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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.”
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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.
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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! Con