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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > March
March 2008
4/1: Diana DeGarmo at Braves opener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Season three runnerup Diana DeGarmo spoke with on and off for about 20 minutes in section 107 at Turner Field near the Braves dugout before the hometown opening day game tonight as she prepped to do the National Anthem. Here are some photos I took:
ABOVE: Diana confers with her onsite “handler” Austin Rhodes
Sarah Averill, 9, poses with Diana after she sings.
ABOVE: Diana sings near the pitching mound.
ABOVE: A closeup from the monstrous Turner field screen.
Diana is a veteran of singing the National Anthem at sporting events. She has sung for Georgia Tech, the Falcons, the Hawks and the Braves to name a few. Her first time for the Braves was 12 years ago as a third grader. “I was so nervous, my knees were shaking,” she said, dressed in a red shirt, white jacket and blue jeans. “I did it every year for the Braves until I was 18.” Prior to doing the opening day, her biggest National Anthem for the Braves was July 4th after Idol in 2004. At the time, she even got an official DeGarmo Braves jersey. Last year was the first year she went to opening day just for fun and recalled that it was “freezing.”
She says she always wears some sort of red, white and blue get up for the National Anthem. “I’ve just toned down the rhinestones and sparklies,” she said.
Although she doesn’t need to do anthems anymore, she likes to do it to get to go to a game for free as a Braves fan.
Tonight, she did a robust but very straightforward National Anthem. She holds the word “free” extra long and gets huge applause. “It’s a really important song for everybody including me so I don’t mess with it,” she said.
Diana said she’s never had a chance to meet any of the big stars like Chipper Jones and John Smoltz. She becomes quite self-deprecating. “I’m not at that level of coolness,” she said. “One day maybe when I’m a multiplatinum star.”
And she’ll help pout in a pinch. Last year, Georgia Tech’s national anthem singer had gotten sick at the last second and they called her three hours before the game. She was at the mall at the time so she ran home to change, then got stuck in traffic. Fortunately, she had a friend with her who stayed in her car while she parked illegally and ran to the game, just in time to do the anthem.
She moved to Nashville in January just before CMT’s “Gone Country” debuted to pursue a country career. She’s now renting a home outside of Nashville and working with songwriters to put together a country album. (“I live in the boonies with the wildlife,” she said. “It was the best deal for the money and I can sing at the top of my lungs, something I couldn’t do if I had gotten a condo.”)
John Rich has committed to producing it. She hopes to have an album out by the end of the year. She thinks she can bring a blend of Faith Hill and Wynonna Judd into her singing. With blondes such as Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert hot in the country world, she said “a brunette needs to mix it up.” (She did note she was blonde for a bit but went back to darker hair as lead of “Brooklyn” in 2006. It’s not quite that dark now.)
She tried to explain why John Rich picked Julio Iglesias Jr. over her on “Gone Country.” “I think he was thinking bigger picture. He was thinking of bringing in the Spanish speaking market into country, bring the borders together.” Diana has nothing to complain about because she ultimately got a production deal with Rich anyway. She’s still seeking a label and distribution deal but she’s confident she’ll get one.
Diana said the women were okay with Iglesias winning but Dee Snider, Bobby Brown and Sisqo weren’t so thrilled. “They all thought they were going to win!” she said. Most of the people, she said, are planning to record and release the songs they wrote and performed on the show.
Her favorite to win it all is David Cook. She thinks the Daughtry-type fans won’t let what happened to him happen to Cook. She is mildly annoyed that Michael Johns is not American but thinks he’s a good singer. She also expects Brooke White to go furthest among the women. Her take on Ramiele: “She’s a little out of her range.” And of the folks she keeps in touch with from her year, she mentioned Amy Adams and Matt Rogers.
You’ll get more of her “Idol” thoughts later this week on Us magazine’s Web site. She’s supposed to do a blog on this week’s performance show.
Over four years, Diana has been cautious around me the times we’ve met in person and tonight was no exception. (She was more relaxed and gabby when we did an interview by phone prior to “Gone Country.”). Though polite, she didn’t look remotely happy to see me. She brought along a few musician friends from Nashville but didn’t introduce them to me. She wasn’t conversational. She didn’t even say goodbye. I know a lot of her fans still resent me for not jumping completely on the Diana bandwagon in 2004 so it’s possible that affected Diana’s perception of me. Still, since then, I’ve gone out of my way to chronicle her career in the fairest fashion I could. Seriously — I don’t expect her to embrace me. I am a journalist, not her friend. But her coolness, considering her normal bubbly approach toward everybody else around her, is perplexing.
In other “Idol” news:
- MTV.com has a very cool deal where four troops in Iraq at the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg review “Idol.”. From last week’s show, they liked Michael Johns, couldn’t stand David Archuleta. They also enjoyed Syesha.
Major label reject, Kristy Lee Cook, has been teetering on the brink of elimination all season long, though she hit a high note this week performing Lee Greenwood’s red-state-rousing “God Bless the USA.” Randy, Paula and Simon lauded the “smart” song choice, with Cowell calling it Cook’s “best performance by a mile.” But how did the patriotic anthem play with our judges in uniform? The song resonated with the troops but Kristy’s rendition did not. “We did not really buy it… We were more motivated by [Michael Johns’] “We Are the Champions,” 19-year-old Nathan wrote. “I think after hearing that song we were all ready to go fight.”And they came gunning for early “Idol” favorite David Archuleta, whose confusing song choice left the military men at a loss, though they had little trouble finding some strong words in their curt condemnation - “hate” being the one that stands out the most.
David Archuleta, “You’re the Voice” by John Farnham Nathan: “I had no clue what the song was.” Steve: “This song sucks!
- Frenchie Davis will undergo surgery to remove a vocal cord polyp, according to AP..
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3/31: Whatever happened to… season four
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I am planning to meet with Diana DeGarmo later today. She’s performing the National Anthem tonight at the Braves home opener. Hopefully we’ll hear how her country work is coming along in Nashville.
And here is USA Today special section’s season four update, in no particular order:
Anthony Fedorov (fourth) - He performed on the “Simply Ballroom” tour with Vonzell Solomon. They sing while the dancers dance. He also joined the Sarcoma Foundation of America board after his brother died of cancer in 2006. No album yet.
Vonzell Solomon (third) - She was a postal carrier, pre-Idol, and now is a national spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service. After Idol, she did a 50-city tour of postal facilities and is now doing that Simply Ballroom tour. No album yet.
Lindsey Cardinale (12th) - She’s studying radiology at Southeastern Louisiana University and goes to Nashville to work on her country debut. Release date not yet set.
Mikalah Gordon (11th) - No update since she got bumped for Gina and Constantine on “Idol Extra” on Fox Reality Channel.
Constantine Maroulis (6th) - Just spoke with him a couple of weekends ago. He has that “Idol Extra” gig and his album has sold about 26K, according to SoundScan.
Anwar Robinson (7th) - He plays Tom Collins on the national tour of “Rent.”
Scott Savol (5th) - He got married in 2006 and now lives in Nashville, working on an album with Lil’G of Silk fame.
Jessica Sierra (10th) - She’s in a rehab facility in California after relapsing, post “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.” A porn tape is floating around the Web, too.
Nikko Smith (9th) - Not much going on for the St. Louis man.
Nadia Turner (8th) - She did some straight-to-DVD comedy called “Lord Help Us.” Otherwise, USA Today didn’t have much. Bummer. (She is doing guest commentary for Entertainment Weekly on “Idol.”)
Bo Bice (runner up)- His second album “See The Light” has sold more than 40K copies exclusively at Wal-Mart, which is a fraction of what his first album did. But at least it was in the style he wanted it to be as an indie act.
Carrie Underwood (winner) - We know about her. Two albums, 8.3 million copies sold, five no. 1 country hits, five Grammy awards. Sure, she’s not the most exciting or interesting personality but she knows how to pick good songs and perform them well.
In other “Idol” news:
“Entertainment Weekly” does power ratings, based on fan votes and David Cook is now ahead of former presumptive front runner David Archuleta. Michael Johns has edged up to third, his best performance in a month. Brooke is still the top gal, with Carly in fifth. Jason Castro has slipped to his lowest ranking yet at sixth with the lowest three way way behind: Kristy is seventh, Ramiele is eighth and Syesha is rock bottom in ninth. She’s going to need to pull off a Chikezie type of breakthrough performance to save herself.
And here’s that dreaded chest bump from the group sing last Wednesday. (DJ Slim posted it from the American Idol Web site.). Memo to David Cook and Michael Johns: Never… do… this… again!
DJSlim’s fans attempted to caption this photo.. I’m sure you all can come up with funnier ones!
- This blog attempts to quell rumors that stage dad Jason Archuleta is hurting his son David by picking bad songs like “Your the Voice.”. This publication supports David’s public claims that he chose that ill-begotten song all by his lonesome. The New York Post fuels the fire by quoting an anonymous high-level executive at “Star Search” confirming what a pain in the arse David’s dad was then to the point they had to restrict access to the set.
“Some parents were happy to be there and happy that their kid was on national TV,” says the official. “But Jeff is a stage dad. He insinuated himself into the process and had to be removed… We got some complaints that he was trying to subtly psyche out the other kids.”
3/28: Ace Young interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Due to a snafu (mostly my fault), I didn’t get an interview with season five finalist Ace Young until now, which is 7 p.m. EST on a Friday. Not great for timing since he’ll be at that Suwanee Borders in less than 24 hours (info below).
Based on my brief interview, he struck me as smart and deliberate in his plans. Whether it works we’ll find out soon enough but he didn’t just jump into this willy nilly. That’s probably why it’s taken so long for Ace to come out with his album, due to drop June 3. He doesn’t think waiting so long has hurt him, that he’d rather create a better product than rush something less than adequate onto the shelves.
“I was going the speed of creativity,” he said. “I wanted to make sure it was right. I didn’t want to put a time frame on the music.”
In case you may only remember him as the long-tressed sensitive soprano who did a heartfelt version of “Father Figure” on “American Idol,” Ace has a knack for writing, too: he co-wrote “It’s Not Over” with Daughtry, a big big hit that gave Ace a few royalty bucks and a Grammy nomination. He wrote the chorus.
Ace’s new album is executive produced by Desmond Child (“Living on a Prayer,” “Dude (Look Like a Lady)” “Living La Vida Loca”). He also had help from Andreas Carlsson (“Bye Bye Bye,” “I Want It That Way”) and Diane Warren (“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” “How Do I Live,” “Because You Loved Me”). His first single “Addicted” goes to radio April 21 and he plans an aggressive radio tour to endear himself to the decisionmakers at each top 40 station.
Ace has an Atlanta connection: he’s managed by Charlie Brusco, who also manages Styx (and in the past, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, Peter Frampton, Survivor and Tesla.). His brother Ryan hooked the two up.
He worked out a partnership with Fontana Records, an arm of Universal, a hybrid indie/major deal in terms of marketing and distribution. If anything, it means Ace isn’t tied down by the standard seven-record deal but gets some of the marketing and distribution heft of a major label.
He said one major change since he was there in 2006 is more songs are being cleared. He wanted to sing Beatles, Maroon 5 and Michael Jackson but couldn’t get clearance. He said he had a dozen songs he couldn’t get cleared. When he makes appearances, he already does covers of “Dream On” by Aerosmith and cuts from U2.
He’s never met George Michael but is glad to hear he’s touring in the U.S. (Ace is available for you, George!) As he noted, Daughtry is opening for Bon Jovi and one of Daughtry’s best moments on “Idol’ was singing “Wanted Dead or Alive.” Now he duets it with Jon Bon Jovi on tour!
As for this season, he’s just glad to see a lot of younger talent like David Archuleta who grew up with “Idol” live their dreams by being on the show. He said his “Imagine” was one of the best “Idol” performances ever. I didn’t get around to asking him about individual singers but I was short on time.
(And I somehow forgot to ask him about Kevin Covais and that odd roomie situation.)
Anyway, check him out at the Borders in Suwanee at 3630 Peachtree Parkway at 2 p.m. Saturday. He will be signing the book “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul” and might even do an acoustic set. So Ace fans, have at it!
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3/27: Chikezie exit interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chikezie, as an interview subject, was not terribly scintillating. Not surprising. He’s very mature, very clear thinking, but not quotable at all.
“I knew I was going home,” he said. “It was okay with me. I had followed my heart throughout the competition. Eventually, I’d have to go home at some point. I was fine that it was some point where I could go back and do the tour.”
I asked two questions— why did he drop his last name Ezie? He said it was because people kept mispronouncing it. It’s pronounced “Ezzie,” not “Easy.”
And what would have sung for Dolly Parton week next Tuesday? “9 to 5”! I would have been deeply amused by that. I’m also certain someone else will probably grab it. Come on, Kristy Lee Cook. Go for it!
He had no regrets doing a ballad Tuesday. And he liked to pick songs a little off the beaten path that he could mess around with, which is how he ended up with “She’s a Woman.”
He didn’t notice any tension backstage, including a reference to David Archuleta’s stage dad. He also didn’t catch any romantic linkages. His favorite future mentor would have been Andrew Lloyd Weber.
In other “Idol” news:
- MTV.com reports that Carly Smithson Tuesday used an Atlanta entrepreneur’s product Spanx!:
After refuting preshow rumors that she was pregnant, Carly Smithson, 24, dodged the elimination bullet, but admitted that one of the reasons she may have looked uncomfortable singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Tuesday night was because she was wearing slimming undergarments called “Spanx” in order to make herself look thinner onstage. “Apparently I’m pregnant,” she said. “But I’m not, no, I’m not.”
More guest stars for April 9’s “Idol Gives Back,” according to the press release: Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jenniffer Connolly, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia and Amy Adams (not the AI 3 tenth place contestant, the Oscar nominated actress.)
The Clark Brothers, the winners of the failed Fox fall show “The Next Great American Band,” will perform next Wednesday.
Simon Cowell, in an ew.com interview was glad to see David Cook step it up and make it less of an obvious coronation of David Archuleta:
I think the audience are much more savvy than I’ve seen them in previous years, and much less forgiving, which I’m happy about. I’ve got a feeling this year something strange could happen, particularly after what happened with David Cook last night. Because, I’ve got to tell you, watching it back, this performance he did on “Billie Jean,” in my opinion, was in a different league to anything we’ve heard on the season so far. It was so much better, [chuckles] he kind of made some of the other performances seem ridiculous. But I’m glad! He was smart — I know where he got the arrangement of the song from, but that doesn’t really matter. He was brilliant! And I was concerned three or four weeks ago that this was just going to be a coronation for David Archuleta and it’s just a question of who comes [in] second. I’m not so sure anymore. And, you know, with Jason Castro last night — there’s a guy who thinks he’s just sailing along, and I thought it was a bad performance. You give somebody like him a kick up the ass, let’s see what he can deliver now. But I thought it was, um, an interesting night last night.
He also hates that crowd inserted in front of him this season.
The sales, in order, on iTunes, probably reflecting voting patterns to some extent. (Courtesy of mj’s big blog.):
David Cook - Billie Jean
David Archuleta - You’re the Voice
Michael Johns - We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
Brooke White - Every Breath You Take
Carly Smithson - Total Eclipse of the Heart
Jason Castro - Fragile
Kristy Lee Cook - God Bless the USA
Syesha Mercado - If I Was Your Woman
Ramiele Malubay - Alone
Chikezie - If Only for One Night (Selling less than 8 Days a Week. Yikes!)
Paula Abdul is speaking to Q100’s Bert Show every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. EST. She did so this morning and sounded coherent! She wasn’t surprised by Chikezie’s departure and was amused that Bert’s five-year-old son predicted Chikezie correctly (but called him “Cicheesie.”) She’s also going to be the first performer for NBC “Today Show’s” summer concert series April 25 at Rockefeller Center. I’m going to be in New York the weekend of May 30 and Donna Summer will be there. I’m going to have to check that out! (No “Idol” alums listed.)
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3/26: Who’s out in the top 10? It’s not Ramiele! It’s Chikezie!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The man with the coolest name in “Idol” history — Chikezie Eze— is gone. (Why he dropped the Eze, I’ll have to ask him tomorrow!)
The 22-year-old Californian was this year’s male R&B singer, but he was on the bubble entering the top 12. He had one incredibly memorable performance with “She’s a Woman” week 12. That helped keep him around a couple more weeks. But last night, his snoozeworthy Luther Vandross take showed he only stands out when he sings upbeat songs. Truly, the man has great vocal skills and he’s duly likable. But And is a competitive field this year. In some other years, he certainly would have gone further.
And the contestant who almost got cut, Syesha Mercado, can’t cut a break. She was in the bottom three again despite a solid performance. Jason Castro was also in the bottom three, suffering for doing the same thing week in and week out and revealing his
So I got two out of three right.
But Ramiele is safe again! What the…? Who the heck is voting for her? So for the third week in a row, I’m wrong. Honestly, I don’t think she’s ever given me a performance that I especially liked. Please offer me some theories people! She hasn’t even been in the bottom three. Is it simply because she’s cute?
Jason at least got an almost immediate reprieve.
Okay, here’s a quick recap of the first 50 minutes:
Group sing hell courtesy of Maxine Nightingale. Okay, Michael and David Cook— no more chest bumps. Milli Vanilli did it and nobody should ever do it again! Syesha stood out in a good way.
Then a long infomercial for iTunes courtesy of the top 10 as they record their “Idol” performances. And I mean, a really long infomercial. How much did Apple pay for that?
In order, Brooke & Carly are safe, Chikezie isn’t. David A. is safe. Ditto with David C. (Chris Cornell loved his version of “Billie Jean”). Syesha isn’t so lucky. (Boooo!!!!) Michael Johns is fine. Ramiele is, too. Later, Kristy (who gets props from Lee Greenwood) and Jason are up and Jason is in the bottom three.
After the 2nd commercial break, a pre-taped Q&A features a question from Atlanta- Sarah wonders if Chikezie is single. Yes, he is. Ryan jokingly reads off a phone number starting with 404. Brooke would duet with John Mayer. A couple of amusingly pointless questions for Simon. Then a lengthy “whatever happened to” for Kimberley Locke, followed by her singing her latest single “Fall.” She has lost 40 pounds (without mentioning “Celebrity Fit Club”) and she looks great though she squashed her pups in a bit tightly - not that I’m complainin’.
Great analysis Negativo, by the way.
If you missed the photos from the Melinda Doolittle appearance at Kroger, check them out here.
In other “Idol” news:
Despite a good show last night, “Idol” had its second lowest ratings of the year and the worst one for performance shows. Competition wasn’t all that tough so that’s surprising. The show finished at about 24.5 million (comparable show two years ago: 31 million.)
I also checked ratings year over year in Atlanta and they are down about 15 percent this month vs. March 2007. That’s slightly worse than the national numbers.
E! News reports that Katharine McPhee has signed a two-year endorsement deal with Neutrogena to become the new flawless face of the skin care company’s anti-acne product line. She knows how to amplify her strengths and modeling is one of them!
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3/26: Melinda Doolittle at Kroger
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I stopped by Kroger off Chamblee Tucker Road to take some photos of Melinda Doolittle, promoting Slow Churned Edy’s Ice Cream. There was a steady line of people waiting to meet her while I was there. She never had one of those awkward lulls where nobody was around and she had to twiddle her thumbs.
The fan base was some parents with kids and an impressive number of older folks, a lot older than the fans who popped by a year ago to the Kroger near Ansley Mall for Ace Young. One guy even purchased her a lottery ticket ($113 million payoff). She pocketed it.
ABOVE: Melinda falls in love with sweet kid Othal Richardson, 2. ALL PHOTOS CREDIT: Rodney Ho
ABOVE: Melinda gets interviewed by WAGA-TV.
ABOVE: A Kroger employee dispenses the Edy’s Mint Karaoke Cookie mix Melinda prefers.
ABOVE: Adorable Sophie Jones, 8, of Sandy Springs, loved Melinda during the show last year and was thrilled to meet her in person. “Can I see her again?” she asked her mom a couple of minutes after leaving the autograph table.
ABOVE: This is my attempt to be artsy.
ABOVE: A friend of Melinda’s mom, Minnie Smith of Decatur, stops by. Minnie attended the same church as Melinda when Melinda lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
She later went to a winner’s home in Decatur to serenade them. That probably would have been more interesting!
Anyway, here’s food for thought:
Daughtry did covers of covers a couple years ago but got flak for not giving credit at the time. (e.g. Live’s version of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”).
Now David Cook is doing the same thing— taking covers of covers. But he is making sure Ryan Seacrest gives the arrangers credit. Does that make it better? And are the judges too dense to realize he is doing a cover of a cover and then call him “brave” and “original”? Sure, his takes on “Hello” and “Billie Jean” were great but should he get any bonus points for “originality”?
As for whether any of us got any of the songs right this week, I listed 6 to 8 songs each for the 10 contestants and got exactly one right. I listed Brooke White as possibly singing “Every Breath You Take.” I skipped over Queen from Michael Johns partly because he had already sung a song from that group. And I left “Alone” out from Ramiele because it felt played out. Naturally, “Billie Jean” never entered my mind as a possibility for David Cook. And somehow, I skipped over Bonnie Tyler for Carly. I actually considered Lee Greenwood for Kristy for a split second and somehow dismissed it without thinking why I did so at the time!
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3/25: Idol top 10 performance night, Melinda Doolittle in Atlanta today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Things started a little shaky but this was a fun night.
Theme is songs from the year they were born. It ended up being a melange of very very obscure tunes and very very famous ones. Kristy Lee Cook, by the way, saved herself by embracing Lee Greenwood and wrapping herself in the American flag. Gotta admire smart song choice! And where did David Archuleta dig that song up?
As for tomorrow, the choice is easy for me: Ramiele went first, should go home and will go home. The others in the bottom three: Chikezie and Jason Castro.
My top 10 in order: 1- David Cook, 2- Carly Smithson, 3-Michael Johns, 4- Syesha Mercado, 5- Brooke White, 6- Kristy Lee Cook, 7- David Archuleta, 8- Jason Castro, 9- Chikezie, 10-Ramiele Malubay
First up: Ramiele Malubay (“Alone” Heart) — This is what you call an insanely stupid move. Pick a song that season four Carrie Underwood made her own, that was one of her best performances of the year, one that made me think, wow, this girl doesn’t even need to sing country and sound great. Then Carly Smithson sang it in Hollywood and blew it out, too. Ramiele was truly pitchy and just plain awful. Apparently, she’s sick, which didn’t help matters. Randy: “It’s a little too big of a song.” Paula: “I’m really glad America has heard you sing… you barely have voice right now.” Simon: “It wasn’t as bad as Randy said. First part of the song was okay. Then it got shrieky and shouty. After last week you managed to survive, you’ll get by on that performance.” C
Jason Castro (“Fragile” Sting) This was not a hit by Sting. It’s a very subtle, low-key tune. It fits Jason’s ouvre perfectly and he does fine with it. It feels very coffeehouse and probably won’t move the needle in terms of building his fan base. Randy: “I love that song… that was a very good choice of song. I don’t know if you didn’t do anything vocally different.” Paula: “You played a little safe in your zone.” Simon: “You’ve had two bad weeks. I think it’s time you take this a bit more seriously. Everything about it was too laid back and not in your own world.” B (Jason admitted his guitar playing was a little sloppy and that he could have practiced more!)
Syesha Mercado (“If I Were Your Woman” Stephanie Mills) This was not a pop hit either and was barely a top 20 hit on the R&B charts. In other words, way obscure. It’s not a terribly bracing song either but she sings it well with heart and conviction. Randy: “This is the best you have ever sounded to us. Stellar. I’m shocked. I’m lovin’ it!” Paula: “This is going to be the moment everybody remembers where Syesha flipped it and becomes the dark horse and sails on through.” Simon: “It was definitely the best so far. I don’t think the end was as good as Randy thought. There’s a limit to your vocals and that stretched it.” B-plus/A-minus
Chikezie (“If Only For One Night” Luther Vandross) Another truly obscure that didn’t even hit the top 40 on the R&B charts in 1985. It felt dull and ordinary. Randy: “It was boring, dawg.” Paula: “You did a great job with the textures of the your vocals.” Simon: “I think you sang it well. Having said that, the performance was very cheesy.” B-minus
Brooke White (“Every Breath You Take” Police) Phil Stacey sang this just last year and it was okay. I don’t mind her trying it because she’s nothing like Phil Stacey. She false starts (nerves!). She’s also back behind the piano, her safety zone. She’s looking a lot like Meredith Baxter with the straightened hair. It’s a beautiful rendition. I really got into it. Randy: “I thought the front part was pretty good. When you got to the bridge, I didn’t like the arrangement when the band came in.” Paula: “I enjoyed this performance so much more than last week.” Simon: “I totally agree with Randy. If you had stayed on the piano, it would have sounded much more cool. Good enough to keep you in for another week but you have to work this out.” (I liked it, even with the band.) A-minus
MIchael Johns (“We Will Rock You/We are the Champions” Queen) He was very competitive as a child. “When I was little, I thought I’d be a tennis player. Then at 15, music found me and I ain’t sad.” Will Michael ever smile when he sings? He’s perpetually deadpan. Vocally, he was top notch this time around until near the end when he sounded a bit strained. But overall, another good - not great - performance. Randy: “Finally, you believe in yourself and used that big old voice. Dude, that was the best performance since you were on this show.” Paula: “This was your moment, your shining moment.” Simon: “This is the first time with you I saw star potential.” B-plus/A-minus
Carly Smithson (“Total Eclipse of the Heart” Bonnie Tyler) She was named after Carly Simon. She had monstrous curly hair as a child. “I always wanted to be a pop star like Madonna or Kylie Minogue,” she said. I love this song so much. It’s so cheesy but for me, also totally ninth grade. It’s a great over-the-top tune for Carly’s pipes and her overly serious facial expressions. Bravo! Now would she ever smile while singing? Randy: “I liked it, didn’t love it. Wasn’t quite the right song for you.” Paula: “I loved what you did at the end. That’s showing you are willing to go out there and stretch yourself.” Simon: “Something didn’t quite work because you were so tense and almost uptight… you need to lighten up there.” A-minus/A (Wow—Randy didn’t pimp her out for once!)
David Archuleta (“You’re the Voice” David Foster) I have no clue what this song is! I don’t see any evidence it was even a single in 1990. It sounds melodramatic but he sings it with authority. Randy: “A strange song choice. If you can sing, you can sing whatever.” Paula: “We’re all trying to figure that out.” Simon: “I actually didn’t like the performance at all. It was reminiscent of a theme park performance. It’s one of those ghastly songs with animated creatures with you and everyone joins in together. It’s not you.” B-plus I just found some info on the song here. It was a hit in Australia for John Farnham in 1987. re-recorded by Foster in 1990.
Kristy Lee Cook (“God Bless the USA” Lee Greenwood) Kristy goes country and picks one of those signature patriotic tunes. You must stand and put your hand over your heart NOW! Must vote for Kristy! She starts really low key but picks it up nicely with the chorus. I can sense Simon throwing up in his mouth. This really feels like a country fair. Hey, she’s still far better than Haley Scarnato! Vocally, very very good. Randy: “It was a very nice performance.” Paula: “A very poignant, respectful song. To me, I’ve seen better performances but your voice is much stronger.” Simon: “Your best performance by a mile! That was the most clever song choice I’ve heard in years.” B-plus
In the pimp spot: David Cook! (“Billie Jean” Michael Jackson) He’s been strumming a guitar since he was two. He goes for an acoustic rock version of this classic. This is the Chris Cornell/Audioslave version — not truly “original” per se, people. People keep comparing him to Daughtry but I think he’s more versatile and has great stage presence. And better vocals. That note near the end was amazing. Randy “You’re the most original, bold contestant we’ve ever had. You might be the one to win the whole lot!” Paula: “I’m blown away. I can’t sit down!” Simon: “That was brave. It could have either been insane or amazing. I have to tell you it was amazing.” A
In other “Idol” news, here’s Melinda Doolittle’s appearance info Wednesday:
AMERICAN IDOL’S MELINDA DOOLITTLE TO VISIT KROGER IN ATLANTA ON MARCH 26 TO HELP CELEBRATE EDY’S AMERICAN IDOL SLOW CHURNED® ICE CREAM AND ATLANTA’S IDOL FANS
WHAT: American Idol star Melinda Doolittle will visit with Atlanta’s Idol fans, provide autographs and pose for photos at Kroger.
WHEN: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26
WHERE: Kroger, 3559 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Atlanta, GA 30341
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Kimberly Caldwell interview, Dolly Parton mentor next week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Kimberly Caldwell co-hosts “Idol Tonight” on TV Guide Channel with Rosanna Tavarez (middle) and Justin Guarini (left).
A week ago, I spoke with Kimberly Caldwell, who has had the most successful post-“Idol” TV career. She’s been co-hosting “Reality Chat” and “Idol Tonight” for the TV Guide Network for the past four years.
I noted that she was eliminated “again” that previous weekend on “American Idol Rewind,” which recounts season two. “Oh my God!” she said. “It’s like seriously embarrassing. It’s a part of my history, no regrets. But my hair, my clothes, everything! I’m totally proud I pulled it together to last as long as I did on the show.” (She came in seventh.)
She was surprisingly self critical during the show’s post-interviews. “I’ve been a performer my whole life-I expected more out of myself.”
She said she and Josh Gracin recently joked “Rewind” was like going through the high school yearbook. “We get to relive it again,” she said.
Caldwell marvels that she’s been able to become an “Idol” expert on the various TV Guide shows. “I wish I knew everything now back then. But I’m grateful for ‘Idol’ because I probably wouldn’t have this job.” (Well, we can say she definitely would not have the job without Idol!)
She isn’t sure why TV Guide has kept her around so long. “I’m the longest running and youngest host at the channel,” she said. “I guess I brought a little spice to the channel. It was very vanilla when it started.”
She said at first, she tried to be a host and copied everybody else. But after a few weeks, she realized that wasn’t working so she just started acting like herself, a little goofy, a little giddy. And it’s worked. She hooked up with “Popstars” refugee Rosanna Tavares, who has become her best friend on and off camera. And last year, she recommended Justin Guarini to join them for the “Idol” recap shows. She said the trio are like siblings and can be quite off color off camera. “No one will ever see [the outtakes] or we’d not have careers,” she said.
Caldwell says people ask her 10 times a day when her album will come out. “There will be a product sometimes this freakin’ year!” she promised without specifics. “It will be worth the wait! I’m trying to do my own stuff and not what everybody else wants me to do.”
She said this is her favorite year besides her year, of course. “These are all solo artists,” she said. “They are performers, not karaoke singers.” Her top three before the top 11 Beatles night performances were David Archuleta, Carly Smithson and David Cook.
Her breakdown of each person and she was pretty kind, much nicer than Constantine overall:
David Archuleta: “I’m obsessed with him! I wondered before I met him if he really is that nice. But he’s that nice. I was 21 when I did Idol. No way I could have done that at 17 like him.” (She predicted he’d be fine last week after his botched top 12 performance and she was right)
David Cook: “I want to have David Cook’s baby! He’s got that sexy, gorgeous voice. Everyone compares him to Daughtry but I think he’s just real. He’s a star. He could win this.”
Michael Johns: “He’s really cool. Anybody who’s worked with him on the show says he’s the sweetest guy. He’s so nice. He could finish top 5.”
Jason Castro: “I think Jason will be around awhile. He’s adorable, very cute face, just a sweetheart. He’s that totally awkward guy, a loner. He hangs out with himself.”
Chikezie: “I did not think he was going to make the top 12 and then he had that phenomenal top 12 performance. Talk about taking ownership! He earned his spot.”
She wonders if all the tabloid coverage of Danny Noriega may have hurt his chances of the top 12 and helped gave the spot to Kristy Lee Cook. “She’s really pretty and a good vocalist.”
Brooke White: “She’s very softspoken, very chill. It would easy to not like her because she’s so perfect!”
Syesha Mercado: “I don’t think she’s shown a lot of her personality. As much as we want this to be just a singing competition, it’s also a personality competition.”
Carly Smithson: “I want to be friends with her. Vocally, she’s just flawless! I love the songs she picks and the clothes she wears. And her attitude about everything.”
(I forgot to ask her about Ramiele and Amanda! Oh, well…)
In other “Idol” news:
Dolly Parton will the be the first mentor for next week. In his blog on Idol Chatter, Phil says the “Idol” production team caught up with him, Bucky Covington and Bo Bice, all of whom will appear on video on next Wednesday’s episode on April 2.
Remember the kid from Knoxville who lived in his car and almost made it to the top 24 Josiah Leming? The Knoxville paper reports that he has a record deal already with Warner Brothers.. This is the first time I’ve heard a person who just missed the top 24 get a major record deal.
And here are some songs from the years each contestant were born that could work based on a list of the top pop hits from the year. I have no inside knowledge of what they will actually sing. I’m also avoiding songs that have been played out like “Livin’ on a Prayer” or “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” or “Alone.”
1978: Michael Johns “You’re in My Heart” - Rod Stewart, “Hot Blooded,” Foreigner, “Dust in the Wind” Kansas, “Baby Hold On” Eddie Money, “Come Sail Away” Styx, ‘Double Vision” Foreigner.
1982: David Cook “Eye of the Tiger” Survivor, “Hurts So Good” John Cougar, “Heat of the Moment” Asia, “Sexual Healing” Marvin Gaye (hey, why not?), “Hold On” Santana, “Rock This Town” the Stray Cats, “Waiting on a Friend” Rolling Stones
1983: Carly Smithson “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” Culture Club, “Sweet Dreams” the Eurythmics, “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” Air Supply, “Back on the Chain Gang” the Pretenders, “Stand Back” Stevie Nicks, “Take Me To Heart” Quarterflash, “King of Pain” the Police, “Separate Ways” Journey
1983: Brooke White “Every Breath You Take” The Police, “Sweet Dreams,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” “Never Gonna Let You Go” Sergio Mendes, “Always Something There To Remind Me’ Naked Eyes, “We’ve Got Tonight” Kenny Rogers/Sheena Easton (but solo earlier with Bob Seger), “Suddenly Last Summer” Motels, “You Can’t Hurry Love” Phil Collins
1984: Kristy Lee Cook “Why Not Me” the Judds, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” Tina Turner, “Missing You” John Waite, “Hold Me Now” Thompson Twins, “Drive” the Cars, “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” Elton John, “Sister Christian” Night Ranger, “All Through the Night” Cyndi Lauper, “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” Peabo Bryson
1985: Chikezie “Easy Love” Philip Bailey w/Phil Collins, “Rasberry Beret” Prince, “Cherish” Kool & the Gang,” “Nightshift” Commodores, “Broken Wings” Mr. Mister, “Some Like it Hot” The Power Station, “Sea of Love” Honeydrippers
1987: Ramiele Malubay “Head to Toe” Lisa Lisa, “Always” Atlantic Starr, “Looking for a New Love” Jody Watley, “I Knew You Were Waiting” Aretha, “Open Your Heart” Madonna, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” Kim Wilde, “Will You Still Love Me” Chicago, “Let’s Wait Awhile” Janet Jackson, “Breakout” Swing Out Sister”
1987: Jason Castro “The Way It Is” Bruce Hornsby, “La Bamba” Los Lobos, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” Crowded House, “At This Moment” Billy Vera, “Lady in Red” Chris De Burgh, “Can’t We Try” Dan Hill, “Mandolin Rain” Bruce Hornsby, “Stand By Me” Ben E. King, “Is this Love” Survivor, “Something So Strong” Crowded House
1987: Syesha Mercado “Always” “Looking For a New Love,” “(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight” Cutting Crew, “Heart and Soul” T’Pau, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Let’s Wait Awhile,’ Janet Jackson, “Don’t Disturb this Groove,” System, “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” Gloria Estefan, “Respect Yourself” Bruce Willis
1990: David Archuleta “Nothing Compares 2 U” Sinead O’Connor, “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” Michael Bolton, “Close To You” Maxi Priest, “I Don’t Have the Heart” James Ingram, “Downtown Train” Rod Stewart, “Here and Now” Luther Vandross, “Have You Seen Her” M.C. Hammer, “What It Takes” Aerosmith
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3/24: Whatever happened to.. season three? Sales figures & Clay’s new CD, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s info culled from the “where are they now” segment in the USA Today special section, season three. Arguably, this is the weakest crew of “Idols” of the seven seasons in terms of depth, especially the guys.
Here they are, in no particular order:
Jasmine Trias (third) Folks on the mainland may have forgotten about her but in the Phillipines, she’s huge. She got endorsements, a movie role in a Filipino film, and is touring there this year. She’s even on a major label in Singapore.
John Stevens (sixth) He is still attending the Berklee College of Music and is in his third year.
Amy Adams (tenth) Not much goin’ on lately. They recap that she had a baby and toured with “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” a couple years back.
Diana DeGarmo (second) She’s in Nashville workin’ her country angle with John Rich although she inexplicably lost to Julio Iglesias Jr. in “Gone Country” on CMT recently.
LaToya London (fifth) She’s co-starring in the first national tour of “The Color Purple.”
George Huff (fourth) He has carved out a modest Christian music career so far and still the nicest dude I’ve ever met in terms of “Idol” alums.
Matt Rogers (eleventh) He worked as an offensive line coach at Mission Viejo High School and has hosted a couple of TV shows. He recently lost his gig as “Idol Extra” to Constantine.
Leah LaBelle (twelfth) She left Berklee School in 2006 and it doesn’t appear as if she’s done notable much since.
Camile Velasco (ninth) She worked briefly with Motown but nothing ever happened and USA Today doesn’t seem to have any clue of anything otherwise.
Fantasia (winner) She’s done quite well for herself, selling 2.3 million copies of her first two albums, including 508K of her latest. Her Lifetime biopic was huge, she published a best-selling book despite telling the world she was functionally illiterate and she brought huge critical acclaim for her role in Broadway as Celie in “The Color Purple.” There’s talk of her doing a musical version of “Purple” in the movies.
Jennifer Hudson (seventh) The most successful seventh place finisher in “Idol” history thanks to, oh, that Oscar for “Dreamgirls.” We are still awaiting that solo album with Clive Davis.
Jon Peter Lewis (eighth) The man with the goofiest dance moves in “Idol” history released an album in 2006 to minimal notice and has second on his way June 3. He worked with “American Idol’ camp last summer and will be back this year.
And he sat in the “Idol” audience last week with Kevin Covais. Here’s his blog on ew.com about it..
Funniest bit?
Kevin mentioned that he’s working on a movie at MGM studios. I think that’s cool and he seemed really excited about it. I mean, he said MGM, like, 12 times in one minute. I think he’s got a really good look for film. He could totally play the beta male roles. The story only got better and more disturbing from there, though. He started talking about how he recently moved in with Ace Young and then mentioned something about picking up Ace’s womanizing leftovers? Yikes! Now that’s a movie script waiting to be written.
Kevin rooming with Ace and picking up Ace’s leftovers? That image is scarring me as I write this!!!
He also spoke with Simon and since there isn’t much to say about Jon Peter’s career, Simon said he looked “healthy.”
In other “Idol” news:
Some grouchy Canadian disses Carrie Underwood for being “over the top” in concert. Huh?’
In sales, Daughtry is the top seller as usual on the album charts with another 21K and 3.88 million total. His single “Feels Like Tonight” is at No. 13 and has a good chance of making it his fourth top 10 single in a row. Randy Jackson’s Music Club Vol. 1 opens at a very modest #50 despite all the hype, selling just 12,901 copies. Blake Lewis’ appearance on “Idol” boosted his sales so he got back into the top 200 and is up to 278K total but odds of him making it to 500K is pretty much not going to happen.
Chris Sligh’s “Empty Me’ debuts at No. 29 on the contemporary Christian chart. Jordin Sparks’ “No Air” matches “Tattoo” on the Top 40 charts by hitting at No. 5 and should soon have no problem exceeding it. It was also the top “Idol” alum downloaded song with another 111,000 copies and 706K total. “Tattoo” downloads are up to 1.41 million. Her album sold another 16K and is up to 572K. She’s trending steadily to exceed Taylor’s 701K in about nine weeks or sometime when the “Idol’ finale is on. Carrie’s latest CD sold another 17K and is up to 1.93 million. She should exceed 2 million by mid April. Her first CD is still moving at a 11K clip a week and is up to 6.33 million, the most of any “Idol” so far for any individual album. And a third single is already charting.
Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” is about three months from hitting 6 million in sales. “My December” is up to 757K though Kellie Pickler (at 729K) might pass her at some point. Her sales should jump after her “Idol” appearance and her latest single “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind” is still slowly climbing the country charts (at No. 18 right now). Elliott Yamin should have crossed the 500K mark this week while Fantasia is up to 510K. Bucky is up to 331K with a top 15 single still on the country charts. Kat saw a very modest boost in sales from her “Idol” appearance and is up to 369K.
- The TV ratings last week showed “Idol” down about 8 percent from a year ago. Proof perhaps that two weeks of Beatles was a bit much. The Tuesday performance show was down 9 percent, at 27.3 million vs. 30 million a year earlier. The results show was down 6 percent, from 27.1 million a year ago to 25.7 mllion Wednesday.
- And yes, here’s the new Clay Aiken cover. His album “On My Way Here” is out May 6. Here’s modest info from Billboard.com, Claymates!:
Aiken’s “On My Way Here” was produced by Kipper, best known for his work with Sting and Chris Botti. The album will likely include the title track and a song called “Ashes,” but no other details about the project have yet been made available.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t rely too much on covers and focuses on some original stuff to build his own portfolio.
3/21: Ryan Seacrest in Details, Idol Gives Back spoiler?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- This cover story on Ryan Seacrest proves that the Dunwoody High School grad remains insanely busy. Here are some highlights:
The valves and pistons of the Seacrest machine, a multimedia behemoth that culls, coats, and dispenses celebrity news, are greased with the extraordinary trust Hollywood’s A-list places in Seacrest—even those twitchy from prolonged exposure to paparazzi swarms and tabloid probes. “Ryan Seacrest wasn’t the first person to think of doing a reality show with Denise Richards, but he was able to sign her,” says Ted Harbert, the president and CEO of Comcast Entertainment, which owns E!. “He wasn’t the first person to think of doing a show with the Kardashians, but he was able to sign them. There have been a handful of people in television history who could do that. You put him in a room with somebody, and he can sign them.”
(An aside: does getting the Kardashians to do a reality show signify any real power? Huh?)
Back in his office he holds up a piece of paper covered with a grid—completely filled—representing tiny increments of his time. “It scares me, too, sometimes,” Seacrest says, considering the planned-to-the-second day before him.
And he alludes to a girlfriend. Yes, a girlfriend:
Seacrest is in bed, at home in the Hollywood Hills, by eight o’clock almost every night. He sleeps spooning a BlackBerry, his dating life is in suspended animation. “He works too much at the expense of his personal life,” says his friend Ellen DeGeneres. “I’d love to see him meet a nice girl and settle down.”
But, for the moment, this isn’t part of the Seacrest master plan. “I completely fell into [a] relationship, and I didn’t want to,” he says about a recent girlfriend. “I remember having conversations like ‘This is so weird for me, because I’m not supposed to like anyone until I’ve achieved what I want to achieve.’
The New York Post speculates on who Ryan’s gal pal is.
- Meanwhile, the Idol spoiler sites are buzzing about an interesting twist for the April 9th “Idol Gives Back” episode, info I have not been able to confirm independently. “Idol” will open up a spot on the “Idols Live” tour for an 11th person but instead of just giving it to Amanda, who came in 11th, they will invite back five of the rejected Idols. They will each perform during ‘Idol Gives Back” (which is 2.5 hours long anyway) and people can vote. But the voting won’t be free—instead the monies will go to the charity.
Of the five, clearly they have to give Amanda and David Hernandez a chance. Danny Noriega is a gimme, too. But who else? Kady Malloy and Asia’h Epperson would be the other two I’d choose. Luke Menard is kind of a snore so I wouldn’t consider him.
Is this a good idea, if in fact it’s true?
- And here’s a fine recap of Wednesday’s results show from the audience.. She notes that Carly is extremely upset about being in the bottom three and needs comfort from Ryan and Nigel.
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3/20: Is Carly Smithson in real trouble? Amanda Overmyer’s exit interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t think many people thought Carly Smithson would land in the bottom three so soon. She definitely has the strongest female voice in the competition, but her stage presence is iffy. Her dress Tuesday night looked like she had a lei on top of her shapeless red dress and that tattoo certainly doesn’t play well in what we call “Middle America.” Plus, she makes some odd facial expressions while singing that gives people the impression she’s harder edged than she really is. (See above)
But all is not lost for Carly. Plenty of past contestants who ended up in the final three or four have been in the bottom three at some point in the early stages of the top 10/12.
Season one’s Nikki McKibbin (right) lived in the bottom two or three five times before she was ousted in third place.
Season two’s Kimberley Locke had the same problem, landing in the bottom three four times (including top 12 week) yet finishing in third place as well. (In fact, she’s reportedly appearing next Wednesday in the results show.)
Season three’s Diana DeGarmo was in the bottom three three times including top 11 week before finishing as the runner up.
Season four’s Anthony Fedorov was in the bottom three during top 11 week finished strong in the final four.
Season five didn’t have anybody who ended up in the top 4 take a spot in the bottom three until top 9 and 8 weeks, with Elliott Yamin both times. He ultimately finished in the bottom two or three four times before finishing third.
Season six’s top three didn’t finish in the bottom three at all until top 7 week with Blake, who ultimately became runner up.
The list of people who ended up in the top 5 but never finished in the bottom two or three until the week they were eliminated include: Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Hicks and Carrie Underwood
Only two ultimate winners landed in the bottom three at an earlier point: Ruben Studdard and Fantasia.
I’m not convinced Carly will be the winner at this stage but I don’t think she’ll be out the next two or three weeks either, unless she tanks completely.
- I caught Amanda Overmyer’s exit interview. She sounded a bit bored. Or maybe she was just tired. She said she had only two hours of sleep and had been doing interviews for six hours.
I asked her what song she would have sung next week. She actually blanked for a second the name of the song, then said, “On the Dark Side.” Showing my wonky knowledge of ’80s music, I quickly said, “John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band!” I would have loved to have heard her sing that personally.
Here’s that song, to refresh your memory:
She said her favorite performances were on the big stage the past two weeks. She liked the energy of the crowd. Her least favorite was doing the group sings. (Couldn’t you tell?) She said she didn’t like doing the choreography. She said she didn’t mind her Kansas “Carry on Wayward Son” but knew she was slammed for it.
Amanda, perhaps referencing Asia’h Epperson bitching about going first two weeks ago, said “You’ll never hear me pissing or whining that I went first. I definitely had hopes for positions six or seven. It’s not how it worked out. I won’t cry over spilled milk.”
“My personality, I keep pretty sheltered and stay away from anything. I can count on two hands friends and family that truly matter. I’m kind of standoffish… But I had no problem fitting in.” She spent the most time with Carly, who was her roomie.
Not making the tour? “It was somewhat of a goal. I’m not extremely disappointed I’m not doing the tour. The ultimate goal is to get my own. But I think for it being an American Idol tour and being it is what it is. They have the best group for it. I kind of stuck out. I didn’t really fit in.” (Didn’t she just contradict herself?)
Her reax to being eliminated: “I was kind of surprised. I didn’t go in with preconceived notions of what I would be or wouldn’t be. It’s such a crapshoot being a square peg in a round hole.”
She said she plans to stay in Los Angeles for six months and see how it plays out. If not, she has no compunction going back to nursing. “I have zero experience in this industry and am as green as it comes. I have no idea what the best way to do it. I have to ask some people. It will definitely be the Southern rock genre. Do the big biker rallies.”
Amanda said the stylists didn’t bug her about her distinctive look. “They were really good to me,” she said, then she yawned.
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3/19: Kristy Lee Cook survives again, Amanda Overmyer is out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, all the folks who thought Kristy Lee Cook was going home (including me) were wrong, wrong, wrong.
Two weeks in a row she was targeted and two weeks in a row her fans saved her. Think Julia DeMato. Or Haley Scarnato. Being cute at this tage doesn’t hurt.
The final result wasn’t shocking though: Amanda Overmyer is out instead. The folks at “Vote for the Worst” who picked her as their “screw Idol” vote are weeping and their lack of efficacy shows again. The rock-n-roll nurse’s one dimensional raspy voice and approach ultimately brought her down. I liked her personally but a lot of people didn’t. She’ll probably be better remembered for her black/white hair combo than her singing though that “Carry On Wayward Son” still pains us all. (Mike S.-congrats on calling this one correctly!)
This was an important inflection point for the Idols because the top 10 make the “Idols Live” tour. And no. 11? Just ask Stephanie Edwards or Mikalah Gordon, Amanda. Sorry.
NEXT WEEK’S THEME: Music from the year they were born. Here are the years I gleaned from the Web: Michael Johns (1978), David Cook (1982), Carly Smithson, Brooke White (1983) Kristy Lee Cook (1984), Chikezie (1985), Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Ramiele Malubay (1987) and David Archuleta (1990).
In order:
Brooke is safe. That’s fair. Surprise! Carly Smithson is in the bottom three. I don’t agree with that at all. But we know she doesn’t go home.
David Archuleta is fine, naturally. Ditto with Michael Johns.
After another break, David Cook gets clearance. Then Kristy is up and she’s in the bottom three. Jason Castro is fine. So is Ramiele Malubay (what the…?).
After really long break, Syesha makes it to the top 10. (Phew!). It’s Chikezie vs. Amanda. Amanda is in the bottom two. So I got two out of three right. In my funofficepools.com game, I was ranked No. 10 but I will fall way down because I picked Kristy Lee for 18 out of 20 possible points and only gave Amanda one.
The rest here is from the early portion of the show:
The four upcoming mentors will be Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Neil Diamond. That’s pretty good.
The songwriting contest has been revived despite the lousy results from last year (“This is my.. bleh…”).
We break into the group sing (“Where My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” with a camera snafu during Kristy’s bit and “Because,” with a bit of “The End”). Fortunately, this particular group sing involved minimal dancing.
There’s a “making of” of the Ford video. David Cook goofs around. MIchael Johns said he did a “Susan Lucci” type of performance. It’s a typically silly ad.
During the pre-taped Q&A, Simon claims he has no ego. Would Simon do a sequel to the “kiss” skit from a few seasons back. He said yes. “You’re actually a very good kisser,” Simon says to Paula. “We have time to get to second base,” Ryan cracks. “Apparently, I peaked in Hollywood,” Michael Johns said to a question about his life.
Sadly, ever-adorable Kelly Pickler keeps her pups in place but she sounds great doing “Red High Heels.” Elliott Yamin and Fantasia, in a bit for “Idol Gives Back,” hand out bed nets to folks in Angola.
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3/19: Constantine Maroulis interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As we bide our time to see Kristy Lee Cook go home, here is a talk I had with Constantine Maroulis, co-host of “Idol Extra” on Fox Reality Channel, before last night’s performances. “I have been enjoying myself thoroughly,” he said. “It’s great to see the old crew, see a lot of my favorite faces.”
Constantine is one of the few former “Idols” who won’t pull punches if he doesn’t like a singer. His take on some of the contestants:
David Archuleta: “I think he wins this thing. He’s supertalented. He stumbled a bit last week but it made him more endearing and humanized. He’s very young, very gifted. He knows how to intepret a song. And he’s go that ethnic thing going. It’s just cool. He’s very commercial and sweet. The little girls go crazy for him like the Jonas Brothers.”
Brooke White: “She’s very gifted, an attractive singer songwriter. Girls like her are the capital I to the T right now. Take Colby Caillat or Sara Barielles. She’s got that cool Carly Simon thing going. She’s married, very unaffected. She’s got a naturally beautiful voice. She can play guitar and piano.”
Carly Smithson: “She’s the opposite. She should go all out Evanescence/Kelly Clarkson. She could be a big star.”
Michael Johns: “He should stick with that Maroon 5 vibe.” He’s not sure he can win. “He’s going to have to make some noise.”
David Cook: “He has the potential though not quite as big as Daughtry. He’s more like Third Eye Blind-meets-Daughtry. I don’t know if he’s as universally commercial as Daughtry. Daughtry has that Nickelback generic band feel. I don’t know if David is quite liek that He’s a little more artsy sprinkled in.”
Jason Castro: “He’s in the mix. He won’t win. He’s very young. But there’s something real. I really liked his Beatles song [“If I Fell”]. That last note was a little pitched and sour. He ended a good performance on a weird note. That kinds of takes away from it.”
Chikezie Eze: “He stepped it up [last week.] He certainly did smash it. But I don’t think he’ll be around much longer. He’s a good performer. But this is how I equate it: will you go pay to see a Chikezie concert?”
Syesha Mercado: “She’s had a cool personality. She’s been laid back. But she was annoying during Hollywood with those signs [she used them because she had laryngitis.] That thing about being a working actress. Annoying, too. And though she has a top-notch powerhouse voice, it’s masturbatory. It’s just over the top. Lots of oversinging.”
Ramiele Malubay: “She’s pretty but she’s no star. This is the year with actual stars. She’s forgettable.”
Kristy Lee Cook: “I want to shake her. I hear a voice there. But she doesn’t know how to use it. She’s pretty but she’s pretty stiff up there, too. When I first heard ‘Eight Days a Week.’ I thought at first it could be cool. But it then went down the toilet.”
Somehow, I forgot to ask him about Amanda Overmyer. Oops!
But when I said Kellie Pickler would be on tonight, he said, “She’s the worst singer finalist in Idol history.” (I don’t agree!) He does think she’s got a fun, infectious personality that makes up for that.
His take on season six: “It was a very lackluster year although Jordin is outstanding.” He thinks Blake will disappear soon. “It’s more than just having a great singing voice,” he said, referencing Melinda.
As for his own career, he might return to “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He’s pondering possible theater shows. “I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” As for the haters, “A lot of people don’t understand me. The people who know me well like me. Certain dudes I rubbed the wrong way.”
He said he’s had a few breaks and a few unlucky breaks post “Idol.” “The Idol machine didn’t fully embrace what I was doing post Idol but I’ve proven to be a hustler and I do good work.” He has sold about 30,000 copies of his CD, of which most of it goes straight into his pocket. He realizes he didn’t have that hot single off that CD like another indie artist Elliott Yamin with “Wait For You.”
“I still plan on pursuing a recording career. I’d still like to be Jon Bon Jovi or Freddie Mercury. I have something to say.” Jane, a big Constantine fan, asked me to ask him if he was going to sing on “Idol Extra.” He said the day they taped a bunch of “Idol” contestants singing, he was out of town but he still might do something. He has no plans to hit Atlanta anytime soon but he hopes to. He is enjoying hosting and would like to perhaps do a variety show.
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3/18: Top 11 Beatles (leftovers) night
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Beatles time.. again. And it felt like the contestants were often grazing on leftovers. Bad move to bring back the Beatles in my opinion.
I frequently disagreed with Simon, too. I liked Michael Johns, for instance, and wasn’t as impressed by David Archuleta. I do think Syesha saved herself this week, which I’m happy about. And Brooke without an instrument was awkward while Chikezie probably should have skipped the harmonica.
Anyway, no standout performances this week but there were a few very good ones, clustered in my top 5.
1- Carly 2- David Cook 3- Syesha 4- Michael Johns 5- Chikezie 6- Amanda 7 Jason 8- David A. 9- Brooke 10- Ramiele 11- Kristy Lee Cook.
(I see among the early comments no consensus on who was best.)
Who should go home: Kristy Lee. Who will go home: Kristy Lee
I expect Amanda and Ramiele will land in the bottom three, though Brooke could be there, too. I think all the men are safe this week.
First up: Amanda Overmyer (“Back in the USSR”) - She picks a perfect song for her limited range. First line is off but otherwise, she gives it her signature bluesy-rock feel and a good dollop of energy. It’s basically a performance you will like if you like Amanda and will turn over nobody who already hates her. Randy: “Watch the pitches. I got to give you a 7 out of 10.” Paula: “You were a little ahead of the beat… you are quintessentially who you are.” Simon: “It was what it was. It was predictable. A bit of a mess in parts. It’s the same thing week after week.” B-plus
Kristy Lee Cook (“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”) - Wow, she really messed with the chorus and not in a good way. She has rendered the song almost unrecognizable. It sounds like a LeAnn Rimes ballad. Nice final note but otherwise, bleh. Randy: “The song should have been more emotional and got there quicker, sooner. I’m not sure you even sang the melody and chorus right.” Paula: “This is the best you’ve ever looked.” (Uh oh. That’s when she has nothing good to say.). Simon: “You need hypnosis. You are not a good performer. The last two seconds were okay. It’s like musical wallpaper. You notice it but you don’t remember it. You made no impact expect you were terrible last week.” C-plus
David Archuleta (“The Long and Winding Road”) He hopes to NOT forget his words this week. And he doesn’t. It’s a solid performance, technically perfect, and the crowd screams but my mind started wandering toward the end. After Simon raved, I had to watch it again. I do agree with Randy. It was a wee bit safe. Randy: “Take some liberties on joints like that.” Paula; “You can rise above adversity, come back strong. That challenge doesn’t build character, it reveals your character.” (Okay, Paula, whatever you say!) Simon: “Last week was a complete mess. This week I thought you were amazing.” B-plus
MIchael Johns (“A Day in the Life”) Up fourth. He’s going to try to condense a 5 minute song into 1 minute 40 seconds. And it’s pretty tough. I like it even if it’s a little wobbly at points. I appreciate the effort on such a complicated that isn’t sung live that often. It was a total studio creation-type tune when the Beatles weren’t even touring anymore. Randy: “I don’t know if that’s the best Beatles song for you. Not one of your good ones.” Paula: She says he sounded great in rehearsal, not so good here. She said he may have problems with the monitor in the ear. Simon: “You didn’t hit the right notes. It doesn’t work in a minute and a half. That was not good enough.” B
Brooke White (“Here Comes the Sun”) Her favorite moment was “Let it Be.” She is a ray of sunlight so she has picked the perfect song for her persona. She is wearing an oddly shapeless dress. The dancing didn’t work. And as usual, I like her charm more than I like her vocals. Randy: “That performance was really awkward for me.” Paula: “You can’t help but smile when you sing. You have good low tones to your voice.” (True.) Simon: “I just knew Brooke when you chose that song, you’d be dressed in yellow. I thought the performance was terrible.” B/B-minus
David Cook (“Daytripper”) He credit Whitesnake for this version. He rocked it agai. I really wanted to hear more - a good sign. The voicebox solo was kind of cool. (He learned how to use it yesterday.) Randy: “You keep it interesting.” Paula: “You’re ready to go sell records!” Simon” I thought the vocoder was stupid. You’ve lost your element of surprise. This was a bit predictable.” A-minus (Ryan playing with the vocoder was a bit awkward.)
Carly Smithson (“Blackbird”) This is her first ballad. I listened to this one with my eyes closed first. I really like her lower register. She shows a tenderness I don’t recall hearing before. Then she shows off the “big” voice. I like that she ended it quietly. Lovely! It worked just as well watching her. Randy (Carly’s pimp:) “Very controlled, very emotive. Very nice.” Paula: “You have an amazing tone in your voice. The choices you make. The arrangement was beautiful.” Simon: “Beatles song week two. You choose a song about a blackbird. I don’t think that was a smart thing to do. I thought the song choice was indulgent.” She explained how she feels so beaten down like the blackbird and is now flying. Some might find her explanation indulgent but I thought it was heartfelt. A-minus
Jason Castro (“Michelle”) His favorite moment was naturally “Hallelujah.” (Isn’t it too early to have them cite favorite moments?). You can tell he was thinking about those lyrics, making sure he had those French words correct. He didn’t envelop the song the way he did “Hallelujah.” I wasn’t feelin’ it quite so much but he was okay. Randy: “I didn’t feel like you were connected this week.” Paula: “You have a very distinct charm about you. Having said that, I feel like you get a little disconnected when you’re away from your guitar. An intimate song that became like a polka. It was a little awkward for me.” Simon: “This is a very weird song. I don’t think it was a good idea to do Beatles again… your face sold you. You’re very charming and not obnoxious.” B/B-plus
Syesha Mercado (“Yesterday”) Most memorable moment was being in the … bottom three last week? She said it was a kick in the butt. So she opted for “Yesterday.” Big risk! Her pups are out today, too. Good move! She does a very pensive version of one of my favorite songs and I thought it worked well for her. Not karaoke this time around. Randy: “You took some liberties. In my estimation. Very very good performance tonight.” Paula: “It’s great to see how you allow yourself to be vulnerable. You need to connect more with your eyes.” Simon: “That was probably your best performance so far. It wasn’t incredible but you chose the best song. You chose the song Brooke should have sung. That should keep you in the competition.” A-minus
Chikezie Eze (“I’ve Just Seen A Face”) Most memorable moment was Hollywood when all three complimented him. He picks another relatively unknown Beatles song. Smart move because this makes it easier for him to make it his own. Starts slow, speeds up to a bluegrass performance. I wasn’t a huge fan of Chikezie early on but he’s rising in my mind. Another great performance! Confident and warm! Randy: “I liked when it went fast. Harmonica was a strange arrangement.” Paula: “I think you’re showing who you are and depth and scope of your vocals.” Simon: “Harmonica was atrocious. Then it turns into Achy Breaky Heart at the end. It was gimmicky.” A-minus
**Ramiele Malubay (“I Should Have Known Better”) Best thing is making friends. Awww… Brooke is her big sister and David Cook is her big brother. She goes uptempo. Can she save herself? Being in the pimp spot helps. The dancing is annoying. She’s trying to pep it up but she’s still boring. She feels very studied, not organic despite great vocals. Randy: “I wasn’t jumping up and down.” Paula: “Better than last week.” Simon: “The problem is I like you. You have a fantastic personality. The track sounded terrible. It sounded very amateurish. You were in the same boat. You chose really mediocre songs and didn’t show the best of your ability.” B-minus
I will post my Constantine talk tomorrow and Kimberly Caldwell later in the week. It was too bad I caught them before tonight’s performances but such is life.
In other “Idol” news:
- For local Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis fans, my colleague and theater writer Wendell Brock has [written a story about their arrival in “Ain’t Misbehavin’” November 18 to 23 at Fox Theatre.]
3/18: Melinda Doolittle interview, Ace Young in Suwanee, Kellie Picker on results show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spoke with Melinda Doolittle, who is promoting her upcoming visit to Atlanta on behalf of Edy’s Ice Cream. She will perform for some lucky fan at their home March 25 if you vote here for your favorite “Idol” related Edy’s flavor.. Then she’ll pop by Kroger, 3559 Chamblee-Tucker Road in Atlanta from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26. I should be able to make that and blog live from the event.
She was, not surprisingly, polite and easy to talk to. Here are highlight points:
She’s working on her album right now, with an emphasis on R&B and soul with a “little grit in it” since she’s a huge Aerosmith fan. She might throw in a couple of covers and hopes to have it out by summer. She is splitting time between Nashville and New York, where her producer and Grammy winner Mike Mangini is based. (He has produced Joss Stone, David Byrne and Bruce Hornsby). She’s also like to record a Christmas album and do a Christmas tour in the fall. “I love Christmas music all year around,” she said. “I just listened to Josh Grobin’s Christmas album. His duet with Brian McKnight “Angels We Have Heard on High” is amazing!”
She doesn’t have a label announced yet but is close. “We’ve approved everything,” she said. “It’s just getting in the same city.” (I forgot to ask her but couldn’t this be done remotely thanks to things like email, videoconferencing, phones, fax and FedEx?) Her management company is Blanton Harrell Cook and Corzine, same one that reps Phil Stacey.
Doolittle released a version of “My Funny Valentine” on iTunes right before Valentine’s Day for her fans, dubbed Melinda’s Backups. “They kept requesting it nonstop,” she said. It was indeed one of her best performances on “Idol” last year.
Her favorite current TV show (besides Idol, of course) is “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew.” “I’m a frustrated dancer,” she said. “I’m awful at it. I just like to try. I’m addicted to this show. I try to catch it every time I have a spare moment. I end up watching it online.” She also has a soft heart for CBS’s “The New Adventures of Old Christine” because the show referenced her last year. Christine had been depressed after breaking up with a boyfriend and that depression lasts seven days. Her ex-husband joked, “It took you THREE days to get over Melinda being voted off ‘Idol.’ ” “It was so cute,” Melinda said. “I was just like in awe.” She is also a big “Dancing With the Stars” fan and is looking forward to seeing Marlee Matlin, the deaf actress, tonight. (“Idol” airs for two hours tonight so there will be some overlap between the two shows at 9 p.m. when “Dancing” starts.)
Her favorite Edy’s “Idol” ice cream flavor is Mint Karaoke Cookie. (“I’ve had mint chocolate chip. Sometimes, the chips get hard. But this is cookie so it’s always soft.”) And she said she loves, loves, loves ice cream. And this promotional tour is a way to meet some fans face to face, plus have as much ice cream as she wants. “I beg for it on the road,” she said, from Jacksonville, where she was doing an Edy’s appearance. How about all those calories? “It has 1/3 less calories,” she said, then using a bit of voodoo math said, “I can eat twice as much— pretty much.”
Does she feel obligated to watch “Idol” since folks will ask her about it? “I don’t feel obligated. I’m kind of hooked on the show. I am going to agree with the judges. This season is the best talent they’ve had yet. I’m having the hardest time picking my favorites.” She then listed off all five remaining guys before even referencing the ladies. “I love David Archuleta. I love Chikezie. I love David Cook. And Jason Castro. And don’t forget Michael Johns.” She then ticked off Brooke and Syesha.
On her closest friend from last year Jordin Sparks: “I’m so proud of her. I call her my baby girl. I think she’s doing an amazing job. [Her current top 10 single] ‘No Air’ is one of my favorites. I’m having a great time watching her enjoy life and succeed.” She said she and Jordin text message frequently. “She taught me how to text. I’ve got it down now!”
Her plans in Atlanta besides the Edy’s appearances: She’s going to eat at McCormick & Schmick’s. And she hopes to check out the new Coke museum. But she said her schedule is kind of tight otherwise.
In other “Idol” news:
Ace Young, who did the Edy’s gig last year in Atlanta, will be signing “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul” at the Suwanee Borders at 2 p.m. March 29. Address: 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee, GA. 678-417-1425. I’ll be out of town that day.
Simon Cowell on “Oprah” mentioned four contestants he thinks could win: David Archuleta, of course. And David Cook, Jason Castro and Brooke White. No reference to Carly Smithson and Michael Johns. He said last year was “just okay” and if this year wasn’t better, the show would die quickly. He was probably right about that, as he usually is.
“Idol” keeps carting out former “Idol” contestants to sing on the results show. Kellie PIckler will perform “Red High Heels” this Wednesday while Kimberley Locke will promote her new song “Fall” March 26, according to Idol Chatter.
Danny Noriega is performing on a cruise with a Rosie O’Donnell gay cruise line with photos at tmz.com.
Carrie Underwood got an invite to the Grand Ol’ Opry, which is quite an honor. Her induction date is May 10. MJ captured the video after she performs “I Told You So”:
3/17: David Hernandez on Ellen, details on Idol Gives Back, Ace Young’s new album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MJ posted the video of David Hernandez on “Ellen DeGeneres.” His response to the question about male stripping. “Who cares?” David told Ellen. “This is about singing. I came on the show to better myself and pursue my dreams.” Ellen defended him and said what he did was not illegal and what he did was his choice to make a living.
After singing “In the Midnight Hour,” he danced with Ellen to the grammatically challenged but lyrically apropos hit song “The Way I Are” by Timbaland. Sample lyrics: “Baby if you strip, you can get a tip/ ‘Cause I like you just the way you are/ (I’m about to strip and I want it quick/ Can you handle me the way I are?)”
Fox released more info about “Idol Gives Back.” The show will start at 7:30 p.m., which is highly unusual because that means local affiliates are going to have to sacrifice whatever they air at 7:30 p.m. (In WAGA’s case, TMZ on TV). It will go for 2.5 hours and the six charities that will benefit are: the Children’s Defense Fund, The Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, Save The Children and the Children’s Health Fund.
I’m interviewing Melinda Doolittle tomorrow morning. She’s promoting Edy’s Ice Cream’s Idol flavors. Melinda will be at Kroger at 3559 Chamblee-Tucker Road in Atlanta from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26. She will also give one lucky Atlanta area winner a private home concert for 20 of their family and friends on Wednesday, March 26. Atlanta area residents will need to enter at www.slowchurned.com for a chance to win by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25.
Any questions for Melinda? Email me at rho@ajc.com.
I’m also talking with Constantine Maroulis (promoting his show “Idol Extra” on Fox Reality Channel) and Kimberly Caldwell (who hosts TV Guide Channel’s “Idol Wrap”). So email me if you have anything you’d like to ask either of them.
- The New York Times wrote a piece about “Vote for the Worst,” which makes its owner Dave Della Terza about $40K in revenue last year. Not bad!.
“It didn’t start out as a moneymaking venture; it wasn’t an attempt to leech off the ‘American Idol’ brand,” Mr. Della Terza said. “It started as a joke. But people really enjoyed it.”
The site now routinely breaks “Idol” news. In the first week of March, the site recorded 2.7 million page views as it reported rumors that a contestant, David Hernandez, had a background as a male stripper. Mr. Hernandez was voted off the show last week.
“We always post stuff on the site the producers don’t want you to know,” Mr. Della Terza said. “We don’t go out of our way to dig up dirt, but if it falls in our laps, obviously we’ll post it.”
- And season five’s Ace Young becomes the ninth “Idol” finalist from that season to have his own album set for release May 13. (The only ones without record deals: Melissa McGee, Lisa Tucker and Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais). Desmond Child executive produced the 11 tracks and songwriter Diane Warren (Celine Dion, Michael Bolton) contributed a song. More details here at billboard.com.
This story also reports that Diana DeGarmo is now signed to John Rich’s production company although she didn’t win “Gone Country.” And she’s performing the National Anthem for the Braves opening game at Turner Field March 31 at 7:10 p.m. Just like old times!
3/16: Whatever happened to… season two, Vanessa Olivarez in “Peachtree Battle”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Courtesy of the USA Today special newsstand-only “Idol” section, I’m reviewing what each year’s finalists are up to. In no particular order:
Carmen Rasmussen (6th) - It took her four years but she finally has a record deal in Nahsville on an indie label and came out with an album last year. (It has sold 4,000 copies). She even published a book last year and got married in 2005.
Rickey Smith (8th) - He’s a bartender at a sports bar in Oklahoma City.
Kimberly Caldwell (7th) — She’s the TV Guide Network’s official correspondent for reality TV and co-hosts “Idol Wrap” and “Reality Chat.” I’ll be interviewing her Tuesday about this season.
Corey Clark (disqualified in what would have been ninth place for not revealing a past criminal charge.) - Neither I, nor USA Today, have heard much from him lately, which is probably a good thing.
Julia DeMato (10th) — She’s a cosmetologist and single mom.
Josh Gracin (4th) He plays at Cowboys frequently. His first CD sold more than 600,000 copies and had three top 20 hits. None of the songs pitched forward onto country radio in recent months have done nearly as well and his sophomore release had been delayed until next month.
Charles Grigsby (11th) - He’s a cable technician in northeast Ohio.
Trenyce (5th) - She’s stayed busy, acting and singing on stage, including Vegas. She’s set to do a tour in Japan later this year.
Clay Aiken (2nd) — We know about him. He’s now doing “Spamalot” on Broadway.
Ruben Studdard (winner) - He’s working on his fourth album and sings the farewell song on “Idol.” He is set to perform in “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” later this year.
Vanessa Olivarez (12th) — She was gypped, gypped, gypped. She has performed in “Hairspray” in Toronto. She has been in two bands, Butterfly Stitch and country band South 70. South 70 and she parted ways last year. She said some members felt she didn’t have the right look for Nashville. I got a copy of her South 70 album and she sounds great. Now she’s performing in the longest-running play in Atlanta history, “Peachtree Battle,” as Candler Habersham, the daughter of the main character Trudy Habersham. Candler has a self-esteem problem fueled by her picky mom. This means frequent dress changes and occasional facial ticks.
Vanessa brings plenty of her Bette Midler moxie to the role, fitting right in with the rest of the cast.
Here are some photos I took from the play Saturday night:
ABOVE: Vanessa (right) with Karen Beyer, who plays drunken grandma Azalea Wieuca.
*ABOVE: Vanessa sandwiched by Scott Serafin (left, playing her brother Ansley) and Stan Gentry (playing her other brother Holcomb)
ABOVE: Vanessa’s character Candler Habersham (right) gets advice from “Hooters” gal Tiffani Storrs (played by Tanya Fraser).
ABOVE: Dan Tucker (left, playing the dad Sherwood) and Vanessa react to something Laura Griffin (playing Trudy Habersham) said.
ABOVE: Stan Gentry (above left), Vanessa and Karen Beyer (below)
3/14: Season one whatever happened to…? And what it’s like to be at a taping.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- That Katharine McPhee performance and that “live” Q&A were both pre-taped, according to ew.com. I guess that’s done to ensure nothing bad happens and they can fix it after the fact.
It’s a great recap from a person who was able to watch the show live, including this:
During the recap of Tuesday’s show, the audience applause-o-meter pretty much foretold the bottom three: The weakest cheering by far was for David Hernandez, Kristy Lee Cook, and especially Syesha.
Yesterday, I noted that the sound system in the studio blew out Syesha’s voice when she sang on Tuesday (a problem I gather from your comments bothered some of you watching from home, too). Someone with the show must’ve noticed as well, because Syesha’s voice came through loud and clear last night, and though it still didn’t make it any less painful for me to listen to, that didn’t keep Ramiele and Nigel from singing along, or a relieved Carly, Michael, and Jason from cutting loose.
“Idol” also gave access to Billboard magazine.. Their observations include the fact the new set is much bigger than the old one. Audience members are allowed to go on stage to make fools of themselves during commercial breaks for $10 iTunes cards. The judges each have a bodyguard. Ramiele acted like she expected to be in the bottom three. Jim Carrey stayed the entire taping.
Good news on the ratings front. The show this week for the first time this season pulled in stronger ratings than it did the same period a year ago. Tuesday’s performance show drew 29.9 million, virtually the same as a year earlier (though down 2 percent among 18 to 49). On Wednesday, the results show brought in 27.1 million viewers, up 4 percent from 26.2 million a year earlier and for the first time this season, the show did better among 18 to 49 year olds.
If you care about Ashley Ferl, forever known as the “crying girl,” here’s an update.. She’s actually a freshman in high school now!
On newsstands, USA Today created a huge special standalone magazine on “Idol,” which features a “where are they now” section for each past season. It’s similar to what People mag did a year ago. During downtimes over the next few days, I’ll post a season by season rundown. So here is season one in no particular order:
Nikki McKibbin (third) She said she punched Omarosa off camera during one of those reality shows. (My estimation of her just went up 100 fold!). She refused to go country per RCA’s request and has since released a hard-rock album with indie label Chenoa Records. And here’s the quote you can believe—or not: “I’d rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable.”
Christina Christian (fifth) She’s a full-time mom.
A.J. Gil (eighth) He is attending the Los Angeles Recording School to sharpen his production skills.
EJay Day (tenth). The metro Atlantan just finished a six month tour of the Mediterranean and Carribean on Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s 138,000-ton cruise ship. I have a cel number for him, not sure if it still works. I haven’t spoken to him in years!
Tamyra Gray (fourth) She’s still playing Mimi in “Rent” on Broadway.
Justin Guarini (second) He’s hosting TV Guide’s “Idol Wrap.”
R.J. Helton (fifth). The former Cumming resident now living in San Francisco. It appears USA Today didn’t have anything new about him since he came out of the closet in 2006.
Ryan Starr (seventh) Nothing really new lately.
Jim Verraros (ninth). Nothing since his straight-to-DVD film “Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds” came out last year.
Kelly Clarkson (first) She just finished a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire and is now in Australia for her solo tour. Then she’s on to Europe later in the spring.
3/13: David Hernandez exit interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The “Idol” publicist opened the mass press interview with David Hernandez thusly:
David is to talk about his experience on “Idol.” If you stray too far, we reserve the right to ask the operator to move on.
Ahem. In the end, nobody actually got cut off. And David, while skirting any direct reference to his stripper past, was friendly and articulate.
I came in third and asked my question, “I have to be subtle but was what happened the past couple of weeks been distracting to you or did you manage to block it out?”
“I did a pretty good job of blocking it all out,” David said. “I watched my performance back from Tuesday night. I was very happy with my stage presence. I just unfortunately didn’t pick the best song in the judges’ eyes. America voted. I’ve been staying away from the Internet and the TV. If this is the worst thing that happens to me so far, I’m set to go. This has been really good for me. I learned to have a thick skin and perform in front of 30 million people.”
I then asked what his second Beatles song would have been. He said he would have wanted to take on “Yesterday.” “My voice would have been great on that song,” he said.
When one reporter asked him about the David Archuleta/daddy issues story (see below), he demurred.
David H. was “genuinely shocked” being eliminated. “I didn’t think I was going home… I thought that I would definitely be in the bottom three. I didn’t think i deserved to go home, but everything happens for a reason.” .
About seven questions in, a reporter asked if he felt America was uncomfortable with his “exotic dancer past.” (She gets points for being more direct than I was.)
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I believe that it was based on song selection. I think America is smart enough to know that personal lives should not influence their musical career.” (Editorial side: that’s wishful thinking!)
Another reporter asked what he thought of Elisabeth Hasselback on “The View” thinking there was a “conspiracy” to dump him.
“I’d like to thank Elisabeth defending me,” he said. “I don’t like to speculate. I have faith in ‘Idol’ and everything they’ve done for me on the show.”
As for his immediate post “Idol” plans: “I’m going to stay away from reality shows for awhile,” he said. “I need a break. I may watch reruns of ‘Friends.’ “
Someone asked if he was worried his past would come out:
“I’m not ashamed about anything I’ve done in my past. I’m looking to the future. Singing is what matters in my career. That’s what mattered in the competition. The only thing I worried about was my song selection.”
He’s going to actively seek a record deal. Nobody has had the guts to ask him if he plans to go back to Dick’s.
Two songs he wanted to sing but never got around to: “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly and “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan.
He said it’s a collaborative effort to arrange the songs with the piano player and either of the two vocal coaches. “The contestants have a lot of say in the arrangements of the songs,” he said. “We have mentors who help us stay true to the spirit fo the songs. I added those breaks in the beginning [of ‘I Saw Her Standing There’] and made some changes in the verses. You can change it up and make it your own within reason.”
Another reporter asked him how thorough the background check is and whether he told them about his past. Of course he did.
“If they weren’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t be on the show. The media can be vicious. Fortunately, I have a thick skin and a great family behind me.”
Ironically, he originally wanted to be an entertainment reporter on a show like “Access Hollywood.”
In other “Idol” news:
Apparently, David Archuleta has a stage dad from hell, according to E! online.. Jeff Archuleta allegedly yelled at David Monday during a recording session and pushed him to tears. That may be why David was so rattled Monday that he forgot lyrics to “We Can Work It Out.”
And here’s the new Phil Stacey video for “If You Didn’t Love Me.”:
3/12: David Hernandez is stripped of “Idol” chance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a mild surprise, David Hernandez was ousted first. He is arguably one of the best contestants ever to be out this early. (He certainly is more interesting than Brandon Rogers last year and a better vocalist than Melissa McGhee a year earlier, boring Lindsey Cardinale in 2005 or awful Leah LaBelle in 2004).
You have to wonder if his stripper past hurt him. I loved his voice in auditions, Hollywood and the first two weeks. His past two performances, since the stripper news came out, have been a bit less compelling.
Tomorrow is going to be a fun press conference!
I did say he’d be in the bottom three but the one I thought was going home, Ramiele, wasn’t even there. I at least didn’t pick Kristy Lee Cook, although she was the most obvious pick.
Anyway, here’s the recap:
First safe: Carly Smithson. Second safe: Michael Johns. Third safe: Jason Castro. Not so safe: Syesha Mercado is in the bottom three.
Later, the next four judged. Chikezie is safe. Amanda is safe. David Cook is fine. That means Kristy Lee is the second in the bottom three. (“Where’s the microphone?” she asked before she was given the notice. She knew it was coming.)
The final group of four. David Archuleta is okay. (He could have sung in Swahili backwards and he would have survived this week.). Brooke White is adorably safe, too. It’s down to David Hernandez and Ramiele Malubay. Ramiele is safe! David is down and out. Hmmm….
Paula has never seen a “more stronger” bottom three. I would generally agree, grammatically off or not.
First one who is “saved:” Syesha! Thank you! And Kristy is safe, too! So b-bye Mr. Hernandez. Good vocalist but he couldn’t translate his, um, skills fully on stage. His going-away video includes a glitch. It’s great to hear Ruben sing “Celebrate Me Home.”
And for the first time, they had the bottom three all sing before one of them gets eliminated. This is a way to give the contestants more airtime vs. trotting out a guest vocalist - and to fill an hour.
They are doubling up on Beatles and offering more next week. I’m not sure if this is good or not. Thoughts?
They blatantly cross promote that “Horton Hears a Who” (Fox) film by bringing in Jim Carrey, wearing an elephant costume. Of course.
Upfront, we jump into the group sing (“All My Loving,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Help!”). Carly & Michael, our former Fado-connected folks, hang out together the entire song. Amanda practically chokes on her own phlegm during her bit. David Archuleta remembers his words. David Hernandez can dance (naturally.) David Cook? Not so much. And Sanjaya and his hot sis Shyamali is there in the audience! We didn’t get to see her bounce up and down, though, ahem.
Coke ad uses Cake’s “The Distance.” Love that song!
More cross-promotion between that Horton flick and the “Idols” on the red carpet. And Amanda was excited to meet Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon. I can’t say I respect her more for that.
Kat McPhee does a rather adult contemporary version of “Something.” It’s good if you like Kat McPhee. She looks great, as always.
3/12: On Ruben Studdard’s farewell song, Carly Smithson, Sanjaya
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
— Ruben Studdard’s goodbye song “Celebrate Me Home” (a cover of the Kenny Loggins tune) debuts tonight. I thought he was going to perform it live, but according to his brother Kevin this morning, he won’t be, at least not tonight. Instead, we’ll see Kat sing with David Foster accompanying. I don’t know what she’ll be singing.
— And from cmt.com:
Diana DeGarmo will be the honorary spokesperson for Global Youth Service Day, the largest volunteering event in the world. The three-day event, held April 25-27, is co-sponsored by CMT One Country and Youth Service America. Taylor Swift was the celebrity spokesperson for the charity event last year.
— Mandisa is going to be at Philips Arena this Saturday for the big Christian music concert Winter Jam Spectacular. I made an inquiry to catch up with her again on Saturday but I guess I waited too late because she’s too busy for me.
— My parents live in Woodbury, N.Y. and that’s not far from where Sanjaya performed at a Bat Mitzvah, according to my hometown paper Newsday.. I wonder how much he cost?
And Sanjaya still thinks he can have a career in music, according to an interview with mtv.com.
— Carrie Underwood, who turned 25 Monday, does a Q&A with the Sacramento Bee and doesn’t say anything too exciting. Most interesting Q&A:
Q: The accolades keep rolling in for you, especially for your debut album, “Some Hearts.” Looking back, how do you compare the impact of “Jesus Take the Wheel” vs. “Before He Cheats” on different audiences?
A: After “Jesus Take the Wheel,” I wanted to make sure I wasn’t pigeonholed in the beautiful, sentimental song. But with “Before He Cheats,” I was approached about remixing it for pop radio. I didn’t want to feel like I was selling out, so I said “No, I wanted it to stay in a country format.” But pop radio picked up on it on their own, so it worked out anyway.
— Randy and Paula Monday on the “Today” Show:
And for the five of you who pay any attention to such things, RC is still chapped that I called him out a few months ago for pretending to be Flats. He thinks I should call out Linnykat for going by a different name. So here ya go: stop it Linny! And again, let’s play nice, people.
3/11: Top 12 Beatles night. Chikezie ups the ante, David Archuleta can’t work it out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New set, new opener, same show!
And it’s.. the Beatles!
I’m sorry but I’m a tad disappointed by the night as a whole. I’m so familiar with a lot of these songs, it’s awfully difficult to take on such iconic tunes and put on a special spin. Who would have thunk it that my favorites were from Chikezie and Amanda???
And the frontrunner crumbled!
Okay, here’s the order: 1- Amanda 2- Chikezie 3- Carly 4-David C. 5- Jason C. 6- Syesha C. 7- Michael 8-Brooke 9- David H. 10- David A. 11 - Ramiele 12- Kristy Lee Cook.
Who should go? I originally thought Kristy Lee but instead, I’m going to say Ramiele. I think Kristy Lee took a greater risk and some voters will admire her for it and give her enough votes to overtake (snooze) Ramiele. The other person in the bottom three will be David Hernandez. He’s performed well enough to this point to avoid elimination but he clearly tried to do too much and failed. And despite his collapse, David Archuleta is perfectly safe. I expect many of his text-happy teen fans will vote double time to make sure of that. And bravo to both Amanda and Chikezie for saving themselves.
First up: Syesha Mercado (“Got To Get You Into My Life”) - She does it with a bit of a jazz vibe and does a fine job after a few off notes early on. I like her hair, too. Randy: “Nice arrangement of Beatles… It was alright.” Paula: “You know you’re a good singer. It started it pitchy but midway through you found your zone.” Simon: “I thought it was a great choice of song. You looked very nervous but you need to get passed that. You were better than last week.” B-plus
Chikezie Eze (“She’s a Woman’) - He thought he was going last week. (And he should have.) He talked about an LAX screener. He was raised on Nigerian cultural music but his mom is an encyclopedia of music knowledge. He does it with a bluesy/country vibe with a fiddler, a banjo and a tambourine. It’s a great arrangement. He’s having a fun time up there, real loose and confident. Wow! He upped his game big time. Randy; “I was thoroughly entertained. Who knew?” Paula: “Those who take a risk, the greater the reward.” Simon:”I’m really surprised but I agreed with these two! You actually have changed! You took control the stage.” A-minus/A
Ramiele Malubay (“In My Life”) She works at a sushi place and her parents played a lot of old-school music like “Yesterday.” Good song choice. It’s a perfectly adequate vocal presentation.But again, she doesn’t take it to the next level. Yawn. Adequate doesn’t cut it at this point, especially after Chikezie shocked everyone. Randy: “It was kind of pretty but pretty boring. I was waiting for you to do something special. Paula: “It was pretty safe… I feel like you’re holding back.” Simon: “I was bored to tears throughout the entire song.” B-minus
Jason Castro (“If I Fell”) He failed his music class at Texas A&M. He seems familiar with the Beatles. He’s mesmerizing and he does “If I Fell” in a sweet, understated manner. I liked it. He is truly heartfelt. There were a few missteps and strange note shifts. Randy: “I found myself tuning out. It was alright.” Paula: “I disagree with Randy. I do feel your heart.” Simon: “Last week, you were incredible. It was a bit student in the bedroom at midnight. I thought the song was quite boring.” Then there’s some weirdness between Simon and Ryan. Any theories? B-plus/A-minus
Carly Smithson (“Come Together”) They moved into their own apartments. Amanda is her roomie. She misses Ireland but loves San Diego. They show at the bar and sings “Come Together” every Saturday. They clearly made an exception (for Carly, of course) by taking a song from “Abbey Road,” which came out after “Revolver.” The song allows her to belt, her specialty. She does it with her usual intensity. As usual, I’m fine with it but didn’t love it. Randy: “You were strong. You were confident. You sounded amazing. Stellar performance.” Paula: “I feel like I’m already watching a star.” Simon: “Week after week, I feel you’ve chosen the wrong song til now.” B-plus
David Cook (“Eleanor Rigby”) We’re halfway there. He was a bartender in Tulsa. I thought he’d go for something a little edgier like “Revolution.” “This song is already so powerful. If I played guitar, it would be overkill.” He gives it that grungy Nickelback/Daughtry-like take and it’s okay if you like that sort of thing. This is such a sacred song, it’s hard for me to absorb it this way. Not that he did it badly. I have to give him credit for doing it the way he wanted to do it. Randy: “Started a little unsafe for me.. but once you hit that chorus, you let go. It was rockin’!” Paula: “This is proving there’s more than one horse in this race. You are a thoroughbred.” Simon: “David. I thought it was brilliant.” B-plus
Brooke White (“Let It Be”) She was a nanny. Well, obviously, Nigel was wrong because here is yet another song post-“Revolver.” She does the song pretty straight. She has some strange breathing issues I’ve never noticed before. This is one of those classics that I’ve heard so many times, I’m sorry I didn’t hear anything extra from her. I was really hoping for more. Randy: “I love the fact you have all of this conviction. It was a very heartfelt performance.” Paula: “This is your niche. You have this emotional connection that makes people fall in love with you.” Simon: “It was one of the best performances of the night. A brilliant choice of song… It’s believable.” She is so likable though! More gay insinuations courtesy of Simon and Ryan grins and bears it. B
David Hernandez (“I Saw Her Standing There”) He got fired from a pizza bistro (maybe he was spending too much time stripping?) He’s solid but I’m mildly bored. It doesn’t quite touch me. Disappointing. Randy: “It was too overdone. I was lost from the jump.” Paula: “You overdid it.” Simon: “It was corny, verging on desperate.” B-minus.
Amanda Overmyer (“You Can’t Do That”) She worked as a nurse. She took one of the Beatles’ less famliar songs and it works amazingly well. Sure, she’s limited in her vocals but she picked a tune that fit her voice. She really rocks it! Randy: “That is the true mark of great songs. Guess what? You took a Beatles song and took it to a Southern bar!” Paula: “You are a star up there!” Simon: “I didn’t think it was as good as last week. It was like you were slurring your words.” A-minus/A
Michael Johns (“Across the Universe”) Oddly, he still is given credit for living in Buckhead though he moved way four years ago. He discovered Lennon/McCartney at age of 10. This song is really personal for him so let’s see if he can pull it off. And he does. That “heartfelt” line can be used here and it’s my favorite Johns performance since week one. Randy: “I thought it was good. A little sleepy.” Paula: “I disagree with you again. It takes an inner strength… and do nothing but sing brilliantly.” Simon: “I’m going to agree with Randy. Carly did something brilliant. It was a little monotonous. You have to let yourself go. I’m still a big big fan. I’m frustrated still.” B-plus/A-minus
Kristy Lee Cook (“Eight Days a Week”) She’s a country girl who will countrify this Beatles song. Wow. She wasn’t kidding! It’s too honky tonk and kind of corny. But no guts, no glory. She gave it the best shot he could and this competition could use a little bit of country in it. Randy: “I liked the idea of the song. Vocally, you forced some runs in it. I’m kind of torn with this one.” Paula: “I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t get it.” Simon: “I thought it was horrendous. You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium. A very brave but foolish performance.” B/B-minus
David Archuleta (“We Can Work It Out”) He gets the pimp spot— of course. He’s a mixed race dude with a Honduras mom and a guy from Utah. He wasn’t too familiar with the Beatles but was familiar with the Stevie Wonder version of “We Can Work It Out.” Lucky him! Gasp! Did he just miss some lyrics??? The nerves of being the frontrunner has gotten to him. He picks it up at the end and redeems himself but wow! I’ve never seen someone in the pimp spot screw up like that! Randy: “I like your voice. This week, it was not on point. It felt very forced. It didn’t quite work.” Paula: “This wasn’t your best week but you are a frontrunner. Forgetting the lyrics-you should never let it show on your face.” Simon: “That was a mess. You stumbled over lyrics. At this point, I expect incredible performances. It wasn’t. It was your weakest performance so far.” B-minus
Here’s other ‘Idol” news in the interim:
Before tonight’s performances, TV Guide polled who they think will win. Clearly, I’m a much bigger fan of Syesha than everybody else. (Let’s call it the Nadia Turner syndrome. Maybe it’s that hair!) Plus, there’s more support for Kristy Lee Cook than I expected. Otherwise, my odds weren’t too far off. (I gave David 3 to 2 odds, which is 40%.)
40.4% David Archuleta
13.0% Jason Castro
11.2% David Cook
8.8% Michael Johns
8.5% Brooke White
6.6% Carly Smithson
3.3% David Hernandez
2.8% Kristy Lee Cook
2.4% Ramiele Malubay
1.7% Amanda Overmyer
1.0% Syesha Mercado
0.2% Chikezie
Debra Byrd, vocal coach, told E! that even though some contestants are told that certain songs have been sung before, they don’t always listen. For instance, Asiah’s ignored the fact that two others have sung Whitney’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and got voted off. Well, let’s hope nobody makes that mistake a FOURTH time.
The New York Times harps about the predictability of “Idol” in its seventh season.
The producers of “American Idol” made much this year about having the most talented crop of contestants in a long time, and the performances so far have not proved that wrong. Nevertheless, the show seems to have settled into the ruts dug by previous years.
I’m quoted in today’s “USA Today”! “Idol Chatter” blogger Ken Barnes recommended me to Bill Keveney, the reporter, who spoke with me for 25 minutes last Friday. He quoted me accurately and fairly.
Rodney Ho, an Idol blogger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sees “a very solid group” in which up to 10 singers have a shot. Ho ranks Cook, Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro after Archuleta. Carly Smithson and Amanda Overmyer are singers to watch, Elliot says. And Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and David Hernandez received praise from others
“Even with David Archuleta as the front-runner right now, I don’t think he’s a guarantee by any stretch,” Ho says. “There are too many variables in this show.”
And later in the story:
Blogger Ho says Idol is making a stronger effort to flesh out the singers’ personalities and stories. Ratings for the semifinals, an indicator of interest in the top singers, declined at a lower rate than for the season overall.
Another part of Idol, the judging panel, remains fairly constant, Ho says. “Paula (Abdul) seems a little flakier. Randy (Jackson) is the same. Simon (Cowell) seemed oddly nice during the auditions, but I think he’s gone out of his way to be grouchier and tougher” during more recent episodes.
3/11: Beatles theme! What songs should they sing?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ll know in a matter of hours which songs the top 12 will pick from the extensive Beatles catalog.
We’ve been fortunately spared of Luke Menard singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” though I would have loved to have heard Asia’h do a hip-hop-flavored “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Question: what should the rest of them sing? (Please nobody take “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and bob their heads back and forth in a Beatles wig!)
I have a feeling some will opt for the early era, shorter, simpler tunes over the more complex, studio-driven pieces in the later years. The advantage: those earlier tunes are generally shorter and easier to trim to “Idol” length. They are airing two hours worth of “Idol,” meaning just six an hour. So there may actually be time to sing more than 90 seconds to 2 minutes per performance. I can imagine they might give them two minutes and 30 seconds per song, which is about the length of many of their tunes pre 1967.
(Addendum: I just read that Nigel Lythgoe has given the finalists songs only from the 1963 to 1966 era, from the albums “Meet the Beatles” to “Revolver.” That excludes songs such as “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road” and “Something.” That means some of the rest of this commentary is instantly a moot point. Oh, well!)
I’m curious to see if anyone will take on a nearly 7 minute long “Hey Jude” and do it justice in shorter form. Then again, people have gone after “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That would be a good song for David Archuleta to start on piano. Then again, almost any song would probably work for him. He probably will go for something reasonably upbeat though he probably should avoid “Twist & Shout,” which may not even technically be part of their choices since it was a cover. Given his penchant for social commentary, how about “All You Need it Love?”
Okay, I bet Carly Smithson will go for “Hey Jude,” even in truncated form, just so she can do the big “nah nah nah nah’s” at the end. But at two minutes or even three minutes, would it hit that proper emotional crescendo?
David Cook will have to pick an edgier tune such as “Revolution.” Or “A Hard Day’s Night.”
Jason Castro could pull off “Yesterday” with the guitar.
I can see Kristy Lee Cook doing something chipper with a bit of country edge like “Here Comes the Sun.” Or “I’ll Follow the Sun,” which doesn’t need much range.
I’d love to hear Brooke White do a folksy, slower version of “Help.” Or a bit dark like “Eleanor Rigby.”
Could Michael Johns emote properly for a ballad like “Something”? I bet he’ll try something harder sounding like “Back in the U.S.S.R” or “Come Together.”
I’m curious to see if Amanda Overmyer could pull off something like “Lady Madonna” ? Nah… She’ll probably opt for a rock-heavy tune like “Helter Skelter.”
Ramiele needs to get in touch with whatever she’s singing. I always feel this disconnect with her. For instance, could she truly embody the pathos of “The Long and Winding Road”? Maybe a song like “Penny Lane” might enable her off-camera personality to shine through.
Chikezie should go for something with a bit of soul in it like “Get Back,” which featured Billy Preston.
I can see David Hernandez skipping “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road,” perhaps for something a bit sad like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Then there’s Syesha. Maybe she’ll take one Asiah’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” and do it with conviction. Or Kady Malloy’s choice song, the very pretty “Here There and Everywhere.”
A song I guarantee nobody will sing: “I’m a Loser.” Bad karma! And a song to avoid for its corny nature: “Yellow Submarine.” Would “Blackbird” work under any circumstnace? Or “I Am a Walrus”? Or “Obla-Di Obla-Da”?
And bloggers. Play nice, people! As my namesake Rodney King more or less said 14 years ago, can’t we all just get along? Or just let it go!
3/10: The South not heavily repped in top 12 It’s West Coast love!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since the first five winners (if you count Carrie) were from the South, there’s been lots of talk about how Southerners seem to generate better singers, fueled perhaps by lots of church singing (see Fantasia).
In fact, half of the contestants (36 out of 70) in the first six seasons hailed from the South, a highly disproportionate number given the population.
But this year, “Idol” will have the fewest Southerners in the top 12 since season three: just three singers. Specifically: Jason Castro (Texas), Ramiele Malubay (Florida) and Syesha Mercado (Florida). Carly and Michael both had stints in Atlanta but I can’t count that.
The West is having a good year, if you include Utah and Arizona. They have seven: Chikezie (Calif.), Michael Johns (Calif.), Carly Smithson (Calif.), David Archuleta (Utah), Brooke White (Arizona), Kristy Lee Cook (Oregon) and David Hernandze (Arizona).
The Midwest has the rest— or two: David Cook (Missouri) and Amanda Overmyer (Indiana).
And being a Yankee ain’t so hot. The Northeast has generated just seven finalists over the entire history of “Idol,” including zero this year. (The South had more in season two alone!)
Here’s the Southern tally:
Season one: five, including the winner
Season two: eight, including the top 3
Season three: three, including the top 2
Season four: six (if you count Carrie from Oklahoma and that’s highly debatable)
Season five: eight, including the winner
Season six: six
Season seven: three
Total: 39 out of 82 or 46%, if you count Carrie.
MJ did a great job summarizing sales for the “Idol” folks last week..
Thanks to her second top 10 hit “No Air,” Jordin Sparks’ album popped back into the Billboard top 50, with sales of nearly 15,000 and 539K total. What’s amazing is Carrie’s first album continues to sell after more than two years on the charts, moving 13K and 6.3 million total. Her second CD is up to 1.9 million. Daughtry is still the top seller among “Idols” with 23K and 3.8 million total.
“All American Girl” is Carrie Underwood’s fifth No. 1 single on the country charts. No surprise there. It’s a great song. And both Bucky Covinginton’s “It’s Good To Be Us” and Kellie Pickler’s “Things That Cross a Man’s Mind” land in the top 20. It’s his second and her third. Daughtry’s fourth top 20 single “Feels Like Tonight” sneaks in though his upward momentum isn’t that fast and he might struggle to repeat the top 5 finish of the first three singles.
And after Jason Castro sang the tune, Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” is at No. 1 on the iTunes top 100. (I bought it, too!). iTunes said it was one of the biggest overnight pops in iTunes history! And thanks to David Archuleta’s “Imagine” nearly two weeks ago, the song is at No. 80. (What’s even more amazing, after more than eight months since the “Sopranos” finale, the song “Don’t Stop Believin’ is still selling on iTunes and is at No. 56.)
Katharine McPhee says she’s going to perform a song this Wednesday. This means that we should be seeing Bo Bice the next week, right?
3/8: Winner of Gone Country: did it go to Diana DeGarmo?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, no, it didn’t go to Diana DeGarmo. Or Bobby Brown. Or Maureen McCormick. Or Sisqo. Or Dee Snider. Or Carnie Wilson.
It probably went to the person I thought had the least chance of winning: Julio Iglesias Jr.!!!! I’m stupefied John Rich chose him. Personally, I didn’t think his song was that bad but it didn’t sound country at all to me. Sure, the ladies loved him but heck, he’s a Latin lover. Does that make him Nashville? No way.
Judge for yourself here. This is the video for Julio’s “The Way I Want You.”
You can see the other performances in full here.
I’m not a huge fan of Faith Hill grandiose ballads. And that was Diana DeGarmo’s song and approach. But I can appreciate what she did and she has the most obvious chance of truly breaking into country. First of all, she’s young and has time to develop her country craft. And second, she seems to really really want it. So she’s in Nashville now, trying that route, even if she didn’t win. Good for her, as Paula might say.
I was personally impressed with Bobby Brown’s song. It was truly heartfelt and he moved me more than anybody else. And honestly, Dee Snider rocked the house! Okay, the finger salute was unnecessary and you knew he is a bit too rebel even for John Rich. I also enjoyed Carnie’s ballad. She has a good ear for that AC type of sound, her home. Maureen’s song didn’t really click with me. It seemed a bit self indulgent. And Sisqo was okay but nothing special.
For folks who catch the repeats or saw it Friday night, what did you think?
3/7: Exit interviews for Kady, Asia’h, Danny, Luke
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My general impressions of the four eliminated contestants after listening to their exit interviews:
Asia’h Epperson was fairly curt, not terribly fascinating. But she did live in Marietta for four years. She attended Harrison High School, then Marietta High School, from 2001 to 2005. I wasn’t really in a good position on this mass press conference to press her for more details but she said she’d like to come here to possibly record an album or do some other entertainment-related work. Her Beatles song, if she had had the chance, was “Can’t Buy Me Love,” with a bit of hip-hop thrown in. I would have loved to have heard that! She also felt going first was a bad thing, that doing such an upbeat song first hurt her because people are just settling in their seats. I didn’t understand her logic there. And about her strange apostrophe and that extra h in her name, she had no explanation why her parents gave her that.
Kady Malloy surprised us media folks with a pro-gay rights agenda (though she isn’t gay herself.). “You shouldn’t define people by their sexuality,” she said. And as shown in the pre-taped segments on “Idol,” she is also sweet and funny. Why that didn’t translate on stage is a mystery. She sang that Queen song because it’s her favorite song and she’s a huge Freddie Mercury fan. “I went out with a bang,” she said. She did admit “my stage presence is lacking but I haven’t been on stage much.” She has never met Britney, who she does a wicked imitation. But she’d love to! She can do other funny impressions of Cher, Shakira and Christina. Nobody asked her to actually do them, though. Bummer! And she would have sang “Here, There and Everywhere” from the Beatles “Revolver” album if she had survived. That’s not a major hit, but a pretty tune.
Luke Menard, at age 29, was very articulate, very bright. But his song selection this past week was suspect. He picked Wham’s cheesefest 1984 hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” He said he wanted something familiar and upbeat and would fit his high tenor range. He didn’t offer any regrets. His Beatles song would have been “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” done a bit slower. Oddly, his a capella group did lots of jazzier tunes so they never did a Beatles song.
Finally, we got Danny Noriega. He’s exactly who you’d expect him to be - flamboyant and confident like Christian on “Project Runway.” He said that anti-Christmas video rant he did was a character he played. “It’s almost like another person ago,” he said. “I was actually shocked they [TMZ] used that one. There are more interesting ones.” He talked about his relationship with Ramiele, that they were both ADD and had the same interests and personality (though she has yet to really show it on stage.). The two of them, he said, were like Charlie’s Angels. “She’s my little twin and I love her,” he said. Yet when one reporter even alluded to his sexuality, he demurred. “Your personal life and jobs are separate,” he said. “Privacy is really important… it’s pretty sad people will do that- tear down someone’s success.”
And his performance of “Tainted Love”? “I don’t care what anybody said. I had a blast doing it.”
The ratings this week for “Idol” were the closest to year-ago numbers since the season began. Overall, ratings were down only 1 percent (27.7 million for the three episodes, on average, vs. 28 mil in 2007.). Last year, most of the top 12 performance episodes drew 26 to 28 million viewers. I expect that won’t change this time around.
still alto of gas in his tank. mayb eon an FM signal. hidl oldies is prett yold.
3/8: Ranking the top 12
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: From the top 12 party last Thursday.
I’m going to rank the top 12 based on their performances so far and how I think they’ll finish. Two years ago, at this stage, I predicted Daughtry to win. (Wrong.) And last year, I thought Melinda would pull it off. (Wrong again.)
Here we go from 1 to 12. Given how things change and perceptions change once we get into the top 12,I guarantee this will be wrong and probably wrong by a wide margin. Last year, I only pinned one person down exactly right—Blake Lewis coming in second. Heck, I had Jordin fifth!
1- David Archuleta. This is the obvious pick but obvious doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to win. Remember Justin Guarini, Chris Daughtry and Melinda Doolittle. He has certainly earned the top spot with vocal skills, sincerity, stage presence and Teen Beat friendly poster child. It’s a killer combo. He might strike some as a might bit focused and a tad arrogant but that didn’t hurt Taylor Hicks. Odds to win: 5-4
2- David Cook. He’s not Chris Daughtry in the looks department but as a rocker, he arguably has an even better voice. And thanks partly to fake rocker Robbie Carrico, he came off as far more legit in the rock realm. He has confidence and his last two performances were excellent. I could see him being a solid contrast to David in the final two. Odds to win: 4-1
3- Syesha Mercado. I think I’m getting a bit of Nadia Turner redux because I loved her and she didn’t go as far as I had hoped thanks to poor song choice. I like Syesha almost as much. The show has never had three men in the top before and though the guys have outshone the gals, I think one of the ladies will land in the top 5. Although I wasn’t thrilled by her Whitney imitation, she has some pizzazz, a bit of grit and that great hair. Smart song choices and more interesting interpretations will help her get this far. Odds to win: 7-1
4- Jason Castro. He is the Elliot Yamin of this competition. He is kind of shy in an aw-shucks sort of way with virtually no experience (unlike, say, Carly or Michael.) I hope his nerves don’t get to him if he makes it this far. If he makes wise song choices, his charm, his sweetness and those incredible eyes should land him in the top 4. Odds to win: 8-1
5- David Hernandez. He’s my favorite vocalist in this competition. What a pure voice! He wasn’t at his best during ’80s week but I’ve liked him since the beginning. I think he’ll have the ability to handle a variety of genres with aplomb and I sense the gay stripper stuff won’t hurt him enough to matter. Odds to win 10-1
6- Carly Smithson. She is easily the best singer among the women but she has not totally won me over yet on camera. I loved talking to her and she has a great spirit off stage. But she is awfully internalized on stage, makes these rather unpleasant faces while singing and isn’t connecting fully with the crowd or camera. So I suspect her ability to build a big-enough fan base to get much further than this will be handicapped. Odds to win 12-1
7- Brooke White. She’s got style, maturity and a definite likability. She brings a true singer-songwriter flair to this competition that I appreciate. Her problem, I feel, is she hasn’t given us that truly “wow” performance yet that we all hope she can eventually pull off. If she does, she could finish ahead of Carly. I’m rooting for her. Odds to win: 15-1
8- Michael Johns. Given his local connections, I really want to give Michael a higher ranking right now. I really do. But while I think he has some vocal skills, he isn’t working the cameras well and providing me a truly enjoyable experience. I have yet to be truly blown away by the guy in any instance. His years as a cover band singer shines through, often to his detriment. He might end up doing better but he’s going to have to really step it up. Odds to win: 20-1
9- Amanda Overmyer. She has an incredibly memorable look - you know, Lily from the Munsters. And with that distinctly grainy Bonnie Tyler-type voice, she can pull off an interesting performance when she picks the right song but wow, that Kansas debacle is still ringing in my ears from last week . I anticipate she’s a bit too one-note with her vocals to last much longer than this, that she’ll get tripped up badly by one of the upcoming themes. Odds to win: 35-1
10- Ramiele Malubay. I have to say by seeing Ramiele all the way down here, it is true that there is a reasonable amount of vocal talent here. But I’d take last year’s No. 10 over her any day. And season four’s Jessica Sierra. I do think she’s better than Lisa Tucker, season five. She’s cute and all and has a fine voice but she is just boring on stage. There’s nothing going on. She just sings the song as given and doesn’t give it any depth or genuine emotion. I don’t see that changing anytime soon and she will pay with a relatively early exit. Odds to win: 60-1
11- Chikezie. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with Chikezie. He’s got a great name, a bit of soul, passable looks, a sweet personality with just a whiff of bravado. But I feel like I’ve seen the same routine but better - and more likable. There was George Huff and of course, Ruben. Even Anwar. In the end, nothing he’s done tells me he’s going to be a truly original artist one day who could fill up even small theaters. Odds to win: 100-1
12- Kristy Lee Cook. She really hasn’t earned her stripes to be here. (Remember Melissa McGhee or Julia DeMato or Lindsey Cardinale? Or not.) She has some skills in the country world but she can’t seem to hit the high notes when she needs to. She’s good but not good enough and I’ll be shocked if she makes the top 10 no matter what she does. Odds to win: 50,000-1
Later today, I’ll provide some moments from the elimination interviews. I can’t wait to hear what Danny has to say! Please email me any questions you’d like me to ask any of the four.
Over the weekend, I’ll recount the finale of “Gone Country” On Monday, I’ll list what I think are the best Beatles songs for each person to sing.
3/7: The final 12 named. Out: Kady Malloy, Luke Menard, Asia’h Epperson, Danny Noriega
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t think anybody was shocked by the four departures tonight though I would have preferred to see Chikezie and Kristy Lee go over Danny and Asia’h. That seems to happen every year for me, that there’s a semifinalist I prefer over who got in. I was rooting for Sabrina Sloan last year over Stephanie Edwards for instance. And the year before, Ayla, the basketball player, should have gotten in over Melissa McGhee.
The three safest guys — David Cook, David Archuleta and Jason Castro— got clearance upfront, even before the group sing! Or maybe there won’t be a group sing. No loss there. We had a performance by Blake Lewis to tide us over. He’s same as he ever was. You liked him last year, you liked him now and if you hated him, he does nothing to change that perception.
After the first commercial break, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado get a thumbs up into the top 12. Kady Malloy, who we all predicted, is the first one out. She simply failed to impress any of the three weeks, a sparkly personality who failed to translate that on stage. We know she could always makes bucks as a Britney Spears impersonator. Asia’h is quite teary, isn’t she? And so is Danny. Is it me or is she singing this Queen song even worse this time around?
After break No. 2, we get David Hernandez and Michael Johns as the fourth and fifth safe singers. (I got Michael Johns wrong.) Then Luke Menard took a bullet, as expected, and he’ll be back doing a capella on street corners. And then he had to humiliate himself again by singing that dang Wham song! He should have left in a flourish by imitating George Michael in the video. Paula is doing a sympathy dance. Danny looks bored as he claps but he’s probably just nervous. David Cook is clapping politely, probably thinking, “Geez, what a loser!” Simon is bored out of his skull.
After break No. 3, it’s time for a surprise or two. First of all, Ramiele Malubuy is fine. And so is Carly Smithson. Amanda Overmyer? She earned a spot in the top 12, too. So it’s down to Asia’h vs. Kristy Lee. And there’s another commercial break. Huh? Again? Following break No. 4, Paula says it’s the most talented season. Geez. Stop it! Simon says Asia’h is leaving. And Kristy Lee survives, as Simon predicts. Oh, well. Kristy doesn’t really deserve to be in the top 12 but that happens every year. I always liked Asia’h Epperson and I don’t think she deserved to go home but clearly, she failed to build a fan base the past three weeks compared to Syesha. Too bad. And vocally, I’d argue she did even better tonight.
Now we get to Chikezie vs. Danny. Will Chikezie be the first person that I can recall at this stage to get eliminated after getting the pimp spot? Nope. Danny Noriega is a goner. At least I picked him in the DJSlim office pool so I got three right there. Why did Ryan call him one of the most “courageous” performers? I think we can definitely say his flamboyant presence on stage made Middle America squirm and whatever fans he had couldn’t save him. I’m mildly surprised but he was the consensus pick to be gone. Danny will work the gay club circuit and do just fine.
So in the end, nothing too shocking, eh?
3/6: Fantasia’s Color Purple going to the movies? Vanessa Olivarez’s latest move
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you come across this blog entry on Thursday night, go to this link to get the results.
As we anticipate who will be cut from the top 16 (Luke and Kady are obviously out but there will be a shocker or two otherwise), here are some “Idol” tidbits to mull over:
Fantasia has told MTV News that a movie adaptation of the musical version of “The Color Purple” is in the works and she’ll reprise the role she made so popular on Broadway until January. This looks like another smart move on her part.
Haley Scarnato is being stalked and forced to leave Nashville. Poor gal!
-Kellie Pickler was nominated for best new female vocalist by the ACMs. Seems a little late doesn’t it?
- This year’s five new “Idol” themed Edy’s flavors: Cheesecake Diva (cheesecake light ice cream with brownie bites and fudge swirls); Cookies ‘N Dreamz (chocolate light ice cream with chocolate cookie); Mint Karaoke Cookie (mint light ice cream with chocolate cookies); Most Orange-inal (vanilla light ice cream with orange sorbet); and One Split Wonder (banana light ice cream with fruit and fudge). Nothing with nuts for Paula?
-One of my favorites from season four who has more or less disappeared, Nadia Turner, has emerged as a guest commentator for Entertainment Weekly..
- Jessica Sierra won’t be on this Thursday’s reunion of the participants of VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” since she still in, well, rehab. As noted in realitytvworld.com:
Following filming for Celebrity Rehab last fall, Sierra was arrested after she was being booted from a Florida bar and allegedly became physically and verbally combative with police. She was charged with disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest without violence and probation violation before subsequently pleading not guilty.
- I’ll post download, radio airplay and album sales for “Idol’ folks this weekend when things slow down, but as Carrie is knocking the door of yet another No. 1 country single with “All American Girl” and Jordin is about to hit the top 10 for a second time with “No Air” on the top 40 charts.
And though most of you probably don’t remember her, I was a big fan of local gal Vanessa Olivarez, the one Simon compared to Bette Midler back in 2003. She was the first of the 12 eliminated that year. (A few of you might have seen the “Idol Rewind” episode she was in last month.)
She was in “Hairspary” in Toronto back in 2004. And now she’ll be playing Candler Habersham, the insecure daughter in the local play “Peachtree Battle,” which has been around for more than six years. It’s the longest running play in Atlanta history.
More info on the Ansley Park Playhouse Web site.
3/5: Top 8 Idol gals recap - a Whitney bookend!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The ladies weren’t quite as good as the guys this week but better than a week ago. I still haven’t seen that “wow” performance.
The tops for me were Carly Smithson by far. Then it’s Amanda Overmyer and Kristy Lee Cook, who both may have eked out just good-enough performances to sruvive. Syesha was, as Simon noted, predictable but solid and in fourth for me. This is followed by Asia’h’s ordinary take on Whitney Houston in fifth.
My bottom two: a dull Ramiele and a forgettable Kady.
Who is out? Anyway, I’d say Kady Malloy is gone no matter what. Then it’s tricky. Maybe Asia’h might get snagged. Or Kristy Lee. Sigh. Like yesterday, I do have to commit. My predicted two out: Kady and Kristy Lee.
Asia’h Epperson (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” Whitney Houston) — Her embarrassing moment: she fell as an extra in a film requiring her being on roller skates. Vocally, she’s the best I’ve heard in awhile, but she seemed a bit nervous and not quite as sparkly as usual. Definitely not as good as Whitney at her best and she failed to add anything new to the song. Randy: “It was a tall order for you take it on. That’s why we got you there… that’s hot!” Paula: “She’s picking big songs… you nailed it. You really nailed it.” Simon: “I’m not quite as enthusiastic. Last week, it was Celine. This week it’s Whitney. It’s second-rate Whitney.” B
Kady Malloy (“I Want To Live Forever” Queen) Her embarrassing moment: after a bad performance at a talent show, she tripped over the cord. She starts sexy and cool but when she tries to hit the high notes, she’s awfully offkey. Nail in the coffin, Kady? Randy: “Nice Queen song. You did a pretty good song. You hit the big notes pretty well.” Paula: “I think to date this was your best performance. The tenderness on your natural voice is where the magic is.” (I agree.) Simon: “It was better than last week but I’m still having issues with your massive lack of personality. You’re like a robot when you sing.” B-minus
Amanda Overmyer (“I Hate Myself For Loving You” Joan Jett) Her embarrassing moment: she accidentally burned down a pool/porch. She smartly picked a song that didn’t require any major octave changes and fit her narrow range. And Joan Jett is a good match for her. It was much better than last week. It might just save her into the top 12. Randy: “That’s the bluesy rocker chick. That’s who you really are. Well done, baby, well done.” Paula: “When you pick the right song, you found your niche.” Simon: “I thought it was fantastic.” (Was it really that good?) B-plus
Carly Smithson (“I Drove All Night” Cyndi Lauper) Her embarrassing moment: She got her leg stuck in a railing and a friend had to oil it out. She chose a very pop song, covered by Celine Dion in the ’90s. She hits the high notes, proving she has the best vocal abilities among the women. It’s very clean. My favorite Carly performance to date. Randy: “I loved that dude. [dude?] Another great performance.” Paula: “You are like a dependable dog. [huh????] You’re totally into your niche.” Simon: “Once again, I don’t think you chose the right song. I thought you made the most out of it.” A-minus
Kristy Lee Cook (“Faithfully” Journey) Most embarrassing moment: when she was seven, she pretended she was a dog. Odd. She starts well. I like country lilt during the first verse and into the chorus. Can she hit the big notes Steve Perry knows so well? Nope. The money shot end note is just okay. Best of her three performances but that isn’t saying that much. Randy: “Two things near and dear to my heart. Dogs and Journey. No one will ever sing this like Perry, Steve Perry. But you put a country lilt into it. [hey, Randy, stop stealing my lines!]” Paula: “That could be a hit for you in country music.” Simon: “It was good we heard a country influence. Your problem is you’re forgettable… Best I can see you is tenth.” B/B-plus
Ramiele Malubay (“Against All Odds” Phil Collins) Most embarrassing moment: in fifth grader, she dropped off her photo at a boy’s house and he laughed at the photo. No-no-no. Not again! Corey Clark sang it. Scott Savol sang it. George Huff sang it. Kat McPhee sang it. Jessica Sierra sang it. It has to be the most sung song ever in “Idol” history, ahead of even “I’m Every Woman.” The fact of the matter is, she’s boring. And a relatively boring song doesn’t help matters. zzzz… Randy: “Find that confidence again. I feel you thinking.. just go for it!” Paula: “There’s such an innocent pure voice in you.” Simon: “It was good, but I actually thought it was very old fashioned… I’ve heard a lot of performances over the year. It was a bit predictable.” (Danny, her bud, is wearing her glasses.) B-minus
Brooke White (“Love is a Battlefield” Pat Benatar) Most embarrassing moment: post church, she was complaining to someone she thought was her dad but it wasn’t! She goes acoustic on a song that is normally rather intense. She does it in that singer-songwriter way and she makes very intense faces sitting on the stage. I think she has a very interesting voice and a memorable look. This arrangement is a major risk and I she more or less pulls it off. Randy: “I liked it. It allowed me to focus on your voice. I don’t know if you brought anything new to the song. It’s very interesting.” [Randy—stop taking my boring adjectives!”] Paula: “It was very very pure. What I would have loved if you incorporated the band more.” Simon: “I could not disagree with Paula more. It was an original take on the song. Once again, two weeks running, you’ve done a great performance.” B plus (bonus points for trying to change it up.)
Syesha Mercado (“Saving All My Love For You” Whitney Houston) Her most embarrassing moment: in second grade, she wrote a note to a fellow student saying she liked him and he told on her. She goes for Whitney, just like Asia’h. I like Syesha’s intensity. She doesn’t go for the big note - smartly, probably because she can’t. It’s lovely. But like Asia’h, she doesn’t really offer anything special to a very well-worn Whitney nugget. Randy: “Good.” Paula: “Sophisticated, lovely.” Simon: “Predictable, but good.” B-plus
According to Ken Barnes on Idol Chatter, here’s what Simon said that was barely discernible about David Hernandez Tuesday night:
Also, I sure didn’t catch it, and I doubt if anyone with hearing less sharp than the average bat heard it with the naked ear, but recording devices show that after David H.’s performance Tuesday night, Simon leaned over and urged Randy, “Say, ‘I liked the way you stripped it down.’ ” Randy chuckled but wisely refrained. That Simon — what a card!
Here’s some gossip from tmz.com from the “Idol” rehearsal tonight:
David Cook and Michael Johns were talking as the girls were on the stage discussing who was hot. At one point David said, “I would do her,” pointing to someone — sorry, we don’t know who.
All the contestants were there and they have some kind of code, constantly referring to “shenanigans,” which normally is a buzzword for hijinks but they were clearly referring to something specific.
Danny Noriega and Ramiele Malubay are definitely best friends. He was on the side making a half-a-heart sign with his hands and she would complete the heart. The two talked about going to the mall for food after rehearsal.
David Cook was making fun of David Archuleta, like a big bro ragging on li’ bro. Cook was beaucoup arrogant during the rehearsal.
Ryan sang You Give Love a Bad Name and was just as bad as yesterday, but lil’ blondie freely admitted he was bad.
We’re told they had 20 million votes for the guys last night — a high for the season.
Anyway, here’s the holding spot for the ladies, who we can only hope can improve from last week.
3/5: Chris Sligh interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chris Sligh, season five top 10 finalist with the big hair and quirky sense of humor, has a new Christian contemporary pop-rock album coming out May 6 dubbed “Running Back To You.” He passed through Atlanta today to promote it. He’s tooling around in a rented Dodge Caliber with his drummer Jon Skaggs.
I met him for some coffee at Starbucks in Buckhead next to the building where 104.7/The Fish is located. Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott, the morning hosts, had just interviewed him. Sligh was bemused because Avery kept calling him Chris “Slay.” I said that’s his evil heavy metal spawn. (Avery, in an email, said he’s just an “idiot” for calling Chris “Slay” and is actually a big “Idol” fan.)
Sligh, by the way, is the only “Idol” finalist I know who actually reads this blog on a regular basis so Chris, if there’s anything I write that is incorrect, please email me at rho@ajc.com and I’ll fix it!
Check out his first single “Empty Me” on his myspace page,. It’s a power ballad with just a slight bit of edge but not too edgy for Christian pop stations. He said about 20 stations have added it so far. The local Fish has not done so but he says Salem, which owns the Fish, is fairly cautious and is “pretesting” it. But he’s confident the Fish will eventually put it on the playlist.
He notes that radio airplay still has a strong impact on sales in the Christian music world. He’s working with Atlanta-based Brash Records. He opted for this small indie instead of a major label because it fit better with what he wanted to do. He said he could have gone the route of mainstream pop-rock but felt more connected going the Christian route. Plus, it’s only a two-record commitment, not a five record deal that the major label wanted. And given his 50/50 deal with Brash, Chris said he only needs to sell about 50,000 copies to recoup the costs of making the album. (It only cost about $75,000 and Chris himself is funding most of this promotional tour out of his own pocket.)
While he isn’t happy that Nigel Lythgoe has shrunken the list of songs the contestants could choose from, he is happy and jealous that season seven folks are allowed to use instruments. And he loves the Beatles, the theme for the top 12. If he had had his chance, he would have chosen “Helter Skelter.” “My wife and I were talking last night,” he said. “If only this had been my year, it would have been totally different.”
After he was eliminated, he told the media he was cool with finishing in the top 10 and wasn’t really gunning to win. That’s partly true but he said today he would have preferred to make it top 5, which also would have provided a small financial bonus.
Among this year’s singers, he’s not overly impressed with the gals. “Carly is okay,” he said. The problem? “There’s not a lot of emotion. She’s like dead in the eyes.” He loves Brooke but is still awaiting that one great performance from her. He’s not a big fan of Asia’h. Syesha, he said, “is very marketable.”
He liked Jason Castro’s “Hallelujah.” Like most everybody, he’s a fan of David Archuleta but isn’t sure if he will actually win, that he might have peaked early. He also thinks David Cook has greatly improved from the first week. “He was smug early on,” Sligh said. “I was impressed that he was able to take that Lionel Richie song and make it sound current.” He’s not a big fan of David Hernandez’s voice, thinks it’s too Broadway. He thinks the gay stripper stuff might hurt him in the voting. Michael Johns? “He has not blown me away but he’s good. He could make it top 5.” Danny Noriega? “He’s just annoying. I hope he goes home soon.”
Chris wished Josiah Leming (the dude who lived in his car) had made it to the top 24 and would like to work with the guy.
If you want more of his thoughts, he does occasional commentary with the online version of “Entertainment Weekly” such as this one..
He also related a story about his final week on Idol when he sang the Police song “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Last year, when the time came to pick songs, usually a couple weeks in advance, the contestants race to pick songs from a pre-cleared list (or request their own.) He saw Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” during Gwen Stefani week and sent it in, beating Haley Scarnato to the song by 12 seconds. He had an idea to do a cool arrangement of it. But Haley was upset because it was the only song she knew particularly well. So he gave it to her and opted for “Give a Little Bit” by Supertramp. But he felt the song was too dull cut down to two minutes. So he went for the Police song at the last minute.
He said he learned a lot on “Idol” on how to go on stage without a guitar and emote into a camera, a very different skill from just performing on stage in a tiny club. (It’s a problem Michael Johns has—he’s not connecting with the camera, as blogger Deirdre noted.). He said Jordin picked it up quickly. He recently watched back his performances on “Idol” last year and felt he could have done better in every case. “I’m not a natural performer jumping around on stage,” he said. “I’m a drier personality.” He also said he was sick for much of the time on “Idol” with a cough and dry throat, which didn’t help matters.
Chris said though his vocals weren’t half bad the week he sang the Police, he looked distinctly uncomfortable. He said the show producers wanted him to move around so that made it difficult for him to hear the backbeat and he didn’t quite connect with the band. He almost went a cappella, he said.
ABOVE: Chris with his traveling musician buddy, Jon Skaggs.
Chris said he wrote or co-wrote everything on his new album and it features a mix of explicitly Christian songs and more secular ones. He hopes to eventually pitch some songs to rock radio. He is planning a spring tour and thinks he’ll land at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur sometime this spring.
And one song features a little sampling of beatboxing Sligh did. It was something he was doing as a joke and the producer stuck it in one of the songs. He was at a taping yesterday for Fox Reality TV’s “American Idol Extra” and told Blake Lewis about it, jokingly saying, “You taught me well!”
Chris now lives in the Nashville area with his beautiful wife Sarah. He said some folks last year were so suspicious of his wife that they thought he had hired someone as sa plant to be his wife because they couldn’t believe he had nabbed someone so hot. He thought that was hilarious. He also found a photo online of a guy having sex with a blonde woman except Chris’ head it photo-shopped on it. He emailed it around to all his buddies because he thought it was hilarious. He even sent it to his pastor. (That’s one easy-going pastor!). His mom thought it was real and freaked out!
Chris writes a regular blog dubbed frommymindtoyoureyes.blogspot.com. Check it out here.
In other Idol news:
I just got overnight ratings for “Idol.” It’s the first show in which the ratings exceeded last year’s comparable show. This year, the show drew 28.2 million, according to preliminary ratings, and will likely end up at about 28.4 million. Last year, it was 27.95 million. I think that finally reflects the greater depth of talent this time around vs. a year ago. I’m certain the “Idol” producers and Fox execs must be thrilled. The show is down 10% year over year to date.
And here’s a nice backgrounder on David Archuleta from MTV.com
Oh, and Brian Dunkleman, lame co-host with Ryan Seacrest season one, will be joining “Celebrity Fit Club” March 13 with the likes of Erin Moran (“Happy Days”), comic Sommore and returnees Dustin Diamond, William Aames and Tina Yothers.
3/4: Idol producer says David Hernandez’s stripper past not a problem, top 8 guys recap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It looks like David Hernandez is in the clear. And he’ll be under greater-than-normal scrutiny in terms of song choice. Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” or Adam Ant’s “Strip” are unlikely choices. Maybe he’ll opt for Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off.”
Indeed, Ken Warwick, co-executive producer of “American Idol” has told TV Guide: he doesn’t care about Hernandez’s past, documented in this AP story.. Here’s the press release:
AMERICAN IDOL EXEC PRODUCER on DAVID HERNANDEZ’S STRIPPER PAST: “We’ve had strippers on the show before; we’re never judgmental”
March 4, 2008 (New York, NY) - American Idol’s executive producer Ken Warwick tells TVGuide.com that he doesn’t care about contestant David Hernandez’s stripper past. “The truth is we’re never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They’ve gotta put food in people’s mouths,” he says.
For three years, 24-year-old Hernandez worked as a stripper at Dick’s Cabaret in Glendale, Arizona, where he danced nude and gave lap dances to a mostly male clientele.
“We’ve had strippers on the show before [that would include season one finalist Nikki McKibbin] …We’re never judgmental about people who do things like that. If it were some sort of heavy porn, then maybe we’d have to take action. But certainly not on this,” Warwick tells TVGuide.com.
In previous seasons, Idol execs have avoided establishing hard-and-fast rules about a contestant’s past. (When it was discovered that Frenchie Davis posed topless for a website, she got the boot, but when racy pics of Antonella Barba showed up online, she was allowed to stay.)
Might this jeopardize Hernandez’s place in the top 16? “If there’s a stretch of the public that thinks, ‘Oh, dear, he was a male stripper, I’m not gonna vote for him,’ then that’s the luck of the draw,” Warwick says. “If the public doesn’t like him, then they’ll get rid of him.”
Danny Noriega also goes all negative in this xmas rant found by tmaz.com.
On with the show: Isn’t this ironic that the topic tonight is “most embarrassing moments”?
This was actually a very good night for the boys, save for that Wham! performance.
The top three in order: David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro. Closely behind them is Danny Noriega (I ranked him much higher than most, now that I’m looking at it) and David Hernandez. In sixth a bit further back is Michael Johns. Then Chikezie. The bottom by a long shot: Luke Menard. (I have not looked at dialidol.com yet.)
Wow. Who goes home? I’m 100% certain Luke is a goner. But who else? Maybe Danny’s welcome has been worn out. Or Chikezie, who doesn’t excite me much but he did get that magic final slot and seldom does anybody get canned at this point when they sing last. Michael Johns is not safe either at this stage. But I must make a call. Luke is out. And I’ll call it for Michael Johns so the Vote for the Worst folks can rejoice in Danny’s spot in the top 12!
Luke Menard (“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” Wham) Luke’s most embarrassing moment is a photo of him wearing a tutu. Ahem. When I joked last week about them picking “Safety Dance” or “Rock Me Amadeus,” I didn’t think someone would go even cheesier with this Wham! classic. He starts extremely weak, truly embarrassingly so. It’s just such a jokey song, how can anyone keep a straight face. His only saving grace is a nice ending high note. But that’s pretty much it. Randy: “Started a litte rough… but you kind of got it together at the end. Paula: “?????? I loved it.” Simon: “A bit girlie. There’s no chance you’ll even make it through the final 12. You won’t win.” That was the opener?? Doesn’t bode well for the rest of the night. C
David Archuleta (“Another Day in Paradise” Phil Collins) He went to Honduras for a fundraiser and he sang a Spanish song but his voice was gone. My mom ran up on stage and finished the song for me. He picks a song that hasn’t been heard in awhile, a socially conscious song — again! This one’s about homelessness. He’s the first one to hit a real piano, at least in the beginning. He does absolutely nothing to disprove the contention he will be the winner. It’s another brilliant performance. Nuanced, mature, controlled, everything. Randy: “I thought it was good. It didn’t show up all your vocal prowess. It was nice.” Paula: “I loved that there were a couple of notes that were off. Proves you aren’t this hologram.” Simon: “It wasn’t as good as last week. You should have stayed at the piano. It’s all getting a little bit gloomy. You’ve got to lighten up.” A
Danny Noriega (“Tainted Love” Soft Cell) His embarrassing moment. A female friend trips him in a movie theater and he falls in front of his “crush,” gender not referenced. He goes for a punkish version of a rather easy song to sing. It’s surprisingly good, far better than anything Sanjaya could ever do. Randy: “It started a little rough but I love the arrangement. I liked the way you did it at the end.” Paula: “You’re like this bright light in this competition.” Simon: “I thought it was horrible. Absolutely useless. Hated the arrangement. Hated the performance.” A-minus
David Hernandez (“It’s All Coming Back To Me” Meatloaf/Celine) Most embarrassing thing is a photo shoot where he had a booger hanging off his nose. Nothing about his dancing. Who sang this in the ’80s? Wasn’t this a ’90s song for Celine? He wasn’t bad but he definitely missed some notes, not as clean as he has been in the past. Randy: “You sometimes overshot the notes. Good song choice for you.” Paula: “I really feel like you’re getting into your groove.” Simon: “It wasn’t as good as last week. I prefer when you’re doing the soul songs. But you’ve 100% secured a spot in the finals next week with that.” B-plus
Michael Johns (“Don’t Forget About Me” Simple Minds) He was a kangaroo mascot at a rugby match and got beat up. He changed up some of the keys on this classic “Breakfast Club” theme but it’s not half bad. The more I listen to him, the more I feel he’s a very good cover band singer but not quite good enough to win this. Randy: “The Aussie boy goes home for ’80s week. It’s so you. You kind of remind me of Michael Hutchence.” Paula: “I’m so glad you are the type of artist who really is defining you who are. I like the strength in your low range.” Simon: “I liked it. I didn’t love it. I still think with you are like one of the girls. Great talent but hasn’t quite connected with the song. I prefer you on the soul singer than a wannabe rock singer.” I agree with Simon 100%. B
David Cook (“Hello” Lionel Richie) His most embarrasing moment— he forget lyrics during a talent show. Song choice hit me with a huh? Why would he pick this eye-rolling turd? He turn s it into a strong power ballad and does amazingly well with it. He has a great rock voice with warmth, depth and conviction. But where’s the Whitesnake, man? Randy: “You made a slightly emo version of an extremely pop Lionel Richie song. I thought that could be a single man!” Paula: “That was fabulous.” Simon: “That was a very brave thing to do. And I loved it!” He’s definitely in the final 12. A
Jason Castro (“Hallelujah” Jeff Buckley/Leonard Cohen) He pulled out a dread on a date. That was his embarrassing moment. Okay. Anyway, isn’t this a ’90s song, too? Maybe they gave them an extra decade! He got rid of the guitar and decided to focus on the vocal. He’s got a wonderfully pure vocal and a sweetness about him. He botches the soft point at the end and knows it. This is kind of a melancholy song and he’s a wee bit too happy go lucky. “You did a pretty good job. It’s a tall order… I give you props for it and give you props for going out with the guitar, showing a different side.” Paula: “You made it sound so effortless, with ease.” Simon: “I thought it was absolutely brilliant what you did. Loved it! You are getting better and better and better!” B plus
Chikezie (“All the Woman” Luther Vandross) He surprisingly gets the pimp spot. His embarrassing point: he had been using a girl’s bathroom in high school. Smart song choice. He’s a perfectly good singer but for some reason, I just don’t feel him like Luther. I’m not sure what he’s missing. It’s hard to pinpoint. Randy: “You did a good job. I was really impressed.” Paula: “Your vocals sound really good tonight.” Simon: “I don’t think that worked at all. You were okay in bits. It was much more cabaret than last week.” B
3/4: (UPDATED) David Hernandez was a stripper!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Instead of starting a new blog entry, let me just add this juicy tidbit that David Hernandez was a stripper, according to a report in the Associated Press.
The 24-year-old finalist from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as a stripper at Dick’s Cabaret, appearing fully nude and performing lap dances for the club’s “mostly male” clientele, club manager Gordy Bryan said Monday.
“He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here,” Bryan said.
Would this disqualify him? Did he tell “Idol” about this before hand? If he did and they cleared him, then he should be fine but if he didn’t tell them, well, then he might be in a bit of trouble. And that’d be a shame because he’s definitely one of my favorite singers at this stage.
— Simon Cowell admits to British Glamour magazine that he uses (gasp!) Botox and wearing lifts to look taller.
“To me, Botox is no more unusual than toothpaste,” the 48-year-old said. “It works, you do it once a year - who cares?”
Agreed.
Plus, he says his hair is not dyed and he will never get married. And he turned down $2 million to promote Viagra.
- And more names are being floated for “Idol Gives Back” beyond the ones Ryan Seacrest gave out last week such as Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox and Brad Pitt. Fergie, John Legend, Bono and Peyton and Eli Manning are joining the show April 9.
There’s also yet another dancing reality show except it forced parents to dance with their kids. It’s on Lifetime and it’s called “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” I’ve avoided it. It just sounds creepy and vaguely wrong. Sorry, Ben Vereen. (He’s one of the judges.)
And DJSlim has gotten the songs to be performed the next two days, but not attached to whom.. Check it out if you’re deeply curious. Robbie Carrico had said he wanted to sing “Rebel Yell.” That’s on the list. Makes you think David Cook may have taken it instead, eh? Another Heart song is about to be sung, too — and not one of their better ones.
-We know Katharine McPhee’s in an upcoming film. But would you believe: Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais. According to this site:
- Jordin Sparks’ album has now sold more than 535,000 copies. Her latest single “No Air” is about to hit the top 10, too, and I’m fairly confident it will do better than “Tattoo,” which peaked at No. 5. It’s still on pace to exceed Taylor Hicks’ album in sales by June. Plus, she has sold more than 1.8 million downloads of her three singles.
“College” - a teen comedy set to be released nationwide on April 11, 2008 - focuses on three high school students who enjoy a wild weekend away while looking at a prospective college. Covais is one of those three students. Go figure!
And two season four contestants Anthony Fedorov and Vonzell Solomon will be singing on a “Simply Ballroom” national tour hosted by Debbie Reynolds. The tour isn’t coming to Atlanta. Closest locale is Panama City March 31 at the Marina Civic Center. More dates here.
And DJ was nice enough to post the new Kat/Elliott duet “Real Love” from Randy Jackson’s compilation CD. It’s pretty good.
3/1: John Rich berates Diana DeGarmo in Gone Country
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Gone Country” finally gets down to business episode six as we hear samples of what each of the contestants have created so far in terms of country songs.
Oddly, Julio Iglesias Jr. gets mostly praise although his song sounds nothing like country to me. Host John Rich thinks Dee Snider’s party song, which does have a country feel, has simplistic lyrics. He loved both Bobby Brown’s confessional ballad, which is truly heartfelt and Maureen McCormick’s tune for the same reason. But he rips Sisqo big time. He felt Carnie Wilson’s chorus wasn’t strong enough.
Then Rich reams Diana DeGarmo’s “Right Back Where We Ended” for not being country. “You’re a great singer,” Rich said, “but I gotta tell ya. There ain’t nothin’ about that vocal that’s country at all. That is straight pop music big time. This is ‘Gone Country.’ You sound like a pop diva singing that song.”
Alabama’s Randy Owen piped in, “That’s right.” (Carnie, in a side interview, said she agreed.)
“I’ll ask you a direct question,” Rich said. “Why are you here? Why do you want to go into country music when you’re such a great pop singer?”
“Because I want a challenge,” Diana said, with a nervous laugh.
“Terrible answer,” Rich bit back. “You need to want to do this because you love country music, not because it’s a damn challenge! Country music, it ain’t a challenge. It’s the way we live. It’s in our DNA around here. This is serious business to me. I’d kill for country music. I’d kill for it. I’d die for it. I’d smack the hell out of anybody’s music that comes in here thinkin’ they’re just here to take a piggyback ride. That audience is important to me.”
“I was in complete shock,” Diana said later. “I did not expect JR to bite my head off and chew me a new one and spit me out. I was totally petrified of that man.”
Later, Carnie tried to console Diana.
“My hands were sweating so badly,” Diana said, crying. “He made Simon Cowell look like a pussycat. If I could rewind that back, I would have said, ‘The reason I’m back in country music is because it called me back. That’s why I hate being doubted. That frustrates me.’ “
“I deserve to be here as much as anybody else with,” she added, wiping away tears. “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a country singer more than anything in the world. I tried and I got shot down so bad.”
Snider, who mocked Diana’s “American Idol” experience” before he even met her, played dad. “Do not lose sight of this. I think you still have a shot because you have gumption. You’re the bravest 20 year old I know. Hang in there.”
I thought Rich was being a bit harsh on her while giving a pass on Julio. I thought Diana was going more for that Faith Hill power ballad deal. It’s possible that Rich had higher expectations for Diana and wanted something truly more twangy. If anything, this gives Diana more motivation.
The show ends with Bobby outside talking to God to inserted choral music in the background. “God, give me the strength to perform at my best. I’m asking for your help. I’m at a place where it’s my beginning. You gave me the skills. He gave all of them to me, man. I want to give Him the best, the best of me.” Then he sings a bit of his song, “So you can finally see, the man I’m going to be.”
In other Idol news:
To Entertainment Weekly, Jason Yeager was unusually frank and I appreciate that. He noted that he felt constrained by time and the limited song list. He also was a bit bitter about not being shown prior to the top 24, and said Colton and Garrett had the same problems. All true though the fact he wasn’t able to transcend thos problems like Jason Castro did week one didn’t help matters for him. Read more here..
And if you want more details about Ruben’s farewell song, a cover of the Kenny Loggins’ tune “Celebrate Me Home,” check this Billboard.com story..
Although Ruben lost his J Records contract, he’s still under the 19 Recordings umbrella and the “Idol” folks obviously still love him.
“Ruben has never left our fold,” “Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says. “(With) the success that we’ve had with the play-off song, I wanted to keep it in-house.”
