There Were No Good Songs the Year You Were Born
This week I’m watching the show alone on our non-HD TV so I don’t have to look at crispy, unpleasant makeup, skin, and perspiration details. Everything’s nice and soft. Simon’s smoker’s neck doesn’t bother me anymore. Paula’s outfit, on the other hand, remains excitingly odd, even in medium definition. Not only does it appear lopsided, like she somehow managed to pull her head through one of the sparkly armholes, but she’s got on these awesomely nutty fingerless, opera-length gloves that appear to be black latex. I vote yes to this. Only fools wouldn’t.
Idol in Iraq: Soldiers Slam David Archuleta, Still Suspicious of Kristy Lee Cook
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.
Hollywood & Line
Now for some risky business: Most of the world and almost every other odds site has the little man from Utah, David Archuleta, as the favourite to win the Idol crown. We beg to differ. As you can see on our odds chart, our choice is David Cook. His version of Billie Jean was exceptional, and he is, without a doubt, one of the two most talented performers in the group. The other is Carly Smithson, but she has to get past the anger — and maybe cover her tattooed arm. And, for sure, request that the producers do not ever show her husband again, who has more tattoos then the entire Denver Nuggets basketball team.
AFL QB has rooting interest in ‘American Idol’
Colorado Crush quarterback John Dutton has a special rooting interest in the outcome of the seventh season of Fox’s “American Idol” series.
His sister-in-law, Kristy Lee Cook, is a finalist.
Cook, a 24-year-old singer from Selma, Ore., auditioned for the competition at the Wachovia Center, which serves as the home stadium for the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul, in August.
Castro draws local Idol following
On one of the highest rated shows in U.S. television history, America makes the ultimate decision on who will be this years American Idol.
On Tuesday night, supporters of Jason Castro, a 2005 graduate of Rowlett High School, gathered at Family Cathedral of Praise Church in Mesquite to demonstrate that they have already decided Jason is their idol.
“We decided to have the event in Mesquite to show Jason how much support he has here,” said Laurie Tramel-Alvarez, who along with Samantha Krantz organized the watch party on the occasion of Castro’s 21st birthday.
American Idol is… Ramiele Malubay?
FOR the third time, a Filipino makes it to the top 10 of American Idol!
Her name is Ramiele Malubay, a 4-feet and 11-inch native of Florida, tagged as a “small girl with a huge voice, funky hair and dynamic personality.”
And for the nth time, she survived the elimination last Thursday—enduring the cruelty of Randy Jackson while charming Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
Ramiele began belting out songs at age 12, and her musical influences include Aretha Franklin, The Jackson 5, Mariah Carey as well as Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez.
Attack of the Stage Parents!
David Archuleta’s father is reputedly pushing obscure Australian pop songs on his American Idol contender son. Parental units are making scenes on I Know My Kid’s a Star. Mama Rose is telling Louise to sing out nightly on Broadway.
Stage parents are back.
“I don’t know if they’re getting worse or if they’re getting exposed now,” says Julie Stevens, an on-set teacher for working child actors in Los Angeles. “Now they’re in front of the camera.”
‘American Idol’ alums on the speaker circuit? How much?
Wanna get “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, winner Kelly Clarkson or loser William Hung to talk to you?
You probably can. For a price.
After hearing that Katharine McPhee has just been named the new face of Neutrogena, I got to wondering about other past contestants’ endorsement deals. With a brief Web search, I found out McPhee’s other partnership is with Sexy Hair Concepts.
Kelly Clarkson is a spokesperson for Proactiv skin products, Vitamin Water and Candies footwear. And Ford partnered with Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks. Skechers USA is aligned with Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, who also sings for Hershey’s. And Season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson has a new big-bucks deal with Avon.
A Q&A with “American Idol” season five finalist Ace Young
“American Idol” season five finalist Ace Young will meet and greet fans and autograph copies of “Chicken Soup for the ‘American Idol’ Soul,” 2 p.m., March 29 at Borders 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 100, Suwanee. He is also promoting his new self-titled debut album, “Ace Young” to be released early June.
More artists sign on to Winfield Country Roundup
Other artists previously announced are Alabama’s Randy Owen, four-time Female Vocalist of the Year winner Lorrie Morgan, and ACM Top New Male Vocalist Nominee Luke Bryan (”All My Friends Say”). Fans can also expect to see American Idol’s Bucky Covington, Eric Church (”Sinners Like Me”), Jason Jones (”Walk on Me”), Jypsi, Pat Green (”Wave on Wave”) and more.
Hydration not a factor in Georgia Marathon
Runners in the second ING Georgia Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday have more chance of getting wet than they have of getting thirsty.
Even with a cool, cloudy, possibly drizzly day forecast, race director Victoria Seahorn has stocked enough water and Gatorade to hydrate 14,000-plus runners in a heat wave.
Wheelchair racers will take off at 6:55 a.m., followed by Diana DeGarmo of “American Idol” fame singing the national anthem. Runners will depart in waves at 7:04 a.m.
Collin Raye, Chuck Wicks, Kellie Pickler Donate Time
Also on tap May 17 is the second annual Party For A Cause in Las Vegas, sponsored by the Academy of Country Music. The roster of talent includes Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Jack Ingram, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen, Carolina Rain and “Stupid Boy” songwriter Sarah Buxton. All proceeds are earmarked for the ACM’s Charitable Fund. The Academy presents its 43rd annual awards the following night.
Former American Idol to perform Thursday in Monterey
American Idol season three finalist Jon Peter Lewis will perform live in concert Thursday night at Monterey Live in downtown Monterey.
Lewis, who is set to release his second album, “Break The Silence,” will perform with rock band The Nadas. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Showtime is 9:30 p.m.
Developer seeks Westin hotel
A Memphis developer says he hopes to convince Starwood Hotels to build a Westin near an entertainment district planned adjacent to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Performa is also talking with Hoover native and “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks about being a national commercial spokesman for the entertainment district, Elkington said. Hicks has signed a letter of intent to open a club in the district.
“We haven’t reached an agreement yet, but are hoping to soon,” Elkington said. Roy L. Williams
Kingdom Come: Leona Lewis Hits U.S. Shores
Last November, her rookie release Spirit became the fastest selling debut album (and fourth all-around) in U.K. history. Spirit went on to top the charts in several other countries, and this week, in advance of the album’s Stateside release, the single “Bleeding Love” made Lewis the first female Briton in 21 years to top the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, she’s only the sixth female Brit ever to accomplish this feat and only the third to do so with a debut single. (Kim Wilde was the last female Brit to top the Hot 100 back in ‘87, while Sheena Easton is the last to do so with a debut single in ‘81.)
Spirit, which hits U.S. stores on April 8, could also make history on the Billboard 200.
Kelly’s eyeing a visit to her Welsh ‘roots’!
JUST because you are of Welsh descent doesn’t necessarily mean you know where Wales is.
Unlike the majority of her fellow Americans The Osmonds, Kelly Clarkson knows very little about her Welsh connections and says she is looking forward to coming to “Cardiff, England” on her forthcoming UK tour.
She thinks it might be a grandfather or great-grandfather who came from Wales but she isn’t exactly sure, and she has no idea where in Wales they may have come from.
“My dad has a big family tree done out but I am not sure about who came from Wales,” she admitted in her sweet Texan drawl.
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Good morning. :)
mj, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the Advocate link is not working…
purple - it’s not you - I can’t even get onto the Advocate site at all. Same thing happened yesterday - I always check Dave White on Fridays.
I just found out in the AI Forum that for Dolly week a mod thinks that the Kids will be allowed to sing any song Dolly has covered, not just the ones she’s written.
Guess what? One of them is House of the Rising Sun!
Wonder if anyone will pick it.
Advocate link didn’t work for me either.
Since yesterday, the Internet has been very temperamental, especially on the east coast. Several sites I frequent have documented the problems. Maybe because of Earth Hour?
“He’s a good picker of song arrangements and he delivers it all very convincingly. Also? Knows how to shout a very, very, very long note. I can’t hate him for that. But I don’t have to cheerlead for it, either.” Fianlly do not feel in the vast minority about Daivid C thanks Daivid White.. I also Agree with him on the rest of the points.-prediction Daivid C will sing this week straight then go back to rocking it-Daughtry route —I hope he does not reach to much in the well-he will become a Daughtry wantabemake millions.
Taylor is entering a busines arrangement and probably will not be on idol thats life. I do not think Clay either but them telling Simon C”to Stick it” does not help.
Ok it is harsh and Daivid c is a talented singer unfortunately for him Daughtry was before him and David seems to be fallowing the same path…Maybe Clive will sign him and he will drop out take the other Daivid A with him. I do not want the seaosn 5 of the greatest thing ever should of won which I see happening….It sucks….
If they can sing any song that Dolly has covered, then I am changing my pick for Micheal J. If he would sing Stairway to Heaven (a song I normally hate) then I might faint a little. His voice on that song would be incredible (now–how to shorten it to 1.5 minutes….
)
MJ or DC could do a good job. They could cut it down the way Kalan Porter did it in Canadian Idol 2.
It wasn’t working before, but it works now. I’m in the East Coast.
Ya gotta love Dave White. He’s the Queen of Snark.
“Maybe Clive will sign him and he will drop out take the other Daivid A with him. ”
Very interestring commentery, poporange. And I agree wicth you, both Davids should drop out now if they now know they will be signed by Clive. It is unfair to the others. The contract should include a clause that makes anyone execpt the winner unable to sign with a label until 1 year later.
Has anyone ever sung a Led Zepplin ( sp??) on the show before??
I wonder if they could get approval for Stairway to Heaven to be released to be used on the show? Now THAT is an iconic song.
I think people think really irrationally sometimes. Do you seriously think dropping out of american idol is even going through these contestants heads??? David A has been waiting and preparing since season 1 to try out for this show. I highly doubt, especially with the position he is in this season, he has any intention of quitting. Same with david cook. Besides, im sure everyone has learned a lesson after the whole mario v. situation (he would have walked season 5). not hes a 1 hit wonder.
I disagree. As long as both Davids perform as though they want to win, I don’t think they should even consider dropping out. The show allows people (who will probably be signed by Clive anyway) to showcase their talent on TV and build up a fan base. The fact that they will probably get recording contracts does not in any way take away from the competitive aspect of the show, it just means that, on their own merits, they’re doing outstandingly well.
I hope you are wrong about letting them sing any song Dolly has covered. I think the point of having theme nights in different genres is to see which contestants are best at moving out of their comfort zone. I really don’t want to see Cookie tackle “Stairway to Heaven” or “She Drives Me Crazy” when there are a wealth of great country songs he could choose from. I remember what a surprise it was to see the softer side of Daughtry when he sang a Keith Urban ballad. David Cook is an Okie so he must have a lot of familiarity with country music.
This is a test word press keeps coming up
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can’t contact the database server at localhost. This could mean your host’s database server is down.
Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname?
Are you sure that the database server is running?
If you’re unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress Support Forums
I think Idol Wrap is about to be on, at 3 PM on the East Coast. I read on the Castro forum on the AI site that at the very beginning, Jason Castro’s family is interviewed INCLUDING HIS LITTLE SISTER. I’ve been looking forward to seeing her. Can anybody capture it for the web?
I got that word press popup the last 2 days but not today.
Nevermind. I misunderstood. It was Jason repeating what his sister said - namely that American Idol is her favorite show.
That would be pretty cool for a 12 year old girl to have her own brother on her favorite tv show!
I was getting the wordpress popup for awhile today too.
Also it looks like I slept a whole year since the date says 3/20/09 :)
I finally got the Advocate link to work. Weird day in cyberworld.
I saw that Dolly had covered Stairway to Heaven, and it would be a great choice if it wasn’t such a long song. I read so much criticism of MJ because he tried to cram “A Day In The Life” down to 90 seconds. Didn’t even Randy complain about that?
What would he do with STH? Sing the first and last verse?
It would definitely increase his sales on iTunes.
Hilarious commentary from Dave White. I am bookmarking that place for future recaps.
White’s a fantastic recapper. I don’t agree with everything he says about the performances, but I can’t help but love his wittiness!
Dave White is simply the mandatory go-to person for the Ultimate in Idol Snark.
I have had a couple of days of issues with my posts not going through. And wouldn’t you know they were among my wittiest and most cogently intelligent ever!! (But, of course, only I know this.)
I’ll look into that…
In defense of David Cook, let’s talk about song arrangement for a minute. I was just watching Idol Wrap earlier, and the loud blonde - can’t remember her name - said that they have about 10 minutes to present their arrangement to the band. Okay. Let’s assume she was exaggerating. Maybe they have a half hour, or even an hour. That’s NOT a lot of time. It’s better for you if someone in your genre has already covered the song. The band may have already heard it, or you can play it for them, and voila, you have an unfamiliar, and therefore unpredictable arrangement.
Normally, a band might spend weeks working on a new arrangement, so I don’t see borrowing someone else’s arrangement as a bad thing. And as long as Ryan announces it beforehand, and the judges don’t give you credit for it, I think it’s absolutely legitimate.
I still think it’s BRAVE, though. You never know how people are going to react.
I don’t like Rock Music, but I like David Cook. He’s not as “hard” as Daughtry, and I like him better because of his song choices.
Still, I’m a Jason Castro girl.
@sciencefan - So very true. It all comes down to time, and you’re right, even if they had an hour or two, who could come up with an original arrangement in time to present it to the band? Not many, not even most.
My youngest daughter loves Jason Castro. She votes her fingers to the bone for him. I continue to be a David Cook supporter…but I can appreciate the talent of (most of) the other contestants, and their draw to their fanbases.
I do love reading Dave White’s stuff…though I could have done without the whole bit of the deflowering…TMI, thanks! I don’t always agree with his assessments, but he can be so hilarious!
It was not about the two Davids really more just the overboard fans that will come about ..How he is the greates or you suck if ya do notagree, defenciveness , better than the “rolling Stones” , the others suck….and also “should of won”…put him a a pedistal or in the Cleavland now statements…The wosred destroying others who do not share the same idea…..
Yes a part of wishes thier gone but not as artists because of some of thses fans…It has an inkling on another blog.and I do not want it to start it is way to ealry and it snowballs.
There’s news about Amanda on VFTW!
And a video of her on Ellen.
I hadn’t seen that one!
Yup! I’ve been getting this the past couple of days too.
Error establishing a database connection
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can’t contact the database server at localhost. This could mean your host’s database server is down.
Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname?
Are you sure that the database server is running?
If you’re unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress Support Forums.
So the Top 16 week just aired in Japan, and I just got off the phone with my mom. Without any prompting from me, she informed me that both she and my dad absolutely loved Jason’s Hallelujah.
:) I guess I had forgotten that magical moment because of Jason’s disappointing performances these past weeks, but I went back to watch it…now, I remember why I’m a fan.
Just thought I’d share that. CCJ FTW! (and here’s to Jason bringing back some of his magic!)
Over the last few days I’d been getting the wordpress thingy too. Oh, lo. :)
David White is so damn funny. And he is dead on about almost everything. I love is take on Michael John’s penis song, luvved it! Brooke looking for answers in the air, rofl! He makes me laugh about his going to miss Chikeze’s mom. She does seem like a barrel full of fun!
David’s C, or A quit? Oh yeah, they have 1 and 2 in the bag, so they should pull a Vasquez and quit, better the bird in the bush, than in the hand? Yep, paid off big time for him right? Hell, I don’t even remember his first name. Those guys are in it to win it, and one of them probably will, one will be thrown under a bus because by the time the numbers are crunched they won’t take a chance that the applecart to overturned. Next few weeks will decide who will be the surprise elimination.
Don’t know how I feel about David’s pacifism being upsetting to the troops. Being the spouse of someone who served in Iraq, and whose nephew served in afghanistan, I am a pacifist too. I guess if David A wins, we shouldn’t send his coronation song to them huh?
Oh, lo! This Pinoy has no idea, either. Maybe it is a Florida thing…LOL
(I had also been getting the “Error establishing a database connection” screen the past couple of days.)
I’m amazed, although I shouldn’t be, that so many nasty comments were posted to the troops. Actually, MTV’s lead-in to their reviews was deceptively worded. The troops did not insult David A nor did they say that they hated him. They just did not know/like the SONG. Too bad the posters did not bother to read what was actually said before insulting the troops. Here is what’s in the article:
I doubt anyone will ever leave the show again after the Mario event.
The them is Country, featuring Dolly Parton songs? Well, if it isn’t Dolly, it should be country. Now come on Jason and rise to the occasion! I look forward to his peformance more than anyone else.
If the contestants can sing songs that have been written or covered by Dolly Parton there are some interesting choices:
I Will Always Love You
The Tracks of My Tears
Stairway to Heaven
Where Have All the Flowers Gone (think Brook)
Me & Bobby McGee (Amanda would have done well with this one)
Crimson & Clover
Turn, Turn, Turn
If I Were a Carpenter
Both Sides Now
More Song Choices:
Feels Like Home to Me - Bonnie Raitt cover
God Bless the USA (would KLC dare do this song again?)
HELP (in case you haven’t gotten enough American Idols do the Beatles)
I Walk the Line (would David Cook be willing to take on Chris Daughtry?)
Peace Train - Cat Stevens
Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Save the Last Dance for Me
House of the Rising Sun
The Star Spangled Banner (in case Idol won’t let KLC do God Bless the USA again)
Walking on Sunshine