Idol’s Gone Country
Idol isn’t holding back, with legendary Dolly Parton in her first stint as “mentor” to the nine remaining contestants as they sing her songs Tuesday. The results show will feature Parton performing her current single, “Jesus & Gravity.”
The Clark Brothers also are set to take the stage Wednesday, with their performance available in video and audio Thursday on iTunes. The band is a recent winner of The Next Great American Band competition, and are said to release an album later this year.
”American Idol”: Welcome to the Dolly House
Watching the nine remaining American Idol contestants perform selections from the Dolly Parton songbook tonight, I suddenly experienced a childhood flashback to those picture puzzles that used to come in My Weekly Reader — you know, the ones where you’d have to look at a scene and pick out the items that didn’t belong. The whole jam-packed episode could be summed up as ”good performance,” ”good performance,” great performance,” ”can opener hanging from the banana tree.”
In other words, that’s my complicated way of saying that Ramiele Malubay and Kristy Lee Cook simply and unequivocally do not belong on the same stage as Carly Smithson, David Cook, Michael Johns, Jason Castro, David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado, and Brooke White, a septet of singers who might, if they collectively pull it together and consistently perform up to par, live up to the early-season mantra that we’re looking at the most talented group! of finalists in Idol history.
Dolly Parton does not inspire on ‘Idol’
It was Dolly Parton week on “American Idol,” which had to be a little unsettling for the country music legend. Parton claimed a strong attachment to her material, saying, “I always think of my songs as my children.”
If that’s the case, it’s hard to rationalize the decision to leave the custody of her songbook to the likes of the “Idol” singers and judges, even for just a couple of nights. While the judges liked some singers’ takes on the material better than others, nobody gave a truly memorable performance.
American Idol: Top 9 Perform
Did anyone fall for Ryan’s April Fool’s Joke that the show was going to be pre-empted for a Simon Cowell-led edition of Moment of Truth. Oh, I totally fell for it. I started turning off my computer and was all like “Hey, no review tonight!”
‘American Idol’: Dolly Parton Days
Well, forge our pigeon, it’s Dolly Parton night on “American Idol”! How much weirder can this show get?
The answer is “a lot,” if you count the spine-freezing demonstration the country star gives the Idolettes of her ability to play “9-to-5″ sans guitar by clicking her acrylic dragonlady fingernails against each other.
The first clue that it’s gonna be one of those nights is the pink straw that has appeared in judge Paula Abdul’s magic Coke cup, suggesting even the queen of optimism needs a more direct delivery system to ease the pain of the next hour.
American Idol: Where will Ramiele Malubay work?
So the pre-wife and I got into a huge fight last night over American Idol. When Ramiele Malubay gets sent home tonight, the pre-wife thinks she is going back to work at Forever 21. I had to completely disagree and say she obviously works at Express. We both agreed to just say ‘the mall’ and call it a tie.
Other random Idol thoughts that came to me while I was forced to watch because Tuesday night TV sucks and there is no baseball on (seriously ESPN2, the NIT? Nothing like a tourney to crown the 66th best team in college hoops.)
American Idol: Don’t Ruin This by Forcing Another Dolly Week
Even though The ‘Crest tried to trick us by threatening an all-Simon “Moment of Truth” (also known as the viewer call- in segment on results night), the April Fool was on me. Dolly Parton week was actually highly entertaining…in a good way (mostly)!
However, what did The ‘Crest mean when he said he wanted to “touch letters” when talking to Vanna White? Sounds kinky. He also revealed that he knows what a French pedicure is. Oh, Seacrest, you guy’s guy.
I started to believe in the magic of Dolly this afternoon when I read some of her more colorful quotes on ew.com. What a neat lady! Dolly’s spritely presence almost made up for Paula’s lack of sequins.
Here’s how the Top 9 fared:
Parton Me: ‘American Idol’ Top Nine Performs
Wednesday (April 1) night is Dolly Parton Night on American Idol, with Dolly serving as guest mentor, which will force surly judge Simon Cowell to balance his hatred of country music with his love of kissing up to celebrity visitors. As for me? I suspect the entire show will feel like an hour-long April Fool’s joke (though hopefully less lame than the one Ryan Seacrest uses to start the show)…
Idol Tracker: Lambs to Triumph?
As previously noted in this column, the emergence of The Chosen One, David Archuleta marks not merely the arrival of a strong contender, but the fulfillment of Idol prophecies. Reared on Idol from his earliest days, (as demonstrated in this historic video shot during Season One, of the Great Clarkson passing the torch to the baby David), The Chosen One was shaped in his infancy in the model of the show. Whereas in the B.T.C.O. era, contestants from Clarkson to Sparks flailed around attempting to discern the will of the electorate through a glass darkly and shape themselves according to its will (although young Jordin, who dropped by the Idol dome tonight, may be the John the Baptist of this parable, presaging the way for the savior of the tweens).
But in The Chosen One, as the crowd in the Idoldome Tuesday night once again shrieked to discover, we have a candidate who seemingly effortlessly, as naturally as donning a hoodie sweatshirt, can sing face to face to the hearts of American Idol’s sleeping giants – the tween girls. For years, this speed dialing voting block has awaited its true champion, hurling third rate contenders like Kevin Covais, Anthony Federov and Sanjaya Malakar to the upper reaches of Idoldom.
Oregon’s American Idol Kristy Lee Cook
Whether she’s enduring Simon Cowell’s catty critiques or bouncing back with a crowd-pleasing performance of “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Kristy Lee Cook has kept smiling and surviving — all the way to the Final 9 on “American Idol.” The cowgirl from the tiny Southern Oregon town of Selma (find it on a map) sold her “really good barrel horse” to pay her way to Philadelphia to audition for the seventh season of “Idol,” the top-rated show on TV.
The 24-year-old likes camping, fishing and kick-boxing — and she’s training for cage-fighting. She recorded a country-music album called “Devoted,” which was released in 2005.
David Cook’s Blue Springs Beginnings
Plenty of eyes are on David Cook around the Metro, especially in Blue Springs where the American Idol finalist grew up.
Twenty years before the big stage of Hollywood, David Cook had to take the stage in front of elementary school classmates at Thomas Ultican Elementary School. He said music teacher Fredalyn Gentry gave him the push needed to get him started and he used the Idol national platform to tell her how much he appreciated it.
“I’m a big baby, I just cried when I first heard him say thank you Mrs. Gentry,” she said.
Reese Witherspoon Teaches Troubled New Orleans Kids
Actress Reese Witherspoon is jumping on the Hollywood charity train…in New Orleans, Louisiana that is. She surprised children at a school by showing up to volunteer as a teacher for the day.
The Academy Award winner visited the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School in New Orleans, where local troubled and at-risk kids learn to become community leaders. The visit was filmed for the upcoming ‘American Idol’ charity television special called ‘Idol Gives Back.’
Blake Lewis on Sanjaya - I Was Never A Fan
He may not have walked away with the American Idol title — but few who watched last season will forget Sanjaya Malakar. Turns out, castmate Blake Lewis didn’t even want the aspiring singer on the show. “I was never a fan of Sanjaya,” Lewis says in a new interview with a Jacksonville, Fla.-area radio station. In the interview (which you can hear above), the Idol runner-up says that Malakar made for “terrible television” and even reveals that he was initially cut from the show.
Kelly Clark’s Road to Redemption Continues with Stop in Front of the Pope
It’s not reciting the words to “How Will I Know” 20 times and “I Will Always Love You” 30 times, but Kelly Clarkson is going to perform a penance of sorts later this month, when she’ll perform what could be seen as the ultimate diva jam: Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” which she’ll perform for Pope Benedict XVI before he gives a speech in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 19. She’s calling this opportunity a “blessing,” even though she’s Baptist and the oh-so-conservative Benny 16 will probably be thinking that she’s a fake Christian during her entire performance.
Jennifer Hudson to Perform at Halle Berry Silver Rose Gala
Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry is proud to welcome her friend and colleague Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson to bring a show stopping performance at the annual Silver Rose Gala and Auction, benefiting the Jenesse Center. Karen Earl, Executive Director Jenesse Center said, “It is thrilling to have Ms. Hudson join our event lineup. She is a true supporter of our work in healing families in crisis.” The annual Silver Rose Gala and Auction will be hosted at the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, Sunday, April 27th at 12 noon.
Cuties, Contestants and Crow’s-Feet
We spoke to an Idol, Jordin Sparks, who seems to have matured since winning season six’s singing comp…or maybe it was the gigantic wedges the already too-tall gal donned on the Day-Glo carpet that made her seem more grown-up. Jordy gave us her take on who’s gonna steal Idol all the way to the bank: “David Cook. It was just phenomenal, ‘Billie Jean’…it was amazing.” But was it just as good as collaborating with heartthrob hip-hopper Chris Brown on the single “No Air”? Says the swooning Sparks, “I can’t believe he’s singing to me…He smelled really good, trust me.” We’ll take your word for it, reluctantly. Come to think of it, C. Brown’s 18 as well…was there some sorta superjuice parents were slurping back 18 years ago when they conceived their totally talented tots?
Alice Cooper and Jordin Sparks Featured on All-New Episode of the “Building Phoenix” Show
Alice Cooper and American Idol Jordin Sparks are featured on an all-new episode of “Building Phoenix,” the award-winning television program showcasing development in the city of Phoenix. The episode premieres at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, on PHX 11, the city’s news and information station available to Cox and Qwest Cable subscribers (for additional airdates and times visit phoenix.gov/11).
Former mail carrier ‘Baby V’ still knows how to deliver
Before her big break on Idol in 2005, Vonzell Solomon spent the previous year and a half as a rural mail carrier in Fort Myers, Fla.
Thanks to the job, she was better prepared than most to face Simon Cowell.
“Little dogs are always the feisty ones,” she says.
Almost three years later, Baby V no longer delivers mail, but she might be the only Idol finalist with the backing of the federal government. After Idol, she was a celebrity spokeswoman for her old employer, the U.S. Postal Service and helped unveil a new stamp.
3,000 will get refunds for concert Clarkson event canceled over NCAA concerns
About 3,000 people will get refunds within the next few weeks for a Kelly Clarkson concert that was canceled at Kinnick Stadium, officials said Monday.
The April 18 show was a part of MSL Entertainment’s 2008 Gridiron Bash, a series of concerts and events at more than 20 NCAA Division I football schools in the country in an attempt to generate revenue and rev up fans.
Concerts all over the country were canceled last week because of confusion in NCAA regulations about student-athlete participation, said Shawn Garrity, MSL president and a former linebacker at Syracuse.
Richmond remembers Elliott Yamin’s No. 1 fan
Claudette Goldberg Yamin was one of a kind.
She was down to earth, quick with a quip, could cook a mean burger and loved a good chat. She also achieved a certain celebrity as her son Elliott’s biggest fan.
Family, she often said, meant more than anything.
Mrs. Yamin, 65, died late Monday night at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. Elliott Yamin said yesterday that she died of multiple complications after being in the hospital less than a week.
Elliott Yamin said his mother died peacefully. “She would love nothing more to see her name in the paper,” he said. “She loved attention. She’s probably smiling down right now.”
Yamin, his brother and sister and their uncle were with Mrs. Yamin in her last moments.
“We were all able to see her off together,” he said.
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Yay to tonight’s Clark Brothers appearance being available on itunes later!
Still feel bad for Elliott and surprised not more coverage about it..
This season the two who I felt a connection got swallowed up or pushed aside the others I feel none at all.Thier too flashy or high up they do not seem like the regular joe. I do hope David C has good health and akes care of himself , a piece of advise listen to your body .I think the high blood pressure and stress got to him oh remember thier are more imortant things than American Idol . This not the first time a contestant went to the hospital right?
The really sad if you take the hospital stay out of the equastion..I am starting to get a little overloaded with the two Daivds and it is only the top 9. That is not a good thing and am happy MJ stepped it up so it may not be a battle of the Davids.
Pop, I saw quite a few news and blog alerts on Claudette’s passing. AP has even picked up the story. I understand there are threads in several AI message boards and forums dedicated to Claudette. She appears to be well-liked and fondly remembered by many AI fans. :)
Real Love, the Kat-Elliott “duet,” is reportedly being released as the second single from the Randy Jackson’s Music Club album and will go for adds on April 29. Here’s the purported radio edit -
http://wm.allaccess.com/allaccess/kathreal.wma
I am not usually sensitive to digs like this one and am not a big Ramiele fan, but this sounds offensive. That being said, if all else indeed fails for Ramiele in the US, she could always come to the Philippines and a career on local TV and the movies, at least, would most likely be waiting for her. I believe she could be bigger than Jasmine Trias (at least for a while)…she certainly has the more interesting personality (just not on the AI stage) and is cute as a button.
Anyone else having trouble picking for the pool? I was fairly confident about Syesha, but my other AI obsessed friend said that since Chizieke was gone, she’s the only R&B type left so she may have picked up some support. That freaked me out enough to check Dial Idol and other sites, and yeah, it looks like it’s at least possible for her to be safe. Damn! Blows my whole strategy this week out of the water. LOL! I can’t see Ramielle actually leaving yet. So now I’m at a loss. Jason, Brooke & Kristy are all possibilities. I’m going to have to put some thought into this one.
tina, I had Syesha all locked in and have since changed it too. I may regret it but I put most of my points on Rami. (I left a few for Syesha, though) I can’t bring myself to believe Jason is going home so I put no points on him. I hope I don’t live to regret it! LOL. I certainly did my part voting last night!
Yes yes, the Clark Brothers on iTunes! Does anyone know if it will be the live version or a studio recording?
Oh, and I’m so glad the press was generally positive about Jason’s performance. Not that it keeps him from the possibilities of elimination tonight….Gosh, I’m so worried- I haven’t been this worried since Elliott.
jersey- I can’t bring myself to put points on him either, so if he leaves it will be a very, very sad night.
In these troubled economic times, it’s always nice to know that there are certainties that we can invariably cling to:
1) Carly Smithson will always wear an outfit that makes her look two sizes bigger than she probably is.
2) Syesha Mercado will fake-emote her way through a Whitney Houston number at every available opportunity.
3) Blake Lewis will be a douchebag.
Jersey, same here. I will be voting in the pool in the same manner. I hope you did enough voting for Jason to stay.
Jersey, I fell your pain. I love Brooke but the only thing stopping me from putting points on her is that she’s never been in the bottom 3 before, it’s hard to see her going home even if I’m pretty sure she’ll be one of the 3. And that makes me sad. Jason SHOULD be safe since his fanbase got scared last week, but still. Maybe it will be Kristy’s night, finally? I would be shocked, but not entirely unhappy, if it was Ramielle.
I’ve split my points (not that it matters since I’m so far behind :( ) between Syesha and Kristy. I just don’t believe Ramielle will go yet even though DialIdol would indicate tonight’s her night. She has a huge fan base and her performance, while average, wasn’t horrendous. I enjoyed Jason too much last night to put points on him.
I wish someone would tell Blake Lewis to shut up. Enough already.
I caught Blake on Good Morning America this morning. Perhaps my recent perception of him has colored my views but I thought he sounded terrible. He can call David A. boring all he wants but David, and every other guy on that stage last night would blow him out of the water.
Doxology responded to the DCook mention. The story is at Entertainment Weekly.
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/04/doxology-gets-i.html?cid=109145012#comment-109145012
Travelin’ Thru is currently #1 on the iTunes Folk chart!! I know it’s not a very competitive genre, but hopefully, it’s a good sign.
I am reminded of what a friend, a DC fan, posted in another forum earlier today:
“Don’t judge D COOK by his COVER.” Heh. ;)
LOL at this from huffingtonpost:
I had to go and watch the video again. It did sound like that.
I noticed that he sort of mumbled the end of that phrase and wondered what happened. LOL
ETA: I’m looking forward to Jason’s studio recording the most this week. Hopefully he’ll get the words right.
Oh, yeah I read that article and rewatched his peformance. I’m pretty sure he said “all the piecessssfit” but I think it could go both ways. LOL
BTW, here’s a snapshot of the current iTunes Folk chart.
I’m positive Jason sang the correct lyrics. He telegraphs all his blunders when he sings. There’s no way he could have kept a straight face if he had sung it that way.
I put 5 pts on Jason, 5 on Ramiele, and 10 on Syesha. I don’t KLC’s going anywhere yet.
I’d never heard the song before, and I noticed Jason sort of slurring the words there. I played it back and could tell it was “all the pieces fit” even though I was clueless on the lyrics. I did notice, however, that it could also sound like “piece of s–t”. When he fumbles, though, it is all over his face, so I think he just slurred his words.
Thanks for that encouragement.
It’s too bad that the buying public is not the same
as the voting public.
David C you really do not know him personally so I guess it would be hard to tell if he was Stressed..I think the background about his brother being sick was not new and I agree with Ricky sympathy votes will go his way..The guy is human and tradgies happen loved ones get sick some more than others. The deal with it diferently and I feel bad for all who are in that situation.
IMO -David C comes off as a little smug and I just think of himas another pop/rocker probably sing good songs and somewhat predictable so far. I repeat both David A or C I feel bad for them in thier situations but because of some rabit fans American ans a small part media I really do not care for thier music or what they do on the show…thanks
From Idol Chatter:
Jordin, Chris Brown perform on next week’s results show
USA TODAY’s Bill Keveney was on hand in the Idol audience Tuesday, and got a bit of a bonus. He reports:
Ashley Ferl, Crazy Crying Girl, Now Loves Jason Castro
LOL.
The more I hear David Cook, the more convinced I am that this boy needs to win. He is pure talent. But………..god only knows what kind of music Clive will saddle him with. Maybe he shouldn’t win.
iTunes had a slip up: the rankings of the pre-ordered songs for the Top 9 are now showing up on the Top Albums chart.
Pop:
2. David A.
3. Michael
5. David C.
7. Jason
10. Carly
14. Brooke
30. Syesha
42. Kristy Lee
69. Ramiele
Overall:
7. David A.
12. Michael
14. David C.
20. Jason
30. Carly
47. Brooke
Haha, I had a feeling she was crying the most over Castro when I heard she was at the performance last night. It’d be hilarious to see Ash at the show if Jason ever tried doing something funky with his hair — funkier than dreads, of course.
…glaring paradox, I know.
Here is a link to a really well-done article about Claudette’s funeral today. It’s a lovely tribute to a lovely woman.
http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/popculture
Lovely article. Ace Young is such a decent human being. If the music thing doesn’t work out, he should go into politics or charity work. He’d be a natural.
That was very nice of Ace to come down to Richmond for Claudette and Elliott. Thank you for the link, judy.
The Popwatch blog is up.
On the Scene: ‘Idol’ Top 9 performance night
Ellen DeGeneres Will Not Co-Host ‘Idol Gives Back’
I love this article. -olivia
olivia131@tradeyourpics.com
I’m surprised Ellen would back out. Somehow that story just doesn’t sound right. I wonder if that’s the real reason.
Deleted because I screwed up and duplicated.