Today’s a big day for the Final 3.
Each of them–David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado–fly back to their respective hometowns for big celebrations. There will be interviews with the local press, honors from local politicians, concerts and trips to local sports events. In prior years, the judges song choice for each contestant is announced at some point during the day. So, expect some song spoilers today kids!
For each contestant, the day goes like this: Media interviews in the morning, a concert, a parade, a visit to home/school/church that includes another concert. A trip to a local sports event rounds out the day.
After the jump, check out the schedules for each Idol…
Continue reading ‘David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado Go Home - For a Day’
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Your Final 3:
- David Archuleta
- David Cook
- Syesha Mercado
Click links for Video:
I Shot the Tambourine Man…
Here are the stats: There were 51 million votes last night. Were the fanbases energized to keep their fave from being Daughtried? Ryan Seacrest tells us that there were only 1 million votes separating the Top 3 vote getters. Last night he mentioned that three of the contestants were Top vote getters at one point in the Season. I have no doubt one of those contestants was Jason Castro. And not because of his sweet smile and pretty eyes. He took the top spot because he truly had the most memorable performance of the night. I’m thinking he was #1 the nights he sang “Hallelujah” and “Over the Rainbow”. There were other great performances. Let me tick them off: The easygoing, charming “Daydream” introduced us to Jason, “Traveling Through” a testament to Jason’s faith, was sung movingly and with much conviction and the beautifully rendered, Spanish inflected “I Don’t Want to Cry” and “Fragile”.
More Recap after the Jump…
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Click the link for Video!
Well, THAT didn’t turn out like I thought it would!
I had such hopes for this week’s theme–songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Finally, a theme broad enough that would allow the kids some breathing room to chose the perfect song. Maybe it’s like a kid in a candy store. Too many choices prove to be overwhelming. Whatever the case, it’s another disappointing week of ho-hum performances. At this stage of the game the kids should be stepping up their game. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be happening–particularly in the case of Jason Castro who was unable to make a big comeback this week after 2 weeks of listless performances. It didn’t help that the judges shamelessly piled on at the end of his performances.
Jason had an uphill battle to begin with. Never mind the odds makers and the pundits who predicted that Syesha Mercado was in danger this week. As the last African American/Girl/Belter left in the competition, she didn’t need to do much to stick around. All three boys would have needed spectacular performances to knock her completely out of the game, and since that didn’t happen, she’s good to go. Really, Syesha, all that pandering to your base with the civil rights blather, the tears, the tight dresses–pretty much unnecessary. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
And who would have thought David Archuleta would best David Cook on Rock night? There wasn’t a WOW performance from either contestant. but little Davie managed to stand out in a way Cookie didn’t this week. What a weird and disappointing night.
Continue reading ‘Season 7 Top 4 Performance - Recap’
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ETA: I’m having the BIGGEST day traffic wise I’ve ever had on the site. I know it wasn’t perfect tonight, but I’m working with the hosting guys. Tomorrow things should go better. Now that ya all got your spoilers, I don’t anticipate any more problems tonight.
Thanks so much for visiting my site!
Performance Order! From Carie–Thank you!
- David Cook - “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran -
- Syesha Mercado - “Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina Turner - Sexy
- Jason Castro - “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley - Marley style, very funky
- David Archuleta- “Stand by Me” - Solid performance
- David Cook - “Baba O’Riley” - Incredible. Started off slow. Brought the house down.
- Syesha Mercado - “Change is Gonna Come” - Screachy, but ended pretty. She looked gorgeous.
- Jason Castro - “Mr. Tambourine Man” - It was just OK. Audience didn’t connect with it.
- David Archuleta - “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley - Solid performance.
“Joan” just posted her first clue for Jason Castro over at Popwatch:
Jason’s a man on a mission. With one arm that fires, authorities fall, but their counterparts are spared. With the other arm, he jingles his tympan all the way to victory.
*The above is the “real” Joan’s riddle, and below is not an “educated guess”. These are really Jason’s song choices. They’ve been backed up by several sources, including a friend of Jason’s who has posted on the blog.
- Jason Castro - “I Shot the Sherrif” by Bob Marley/Eric Clapton and “Mr. Tambourine Man” By Bob Dylan/Byrds.
- David Archuleta - “Stand By Me” By Ben E. King and “Love Me Tender” (Norah Jones version) - this has turned into a pretty pervasive rumor with supposed reliable source, but I can’t vouch for it.
- Syesha Mercado - “Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina Turner, “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
- David Cook - “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran and “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who.
TMZ spoilers are in. Still waiting to hear from Carie.
Sorry about the site slowness…peeps at the hosting company are looking into it…
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Published by mj May 5th, 2008
in American Idol, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
This week’s theme for the Top 4–songs that shaped Rock n’ Roll–is finally broad enough that all the Idols should be able to find songs that suit their style.
The Idol picks are based on a list of songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”. Here’s the list. Pick your songs for the Idols–I’ll be back with my list in a bit…
ETA: My List after the Jump…
Continue reading ‘Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll - What Should the Idols Sing?’
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Notes from the Road
Published by mj May 4th, 2008
in American Idol, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
I just took a short survey at ratethemusic.com (thanks for the heads up star and Lisa). The survey focuses on Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.
Would the producers consider a personnel change to the cast of Season 8 Idols to improve the ratings? Maybe they would!
For my money, losing Randy Jackson, whose pointless cliche-filled critiques add nothing to the show, would be an improvement.
It’s all very interesting in the aftermath of Paula-gate, isn’t it?
ETA: There were a several problems last year that were fixed this year–having fewer mentors and more backstory on the Idols, adding guest appearances and features on former Idols. Making those tweaks improved the show. The big problem now, is the lame-ass themes. Next year, they need to go back to unrestricted themes in the semi-finals, and broader themes in the finals. Give the contestants the breathing room to find that perfect song. Also, if they want the contestants to appear current, they should be allowed the to sing current music! A mixture of old and new music would strike a sorely needed balance and keep the kids, who are apparently drifting away, interested.
TV viewership in general is down, as a few of you have pointed out–partly due to the long writers strike. Nevertheless, they still have killer ratings. It’s too early to predict the imminent demise of Idol.
Read the Survey, after the Jump…
Continue reading ‘Read the Lastest American Idol Survey’
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Bits and Pieces
Published by mj May 4th, 2008
in American Idol, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
Published by mj May 2nd, 2008
in American Idol, S7 Top 12 and S7 iTunes.
The iTunes studio recordings are up. You can purchase by clicking the the banner here –>. You help support the site too if you click, so thanks in advance!
The Idols sang two Neil Diamond songs this week, but only recorded one. Here’s my take on this week’s recordings.
I’m listing the tunes in order of popularity, according to Rickey’s iTunes chart.
- David Cook - “I’m Alive” - I hear that the DC fans would love a recorded version of “All I Ever Really Need is You”. So would I. I wish it would have been recorded instead of “I’m Alive”. But such as it is, this version rocks as much as it can, driven by Cookie’s passionate delivery.
- Brooke White - “I Am…I Said” - Brooke’s live version of this song was moving and beautifully rendered. The recorded version isn’t as intimate as the live version, but it doesn’t disappoint.
- Jason Castro - “Forever in Blue Jeans” - I’d love a truly acoustic version of this song. The strings are a bit much, but Jason’s quirky, laid back vocals are perfect for the breezy material.
- David Archuleta - “Sweet Caroline” - I’m a little surprised that the rousing “America” wasn’t chosen as the studio recording. At this point, the overplayed original sounds karaoke. It’s tough to listen to knock-offs. Nevertheless, Archie does a nice job with the tired material.
- Syesha Mercado - “Hello Again” - The scrappy Syesha delivers a sweet and understated performance here. As long as she backs off the high notes, which she does for the most part here, she sounds great. The arrangement is heavy on the syrupy strings. I wish the arrangers would knock that off.
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I’ve yet to really blog about Brooke White’s elimination Tuesday night. I’m glad she left the show in a reasonably happy state, rather than that crazy train she appeared to be riding the week before. Watching Brooke crawl into a fetal position while her name is called for elimination would not have been a fun thing to watch. She did cry in the end, but it seemed more healthy release than skeery breakdown.
Brooke was either going to be eliminated this week or next (I think it will be Jason’s turn to go next week…), so I don’t feel sad that she was eliminated. She had a great run on the show, even though her nerves and her stamina seemed to wear thin toward the end. I will say that I’m thrilled that the folkies–both Brooke White and Jason Castro–made it deep into this competition. It would have been unheard of, even a couple of years ago. Keeping the talent diverse will keep Idol strong. So will making artistry in all it’s forms–rather than just good singing–the focus of the competition.
I see bright things in Brooke’s future. I can hear Brooke’s raspy vocals on the radio next to artists like Colbie Callait, Sara Barailles, Feist and all those other singer/songrwritery female performers on the charts right now.
Here’s a roundup of her exit interviews: Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Eonline, TV Guide, and Idol Chatter posted the entire transcript of yesterday’s satellite interview with the press.
Highlights after the Jump…
Continue reading ‘Goodbye Brooke White - Exit Interviews’
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ETA: The quotes from this post were taken from a larger articleabout how the Top 5 chose their songs. Jason’s section of the article describes him vacillating about his song choice–first he’s confident about his choice, and then he’s not. The article demonstrates that the contestants’ experience is like a roller coaster ride–one minute they are up the next down. But the little teaser used the most sensational quotes–to get our attention. It worked, didn’t it?
From Entertainment Weekly
He made it through Paulagate 2008, but is American Idol’s Jason Castro ready to call it quits? EW’s Jessica Shaw was on the scene as the Idols rehearsed for Neil Diamond week (read her “Why Song Selection Matters” feature in the issue out Friday) and spoke with Castro on Monday afternoon: “I’ll get around to practicing,” he promised her, after noting that his brother and a friend had visited over the weekend and that his Saturday meeting with Diamond had gone “really bad” because he didn’t yet know his songs. “What happens happens. I’ll sing and if people like it, they like it. And if they don’t, they don’t. I’m kind of ready to go home.”
You’re kind of ready to walk off America’s biggest stage???
“It’s been overwhelming,” Castro continued. “I got 150 balloons yesterday delivered to the studio because people heard I was sick last week. That’s cool, but that’s just weird.”
You know, this is a very short article, with quotes that could very well be taken out of context. By the same token, the EW reporters have no reason to make up quotes. I don’t think a conspiracy is at work here.
I’m putting this in a separate thread so you guys can discuss it. PLEASE remember to follow the guidelines of the blog. Respect your fellow poster’s opinions…
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Published by mj May 1st, 2008
in American Idol, Video, Brooke White and S7 Top 12.
Carly Simon congratulates Brooke White on her success on Fox and Friends this morning. Brooke was completely surprised and delighted. Carly says that Brooke has a distinctive sound, which is probably what kept her from advancing further. She also tells Brooke that she “loves” the way she did “You’re So Vain”, and that she herself could never do the song as well as Brooke. It’s a nice exchange…
Check it out after the jump…
Continue reading ‘Carly Simon Surprises Brooke White on Fox and Friends - VIDEO’
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Safe:
- Jason Castro
- David Archuleta
- David Cook
Bottom 2 - Although Ryan never calls it the bottom 2 and everyone is sitting together on the couches. No Stools of Doom!
- Syesha Mercado
- Brooke White
Very strange business tonight. Jason Castro, David Archuleta and David Cook are declared safe. Syeshsa Mercado and Brooke White are called out to center stage, but Ryan never refers to them as the Bottom 2.
Click the links for Video!
- Tonight’s group song is so bad… Actually, it is just really bad. Nice pointy pose at the end, however.
- Constantine Maroulis and Gina Glocksen are in the audience. Constantine stares into the camera. Ace Young is sitting nearby, but Ryan breezes right past him. Carrie Underwood is featured on this week’s Idol Gives Back postage stamp.
- Paula Abdul’s gaffe last night is touched upon briefly. Ryan Seacrest said that he read what people were saying about her online this morning and that it was all untrue. He said that she’s part of the family and they all love her. Jason Castro was never mentioned.
- However, Jason Castro is quickly declared safe first. I suppose that is meant to be an “apology” of sorts. David Archuleta is declared safe next.
- David Cook is declared safe. Brooke White and Syesha Mercado are left behind.
- Natasha Bedingfield — Zzzzzz. She heads to the couches to meet David Archuleta. He has said that he’d really like to duet with her.
- Ford Commercial, “Catch the Wind” Donovan!
- Neil Diamond sang a gorgeous song called “Pretty Amazing Grace” from his new album.
- Brooke White is eliminated, standing on stage with Syesha Mercado. She performs her singout, choking through tears. I’ve never seen a contestant that broken up while performing a sing out…
ETA: A big shout-out and thanks to DJ Slim for introducing me to my new web host. Thanks to DJ, y’all can get into the site tonight…
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Check out Paula Abdul’s big-time excuse making on this morning’s Ryan Seacrest show. You can read a transcript of her interview at Entertainment Weekly.She claims that she and the judges only found out about the show setup–that the critiques would wait until after the second round–when Ryan announced it at the top of the show. Geez, the judges should start reading my blog. I knew it at 6:30 ET. Our weekly rehearsal reporter, Caffiend, told me on the phone after she left the CBS studios. I posted that bit of info on the blog. Meanwhile, Paula claims she was in the studio with her family for part of the dress rehearsal.
She also keeps insisting that she mixed up Jason’s Castro’s review with David Cook’s, and that she read “second song” off her notes due to the confusion caused when head of Reality Programming, Mike Darnell, supposedly ordered Nigel Lythgoe, at the last minute, to march the contestants out on stage for an impromptu post-first round critique.
More After the Jump…
Continue reading ‘Paula Abdul Owes Jason Castro an Apology’
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Published by mj April 30th, 2008
in American Idol, S7 Spoilers, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
A reliable spoiler at Idol Forums spilled the beans.
At last, a theme broad enough that allows the contestants a little breathing room to choose a song that really reflects who they are as artists. Even though it’s a rock theme, there really is room to stretch the boundaries beyond rock n’ roll.
The songs will supposedly come from this list of songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Just about every genre of music can be thrown into the R n’ R pot. This could be a very good week for the remaining Top 4. Just about anything would be better than this week’s speed-wreck.
Also, Natasha Bedingfield will be the musical guest for tonight’s results show. Have they given up on featuring past Idols? Maybe the producers are hoping that a known star will boost their sagging ratings…
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Bring those perky contestants in! Ha ha!
Click link for video!
Paula is wasted! - Paula becomes very confused in this clip…By the way, I had no idea Paula Abdul was psychic! Slamming Jason Castro’s 2nd performance before he even had a chance to f*cking sing it! That woman is brilliant! Feh. What a disaster.
I hope everyone enjoyed tonight’s edition of “Speed Idol”. I didn’t exactly…
Poor Neil Diamond. He got left in the dust amidst the speed, confusion and controversy that characterized Tuesday’s Top 5 performance show. Packing 10 performances into 1 hour had each one whizzing by so fast, they barely registered. The performances ranged from horrifying to just pretty good. Not a stellar night at CBS studios. And Paula. OMG Paula. Snap out of it. Pay attention. Do your job, and I hope you apologized to Jason Castro for your major f*ck up. Also, nice attempt at throwing Syesha Mercardo under the bus Simon. You suck.
Here’s how it went down: The first performance featured video clips of Neil Diamond working with the contestants. After the second performance, the judges critiqued the first and second performance. At least that’s how it was supposed to go down. Instead, after the first round, the kids were hurriedly assembled back on stage for an impromptu judges critique. That’s when it all went horribly, horribly, wrong…
More after the Jump…
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Published by mj April 29th, 2008
in American Idol, S7 Spoilers, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
The Idols will be singing two songs from the Neil Diamond catalog tonight.
ETA: Just heard from Caffiend. Neil Diamond video precedes the contestant’s first performance. The judges judge both songs after the second performance.
Here is the Song Order:
- Jason Castro - “Forever in Blue Jeans” - When one of the fake judges told him he looked comfortable up there, Jason answered “I don’t know about that…”
- David Cook - “I’m Alive” - Both of David’s songs “totally rocked.”
- Brooke White - “I Am … I Said” at the piano - She is going to address forgetting her words tonight.
- David Archuleta - “Sweet Caroline” - Both of his songs were “fabulous”
- Syesha Mercado - “Hello Again” - She “looks like a star.”
- Jason Castro - “September Morn”
- David Cook - “All I Ever Really Need is You”
- Brooke White - “I’m a Believer”
- David Archuleta - “America”
- Syesha Mercado - “Thank the Lord for the Night Time”
Wardrobe:
What they were wearing: Syesha wore a sexy purple evening dress; Cookie wore a black jacket with jeans and a dark shirt underneath; looked very hot; Jason wore a light shirt with a satiny vest over; Archie wore denim with a striped shirt and denim jacket; Brooke wore a blue ruffly top with a belt and silver pants No wardrobe change, at least at rehearsal.
Spoilers:
Thanks for bringing the songs over Milajoy! The Jason Castro spoiler is from Joan at EW. Fan Blast had half the spoiler “America” right. Shmorla from Idol Forums spoiled Brooke White’s “I Am I Said” and there was a guessing game at Idol Forums introduced by Cinemaniac86. #1 was correct if you were playing along (I was and I was wrong). The rest were filled in by TMZ.
ETA: Caffiend made it into rehearsal, so stay tuned…
Syesha Mercado got the Pimp spot…
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Published by mj April 28th, 2008
in American Idol, Season 7 and S7 Top 12.
ETA: My Picks are after the Jump…
It’s down to the Top 5. This week’s mentor is prolific songwriter and singer Neil Diamond. The remaining Idols will sing 2 songs each from the Neil Diamond songbook on Tuesday.
His career spans 5 decades, beginning as a songwriter in the famed Brill Building writing songs for others. After scoring hits for the Monkees, (”I’m a Believer”) Diamond was signed by a record label and had his first hit “Solitary Man” on the record charts. After that, hits like “Kentucky Woman,” and “Cherry, Cherry” followed.
Continue reading ‘Neil Diamond Week - What Should The Idols Sing?’
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