CHEESY SING-A-LONGS!!! WITH BAD DANCING!!! PAINFULLY SLOW RESULTS!!! BAD SINGERS SING AFTER BEING SHOWN THE EXIT!!! PRESS "MUTE" NOW BECAUSE THIS - IS AMERICAN IDOL!!!
Tonight was pretty easy. Any one of 37 guys could have gone home so the fact that one of them isn't Tim Urban is only mildly annoying.
As for the ladies, Diandra's flatline icon for Janell turned out to be prophetic. What we can learn from the ladies - which applies to the guys too - is that wrong song (Janell) or bad performance (Ashley) can doom you even if you are a better singer than other competitors. Of course, the aforementioned warnings didn't seem to apply to Tim Urban who was lucky that there were 63 other guys as bad as him last night including Tyler Grady.
Props to Kris Allen for going to Haiti and for a pretty rendition of Let It Be which I know made the Kris Lovin' Ladies of Scottsbluff* quite proud. And do I love me some Allison or what? She is a great example of how much better Idol contestants get as they move through the process. If you haven't checked out her very fine CD, you really need to.
* The Kris Lovin' Ladies have formally announced that they are now the Casey Lovin' Ladies. I have been assured that the name change in no way implies any less love for Kris. The name change does, however, assure me of another season of exasperation.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The challenge
To help out with the challenge posted by Anonymous (Feb. 23, No Shining Stars Yet But a Few Bright Spots), here is a pictorial history of past Idolists who have captured my attention. OK, fine - irrational affection. Alexis, Brooke, Sabrina and Syesha. Sigh.
Do We Really Have to Have Six of Them?
Wow. Tonight the pressure was so on. It was so intense because it was such a huge night and there was so much at stake. Not for the guys. For me! Diandra took a babysitting job and gave ME the responsibility for the Omnipotent Idol Clipboard. With great fear and trembling I went about my assignment. Not my fear and trembling. Diandra was the one uncertain if I could handle so much power and accountability. My judgment awaits. And now to the guys . .
. . . who were pretty lame. Let's first recognize Tim's Apologize as the Worst Song Choice in Idol History. And Lee for not hitting more than five notes on pitch. Simon liked him which must mean forgetting the words is a bigger sin than forgetting the actual notes. I'm not sure why John thought butchering God Bless the Child was a good idea but at least we got some shots of Shania Twain out of it. And you know it's a bad night when a country singer - 16 year old Aaron - is one my favorites of the night.
Oh, did Casey sing? Are you finished swooning yet, ladies? And big ups to him - he was good as expected. But they can drop the Fawning Kougar Kara shtick anytime now. And he wasn't that good although maybe it's just because I detest Bryan Adams. I think he can get away with that kind of slow, plaintive song but he's better with a blues-rock sound in my opinion. Still - and yes, it's very early - I'll be shocked if he's not in the final three or four but (maybe) more on charisma than talent.
Big Michael and Andrew were just OK. Todrick started STRONG but faded badly. Jermaine really oversang. I'm not convinced that Big Michael is better than what he was tonight. I think the other three are better but we'll see.
The whole group of guys is so underwhelming that we are guaranteed to have some really bad performers in the final 12 - even worse the Oil Rig Dude from last year.
Quick notes on the judges: Simon seems especially cruel at times even for him; I love Ellen's listener-at-home approach combined with her knowledge of what it takes to be appealing; Kara appears more comfortable this year and has been bringing more of the industry insider insights I expected last year. The big thing is that Ryan seems to defer to Ellen and often gives her the last word that always used to go to Simon. I'm anxious to see how that plays out especially as we get down to the end - both of the competition and of Simon's reign.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
No Shining Stars Yet But a Few Bright Spots
For those of you keeping score at home, it took Christine four songs and 40 minutes to issue the first, "He's hot" proclamation regarding Ryan Seacrest. Obviously she hasn't quite rounded into mid-season form. Cassandra on the other hand was there with her assessment of Haeley: "That's one of my favorite Beatles songs and I just want to hurt her right now". Diandra was back with her infamous clipboard for notes and voting numbers and added a nice flatline drawing she used for Janell.So, gee, Simon et al put through a bunch of girls who sound like Lilly Allen, Adele and Duffy and now he's mad because everybody sounds like Lilly Allen, Adele and Duffy? I'm sorry but who's at fault here? Actually, I think this is what is going to make this year interesting from the ladies' standpoint, i.e. that some of the best singers don't appear to be standard issue pop belters.
Having said that, the night as a whole was underwhelming given all the hype about how TALENTED THIS YEAR'S GROUP OF LADIES IS. But there is potential. So let's go to the list of my Noteworthy and Notable Notations (in other words, the ones I liked):
- Paige - singing All Right Now; I liked the bold song choice, good voice even if not the best performance
- Lilly from Denver - I really like her jazziness and her going with a lesser known Beatles song Fixin' a Hole; she is definitely not your standard issue pop singer
- Katelyn - Beatles again, Oh Darlin'; nice
- Didi - I got my first goosebumps of the night with her although Diandra was on the fence
- Siobhan - love the name and LOVE the voice and ability to pull off a tough Chris Isaak song
- Crystal - my favorite of the night - has anybody done Alanis before?
- Katie - agree with the judges critique that she looked too old and sang too old a song but she has a great big voice and is the type of Kelly Clarkson pop belter that can win. Not a good performance but she needs another chance.
We'll see if the guys bring more heat - I hear the ladies saying "Casey" - than the girls but again, there are some good guys who don't fit your typical Idol-pop mode.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Finally Semi-Finalists
Talk about life imitating art. After two days of reading about co-dependency, I watch Thaddeus' mom follow a clearly disappointed Thaddeus into a men's room stall. The fact that there was a camera following them around is also quite disturbing but this is reality TV and it's what I sign on to when I watch the show in the early weeks.
So now the voting begins! I find this whole process really awesome - going from 100,000+ people down to 24. I can't imagine not watching it. It's obvious some belong - Katie and Crystal for example - but it surely makes for some hard calls. Last year I thought Danny Gokey's friend deserved a spot. Based on what we saw - admittedly far, far less than the judges - I liked Kelly more than Haeley and NOT because Haeley is country (attempting to preempt comments from certain Scottsbluffians). And despite Thaddeus' very annoying mom, I liked him more than a bunch of guys. It bears keeping in mind that while they keep telling us "it's a singing competition", a pure singing contest would be boring. So I believe they make a choice to entertain and engage us with a compelling mixture of talent, stories, styles and looks.
During the roll call at the end I did a personal vote of "I like" and "I don't like". I said "I like" a lot during the girls and maybe only a couple times for the guys - omitting a vote for Casey since what I or any other guy thinks about him is completely irrelevant. I can't see how a girl doesn't win but we have a lot of votes, a lot of surprises (the Unspeakable One) and a lot of disappointments (yes, still bitter about early exits for Sabrina, A'siah and Alexis) to experience. And I just love it so!
So now the voting begins! I find this whole process really awesome - going from 100,000+ people down to 24. I can't imagine not watching it. It's obvious some belong - Katie and Crystal for example - but it surely makes for some hard calls. Last year I thought Danny Gokey's friend deserved a spot. Based on what we saw - admittedly far, far less than the judges - I liked Kelly more than Haeley and NOT because Haeley is country (attempting to preempt comments from certain Scottsbluffians). And despite Thaddeus' very annoying mom, I liked him more than a bunch of guys. It bears keeping in mind that while they keep telling us "it's a singing competition", a pure singing contest would be boring. So I believe they make a choice to entertain and engage us with a compelling mixture of talent, stories, styles and looks.
During the roll call at the end I did a personal vote of "I like" and "I don't like". I said "I like" a lot during the girls and maybe only a couple times for the guys - omitting a vote for Casey since what I or any other guy thinks about him is completely irrelevant. I can't see how a girl doesn't win but we have a lot of votes, a lot of surprises (the Unspeakable One) and a lot of disappointments (yes, still bitter about early exits for Sabrina, A'siah and Alexis) to experience. And I just love it so!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
MOST INCREDIBLE IDOL EVER!!!
THE MOST AMAZING PERFORMANCES IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC!!! THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF MUSICAL TALENT EVER SEEN!!! YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY!!!! KARA MAKES OUT WITH CASEY IN THE BACK OF HER LIMO!!!!
So, is anybody else as tired as I am of the SUPERLATIVES!!! (I actually like the word "hyperbole" better but this is why my children think I am a geek.)
At this stage my critical ears (and, fine, my eyes - see Grace, Alexis) are starting to put people into three categories: Can Win; Good but Can't Win; Should Not Be on the Show. Eventually, there will be a fourth category: Should Be Shot on Sight - for example Ace Young, Kristy Lee Cook and the Unspeakable One; sorry new readers, I cannot allow myself to type his name just think hair and name begins with "S" and I feel dirty having even thought about him this much . . .
It's too early to put any of tonight's seven into Can Win although Casey certainly will garner his share of the female vote. I like Didi, too, but she has got to stop crying all the time. Todrick is interesting, also. But if I am right about who we've seen so far, they have saved some big guns for tomorrow especially Crystal Bowersox. So it's premature for me to put anybody in Can Win for now.
So, is anybody else as tired as I am of the SUPERLATIVES!!! (I actually like the word "hyperbole" better but this is why my children think I am a geek.)
At this stage my critical ears (and, fine, my eyes - see Grace, Alexis) are starting to put people into three categories: Can Win; Good but Can't Win; Should Not Be on the Show. Eventually, there will be a fourth category: Should Be Shot on Sight - for example Ace Young, Kristy Lee Cook and the Unspeakable One; sorry new readers, I cannot allow myself to type his name just think hair and name begins with "S" and I feel dirty having even thought about him this much . . .
It's too early to put any of tonight's seven into Can Win although Casey certainly will garner his share of the female vote. I like Didi, too, but she has got to stop crying all the time. Todrick is interesting, also. But if I am right about who we've seen so far, they have saved some big guns for tomorrow especially Crystal Bowersox. So it's premature for me to put anybody in Can Win for now.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hollywood Like You Shouldn't
Every year I go into Hollywood Week with great anticipation but forget how much I hate Group Night. No, it's not the drama - in some capitalistic way, I rather like seeing people implode in groups because dealing with that is a big part of how I make a living. So I can watch all of that in a very detached and clinical fashion.
No, the problem with Group Night is that every year they only get rid of like 20 people - this year from 91 to 71. So we get all this build up about how brutal it is only to send just 20 people - who weren't any good, anyway - home. Thankfully, potential Tatiana-channeling Drama Queen Amanda was one of the 20 sent packing.
The only thing that stood out for me tonite was - sigh - Casey James who is sure to get plenty of TV time as I can't see how he misses Final 12. Which assures me that I have to listen to how hot he is all year. Diandra says he is kind of like Ace Young from years back who knew he was hot and played to that. Since Ace couldn't sing, he needed to keep unbuttoning his shirt one more button each week. Alas, Casey appears to have some talent so I can't be so dismissive.
No, the problem with Group Night is that every year they only get rid of like 20 people - this year from 91 to 71. So we get all this build up about how brutal it is only to send just 20 people - who weren't any good, anyway - home. Thankfully, potential Tatiana-channeling Drama Queen Amanda was one of the 20 sent packing.
The only thing that stood out for me tonite was - sigh - Casey James who is sure to get plenty of TV time as I can't see how he misses Final 12. Which assures me that I have to listen to how hot he is all year. Diandra says he is kind of like Ace Young from years back who knew he was hot and played to that. Since Ace couldn't sing, he needed to keep unbuttoning his shirt one more button each week. Alas, Casey appears to have some talent so I can't be so dismissive.
Quick Update
Watched last night's show again with Christine who had missed it. No major changes of mind but on further reflection:
I liked Andrew better
I didn't like Rocker Mom as much
Didi I liked even more
Crystal brought tears to my eyes
Ah, but what Horrors and Drama await us on Group Night?
I liked Andrew better
I didn't like Rocker Mom as much
Didi I liked even more
Crystal brought tears to my eyes
Ah, but what Horrors and Drama await us on Group Night?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Hollywood Like You Should
(Like the Kool and the Gang reference in the title? Hollywood Swingin' for the uninitiated.)
First this: forget record sales and radio spins. The true measure of Adam Lambert’s stardom is this: signed underwear he gave to Ellen to raise money for Haiti were auctioned off for $8,500! There is no truth to the rumor that my wife bought them (“I love him and everything but I’m not buying his underwear.”)
So you know Idol season has officially begun when Diandra and I do an intense and critical fifteen-minute appraisal/comparison/debate about the pre-Idolists (only the finalists get the formal title of Idolist). So much so that we didn’t even talk about Ellen who I thought was fabulous ("Step forward. Step back. Step sideways."). And the fact that there were far too many weak singers who should not have been brought to Hollywood (later, Skii Bo Ski, baby).
Tonight was heavy on the talented females balanced out on the male side by hot, bluesy Casey James who sang I Don’t Need No Doctor. (Women everywhere are lining up to get a list of what his exact needs are.) On the female side we had more than credible versions of Aretha (Crystal Bowersox) and Ella (Lilly Scott) who were my standouts of the night along with Didi who Diandra thinks is good but will be annoying like Brooke White was in Season 7. Diandra seems to have far less tolerance for cute females than me . . . .
OK, my list, which is tentative given the trials and tribulations of the group round that lies ahead:
Katy – 17 year old with Idolist potential
Andrew – did an incredible re-arrangement of Paula’s Straight Up. Didn’t she used to be on this show? But is his voice going to be good enough?
Janelle – pretty and did a nice arrangement of American Boy
Rocker Mom Mary – good but more than a few women are better and the look is a gots-to-go situation
Lilly Scott – previously cited for her fabulous Ella and Lullaby of Birdland
Michael the big, new daddy personal trainer – I see some real potential there plus a lot of personality
Casey – impressive audition but is he talented enough to pull off all the genre switches or creative enough (like Daughtry and Carrie) to do his (bluesy) thing each week, anyway? The ladies will certainly like him!
Didi – singing a Kara song was my favorite of the night until . . .
Crystal – ARETHA!!!! Wow!! Whoa!! Whew!!
Group Night always sends some good people packing so tomorrow night will be interesting. Especially since I’m sure they have held back on some possible Idolists.
First this: forget record sales and radio spins. The true measure of Adam Lambert’s stardom is this: signed underwear he gave to Ellen to raise money for Haiti were auctioned off for $8,500! There is no truth to the rumor that my wife bought them (“I love him and everything but I’m not buying his underwear.”)
So you know Idol season has officially begun when Diandra and I do an intense and critical fifteen-minute appraisal/comparison/debate about the pre-Idolists (only the finalists get the formal title of Idolist). So much so that we didn’t even talk about Ellen who I thought was fabulous ("Step forward. Step back. Step sideways."). And the fact that there were far too many weak singers who should not have been brought to Hollywood (later, Skii Bo Ski, baby).
Tonight was heavy on the talented females balanced out on the male side by hot, bluesy Casey James who sang I Don’t Need No Doctor. (Women everywhere are lining up to get a list of what his exact needs are.) On the female side we had more than credible versions of Aretha (Crystal Bowersox) and Ella (Lilly Scott) who were my standouts of the night along with Didi who Diandra thinks is good but will be annoying like Brooke White was in Season 7. Diandra seems to have far less tolerance for cute females than me . . . .
OK, my list, which is tentative given the trials and tribulations of the group round that lies ahead:
Katy – 17 year old with Idolist potential
Andrew – did an incredible re-arrangement of Paula’s Straight Up. Didn’t she used to be on this show? But is his voice going to be good enough?
Janelle – pretty and did a nice arrangement of American Boy
Rocker Mom Mary – good but more than a few women are better and the look is a gots-to-go situation
Lilly Scott – previously cited for her fabulous Ella and Lullaby of Birdland
Michael the big, new daddy personal trainer – I see some real potential there plus a lot of personality
Casey – impressive audition but is he talented enough to pull off all the genre switches or creative enough (like Daughtry and Carrie) to do his (bluesy) thing each week, anyway? The ladies will certainly like him!
Didi – singing a Kara song was my favorite of the night until . . .
Crystal – ARETHA!!!! Wow!! Whoa!! Whew!!
Group Night always sends some good people packing so tomorrow night will be interesting. Especially since I’m sure they have held back on some possible Idolists.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Best Audition Show of the Best Audition Season
The resident geniuses at Idol outdid themselves tonight with easily the best audition show ever, likewise concluding the best audition season ever. Best, to me, meant they had an ideal combination of entertainment – the good and the tragi-comical – along with interesting stories and clever production. The use of guest judges during the audition rounds really “spiced” things up, too. Seriously, did you even give Paula’s absence a single thought?
Clearly tonight was a warm-up for Hollywood Week as we saw and learned about more talented singers than any prior show. This highlight reel from all the cities was a correct response to the problem of past years when the show moved to Hollywood and we saw a bunch of people we had no prior connection to.
There were many standouts tonight and the ones I had Diandra asterisk for me on her ever-present list were: Crystal Bowersox who sang Janis Joplin; Didi Benami who sang “Hey Jude” in honor of her girlfriend who passed away; and 16-year old Aaron Kelly that Diandra thinks sounds like Keith Urban. In spite of the country sound he goes into Hollywood as one of my favorites. Cute with a great back story and a great smile, the girls and ladies will love him meaning he will be a force to be reckoned with IF he survives the tortures of Hollywood. I’m rooting for him.
While we thankfully did not get a repeat of Bikini Girl, the producers evidently realized that having a Designated Drama Queen is money. So we get Amanda Schectman to play this year’s version of last year’s Tatiana who delighted me and horrified my mom. At least this year’s version is a better singer and she is destined for some serious airtime. Begin praying for my mom now.
Next week Ellen!!!! I CANNOT wait.
Clearly tonight was a warm-up for Hollywood Week as we saw and learned about more talented singers than any prior show. This highlight reel from all the cities was a correct response to the problem of past years when the show moved to Hollywood and we saw a bunch of people we had no prior connection to.
There were many standouts tonight and the ones I had Diandra asterisk for me on her ever-present list were: Crystal Bowersox who sang Janis Joplin; Didi Benami who sang “Hey Jude” in honor of her girlfriend who passed away; and 16-year old Aaron Kelly that Diandra thinks sounds like Keith Urban. In spite of the country sound he goes into Hollywood as one of my favorites. Cute with a great back story and a great smile, the girls and ladies will love him meaning he will be a force to be reckoned with IF he survives the tortures of Hollywood. I’m rooting for him.
While we thankfully did not get a repeat of Bikini Girl, the producers evidently realized that having a Designated Drama Queen is money. So we get Amanda Schectman to play this year’s version of last year’s Tatiana who delighted me and horrified my mom. At least this year’s version is a better singer and she is destined for some serious airtime. Begin praying for my mom now.
Next week Ellen!!!! I CANNOT wait.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Somebody for me to root for
I really enjoyed tonight’s show a lot and while I am quite ready for Hollywood next week and the emergence of Ellen, I have liked this year’s audition season better than any. I think the guest judges have had a lot to do with that as well as their usual top notch and clever editing. Some random thoughts from the show in no particular order:
Move quickly. Their last free download was only available for a short period of time. http://www.wearethefallen.com/freedownload /
Finally in Billboard Top 40 action, both Kris and Adam are enjoying success. Kris' Live Like We're Dying is #26 with a bullet. Adam's Whataya Want From Me jumped from 55 to #37 with a bullet.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Idol at the Grammy Awards
Last night was the Grammy’s which is one of my favorite nights of the year and the involvement of several Idolists is my excuse to write about it. The awards are often infuriating – I am STILL bitter about Mrs. Robinson beating out Lady Madonna for Song of the Year in 1969 (and last year "celebrated" the 40th anniversary of that nightmarish selection). And last night I was tweaked by U2 losing to Green Day for Rock Album of the Year and miffed that Taylor Swift – with no disrespect intended as I think she is great – beat out both Lady Gaga and Beyonce for the big one – Album of the Year.
But the Grammy's are a celebration of music and that's a party I always want to be part of. It is also a barometer - albeit faulty at times - of what and who is happening in the music biz. And for me it's fun following the industry trends and what they say about popular culture.
OK, enough philosophizing. Back to the Idolists with three thoughts. First, I love this picture (scarfed from Diandra) of two of my favorite people - Adam and Katy Perry. Adam was working the red carpet for Entertainment Tonight as their fashion correspondent.
Second, I find Ryan Seacrest (presented an award) amazing at the ease with which he talks to people in front of other people. He acts like he is walking into his living room and talking to a few close friends - except he is walking into and talking to millions of strangers. I think he is awesome - as we all can be when we are doing what we were given the gifts to be doing.
Finally, the very moving Michael Jackson tribute performance had former Idolists Carrie Underwoood and Jennifer Hudson. Carrie has, quite deservedly, fulfilled Simon’s promise that she would be the biggest selling Idol finalist of all time. But she may not want to be on the same stage as Jennifer Hudson any time soon. Carrie is the bigger star and quite the singer, but seriously, as a pure singer Jennifer is at another level.
But the Grammy's are a celebration of music and that's a party I always want to be part of. It is also a barometer - albeit faulty at times - of what and who is happening in the music biz. And for me it's fun following the industry trends and what they say about popular culture.
OK, enough philosophizing. Back to the Idolists with three thoughts. First, I love this picture (scarfed from Diandra) of two of my favorite people - Adam and Katy Perry. Adam was working the red carpet for Entertainment Tonight as their fashion correspondent.Second, I find Ryan Seacrest (presented an award) amazing at the ease with which he talks to people in front of other people. He acts like he is walking into his living room and talking to a few close friends - except he is walking into and talking to millions of strangers. I think he is awesome - as we all can be when we are doing what we were given the gifts to be doing.
Finally, the very moving Michael Jackson tribute performance had former Idolists Carrie Underwoood and Jennifer Hudson. Carrie has, quite deservedly, fulfilled Simon’s promise that she would be the biggest selling Idol finalist of all time. But she may not want to be on the same stage as Jennifer Hudson any time soon. Carrie is the bigger star and quite the singer, but seriously, as a pure singer Jennifer is at another level.
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