Simon Predicts Idol Winner, Addresses Exit Rumors
Simon Cowell might bash contestants right and left, but he has high hopes for at least one them. On Tuesday’s Extra, he predicts this year’s winner: David Archuleta.
Describing why he think’s Archuleta’s winner material, Cowell said “He’s cute. He’s likeable. [He has] a big voice. He’s the one to beat.” But what about the dapper Chikezie? “He’s never going to win unless the other 18 resign.”
‘Idol’ director may be leaving show
Longtime “American Idol†director Bruce Gowers may be departing the hit Fox competish show.
Particulars behind Gowers’ departure — and whether it’s permanent or a temporary hiatus — were tough to come by over the weekend; when word of Gowers’ departure first surfaced Thursday night, “Idol†was in the middle of a special live broadcast from CBS Television City.
Insiders said an incident on the “Idol†set may have triggered talk of Gower’s departure. Producer FremantleMedia declined comment, noting that it doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
A clear leader emerges among the ‘Idol’ men
The “American Idol” guys sang songs from the ‘70s on Tuesday’s show, and it was one of those nights where the judges seemed to grade on a curve.
Much was expected from those who had succeeded last week, which meant that Michael Johns and Jason Castro had to be content with lukewarm praise even though they were still among the top performers. On the other hand, David Hernandez and Danny Noriega were lauded for their efforts because they were a lot better than they were a week ago.
Nine Guys Finish Last
He has the eyes of Bambi, only darker and perhaps 11 percent more earnest. When the camera catches his broad, open, guileless grin, you can kind of understand how a mother feels the first time her baby looks up at her and smiles. And when he sings — oh, that voice! — grandpas (and Paula) grab their handkerchiefs and dab the corners of their eyes, remembering simpler days when ”nice boys and girls” were the toast of the airwaves.
The judges adore him. The tweens in the audience can’t stop screaming for him. And, perhaps most remarkable of all, he doesn’t give off that whiff of creepiness that too often clings to youthful performers — you know, the forced maturity, the soulless ambition, the ability to come up with a polished but uninteresting sound bite the minute the cameras start rolling.
American Idol: Top 10 Boys Perform
Tonight was a weird night for me as the boys who blew me away last week…well, kind of didn’t. And the guys who barely squeaked by upped their game tremendously. It was like a mix-and-match of who was good and bad from last week and it made my brain hurt. Now I’m all kinds of confused and don’t know who should go home anymore. There’s still some easy fat to trim, but now I don’t think it’s nearly as obvious which six of these ten should make the Top 12. Good for them, but hard for us.
Tonight’s theme: Songs from the ’70s
Recap: ‘American Idol’ Top 10 Men Perform
After a week battling through the flu, I think I’m working at 65 to 70 percent as Tuesday (Feb. 26) night’s American Idol performance episode begins. As I learned from Paula Abdul, though, you can’t use poor health as an excuse. You have to go out there and be yourself (or somebody very like you), expose your true colors to the world and paint every doorknob with the flavor of your dreams. The results for the Top 10 Idol men will follow…
Idol Banter: Can He Be Real?
Who is David Archuleta, really? Aside from the next American Idol, that is. In this second round of Boys’ Night, the dewy teen pulled out so far ahead of the competition that we might as well all go to the gym Tuesday evenings for the next few weeks.
Risking “Imagine,†a song forever wedded to the Liverpudlian nasality of a certain martyred Beatle, Archuleta defined what Idol means by “making it your own.†Without denting his aura of innocence, he switched up the melody, inflecting it with soulful touches that had Paula’s upper lip visibly moist. She called him a superstar, Randy said it was one of the best “Idol†vocals ever, and Simon called him “the one to beat.†True to form, the Chosen One feigned mild astonishment, like a child gazing in wonder upon his birthday cake.
But don’t let this seventeen-year-old “Star Search” veteran fool you, America. Archuleta’s blessed, no doubt, displaying an effortless musicality that nearly recalls the grace of the young Michael Jackson. But his “Imagine†was all worked out. And, by the way, borrowed.
Fallen ‘Idol’: Samantha Sidley found!
Hey, where’d she go? We loved Samantha Sidley at “American Idol” auditions, and so did the judges. She was the sweet, modest, L.A. native who sang Norah Jones while Paula and Ryan swapped jobs, remember? Well, come Top 24 week, our girl was nowhere to be seen. She’d been eliminated, without so much as a farewell montage!
I called Samantha today, hoping to straighten out the details of her tragic ouster, but Samantha seemed just as perplexed as I was. “I would like to know why they cut me out too, but I don’t know,†exclaimed Samantha. “I really don’t know.â€
‘American Idol’: Axed contestant Amy Davis speaks out
Instead, Amy added, “I actually can carry a tune, I promise!” Then she went on to explain why she failed on the show … something about in-ear monitors?
“I have used in-ear monitors for the past two years for every show (even acoustic shows),” wrote Amy, “and my brain has been trained to hear my voice blasting in my one ear through an earbud and the instruments in my other ear (no earbud, I only use the one for my vocals). To switch from that to using floor monitors (nothing in my ear) requires retraining my brain to pick out the sound from the air and deliver my vocals to my ear and I just could not do it.”
LA Times
Former American Idol contestant debuts song on Live at Five
Amy Catherine Flynn’s recent life has been a whirlwind recently of school, friends, and American Idol. The Knoxville native appeared on the hit tv show and made it all the way to Hollywood.
Recently Flynn visited the Live at Five studios to talk about the experience of auditioning before Paula, Randy, and Simon. She has a CD coming out in early March and says it was the perfect way to jump-start her career.
Flynn performed her new single “Count Me Out” written by her vocal coach, Angel Higgs, herself a former American Idol contestant.
Abdul’s singing like there’s no tomorrow
She blew them away (albeit after the fact) with a pre-recorded performance on the Super Bowl pre-game broadcast.
The video was a pirated Internet hit even before its official debut last week on American Idol.
The title, however, is a bit misleading. Paula Abdul’s “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” is more about dancing like there was no yesterday. And tomorrow is looking more like the day before.
The new single, a collaboration with fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson, is her first new release in over a decade. And it’s good – even Simon Cowell says so. Sort of.
“He told me, `I hate you, (but) I love the song,’” relates Abdul, addressing the press in a Fox-sponsored phone conference.
Cowell does appear in a cameo tableau at the end of the video, alongside Abdul, Jackson and Idol host Ryan Seacrest. “He said, `I don’t do this for my own artists.’ And I said, `That’s because they probably don’t want you in their videos.’”
Abdul’s comeback
Paula Abdul, ladies and gentlemen! She’s on the phone from Los Angeles at first light after a long night of judging the likes of Luke Menard and Danny Noriega — VotefortheWorst.com’s pick-of-the-year as, well, the worst — and her voice is a whisper.
“I hurt my vocal chords,” she says, but she isn’t expecting any sympathy from You Know Who. She isn’t getting any, either.
“Simon says I like to talk,” Abdul says, and you can guess the rest.
Ah, yes, Simon.
The man of whom Abdul once said, “I welcome him like I welcome cold sores. He’s from England, he’s angry and he’s got Mad Power Disease.”
Idols Are All Equal
Hey, American Idol guys, don’t fall over yourselves with the generosity. Spies tell PageSix.com that Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest had a guys’ dinner at West Hollywood restaurant Ago over Oscar weekend.
When it came time to pay the check, each of them threw down an American Express Black card — then split the bill three ways!
American Idol “Most Hopefuls” Heading Into The Final 20
Think you know who is going to win American Idol? The oddsmakers think they do too. The folks from Paddy Power released odds this past week on who will win American Idol Season 7. Coupled with Gambling911.com’s own expertise, we will produce the ultimate list.
Quiz: How well do you know American Idol families?
When I find good ones, I like to take those really obscure pop culture quizzes to see if I truly have as much useless pop culture trivia in my head as I think I do. So when AOL’s latest American Idol quiz came out asking how much we knew about the families of former Idol contestants, I was so there. It’s only ten questions long but man do they dig into the obscure on some of them.
TV Squad
3 Nights of `Idol’ Beat 1 Oscars Night
The math is simple: three nights of “American Idol” beats one night of the Academy Awards.
Fox dominated the television ratings again behind its hit competition, which was seen by roughly 29 million people on both Tuesday and Wednesday last week. A special Thursday edition had more than 23 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Meanwhile, ABC didn’t get quite the usual boost from the Academy Awards. The 32 million people who watched Sunday’s show was the smallest Oscars audience since Nielsen began keeping those records in 1974.
The traditional Barbara Walters interview special had fewer than 12 million viewers, Nielsen said.
“American Idol’s” Kelly Clueless
“American Idol” may have made her a huge star — but Kelly Clarkson barely seems to realize it’s still on TV! Miss Independent was at the Burbank airport Saturday night, where paps asked her about “A.I.” She hasn’t seen the new crop of contestants yet, and probably doesn’t even know she actually had a chance encounter with one of the contestants back when she was on the show.
Clay Aiken, Playing Hooky
Sorry, Clay Aiken fans, the ugly whispers are true: Your boy has been shirking his civic duty.
An investigation by The Reliable Source found that the most successful “American Idol” runner-up in history has made it to only one of the quarterly meetings of the Presidential Committee for People With Intellectual Disabilities since he was appointed by George W. Bush a year and a half ago.
Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to Announce ACM Nominees
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will announce the nominees for the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards during a March 4 press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The awards show will take place May 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be telecast live on CBS.
Sanjaya is back! Does anyone care?
Now, Sanjaya and his sister, Shyamali, who also auditioned for the show and was frequently seen in the “Idol” audience, are going to be the special guests in a new production, “A Motown Evening,” on April 6 at 3 p.m. at the Northshore Performing Arts Center. A cast of special guests including students from the Northshore School District’s Student Academy for Success (SAS) Music Project will also perform. Proceeds from this show will benefit the Music Project, which brings professional musicians, such as Bernadette Bascom, into the schools to work with students.
The Northshore Performing Arts Center is at 18125 92nd Ave. N.E. in Bothell, on the edge of the Bothell High School campus.
Country Thunder Festivals Unveil Lineups
Country Thunder, a series of country festivals in Arizona, Texas and Wisconsin, has announced its initial line-ups for this year’s performances.
Sugarland, Dierks Bentley, Neal McCoy, Phil Vassar, Joe Nichols, Heidi Newfield, Kellie Pickler, Danielle Peck, Luke Bryan, Heartland, Rio Grand and Chuck Wicks will perform April 17-20 in Florence, AZ.
In Twin Lakes, MN, Sugarland, Randy Owen, Miranda Lambert, Joe Nichols, Heartland, Chris Young, Jason Michael Carroll and Kellie Pickler will visit July 16-19.
County Fair signs 2 country acts for 2008 Tracy Lawrence, ‘Idol’ also-ran Bucky Covington to perform
Covington came to fame during the 2006 season of American Idol. Finishing eighth that season, Covington continued his career with hit “A Different World†reaching 27th on the chart.
His latest song “It’s Good to Be Us,†hit number 15 as of Monday and is expected to continue to climb.
Dow said each year it becomes harder and harder to get the right combination of what people want.
“We’ve tried a large variety of acts and country is the most popular,†he said. “This year we’ve put together a great country package. We’re already getting calls about it.â€
Tickets go on sale March 4 at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the County Fair Office, at Meijer locations in Jackson, Coldwater and Adrian, online at www.hillsdalecountyfair.org or www.starticketplus.net or by phone at 1(800)585–3737.
Katharine Shops on Another Planet
American Idol Alumna Katharine McPhee was recently spotted picking up some items at Planet Blue in Santa Monica.
Melinda Doolittle Talks About Life After ‘Idol’
“I think the hardest part about it is knowing that everywhere I go, people are going to know who I am,” she said, adding that she loves the attention from fans. “So, occasionally I don’t look the cutest, but people still take a picture.”
Doolittle described her debut album, which comes out in June, as “kind of eclectic.”
Doolittle is also scheduled to appear at Raley’s at 3935 Park Drive in El Dorado Hills from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Alyce Metallo Performs With American Idol’s Melinda Doolittle For Wounded US Soldiers Home From Iraq
Up-and-coming new artist Alyce Metallo recently performed along with American Idol Season Six finalist Melinda Doolittle for 50 wounded United States soldiers at the residence of Vice President Dick Cheney.
The Washington DC event featured the performance portion of the evening at the US Naval Observatory. The military men and women were treated with a repertoire of songs that included the song “Home†(from the musical The Wiz), as well as Doolittle’s first single “My Funny Valentineâ€.
Doolittle commented on Metallo saying, “She’s amazing! I want to take her with me everywhere I go!â€
Chris Daughtry covered a Bon Jovi song, now he’s touring with him
It was the world’s first big glimpse of Chris Daughtry: the barely known, gritty-voiced singer performing a Bon Jovi cover song on “American Idol.â€
It was far from the last.
What a run it’s been for the North Carolina resident with the famously shaved head: His self-titled debut album, which stacks pop-ready melodies atop its guttural metal riffs, was last year’s top-selling rock record. It was accompanied by a seemingly nonstop road run that included an arena stint with Nickelback.
Doesn’t Simon always predict a winner? (remember Lakisha?) Maybe a winner for his record label and marketing company….but let’s not think too hastily that David A. is “the one”.
Can anyone else feel the tension among the men like I do….not like last season….seems that group was a lovefest….everybody was best bud….but I don’t get that with these guys.
Now wasn’t Michael Johns supposed to be the “one” because he was a pro and didn’t he get more press than the others? Hmmm…
I think that right now, it’s a safe bet that Archuleta’s gonna win. He has everything going for him: an excellent voice, a likeable character, relevance, experience, etc.
When predicting who’s gonna win, there was always a top 3 or a top 5. I think this is the first time when there’s a lone wolf.
Amy Davis really isn’t doing herself any favors by blaming her failures on the in-ear monitor vs. floor monitor distinction. It sounds like an excuse, and frankly, it’s a bad one. What is it with Idol’s extremely pretty girls not being able to accept that they just suck?
As for last night, I’m 100% expecting Jason Yeager to fall, but it’s a shame because I really and truly love his voice and am just crossing my fingers that he hits on the right song (y’know, after they’re allowed to choose from a list of more than 50 and when the top songs have already been handed out to TCOs). But I think Simon’s right that he’s a good singer, just not a good performer. The Katharine McPhee perma-smile has GOT to go.
Kind of surprised to see Jason Y and Robbie scoring high on DialIdol. Maybe they’re getting sympathy votes. Micheal Cook is a lock but after that any combination of guys could make the top 6. I’m won’t mention David A because IMO he’s already won the season.
They just need to beef up the competition for 2nd place so the drama doesn’t go out of the show too early.
According to a link on the E train, Gideon McKinney is working on some album with Elliott. I hope that’s even slightly true as Gideon deserves a break.
Kat McPhee is in the news for shopping?
Jpfan - Michael Cook? Do you mean Michael Johns or David Cook?
Well, David A has great momentum right now and is building a massive fanbase, so yeah, he definitely could win. However, we have these “predictions” every year. But yet, there is a lot of singing left to do in this competition. Anything can happen.
I think we all remember that the same things were being said this time last year about Lakisha. And who ended up winning? I think we also all remember Simon calling Taylor, Chris D, and Kellie as contenders for the final 3 in S5. How many of those actually ended up in the final 3?
(car troubles today so I’m at home til I can get my car to the mechanic.)
Micheal Johns, sorry. I got my Davids and Micheals mixed up. I think David C will make it to Final 6 also because he’s different but who knows. The Dialidol results are kind of weird.
Question: When calculating past seasons’ results on DialIdol, which measuring method was most accurate, Score, Busy Percentages, or Raw Numbers?
Chris D. and Bon Jovi performing “Blaze of Glory” together last night in Chicago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk7sGsdYvpE
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Simple honey, your genre, your style is too calming, too jazzy, too easy-listening to fit into the mould of American Idol which requires showmanship, bombast and divatastic singing. You and the other talented singer/songwriter — Shaun Barrows — don’t fit.
People like Norah Jones or Harry Connick Jr. won’t win a show like this.
There’s a place for performers like Samantha and Shaun, but not in this show.
I think David A is a terrific singer and I really have enjoyed his performances. I do have a concern though…..does anyone else hear a strain in his voice when he sings? I know he has had some troubles and surgery….I know the competition can be real hard on the ole vocal chords. I know he is a seasoned singer but this may be very grueling for him….and may effect the his success????? Ah, the mother in me! Pix
Interesting mention about not right for the competition - Shaun Barrowes is already moving forward and has an album coming out on March 18th…joining Amy Flynn in terms of Idols with early post-Idol albums (I guess they removed the 3 month rule?)
I think the 3 month rule is only in effect for those who make the top 12 - and that’s only if the album is being released by any company not included under the Sony/BMG umbrella. If Clive signs you, it’s a different animal, as we saw in season 5.
My understanding is that the contestants sign a contract when they make it to Hollywood (don’t blab all our shiz, etc etc), but then once they make the top 12, they sign a much more extensive contract, including signing on with 19M as management.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
IMO it’s too early to crown David A. the winner. I wonder if Michael Johns is holding back a bit…possibly being coached to hold back? Idol likes to have an early fav, as some have pointed out it was Lakisha last season, and then they slowly turn the heat up on someone else (Jordin). Perhaps they think America will burn out on TCO over three months?
I do think David could win. Run away teen fan base, get the text voting to go rabid, keeping the sponsor happy. Tap into the High School Musical market. But we need a strong second contender, one that has people rooting just as strongly for them so there is interest in the F2. So, I can see David in the top 4, even top 2, with Michael J being in the top 4 or top 2, no problem with this crop.
Simon was on Regis and Kelly this morning repeating that there were only 3 or 4 people who were worthy to win, the rest he could forget about. Later he said something like he wishes he could just go ahead and tell 10 of them to go.
David A and Michael J are (imo) two of Simon’s 3 or 4. Now, who are the other 1 or 2 contestants?
So, David A may be the winner…but I still contend that Michael J could be as well. I think we will see him shine brighter as we get to the top 10.
I can definitely feel the tension among the guys. But there’s also tension among the girls. And I think it’s created by TPTB by showcasing a chosen few and skipping the majority.
Did you hear Jason Yeager’s comment about all the guys being “killer singers”? They ARE all good in their own ways, and each is just trying to make a difference in the voters eyes.
I know that last season it was (officially) in effect for everyone who auditioned, unless they were cleared. That seems to have been changed for this season, since it is unprecedented for someone who made it that far to release an album mid-season - and especially for two contestants to do so by the end of March! The only exception was William Hung, and that probably triggered the rule change beginning season 4. I am speculating that it was changed because it was unenforcable.
According to the story by Shaun Barrowes, he saw the top 24 contract and it has everything you mentioned - that one is extremely extensive. He said it was up to 3 years in length and was “happy” to have not made it to the top 24 after getting a glimpse. I don’t think much changes between the top 12 and top 24.
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Yes , and it come off as if he was praising HIMSELF. I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way, but it made him seem cocky. Along with being corny.
I hope he and Luke go home. They add NOTHING to the competition.
Oh, I beg to disagree. Luke definitely adds something to the competition.
What Jersey said.
According to Ken Barnes, Ryan announced on his show this morning that the Beatle catalogue has been cleared for AI.
So we should have a Beatle’s night.
Source
More on Samantha Sidley ( the Norah Jones wannabe who made it to Hollywood but got cut ).
You can listen to samples of her music here :
http://www.alexsammusic.com/live/
As I said, she’s too easy-listening for the show’s producers and what they want.
But if you’re into that kind of music, she’s quite good.
SHUT UP, SIMON, SHUT UP!
— end of rant —
dusty, my guess would be David A, Michael, Carly, and Asia’h.
Graham Colton’s Best Days is the new goodbye song
Bye Ferras, put your blue jeans back on!
E Online
1) Barf!
2) I suspect that the deal has been hammered out over several weeks. I don’t think Sony magically decided today after seeing last night’s show.
3) If everyone is so good this season, can you tell Simon? His general crabbiness is bringing it down.
The iTunes tracks for the boys are up!
Gauging by the 4 albums that appear when you do a search, it looks like the 4 most popular ones so far are David A, David H, Jason C, and David C.
I feel dumb quoting myself, but I would feel more dumb not correcting my comment. So somehow I thought the Hollywood’s Not America was played during the Top 24 Eliminations. My bad.
Maybe MJ can put this as it’s own topic, but Ace put a clip of his single Addicted on his MySpace tonight. New background and new default, too.
http://www.myspace.com/aceyoung
And from the page:
-Ace’s album is finally coming!!!
Please check back as info will be updated frequently AND new song clips will be on rotation.