff. The man knows how to write. Here’s an excerpt:
[D]on’t let it [the quick fame] go to your head. Unwittingly, I allowed myself to buy into the hype. I don’t think I was the typical butthole, I still cared about people and wanted to do right by people back home and my band…but I bought into the hype and my head grew and that is my greatest regret, especially since I have a large cranium to begin with. Don’t leave this experience with any regret, certainly not that one. Be confident, be in control of your career and your life, but do NOT allow yourself to think of yourself as anyone or anything other than what you were before this experience…you were a wanna-be and still are. Even if you win, you are still a wanna-be. Two of the most humble people I’ve ever met are Carrie and Kelly…for all their success, for their winning, still act as the people they were when they started. That’s the attitude America will fall in love with long-term. It’s the attitude you should try to cultivate in yourself.
Here’s another fun bit:
Song choice is key. Do not make the mistake I made. I specifically chose songs that no one knew because I wanted to be the anti-Idol. Be yourself, but pick some freaking songs that people can sing along with. I’ve realized that’s why people watch the show in the first place…they want to hear someone who isn’t polished sing a song they like and can sing along with. Oh, and they watch to hear Randy say dawg alot, to see Paula act loopy and to hear Simon’s crap. But they like to sing along, too.
And a really tasty bit:
When it comes to the judges, remember they are trying to get people to watch the show. However, as the judges said on Oprah last year, they watch dress rehearsal because they can’t hear in the performance. So, now that you know that, make sure your dress rehearsal kicks butt! Normally, Randy is pretty on. Paula is so sweet that it’s hard to get made at what she says. And Simon…well, Simon goes for the ratings, but he’s usually somewhat on…so block him out when he goes overboard.
Oh, and he admits he shouldn’t have spent so much time reading the blogs and boards DURING the competition. It messed with his head. He recommends a compromise—have a good friend glean bits and pieces for you to read though even that could be dangerous. It’s probably just as well to live in that bubble and focus on the prize.
Read the entire letter. It’s worthwhile!
2/11: Three Grammys for “Idol”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry—I missed the Grammy’s because I went to see Van Halen. See my review here.
Anyway, out of 16 nominations. “American Idol” finalists won three: Carrie Underwood took home best country song and best female vocal with “Before He Cheats.” And Jennifer Hudson won best song written for a motion picture with “Love You I Do.”
Daughtry, with four nominations, was shut out. And so was Fantasia, who had three. Mandisa and Kelly Clarkson didn’t win either. And in the biggest category, song of the year, Carrie’s “Before He Cheats” lost to Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.”
And kind words about Fantasia in this MTV story of the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party Saturday night.:
Fantasia momentarily stole the show with a record she performed for so many nights as the lead in the Broadway musical “The Color Purple,” “I’m Here.”
Barefoot and showing off a hairdo that mixed jet black and platinum blonde, ‘Tasia showed why she is recognized as one of the best pure singers in the new generation of R&B stars, and why “The Color Purple” sold out so many consecutive nights.
MJ has posted the Grammy performance of Carrie’s nominated song. They added a drumming group behind her, a twist on a song she must have already performed 100 times on other TV shows this past year. I almost half expected Kanye West to add a rapping section in the middle!
2/10: Gone Country recap, Taylor Hicks on Regis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This episode was pretty much “Being Bobby Brown” and not much else. Diana got a little face time but overall, it was all about Bobby getting scared of horses on Gretchen Wilson’s farm, Bobby drinking, Bobby skipping out on a “hick chick” competition involving watermelon seed spittin’, toilet seat throwin’ and burping. Also, Bobby farting on Carnie Wilson, Bobby eating barbecue while everyone else cooled their heels and Bobby sleepwalking, almost peeing on poor Dee Snider. And there ya go. I just saved you 22 minutes!
And in Rolling Stone, Dee Snider softens his criticism of “American Idol” a bit after spending time with Diana DeGarmo:
Dee Snider on Gone Country
“I really loathed American Idol when it started. I loathed the fact that these people were given this easy path to stardom while the rest of us had to slug it out in the streets and in the bars and work for years. My guitar player J.J. French is famous for saying on stage that it really makes him mad when they say “I wanna thank my fans” and they’re talking to the fans that they’ve had for the last six weeks! Fans are people that are with you for six years. But after doing Gone Country with Diana DeGarmo it was pointed out to me that these people go through trials under the microscope - it’s a sort of bootcamp. I spent a couple of weeks with Diana and got to know her, and they walk their own brutal path. It may not be in the bars and it may not be night after night driving around the country but its tough in its own way. So I’ve got more of a respect for what they do, but I still don’t watch it.”
And Taylor Hicks was the star on a wedding held on “Regis & Kelly.” He’s the couple’s favorite act. I wonder how much Taylor would charge for a wedding that wasn’t televised?
2/9: Fantasia’s new haircut, Kat marriage photos, Daughtry Q&A
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have a great weekend everybody! Here are a few tidbits for you to chew on before you get ready to party!
Wireimage caught some photos of Fantasia with a rather unusual haircut. Check it out here.. She’s gone partially blond.
And People got the exclusive wedding shots of Katharine McPhee’s wedding with 43-year-old music producer Nick Cokas. As usual, Kat looks gorgeous. (When does she not look gorgeous?) Credit for photo on the right to people.com and Joe Buissink. Check out more here..
Ahead of the Grammys, TV Guide got to talk to Daughtry.. Like Carrie, he’s someone I probably won’t get a chance to talk to for a long time:
TV Guide: You covered Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” on Idol — and now you’re competing against them for a Grammy. How does that feel?
Daughtry: [Laughs] It’s an honor to be in a class of people that you couldn’t get away from on the radio growing up. Those guys are still in the game and it’s an encouragement to us, in that maybe we can be that act people are listening to 20 years from now.
TV Guide: You’re opening for them on their American tour. Any chance you and Jon will perform “Dead or Alive” together?
Daughtry: [Laughs] Oh, you bet your a* we will!*
Oh, and he sympathizes with Taylor Hicks, saying he should go the indie route, that he’s simply not the type of sound for a major label.
Plus this:
TV Guide: What do you think about the guy who won your season, Taylor Hicks, getting dropped by his label? Daughtry: I think major labels are not for everybody. For some [art ists], their vision of how they are creatively doesn’t quite fit the commercial aspect of the music. Hope fully Taylor will get an independent deal where he’s able to be who he is. Because the stuff I heard from his solo projects didn’t quite sound like the stuff that he put out on the major label.
*TV Guide: This season, Idol is allowing contestants to play instru ments. Is that something you would have done on the show? *
Daughtry: Absolutely. I think [contestants] should be forced to write a song on the show and perform it. That’d bring some new life to the show. Audiences would take it more seriously if it’s not about find ing people who suck and making fun of that. We’ve already seen all the people who can’t sing. It’s the same thing every year. They should be finding peo ple who are artists and trying to develop that.
And here’s the funniest press release of the day. It somehow makes leggy but bland Haley Scarnato sound like a superstar!
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Two rising stars will come together at this year’s Los Angeles International Boat Show, February 9-17, as American Idol Top-10 finalist Haley Scarnato joins the new Performance Boats Magazine editorial team to celebrate the print and website’s debut.
Scarnato, who as an Idol favorite electrified television’s most popular show with her rousing vocals and scorching wardrobe, will showcase her stunning camera presence as she provides color commentary during daily internet coverage of the show at performanceBoats.com.
2/7: Simon disses Kat, Disney’s new Idol attraction, Ferras farewell song, ratings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry, Kat fans, Simon has clamped his claws on Katharine McPhee with Extra!.:
“I don’t think she was a credible recording artist. Katharine will end up on Broadway!”
Well, that’s true, isn’t it? We’ll see soon if she can act, too.
This comes from Associated Press. It sounds like a good idea. You gotta wonder why they didn’t think this up five years ago!
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced plans Thursday to create a live performance attraction based on “American Idol” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park - formerly called Disney-MGM Studios - in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
“Our goal is to try to recreate the excitement of those 24 people who show up on that ‘American Idol’ stage,” Disney Parks chairman Jay Rasulo told The Associated Press. “We believe many, many viewers want to know exactly how that feels, and we’re going to try to reproduce that feeling for them.”
Much like the hugely popular Fox singing competition, the as-yet-unnamed attraction - scheduled to open in late 2008 - will allow theme park guests to audition then perform before a live studio audience inside the Hollywood Studios’ theater space.
Top audience vote-getters will compete in a grand finale show at the end of each day. Overall daily champs will win a special front-of-the-line pass at a regional audition for the actual “American Idol” show. Hindle says Disney winners won’t be given any special treatment during the real audition, just the ability to skip ahead.
And the rejection song this year for “Idol” is from an unknown, sort of like Daniel Powter two years ago with “Bad Day.” The song is by Ferras and is called “Hollywood Not America.” You can sample here on his MySpace page. or listen here, courtesy of DJ Slim (congrats on the upcoming baby!):
The press release says: “The song ‘Hollywood’s Not America’ is a bittersweet anthem that will serve to remind the young and talented Idol hopefuls that leaving Idol will not be the end of the road for them.”
You can see the video here at ew.com. Pronounce the guy’s name Ferras as fur-OSS.
The press release says it will air next week but I’m not sure if it will be used the rest of the season.
“Idol” ratings were down 16 percent Tuesday from a year ago with 27.9 viewers and only about 5% with 26 million Wednesday, based on preliminary numbers because there was a big dropoff a year ago for the eighth audition episode.
Randy Jackson told EW that he wants to produce Paula Abdul’s next full-length CD.. Paula also told TV Guide recently she was interested in doing “Dancing With the Stars” in the fall.
Tivo alert: Sanjaya is hosting a “Where are they now” Idols special Feb. 24 at 8 p.m on the TV Guide channel. More details here.
2/6: Best and worst of the rest auditions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hour ten is the leftovers. I’m going to ignore most of the crap singers so this can be a shorter-than-normal blog entry. Off to Hollywood!
The final tally: we saw 60 of the 164 finalists (36.5%) and 18 of the spoiler 24 (75%). Oddly, I think we saw all the women but only half the guys! Is that right? Mike S - can you help out?
After two baddies, we get Amy Davis of Lowell, IN, part of the spoiler 24. She’s adorable and shows some lovely cleavage. Her “Blue Bayou” showed potential and she’s through.
Okay, there’s “Three’s Company.” Ashley has gone out with Chris and Corey Lane. Creepy! The pair from Kernersville, N.C. namecheck the Brittenum twins via a hip-hop bit. But they aren’t nearly as good as the Brittenums. “It was very amateurish,” Simon said. Ashley “Southern Paris HIlton” Lawing from Maiden, N.C. has an adorable dog named Panda but is horrendous taking apart Kellie Pickler’s “Red High Heels.” One of the twins disses her while she’s singing. “We kind of told her her voice was up to par to get her to audition, but she’s not that great,” one of the twins said (I can’t tell which is which.)
Cardin Lee McKinney from Nashville sounds like a pro but is a bit overdramatic. “You come over as a very theatrical singer. I don’t think you’re a contemporary artist,” Simon said. Randy said yes and thinks she can grow. Paula, too. So she’s in. She’s a spoiler 50.
Joanne Borgella of Hoboken, N.J,, one of the spoiler 24 , has a pure voice. She’s not bad looking either as a “plus sized” gal. Randy says her high end sounds a bit weak and Paula questioned the song choice. But both said yes while Simon said no.
Alesha Stelzl of Ontario, Calif. is abysmal but Paula and Randy thinks she sounds like Dolly Parton and gets a second chance. She learns “Islands in the Stream” on the fly and actually does okay with it. I’m still not sure she deserves Hollywood but they give it to her.
Joshua Moreland of West Palm Beach takes the R&B soprano route, Johnny Gill style. He definitely has charisma even if his high notes are a bit off. He sang an original song that Simon hated: “The sparkle, the flowers, the sunglasses, the looking around, it was over the top, corny.” Simon sweeps up the sparkles.
Chikezie Eze of Inglewood, Calif. made it to the finals last year and is trying again. Love that name! He has confidence and a warm voice. Even Simon is smiling! He’s a spoiler 24. Simon isn’t blown away but they make it through again.
We end eight episodes of auditions with our final spoiler 24 of the night, the oddly androgynous Danny Noriega of Azusa, Calif. “More confident this year,” Simon said compared to a year ago. He’s kind of oddlooking but he’s got the vocals to go far after crooning “Proud Mary.”
And take a breath everybody. Watch the three-minute montage and we are out!
2/6: Free stuff! And Constantine gets a gig
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, I’m resorting to giving “Idol” stuff away to gain your loyalty. I have received for no particular reason another copy of “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul,” which features vignettes from Ruben, Clay, Carrie, Jordin, Sanyaya, you name it. Some notable folks not in the book include Taylor, Daughtry and Diana DeGarmo. First person to send me an email at rho@ajc.com explaining why you deserve such a fine prize will get it.
Prize no. 2: an American Idol hoody! Yes, be the envy of your friends and foes by walking around advertising the show! I received one at the Emory party last week. It’s all yours if your email to me (rho@ajc.com) and beg properly. I think it’s XL but might be an L. I’m sorry, I left it at home.
I just received a press release announcing the two new correspondents for Fox Reality TV’s “Idol Extra” show. Bye Bye Mikalah Gordon and Matt Rogers. Hello Gina Glocksen and Constantine Maroulis! The show will debut March 13 at 7 and 10 and will be integrated with the “Idol” studios so they’ll all have close access to the contestants. This is what you call synergy since I don’t recall “Extra” being terribly hardhitting or TMZ cynical, more “Entertainment Tonight” chipper.
2/5: American Idol auditions in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spent the evening at trivia night with “Jeopardy” champ Ken Jennings at the Margaret Mitchell House. And then I watched gobs of Super Tuesday. Now it’s “Idol” time! Ryan Seacrest noted that Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken and Fantasia were “discovered” at the Atlanta auditions in seasons two and three. And we are back for the first time since 2004! Ryan’s parents get a cameo, too.
Overall, it was a decent episode. We saw six of the 19 who go to Hollywood. Maybe I was distracted by Super Tuesday, but I didn’t overwhelmingly love anybody or saw a future Clay or Fantasia. In the end, Alex Lushington and Josiah Leming were my favs.
Joshua Jones, a glassmaker at the Binswanger Glass Company with a soul patch, from Atlanta sings Queen. He’s a solid singer but man, he’s bug eyed, too. “A bit karaoke,” Simon said. They forced him to turn his back and sing. Randy is the tiebreaker and says yes despite his demonic eye popping.
I counted about 12,000 when I was in the stadium back in August. And that’s the number Ryan used. J.P. Tjelmeland of Auburn, Ala. sat two seats away from Carrie Underwood three years ago. (The dude with the hubcap on his body is two people behind him this time. I doubt this is going to repeat itself.) J.P. does Rascal Flatts and he’s not particularly good. “I’m a music major,” he said. “I’m not that bad.” “You were that bad,” Simon said. “My pen has more charisma. There’s nothing. I have to say no.”
Sob story alert: Asia’h Epperson of Joplin, Missouri (a spoiler 24) comes from a hardscrabble life. “Two days ago, I was calling my dad telling him I was on my way up here to do my audition and I wished he was here. Thirty minutes later they told me my dad had passed away in a car accident.” Wow. This one takes the cake! She doesn’t sound half bad but she’s missing notes and sounds really breathy (could it come from all that crying she probably did the prior two days?). “I like you and that was tough,” Simon said. “You sang that very well.” “I commend you and you’re very brave in doing this and your passion came through,” Paula said. “You deserve to go through.” Wow! Was this a sympathy vote?
Brooke Helvie, Miss South Florida Fair, kissed a pig and milked a cow. And is adorably ditzy and oh so pageant like. She goes for Jackson 5. Simon seems enchanted. “It wasn’t bad, I give you that,” he said. “I like you. I think you have a good pop voice,” Randy said. After she left, Simon said, “Possibly the most annoying person I’ve ever seen in my life.” “I didn’t want her to sing well.” I can kind of agree with him on that one.
The group song is Fergie’s “Glamorous.” Ho hum. The usual pablum.
Eva Miller from Atlanta is all attitude. Does she have the skillz? Nope. She even falls to the ground. “This is an act,” Simon said to the other judges. “This is a joke.” “This is not no joke,” she said. “I accidentally fell. I love you! I have a crush on Simon.” She is truly upset when he accuses her of joking. Even after he says he doesn’t like her singing, she still loves him and gets a hug. Awww… At least her attitude evaporated.
Alex Lushington of Douglasville (a spoiler 24) shows up! And her 93 year old great grandma is there to support her. She’s wearing the same thing I saw her in last August. She does “My Funny Valentine.” She does sing older than she looks. “That was excellent,” Randy said. “I was really impressed. The other two say yes and she’s through! Her family is so excited, Randy says, “Is there a party?”
The next Clay Aiken didn’t show up. No to Michael Gregory of Richmond. No to Chris Lars of Marion, N.C. No to the Munchkin-sounding Jared Wiley of Louisville Ky.
Dude, Nathan Hite of Savannah is like all into Paralyzer by Finger Eleven but he’s horrid. “You want to listen or be a smartass?” Simon said after Nathan mocks Simon. “You sound like you’re singing along to the record but not as good,” Simon said. “Not funny, can’t sing,” Simon amends. “Out you go.”
Punky rocker nurse Amanda Overmyer (a spoiler 24) from Indiana channels Janis Joplin. She then goes all CCR. She’s all attitude to me. I don’t like her. But the judges do. Oh, well. “She’s the female Chris Daughtry,” Paula said.
Then there’s big sob story #2: Josiah Leming, a Tennessee singer has lived in his car for the past 10 months. He’s intriguing and sings with a British tinge, which the judges find intriguing. I like him, too. He’s different. And he’s a spoiler 50, though not 24.
In the end, the count was 19 people going to Hollywood. That means 162 go to Hollywood if prior counts are correct. Mike S, is that right? The Sunday night promos said 164. So I’m off by two.
2/5: Atlanta gets its time to shine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s been four years since “Idol” had last brought auditions to Atlanta. We’ll see tonight how well we do. We do know Atlanta’s Alex Lushington will make it to the final 24, based on spoiler sites. She’s the gal I took a picture of last August after one of the Brittenum twins said she was going to win. And based on the fact “Idol” on Sunday promoted 164 finalists and 143 have been tallied from the first six cities, Atlanta will bring 21 more to Hollywood tonight.
I’ll be watching Super Tuesday at Manuel’s Tavern tonight and will blog late about “Idol.” (Hey, a Presidential election is more important than “Idol.” There I said it. Now shoot me!)
Anyway, “Idol” has promised more “back stories” so people can be more invested in the finalists. They have done that in spades. Now here’s a backlash to that, with this MSNBC commentator saying it has been more back story than talent.. I think the writer doth protests too much. This has and always will be an entertainment show first and creating talented, successful musicians is pure validation of that. Sure, a few sob stories might be irritating to some but I think it’s well worth it in terms of a good TV show. Here’s an excerpt of the writer’s moanings:
By giving struggling parents the chance at a better life for their sick children or even just reviving the dream of someone who thought they might never be able to sing again, the show gets to pat itself on the back as a Doer of Good Things.
But what gets lost in the rush to showcase auditioners whose stories resemble first-draft treatments of Lifetime movies is the ostensible purpose of the show itself, which is to be a talent contest. And if Martin, Brown, Archuleta and Guy Who Lives in His Car all make the top 12, it will only get worse next year as auditioners get savvy to the understanding that one way to succeed on the show is to make people feel sorry for them.
And look what Paris Bennett is up to? She helped open a steakhouse in Minneapolis..
And who is dating Taylor Hicks? If you care, check this odd piece of rumor out from Radar.
2/4: Kelly Clarkson playing Rock Band, did Jordin lip synch?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q100 posted its Kelly Clarkson interview in seven parts on YouTube. Here’s the portion of her playing Foo Fighters’ “Learning to Fly” via the video game Rock Band. You’ll see me in the background taking pictures. Kelly is hilarious!
Here’s something I wish we could do here but lack the polling software. (Don’t ask.). Entertainment Weekly has a weekly “power ranking” vote. At the top this week: Kristy Lee Cook..
In case you missed it, this is a link to Jordin’s National Anthem performance at MJ’s site.. Did she lip synch? Okay, that’s what everyone is saying, though you have to wonder if that was a production call, not an artist call. I’ve seen on Web stories noting that Whitney and Aretha have lipsynched the anthem for the Super Bowl. Curiously, they had her song up on iTunes within a matter of minutes after she performed it so that pretty much guarantees it was prerecorded.
Plus, DJ Slim also has the bit Kellie Pickler did before the Super Bowl for the Tonight Show. If you love her, this is vintage Kellie! Her comic timing is impeccable!.
2/3: Paula’s Super Bowl video, Katharine McPhee marries, Gone Country recap, Spoiler 24
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DJSlim has posted the new video for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” from the pre-Super Bowl show Sunday night.. It’s been more than 10 years since she’s done anything like this. Hmm.. the most interesting things were seeing Randy on stage and that microphone that bounced back up like a Weeble. Paula’s dancing was distinctly underwhelming though she looked great. What did you think?
I thought Jordin Sparks did a lovely job with the National Anthem. She was clearly nervous but her performance was spot on. (A friend of mine thought she lipsynched it, but I didn’t see any evidence of the sort.)
Season five runner-up Katharine McPhee Saturday got hitched to her 42-year-old producer/boyfriend Nick Cokas, according to People.com. Kellie Pickler and Mandisa showed up. (Where’s Taylor? Hah! I can’t imagine those two having been friends…) The photo is taken by Mark Sullivan of WireImage.
TVSquad.com has fished around the Web for past histories of the Spoiler 24, as I’m calling them. (Kinda like the Oceanic Six on “Lost”!). It’s not surprising that “Idol” appears to be working hard to erase a lot of video evidence of contestants’ pasts, including their MySpace pages. Kinda irritating too.
Here’s TV Squad’s take on the top 12 girls..
And the top 12 boys.
Good job!
And Entertainment Weekly has their 12 favorite “Idol” auditions of all time and it includes a few folks I loved early on but didn’t quite pan out as well as we had hoped such as Brandon Rogers and Amy Adams, plus the usual suspects like Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia. But guess who landed on top? Paris Bennett! Indeed, that first audition was incredible. “Where have you been hiding?” Simon said.
Now onto “Gone Country”: Bobby Brown drinks too much, sleeps in while the other six are assigned to cook a downhome meal for John Rich’s grandma and his buds. they shop, Brown sleeps. Diana DeGarmo is a bit annoyed with Brown. Clearly, those two aren’t bonding the way Brown is with Maureen McCormick. But Brown apologizes and helps out with the cooking. All is forgiven. Some are bugged when Julio Iglesias Jr. takes a nap during food prep. Carnie Wilson leads the cooking and all goes well.
Then the seven are taken to a honky tonk called Fuel and play their biggest songs. Diana does so well singing “Dreams” that Carnie’s jaw drops, Carnie is a bit nervous and shaky with “Hold On,” Sisqo is a bit weak on his “Thong Song” (blaming the band for playing the wrong key), Julio does his dad’s song “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” with Rich and pulls it off, Bobby Brown rocks the house with “My Prerogative” and so does Dee Snider with “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Brown starts interrupting Snider, who gets annoyed and the two alpha males almost go at it. Maureen McCormick chickens out and doesn’t sing. Promos for next week feature Bobby drinking too much again and a visit to Gretchen Wilson’s ranch/farm.
