Archive for February, 2007

It’s the girls turn to sing and dedicate their performances to loved ones.   I think the boys edged out the girls this week.   At the very least, they picked interesting songs–by Ray LaMontagna, Jamiroquai, Irving Berlin and  Jason Mraz.   The girls had the typical Celine-Whitney-Christina triumvirate–with a little Beyonce thrown in on the side.   YAWN.   I was a little bored tonight.   Even writing this recap took some effort. Read the rest of this entry »

I just pulled the following out of comments (thanks milajoy):

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what RickyHoeGuardian posted at IDF about the girls performances tonight:

Gina: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Aloneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Alaina: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Not Ready To Make Niceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Lakisha: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Midnight Train To Georgiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Melinda: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Funny Valentineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Antonella: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Because You Loved Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Haley: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Queen Of The Nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Jordin: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Reflectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Leslie: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Feeling Goodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Stephanie: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dangerously In Loveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Sabrina: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“All The Man That I Needà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Gina goes first
Alaina is second

Tomorrow night they sing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Joy to the Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (Jerimiaha was a Bullfrog)

First four: Gina, Alaina, Lakisha, Melinda,

Sabrina is last, Leslie is 8th.

TPTB run damage control re: Antonella.   Ryan, Simon and Randy attended a function at the Playboy Mansion in LA last night.  Here  is what they had to say.

From Access Hollywood:

Arriving late, after coming from taping AMERICAN IDOL (and I’m guessing a quick dinner) Ryan brought along Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell and I asked them whether or not they had seen the photos of Antonella that had been leaked on the internet. At first Randy joked, ” Who’s Antonella?” but then Simon got very serious when I showed him several of the photos in question, “You know what, whoever sold those is despicable. I really mean that. It’s despicable. That is private property. Out of order. Honestly. It’s repulsive.”

From USAToday:

Cowell believes photos showing nudity should not be grounds for dismissal. “These people haven’t done anything illegal; that’s their private life,” he stressed. He believes that the racy photos of Barba should “not affect her standing on the show, and if the public wants to keep her in, they’ll keep her in.” (Barba performs with the remaining female singers on Wednesday’s show; two men and two women will be eliminated Thursday.)

Though he said he had not yet seen the photos, Seacrest added that he would “absolutely let (Barba) stay on. If American Idol is a true representation of American youth, we’re going to find imperfections. And it’s OK to be imperfect.”

Wednesday Feb 28

The show opens with a big fat ole’ congratulations to Season 3’s Jennifer Hudson. To those of you who live in a cave–she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the Academy Awards Sunday night.   Good going Jennifer!

Now, we see if the boys set aside some time this week to locate their missing A game.   I would say, for the most part, YES.   Here we go. Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight, the boys are back.   After the girls threw down the gauntlet last Wednesday, we’ll see if the guys are up to the challenge.   In the meantime, I’ve got some Season 6 contestant news.   Just for you.

Lucky me.   A couple of weeks ago, a band member from Chris Sligh’s band Half Past Forever sent me a promo copy of their new album “Take a Chance on Something Beautiful”   The album will be available for download tomorrow at  Chris Sligh store.com.   The CD is currently available for pre-order at Amazon, and will be  released March 8.   You can watch the band’s video for “Know” (my favorite tune on the CD) here.

I’ll be posting a review of the CD very soon.   But, I will say this–if infectious, hook-laden guitar-driven pop/rock is your thing, definitely check the CD out.   And Chris’s lead vocals are outstanding.  So yeah, more on the new CD later.

It looks like Antonella Barba will remain a contestant  on American Idol, despite the series of racy pics that  appeared on the internet  this past week.   I would say, no news from TPTB is good news.   Here’s what Antonella’s friend  Amanda Coluccio had to say about the pictures:

Barba’s best friend, Amanda Coluccio of Holmdel, with whom she auditioned and won a trip to Hollywood for the second round before being eliminated, told The Star-Ledger of Newark that the less graphic photos are of Barba, but denied she is pictured in the pornographic ones.

“The really bad ones aren’t her. I’ve studied them,” Coluccio told The Star-Ledger for Monday’s newspapers. “It’s not her nose. She’s never had (acrylic nail) tips (like the woman in the photo) in her life. She’s the least slutty person I know.”

Eliminated Top 40 contestant Matthew Buckstein devised a clever plan  to extend his 15 minutes of fame, and perhaps jump start his career.   He called his scheme “The Lost Idol”–competing along with the rest of the Top 24 from a karaoke bar in Denver.   But, surprise, surprise!   The bar that was hosting Matt’s performances got a phone call and a “Cease and Desist” letter from the legal folks at Idol.  You can read about Matthew’s saga at Reality TV Magazine:

I wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t go into it too deep because that would be a violation of agreements Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve made with them.   Basically they fear that what I am doing is too closely related to their show and that I might be stealing their intellectual property.

It was never my intention to do them harm; in fact, quite the contrary.   I want to promote the show.   I want people to watch it.

I hear you my brothah!   Those legal peeps wouldn’t happen to be from this firm  would they?   *whistles and walks away*   Just askin’!

Matthew will continue with the “Lost Idol” concept, but will have to lose the name “Idol”.

The concept of what Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m doing will remain the same.   However, I claim no present or future connection with AI…Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m currently deciding between à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Lost Country Singerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Lost Iconà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ …Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll still put up performance videos on Tuesday nights and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll still allow people to show their support through comments on my myspace page and by clicking a vote counter.   Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll still have a results show in the days that follow my performance video.

Good Luck Matthew!   Don’t let the 800 pound gorilla get you down…

For more about Matthew’s quest as the “Lost Idol” check out his My Space.

Lastly, check out some pre-Idol music by Top 24 contestant’s Brandon Rogers here  and Blake Lewis here.  Ãƒâ€š  Those boys can sang, peeps.

Tuesday Feb 27

Entertainment Weekly posted exit interviews  of this week’s 4 bootees.   Here are a few excerpts. Read the rest of this entry »

Monday Feb 26

Jennifer Hudson is nominated for Best Supporting actress for her role as Effie White in “Dreamgirls.”

Good luck Jennifer! I’ll be updating this post all night.

UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS JENNIFER HUDSON! She just won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar!!! I’ll have video of her acceptance speech up in about an hour.

Here’s her interview with Barbara Walters televised before the Oscars:

Jennifer Hudson accepts the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress:

Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce sing a medley from Dreamgirls:

This Just In: Carrie Underwood will perform on the March 8 results show…

Don’t forget! The Academy Awards are tonight at 8 PM on ABC.   Our girl, Jennifer Hudson is nominated for Best Supporting Actress and is the favorite to win.  Jennifer and the other “Dreamgirls” will be performing a song from the film.  Beyonce who?

Also, it’s been reported  that the Academy has changed things up a bit this year.   Traditionally the best Supporting Actor and Actress awards were presented in the first half-hour of the show.  This year, all of the acting awards will be presented later in the evening.

Additionally, Jennifer sat down  for an interview with Barbara Walters.   Walter’s Oscar special will be broadcast at 7 pm, right before the Oscar telecast on ABC.

UPDATE:

Check out the Idol Appearances  page.   I’m doing my best to keep it accurate and complete.   You can help.   If you know of an Idol appearance or tour not listed, email the info to mjsbigblog@gmail.com.   Thanks.

You can finally download Elliott Yamin’s digital tune “Movin’ On” from iTunes.   Just click  here.   According to Elliott’s My Space, his debut album will be available at Target with 2 extra bonus tracks.   Elliott is also set to tape performances for Rehearsals.com and the AT&T Blueroom.   His first single “Wait for You” will be released to radio soon.   Elliott’s album drops March 20.

Katharine McPhee debuted her video for  her single “Over It” on TRL.   You can check it out  here.   A few weeks before her album dropped she changed management–from John Baruck of azoffmanagement to Guy Oseary.   No word on why she switched horses midstream…

Listen to Ace Young perform a few acoustic tunes at Billboard Underground.

Bo Bice is re-emerging after spending a few months recovering from surgery.  He’s setting up a tour, performing acoustic versions of some new music he’s written recently.   You can check out some videos from a recent Nashville gig at Bonafide Bice.

Mandisa guests on  tobymac’s latest release  ”Portable Sounds”.   She and Kirk Franklin  add vocals to the last track on the CD à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Lose My Soul.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Kelly Clarkson recently filmed an episode of CMT Crossroads  with Reba McEntire at the Ryman auditorium in Nashville.   The show will premiere in late 2007, coinciding with the release of McEntire’s upcoming duet’s CD, which includes a track with Kelly.

American Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd has a DVD called “Vocal Help Now” due March 5. Kelly Clarkson, Kimberly Caldwell and Anthony Fedorov appear on the video.

Reported earlier but it doesn’t hurt to repeat: Kellie Pickler will appear  on this Thursday’s results show to sing her new single “I Wonder”.   A list of upcoming guest stars was announced on last Thursday’s results show, they include, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Jon Bon Jovi, Martina McBride, Diana Ross, Barry Gibb and Lulu and Peter Noone.   Lulu and Peter Noone’s appearance ties into that week’s  ”British Invasion” theme.

And, more  on the whys and wherefores of the Chris Daughtry penned “Home” being chosen as this year’s boot song.   It just makes sense financially to keep it all in the family, doncha think?

In the Powers That Be Department: Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have been asked to oversee the 2007 Emmy telecast.   The show will air September 16 on FOX.

Finally, American  Extra will be back  for a second season on Fox Reality.  It premiers on Thursday March 15 at 6:30 pm ET with an encore performance at 10:30 pm ET.   The show has a new host this year, JD Roberto who previously hosted the reality shows à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Outback Jackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Shop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Til You Drop.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Mikalah Gordon and Matt Rogers return to conduct behind the scenes interviews.

Sunday Feb 25

The folks at American Idol continue to expand the brand, and their influence to other ventures.   Last week, came the announcement that Freemantle and 19 Entertainment would open an Idol Camp for teens and pre-teens.

According to the press release, Idol Camp will be “the first performing arts summer camp for kids between the ages of 12-15 based on the nation’s most watched television show and #1 talent search. Born out of the desire to foster passion and creativity in young teens, Idol Camp will be a fun-filled and non-competitive training ground for America’s future stars.”

Interestingly, the camp is not competitive:

“We want to honor a diverse cross-section of educational backgrounds and opportunities and provide a valuable experience to kids displaying a passionate motivation to learn and grow within themselves through the performing arts,” said Keith Hindle, Executive Vice President, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, North America. “As in American Idol, the goal for our kids is to soar beyond their expectations; however, because Idol Camp is not a competition, every kid goes home a winner.”

Every kid goes home a winner?   C’mon is that really the Idol way?   Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, there’s scandal every year.   We know this.   Generally, when something negative comes to light about a contestant, particularly if it’s something from their past, I’m really not interested.   However, if it looks like past indiscretions may jeopardize  a contestant continuing in the competition, then I feel obliged to address it.

Reluctantly, here is my obligatory post  on the Antonella Barba photo scandal.   Sigh. Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday Feb 24

I’ve got your updated Season 6 ratings chart here.

From the Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday’s  ratings (ignore the headline in the article, the show wasn’t actually live, but taped over the weekend):

The two-hour “Idol” averaged 29.4 million viewers and an 11.7 rating/30 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research. It built from 25.9 million viewers at 8 pm. to a peak of 31.3 million at 9 p.m. before falling slightly to 30.9 million for its last half hour. But its demo rating was a steady climb upward through the entire two hours, rising from a 10.0/27 at 8 p.m. to a 12.8/31 at 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

“Idol” was the unquestioned winner between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. with an average 30.3 million viewers and a 12.2 rating/31 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research. Wednesday’s telecast was up 3% in the demo compared to Tuesday.

On Thursday, Idol won it’s time slot, but not the night.   Grey’s Anatomy won the evening:

“Grey’s” averaged 27.3 million viewers and an 11.6 rating/27 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research.

“Grey’s” won not only the 9 p.m. hour but also the night in all major categories, which is a real accomplishment given the fact that “American Idol” made its first enchroachment into Thursday so far this season.

It was the first time so far this season that “American Idol” wasn’t the biggest thing on TV, although the first night of four cuts still dominated its 8 p.m. time period and dampened ratings for its rivals. “Idol” averaged 24.2 million viewers and a 9.0/23 in the demo, easily dismissing CBS’ “Survivor: Fiji” (13.6 million, 4.6/12) plus NBC’s “My Name Is Earl” (8.7 million, 3.6/10) and “The Office” (8.2 million, 4.2/10), which seemed to suffer to varying degrees. “Survivor” took the biggest hit, down from the 16.1 million and 5.6/15 it had when it premiered last week. “The Office” was close to last week’s 4.4 in adults 18-49.