Grand Ole Opry night has come and gone, but the perforamnces first seen during the spectacle have left a lasting impression (not all of them good). Regardless of what happened onstage last night, tonight's elimination will be more about who does not have a shot at winning this whole thing and would be better served exiting now than it is about which finalist delivered the worst performance.
With that said, read my predictions for how tonight will go below:
Here is how tonight will go:
Bottom 3
>Allison, Alexis, Michael
Bottom 2
>Alexis, Michael
Eliminated
>Michael
Even though DialIdol has Michael in the clear (and above Scott), it will not be right this week. That does not mean Alexis will escape tonight unscathed, as her Idol hopes will be hanging by a thread. She will be granted one more shot at making an impression on America and will merely be a member of the bottom 2.
Allison will make an appearance as a wake up call of sorts to her fanbase, prompting it to vote even harder next week to ensure she sticks around a little bit longer. But Alexis being in the bottom 2 would be a little more believable than Allison in the tricky situation.
Michael is an easy option to send home this week. He gave a lackluster performance, received lukewarm comments and was left forgettable after an onslaught of generally more highly-praised performances. This will be a carbon copy of Season 3's Top 11 results show, when Matt Rogers was sent home. If Michael does not leave now, he will lag along until mid-season, knocking out a few front runners while he's at it.
Even though it may not matter in the end because there are only three "front runners" in total, the producers don't want to send any red flags this early in the season. And losing two girls in two weeks would leave the male/female ratio at 7/3 for the Top 10, which would be the reverse of Season 3, and we all know that cannot (and should not) happen again.
My original predictions for the 11th-place finisher was Jasmine, but we all know how that turned out. Still, Michael was my prediction to go home 12th, so him leaving 11th would not be that far off. Needless to say, the judges would never in a million years waste the immunity privilege on him.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
IDOL LIVE predix: Top 11 Results
Digital sales roundup: "My Life Would Suck Without You" #6 (3/13/09)
There was a whole lot of Kelly Clarkson to go around Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart this week, as her "My Life Would Suck Without You" once again led all Idol-related tracks and seven other songs off her new studio offering All I Ever Wanted debuted on the chart, almost all of which will drop off in time for next week's chart.
"My Life" rose #9-6 thanks to the album release, with a 38% uptick selling 141.2k for the week. It has now sold a total of 1.288 million downloads. Other Kelly offerings that made appearances this week include "Already Gone" (#46, 32.4k), "If I Can't Have You" (#92, 15.8k), "I Do Not Hook Up" (#96, 14.9k), "Cry" (#112, 12.4k), "Don't Let Me Stop You" (#138, 10.5k), "All I Ever Wanted" (#181, 8.7k) and "Long Shot" (#183, 8.6k).
As hard to believe as it may be, there were other Idol alums represented on the chart. Carrie Underwood's "Home Sweet Home" saw a peachy debut at #10 with 112.2k, while her current single, "I Told You So," gained 30% with a 28-spot jump to #93, selling 15.7k for a total of 95.8k. Look for a huge increase next week thanks to the duet version of the song with Randy Travis being available and her performance of it on tonight's Idol results show.
The last debut by an Idol alum on this week's chart was Elliott Yamin's new single, "Fight For Love," which sold 9.9k for a #150 debut.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
006 009 Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You" 141,167 38% 102,241 1,288,271
010 --- Carrie Underwood, "Home Sweet Home" 112,170 999% 0 112,170
046 --- Kelly Clarkson, "Already Gone" 32,401 999% 0 32,401
092 --- Kelly Clarkson, "If I Can't Have You" 15,756 999% 0 15,756
093 121 Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So" 15,706 30% 12,039 95,831
096 --- Kelly Clarkson, "I Do Not Hook Up" 14,944 999% 0 14,944
112 --- Kelly Clarkson, "Cry" 12,439 999% 0 12,439
138 --- Kelly Clarkson, "Don't Let Me Stop You" 10,511 999% 0 10,511
150 --- Elliott Yamin, "Fight For Love" 9,869 999% 0 9,869
181 --- Kelly Clarkson, "All I Ever Wanted" 8,658 999% 0 8,658
183 --- Kelly Clarkson, "Long Shot" 8,636 999% 0 8,636
Total sales are in bold.
HITS estimates: Kelly 254.1k, Carrie 12.5k
Bowing above expecations but below most pre-release predictions, Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted led all other Idol-related entries on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 estimates chart.
Kelly's album sold 254.1k and opened at #1, which would be her third-highest debut week (ahead of Breakaway) is estimates hold. This number is higher than HITS' latest predictions, which were 220-30k.
Next on the chart was Carrie Underwood, whose Carnival Ride benefited from the premiere of her "Home Sweet Home" cover as used on Idol's results show, launching back onto the chart at #41 with 12.5k. Look for an even greater sales surge next week following her performance on Idol tonight.
Jennifer Hudson's debut album fell #39-43 and is expected to have sold 11.5k copies, up 4% from last week. David Cook and his David Cook dropped out of the Top 50 this week.
Noticeably missing was Taylor Hicks' new album, The Distance. Unless these figures are way off, it looks like Taylor will debut with lower than 10.5k, marking the lowest first-week sales by an Idol winner for a non-exclusive album.
Finalized figures courtesy of Billboard should be out soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
About last night: Weird arrangements and nice surprises on GOO night
With such low expectations put in place for Grand Ole Opry night, it was hard for anything to come off seeming awful last night. That's not to say that there weren't a few near misses, though.
In what can only be described as a weird assortment of attempts at doing country music right, Matt, who took a major risk by singing a Carrie Underwood song (something no one on this show should ever do), led the 10 others with the best offering from the bunch. What helped Matt out was the stripping down of "So Small" so that it was just his soulful vocals, the piano and the song's inspirational lyrics that left an impression on the judges. Paula standing up, rocking to the song mid-performance was a head-scratcher, though (as was Simon's covering of Paula's mouth before Matt's pre-performance package was shown).
A note to Simon, though: Matt is nothing like Michael Buble. I can see the Justin Timberfake comparisons as well as the Jason Mraz ones, but I could never picture Matt singing the standards. It just wouldn't work. So no more "Matt Buble," please.
Following right behind Matt in terms of solid performances was Anoop. The positive feedback he received from the judges for his tackling of Willie Nelson's "You Were Always On My Mind" was definitely warranted and proved why he is still around after last week's disastrous performance. His smooth R&B vocals glided over the subtle string accompaniment, something that had not happened with the 'noop dawg until now.
There were again a few overrated performances, as Megan's hokey "Walkin' After Midnight" (in between coughs) was just barely listenable at best. Yes, it is true that Megan has the flu, as Paula pointed out so viciously, but that happens in real life. And this is supposed to be sort of like real life...so she might as well get used to it, suck it up and go on with the show. And Kara needs to stop with her lovefest over Megan. It's getting old really fast.
Michael and Scott were probably tied for weakest performance of the night, but Scott at least injected humor into his delivery ("we could always move the piano closer!") despite his snooze-a-thon on Martina McBride's "Wild Angels." Michael was just...there...and even though Garth Brooks was probably the perfect match for him this week, he just does not belong singing the genre.
Simon's spat with Paula during Scott's critiques was one of the highlights of last night, as Simon was 100% right about leaving Scott alone for using the piano two weeks in a row. Paula's "crutch" comment came off as being really low and tasteless, and made her look like a bigger buffoon than usual.
But the biggest WTF moment of last night was undoubtedly Adam's overtly-campy take on the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire." The middle eastern citar-tastic arrangement mixed with his gross sultry/screechy vocals was something out of an 1930s eastern European freak show, and even Kara had trouble spitting out words to describe it. Simon was right on the mark when he called it "indulgent," and Randy needs to get his ears checked if he thinks that's what Trent Reznor would sound like doing country. Don't get me wrong, though, it was mesmerizing and was the biggest spectacle of the night. The showing continues to support the idea that Adam is without a doubt a great performer. He's just not Idol material.
Alexis and Allison were both forgettable last night, with the former's "Jolene" being a far cry from Brooke White's rendition last season and the latter's "Blame It On Your Heart" was a good vocal showcase but the performance itself was lackluster. Look for the two girls to be in the danger zone tonight.
Believe it or not, Danny was one of the more overrated finalists last night. His rendition of Carrie Underwood's untouchable "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was good to a point, but seemed a little disorganized. Even though Kara's comment about wishing he had done more of the second half than the boring first half was dimwitted, so was Paula's comment about Carrie wanting to rush out and buy his version of the song. Randy probably made the most sense with his critique for once.
If there's one thing Kris showed last night, it was the notion that consistency is key to lengthening your stay on this show. Even with his guitar taking the night off he was able to show that song choice can make or break how one fares, as he picked a perfect choice of "To Make You Feel My Love." If Kris can keep this up, he might just be the dark horse in the competition.
And then there was Lil, falling far from her high and mighty perch last week. By picking "Independence Day," Lil was thinking in the right direction despite Randy's suggestion that she should have gone for the predictable "I Will Always Love You" or "How Do I Live." So she scores points for trying something new. She loses them for failing to deliver a convincing effort.
After all the surprises and weirdness of last night, it would be hard to see anyone other than Michael, Scott or Alexis leaving tonight. Look for my predictions later on this morning. In the mean time, who do you think is on their way out tonight?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Kristy Lee Cook interviewed on "Christopher Closeup"
Kristy Lee Cook was interviewed by Tony Rossi the other day on his Sirius-XM radio show "Christopher Closeup," on which she discussed her love for horses and the "Kristy Lee Horse Heaven" foundation in addition to the role her faith has played in her music career. Listen to the interview and read a snippet of the conversation below:
TR: Kristy, when you were on American Idol you faced some challenging times. You were sick for several weeks. You had to endure some, what I thought, were unfair critiques from the judges. When you’re dealing with that kind of stuff, what got you through it mentally, emotionally, spiritually?
Kristy Lee Cook: It definitely was God helping me get through. That was a hard, hard thing to do and God made it easier for me. Everything happens for a reason and this is all part of His plan so no matter how hard it is, you’ve just got to keep going.
More excerpts from the interview are available on Rossi's blog, The Intersection. After all that she's been through since being signed and dropped by Arista Nashville, Kristy Lee really does come across as being a kind, caring human being here, and hopefully more people will view her in a favorable light after hearing about her philanthropic endeavors. To donate to Kristy Lee's cause, see KLCHorseHeaven.org.
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 11 Perform (3/17/09)
After a messy first week in the finals, the Top 11 finalists take to the stage tonight to perform the best the Grand Ole Opry has to offer. The blogcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last two hours. Unfortunately, there will be no controversies with the phone lines to liven tonight up. Seeing Megan and Adam attempt country songs will be a little interesting, though, so maybe it won't be all that bad.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Alexandrea Lushington, Chris Daughtry, Diana DeGarmo, Jordin Sparks, Jason Castro, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Ramiele Malubay and Sanjaya Malakar.
Final Four already picked?
Every year there's clammoring that Idol is "rigged," "predetermined," "fixed," "set-up," etc., and these complaints are usually a side effect of a fan favorite being sent packing. This season, it seems like the rumblings are coming early - try Top 11 week early - and the source? An alleged Idol staffer.
In today's New York Daily News, "Gatecrasher" columnists Laura Schreffler and Sean Evans wrote about some unnamed staffer that has been going around telling everyone that Danny, Adam, Alexis and Lil are this season's Top 4 contestants and the producers are already planning for the scenario. Schreffler and Evans wrote:
If it was just her prediction, she’d be spot-on with this week’s TV Guide, which also chose those exact four wanna-be crooners as its picks for stardom.
But the lass took it a step further, claiming that higher-ups at the hit Fox show were taking an issue with two of the top contenders.
“Adam Lambert and Lil Rounds are better singers and musicians than Gokey and Grace, but they’re too much like past winners and ‘A’ successes,” the woman said. “Adam’s too close in style and sound to Chris Daughtry, while Lil Rounds is a dead ringer for Fantasia. Even their background stories are similar!
“The producers really want it to be Danny or Alexis. They think they’re very commercially viable, have a good image and a great story.”
Whoa, Adam is just like Chris Daughtry!? I don't think so. And Lil is the spitting image of Fantasia? Maybe in the appearance department, but Lil's vocals are leagues different than Fanny's (and by "different" I mean "better").
Only time will tell if this unnamed staffer is on to something or if she is just pulling everyone's chain. But that is IDOL LIVE's original Top 4 predicition with the exception of Alexis (Anoop will be in there instead), so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to believe it.
Jasmine, Jorge perform on 'Ellen'
Following their ousters last Wednesday on Idol, 13th- and 12th-place finalists Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez, respectively, yesterday made post-Idol appearances on Ellen. Watch their interview with host Ellend Degeneres and their performances below:
As she did last season, Ellen will be having each eliminated finalist on her show the week following his or her elinination to chat and perform.
Out today: Carrie Underwood's "I Told You So"
Today marks the second Tuesday in a row that will see the release of a digital single by Carrie Underwood. Last week, Carrie's cover of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" hit online retailers one day before it was used in Idol's results show for two farewell packages. This week, Carrie re-works her current single off Carnival Ride, "I Told You So," to include original artist Randy Travis on the chart, making it the second duet Carrie has recorded with a male country artist.
In addition to Carrie's release, another Idol champ sees a digital single release this week, as Ruben Studdard's "Together" drops today. Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
Singles
Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So" (ft. Randy Travis)
Amazon MP3 - ($0.99) - Buy
iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy
Ruben Studdard, "Together"
Amazon MP3 - ($0.99) - Buy
iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy
Carrie will perform the single with Travis on tomorrow's results show. Travis will serve as the first celebrity mentor for the contestants this season. Idol's theme is "Grand Ole Opry" this week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
