The Best of American Idol

Could Ryan Seacrest’s Days as Idol Host be Numbered?

2012-01-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

According to AmericanIdolnet.com, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest’s $45 million contract is up after this season, so speculation on whether or not this season will be his last has begun.

The Hollywood Reporter is speculating that the host might have to take a pay cut if he wants to continue working on the show. And like most people in Hollywood who expect more money each contract, a pay cut will likely mean Seacrest walks.

And if Idol can make it without Simon Cowell, it can make it without Ryan Seacrest.

Add that to the talk that Ryan may end up hosting NBC’s The Today Show, and whether or not he’ll be around longer than Season 11 is a pretty reasonable question.

Adam Lambert 's Second Album Ready for Release?

2011-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Adam Lambert‘s highly anticipated second album is ready for release but he tweeted over the weekend that his sophomore release was being held up and the fault was all his own: “Here’s the deal: there have been a couple of creative set backs on the first single. Mainly cuz I’m a perfectionist. Ha.”

The first single should hit in November with his album release coming in the early part of 2012, hopefully around February or March.
RCA Records confirmed the delays and reiterated Adam’s comments that the hold up was their focus to get everything right.

It’s been noted that Lambert is “taking the reins” on this album much more so than on his debut. Adam is definitely more involved than ever and he’s really enjoying that.

Judges Still Looking for That Elusive Female Winner?

2011-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

“American Idol” judges were in Texas Tuesday searching for the next American Idol and took some time out for a press conference.

And like every year, they’re saying talent is even better than the year before and, of course, they’re still looking for a female winner.

“I feel like the bar is raised every year. We had an amazing abundance of talent last year, and I think we up it every season,” Judge Randy Jackson said during the press conference.

Jennifer Lopez, despite being the last hold-out to sign for this season, claims to be excited and gave an even more canned response than Randy.

“We’re excited about this year,” she said. “I don’t think we put the pressure on ourselves to top last year or anything like that. It’s just about having fun, finding great talent.”

But much like last year, the judges are trying hard to find a female to break the guy winning streak.
“The strongest voices we’ve seen this year have been girls. We had a lot of strong girls last year, but they were voted off, one by one,” Lopez said.

It also sounds like Steven Tyler hasn’t hardened any since last season. “It still breaks my heart to tell someone they can’t sing, because everybody’s got a voice,” he said. “It’s not easy. I have my days and moments.”

How to Sing Better and Improve Your Vocal Range

2011-08-15T18:17:00.001-07:00

Although most people will never try out for American Idol, a great many individuals would like to know how to sing better. Here are a few helpful tips:

A singer must encourage their body to stay relaxed. If a vocalist is standing while singing, they should lift their arms about six inches away from their sides as this will permit a full expansion of the lungs. As the singer inhales, they must fill their stomach completely with air. As the individual exhales, they push the air out of their lungs using the diaphragm.

The diaphragm is a curved muscle that separates the lungs from the stomach. It is located just below the rib cage. Staying relaxed is imperative, as nervousness will create tension on the diaphragm, and destroy a singer's ability to hold and sing clear notes. The performer should place their feet in a balanced position and in alignment with their shoulders.

Putting one foot slightly ahead of the other will also work. Knees should never be locked; instead, they must be kept slightly bent. If the vocalist is in a sitting position, keeping the back straight but not stiff is important. In this posture, the feet should be approximately 12 inches apart, and both should be flat on the floor.
A higher note is more readily achieved when the arms are raised slightly above the six inch mark. A moderate smile can also be helpful. A delicate crying tone, underneath the words the vocalist is singing, will also enhance his or her ability to reach these notes. Practicing singing "boo hoo" to achieve this will render great results. For lower notes, dropping the arms slightly, creating a larger opening with the mouth and encouraging the jaw to relax will gain the deep resonating sound desired.

Muscle memory is important in learning how to sing better. Placing too much forceful pressure on the muscles surrounding the larynx or voice box will spoil the vocalist's ability to carry a tune. Adding a bit of a dopey tone to the voice will encourage the muscles surrounding the larynx to relax. Once these muscles are trained properly, the dopey tone can be removed and a clear singing voice that reverberates just above a person's normal speaking voice will capture everyone's attention. Remember, high and low notes cannot be reached when too much tension is present.

Believe it or not, what an individual drinks or eats before singing can affect the quality of their voice. Drinking bottled water or juice can be advantageous, but one should do so an hour or two before singing. Tobacco, dairy products, and alcohol will create detrimental results and will impair the clear notes that the singer is trying to reach.

In addition, getting in shape can be beneficial for the vocalist, and it will create favorable consequences for a more powerful voice. The more deeply the singer can breathe the better their instrument will resonate with clearer tones. The individual's confidence will also be boosted, which is always helpful, especially since being relaxed is an integral part of being a successful singer.

If a vocalist is truly serious about learning how to sing better, they should consider hiring a vocal coach. He or she can teach proper techniques for strengthening the voice and prevent the singer from harming their vocal instrument.

Would you like to learn how to sing better? If so, you will want to read my review of Singorama, which can help you learn to sing with a full vocal range.

Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Album to Be Released Soon

2011-08-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Season 10 “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina will both be releasing their debut albums in October.

Scotty’s album “Clear as Day” is set to drop Oct. 4 while Lauren’s “Wildflower” the following week on Oct. 10.

“We’ve been working hard on this album not only in Nashville, but in studios across the country because I’ve been on the Idol tour,” Scotty said in a press release. “We’re putting what I believe are the best songs we could find on it and I really hope everyone likes it. The whole experience has been amazing!”

According to the release, Scotty’s new album is a collection of songs in the same straight-ahead country style that captured the nation’s hearts – and votes—on the show. It’s the next step in a promising career that is already breaking records.

Lauren says her album has a little something for everyone.

“I feel like it has a flavor for everybody,” Lauren said in a release. “It’s a mixture of all different songs, so I hope it will appeal to all different kinds of people. There are fast songs for people who like up-tempos that you can dance to, and there are also tearjerkers for people who like slower ballads.

American Idol: What Washington Should Learn From Judge Steven Tyler

2011-07-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

I confess. I'm hooked on American Idol. After teaching a business planning class on Wednesdays, I beat it across the lake to join my wife for our weekly fix. It's kind of a family thing. We each have our favorite contestant. My oldest granddaughter adores Lauren. My seven-year old grandson went to his school career day dressed as James. My wife's guy is Scotty. And Haley locked up my vote with "The House of the Rising Sun."

But hands down my favorite personality on the show is judge Steven Tyler. Truth is, I don't understand half of what this guy says. Much of his vocabulary just escapes me. But what I most enjoy about Tyler is his wonderful capacity - and his willingness - to occasionally blow off his fellow judges by announcing to the world that they are flat out wrong. The intellectually honest is refreshing and powerful. No mincing of words. No finessing. No beating around the bush. Nothing disrespectful, mean-spirited or contentious. The judges are always all on the same team, trying to support each other, and do what's best for the show. And to Tyler, that means publicly going on the record when he thinks a fellow colleague is off base. He has a variety of creative ways to succinctly and emphatically make his point. One of my favorites was the night he turned to fellow judge Randy Jackson and just said, "If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong."

Imagine a Washington where many have developed this Tyleresque will and ability to publicly call out a colleague who has gone too far. I am not referring to daily attacks on those across the aisle, the never-ending partisan mudslinging we've all come to expect. No, what I would so like to see is people calling a spade a spade when one of their own steps over the line. Just like Tyler does when he thinks the show will be improved with some candid honesty about his fellow judges.

Take, for example, when President Obama recently fabricated scenarios to demonize Paul Ryan's budget proposal. It bordered on being shameful. The goal, of course, was to score some cheap political points at Ryan's expense. And it worked. It mattered little that the comments mislead the uninformed, hyped partisan tensions, and demonstrated little regard for accuracy and truthfulness. Various talk show hosts and Republicans had a field day attacking the President for the comments, but all that was to be expected. These partisan attacks just magnified the President's disdain for Ryan's ideas. The episode demonstrated, once again, that stepping over the line often pays off in politics. That's why its standard operating procedure for many players on both sides of the aisle.

Now imagine if a group of fellow Democrats who support the President had stepped up and, in true Steven Tyler fashion, publicly stated, "Mr. President, if we agreed with those comments, we'd all be wrong." That would have had some real impact.

Why would they do such a thing? Ideally, because they understand that the whole process ultimately suffers when the uniformed are misled, partisan differences are unduly hyped, and accuracy and truthfulness are tossed out the window. In Tyler's world, it's "not good for the show." Picture what such non-partisan intellectual honesty would do over time to erode public cynicism and clean up the daily rhetoric. The political garbage would quickly be exposed. The media would have a much tougher time leveraging that garbage for its own ends. And many fewer players would be tempted to play fast and loose with the truth.

I acknowledge that I've now moved deep into fantasy land. Political naiveté in the extreme. But, oh, it's so tempting to imagine what Steven Tyler might say.

Dwight Drake is an experienced planning lawyer, law professor, and business owner. He teaches business, tax and planning course at the University of Washington School of Law. He is the author of the PlainTalk Planning online educational service ( http://www.plaintalkplanning.com ). For more information about Professor Drake and access to his other works, go to http://www.drakeplaintalkplanning.com.

How to Apply For the American Idol Auditions

2011-07-07T00:20:00.001-07:00

American Idol gives undiscovered talent a chance to be overnight singing sensations. Before you can become the next Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson, you have to successfully get through the American Idol registration process.

All applicants have to register in person; there is no online registration. So the first step is to locate the closest audition city from the listed posted on the American Idol web site. The audition cities are spread throughout the country but if you live in a small town, plan a road trip. Carrie Underwood, for example, had to drive eight hours from her home town in Checotah, Oklahoma to audition in St. Louis, Missouri.

Registration begins two days prior to the actual auditions and is on a strictly a first-come, first-served basis. Registration times will be updated on the American Idol website so arrive as early as allowed. It is not recommended to wait until the audition day to register. If the producers run out of time or space, latecomers may not be allowed to register.

There is no overnight camping allowed at the audition venues so expect a crush of people when you arrive. Make sure to dress for the weather-like any Hollywood show, it goes on rain or shine, hot or cold.
To register, you need two forms of ID to prove your age, such as a drivers' license and birth certificate. There is no exception to the two ID rule. If you're a minor, you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Once registered, you'll get a wristband and a seat ticket. You can bring one guest, who needs to sign in the same time you do. They will also get a wristband and ticket. Once they put the wrist band on you do not take it off. If you remove the wristband for any reason, it becomes null and void. They might give you another on the audition day if space allows, but you'll be at the bottom of the audition list, meaning your chances to perform will be slim to none.

The call time for audition day is 5:00AM. In addition to the wristband and ticket, you need to bring a signed release form, which can be downloaded from the AI web site. You'll also have to show your two forms of ID one more time to finally get into the venue where the auditions are held.

It's a time-consuming process but with patience, perseverance, and a little luck, you'll get your shot at being America's next singing idol.

You don't have to go crazy, nor do you have to be a slave to the music industry to "make it". To learn how to get in contact with top record labels, managers, producers and more simply visit http://www.TheIndustryYellowPages.com, the world's largest list of music contacts.

A Sales Lesson From American Idol?

2011-07-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Would you think you could learn a profound sales lesson from American Idol? Well, it happened tonight.
Here's the back story in case you're not a fan. Last week, Pia, a beautiful and seemingly unbeatable contestant got the axe. The results horrified everyone!

Fast forward to last night. The mentors (music industry bigwigs whose names I don't know) were advising another contestant, Lauren, about her upcoming performance. After showering her with compliments about her talents, one of the mentors looked her straight in the eye and said, "There are a whole bunch of Pia fans out there. If you do well, you can steal her votes."

Lauren looked horrified, almost shaken. She couldn't possibly steal her friend's votes.
The mentor continued, "That's how you have to think in this business."

A second mentor, understanding Lauren's discomfort, smiled and perfectly re-framed the goal.
'Don't sell them. Invite them."

Don't sell them. Invite them.

Think about the wisdom in that. He was telling her that instead of going in for the kill, to simply use her gifts- in her own special way - to engage the audience. To invite them to her world.

You can apply the same principal to sales. Don't set out to steal the business with heavy-handed tactics. Instead, invite your prospects to participate in the opportunity you bring to the table. An invitation implies acceptance and friendship. It's non-threatening. It's flattering. It means "I like you enough to join me." And most importantly, the extension of an invitation puts you in control. Instead of waiting for a prospect to choose you, you were the first to choose by asking them to the party.

By inviting people, you totally change the sales dynamic - in your favor.

How do you extend an invitation to a prospect? A lot depends on your personal style. Take a good look at how you foster relationships with prospective clients. Do you call or visit with the intention of telling them how wonderful you or your product are? Or do you ask about them? Their needs? Their goals? Do you dig deep for the solution that meets their needs? Like any good host, it may be your party, but it's all about pleasing your guests.

There are actually a lot more sales tidbits one can cull from your American Idol viewing. Be authentic.
Show up. Do your best. Don't be too pitchy. But for today, the concept of inviting people into your world wins my vote as a great sales tactic.

Angel Cicerone
Sales and Marketing Strategist
angel@angelcicerone.com

Scotty and Lauren - American Idol Debut Album Progress

2011-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Music’s Chris Willman caught up with American Idol 2011 winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina backstage at their Grand Ole Opry debut last week and had the chance to ask them both about their progress in the studio. While both were semi-tight lipped we still got a few tidbits out of the discussion. Sheesh. Where’s Haley’s parents when you need a spoiler?

McCreery was in the studio Thursday with producer Mark Bright, and the assembled band laid down five backing tracks, though Scotty won’t be adding his vocals to them till later.
Of course they’re brand new songs, not the kind of familiar covers heard on the show, that he’s recording. But he wasn’t willing to reveal any song titles. “After the ‘Out of Summertime’ leak, they’re being really strict on me about that,” McCreery said

Scotty will have to jet back and forth from the studio to the tour events this summer and there aren’t a lot of days between those. He’s definitely going to have a stressful, but surely exciting summer.

Alaina wouldn’t even reveal which producer she was working with Thursday, since she expects to be collaborating with several on her album and the lineup is far from complete. But she and whoever she’s working with got four basic tracks recorded Thursday, and among the songwriters whose work she’s cutting is… Carrie Underwood.

The Underwood song is one that didn’t make the cut on Carrie’s latest album. Definitely an exciting opportunity for Lauren to have a chance at covering it herself.
Now for anyone wondering about a budding romance between the two finalists, Scotty says they won’t be locking any of them doors:

“No, we’re not,” he affirmed. “We’re more like the brother/sister kind of relationship where we’re just really good friends and get along really well. But as far as the ‘relationship’ side of things, that’s definitely a no.”

Sounds like these two are doing great with everything going on. It’s a long article at Yahoo! Music, but a good one for anyone interested. Hopefully we’ll start to hear news for some of the other finalists from this year, but so far it’s been pretty quiet for everyone else.

American Idol 2011 Top 3

2011-05-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

This week we would see the hometown tours taken by Haley Reinhart, Scotty McCreery, and Lauren Alaina, our American Idol top 3! The hometown tours for the American Idol Top 3 were a big hit as Scotty, Lauren, and Haley each went home for a grand hero’s welcome.

They will be singing three wide open songs one of which would be selected by the judges or maybe Jimmy Iovine.

Who do you think would go into the finale?

American Idol 2011: Top 5 Elimination Show

2011-05-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

American top 5 has now become top 4 after Jacob said "good bye" - another two weeks before the finale.

There was no surprise this week since Jacob had been in bottom three and two for quite some time now. We wish him well.

My best wishes also go to Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart and James Durbin for their continued fight next week and the results should be very exciting!

American Idol 2011 Top 5

2011-05-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

American Idol top 5 namely Jacob, James, Haley, Lauren, and Scotty will each perform two songs tonight - one oldie from the 60s' and another from recent years.

We have another 3 weeks to go before the finale!

Who do you think would leave us tomorrow?

American Idol Top 6!

2011-04-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! We are now down to 6! And we have only 5 weeks left before we crown our American idol for season 10!

This week on American Idol the Top 6 will be performing songs from Carole King’s catalog which should prove very interesting and exciting.

Based on the votings in the past weeks, Jacob and Haley would be two of the the bottom three this week. Who else would join them? If Scotty did not learn from the mistake he made last week, he would very well be in the bottom three this week!

American Idol 2011 Top 7 Elimination Results - What others Say

2011-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Wellen says:
April 21, 2011 at 3:07 PM
I wonder what most of the people judge these guys against. I think that I have been very bleesed to have the exposure to such a wide variety of music to appriciate it. I am not trained in music, I use a CD player as an insrument and believe me you dont want me to sing. But I have grown up in the greatest music generation I can think of. From the greats of early music to todays top 40. I have heard music transform from Country and Rock on one radio station to Cirrus Radio where you can listen to only one type of music. I listen to everything I can, I’ll try anything once. I hear new music on the show I try to listen to it and appriciate what the performer brings to the table with it.
I think that is what makes some of the comments so frustrating.
Rozzie says:
April 21, 2011 at 3:21 PM
To repeat once again: The only song which has been sung to date over the past couple of months which was a real stirring moment was I Need You Now which Stefano sang. The guy’s got real soul. He’s a singer, composer and musician. He’s just not using all he’s got. He should start. Wake up everybody!
- David P. says:
  April 21, 2011 at 3:56 PM
  I agree with you. That performance was amazing. Few of the top 13 have such a powerful performance. He deserved his wildcard spot. However, we haven’t seen that Stefano since that song. Last week we got a glimpse of it this week may have been his last chance.
- Pup says:
  April 21, 2011 at 6:54 PM
  I liked Stefano singing that song. But I would never say he was the only one to deliver a stirring moment! My goodness, Haley has done so over and over and over in every single performance. I keep playing “Fallin’” over and over because I liked it so much.
- Northern Guy says:
  April 21, 2011 at 8:01 PM
  Great Radio Voices: James. Stefano. Haley.
  “Okay” radio voices: Lauren and Scotty.
  Not good for radio voices: Casey and Jacob.
  Listen to the Itunes tracks and just LISTEN. Forget the performances and their faces and just LISTEN to the voices. This is what will determine if these artists will sell albums or not after AI Season 10 is done. Simon always said: “I can hear that on the radio….”. It’s the radio that matters.
  Country fans can vote for Scotty 1000 times each and not change the fact he’s predictable, quite boring and really not that “radio ready”. He may win this contest, but my eyes are on Haley, Lauren, James and Stefano for people who will sell records.
  8 songs of Scotty swaggering through dreary old country tunes? Wow. Watching paint dry suddenly has appeal for me.
Shawn says:
April 21, 2011 at 3:46 PM
My bottom 3
Jacob
Stefano
Scotty(I’m a fan of his, but he needs a wake up call)
Going home
Either Jacob or Stefano. Sorry but these two just really bore me to tears.
- RichardLF says:
  April 21, 2011 at 5:54 PM
  please send jacob home
  - the SAINT says:
    April 21, 2011 at 6:11 PM
    yeah!..the drama queen has to go!..lol
  - YZZGUY says:
    April 21, 2011 at 7:58 PM
    hurcules, hurclues, hurcules gots to go now you suck n your goofey gosspil sucks send jacob home forever!
- Northern Guy says:
  April 21, 2011 at 8:05 PM
  Scotty(I’m a fan of his, but he needs a wake up call)
  Scotty’s fan base is faltering and James is stealing them as fast as you can say IDOL.
  Scotty needs to think long and hard about his “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach. It may not be broke, but if it’s boring your fans, you can go from top pick for AI10 to “bye bye”. Just ask Pia – a favorite of many fans and the judges, especially in the first weeks.
  Then GONE. Just like a country song: Wake up one morning and the job, the house, the girl, the truck, and even the dog… ALL GONE!
- David says:
  April 21, 2011 at 8:31 PM
  I agree with you on Jacob and Stefano but Scotty should stay a little longer and Casey leave.
KC says:
April 21, 2011 at 3:57 PM
The bottom 3 needs to be stefano, haley, and jacob w/ jacob hitting the road
- Pup says:
  April 21, 2011 at 6:57 PM
  Not quite right. Should be Scotty (never happen, I know, but should be), Stefano (sad to say) and Jacob (with Jacob going home). Haley has never deserved that spot and definitely does not deserve it tonight.
- Bobcat says:
  April 21, 2011 at 7:49 PM
  Haley has been consistently one of the best and last night she was in the top 2 so if she is in the bottom 3 again, it will be diabolical!
sherry says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:26 PM
if you watch the video stefano only sings part of the song most of it is the backup singers.
- Jay says:
  April 21, 2011 at 5:43 PM
  I noticed that without having to watch it again. That’s really my only complaint about it.
BonniMae says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:31 PM
If Stefano goes home tonight the two hottest guys to make it to the finals will both be sent home #7,
- Pup says:
  April 21, 2011 at 7:00 PM
  Don’t worry. Not gonna happen. It has to be Jacob. There will be another floodgate of posting on the AI blogs if he does not go.
peggy kanneman says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:39 PM
I am totally a James Durbin Fan and he blew the roof off of american idol last night. The judges had it right when they said he was the best performance of the night.
- Tina Mary says:
  April 21, 2011 at 7:43 PM
  Some note the message from Jennifer, when she told James he was the best of the night was only the second perfomance, so she was saying that James was better than Scotty
  - Tina Mary says:
    April 21, 2011 at 7:50 PM
    Last night I saw a poster in the audience that said King James, I think it’s nice.
    For now on I’m goimg to call him King James
  - Bobcat says:
    April 21, 2011 at 7:50 PM
    She actually said that she bet it was going to be the best performance as far as the theatricals were concerned.
glenda says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:45 PM
see ya jacob
- RichardLF says:
  April 21, 2011 at 6:04 PM
  i’m with you glenda
Richard says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:47 PM
James is alot better than Adam, and he’s the real thing no surprises James has never been in the bottom every one else has James deserves to be the next Idol hands down
- BonniMae says:
  April 21, 2011 at 5:28 PM
  Scotty and Lauren have never been in the bottom. Pia wasn’t in the bottom before she left. Not being in the bottom isn’t the criteria for winning.
  - Tim329 says:
    April 21, 2011 at 5:58 PM
    I believe Lauren was in the bottom three either during top 13 or top 12 week, it was early on. The only two never to have been there is Scotty and James.
  - JJ says:
    April 21, 2011 at 7:36 PM
    To Tim329….. Lauren has never been in the bottom three yet.
  - Bobcat says:
    April 21, 2011 at 8:03 PM
    @ Pup -
    Of the 18 that have made the final two, 9 of them appeared in the bottom 3 at one point or the other.
    In only two years have the final 2 not appeared in the bottom 3 (or 2 in the semis) and they were the two David’s in Season 7 and Lee and Crystal last year.
    Both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert were in the bottom 3 once in Season 8.
    In Season 6 only Jordin Sparks escaped the bottom 3 as did Taylor Hicks (5) and Carrie Underwood (4).
    None of Season 3’s finalists escaped the bottom 3 and Fantasia was in it twice but won.
    Ruben Studdard was actually in the bottom 2 once but Clay Aiken was never in the bottom 3.
    Kelly Clarkson also did not appear in the bottom 3.
    So Ruben, Fantasia and Kris Allen all won after being in the bottom 3 at least once.
    No-one who has been given the save since it started 3 seasons ago has got to the final three.
- Pup says:
  April 21, 2011 at 7:03 PM
  It would be interesting to read an analysis of previous winners and their “bottom 3″ stats.
  - Bobcat says:
    April 21, 2011 at 8:04 PM
    Sorry – posted my reply to you in wrong spot – see above!
- Bobcat says:
  April 21, 2011 at 7:52 PM
  There are three who have not been in the bottom 3 since the top 13 started.
  They are James, Lauren & Scotty.
Tana says:
April 21, 2011 at 4:50 PM
Everyone is very talented and makes someone happy. That is a good thing, it does seem that this contest brings out the snarky in the viewers. My teenagers are rather amused by the exchanges they have read here. So, having said that, I am STILL voting for Haley and Casey, with no disrespect to any of the other contenders. I’ve never changed my mind from the auditions!
ArkansasKen says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:17 PM
It’s time for Jacob to say goodbye. His dramatics have grown old.
- RichardLF says:
  April 21, 2011 at 6:05 PM
  he’s not a winner, he’s a whinner
CJ says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:24 PM
James really showed what he had last night. OMG!!! It doesn’t get any better than this. He is the complete package and more. I have been watching Idol for a long time and i have never seen anyone come close to James. Yea they all had talent, but not to this extreme. I’m not sure if i would be even watching Idol if James wasn’t on here. It’s more fun when you have alot of entertainment, and he has that . Some of the others are really good too with others putting me asleep. Gotta love James!!!
- Jennifer says:
  April 21, 2011 at 8:03 PM
  I know james is sooooo good!I hope he wins long live king james!
Pup says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:25 PM
Those Scotty voters have GOT to be kidding. He was just plain awful last night.
David P. says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:41 PM
Haha, my Sis was commenting on my comp, >_< I hope she didn't say anything embarrassing.
Jay says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Casey and James are my top two last night, usually it’s Scotty instead of Casey.
Paula says:
April 21, 2011 at 5:55 PM
I thought Haleys performance was beatiful. If “Rollin in the deep” wouldn’t be so current hit, she would have made a bigger impact, I think. Also James’ performance was great, so it was a hard place to be. But I don’t understand why the judges are picking on Haley all the time. I know last week she wasn’t on her best, but she was the only one they critisized? That week I hated everyone… And now pitch… come on. Best after James, if not equal.
I hope Jacob is voted off next, I dont like his attitude and I’m tired of his style of singing. He makes me wanna shoot myself.
- Bobcat says:
  April 21, 2011 at 8:06 PM
  Tyler just leers when Haley sings – dirty old man – and JLo doesn’t want a good looking gal taking the attention away from her.
whatthefudge says:
April 21, 2011 at 6:02 PM
James was awesome – he should take the crown
Casey 1/2 half was really good
Haley I dont usually like her, but that was her best performance
Scotty – don’t like country, usually love him, but this was his worst performance
Stefano – much better but heavy on the cheese
Jacob – ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz
Lauren – ditto
Bottom 3: Jacob, Lauren and either Stefano or Casey
Going Buh-Bye – Jacob

American Idol 2011 Top 8 Elimination Results - Who would leave tonight?

2011-04-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Who do you think would be eliminated tonight?

To the judges all the top 8 were "excellent" except for Haley Reinhart for wrong choice of song. Hopefully the voters would listen to JLo's appeal to keep the remaining two girls in the competition.

Assuming the two girls are safe, would there be another shocker tonight?

Whatever the case might be, many are looking forward to the performances by Rihanna and the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson who will be back to duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean.

Eliminated American Idol 2011 Contestant - Pia Toscano

2011-04-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

If you are still worried for Pia Toscano due to her unexpected early departure from the American Idol contest, please don't because there's a very likely chance that Interscope Records or others might sign her up for a contract.

She also hopes to work with producers such as Rodney Jenkins, Harvey Mason Jr. and Ron Fair. She has indicated her wish to work with Alicia Keyes and Christina Aguilera and would love to collaborate with either them and even sing a duet with Jennifer Lopez too.

“I’m looking forward to any opportunities that are to come but I’m really just focused on the [upcoming 'Idol'] tour right now and getting some much needed rest that I haven’t gotten.” She said in an recent interview.

Getting voted off American Idol could be the best blessing in disguise for her after all.

American Idol 2011 Top 8

2011-04-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

After Pia Toscano’s shocker elimination on Thursday, we don't have any clues what's going to happen next!

The 2011 Top 8 finalists will return to the stage on Wednesday and perform songs from cinema which covers quite a wind range of songs.

Comes Thursday night, along with the results reveal, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson will be dueting “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean.

Remember, you've to vote for your favorite and the best singers. Don't hope for others to do the job for you otherwise there would be another unnecessary shocker.

American Idol 2011 Top 9 Performance Poll Rankings

2011-04-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Nigel tweeted that Will.I.Am will be helping the top 9 contestants choose their songs for this week’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme! Let’s hope he was able to help the singers choose songs that are right for their voices and make the judges happy.

Let's check out the American Idol 2011’s Top 9 performance rankings. While most of the contestants held steady in their averages we still had a few numbers shoot up like a rocket while others fell like a rock.

The big climber for this week was Haley Reinhart who went from 3% of the vote way up to 13%! The week’s big loser was Jacob Lusk who fell to his lowest point with 4% after last week’s peak at 13%.

The Top 3 singers were Scotty McCreery, Pia Toscano and James Durbin. While James has had his ups and downs, Scotty has maintained a solid top spot. So far, this contest is led by Scotty and Pia. However, if Pia gets knocked out then it’ll be James standing next to the country crooner.

The Bottom 3 is filled by Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone, and Paul McDonald. Jacob has managed to escape the lowest ranks before so maybe he could do it again.

Check out the rankings below and see how your favorite is holding up.
American Idol 2011 Top 9 Performance Poll Rankings

Scotty McCreery – 15% (down from 16% previous week)
Pia Toscano – 14% (no change previous week)
James Durbin – 14% (down from 14% previous week)
Haley Reinhart – 13% (up from 3% previous week)
Casey Abrams – 12% (up from 6% previous week)
Lauren Alaina – 8% (up from 4% previous week)
Jacob Lusk – 4% (down from 13% previous week)
Stefano Langone – 3% (no change from previous week)
Paul McDonald – 2% (down from 2% previous week)

American Idol 2011 Top 9

2011-04-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

After a night of Elton John hits Naima and Thia were sadly eliminated from the competition. Fortunately for Paul, he survived the Bottom 3. So far we’ve seen 4 female singers eliminated from the Top 13. We now have 6 boys vs 3 girls.

FOX will keep this show going as long as it continues to dominate every night that it’s on so don't ever believe the rumor that this would be the last season for American Idol!

The remaining nine singers will be performing tracks from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the coming week. Please don't go any where because it will cover a huge range of songs including music which has influenced rock ‘n roll.

Thursday night’s results show will feature both season four’s Constantine Maroulis and guitar legend Jeff Beck will be on Wednesday night’s show.

Enjoy!

American Idol 2011 Top 11

2011-03-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

Last week the decision was made to put the Judges’ Save in play and keep Casey Jaymes around for another chance after America eliminated him from the competition. I'm sure that was shocking to many viewers!

This week the Top 11 singers will hit the stage and belt out songs from the catalog of Sir Elton John. This should prove very interesting indeed. The hopefuls will want to tread lightly as they keep in mind that the "Save" by Judges is now gone which means there would be a double elimination event come Thursday night.

The good news just kept coming for American Idol this past week when the ratings hit the reports. The final numbers put Idol at 21.3 million viewers for Thursday night’s results show with a 6.4 rating in the 18-49 adult demographic. Idol is kicking butt and taking names this season week after week.

The American Idol 2011 Live Tour has been confirmed to feature this season’s Top 11( not the usual 10) singers. Look out for the tour dates which would be announced in the near future.

Enjoy!

American Idol 2011 continues tonight when the Top 11 singers break out their Motown mojo and sing some classics

2011-03-23T20:14:00.001-07:00

American Idol 2011 continues tonight when the Top 11 singers break out their Motown mojo and sing some classics. After last week’s elimination of Karen we’ll have to see if Naima and Haley can finally pick themselves up off the Idol floor and avoid the Bottom 3 to insure their safety for this week.

We’re still coming up dry on song spoilers, but I’ll keep an eye out for a few leaks like we saw last week. Of course, those were controlled leaks from production, but I guess we’ll take what we can get since they’d rather us not know them all. At least you can check out Branden’s song recommendations from the Motown collection.
Which guy and girl are you most looking forward to hearing perform tonight?

American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online

2011-02-28T00:53:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever, American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online at americanidol.com. Sponsored by AT&T, online voting begins immediately after the first performance show airing Tuesday, March 1 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. In addition to online voting, fans will continue to be able to vote via toll-free phone lines, as well as unlimited text-message votes for AT&T wireless customers during the voting window (standard text-messaging rates may apply).

To vote online during the voting window, fans should visit AmericanIdol.com and follow the directions. Fans will be required to log in using their Facebook account to access the American Idol voting page, which will feature the name and photo of each of the current contestants. To vote, fans will simply choose their favorite contestant, complete the security verification and submit their choice. After each performance show and during the online voting window, fans may cast up to 50 total online votes for that evening’s performances. Only fans with a registered Facebook account in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to cast their vote(s) online.

“We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go,” said Simon Fuller, Creator and Executive Producer, American Idol. “The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it’s great to expand on this tradition.”

American Idol Ratings Holding High For 2011 Hollywood Week

2011-02-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

The decision to move American Idol on past its 2011 auditions a little early was a wise one. Interest (and viewership) seems to wane during those third and fourth weeks of Idol auditions and we saw that here as well with our readership. But as things shift in to the real competition with the launch of Hollywood Week the crowds came rushing back, as the LA Times notes:

With the auditions over and the Hollywood round in full swing, “American Idol” led Fox to its fourth consecutive Thursday night victory in the ratings. According to Nielsen’s estimates, 21.7 million viewers tuned in to the show at 8, far more than any other program that night.

It’s great to see those fears of fans running away this season vanishing as Idol continues to dominate whatever night it decides to air.

American Idol 2011 Schedule Released

2011-01-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

It’s finally here! FOX has just released their American Idol 2011 schedule after presumably trying to keep as much secret as possible about the new season and its changes. We’ll have four rounds of auditions, starting in New York / New Jersey followed by New Orleans in the first week of the show. After they weed through the masses to find golden tickets we’ll be whisked away to Hollywood week.

New in this season will be the Las Vegas round where the Idol hopefuls will be performing Beatles songs to stay alive during the Top 20 cut which comes at the end of February. After that we’ll be in to the real meet of the American Idol season when the first results show hits in early March.

AMERICAN IDOL 2011 SCHEDULE:
(All times begin at 8:00 PM ET/PT)

Wednesday, Jan. 19 Season Premiere, Part 1
New York / New Jersey Audition Episode
Thursday, Jan. 20 Season Premiere, Part 2
New Orleans Audition Episode
Wednesday, Jan. 26 Audition Episode
Thursday, Jan. 27 Audition Episode
Wednesday, Feb. 2 Audition Episode
Thursday, Feb. 3 Audition Episode
Wednesday, Feb. 9 Audition Episode
Thursday, Feb. 10 Audition Episode
Wednesday, Feb. 16 Hollywood Round, Part 1
Thursday, Feb. 17 Hollywood Round, Part 2
Wednesday, Feb. 23 Las Vegas Round
Thursday, Feb. 24 Top 20 Semifinalists Announced
Tuesday, March 1 Semifinalists Perform
Wednesday, March 2 Semifinalists Perform
Thursday, March 3 First Results Show and Finalists Announced

What the New Judges Say

2011-01-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

Simon Cowell’s departure from American Idol to pursue his new show, X Factor, has many fans worried that the void he’s left will never be filled. But the new panel of American Idol 2011 judges don’t seem nearly as worried.

Randy Jackson, the only original judge, with his take on who will bring Cowell’s trademark snark:

“Look, it’s definitely been interesting. We definitely miss [Simon], but it’s a different kind of vibe. It’s a different kind of energy now… People have been saying to us, ‘Who’s mean?’ We’ve all traded off on that because I think you have to always give people the truth, no matter what.”

Jennifer Lopez thinks the panel will make more group decisions which is fine by me as long as we don’t get a repeat of Kara saying whatever Randy just said.

“We’re more of a collaborative judging group,” adds Lopez. “We’re always leaning over to each other and saying, ‘Oh my God, I think she’s good.’ ‘Oof, I don’t get it.’ ‘You don’t like it?’ I mean, not in a way where it becomes disrespectful to [the contestant’s] moment, but we discuss things. We just have a totally different style than any of the past judging tables.”

Then there’s Steven Tyler who seems to wander off the judges topic, but sure seems excited about the talent they’re seeing.

“It’s just astounding,” he says. “We throw the drift net out and look what comes up? Gold. [I’m] crying, honestly, from someone who hit the notes so sweetly and beautifully, not just that it’s the end of the day and thank God this motherf—er is the last one. Not that.”

American Idol 2011 New Poster

2010-12-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

American Idol has released its first poster promoting the 2011 season featuring all their new judges while reminding Idol hopefuls to dream big. You’ve got Steven Tyler jumping for joy, Jennifer Lopez being all ladylike, and then Randy Jackson looking for a new way to say “dawg!” and there’s Ryan just being Ryan.

Crystal Bowersox Talks American Idol Changes

2010-12-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

Last season’s American Idol runner-up, Crystal Bowersox, sat down with MTV News and had a few things to say about all the changes that Nigel Lythgoe is rolling out for the new season. She isn’t the biggest fan of everything they’re doing to shake things up.

When asked for her thoughts on the upcoming season of the show — which reportedly will have an increased focus on “reality TV” elements like the contestants making music videos and living in a house together, in addition to new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler — Bowersox wasn’t shy about expressing some reservations.

“I think that ‘American Idol’ producers … were a little disappointed on how many rootsy, folksy people they got. And they’re really looking for a pop icon to come through. But, I don’t know, we’ll see what happens,” she said. “With Steven Tyler as a judge, you’d think you want to stay with that rootsy-rock thing, but then there’s J.Lo, and Randy’s still there. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next season.”

Who Else Wants to Discover Precisely How to Sing with a Full Vocal Range, Hitting Notes with Professional Perfection

2010-11-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Who Else Wants to Discover Precisely How to Sing with a Full Vocal Range, Hitting Notes with Professional Perfection in less than 3 months?... AND take all the frustration, difficulty and headache out of YOUR practice time with this EXPLOSIVE multimedia Learn to Sing training package!

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Lee DeWyze Album Debut Sales Are Worst Ever For Idol

2010-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

According to the results, DeWyze had the absolute worst sales numbers ever. Ever!

“Live It Up” sold a measly 39,000 units in its first week making it the worst winner sales ever and worse than any previous runner-up’s sales as well.

To put that in perspective, Kris Allen sold 80,000 copies the year before. David Cook sold 280,000 the year before that. To find the best sales record you’d have to go all the way back to 2003 when Clay Aiken sold 613,000 as the runner-up.

If American Idol wants to hold its ground then it’s going to need to get some serious star power on the show this season and then make sure one of those singers with sales potential actually wins the show. How much longer can this show be considered legitimate if it continues to disappoint in its original goal: producing singing sensations who can sell mega quantities of albums.

News from AmericanIdolnet.com: American Idol 2011 Eliminates Top 24 and More Changes

2010-11-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Nigel Lythgoe continues to be an everlasting fountain of news for the upcoming American Idol season which premieres in January 2011. The latest word from the returning executive producer is that he’s doing away with the Top 24 this season after finding them dull in past seasons:

The producers have also eliminated the round that shrinks the contestants from a group of 24 to 12, instead opting to just go straight to the top 12.
“I didn’t think [the top 24] were very good, I was bored with them by the time they got there,” Lythgoe says of previous seasons.
It’s unclear if this means the judges will choose the top 12 and what will replace the episodes that usually cover the early voting rounds. Both Fox and the producers declined to elaborate.

Ya know, if you think the past Top 24 contestants have been boring, well guess who was in charge of making those casting decisions?… Yeah. You, Nigel, and the rest of the production crew. If you didn’t like them then there’s no one else to blame.

Along with eliminating the Top 24 this season, American Idol will introduce new “challenges.” The singers will have to create music videos, “promote themselves” (whatever that means), and develop an awards show type performance. Next they’ll have to learn how to operate the TV cameras themselves while another Idol hopeful peddles a bicycle to generate enough electricity to light the stage!

These are some serious changes being introduced and I can’t help but wonder if they’re doing too much all at once. Do you think American Idol needs this big of a shot in the arm or are they leaping when they should be baby stepping?

American Idol Winner Lee DeWyze’s New Album

2010-11-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

American Idol winner Lee DeWyze’s new album, Live It Up hits the shelves today just a short six months after last season wrapped up. The price is right with the CD at $8 and MP3 album at $10. Check out Lee’s performance of “Sweet Serendipity” yesterday morning on the Today Show and then grab those tunes, Lee fans.

Crystal Bowersox Debuts Single: Hold On – Listen To It Here

2010-11-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

The “American Idol” runner-up kicked things off by premiering “Hold On,” the first official single from her album. Curiously enough, the song wasn’t written by Bowersox, who has notoriously insisted she will have her hand in every album track. Instead, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger penned it with former “Idol” headache judge Kara DioGuardi.
Click HERE to listen

Jennifer Lopez Dishes American Idol On ‘The Talk’

2010-10-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

Posted: 19 Oct 2010 05:40 PM PDT

Jennifer Lopez went on CBS’ new show “The Talk” (featuring Julie Chen of Big Brother 13) and she raved about how wonderful life was in her new role as an American Idol 2011 judge:

“I’m loving it. It’s so much fun. Exactly what I thought it would be. I did it because I thought it would be fun and I’d get to be in one place. It’s been great. I love everybody. It’s such a machine. It runs like clockwork. I looooove Nigel.
“I love Ryan contrary to whatever you say. I love Steven. I love Randy. Everything’s great.”

The hosts pressed Lopez on what was the hardest part about her wonderful job. She admitted that breaking the hearts of those who weren’t terrible, but just not good enough to make it. Wait, does this mean JLo has a heart after all?

Glee – Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy – Rachel and Kurt – Duets

2010-10-19T03:34:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Kurt sing “Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy” on Glee Duets.

Rachel channeling Barbra Steisand and Kurt channeling Judy Garland. Rachel really looks so old! Sheesh. I can’t suspend my disbelief anymore. I would question if I saw someone looking like her in high school – why is she still there? LOL

Download: Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy (Glee Cast Version)

Watch the video here:

The original:

View the original article here

Lythgoe Says American Idol More Diverse Without Simon Cowell

2010-10-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

While JLo may have had her “Randy who?” moment. It’s American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe’s turn with “Simon who?”

Lythgoe told US that not only has Simon’s exit allowed for a more diverse crowd of American Idol hopefuls, but the emotional level of the show has been raised. Yikes. That’s pretty rough on ol’ Simon.

“We’ve had some incredible country voices — in truth, Simon would have gotten rid of them straight-away because he wasn’t a country fan,” Lythgoe told Us. “This season we have a 16-year-old kid with an incredible voice and a jazz kid who does this fabulous scat-singing. Again, we wouldn’t have had him on the show because Simon would have said, ‘He’s not an American Idol! Get rid of him!’ … What you are definitely going to get this season is an American voice and American music.”
With Cowell gone, “The energy in the audition rooms is totally different,” Lythgoe told Us. “You aren’t tired at the end of the day, even though we are seeing twice as many kids as we did in the past. We are enjoying it; we are laughing.”

Nigel goes on with more details on how each judge is handling their roles. He cites Steven Tyler for his kind way of letting down singers, Lopez is giving strong direction, but it’s Randy who’s really stepping up his game from past seasons. Maybe Jennifer will have a little competition for the lead after all.

Do you think American Idol can pull through without Simon Cowell?

Source: MSNBC

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Nigel Lythgoe Predicts Jennifer Lopez Will Rule Judges Panel

2010-10-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Lopez continues to be the best investment American Idol has made for its tenth season which premieres in January 2011. Now Idol’s executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is making the practically obvious prediction that Lopez will be taking charge of the now Simon-less judges panel.

“Randy, of course, has changed his persona. Randy knows what he’s doing, so he’s there,” the 61-year-old producer told us. “Jennifer gets stronger and stronger and she’ll take over. There’s no question in my mind.”
Nigel said between Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and J. Lo, it’s the 41-year-old girl who’s going to be leading the pack.
“No question in my mind. She will take over,” he said, adding, “And Steven is very smart, very quick witted. So, I really like them all. They all bring something — and they don’t all agree with each other.”

Would you have expected either Steven or Randy to take over instead? Randy is obviously the heir to the throne, but considering Lopez historically demanding attitude I think this was inevitable. Are you ready for Queen Jennifer?

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Crystal Bowersox Might Cover a Sista Otis Song on her Upcoming Album

2010-10-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Crystal Bowersox Might Cover a Sista Otis Song on her Upcoming Album | mjsbigblog /* Begin Contact Form CSS */.contactform {position: static;overflow: hidden;width: 95%;}.contactleft {width: 25%;white-space: pre;text-align: right;clear: both;float: left;display: inline;padding: 4px;margin: 5px 0;}.contactright {width: 70%;text-align: left;float: right;display: inline;padding: 4px;margin: 5px 0;}.contacterror {border: 1px solid #ff0000;}.contactsubmit {}/* End Contact Form CSS */ BlogChatArchivesIdol AppearancesSeason 9 ScheduleSeason 9 Top 24Historical ChartsIdol Billboard Update: 9/13/08Idol Billboard Update: 9/20/08Idol Billboard Update: 9/27/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/04/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/11/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/18/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/25/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/01/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/08/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/15/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/22/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/29/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/06/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/13/08Idol Top 50Idol Billboard Update: 12/20/08Idol Billboard Year-End Chart 2008Weekly Billboard Updates 2008Idol Billboard Update: 01/10/09Idol Billboard Update: 01/17/09American Idol Season 8 ScheduleIdol Billboard Update: 01/24/09Idol Billboard Update: 01/31/09Season 8 Top 36Idol Billboard Update: 02/07/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/14/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/21/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/28/09American Idol Season 8 Top 13Adam Lambert: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Anoop DesaiMatt Giraud: American Idol Season 8 Top 13Danny Gokey: American Idol Season 8 Top 13Kris Allen: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Michael SarverAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Jorge NunezAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Scott MacIntyreAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Alexis GraceAllison Iraheta: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Jasmine MurrayAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Lil RoundsAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Megan Joy CorkreyBillboard Chart: 03/14/09Billboard Chart: 03/21/09Billboard Chart: 04/04/09Billboard Chart: 04/11/09Billboard Chart: 04/18/09Billboard Chart: 04/25/09Billboard Chart: 05/02/09Billboard Chart: 05/09/09Billboard Chart: 05/16/09Billboard Chart: 05/23/09Billboard Chart: 05/30/09Billboard Chart: 06/06/09Billboard Chart: 06/13/09Billboard Chart: 06/27/09Billboard Chart: 07/04/09Billboard Chart: 07/11/09Idol Billboard Year-End Chart 2009Billboard End of Decade (’00s) ChartAmerican Idols Live 2010 – Tour ScheduleCurrent BB Chart – 4/5/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/27/08Billboard Chart: 03/07/09Billboard Chart: 03/28/09
? Jennifer Hudson Performs at the Andre Agassi 15th Grand Slam for ChildrenX Factor UK – Top 16 – Results! ? Crystal Bowersox Might Cover a Sista Otis Song on her Upcoming AlbumOctober 10th, 2010 | Author: mj

Will Crystal Bowersox be covering a song for her upcoming album from one of her favorite artists, Sista Otis?

The Detroit based Otis wrote on her facebook:

Crystal Bowersox wants to use my song, Love Is Spiritual on her first release on Jive records. If Jive OKs it then I’ve sold my first song to a major artist and this will continue to open more doors to a life long music making career. WOOOOOOO YESSSSSSSSS!!!!

Would Jive OK “Love is Spiritual” as one of the few songs on Crystal’s album she didn’t have a hand in writing, or would the label insist she record tunes from the usual stable of Idol songwriters? Hm.

Listen to “Love is Spiritual” on MySpace

What do you think? I’d like to see Crystal record songs that fit her vibe, rather than the typical cookie-cutter Idol fare. If this is legit, I hope it works out.? After the jump, Crystal talks about Sista Otis in a FOX Detroit interview taped back in May while she was still on Idol.

Video after the JUMP…

Crystal talks about Sista Otis during American Idol

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Posted in American Idol, Crystal Bowersox | Tags: Crystal Bowersox 83 Responses to “Crystal Bowersox Might Cover a Sista Otis Song on her Upcoming Album” Older Entries ? Eriko: 10/10/2010 at 10:08 pm

I just listened again and this time it grabbed be, I like it and think it has lots of potential. Kinda reminded me of the Ting Tings, if that makes any sense

fictitiousreality: 10/10/2010 at 10:15 pm

MrDuffin:
Since this is story time…my story is that Crystal will sell 1M records her first year. I can’t be wrong since this is my opinion!

lol, i like your humour. My story is that when the DJs play her song they would be inclined to discuss it rather than jump to the next one.

I think crystal is creating buzz with the shows and appearances she has been on since AI. She did get positive feedback from those shows, both melissa and frantis fans and the show reviewers did talk abt her both pre and post-show and I dont think I heard anything negetive about it. The most negetive thing I can say said wasnt her singing or performance but rather that she came from AI and the people’s opinion about that show. That being said the buzz from those shows would not be like the “buzz” that happens for AI. I dont think they would have like fan blogs raving consistently, id like to think that they are more mature than that.

sallysimmons: 10/10/2010 at 10:15 pm

Just shooting from the dark here and judging from the music scene, I think the “Men in Suits” have a narrow comfort zone they don′t want to step out from. If or when there is some sort of shift in the music world, they follow but never lead. They don′t want to put effort and energy to examine things from a broader perspective.

Explain Elbow or AVI Buffalo or the Fleet Foxes or any number of innovative and interesting bands currently making music. In fact, what the ‘men in suits’ demand is that, if you want to be an artist, you have something to offer in terms of a new sound or original songs. Crystal doesn’t – none of the Idols do – so in lieu of that, she needs to be commercial. She’s not. That’s why they’re not interested.

Eriko: 10/10/2010 at 10:17 pm

If she sells a tenth of that, I’ll be surprised

You′ll be surprised if she sells more than 50-100k ?

Since you or nobody has heard her CD, are you saying that it′s irrelevant what it will sound like and won′t affect the sales?

gangreen29: 10/10/2010 at 10:28 pm

Rubbish. Explain Elbow or AVI Buffalo or the Fleet Foxes or any number of innovative and interesting bands currently making music. In fact, what the ‘men in suits’ demand is that, if you want to be an artist, you have something to offer in terms of a new sound or original songs.

I don’t know who Elbow is but AVI Buffalo and Fleet Foxes are both on an indie label. I don’t think the suits at the major labels get points for their success LOL

I really like the song, but I need to hear the Crystal version before I pass judgement.

girlygirl: 10/10/2010 at 10:34 pm

I appreciate the enthusiasm for one’s favorite artist. Last fall I was POSITIVE Kris was going to have a gold album — no way he wouldn’t. Yeah, that didn’t happen. If his debut CD ever goes gold (unlikely), it’ll be a couple of years from now. So since then I’ve done a lot more research into the state of the music business and have tried to be more realistic about what to expect from people coming off Idol — something that has gotten me labeled a “hater” of various Idols at times. I don’t want these people to fail, I’d like them all to be commercially and critically successful. But I’ve decided that — for me, anyway — it’s much better to keep my expectations low, and to not be afraid to question stuff — even if that is unpopular. I’d like to be surprised , to see Lee and Crystal both outperform my expectations for them — but I can’t say that I have anything solid (buzz, previous sales, etc) to make me believe that they will.

I wish Crystal (and Lee) much luck with their upcoming releases and hope that they will indeed surprise me in terms of the sales. I think both will put out solid albums in terms of music.

Eriko: 10/10/2010 at 10:40 pm

Explain Elbow or AVI Buffalo or the Fleet Foxes or any number of innovative and interesting bands currently making music. In fact, what the ‘men in suits’ demand is that, if you want to be an artist, you have something to offer in terms of a new sound or original songs

I don′t have to explain anything since I said “Just shooting from the dark” meaning speculating. But gangreen did. And again, since you haven′t heard Crystals CD, how do you know what her sound is? Also, she does have original songs.
Do you judge how all AI contestants CD′s will be after AI, from their various theme week covers during the show? Isn′t better to judge something after listening?

MonochromaticFriend: 10/10/2010 at 10:51 pm

Sorry guys, I was also speculating with my “Men in Suits” comment, although I was indeed referring to those involved with AI contestants. And just from what I’ve seen over the last few years, I agree with Eriko, they really do appear to be risk-adverse and much more likely to support an artist that already has a defined niche in radio. Which would explain their quest to find “the next Justin Bieber” or “the next Taylor Swift”.

mozart4898: 10/10/2010 at 11:14 pm

And don’t forget, the men in suits initially labeled this as “the girls’ year” and had the likes of Lily Scott, Crystal, and several others I’ve forgotten in Hollywood. They seemed to quickly drop their idea of a girls’ year, especially the singer-songwriter types, when the girls got picked off one by one. For the real Idol-loonies out there, how many girls have made the final 2, and what have their styles been? Crystal was actually the favorite in many surveys even up until the finale by as much as 2 to 1 in some cases (of course, some less). There’s many reasons to believe that Crystal actually has a larger fanbase coming off the show than Lee does – it’s definitely possible for someone to win with less actual supporters.

My whole point through all of this has basically boiled down to – how many female singer-songwriters have made it to the top 2 on American Idol…and for that matter, how have the girls fared in recent years? She didn’t really captivate much of the traditional AI voting crowd, so how did she get that far?

20 million viewers, let’s say for the finale 10% of them voted, so 2 million. If even 1/2 of them supported Crystal (I’d hazard a guess it was more than 1/2), that’s 1 million – many of which I’ll bet haven’t ever voted before, and probably didn’t realize they could (or should) vote hundreds of times. (I had to convince my mom an 888 number was toll-free and it wasn’t going to cost us $0.05 per vote or something – she swore my phone bill was going to be a couple thousand dollars after a month of redialing every Tuesday night. After she found out that it was actually free, she then started doing the same, and we got my dad to too – but how many who don’t usually vote know that?)

Those who liked Crystal this past season but aren’t traditional Idol fans won’t just forget about her now. I think someone of her sort making it as far as she did (almost winning in fact) was because of non-traditional AI voters and viewers, and for that reason I don’t think the past trends in this case will indicate future results. Of course, YMMV and all of that, and yes, she could be a flop. But I really doubt it. 500K to 1 million in sales by Mother’s Day. When her album is certified gold I’ll be back to comment on it (Oh, and what I was on when I said that earlier…coffee. Just coffee.)

girlygirl: 10/10/2010 at 11:41 pm

LOL – only problem with that is only a very small percentage of fans who vote on the AI finale end up buying the contestant’s albums. For example, 29 million people watched the S8 finale and there were nearly 100 million votes cast. But very few of those 29 million viewers — or 100 million votes — turned into in actual sales. Because otherwise Kris and Adam should have sold WAY more copies of their debut CDs than the approximate 1 million (US sales) they have combined to have sold to this point. Votes do not automatically equal sales.

But good for you for sticking to your guns for that 500K-1 million by Mother’s day prediction

iluvai: 10/10/2010 at 11:50 pm

Girlygirl always makes a lot of sense!

cookcricket: 10/11/2010 at 12:12 am

I like the song…I think I’d like it much better with Crystal. With some changes and her vocals, I think there is some possibility for top 20, amybe top 10 on at least HAC. We’ll see. I hope Jive is game. I hope Crystal has say in what it going on her album and that they listen to her input regardless of the their motivations (making it easier for them with less cost, or because they trust her.)

mozart4898: 10/11/2010 at 12:15 am

girlygirl – As I said, I don’t think you can really take past results to totally predict her sales. I don’t think Crystal would have made it to where she did if she wouldn’t have brought in non-typical voters. I’d say if you took a survey of those who have voted in past years, Lee probably won 75% or more of their votes. I think the vast majority of Crystal’s voters were people who hadn’t voted before. Of course, we have no way to know. But I’m figuring those who she actually inspired to vote, who hadn’t voted before, WILL buy in greater numbers than past voters.

And I really don’t see how the lower end of my prediction is far fetched at all. I’ll get myself in trouble for guessing at this but I thought I’d seen that Adam had sold something like 750K or closing in on 1 million by now himself, and I thought Kris was around 500K (or more?). Maybe some of that factors in overseas sales as well (course I didn’t specify if I’m talking about overseas or not…I guess I wasn’t because I’m figuring she’ll at least have a gold album on her debut).

(And to think…a while back I had said I wouldn’t be surprised if Crystal went double platinum considering she’s something different that I really think has less AI bubble buzz than people are used to, therefore they think she’s not going to sell. I’ve backed way off that just because of how people believe the music industry has dried up…)

artemis: 10/11/2010 at 12:36 am

ITA Girlygirl. I prefer to be realistic about sales expectations,rather than have my hopes crushed. Lee’s album preview reviews have been great, and Crystal is a great singer and I’m sure will put out a fine album, but since when have sales in music had anything to do with quality? Not lately.

Trina: 10/11/2010 at 12:47 am

Some of the huge expectations are kinda scary. I’m in the camp that also think if Adam and Kris didn’t go platinum and gold respectively then I have serious doubts Crystal can. Its not negativity, and its not. a matter of basing predictions on what’s happened in the past, its looking at how the music industry is NOW and going further and further downhill and CD sales are shrinking at a disturbing rate.. I mean even Daughtry it took like a year to go platinum with his current CD. My Walmart just recently downsized their music department due to people not buying as much and the only CDs they have stocked well are current hot artists like Bieber, Katy Perry, Eminem, etc.

Crystal might put out a critically acclaimed CD and go on to win a Grammy, doesn’t mean she’s going to be some massive seller. In fact some of the best CDs often get overlooked. Quality doesn’t always equal sales. I also think the AI fanbase tends to be over estimated at times.

Its been said RCA has first dibs on who they want to sign so I fully believe they would have signed Crystal if they wanted whether she won or not. They’ve signed runner-ups, they signed Adam and promote the hell out of him. But I don’t think it matters much. I can make a list of pros and cons for both Jive and RCA so I don’t think RCA is superior.

Weebs787: 10/11/2010 at 3:37 am

I’m just interested, but what do the people who think Crystal is going to go at least Gold think Lee and Casey are going to sell? You must think that that Lee will sell more than that because theoretically he was more popular than her (in terms of votes, and post Idol factors like single sales and tour merch) and that Casey will sell somewhat comparable? They’re also both more commercially viable than her. (YMMV of course on that last part) For the record, I think Lee is the only one of the two who may have a chance at Gold, and even that is a crap shoot. Casey is a wild card for me, so I won’t even try to speculate.

And, because I truly don’t know, if RCA wanted to, they could’ve signed both Lee and Crystal right? Have the winner and runner up ever been on the same label?

jennyl: 10/11/2010 at 6:03 am

Deleted. Gone off topic.

fictitiousreality: 10/11/2010 at 8:55 am

i find a bit odd about this ’supporting your idol no matter what’ notion. It almost seems like its a charity. An artist coming from AI is not the worst human being out there to lend my very best support. Even before idol these people were in regular jobs and were very much well off than a lot of other people on the streets. I guess what I am saying I will never buy an album just cos I love his/her personality or he/she was humble before, I will only buy for the music if its to my taste. I think the market will speak for itself and no matter how much “support” I give it wouldnt help me or the artist in any way i can imagine.

Since this isnt a lee or casey’s thread I will keep my opinions ’bout them to myself though i must say that the only person i am hearing right now is crystal ,crystal, crystal. whether its AI related or her personal life or participation in charity shows she is the only one making any sort of ‘noise’ from that bunch. hmm dejavu?

Eriko: 10/11/2010 at 9:33 am

i find a bit odd about this ’supporting your idol no matter what’ notion. It almost seems like its a charity

Totally agree. Even tho I was a big fan of Adam and Allison last season, I didn′t buy their CD for the simple and obvious reason, I didn′t like them. Crystal was by far my favorite during any season. But I won′t buy her CD by default, but judging from what I′ve seen and heard from her, post Idol, the odds are, her CD will end up in my collection. Judging from many posts I read, for some, it seems their “favorite” can do no wrong. Like they hear only what they want to hear. The opposite happens also, a non-favorite can do no right, music or twitter wise

lucy: 10/11/2010 at 9:58 am

girlygirl – As I said, I don’t think you can really take past results to totally predict her sales. I don’t think Crystal would have made it to where she did if she wouldn’t have brought in non-typical voters.

I really don’t see why she had to bring in non-typical voters. To me, she was just the *best* woman performer and musician that they’ve had in quite a while (not counting Lilly Scott, who I would have liked to see go much farther), so I voted for her this season.

I’ve voted strongly for women in the past — mostly Melinda, Fantasia, Latoya, Jennifer H, Kimberly L, Tamyra, and Kelly C (and a bit for Allison, Brooke W and Carly S, although they weren’t consistent enough for me to really embrace them as faves). But since Mindy D, I haven’t seen a woman until Crystal whose singing, creativity, and consistency I liked enough to make her my first-choice favorite of the season. (wish Lilly Scott had lasted — she might have joined Crystal in that group, for me) So, while I am a Crystal fan, I’m definitely not a non-typical Idol voter, I don’t think, since I’ve voted for a lot of the top-finishing boys, including Adam and Cook. Thus — just don’t see why Crystal voters are necessarily non-typical.

Plus, really, while there are some great woman non-total-typical-pop artists out there, how many of them really burn up the sales charts? I’m a big fan of a bunch of women singers into whose musical company Crystal loosely falls — love Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, and more, for example. But as far as I know, their sales figures would be considered quite disappointing for any top-finishing Idol, wouldn’t they, despite the Grammys and the critical acclaim and so on?

I can see Crystal being a major musical success. But a sales success on the level of what people expect from pop stars? I don’t really see how she’d manage that, frankly.

Eriko: 10/11/2010 at 10:13 am

lucy, your post makes a lot of sense and probably holds a lot of truth, especially concerning indie womans critical and musical success vs commercial success.
Regarding non-typical voters, I don′t think Mozart by any means is saying Crystal didn′t also get votes from the typical voter, just compared to most if not all others, more from the non-typical. The same applies to when “teen power voters” are mentioned. There are always people who jump in and say, “I′m so so old and I love XXXX” Of course every contestant will have fans from all demographics, the question is, how are the proportions spread…jmo

undercooked: 10/11/2010 at 10:21 am

Crystal was the best singer in the top 12 of Season 9. I think that is why she got the votes. I do think long time AI fans voted for her. I know I did although I’m not a big fan of her type of music. I thought she was the most talented and deserved to win. I don’t know if I will buy her album or not. It just depends on whether I like it or not.

It’s really hard for me to predict how her album will do. It could take off like wild fire and do really well, or it could stall out. She has been generating buzz for herself which should help her. I do think her AI fanbase who really likes her style of music will buy her album.

I do agree Adam did lose that portion of his AI fanbase by putting out a pop album. I personally love Adam’s album so I was good with that and I sincerely enjoy it. For me, I was happy with all of the zigs and zags on it. I actually never saw Adam as a rocker because I followed him here on MJ’s blog and his pre-idol stuff was quite varied.

I also voted for Cook and he put out an album that pretty much represented his style on AI. And you know what, I bought it, but only listened to it a few times because I didn’t like it.

Eriko: 10/11/2010 at 10:26 am

I also voted for Cook and he put out an album that pretty much represented his style on AI. And you know what, I bought it, but only listened to it a few times because I didn’t like it.

Is that how you came up with your nick “undercooked”

Trina: 10/11/2010 at 11:06 am

I forgot to add that the method of trying to figure out what percent of the voting public on the finale will buy her CD prediction doesn’t wash with me. The season 7 finale had even more viewers, 100 million votes, more than likely Archie had even more votes than Crystal and in a slightly better CD buying climate he still hasnt sold a million albums. Something to ponder.

As for “making noise”. Well there was an announcement last week that Lee’s first single is debuting this week on a hugely listened to radio show and his album cover came out, we know of a breast cancer benefit he did last week, there were multiple articles reviewing 4 songs from his CD as a result of a listening session RCA held for media I woudlnt say the Lee front has been silent.

artemis: 10/11/2010 at 11:47 am

Gina Orr is doing a great job keeping Crystal’s name out there,having her participate in numerous charity events-and I know Crystal sincerely supports these causes. She was impressive on Anderson Cooper’s show.She just had her wedding yesterday. She has participated in some good musical events. But if she is to release an album in mid-December, it will have to be completed about a month from now. I read all the stories about Crystal because she was my second favorite this season and I have only heard mention of a couple of recording sessions.
Lee flew to Nashville, NY,and LA all summer during the tour and he has been in the studio since the tour ended, co-writing new songs with a variety of proven hit songwriters. He was already a talented writer, but I’m sure he is learning and growing. Music reviews from the song preview have all been positive so far. I’m sure he will soon have a lot of appearances-RCA knows how to do promo.
I hope Crystal can work fast. She has a lovely voice, but I would hate for her album to be the kind of rush job some AI albums were in the past.

MonochromaticFriend: 10/11/2010 at 11:57 am

I’m going to keep this on topic, so I’ll just say this, with the tour ending early, Crystal will have a good (three?) months to put together her debut CD, some of which appears to be original music she wrote before idol or on the tour. Her music and advocacy appearances have, in total, taken up only a few days. I know things are rushed, but I think a few days out of 12 or so weeks shouldn’t really make a difference in quality.

Also, Crystal has consistently demonstrated that one of her primary concerns is for the quality of her first CD. I don’t see her sacrificing quality for her causes (or ignoring her causes either, for that matter).

fictitiousreality: 10/11/2010 at 12:52 pm

Dunno how legit this is but a possible crystal LP just popped on amazon.com and its saying release date is December 7th :O Could this be the date?

http://www.amazon.com/Lp-1-Crystal-Bowersox/dp/B0046MVVOM/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_4

artemis: 10/11/2010 at 1:09 pm

Yeah, this looks totally for real. Good grief. That means she will have to be finished recording by Nov.7. Get moving Crystal.

Eriko: 10/11/2010 at 1:20 pm

Someone seems to be getting impatient.

jeff kazee
@crystalbowersox congrats crystal! now get your &$$ back here and get back to work..

All these different events may not in itself take that much time. But when you take traveling and preparing into account, the actual events are only a small % of the total time. On top of that, when her writing/recording sessions lose continuation and momentum with lots of “starting again” and “stopping again” there is a lot of time and energy being used, at the cost of efficiency. So I hope Crystal will now be able to put in some longer stretches of uninterrupted quality studio/writing time.

fictitiousreality: 10/11/2010 at 1:55 pm

jeff kazee
@crystalbowersox congrats crystal! now get your &$$ back here and get back to work..

I wouldnt take it too literally considering what they’ve been tweeting back and forth..probably they miss crystal alot haha i know shes been in the studio most of the time, right after melissa’s show she was rushing back to jersey (i think) to get back to studio. i’d like think they’d have recorded half the album by now…

undercooked: 10/11/2010 at 1:56 pm

Is that how you came up with your nick “undercooked”

LOL! No, I just picked it because at the time, I couldn’t think of a screen name. So…with my train of thought, I felt I must not be ready to pick a name because I couln’t find a “handle” that I felt fit me. My on-line identity was a bit, well, undefined, so I decided to become undercooked. You know, as in not done, needing more time, not ready. Now, I like to think of undercooked as meaning raw… as in frank or realistic. Yes, I am a revisionist!

But back on topic. I hope Crystal sells a lot of albums because she is very talented. She deserves success. And I look forward to Cook’s second album. I really liked Cook on AI and I really want to like his second album.

wjmtv: 10/11/2010 at 1:56 pm

Wow, that’s some honeymoon. “Three lush, tropical weeks in a recording studio! Yee-ha!”

I don’t imagine she minds too much though. Getting your first major-label album done has to be just a wee bit exciting. Helps that hubby is in the biz, no doubt.

Chop chop, girlfriend! Time’s a-wasting!

fictitiousreality: 10/11/2010 at 10:51 pm

“Three lush, tropical weeks in a recording studio! Yee-ha!”

luv this

m just glad she did not postpone on ‘happiness’. personal happiness and career can go hand-in-hand. m just happy that crystal knows her priorities well.

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X Factor UK – Top 16 Performance

2010-10-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

X Factor UK - Top 16 Performance | mjsbigblog /* Begin Contact Form CSS */.contactform {position: static;overflow: hidden;width: 95%;}.contactleft {width: 25%;white-space: pre;text-align: right;clear: both;float: left;display: inline;padding: 4px;margin: 5px 0;}.contactright {width: 70%;text-align: left;float: right;display: inline;padding: 4px;margin: 5px 0;}.contacterror {border: 1px solid #ff0000;}.contactsubmit {}/* End Contact Form CSS */ BlogChatArchivesIdol AppearancesSeason 9 ScheduleSeason 9 Top 24Historical ChartsIdol Billboard Update: 9/13/08Idol Billboard Update: 9/20/08Idol Billboard Update: 9/27/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/04/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/11/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/18/08Idol Billboard Update: 10/25/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/01/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/08/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/15/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/22/08Idol Billboard Update: 11/29/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/06/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/13/08Idol Top 50Idol Billboard Update: 12/20/08Idol Billboard Year-End Chart 2008Weekly Billboard Updates 2008Idol Billboard Update: 01/10/09Idol Billboard Update: 01/17/09American Idol Season 8 ScheduleIdol Billboard Update: 01/24/09Idol Billboard Update: 01/31/09Season 8 Top 36Idol Billboard Update: 02/07/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/14/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/21/09Idol Billboard Update: 02/28/09American Idol Season 8 Top 13Adam Lambert: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Anoop DesaiMatt Giraud: American Idol Season 8 Top 13Danny Gokey: American Idol Season 8 Top 13Kris Allen: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Michael SarverAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Jorge NunezAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Scott MacIntyreAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Alexis GraceAllison Iraheta: American Idol Season 8 Top 13American Idol Season 8 Top 13: Jasmine MurrayAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Lil RoundsAmerican Idol Season 8 Top 13: Megan Joy CorkreyBillboard Chart: 03/14/09Billboard Chart: 03/21/09Billboard Chart: 04/04/09Billboard Chart: 04/11/09Billboard Chart: 04/18/09Billboard Chart: 04/25/09Billboard Chart: 05/02/09Billboard Chart: 05/09/09Billboard Chart: 05/16/09Billboard Chart: 05/23/09Billboard Chart: 05/30/09Billboard Chart: 06/06/09Billboard Chart: 06/13/09Billboard Chart: 06/27/09Billboard Chart: 07/04/09Billboard Chart: 07/11/09Idol Billboard Year-End Chart 2009Billboard End of Decade (’00s) ChartAmerican Idols Live 2010 – Tour ScheduleCurrent BB Chart – 4/5/08Idol Billboard Update: 12/27/08Billboard Chart: 03/07/09Billboard Chart: 03/28/09
? John Lennon’s 70th Birthday – An Idol TributeTim Urban Covers “The Scientist” ? X Factor UK – Top 16 PerformanceOctober 9th, 2010 | Author: mj

The four wildcards were introduced at the top of the show. I have to say, I was pretty WTF over Louis Walsh picking Wagner. But then, most of the Overs really sucked anyway.? My favorite performances tonight were: Matt Cardle, Diva Fever, Mary Byrne and Treyc Cohen.

Aiden Grimshaw seems to be a favorite, but his performance felt nervous and unsure to me–but not like he was acting a part. OK, I just watched this again, and I’ve changed my mind. He was definitely playing a part, but it still seemed a little weird to me. His performance of “Mad World” was staged exactly like Adam Lambert’s. They watch American Idol in Britain, right? Hm.

Wild Card picks

Wagner Carrilho – Louis Walsh (Overs)
Treyc Cohen – Cheryl Cole (Girls)
Paije Richardson – Dannii Minogue (Boys)
Diva Fever – Simon Cowell (Groups)

UPDATE: Now with FULL VIDEOS including judges comments.

Live blog and VIDEOS after the JUMP…

FYD (Simon) – “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy – Louis likes them for the most part, but thinks they are better dancers than singers. Cheryl thought the dancing interferes with their singing. But Danni thinks they should move MORE. Simon calls them relevant because people on the charts are singing and dancing. Louis insists they have to sing in tune. Actually, Louis? They really don’t. But I agree with Louis, they aren’t great singers.

Matt McCardle – (Dannii) – “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland – Matt gets off to a rough start, but once he gets going, he delivers an emotional performance. Louis calls him the real deal, and a “Music Man.” Cheryl really likes it too. Simon says he wasn’t convinced during his audition, but came around at boot camp. He think this performance topped boot camp. He thinks he could have a hit with the song. He tells Matt to have more confidence. Dannii says he nailed it.

John Adeleye – (Louis) – “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey – Hm. Not sure if this was the right song for John. Dannii loves his passion. She didn’t think the song choice made him sound current. Cheryl says he sang it beautifully. She’s not sure he’s put his stamp on the competition yet. Simon liked the final note, but thinks John wasn’t given a chance to do much with it. (A dig at Louis) Simon and Louis argue about whether it was #1 in America. Louis says he’s genuine, and knows he’s got a lot more to give.

Rebecca Ferguson (Cheryl) – “Teardrops” by Womack & Womack – A disco song? For Rebecca? Really? Standing in one spot, clutching the microphone, she barely moves. She brings very little energy to her performance. She’s got potential, but she’s got to step it up. Louis calls her a class act and tells her she’s got an amazing recording voice. Dannii loves her style, but wants to see her grow over the weeks. Simon thinks she should emphasize her fun side now. He thinks she’s got tremendous potential. Cheryl thinks she’s “real” and “incredible”.

Storm Lee (Louis) – “We Built This City” by Starship – OMG. The eye makeup! The dancers are wearing rubber face masks. This is pretty bizarre. Storm’s vocals are overwhelmed by the huge production. He’s going for some hair band/glam rock thing, but the performance isn’t memorable. Dannii says he sang it really well. Cheryl said the image was “a little bit much”. She likes that he’s never given up. Simon says “it is what it is…Louis has turned you into something out of batman.” Simon says without the theatrics, he’s somebody who failed to be a rock star. Louis loved it, of course. Simon adds that he sang it really well.

Belle Amie – (Simon) “Airplanes” by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams – This band was put together by Simon. Wow. This performance is a HOT HOT mess. Off key, un-together and tentative, not sure if more rehearsal would even help this bunch. Even Simon can’t fake a smile through this. Louis sees chemistry and thinks they have great potential. Dannie liked the song choice. She thinks they are gelling really well. Cheryl felt unsure about them. (finally some honesty). She liked the song choice. Simon says they need time. He thinks the show needs some girl power and that there’s a place in the market for Belle Amie. Eep.

Cher Lloyd – (Cheryl) – “Just Be Good To Me” by The SOS band – OMG. Girl looks like a crack ho. Honestly, she’s got so much makeup on, and she’s scarily thin. She’s got a strong voice and some charisma, but I’m sensing she’s a train wreck waiting to happen. Cheryl loves Cher, I think, because she sees her younger self. Louis says she’s got incredible stage presence. It could be a #1 record, he says. Dannii says she’s “so watchable” and commands the stage. Simon says any doubt people have about Cheryl’s choice were just blown away. Simon says she’s “a new little star.” He thinks she’s part of a “new generation.” Cheryl says she breathes star quality–cool current and young.

Diva Fever – (Simon’s Wild Card) – Sunny by Bobby Hebb – This…does not suck. Kind of an interesting song choice, and their vocals are solid. Fun to watch, too. Louis calls them fun. He says they remind him of Simon and Piers at the Christmas party. Ha. Dannii loved it. Cheryl says they reminded her of a song you’d here on the telly to motivate you out of bed in the morning. Simon thinks the world has become boring. He thinks the music business should be fun and entertaining, and that’s why he welcomes them on stage. The neon outfits they’re wearing are hilarious.

Paije Richardson – (Dannii)? “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack – I was impressed with Paige’s audition and Houses performance. But, this is kind of a mess–really off key. Louis is comparing him to Luther Vandross. What? Cheryl says he sings like a Diva. Simon says was praying that Dannii would bring him back. He likes his attitude. Simon says he’s infectious. Dannii says he put personality on it.

Katie Waissel -? (Cheryl) – “We Are the Champions” by Queen – How the heck does this girl keep advancing? She’s forgotten her words, broken down on stage, and tonight she’s mediocre on a song that’s WAY too big for her. The hat she’s wearing is redonkulous. Louis thinks she’s more style than substance. He thinks the song was too big for her. Dannii thought it was vocally fierce, but doesn’t like her look. Simon likes her look, he thinks she’s original. Loves that she’s a drama queen. He compares her to Cyndi Lauper. He thinks she’s a pop star. Cheryl loves that she’s expressive like Lady Gaga. Cheryl says she’s a nice girl (There was some negative gossip about Katie in the papers).

Mary Byrne – (Simon) – “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown – The X Factor twitter says Mary’s got a sore throat. She’s got really powerful pipes. I didn’t like her audition much. I thought she was Suebo 2.0, but she’s got a pretty fierce bluesy side. The crowd is going nuts. Mary is crying. Dannii says, “That is one of the best vocal performances on the show.” She calls her a “new wave” of pop star. Well that would be interesting. Cheryl says you can feel the energy in the room. “It was like you waited your whole life to sing that.” Simon says it was fantastic because she’s a trier. He says she gave 110%. Louis says she’s become a Diva, and he’s so proud of her.

Nicolo Festa – (Dannii) – “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga – I wouldn’t have picked this song for him. His strength is his quirkiness. This mainstream dance stuff does not suit him at all. Boring. Louis says Nicolo is his cup of tea. Cheryl didn’t love it–he wasn’t connected. His sunglasses didn’t help. Simon liked it, he thought it was different–says Nicolo looks better than he sounds. Dannii thought he sounded great. She knows she took a big risk, but she believes in it. Nicolo insists, however, that he’s “normal” and not a diva.

1 Direction – (Simon) – “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay – Well, I expected this to be worse, but it’s still pretty bad. This is a really stupid song choice. They’re staying in tune mostly (The whoa whoa whoes were pretty rough, and some of the boys are better than others). But the world does not need a boy band version of “Viva La Vida”. Louis loves what they did with the song and thinks they could be the next big boy band. Dannii says they look like they fit together. She thought the song was fantastic. A perfect pop band performance. Cheryl thinks they have all the ingredients for a perfect pop band. They need more time to develop. Simon put them together in a boy band, because they were too good to throw away. He acknowledges they screwed up at the end, but commended them for bringing it back together. Simon, for some reason, is going to leave the styling up to the guys. I agree with Louis. They do look like crap.

Wagner Carrilho – (Louis – Wildcard) – “She Bang/Love Shack” mashup – This is literally like bringing William Hung back to the AI live shows as a wild card. Seriously now? WTF was that??? Dannii says, “It was entertaining, but we’re looking for the next recording star. Very karaoke.” Cheryl said he was very earthy and nice. Simon says, “that was the most bonkers performance I have every seen in my life.” But…embrace the madness says Simon. Louis says everyone will be talking about Wagner’s performance tomorrow.

Aiden Grimshaw – (Dannii) “Mad World” by Tears for Fears’ – Yeah, he’s doing the Donnie Darko version. He seems really nervous. Not his best performance. Wow, kid. Calm down! It’ll be alright. Louis says it was one of the best performances of the night. He is the next big male pop star. Cheryl thinks it was brilliant. Simon mentions Adam, but not by name. He says it was the second time he was blown away by that song–it happened once in America. You are so current, he says. He compares his voice to Michael Stipe and says it was the best of the night. Dannii said his performance had legs–vulnerable and arresting.

Treyc Cohen (Cheryl – Wildcard) – “One” by U2 – Wow. How did this girl not make it through in the first place? She’s got a powerful voice coupled with charisma. She’s the best of the girls. WTF? Louis says this is her time. Dannii says she can sing anything, but she needs to put her stamp on it. Simon says she looks vulnerable and lacks confidence, yet he’s amazed they overlooked her. He also thinks it was the best vocal of the night. (I agree). Cheryl can’t believe she was overlooked (Uhm yeah, you overlooked her, Cheryl).

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Posted in X Factor, X Factor UK 124 Responses to “X Factor UK – Top 16 Performance” Older Entries ? Truthiness: 10/10/2010 at 1:59 am

Therefore, not only would the Aiden version have little resonance to AI or Adam for the vast majority of viewers, but there would have been hardly any reason for Simon to name check Adam on X Factor: very few people know who he is. Few people know who any AI alum is in the UK. To be honest, I was kind of impressed that he mentioned the AI performance at all; it’s more than he did when he used Cornell’s Billie Jean (though Louis did!).

Yeah, but the people who staged the song, are not the average UK audience. They would probably have more of a knowledge of the US AI, than everyone else.

Anyhew, don’t really care. I thought it was an okay version, but not great (any comparisions to Adam completely aside), and definitely not among my faves of the night.

Q3: 10/10/2010 at 4:26 am

Setting aside the staging, I actually don’t think Aiden’s performance of Mad World was that much like Adam’s. The vocal arrangements were quite different and the emotional context were completely different.

The contestants don’t do the staging on X-Factor — so I am not sure that any similarity should reflect on Aiden in any way.

I thought it was an excellent song choice for Aiden — his nervousness actually worked to make it a kind of weird, creepy version of the song.

But the odd part to me was Simon’s comment about it being like Robert Pattinson and Twilight? I really didn’t see anything in Aiden’s performance, staging or attire that was anything like Twillight. Was Simon thinking about Randy’s Twilight comments about Adam in the AI8 Final?

In any case — The Times is reporting that the oddsmakers have made Aiden the favorite to win — 7-2 odds.

geekygirl: 10/10/2010 at 5:07 am

I am glad you gave it another look MJ, I thought he was doing a performance piece. The song has a haunting melody, and the lyrics are quite different from most pop pieces. As Q3 said, apart from the staging, which was really just sitting in a chair, Adam and Aiden played them differently in interpretation and I think they both worked. Adam sang the lyrics with vulnerability, interpreting the message of the song of someone questioning life. It was moving and intense. Aiden sang it like the angry ramblings of a madman. The chair made of chains and the shirt like a straightjacket, yea, I thought it all worked and it gave me chills, but for a different reason than Adam. I don’t think one is better than the other, and it shows what a good song Tears for Fears wrote, because both these versions modeled after Gary Jules version from Danny Darko, are nothing like the original.

I took Simon’s comment about Twilight to be more about Aiden’s look, he was made up to be pale, the hair, and facially he was dark broody Edward. Also the fog and the trees and the white lighting, it was all spooky. I just watched the video again and yea, it still gives me creeps and chills. He played that part well. I haven’t been impressed by him so far, didn’t even really remember him, but he did deliver that performance well imho.

And Simon wouldn’t mention Adam unless it would benefit him. He throws comparisons to Leona Lewis in any time he can, but there is nothing in it for him and Adam. And tbh, I am not sure a lot of the viewing audience would have known who he is anyway.

springboard: 10/10/2010 at 5:13 am

The UK public wouldn’t know Adam. The X Factor audience is 10-15 million, whereas American Idol is about 500k.

I thought that overall, the show was a lot better than the usual first week X Factor shows.

The staging for mad World was obviously copied fro Adam’s performance, but it doesn’t shock me the slightest, as Simon seems to try to reproduce on the X Factor what he liked on Idol.
I liked Matt, Marie and Aiden the most.

Q3: 10/10/2010 at 6:31 am

The UK public wouldn’t know Adam. The X Factor audience is 10-15 million, whereas American Idol is abound 500k.

Looks like Aiden’s performance has caused a spike of viewership of Adam’s MW videos. So seems like it was good for Aiden and good for Adam since he is not well known in the UK — and any exposure is good.

But with the Internet — the comparison is fast and easy to make — even if you never watch Idol.

Mateja: 10/10/2010 at 7:10 am

Wild Card Week hoists ‘X Factor’ up to 12.2m

The X Factor’s first live show of 2010 was paramount in ITV’s domination of primetime last night, early viewing figures show.

Wild Card Week. was seen by an average of 12.23m (48.5%) between 7.40pm and 10.10pm, peaking at 13.49m (51.7%) between 9.15pm and 9.30pm. The X Factor was up 530k on last Saturday.

Hazehel: 10/10/2010 at 8:02 am

Wild Card Week hoists ‘X Factor’ up to 12.2m

Edit – Looks like I looked at the wrong page. But it’s 11.89 million on Saturday 14 million on Sunday last week.

Just to give an idea of what this number means – 14 million is the equivalent of 70 million viewers in US. Simon Cowell seems to be pretty good at whipping up interest in the show, I think a lot of the drama reported in the press are likely orchestrated by him, if I weren’t the tin-foil hat conspiracy type I might even suspect him having a hand in Gamu Nhengu trouble with the immigration authority (he did however exploit it for all that it’s worth).

It’s quite noticeable that while American Idol’s ratings generally decline from the season premier onwards until it perks up towards the finale, X-Factor seems to be able to keep the ratings up and actually increase it as the season progresses. Something to be learned by American Idol perhaps – it’s the interest in the contestants that keeps the ratings up, while I’m not a fan of the manufactured drama in X-Factor, I think American Idol seemed to have lost the knack of promoting the contestants to the public last season.

Judee: 10/10/2010 at 8:32 am

Wowowow at Savan Kotecha being the vocal coach on the show. Simon has built quite an imperium in Britain with this show. Impressive.

btw. Brian Friedman has been the creative director (e.g. staging and choreography guy) for years now on the show. I’d guess him and Adam know each other pretty well .

Also i LOVE Cher. She’s absolutely brilliant. She doesn’t really need X-factor to get a record deal. The labels would fight for someone like her. Take any young pop star (Miley, Katy, Kesha, Cheryl Cole etc.) and give them a great voice – you have Cher. Girlfriend’s gonna be alright no matter where she finishes in the reality show.

Oh Nicolo – you’re my guilty pleasure. I’m rooting for ya .

mj: 10/10/2010 at 10:03 am

How many contestants will be eliminated tonight? With a Top 16, there will be some double eliminations, right?

mj: 10/10/2010 at 10:05 am

I find it interesting that peeps in the UK watch television on a weekend night. Friday and Saturday night in the US is television dead zone.

butte009: 10/10/2010 at 10:11 am

Also, I’m starting to think they may need to eliminate groups here, unless they make the groups bands instead of just singing groups. Having boy bands like 1 Direction will immediately turn a lot of people off the show. There is no signs of the reemergence of vocals groups here, and I think there are still a lot of negative connotations for boy bands since we are only about a decade removed from the last time they were dominant. I think it will be years before boy bands are popular here again.

Depends on the demographic. Pre-teen girls are becoming a bigger market. My 8 year old loves Big Time Rush (BTR) on Nickelodeon. Apparently they have a cd coming out on Tuesday; much to my surprise. Here’s one of their songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkzKGxfmmwc These boys aren’t that bad.
I think the producers are trying to recreate the Monkees myself. But hey, nothing is new these days.

butte009: 10/10/2010 at 10:12 am

How many contestants will be eliminated tonight? With a Top 16, there will be some double eliminations, right?

Two go home tonight.

Valentin432: 10/10/2010 at 10:13 am

I read that it was a double elimination tonight.
I wonder if they will nominate a B3 or B4 and let the judges decide who stays, or if they will automatically eliminate the act with the least votes and decide between the other 2.

Mateja: 10/10/2010 at 10:17 am

Two acts will be eliminated tonight.

Here in Slovenia people watch TV every night, it doesn’t matter which day of the week it is. Entertainment, family shows are usually on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, politics and sports Monday to Thursday. So Sat. and Sun. nights schedule for the X Factor seems completely normal to me.

geekygirl: 10/10/2010 at 10:59 am

I find it interesting that peeps in the UK watch television on a weekend night. Friday and Saturday night in the US is television dead zone.

Sad but true. There is usually a popular show on sometime around 7 on a Sat as a lot of ppl watch tv while they get ready to go out. Both my daughters watched the first hour then split.

davedpg: 10/10/2010 at 11:08 am

Here in the UK, all the big entertainment shows are on at the weekend with sport, soaps and documentaries in the week

Hazehel: 10/10/2010 at 11:33 am

I find it interesting that peeps in the UK watch television on a weekend night. Friday and Saturday night in the US is television dead zone.

Weekend nights are largely family entertainment, so you get shows like X-Factor and the UK equivalent of Dancing with the Stars (Strictly Come Dancing). The rationale I suppose is that young single people go out on weekend nights but families stay indoor. Nights from Monday to Friday are largely a mixture of soaps (yes, Brits watch soaps at night and in huge number), drama series, documentary and the like. They put quite a bit of effort for Saturday but Sunday night can be a bit of a doldrums for TV watching, and presumeably it’s why the rating for X-Factor is higher on Sunday – there is nothing else to watch.

I find it however interesting that most of the shows from US that I like are shown on Sunday in US- Mad Men, Dexter, Breaking Bad, True Blood, etc. There must be a reason why interesting drama series are shown on Sunday, but I’m not sure why.

JohnP: 10/10/2010 at 12:11 pm

I find it interesting that peeps in the UK watch television on a weekend night. Friday and Saturday night in the US is television dead zone.

I think the difference may be down to sport. In the US, sports games (baseball, football, hockey) last many hours and are often on late afternoon/evening at weekends. It’s difficult to schedule other programs around that and keep them highly rated. I doubt other broadcasters want to compete against them either. In the UK, live televised evening sport is rare at the weekends, but less so midweek, so it became traditional for top-rated entertainment to be shown weekend evenings. That’s my guess anyway, but there may simply be an element of what someone in the PTB a long time ago decided when we would watch given program types.

karenc: 10/11/2010 at 5:39 am

But I never really thought Austin Drage was copying David Cook. It was a clearly different take on the song – it was a soul/R&B take on a rock/blues version of a R&B/pop song (kinda interesting how that comes round, doesn’t it? It’s like Austin was doing Michael Jackson doing Cornell version of his own song). –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6At6q01m5c
A contestant on Australian Idol (Teale Jakubenko) also did another one which was a closer copy of David Cook/Cornell’s version, but unfortunately sounded worse because of that (because you just can’t help comparing the two) –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE32dBhhXA4

I think both these versions are closer to David Cook’s version than Chris Cornell’s, especially near the end. But do agree the Austrailian Idol’s version is closer. I found this version of Chris Cornell’s Billie Jean and there are differences in the melody between his and David’s, though the arrangements were similar, Cornell’s had a harder edge, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xW25VB1Mpw.

The thing that I thought was interesting is that at least one of the judges didn’t like an arrangement that was so well liked in the US. The contestants seem to be much more pop orientated and I’m not sure if that’s just the nature of the show or if it is more because they are in a different country with different tastes. It will be interesting to see what kind of contestants they get over here for the US version.

I did like Matt Cardle the best. Most of the rest of the contestants that I thought had good vocals were too OTT and poppy for me. And I think some are overproduced. It seems to me that some with weaker vocals can hide behind the production, which isn’t even created by them.

One other thing I noticed is that Simon seems much more interested and engaged than he was during AI, especially for the last year and maybe the year before. He seems to enjoy the pop acts the most.

Mateja: 10/11/2010 at 6:49 am

The thing that I thought was interesting is that at least one of the judges didn’t like an arrangement that was so well liked in the US. The contestants seem to be much more pop orientated and I’m not sure if that’s just the nature of the show or if it is more because they are in a different country with different tastes. It will be interesting to see what kind of contestants they get over here for the US version.

Well you have to remember that both Pop Idol and The X Factor were created in the UK. What is the original idea of these two shows? To find a popstar. Pop singers. I wish we could watch the first season of Pop Idol (UK) and different Idol versions around the world. I think it would be interesting to compare the original Idol version to American Idol and how American Idol developed over the years. I think the first season of AI was quite similar to Pop Idol. But after the first season, there were less pop singers on Idol. More RNB, soul, then country … And Idol pop singers are completely different than non idol pop singers – very wholesome, family friendly, without any edge. I think this is a problem. AI lost the connection to pop music. The last three winners are all HAC artists – adult TOP 40 – that says something about the demo that watches the show.

I personally believe that lost connection to pop music is bad for Idol. I mean, it’s totally fine to discover a country or rnb artist once in a while, because I don’t think Idol could produce 20 popstars in 10 years. But, it’s bad when the show stops producing pop singers.

In the UK, it’s easy for the show to produce pop singers. The music scene is different and pop prevails. The X Factor is still considered a family show and entertainment TV, but it has more edge than American Idol. The judges on the X Factor are not afraid to say: “You have the voice, but you will never be a popstar.” Yes, it’s cruel and unfair, but it’s realistic. Because no matter what these shows promise, they can not make a popstar out of anyone. X Factor performances are quite close to the guest performances that we can see on results nights. Now think about AI season 9 contestant performances and season 9 guest performances … It was like … two different worlds.

karenc: 10/11/2010 at 1:21 pm

Matjeta:

The thing is, at least with the pop charts in the US, there wouldn’t be types that would be considered pop stars that could come from AI. Much of the current chart is rap or singers that are autotuned, and the music doesn’t rely on vocals. Of the types of songs that are popular that use vocals, AI has had representatives that have been sucessful. And I do see where most of the AI singers are not as edgy as most pop stars are. I think that the closest that AI has come is Adam Lambert. I remember thinking that in Season 8, when they on Lady Gaga and Katy Perry as guests, that Adam fit in very well with them. And other than them, the most popular artist in the US last year was Taylor Swift, who fits in very well with the type of singer songwriter that has been on AI the past couple of years.

To some extent, AI has brought success to some artists that wouldn’t have been on a major label otherwise, even the most successful were otherwise rejected by record labels before they were on AI. I see AI as going against the pop charts by relying on vocals, and now some musicianship, rather than looks or dancing ability. Now, I do think that someone can be found that has all these abilities, and maybe they already have.

Mateja: 10/11/2010 at 3:09 pm

The thing is, at least with the pop charts in the US, there wouldn’t be types that would be considered pop stars that could come from AI. Much of the current chart is rap or singers that are autotuned, and the music doesn’t rely on vocals. Of the types of songs that are popular that use vocals, AI has had representatives that have been sucessful. And I do see where most of the AI singers are not as edgy as most pop stars are. I think that the closest that AI has come is Adam Lambert. I remember thinking that in Season 8, when they on Lady Gaga and Katy Perry as guests, that Adam fit in very well with them. And other than them, the most popular artist in the US last year was Taylor Swift, who fits in very well with the type of singer songwriter that has been on AI the past couple of years.
To some extent, AI has brought success to some artists that wouldn’t have been on a major label otherwise, even the most successful were otherwise rejected by record labels before they were on AI. I see AI as going against the pop charts by relying on vocals, and now some musicianship, rather than looks or dancing ability. Now, I do think that someone can be found that has all these abilities, and maybe they already have.

Oh come on, you don’t have to be a bad singer and use autotune a lot to be a popstar. The idea of these singing shows is just that, to find a popstar that also has decent singing ability. Idol just didn’t evolve over the years. Idol contestants are still mostly covering old songs. First they sang to backing tracks and then they had a band that certainly didn’t make the songs sound current and fresh. Instruments didn’t really help either. Now the band is gone and maybe, just maybe it won’t be replaced by another band. They promised top producers, so maybe they are going back to backing tracks again?

The X Factor did evolve over the years. If you watch Leona Lewis’ performances, you see that season 3 wasn’t much different from Idol. But then the production values started improving because Simon Cowell realized that the show has to evolve that way to produce a popstar. It’s a circus, yes. But pop music is a circus, too.

Regarding Adam Lambert: Yes, he is the one contestant that had enough edge to fit the current pop scene. I think this is exactly why the judges and the producers supported him – it wasn’t just his singing and performing ability. He was the image of a perfect Idol contestant.

Regarding Taylor Swift: She is a good songwriter and a bad singer. Idol is not a songwriting competition, so the idea to find another Taylor Swift on Idol was totally crazy. The secret of her appeal is certainly not singing. It’s her songs that appeal to teenage girls and her image of a country/pop princess. Which girl on season 9 fit that? Janelle? She was the first one to go. I don’t really know what the producers were thinking when they put Lilly Scott and Crystal through. They are far, far away from Taylor Swift. Same with Didi Benami.

Now that The X Factor is coming to the USA, AI producers realized they are in big, big trouble.

iFly55: 10/11/2010 at 7:23 pm

I have to agree with Mateja, AI is in huge trouble when The X-Factor comes to America!

There isn’t much involvement from the judges when it comes to performances up until maybe the Top 3; however, with the X-Factor the judges spoon-feed and prep the contestants … every step of the way!

With the X-Factor, very rarely do you get responses like, “poor song choice”!

But it’s going to take allot of marketing and allot of cross-promotions to get America excited about The X-Factor!

I was really happy with the Top 16 performances! Matt Cardle and Aiden Grimshaw had standout vocals, but all in all quirky and fun perfomances all-round!

karenc: 10/11/2010 at 7:23 pm

Oh come on, you don’t have to be a bad singer and use autotune a lot to be a popstar.

If you look at who is popular currently on the pop charts, there are many that are. And this is not the kind of singer that a show like AI is going to find. And some of the most popular music is still rap, which won’t be included in AI.

The types of music that vocals are featured that are still popular today are singer songwriter, country, alternative rock, R&B, and pop rock. And those types have all been representative on AI,with some degree of sucess.

The idea of these singing shows is just that, to find a popstar that also has decent singing ability. Idol just didn’t evolve over the years. Idol contestants are still mostly covering old songs. First they sang to backing tracks and then they had a band that certainly didn’t make the songs sound current and fresh. Instruments didn’t really help either. Now the band is gone and maybe, just maybe it won’t be replaced by another band. They promised top producers, so maybe they are going back to backing tracks again?

I think it’s a step backward if they do, because it will not allow them to show who they are as an artist as much as it does when they get to choose their own arrangements if capable. And I don’t just mean the ones that played instruments, because Adam Lambert was very capable of choosing the arrangements, and staging of his songs. Kelly Clarkson was able to do well even with these limitations, but she really didn’t get to show herself as an artist on the show.

I could see how someone that is less experienced would do better in a show with more producer influence. It seems like on the X factor, they are told what to sing, what arrangement they are going to use and how the staging is going to be. It is ok on the show, but I think to have any long term sucess, you have to have an idea of what you want to do. Other than Leona Lewis, I don’t believe there have been many that have had that level of success from the X factor that we have seen from AI.

Regarding Taylor Swift: She is a good songwriter and a bad singer. Idol is not a songwriting competition, so the idea to find another Taylor Swift on Idol was totally crazy. The secret of her appeal is certainly not singing. It’s her songs that appeal to teenage girls and her image of a country/pop princess. Which girl on season 9 fit that? Janelle? She was the first one to go. I don’t really know what the producers were thinking when they put Lilly Scott and Crystal through. They are far, far away from Taylor Swift. Same with Didi Benami.

Right, but Taylor Swift is far from an edgy pop star as someone can be, and that was my point. This is the type that is appealing to teenage girls right now, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber. These are as far from edgy as you can get, and family friendly like many of the AI artists.

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American Music Awards 2010: Carrie Underwood Earns Two Noms, Only Idol Nominated

2010-10-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

From today's press conference Danny Gokey second from left

Recording artists Taio Cruz and Demi Lovato will announce the nominations for the 2010 annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles at 9:30pt/12:30et today.

Carrie Underwood got TWO nominations:? Favorite Country Female Artist and Favorite Country Album forPlay On.? She’s the only Idol nominated for an AMA. Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers nominated for Favorite Soundtrack Album.

Danny Gokey, Jennette McCurdy, Lance Bass and Whitney Port will host a digital, red carpet pre-show. Danny Gokey and Lance Bass were “on hand to discuss digital aspects of the show this year.”

Lady Antebellum and Eminem lead the nominations this year with 5 nominations each.? Justin Bieber was next with 4 noms.

Bon Jovi, Pink and Usher are confirmed to perform.

Check out all the nominees (and vote)? HERE.? Read the Press Release HERE.

The American Music Awards air November 21 8/7c on ABC.

UPDATE: FULL list of nominations after the jump.

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Eminem
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Lady Antebellum
Train

Favorite Album
Justin Bieber/ My World 2.0
Eminem/ Recovery
Katy Perry/ Teenage Dream

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Brad Paisley

Favorite Female Artist
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts

Favorite Album
Jason Aldean/ Wide Open
Lady Antebellum/ Need You Now
Carrie Underwood/ Play On

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
B.o.B.
Drake
Eminem

Favorite Album
B.o.B./ B.o.B. Presents
Drake/ Thank Me Later
Eminem/ Recovery

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Sade

Favorite Album
Alicia Keys/ The Element of Freedom
Sade/ Soldier of Love
Usher/ Raymond v. Raymond

SOUNDTRACKS

Favorite Album
AC/DC / Iron Man 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Muse
Phoenix
Vampire Weekend

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Michael Buble
Lady Antebellum
Train

LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Daddy Yankee
Enrique Iglesias
Shakira

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist
Casting Crowns
MercyMe
TobyMac

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Eminem
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry

T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Nominations
B.o.B
Justin Bieber
Taio Cruz
Jason Derulo
Ke$ha
Lady Antebellum
Travie McCoy
Mike Posner

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Katharine McPhee Xmas Releases

2010-10-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

October 11th, 2010 @ 8:32 pm (3 Comments - Leave Yours)

2 Tracks From Katharine McPhee’s “Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You” Album

Katharine McPhee – Jingle Bells

Katharine McPhee – Christmas Is The Time

View the original article here

Adam Lambert Makes Changes to His Malaysian Glam Nation Show Amidst Local Protests

2010-10-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Adam Lambert Makes Changes to His Malaysian Glam Nation Show Amidst Local Protests. Adam Lambert Makes Changes to His Malaysian Glam Nation Show Amidst Local Protests October 11th, 2010 | Author: mj
Adam Lambert is currently on tour in South East Asia. Today, he’s in Hong Kong getting ready for a show in the Chinese city. But when Glam Nation rolls into Malaysia for a show on Thursday, there will be a few changes made to his set.? Adam released a statement via twitter today:
“While I don’t believe that my glamnation tour is in any way offensive, I have agreed to make a few minor adjustments out of respect for the Malaysian government. Looking forward to a fun show.
Does my show “promote the gay lifestyle”? It promotes living ANY lifestyle that includes the freedom to seek love and intimacy. Gay, straight, bi, young or old. It’s all inclusive.
Plus, what’s THE gay lifestyle? There isn’t just one. There are so many different kinds of gay people. We have a variety of different lifestyles. There’s not only one lifestyle lived by straight folks. Generalizing…. “
The decision to adjust his set was made amidst complaints from The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Malaysia’s Islamist opposition party, who demanded today that authorities cancel Adam’s concert.
The conservative group say Adam is promoting “gay culture” in the mainly Muslim country.
“Adam Lambert’s shows… are outrageous, with lewd dancing and a gay performance that includes kissing male dancers, this is not good for people in our country,” said PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hasan. Homosexual sex is illegal in Malaysia.
The PAS has also threatened to call “as many of its members and supporters” to protest if the concert goes ahead on Thursday, according to a party official.
Adam was probably planning to tone down his act anyway. An official from Malaysia’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry was reported saying that Adam had signed a contract agreeing to follow certain guidelines on performances. Foreign performers are often required to tone down their acts to keep within local cultural norms.
He won’t have to change much, I don’t think. No kissing Tommy, and he’ll have to keep those hips in check. He might have to leave “Fever” and the song’s male pronouns out of the set.
172 Responses to “Adam Lambert Makes Changes to His Malaysian Glam Nation Show Amidst Local Protests” Older Entries ? TLKC: 10/12/2010 at 10:16 am mrsdarcy? Love your name.
mrsdarcy: 10/12/2010 at 10:16 am
Cheers Maura73
Adam can wear a hijab some other time. He probably would look gracious in it.
Oh Happy Birthday MJ!
TLKC: 10/12/2010 at 10:20 am

mrsdarcy:
10/12/2010 at 10:16 am
Oh Happy Birthday MJ!

Ditto! Hope we don’t give you too hard a time today.
mrsdarcy: 10/12/2010 at 10:23 am
TLKC, you can probably guess my first name if you are familiar with P & P/ Jane Austen Novel.
I will be celebrating my golden year very soon, so you see, I can be that conservative, but never the less, I also enjoy life.
my birthdate? coincidentally it’s the same date as when Kris Allen released LLWD!!
Sorry MJ must out of topic.
Maura73: 10/12/2010 at 10:34 am
@mrsdarcy, I love, adore, worship Jane Austen Charles Dickens and Henry Fielding, too Love your name! Love LLWD, too, and AWM. TT–that one I could have lived without
Adam fan w/an open mind for good music.
mrsdarcy: 10/12/2010 at 10:35 am
LLWD Video for that matter!
I have tosay good night
(This blooming Click to edit and Request deletion is on, can someone tell me how to get rid of it, if you please!)
TLKC: 10/12/2010 at 10:39 am
mrsdarcy:
The “Click to edit and request deletion” will appear under all your posts but will be seen by you only.
P.S. to Maura -I’m an English major so guess what? Me, too. You forgot Thackeray.
ETA: If anyone is tuning in – the debate over the east-west cultural divide has given way to a celebration of 19th century England. To return to the “struggle” click on “older entries”.
mrsdarcy: 10/12/2010 at 10:42 am
Thanks a lot TLKC!
I rekon should try Henry Feilding!
Now, I really must go to bed, I need my beauty rest!! nite.
Maura73: 10/12/2010 at 10:47 am
@TLKC, I like Vanity Fair, but…Austen, Dickens, Fielding are, like, bedtime, dentist’s waiting room reading for me. Once I start, I can’t stop, get drawn into their worlds, get mesmerized. I’ve read Bleak House four times lol. I’ve only read Vanity Fair by Thackeray, and I enjoyed it, but I can’t see pulling it out when I’m bored. Same with George Eliot and Trollope. They’re intellectually fascinating, but not viscerally so (imo)…dunno if that made sense.
I also enjoyed the Hunger Games lol. Trying to bring this extraordinarily off topic post to Adam.
Sorry, MJ, or whoever’s modding this thread.
…and, yeah. Malaysia. Adam. I’m sure Austen is popular in Malaysia :/
jlurksacto: 10/12/2010 at 10:57 am

On Tuesday 12th October 2010, @_dashia said:
This to clarify about the Malaysia GNT Concert. Hope this will be RTed.
It’d be happening. If anyone said it’s not happening, please get your fact straight.
Regarding the rules, it applies to every single artist that perform here regardless what sexual orientation of the performer.
About the jumping part, it means no jumping to the audiences as it can get pretty chaotic if he does that. I’ve been to a lot of concerts and we’ve been jumping like crazy and even the artist jump together.
Regarding the stripping part applies more to lady performer although I’ve seen a couple of performers took out their jacket and shirt and just wore their inner shirt. A lot of underground bands performed shirtless. And they’ve came from US and Europe. No problem with that.
No kissing or whatsoever is part of the rules that you need to respect. You wouldn’t want he’d banned right? As a quite conservative country, trust me having Adam performing here is a huge step.
The protestors are just like the WBC Case. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want Adam to perform just because some party protest about it. What’d you do if it happen at your own area?
And whoever said that Adam shouldn’t perform here, who are you to say otherwise, do you know how much we pay for the ticket? It equals to USD100. And the fans here probably spent as much as you guys there. So please don’t say we are not entitled for Adam to perform here.

Maura73: 10/12/2010 at 10:58 am
@Mrsdarcy re Fielding, start with Joseph Andrews, then Tom Jones, then Amelia. Another fascinating read is Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos. Marie Antoinette loved it
OT. Shutting up. Moving on. SORRY!!!
mrsdarcy: 10/12/2010 at 10:59 am
but have read HELEN FEILDING!
Chiaroscuro: 10/12/2010 at 11:03 am
@_dashia This to clarify about the Malaysia GNT Concert. Hope this will be RTed. It’d be happening. If anyone said it’s (cont) http://tl.gd/6ep0sj
I loved what dashia had to say. FYI she was one of 10 winners from Malaysia who was able to meet Adam in Singapore at the showcase earlier this year.
Adam is going to be perfectly fine. I trust him when he says he will stick to the guidelines, and that his show isn’t going to suffer for it. He is only being singled out by PAS because of his high profile. He’s not even the first to be done so by them, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, even Linkin Park were protested against. One more thing: Adam is NOT going to be ‘made an example of by the government’, quite the presumptuous opinion, to be frank our government here has far more pressing issues to deal with and this concert isn’t even a speck on the horizon as far as they are concerned! This is all being sensationalised. It’s all politics with PAS, they make noise and that’s it, I’m sorry that they are overshadowing what should be a momentous occasion for the fans here.
I was lucky enough to be one of those who got to see Adam in SG. He is a gorgeous human being and we are thrilled, thrilled and overjoyed that other M’sian fans and soon-to-become-fans will have this chance now to see him themselves. I was unprepared for the judgment coming from some quarters regarding Malaysia about this, I won’t lie and say it wasn’t upsetting to read some of the comments coming from twitter and elsewhere from the international fans. Thank you TLKC and Maura73 and others for your posts… I do not think Adam should feel obliged to make a dash for his plane the second his encore his over; he should at least take the time to try a laksa or nasi lemak or two. … but not before the concert please! =p
TLKC: 10/12/2010 at 11:05 am
jlurksacto: Good for @dashia - Adam’s Malaysian fans have a right to be angry. We were angry when ABC banned him. We fought against attempts by the right to demonize him for political gain. We felt that we had a right to see him.
We should all let the Malaysian fans know that we respect their dilemma and wish them a great concert.
CForCrazy: 10/12/2010 at 12:01 pm
Thank you, kidding
Btw…HAPPY BIRTHDAY MJ!
CForCrazy: 10/12/2010 at 12:04 pm
I love the posts done by @miraglambert and @_dashia its really reassuring!
AKGirl: 10/12/2010 at 4:28 pm
I want to thank the Malaysian fans for posting. The dialog has been great. I have realized that some of my fears come from my own ignorance. And as Ellessay said yesterday “unfamiliar territory”. I still have some angst, but I trust that Adam would not put his brother and glamily in any adverse situation. My hope is that the Malaysian fans come away from the concert with their hearts full like so many of us have. Oh, and that we get some great videos…. Happy Birthday MJ!
believeme: 10/12/2010 at 7:05 pm
They were not protested against him because he is gay and Jew. Majorly because of his controversy performances. Did he performed differently from his rehearsal when he performed at VMA(?) If I’m remembered clearly his GMA was cancelled by ABC(?) because they think he is unpredictable.
luvadamlambert: 10/12/2010 at 7:56 pm
I said this in the DWTS thread but i’ll say it here 2 HAPPY BDAY MJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE AWESOME BLOG AND PUTTING UP WITH SHIIIT ILY AND UR AWESOME HAVE A GREAT BDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
bridgette12: 10/12/2010 at 8:33 pm
I am sure Adam and the rest of the Glam band are going to give a great performance for the Malaysians and then they can get the hell out of Dodge. I can’t wait till they get to New Zealand, they love him and have supported him from the beginning.
turquoisewaters: 10/12/2010 at 9:30 pm
Thanks for the reminder, Maura73:

Take it easy with the cultural superiority, please.

Doesn’t mean I think all countries are doing an equally good job protecting the rights of gays(and other minorities). But maybe MJs is not the place to list a ranking. (Happy BDay, MJ!)
I am hoping for a beautiful (and safe) concert for all Malaysians fans to whom this concert clearly means a lot.
TLKC: 10/12/2010 at 10:09 pm

You’re just dying for American ex-pats, right?

Maura73: Actually, many American ex-pats have contributed a great deal to our country. You can come up here anytime you like. Heck, I’d even sponsor you BUT: who’s going to vote for change if you and everyone who thinks like you moves north of the border?

View the original article here

Crystal Bowersox Reportedly to Guest on Husband’s CD, Due Out This Month

2010-10-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Looks like we’ll be hearing some Crystal Bowersox music sooner than we expected.

According to some comments on Michael Teach’s You Tube account, Crystal will be a guest on husband Brian Walker’s CD due to come out this month.

The album is produced by Teach, the reverend who married Crystal and Brian on Sunday (Oct. 10).? Teach is a long-time friend of the couple, and is the founder/host of the Chicago Acoustic Underground.? He recorded podcasts with both Crystal and Brian before Crystal appeared on American Idol.

Teach writes, “CAU is producing? and will release Brian Walker’s new album featuring guest vocals by a young lady you might recognize. It will be available soon for download from the store on CAU.”

According to Teach, Crystal’s son, Tony, will also have a ‘guest vocal’ on the album!

View the original article here

Danny Gokey Headlines BSA Centennial Camp Concert

2010-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Photo via DannyGokey.com

Danny Gokey headlined the closing ceremony concert Saturday evening for a “Centennial Camp” regional event in Salina KS, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Several thousand attended.? Danny and his 5-member band performed nine of the ten songs from his album, plus a number of covers. Jennette McCurdy (iCarly) opened for Danny with a ~5-song set.? Both Danny and Jennette signed for the Scouts and other audience members after the show, with Danny’s merchandise table reportedly selling out of his CD to the young crowd.

JennetteMcCurdy: @dannygokey It was such an honor to be able to go on the same stage as someone as talented as you. Thanks for everything!

Last week saw Danny in Nashville for several days, dropping into the CMT studios where he ran into Wynonna and Naomi Judd.? Danny also performed at a CAA artists showcase with Amy Grant and? Michael W. Smith, featured at the 40th Anniversary conference of the International Entertainment Buyer’s Association (IEBA), and took some time to celebrate news that his non-profit foundation is among the newest grant recipients announced by the Academy of Country Music’s ACM Lifting Lives program.

Videos and more after the jump!

Photo credit - Sharon of iheartdannygokey.com

Next up for Danny, three headlining concerts in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Oct 14th, North Carolina State Fair, Raleigh NCOct 15th, Chameleon Club, Lancaster PAOct 16th, Prospectors, Philadelphia PA area

Danny Gokey performs for Strike Out Breast Cancer
Danny Gokey Weekend of Concerts

Like That’s A Bad Thing / Life On Ya –
video credit sonnysangel

Be Somebody – video credit sonnysangel

Get Away – video credit sonnysangel

Hard To Handle / band intro – video credit sonnysangel

I Still Believe – video credit sonnysangel

T.R.O.U.B.L.E. – video credit sonnysangel

My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me – video credit sonnysangel

Life Is A Highway – video credit sonnysangel

Livin’ On A Prayer – video credit sonnysangel

I Will Not Say Goodbye – video credit jc6861

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David Archuleta – Q92 Canton OH – Acoustic Set

2010-10-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta performed an acoustic mini-concert for lucky Q92 radio contest winners in Canton, OH yesterday.

After the jump check out his set, including “Elevator”, “Crush”, “A Thousand Miles” and “A Little Too Not Over You”.

Video Source: PastelPastel

A Thousand Miles

Crush

Elevator – with banter about Extra Credit, crowd singalong at the end

Something ‘Bout Love

A Little Too Not Over You

More Banter

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David Archuleta and Ruben Studdard Perform ‘Skate For the Heart’

2010-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

Joannie Rochette and David Archuleta photo: @joannierochette

The Skate For The Heart event was taped Sunday night in Youngstown OH for broadcast in January on NBC. Both David Archuleta and Ruben Studdard performed for the skaters performances.

David sang “My Kind Of Perfect” for Joannie Rochette and “Something ‘Bout Love” for pair skaters.

I’m not sure what Ruben sang, but he had two songs as well. David, Ruben and the band Straight No Chaser were part of a group number at the end.

After the jump, check out David singing “My Kind of Perfect”, “Something Bout Love” and David and Ruben joining a group finale for “Soul Man”.

thanks musicgirl78 and frogcooke
Video Source: PastelPastel

David Archuleta – My Kind of Perfect

David Archuleta – Something Bout Love

David Archuleta – Ruben Studdard – Soul Man

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Idol Headlines for 10/11/10 – The Evening Edition

2010-10-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

Looks like that Australian X Factor appearance for Adam Lambert is more than a rumor: @Byroncooke: “I can CONFIRM @adamlambert will perform “If I Had You” live on #Xfactor Australia this Mon Night Oct 18th”

***

Listen to 3 songs from Katharine McPhee’s upcoming holiday album, Christmas is the Time To Say I Love You at her Facebook.

Jingle Bells, Christmas Without You and Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You are streaming HERE.

***

Crystal Bowersox CD Listed at Amazon with a Dec. 7 Release Date

It looks like the upcoming Crystal Bowersox album is listed at Amazon with a release date of December 7, 2010. The release date could change, but it’s interesting none the less. For now, the CD is called LP #1. You can pre-order the album, now.

***

Jennifer Lopez Will Be The New Mean Simon, Not Randy, ‘American Idol’ Producer Nigel Lythgoe Says!

“Randy, of course. has changed his persona. Randy knows what he’s doing, so he’s there,” the 61-year-old producer told us. “Jennifer gets stronger and stronger and she’ll take over. There’s no question in my mind.”

Nigel said between Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and J. Lo, it’s the 41-year-old girl who’s going to be leading the pack.

“No question in my mind. She will take over,” he said, adding, “And Steven is very smart, very quick witted. So, I really like them all. They all bring something — and they don’t all agree with each other.”

Jennifer Hudson Performs at the Andre Agassi 15th Grand Slam for Children

2010-10-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here’s Jennifer Hudson backstage last night (Oct 9) with her son David and Elton John at the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education’s 15th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert at the Wynn Las Vegas in? Las Vegas, Nevada.

Remember when Elton mentored Jennifer on Idol? He called Idol “racist” after Jennifer was eliminated at 7th place in Season 3.

The event raises funds to help improve education for underserved youth in the Las Vegas community.

Photo Gallery After the JUMP…

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Jordin Sparks Shoots Like A Pro

2010-10-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

> at the New Meadowlands Stadium on October 11, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey." src="/jordin-sparks-cannon-5.jpg" width=450 height=300>

Season 6 Idol winner, Jordin Sparks shoots photographs on the sideline of the Minnesota Vikings Vs. New York Jets NFL game at the New Meadowlands Stadium last night (Oct. 11) in East Rutherford, NJ.

Jordin was participating in Canon’s “Shoot Like A Pro” promotion.

Check out the photos after the jump.

Photos after the JUMP…

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American Idol’s Jason Castro has a New Christian Music Album

2010-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Remember Jason Castro from American Idol? Well, now he’s with Word Entertainment, which represents some of the top names and brands in christian music, including Point Of Grace, BarlowGirl, Francesca Battistelli, and is releasing a new christian music album on November 9. The christian album, titled Who I Am, will be released exclusively on his website and at all christian retailers.
This album is a unique collection of songs; featuring five fresh tracks including the new single “You Are” to hit the Christian AC airwaves in October, alongside five fan-favorites from his self-titled debut album released this past spring. It includes tracks produced by both Eric Rosse (Tori Amos
, Sara Bareilles) and Ian Eskelin (All Star United, Francesca Battistelli, Remedy Drive). Castro also collaborated with a host of top-notch songwriters, including Marc Roberge of O.A.R., Gregg Wattenberg (Five For Fighting), Zac Maloy (David Cook) and Espionage (Train).
The end result is a exceptional collection of truly heartfelt songs about love that relays what Castro calls a positive message of love and acceptance, including his hit single “Let’s Just Fall In Love Again” and his stunning version of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah.” Who I Am is an extension of the successful release of his self-titled album, which debuted at the #18 spot on the Billboard Top 200.
Also coming out on November 9 is the digital only five song EP entitled Changing Colors: Live From Studio 1290, which features live, full band acoustic versions of the songs “Changing Colors,” “If I Were You,” “It Matters To Me,” “Love Uncompromised” and his version of the Tom Petty tune ““Learning To Fly.”
Here’s the list of songs on Who I Am (Atlantic Records/Word Entertainment):
1. What If I Fall
2. You Are
3. That’s What I’m Here For
4. Changing Colors
5. Wait For a Miracle
6. Who I Really Am
7. It Matters To Me
8. Let’s Just Fall In Love Again
9. This Heart Of Mine
10. Hallelujah
Changing Colors: Live From Studio 1290 songs (Atlantic Records):
1. Changing Colors
2. If I Were You
3. It Matters To Me
4. Learning To Fly
5. Love Uncompromised

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Cowell may can Coke for Pepsi sponsorship

2010-10-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Simon Cowell might be sitting in front of a Pepsi cup next fall when Fox debuts his new talent contest, “X Factor.”
The beverage giant is in talks to become a sponsor of the show, fronted by Cowell, the former “American Idol” judge, sources tell The Post.
“American Idol,” is due back on air in January and is sponsored very visibly by Pepsi’s arch-rival, Coke, which has been an integral sponsor for years.
Whether Pepsi signs on with Cowell’s new venture is still open to question since the show, being imported from the UK, is still a year from its US debut. Cowell, who turned 51 last week, and his production company, SyCo, part-owned by Sony Corp., are not expected to begin filming until June.
Pepsi’s interest comes as Fox network is out pitching Madison Avenue on becoming the exclusive soda category advertiser of the show. While talks with Pepsi are said to be taking place and at early stages, Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper-Snapple may also be just as interested.
Coke could conceivably opt to sponsor both shows, but given the cost involved in supporting just one major talent show, that prospect seems unlikely. Sponsorship for “American Idol” cost upwards of $10 million, according to previous reports.
The more diversified PepsiCo, which has plenty of food and beverage brands in its stable, in addition to the flagship Pepsi label, doesn’t currently have an association with a big entertainment TV property — though it does have partnerships with MTV and NBC Universal, both of which help promote its non-profit giveaway contest, Pepsi Refresh.

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Lythgoe praises ‘American Idol’ chemistry

2010-10-15T03:29:00.000-07:00

Nigel Lythgoe has reportedly praised the chemistry between American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
The trio have been filming the audition stage of the Fox competition this summer, following the announcement that Lopez and Tyler had been signed as judges.
Speaking to TV Guide, executive producer Lythgoe said: “I love three [judges] first off, and I think the chemistry is great in comparison to where it went [in the last few seasons].
“Randy’s come out of the shadows, I’m really happy with Randy. Randy is Simon Cowell now. Stephen is a lot of fun. And Jennifer just cares. She is like Paula [Abdul] with the caring but she’s a little tougher.”
Lopez recently spoke out about her experience as a judge so far, saying that she was having a great time and laughing off rumors of feuding behind the scenes. However, she also admitted that she found it hard at times to say no to certain contestants.
American Idol returns to Fox in January 2011.

Source: Digital Spy

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Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest Are Top-Earning Men in Primetime TV

2010-10-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

It pays to be on American Idol. Just ask Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, who earned more money than any other celebrity in primetime television over a one-year span.
Cowell ranks first on Forbes magazine’s list of “Primetime TV’s Top-Earning Men,” having collected $80 million from June 1, 2009 to June 1 of this year. Cowell’s fortune comes not only from his work on American Idol, which he left earlier this year, but also from his involvement in other series, such as America’s Got Talent and Britain’s The X Factor.
Similarly, Seacrest was a busy man when he wasn’t hosting American Idol. The emcee, who places second on Forbes’ list with $51 million, also hosts a Los Angeles-based radio show and is a producer of such TV programs as E!’s reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Forbes notes that the 10 top-earning men in primetime TV collectively received $308 million over the one-year time period, while the 10 top-earning women only received $162 million.
Here are the top-earning men in primetime TV, according to Forbes, along with their earnings for the year ending June 1, 2010:
1. Simon Cowell, American Idol, $80 million
2. Ryan Seacrest, American Idol, $51 million
3. Donald Trump, The Apprentice, $50 million
4. Steve Carell, The Office, $34 million
5. Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, $30 million
6. Kiefer Sutherland, 24, $20 million
7. Laurence Fishburne, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, $12 million
8. Patrick Dempsey, Grey’s Anatomy, $11 million
9. Hugh Laurie, House, $10 million
10. Chris Meloni, Law & Order: SVU, $9.5 million

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Carrie Underwood only ‘Idol’ nominated for American Music Awards

2010-10-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

A sign of the times: Carrie Underwood was the lone “Idol” nominee for the American Music Awards.

The two categories: Favorite Country Female Artist and Favorite Country Album. She has won five AMAs in the past.

Among those with Georgia ties, Lady Antebellum got five, Justin Bieber got four, B.o.B and Usher got three.

- Katharine McPhee’s Christmas album is out today and you can buy it on Amazon. It’s called “Christmas is the Time… (To Say I Love You).”

- Simon Cowell is considering a Pepsi sponsorship for “The X Factor” to counter the long-time Coke sponsorship with “Idol,” according to the New York Post.

- Adam Lambert is toning his show down (no male-on-male kissing) for the Malaysian crowd.

Read further at: Carrie Underwood only ‘Idol’ nominated for American Music Awards

Carrie Underwood Wins Big at the CMT Music AwardsCarrie Underwood Wins Big at CMT Music AwardsAmerican Idol and Carrie Underwood Win People’s Choice AwardsCarrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler Nominated for CMT Music AwardsCarrie Underwood Gets Ready for the Academy of Country Music AwardsTagged as: News

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Crystal Bowersox gets married

2010-10-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

AP file

Crystal Bowersox got married over the weekend to her musician fiance Brian Walker, according to People magazine.

Longtime friends before things turned romantic in recent months, the American Idol runner-up was married to musician Walker in Chicago on Sunday, her rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“Our lives have never made more sense than they do right now,” Bowersox tells PEOPLE. “I can’t believe how incredibly lucky we are to have found so much laughter, love, and light within each other. We’re one happy WalkerSox family.”

The judges in Austin talked to the press again. They claim to be putting through more people than ever to Hollywood. That makes me wonder: without Simon Cowell there, are they are being more lenient than ever? This quote from Steven Tyler inspires no hope:

“American Idol Season 10 is going to be over the top,”? Steven confesses, “So, it’s hard for us to say, ‘Nope, sorry, you don’t cut it’ because they well up. They cry, they make me …

Read further at: Crystal Bowersox gets married

L.A. auditions have light attendance; Crystal Bowersox gets engagedCrystal Bowersox to Tie the KnotSimon Cowell talks (reluctantly) about fiance on Leno, pimps Crystal BowersoxCrystal Bowersox Weds Brian WalkerCowell backs Crystal Bowersox on ‘Idol’

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Crystal Bowersox Weds Brian Walker

2010-10-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Season 9s top girl, Crystal Bowersox, got married on the popular wedding date this weekend of 10-10-10! Crystal married her friend of many years, Brian Walker. According to LATimes.com, the two musicians married in the nightclub where they first met six years ago. Crystal told PEOPLE, “Our lives have never made more sense than they do right now. I can’t believe how incredibly lucky we are to have found so much laughter, love, and light within each other. We’re one happy WalkerSox family.”

Didi Benami was one of 60 guests at the event. The tenth place finalist tweeted, Congratulations to my girl @crystalbowersox. So happy for you and Brian. Thanks for being such an amazing beautiful influence. Love w all my heart. Heart. God bless you two!! I love two and chicago. Beautiful ceremony. Xoxo mwahhhh!!!! Crystals son Tony walked down the aisle as the ceremonys ring bearer.

Crystal tweeted, Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and congratulations! We (all 3 of us) couldnt be more excited about our future! -the walkersox fam;)

The bride announced on her official website, “So many people have asked about sending a wedding gift for Brian and me. As much as we appreciate it, we are very lucky and have all that we could possibly need. If you feel that you would still like to send something, please consider making a donation to JDRF’s ‘Crystal Bowersox Research Fund’.” The Type I diabetic encouraged people to visit the read more

Read further at: Crystal Bowersox Weds Brian Walker

Crystal Bowersox gets marriedCrystal Bowersox to Tie the KnotL.A. auditions have light attendance; Crystal Bowersox gets engagedLee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox – Today Show Behind the ScenesHappy Birthday, Crystal Bowersox!Tagged as: Contestants, News

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Happy Birthday, Taylor Hicks!

2010-10-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Americas fifth Idol, Taylor Hicks, celebrates his birthday today! When Taylor auditioned for American Idol, Simon Cowell who shares a birthday with Taylor said that he would never make it to the final round of Season 5. After Taylor’s first live TV performance for the voting public, Simon admitted he was wrong and that Taylor’s personality is what makes him stand out. Taylor sailed through the competition each week and became the oldest contestant to win American Idol, and he was the first male contestant to win without ending up in the bottom two or three.

The Soul Patrol leaders self-titled post-Idol album was certified platinum and introduced Taylors hit single, Do I Make You Proud. In July 2007, Hicks released his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way. In March of 2009, Taylor released his second album, The Distance, on his own label, Modern Whomp Records. During a Season 8 results show, Taylor returned to the American Idol stage and performed the second single from The Distance, “Seven Mile Breakdown.” In January of this year, Taylor released a live DVD entitled Whomp at the Warfield. Over the past couple of years, Taylor has performed on Broadway and around the country as Teen Angel in Grease.

This Saturday, Taylor will take part once again in Epcot’s Eat to the Beat … read more

Read further at: Happy Birthday, Taylor Hicks!

Take Taylor Hicks Home on DVD‘American Idol Rewind’: Taylor Hicks on Ellen, Advice and Clothing RegretsTaylor Hicks promotes the Gulf coastHappy Birthday, Scott MacIntyre!Happy Birthday, Phil Stacey!Tagged as: Contestants, News

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Katharine McPhee’s Christmas Album

2010-10-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

Season 5s top girl, Katharine McPhee, released a holiday album today entitled Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You. This is Kats first holiday album and third studio album. The album features Kats covers on classic Christmas songs, and she also wrote an original song for the album called Its Not Christmas Without You. Trumpeter Chris Botti joins Katharine on Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Katharine has performed with Chris before on a filmed for TV concert and at a concert at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

The track listing for Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You is as follows:
1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. Jingle Bells
3. Its Not Christmas Without You
4. O Holy Night
5. Silver Bells
6. Christmas Is The Time
7. Medley: O Little Town of Bethlehem / Away In a Manger
8. What Are You Doing New Years Eve
9. White Christmas
10. Who Would Imagine a King
11. Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Katharine sent out an email to her fans describing the process of creating her holiday album:

I recorded Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You this past summer in Los Angeles and it includes some of my favorite Christmas songs. The album was produced by Allen Sides and co-produced by Steven Miller.

I’ve been blessed to share Christmas with my family and close friends. Life on the road has made me realize how many people spend Christmas alone. When visiting military hospitals or even meeting fellow travelers working … read more

Read further at: Katharine McPhee’s Christmas Album

Katharine McPhee – Care For Kids Concert – Goucher College – VIDEOKatharine McPhee: ‘Acting is still a huge focus for me’Katharine McPhee Performs ‘Say Goodbye’ on The ViewKatharine McPhee – An Evening Of Stars – VIDEOKatharine McPhee – Community, The Tonight Show – VIDEOTagged as: Contestants, News

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Nigel Lythgoe says Jennifer Lopez will be a ‘tougher’ Paula Abdul

2010-10-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 29: TV producer Nigel Lythgoe arrives at the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nigel Lythgoe

Jennifer Lopez will “take over” the panel, Nigel Lythgoe claims to Hollywood Life.

“No question in my mind. She will take over,” he said, adding, “And Steven is very smart, very quick witted. So, I really like them all. They all bring something — and they don’t all agree with each other.

Then he offers a slightly different take to TV Guide:

“Randy is Simon Cowell now. Stephen is a lot of fun. And Jennifer just cares. She is like Paula with the caring but she’s a little tougher.”

He also said the past two years, “Idol” had lost its mojo. Self serving? Of course! He wasn’t there!

“It’s a whole different atmosphere now,” he told TV Guide Magazine at the 7th Annual Gala benefiting the Alfred E. Mann …

Read further at: Nigel Lythgoe says Jennifer Lopez will be a ‘tougher’ Paula Abdul

Nigel Lythgoe gives up on Paula Abdul coming on SYTYCDNigel Lythgoe No Longer Wooing Paula Abdul, Suggests Big Changes for American IdolNigel Lythgoe prefers three judges; Paula Abdul visits Broadway’s ‘Hair’Nigel still wants Paula, dubs Randy a ‘Barnacle;’ plus, the Aaron Kelly interviewCould Nigel Lythgoe be returning to ‘Idol’?Tagged as: News

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Ryan Seacrest seeking a cable channel

2010-10-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Oprah has one. So why not Ryan Seacrest?

He appears to be seeking to create his pop culture-oriented network, according to Hollywood Reporter. Unlike Oprah, he doesn’t plan to plaster his name all over the channel. The story says he will continue to work with E! and it won’t be a direct competitor.

Seacrest is in talks with talent agency CAA and entertainment company AEG to jointly create the cable network.

His partners’ most likely path to distribution would be to convince one of the cable channel-owning power players (like MTV Networks or Discovery Communications) to let them rebrand a struggling channel that already has a fair amount of distribution.

- Kris Allen’s “I Need to Know” was featured on last night’s “Vampire Diaries” on CW and shot locally.

- Lee DeWyze’s new single will be “Live It Up.” It’s described as having a Jason Mraz/Jack Johnson vibe.

- Jennfer Lopez came on Seacrest’s radio show today to deny rumors that there’s a “feud” between her and Ryan. Also, she …

Read further at: Ryan Seacrest seeking a cable channel

CBS pondering a talk show for Ryan Seacrest?Ryan Seacrest – Oprah Winfrey Show – VIDEORyan Seacrest makes his ‘Oprah’ debut, choppers down to DisneylandCould Ryan Seacrest be dating Julianne Hough?Radar: Ryan Seacrest caught smooching Julianne HoughTagged as: News

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Armless pianist wins China’s Got Talent 2010

2010-10-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Gap Abandons Its New, “Modern, Sexy, Cool” Logo (New York Magazine) – I just bought a couple of jeans online.

David Arquette and Courteney Cox Split (Us Magazine)

Seniors Brace For Social Security Freeze (HP)

IKEA Heights: covert soap-opera shot in an IKEA (Boing Boing)

Winner of China’s Got Talent Final 2010 (YouTube) – He has no arms, so he plays the piano with his toes. Watch:

View the original article here

David Archuleta – Final Album Sale Numbers

2010-10-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

David’s album will be premiering at Number 15 with 23,675 copies sold.

It’s easy to be negative guys but David has the best fans in the world. If he tours in the winter (Long Island!!) it’ll do really well. With some radio play he could easily sell much more. Whatever happened to Something Bout Love?

Noelle ? I'm Noelle/Loonyluna - Pop culture enthusiast with a special obsession for all things LOST and Glee related.

View the original article here

Exclusive Video: Lee DeWyze Jamming in the Studio

2010-10-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Lee DeWyze’s single “Live It Up” debuts on radio tomorrow! I am so excited!

To hold us over, here’s an exclusive video of Lee DeWyze jamming with Toby Gad and Lindy Robbins in the studio.

This (unknown title) song sounds amazing! Go Lee! Go dark horse! I can’t wait, aaaaaaah!

Pre-Order: Live It Up – Lee DeWyze (iTunes)
Pre-Order: Live It Up – Lee DeWyze (Amazon)

Find Lee online:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leedewyze
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leedewyze
Website: http://www.leedewyzeofficial.com

Watch the video here:

Lee Dewyze’s pre-Idol albums: “Slumberland” and “So I’m Told” are still available on iTunes!

Download: Slumberland

Download: So I’m Told

View the original article here

Katharine McPhee – Christmas Is The Time… (To Say I Love You) – Available Now

2010-10-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

Katharine McPhee “Christmas Is The Time…(To Say I Love You)” is now available everywhere!

Buy: Christmas Is The Time…(To Say I Love You) (Amazon)

Download: Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You (The Unbroken Deluxe Edition) (iTunes)

View the original article here

Lee DeWyze – Sweet Serendipity – New Single

2010-10-12T22:56:00.001-07:00

Lee DeWyze will debut “Sweet Serendipity” tomorrow instead of “Live It Up”. Omigosh, did we just get a preview?

From @leedewyze:

Hey, guys there is change of plans with the single…we’re holding off on Live It Up and going to go with one no one has heard…
You ready for the Title?…:)
Sweet Serendipity : )
I know I have your support and for that I love you, be sure to listen to @ryanseacrest show tomorrow.. I am very excited!!!!
I’m funny that way Sweet Serendipity tomorrow@ryanseacrest ,@leedewyze, and all of you,you’re amazing love you,I’ll talk to you soon!!!

Find Lee online:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leedewyze
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leedewyze
Website: http://www.leedewyzeofficial.com/

Lee Dewyze’s pre-Idol albums: “Slumberland” and “So I’m Told” are still available on iTunes!

Download: Slumberland

Download: So I’m Told

View the original article here

In 1956 we discovered Elvis Presley. In 2009, we found Adam Lambert!!!! Adam is the new King of Rock and Roll!

2009-05-15T06:06:00.001-07:00

We will be watching a great entertainment next week.

There won't be any contest!!!

Who Do You Think Would Win American Idol 2009, Dam Lambert or Kris Allen?

2009-05-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

# Louise
May 14th, 2009 at 11:08 PM
I hope Kris…………Adam already has a record deal……….and he can only sing one way SCREAMING………..he may be good to some people but I have read other web sites and the screaming gets to some after awhile….
Adam has a great personality…and not bad looking…..but Kris has more musical talent.
Good luck to both …………should be real interesting next week…………

# Darlene
May 14th, 2009 at 11:10 PM
I think Adam is the BEST that has ever been on American Idol. It will be a tragedy if he doesn’t win. We all need to remember we are voting on the Best Singer to feel the role of American Idol 2009. GO ADAM!!!!!!!!!!

# emy calmerin
May 14th, 2009 at 11:10 PM
I’m hopeful that Adam Lambert will win as the american idol season 8

# tania
May 14th, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Both are good in different ways.. good luck to both!! but i wish adam wins though =p

# Wendy
May 14th, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Based on momentum, I would have to say that Kris is going to pull off the upset. I think that Danny supporters will move to him over Adam.

# Pamela Rust
May 14th, 2009 at 11:12 PM
I was so disapointed with Gokey leaving that it is not much of a show left for me.. I do like Adam, but the sounds of Gokey was amazing!!

# Pamela Rust
May 14th, 2009 at 11:14 PM
Kris is a great guy, but I just don’t think he can sing!! Like Miley Cirus she can’t sing either.. I guess America is tone deaf!!

# Pamela Rust
May 14th, 2009 at 11:15 PM
I want comments

# Norah
May 14th, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Well, Danny leaving was great, now he won’t be tied to A.I., Kris won’t win (wish he could)…so all that’s left is Adam. (As with some of the other winners he will just kinda fade away). The others won’t.

# pro & contra
May 14th, 2009 at 11:21 PM

I hope Adam wins, he is just talented all around
Kris….booooring !!!!

# Ron (Santa Barbara)
May 14th, 2009 at 11:23 PM
It will be, whosever fans, can push redial faster and for longer!
Maybe Adam Lamberts fans or Kris Allen's fans.

# Wendy
May 14th, 2009 at 11:25 PM
I agree that Adam will not amount to much, unless on Broadway… I do not appreciate his screeching and wish that Danny would have won. Kris is cute and current and I hope that he wins. I agree that it is actually a good thingthat Danny is not tied to AI. He will not be warped as much as the others… look at Daughtry…not molded into AI… Best of luck to Kris!!!

# A U G
May 14th, 2009 at 11:33 PM
I think Kris is a lot more handsome than Adam. He more closely represents America than Adam. David Cook was a rocker and we don’t need two rockers winning back to back. GO KRIS!!!

# karan
May 14th, 2009 at 11:34 PM
I have a problem with the concept of someone moving ahead because they are improving. I mean, shouldn’t they already be on top of their game to begin with?? But, they will all have contracts, and I disagree that Adam will fade away. A great agent, and the sky's the limit! He's a natural star in his genre. I love Gokey. I look forward to him having a wonderful career. And, I hope Allison makes an album of standards. Kris, I just never connected with.

# Steve
May 14th, 2009 at 11:35 PM
I think we should vote for the most handsome.

# Beiching
May 14th, 2009 at 11:39 PM
ADAM,ADAM,& ADAM!!!!
He is the best!!

# pam
May 14th, 2009 at 11:39 PM
ADAM, ADAM, ADAM…we want ADAM!

# Wendy
May 14th, 2009 at 11:39 PM
Adam is not attractive, but he obviously thinks that he is. David Cook is leaps and bounds better than Adam in attractiveness, talent and emotional connection.
Adam is freakish, fake, lizard-like and cannot check his over-inflated ego at the door.

Kris is humble, original, and more relevant to the pop world than Adam. If I can't vote for Danny, I am voting for Kris. Anyone but Adam.

# Wendy
May 14th, 2009 at 11:42 PM
Adam is relevant as a musical theatre performer. I don’t believe that androgynous glam rock is making a comeback these days. Not with Jason Mraz, John Meyer,… on the scene.

Kris is more now. Danny is the most versatile.

# Steve
May 14th, 2009 at 11:43 PM
No Beiching, not talent…we want handsome! We don't care about talent, do we Aug.

# Louise
May 14th, 2009 at 11:43 PM
Wendy I agree with you 100%…I think it will be an upset also....I want Kris to win
we need someone with a different voice…and he is it!!!!!!!!

# kiwianabanana
May 14th, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Don't know what you mean about 'album of standards'? Do you mean 'remakes' or what? Anyway Allison will make 'originals'.She should have been in the finale. Gokey will do RnB. Kris has definitely crept up and I thought from the beginning he wasn't that good but time and time again hes done really well and it surprised me. And he has fans obviously but Adam will win. STILL missing Allison ..But go Adam! Go win it! VOTE ADAM!

# John
May 14th, 2009 at 11:53 PM
I'm not sure Danny showed a once of Versatility, he stood in the center of the stage, danced poorly and sang well, boring but well.

# pam
May 14th, 2009 at 11:55 PM
whatever!!! ADAM, ADAM, ADAM… he's the next IDOL!!!

# Denice
May 14th, 2009 at 11:55 PM
Kris is good person, can sing great, he has all of the qualities of a Idol..I think Arkansas and his fans around the country will make him the winner.

# pam
May 14th, 2009 at 11:57 PM
WHATEVER!!!! ADAM, ADAM, ADAM is the next IDOL!!!!

# rita
May 14th, 2009 at 11:58 PM
My vote was for Danny to win. He should have been Idol 2009.

# Ron (Santa Barbara)
May 14th, 2009 at 11:59 PM
My vote goes to Adam Lambert, who has been, in my opinion, the most innovative, talented and exciting performer this season.
Even if he is "lizard-like", whatever the hell that means.
PROMOTE THE VOTE for ADAM LAMBERT!!!

# Mal
May 15th, 2009 at 12:01 AM
I watch the delayed telecast here in Thailand even though I new the result from email....and all I can is America you should be ashamed of yourselves..you've voted out the only true singer in the show....we are not watching American Idol anymore, it's just become America's next top model....maybe and just maybe Adam is getting votes for at least trying to sing….but I think we all know why Kris is through judging on all the 5 to 10 year old fans that turned out for him on his home town....maybe it's about time American Idol became World Idol and voting was open and not just in America...because it sure would have been a Danny/Adam final if that had been the case....you know you have the gift Danny and you know their is life after the show...for you anyway…so chill out and let's see the first album ASAP.

# Kelly
May 15th, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Adam has no competition now that Danny is gone. Adam is a true entertainer and is in a class all his own. He has always been way ahead of all the others. I'm surprised he hasn't already been discovered. Kris is a o.k. singer and cute but not a better singer than Adam. He will go far all of the top singers will do very well.

# Etricia
May 15th, 2009 at 12:09 AM
Pamela Rust, are you an artist? Can you actually sing????? Nothing wrong with Kris's voice.... he gets the notes 100% every time.... and is definitely musically talented.

# Terry
May 15th, 2009 at 12:13 AM
I agree 100% with Kelly Adam is a true entertainer and is in a class all his own. He has always been way ahead of all the others. I’'m surprised he hasn't already been discovered.

# Jane
May 15th, 2009 at 12:16 AM
So glad that Danny is gone. His singing was so labored, he certainly couldn't sing as easily and as well as Adam. Not sure why He made it seem like such hard work and then after all that effort it really wasn’t that great. Oh well, he's gone.

Kris is ok but just average.

Obviously I'm an Adam fan, an older American 60+, and I have downloaded all his AI performances and the studio cuts. I will buy his CD's and hopefully attend his shows.

We are a wide range of admirers, from the young to the old. So everyone be sure and vote next week for Adam. He is one in a million.

# Ron (Santa Barbara)
May 15th, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Kris is very talented, plays piano, guitar, probably keyboard and bass guitar as well but I'm just not excited when he sings, I don't look forward to his performance each week.

# maryann lindstrom
May 15th, 2009 at 12:25 AM
Adam so far, he has the best talent, and he not bad looking, he has manners, and never has been dis respectful to the judges, he takes his criticizing that Simon gives him and works with it, he does not scream, I have heard bands like Queen ,Prince is a screamer and plenty more ,adam wil sell lots of albums and follow chris daughtry , in his success ,so good by gokey fans you were not very nice people , let the show be and vote for talent not good looks ,when taylor hicks won ,that was the worst idol i have ever seen , so go adam you are the next elvis !! ilove your voice and so does my 5 yr old and my husband ,, go adam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# John
May 15th, 2009 at 12:34 AM
It's going to be Elvis Adam Presley! My whole family is with him.

If Kris won, it's going to be the greatest upset in the history of the American Idol!

But, as Simon said, don't assume that Adam would win. You must vote to make sure that he wins!!!!!

American Idol 2009 - All-Boy Top 3

2009-05-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

American Idol 2009 All-Boy Top 3 will perform songs from two singers - One song will be selected by the judges while the other song will be selected by the singers themselves.

What would Adam Lambert sing this time? Would Daniel Gokey stop "screaming"? Many viewers were surprised that Kris Allen was voted in last week. Would he be out this week?

During the results show the following day, Katy Perry will sing "Waking up in Vegas", the single from her debut album, "One of the Boys". Former American Idol, Jordin Sparks, will return to perform her new single, "Battlefield".

Watch Out For American Idols Live Tour 2009!

2009-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

The American Idols Live Tour 2009 would launch on July 5th.

This includes the top 10: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre.

All Top 10 performers will be singing their hearts out all across the USA and the tickets would go on sale Saturday, May 9th @ 10AM. Grab yours now before it's too late.

American Idol 2009 Top 4: Who Do You Think Will Go?

2009-05-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

1)Danny Gokey - 23%
2)Allison Iraheta - 16%
3)Kris Allen- 51%
4)Adam Lambert - 8%

American Idol 2009 Top 4: Who Do You Think Would Leave This Week?

2009-05-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

American Idol 2009 has arrived at the Top 4 this week. Their performance would be based on the rock ‘n roll theme. I’m sure many viewers are anxiously looking forward to seeing their performances especially that of Adam Lambert. Would Adam be the bottom three again? Many hope not.

I heard Slash will be mentoring the singers!

No! You've Got It All Wrong, America!

2009-04-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

The American Idol 2009 Top 5 elimination results saw the departure Matt Giraud. This is not surprising. What most viewers could not accept is the fact that Adam Lambert was in the last two!

The same voters who voted out Christopher Adam Daughtry in the fifth season of American Idol in 2006 must be at it again!

Let's see what other viewers have to say:

1)....It is a trick. They would like to draw more people to watch the show and in doing so, they used Adam Lambert when for sure that 95% of the votes belongs to him...

2)....I would say america got it wrong as far as the bottom three but fans have nothing to do with it,if we think our vote counts were all nuts.They put the best in the whole competition in the bottom three,adam that is.Give me a break....

3)....Are you kidding me? Adam in the bottom two, has the world gone crazy? He was used to get higher rating, everyone know it’s not even really a competition. Adam is the most talented idol that has ever been on the show!!!....

4)....Come on america,adam lambert in the bottom two,He desearves more respect for his talent then that.My jaw dropped (as well as many others i’m sure)including the judges.PLease don’t foget this is a singing compitition.brings back nightmares of what happened to daughtry and look at him today.....

5)....Adam has already won in a lot of people’s hearts internationally!!!! If America does not vote for him so what…
Daughtry did not win but who is topping the charts now??? TAYLOR HICKS??? Nyahahahahaha!!!
That’s America - Land of the free and sometimes.....

6)....ADAM IN D BOTTOM TWO???? americans might b crazy!! ah well, itz OK, adam is a world idol already…. even if he doesnt win american idol… hez a winner already in lotz of people around the world’s heart!!

anyway, adam probably will do even greater without winning american idol…. i’m sure lotz of people can recognize real talent!!

soo go ADAM!! win or not, u’ll b GREAT!!! XDD

p.s i still feel though, if adam somehow gets eliminated… i’ll probably lose faith in american idol. this is a SINGING COMPETITION ryte???? open ur eyes people!!....

7)....Okay, how many of you Adam fans didn’t vote last night because you thought you didn’t have to? Remember next week to vote, vote, vote!!! No one is safe! Jamie Foxx is an Adam fan so he will do okay. Remember he said if he didn’t win, they would do something and then tonight he mentioned him. Isn’t it great that there are now 4 great finalists?!! What ever happened to Jordan? Remember, she was the AI one year. Too bad one of these finalists couldn’t have been around then. She was sweet and a good singer but not AI material.....

American Idol 2009 Top 5 - What To Expect The Week Ahead

2009-04-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we said good bye to Lil and Anoop with little surprise from many viewers. The competition from now on would be fierce and exciting. Pressure would be really on for the American Idol 2009 Top 5. As at today, indications are that many fans are still supporting the charismatic Adam Lambert.

I look forward to an exciting performance from Adam Lambert.

This week the theme is going to be the of the so-called "Rat Pack" made famous in the Sixties by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis. This would be great for those in their 60s and 70s.

Former Idol winner Taylor Hicks will be returning to perform his single "Seven Mile Breakdown." for the "Result Show".

American Idol 2009 Top 5!

2009-04-24T01:13:00.000-07:00

Good bye! Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds. Sorry to see you go but many viewers had expected Lil Rounds to leave two weeks ago!

Allison was a real surprise to be included in the bottom 3 especially when Matt Giraud was to have been sent home the week before.

The next two on the chopping board should be Matt Giraud and Chris Allen....but one never knows!

Here is your official list of the season’s Top 5 performers:

American Idol 2009 Top 5:

* Danny Gokey
* Kris Allen
* Allison Iraheta
* Adam Lambert
* Matt Giraud

The final is going to be Adam Lambert and whoever it'd be.