Raise your hand if you remember Patrick Forston (it's okay if you don't, since I didn't). The gospel/soul singer tried his best on Idol's second season, where he appeared in Group 1 of the semifinals and performed "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton. While Patrick's vocals seemed to gain a good response from Paula and Randy, it was the issue of style that made this performance especially memorable. Watch the ordeal below:
While Simon probably had a point, it's ironic thinking about how Ruben Studdard was able to actually win the same season wearing similar outfits from time to time. Even though Patrick's vocals were a little too similar to Toni's, it's fair to say his clothes are what set him apart, and the fact that Papa Forston was willing to come forth and defend his son against the evil Season 2 Simon was definiyely respectable.
Patrick Hall began the semifinalist of Season 5 as one of the top contenders among the male contestants, but suffered from the infamous "cannon fodder" syndrome. That is, he was barely shown during the auditions through Hollywood week period. Still, Patrick received more positive feedback than negative for this performance of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window" during Top 24 performance week. Watch it below:
Simon was right on the money when he said Patrick looked like he was anxious and like he was missing his piano. But he was also right about him having a nice voice. Although Patrick never had a chance to "go back to his roots" on the show, he at least proved to be one of a handful of semifinalists who should have gone further in the competition than they did.
If you didn't know already, the Season 9 "Idols Live!" tour kicked off last week in Auburn Hills, Mich., on July 1. Since then, there have been plenty of poor reviews pouring in, and the news got much, much worse today for the waning franchise.
After foreboding warnings from the touring finalists themselves via Twitter last week, one shoe dropped as eight dates were re-scheduled, one venue was moved to a smaller-size venue and six dates were canceled altogether. Instead of wrapping up on Sept. 16, the tour will now conclude on Aug. 31. Below is the list of all dates that have been modified:
JUL 09 FRI BRIDGEPORT, CT NEW DATE! ARENA AT HARBOR YARD
JUL 21 WED PITTSBURGH, PA NEW DATE & VENUE! FIRST NIAGRA PAVILION
AUG 21 SAT PORTLAND, OR CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU OMAHA, NE CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU DES MOINES, IA NEW DATE! WELLS FARGO ARENA
AUG 27 FRI KANSAS CITY, MO CANCELLED
AUG 27 FRI MINNEAPOLIS, MN NEW DATE! TARGET CENTER
AUG 28 SAT CHICAGO, IL NEW DATE! UNITED CENTER
AUG 29 SUN TOLEDO, OH NEW DATE! THE HUNTINGTON CENTER
AUG 30 MON CINCINNATI, OH NEW DATE! RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER
AUG 31 TUE INDIANAPOLIS, IN NEW DATE! CONSECO FIELDHOUSE
SEP 07 TUE WINNIPEG, MB CANCELLED
SEP 09 THU TORONTO, ON CANCELLED
SEP 10 FRI BUFFALO, NY CANCELLED
SEP 11 SAT CLEVELAND, OH CANCELLED
SEP 16 THU PORTLAND, ME CANCELLED
All other dates are in tact (for now). If 19E didn't get the message that Season 9 was a bust, the returns and reviews being generated by this tour must be blatant enough to hammer the point home. Just wait until the first few stops' figures are made public. They will most likely be another black eye for Idol. Hopefully the 10 performers can use their talent to help turn things around.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>It seems Jordin Sparks is now getting the Kelly Clarkson treatment, as a few songs have leaked over the past week including "Die Tryin'" and "Alive." Listen to "Die Tryin'" complete with annoying DJ voice overs below:
You can also listen to a clip of "Alive" here. Both songs were most likely leftovers from the Battlefield era, so it's probably unlikely either will appear on her forthcoming third album. Still, not a fun situation for Jordin.
>The nominees for the 2010 Teen Choice Awards were revealed Monday, and as usual there was no shortage of Idol-related entries in the various categories spanning music and TV. See a list of all categories including Idol-related entries below:
Choice TV: Reality Competition Show “American Idol”
“America’s Next Top Model”
“Dancing with the Stars”
“Project Runway” “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew”
Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star
Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, “Jersey Shore” Lee DeWyze, “American Idol”
Brody Jenner, “The Hills”
Bret Michaels, “Celebrity Apprentice”
Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, “Jersey Shore”
Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star Crystal Bowersox, “American Idol”
Kristin Cavallari, “The Hills”
Lauren Conrad, “The Hills”
The Kardashians, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “Jersey Shore”
Choice Music: Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Jason Derulo
Drake Adam Lambert
Usher
Choice Music: Female Country Artist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson
Well, some of those look like they'll be a cakewalk (Carrie's, Adam's), but others will be a little bit tougher (Crystal's). The 2010 TCAs will be broadcast on FOX on Mon., Aug. 9.
>Although he's been out of the Idol picture for the past two seasons, it would be out of character for Nigel Lythgoe to keep his opinions of the show he produced for seven seasons. In a recent article published by Canada's Times & Transcript, Nigel was quoted as saying Season 9 "wasn't a vintage year" among other things. Per the article:
"The team took their eye off the ball a little bit and was more worried about the judges and what was happening with them than it was regarding the talent last year. It became about Kara (DioGuardi) joining and making the fourth judge, Paula (Abdul) leaving, Ellen (Degeneres) joining and Simon leaving and much more about them and concentrating on that than on the talent that they were finding."
Even though Nigel can be annoying much of the time, he's right on the money here. However, I wouldn't put it past Nigel to be using this strategy in the hopes of plopping himself at the judges' table in the spot reserved for the "acid-tongued Brit."
>Crystal Bowersox is currently collaborating with Wayne Wilkins ahead of her forthcoming debut studio album, and as Billboard reported yesterday, Crystal is already impressing him with her songwriting experience. Per an article on Billboard.com:
"She's the real deal," producer/songwriter Wayne Wilkins -- who hit the studio with Bowersox on Wednesday (June 16) -- tells Billboard.com. "I've only worked with a couple of 'Amerian Idol' contestants before, and in terms of songwriting, she's the most developed on that front. She literally could sit in a room with anybody, grab a guitar and start writing."
Wilkins has previously collaborated with Jordin Sparks on "Battlefield" and David Archuleta on songs like "Touch My Hand," and he said Crystal already brought an album's worth of material to the table. The two have also been writing with Priscilla Hamilton. Sounds like things are running pretty smoothly over in Camp Crystal.
>Speaking of upcoming Idol-related albums, Fantasia's team updated us on the status of her upcoming release, including a title, track list and album cover. For starters, Fantasia's third studio effort is titled Back to Me, and it will be released on Tues., July 27. Per the press release:
Comedian, actor and radio personality Steve Harvey also became involved in the album process by coming up with the album title after a recent radio interview with the songstress. “Steve Harvey suggested the album title and it describes perfectly where I am in my life right now,” states Fantasia. “I’ve willingly let the world into my life through my book, the Lifetime television movie and now the VH1 reality show. Now, it’s time to go back to how things used to be when America first laid their eyes on me on American Idol. I want to focus everyone’s attention back to me and back to music that everyone can relate to and enjoy.”
The album's lead single, "Bittersweet," is currently #9 on the Urban Adult Airplay chart. Back To Me is now available to pre-order at Amazon.com.
In the latest poll of the week IDOL LIVE readers selected Harry Connick, Jr. as their replacement of choice for the newly departed Simon Cowell.
Connick, Jr. roped in 13 votes, good for 41% of all votes cast in the sparsely-voted-in poll. Tying for second place were Shania Twain and Bret Michaels, each netting five votes (16%). No other potential candidate seemed to excite voters, not even Piers Morgan, as he only managed four votes (12%).
We will now embark on our annual poll of the week champion series, as readers will be asked which 12th(or 13th)-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Bret Michaels 5 (16%)
Clive Davis 2 (6%)
Diddy 0 (0%)
Elton John 1 (3%) Harry Connick, Jr. 13 (41%)
Howard Stern 0 (0%)
Piers Morgan 4 (12%)
Russell Simmons 0 (0%)
Ryan Seacrest 1 (3%)
Shania Twain 5 (16%)
Whitney Houston 0 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook had a rough time at the beginning of Idol's seventh season due to some pretty poor showings and not so great song choices ("Faithfully"?), but she really hit her stride during Top 8 week when she sang Martina McBride's "Anyway." Watch the performance below:
It's apparent the real reason Kristy Lee delivered a respectable performance was because she was able to sing a country song, but the fact that she was able to muster good enough vocals to shine on the song does in fact signal she had some talent in there somewhere all along.
Simon's almost overboard praise of Kristy Lee's strategic song choice went a long way in helping fans forget about his critiques of her in the past. Although she only lasted one week after this performance, Kristy Lee proved she was not the undeserving contestant many pegged her to be early on.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Lee DeWyze made his first talk show appearance on who else's show but Ellen DeGeneres' very own Ellen yesterday. Watch his interview and performance of "Hallelujah" below (why he didn't perform "Beautiful Day" I don't know):
Crystal Bowersox also appeared on the show, where she performed "Up to the Mountain" after joining Lee on Ellen's signature couch.
>It looks like Paula Abdul is getting the last laugh after all. CBS announced earlier this week that Paula will star as executive producer, lead judge, coach, mentor and advocate of the network's new reality series Got to Dance. Per TheWrap.com:
Based on a popular British show that began last year on Sky TV, the series will see the former choreographer return to her dance roots. Like "Idol" or "So You Think You Can Dance," amateur contestants from across the coutnry will audition for Abdul and a panel of experts before performing live in the semi-finals and finals to compete for the "Got to Dance" championship.
So basically it's CBS's version of So You Think You Can Dance? Good for Paula. Regardless, it's not impossible for her to also co-judge X-Factor in Fall 2011, so hopefully there's still room for that to happen.
>Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson took part in the tribute special for Brooks & Dunn on CBS's ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo, which aired last Sunday (if you didn't know about this it was probably because you were watching the Lost or The Celebrity Apprentice finales). Watch Carrie perform the duo's "Neon Moon" below:
Watch Jennifer's performance of "Believe" below:
Who knew Jennifer could sing country so well? The special was a way to say a final farewell to Brooks & Dunn, who are in the process of breaking up after 20 years of performing together and are doing one last concert tour together. Ratings-wise the special pulled in a 1.8 adults 18-49 rating and an average of 10.1 million viewers over two hours.
>Aside from having winners and runners-up on her show, Ellen DeGeneres might be setting herself up with a backup career to supplement her talk show if the Idol producers yank her contract prematurely, as she announced on her show Wednesday that she was starting her own record label, eleveneleven, with the first artist signed being 12-year-old YouTube sensation Greyson Chance. Per Reuters:
"Greyson ... inspired me to start a record label called eleveneleven. He is my first artist and we are making a record together," DeGeneres said in a statement released on Tuesday.
DeGeneres said she will continue to use her show as a platform to find new artists, whom she will sign to eleveneleven. The record label is being set up in collaboration with Telepictures Productions.
Greyson visited Ellen to perform on Wednesday. Watch his performance of the original song "Broken Hearts" below:
So what do you think, will this move give Ellen the street cred she needs to hang onto her judging slot on Idol? She's signed for something like four seasons anyway, but if there was a real need she could easily wiggle out of that commitment. Regardless, this might end up being the smartest business decision Ellen has made yet.
>It's not surprising this year's Idol season finale was the lowest-rated (and watched) one on record, but it's amazing to actually compare these numbers with the numbers from seasons' past. Robert Seidman at TVBytheNumbers put together a handy chart of rating scores and total viewers from all nine seasons:
09/04/2002 American Idol - Season 1 10.8 23.02
05/21/2003 American Idol - Season 2 16.8 38.06
05/26/2004 American Idol - Season 3 12.0 28.84
05/25/2005 American Idol - Season 4 12.5 30.27
05/24/2006 American Idol - Season 5 14.2 36.38
05/23/2007 American Idol - Season 6 11.5 30.76
05/21/2008 American Idol - Season 7 11.4 31.688
05/20/2009 American Idol - Season 8 10.0 28.86 05/26/2010 American Idol - Season 9 8.2 24.2
Wow, the word "ouch" seems to come to mind when looking at those figures together. Although TV ratings have been on a steady decline in general over the past 10 years, Idol's finale seems to be an exception to the rule and is more based on factors like the quality of its competitors and the general buzz going into the finale, which explains Season 2's, Season 5's and Season 7's high numbers, as well as Season 3's (and now Season 9's) low numbers. This might be one trend that won't continue after the quality of this past season left a bad taste in most people's mouths.
The title pretty much says it all. Tonight is the night that American Idol died.
I was thinking about how I would recap Idol's ninth season, and I decided instead of duplicating last season's marathon rant about how horrible the season was, I will keep it short and sweet.
Following last season's finale I was on the verge of not coming back to continue this blog for Season 9. I wanted to quit so many times, but my enjoyment of following the careers of alums from seasons past kept me motivated to continue blogging. By the time January rolled around, I was about to announce I would not be live blogging the season, but something made me decide to give it another try in case the season ended up being good. Sadly, that did not come to be.
Season 9 is the black sheep/ugly duckling/bastard child of the Idol franchise, not only for its lack of talent (save for a few contestants), horrible production, self-absorbed judges, addition of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge, focus on guest performers rather than contestants, awkward Ryan Seacrest drunk hosting performances, appallingly bad 'Idol Gives Back' special, poor auditions, horrible mentors (Miley Cyrus? Adam Lambert?), pants on the ground (okay, that was actually pretty good...at first...before Brett Favre killed it with his "spoof"), boring Ford commercials, boring themes, old themes, tired themes, messy camera angles, dazed and confused audiences, more Ryan being drunk or stoned or just flirting with Simon, Randy's "dudes," Kara's nonsense, Simon's departure, lack of Paula's antics, Miley Cyrus's results show "performance," rejection of Angela Martin, Joe Jonas as a guest judge, basically all the guest judges, lack of a cheesy coronation single, the judges' save, Dane Cook at the finale, or its result, but for the sheer fact that it took up a minimum of two hours of FOX's prime time each week for five-and-a-half months.
In short, Season 9 basically killed what little love I had for this show after Season 8 left it dangling by a thread. I will still always have the memories of actual good seasons and their finalists. But as for the show in its current form, it's finished as far as I'm concerned.
(p.s. I realize how many times I used the words "I" and "me" in this post and would like to apologize. I'm not as self-centered as I might sound...oops there are two more "I"s!)
If you missed it for whatever reason (or you had to do a double take to make sure he actually won), you can watch Lee DeWyze's winning moment below:
Sorry about the cam rip, it was all I could find. Perhaps it will be replaced when a quality video of the moment surfaces. But for now, this will have to do.
After a less than exciting final result, Lee DeWyze can now celebrate something else in addition to his big win: he can say he was the favorite Season 9 contestant among IDOL LIVE readers.
For the final week of competition, Lee stole 56 votes from Crystal's 33 votes for a 62%-37% margin of victory.
For the overall season, Lee also won that with 345 votes in all to Crystal's 308 votes. That may not seem like a lot, and that's because it isn't. I guess people just weren't excited about voting for anyone this season (go figure).
In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked what their favorite coronation single is of all nine season. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Crystal Bowersox 33 (37%) Lee DeWyze 56 (62%)
Total votes: 89
Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
11th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
10th - Michael Lynche (27 votes)*
09th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
08th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)*
07th - Tim Urban (60 votes)*
06th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
05th - Aaron Kelly (111 votes)*
04th - Casey James (208 votes)*
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (218 votes)*
02nd - Crystal Bowersox (308 votes)* 01st - Lee DeWyze (345 votes)
We've finally arrived. Yes, we've all survived Idol's ninth season and tonight we will celebrate the last woman (or man, just to have my bases covered) standing. But more importantly, we will celebrate the fact that everything is over! Yes it's been great chatting with everyone during these long five-and-a-half months, but I think it's safe to say we all deserve a break.
Tonight's two hour extravaganza will feature plenty of guest performers like Carrie Underwood, Kris Allen, Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias in addition to an all-star send-off for Simon Cowell featuring Paula Abdul. I wouldn't be surprised if they reprise their stupid "Golden Idols" or whatever they're called, which would all but guarantee a performance of "Pants On the Ground" by General Larry Platt. Awesome.
And of course, the rest of the Top 12 will return to perform a few medleys in an effort to eat up time before news of the winner is revealed in the last five minutes of the show.
To see who I predict will win tonight, click here. And as usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Once again, tonight's blogcast will feature music from Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze.
Before I justify my prediction for who will win the title of American Idol's ninth champion tonight, let me just say that even though last night was one of the most lopsided (if not the most lopsided) finales in the series' history, it was still pretty amazing just to think about how this was the last time Simon would be giving his signature critiques on this show. Granted, the finale was the most boring one in the show's entire history, and the season as a whole was without a doubt its worst, but right now it is not important to nitpick the season's problems. Instead, it's time to show some respect to its finalists (or at least one of them).
With that said, Crystal Bowersox should in no way, shape or form lose this competition after her showing last night. Although she wasn't pitch perfect during her three performance, Crystal easily won each round and absolutely nailed it on "Up to the Mountain," which ended up being the best performance of the season. True, that wasn't a very high bar for her to pass to earn that distinction but on a season filled with disappointing vocalists and total bores, Crystal is the one contestant who deserved better. Even though I was not a fan of her's over the course of the season, there was no denying she was the best of the worst and she showcased herself as a classy, veteran performer.
Lee DeWyze, on the other hand, was flat, pitchy, whiny and dull. So in other words, he would be the perfect match for this season as a whole. But even though it would make sense for him to win based on the fact that he has a Y chromosome (you basically need one nowadays to win this thing), Lee's mediocre vocal showings were not even on par with Blake Lewis's lazy performances. He probably gulped the majority of Casey's fans, though, which as we saw last season with Danny Gokey, really helped out Kris Allen.
By the way, I'm fully aware DialIdol has Lee winning (with a clearcut "green" bar to Crystal's "red" bar) and it has never been wrong on a predicting a winner, but at the same time neither have I. Although I was the most nervous during Season 4's finale, I always knew Carrie Underwood would win, and when everyone thought David Archuleta had it in the bag I stuck with David Cook.
So I don't really care if Lee does win because nothing could save this season from its own self-destruction. In fact, this show truly does deserve Lee as its winner because it would be the most ironic thing to send Simon off at the conclusion of the biggest joke of a season. If there's any ounce of dignity left in this show, however, Crystal will win (I know that's asking too much, though).
In my original predictions I had Siobhan winning, and considering the Top 2 we actually ended up with I don't think that would have been a bad thing to have her win it all.
Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 7-22 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 3-10 eliminations.
After yesterday's bottom half of the Top 10 most memorable Simon moments, it only makes sense to finish off the list with the top half o the list.
No. 5: Kira Scott calls Simon "gay"
By Idol's third season, America was finally starting to warm up to mean old Simon. Then some loudmouth Hollywood contestant Kira Scott had to turn into a sourpuss because the judges weren't digging her style:
I remember this one exchange being used during this episode on every commercial break to keep people tuned in (not like the show had to work to do that back then). The way Simon handled this girl was first class and showed that he's not the high maintenance stuck up British guy.
No. 4: Chris Sligh plays the Teletubbies card on Simon
Simon isn't one to shy away from his past work, but there are some projects he'd rather not discuss if he can help it. On Season 6, Simon became visibly uncomfortable when Chris Sligh went for a low blow after Simon admitted he wasn't totally feeling his performance of dc Talk's "Wanna Be Loved" during Top 16 week. What added to the awkwardness was Ryan's reaction to Simon calling him "sweetheart":
Yikes, it's just as uncomfortable watching it back now all these years later as it was when it originally aired. C'mon Simon, you should be proud of you S Club 7, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Teletubbies and any other concoctions you came up with.
No. 3: Simon correctly predicts Carrie's future
Carrie Underwood's Top 11 performance of Heart's "Alone" stands out as one of the single best performances ever delivered on the Idol stage across all nine seasons, but there was something that put the performance in a league of its own that night. Simon's gutsy call that not only would Carrie win the season, she'd sell more records than any other winner was really a stretch, but the fact that it proved to be true was even more impressive:
Although it can be argued Kelly Clarkson has sold more albums worldwide than Carrie has, Carrie holds the domestic record and will most likely pass Kelly in worldwide totals in the near future. This call will always remain as Simon's most impressive prediction as judge.
No. 2: Saula's affair (a.k.a. "the kiss")
It might not seem like that big of a deal looking back on it now, but the "Saula affair" spoof on the Season 2 finale was huge at the time because it was so unexpected.
Forget about the whipped cream, the strawberries and the lip-licking, that kiss was what sealed the deal. After all the drama Simon and Paula went through during their first two seasons on the show, it was one of those unforgettable moments that will live in television infamy.
No. 1: The eyeroll
You knew it was coming. The most memorable moment of all Simon's duration on the show came in Season 7 when Fantasia took to the stage and put America under a spell with her performance of "Bore Me" during the Top 3 results show, including Simon. It's funny to think a split second of confused expression could say so much about a situation:
There, doesn't that just cheer you up?
And that concludes the Top 10 most memorable Simon moments throughout his history on the show. There's always a chance that something he does tonight could earn a spot on this list, but one would be hard pressed to find a more memorable moment than the #1 entry above.
Can't you just feel the excitement? Tonight marks the final performance episode of the ninth season of Idol, quite a feat for the music competition reality series. Although this season has been the biggest letdown to date in terms of contestant quality, Crystal and Lee are the best of the worst and will duke it out to earn the crown by performing two personal choices and one selected by the almighty Simon Fuller (the coronation single will be held until the winner is announced)
Will Crystal and Lee opt for repeat performances or new choices? Don't be surprised if Crystal sings some original tunes based on her reaction to last week's hometown concert.
As usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of who else but Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze
As Simon's run on Idol comes to an end tomorrow, let us look back on some of his most memorable moments over the past nine seasons. If you don't agree with some of them , feel free to offer your own lists.
No. 10: Simon calls a re-vote for no reason
Although the following clip is nothing special, it is emblematic of all the many mean spirited moves Simon pulled over the course of his auditions-judging sessions. In the clip below, Simon rejects the two Molfetta twins - twice, all "for sport" according to Paula:
Although sometimes Simon's comments went over the line, they were usually all in good fun. Hey, a judge has to have fun on this show or else it would be unbearable.
No. 9: Simon gets his way and still gets a hug from Paula
Simon and Paula had a long history over the course of the first eight seasons on Idol, with many of their encounters ending in sarcastic comments and witty comebacks. Back on Season 2, the two judges got into one of their most heated debates, eventually requiring the assistance of producer Nigel Lythgoe:
What made Simon the king of these arguments was his ability to come out victorious without looking completely undignified. As much as they both enjoyed each other's company, they especially enjoyed these opportunities to release a bit of steam.
No. 8: Simon doesn't roll his eyes at "Virginia Tech" mention
This one might be harder to remember, but back during Season 6 the tragic school shooting at Virginia Tech touched all Americans for a time. But when the story came up during Chris Richardson's post-performance bit, Simon's facial expression was taken the wrong way due to an unfortunate camera switch:
Immediately following the "eyeroll," fans were accusing Simon of rolling his eyes at Chris bringing up the tragedy because he thought Chris was clamoring for votes. That was, however, obviously not true, instead Simon was still reacting to Chris's "nasally singing" justification. A simple misunderstanding, no doubt.
No. 7: Simon apologizes for being hard on Katharine McPhee
There have been very few times over the course of Simon's tenure on the show when he's had to retract his critique after watching it back on TV. During Season 5's Top 7 results show, Simon apologized to Katharine McPhee for being a little harsh in his comments the previous night:
There have been other instances when he's backed off from his tongue lashings, just as he's come back with harsher critiques on some occasions after watching the performances back. But this one in particular was memorable.
No. 6: "Do we have a bigger stage this year?"
Simon is obviously known for his off the cuff quips at others' expense, and these usually come out during the audition rounds. But perhaps the most memorable instance of this happening was back in Season 5 when he joked about Mandisa's weight, asking after she received her golden ticket "Do we have a bigger stage this year?" Watch the moment below:
Later in the season when Mandisa came before the panel to hear her fate as to whether she made the Top 24, she confronted Simon on his comment, resulting in an honest apology from the Brit.
Stay tuned for the Top 5 most memorable Simon moments, as they will be posted tomorrow.
In their last TV appearance before this week's two-night finale, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze appeared on Idol judge Ellen's talk show this morning to play a round of "Know or Go," which involves two audience members standing on platforms with trap doors that open if two guests incorrectly answer trivia questions.
This segment was almost as boring as the season itself until Lee was asked which country Niagra Falls borders besides Canada. What happened after that is below:
Alright, so there's pretty much no excuse for that. True, the question could have been phrased better, but whether or not Lee was nervous is beside the point, since he's had all season to ditch his nerves. The fact that he doesn't have a quality mental image of the North American continent is a little sad. For that reason alone, Lee shouldn't win on Wednesday. Harsh, but warranted.
As we look ahead to Wednesday's grand finale for Idol's ninth season, it only makes sense to revisit the finale that gave this show a reason to continue. Kelly Clarkson was never the front runner to take the title on the first season of the show until her main rival, Tamyra Gray, was sent home in the first shocker of the series during Top 4 results night.
Kelly proved she had exactly what it took to become the American Idol, and her crowning moment and performance of "A Moment Like This" were extremely memorable. Relive the moment below:
This moment still gives me chills. Kelly's quips of excitement throughout the performance showed just why she won, because she won over America with not only her outstanding vocals but her personality and stage presence as well. No matter who wins on Wednesday, this will always be the most moving winning moment in Idol history.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Simon Cowell's big sit-down on Oprah's couch (out of studio, far away from a studio audience) aired on her eponymous show yesterday, and he didn't hold back on any topic, addressing things ranging from his brushes with depression to "horrific mistakes" that led to him living out of his car when he was younger. Watch a clip below courtesy of The Insider:
Simon said he thinks this season has been too much about the judges, but what does he expect when a) the contestants are horrible and b) it's his last season. The judges are the most interesting part of this season.
>Casey James talked with the press today following his ouster Wednesday night. Casey was asked about "losing his shirt" during his audition in Denver and whether or not he would have done it again if he had the chance to go back to that point. Casey said:
"There's a possibility (that) had I not done that I might not have made it past that first round. It definitely wasn't something that I thought of, or even realized was going to happen. (But) it obviously worked out," he added.
Casey also appeared on Ellen this morning to talk about his time on the show. Watch a clip of his segment below:
Ellen was sure to say she thought he was a "great singer" and Casey mentioned how he hadn't seen Idol before he was on it because he didn't own a TV (something we all already knew), but he added that he finally bought one as well as a PS3. Good choice, Casey.
>Forbes.com released a list of the Top 10 earning Idol alums for the May 2009-April 2010 year, and it is less than spectacular. Even though the top earners are still raking in millions, the totals are far less than they were just years ago. Below is an abbreviated list of the Top 10 earners:
01) Kelly Clarkson ($8 million)
02) Carrie Underwood ($7 million)
03) Chris Daughtry ($5.4 million)
04) Kellie Pickler ($4.3 million)
05) David Cook ($2.3 million)
06) Jennifer Hudson ($2 million)
07) Jordin Sparks ($1.8 million)
08) David Archuleta ($1.4 million)
09) Clay Aiken ($800,000)
10) Kris Allen ($672,000)
When last season's winner is making less money in a year than a runner-up from seven seasons ago, that tells you something about the trajectory of this show and its contestants.
>Tomorrow's big KISS Concert sponsored by the Boston Top 40 radio station KISS 108 FM will feature three Idol alums, as it was announced yesterday that Ayla Brown will join a roster of 17 other acts including Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Per a press release:
Brown, who will graduate from Boston College on Monday and is now a special contributor for CBS’ The Early Show, joins an impressive lineup of 17 fellow artists and bands including Ke$ha, Jason Derulo and Kevin Rudolf. Fellow American Idol alums Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are also scheduled to perform.
Upon receiving word that she was invited to take part in KISS Concert, Brown said she was ecstatic.
"I’m so excited that KISS asked me to perform at KISS Concert because they always put on a first-rate show," Brown said. "Just to share the stage with some of the biggest names in music is a great honor.”
Ayla will perform at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass., at 2:15 p.m, while Kris will take the stage at 8 p.m. and Kris will close out the show at 9 p.m. A live webcast of the concert will be available at KISS108.com beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
>Bo Bice was out promoting his brand new album 3 this week, which included a stop at FOX & Friends on FOX News Channel. Watch him perform "You Take Yourself With You" below:
Bo explained the significance of the album's title, including the fact that he and his wife have three kids and this is his third studio album since finishing as runner-up on Season 4. The album is available in stores nationwide and at digital retailers including iTunes and Amazon.com
Tonight's results show proves to be one of the most anticlimactic in recent memory (like on the same level of Season 7). Thus, it's only fitting that we all join tonight's blogcast to point and yawn at its events together. If all else fails, at least we have Justin Bieber to perform not one, but TWO songs! Everywhere cheer with me now...
To see who I everyone predicts will be leaving tonight, see here. And as usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 9 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Amy Krebs, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Elliott Yamin and Haley Scarnato.
Tonight marks the most important point of Idol's ninth season so far, as the Top 3 finalists aim to earn a spot in the coveted Top 2. Although everyone and their mother seems to be pegging Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze as the pair to beat, don't count Casey James out! If you really care about the show, vote goat!
We already know the judges' picks for each contestant, as one third of their performance sets were revealed to them when they returned to their hometowns over the weekend. Will Lee be able to top Tim Urban's version of "Hallelujah"? Will Casey be karaoke on "Daughters"? Will Crystal resonate with anyone for her rendition of "Maybe I'm Amazed"? Well, you can only find out by tuning in (or following along here!)
As usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Chikezie, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Jordin Sparks and We Are the Fallen.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
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>Speaking of upcoming Idol-related albums, 
is now available to pre-order at Amazon.com.
