'Idol' odds 'n ends: Blake Lewis performs on FOX 5 NY

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>Blake Lewis began making the rounds in support of his forthcoming album, Heartbreak On Vinyl, beginning with an appearance on New York City's FOX affiliate morning program, Good Day New York, on Mon., Aug. 3. On the show, Blake spoke with its co-hosts and performed the album's first single, "Sad Song." Watch Blake's performance below:

Blake said the album is about the death of the physical medium of music, and it will additionally be available to purchase on vinyl records. The album will be out on Tues., Oct. 6.

>David Archuleta posted his latest blog entry from his tour with Demi Lovato on his official Ning site on Tues., Aug. 4. A snippet from the entry is found below:

After the Pittsburgh show, we had the North Carolina show, and then went down to Florida! The state where I was born and lived my first 6 years of life haha. We had a day off there, and so I got to spend it with some friends who are amazing people! I also got to spend time with my Grandparents! I love them. My grandparents were actually able to come to all 3 of our shows in Florida, and it was so great. I honestly don't remember the last time I was able to spend that much time with them, so I'm really grateful for it.

Arch also talked about some second cousins he did not know existed until he did research and ended up inviting them to his show, and ended the blog entry by encouraging his fans to research up on their families to see if they had any relatives they did not know about.

>Jordin Sparks spoke with ABC News about her new album, Battlefield, in addition to her thoughts on Chris Brown and Paula Abdul. Watch the interview below:



Jordin should get points just for speaking to Darius Brown while getting her nails done. That must take some talent.

>Amid all the Paula mania that happened this week, the controversy raised by Ju'Not Joyner got two more voices to contribute to the discussion. Ayla Brown, a semifinalist on the show's fifth season, told ABCNews.com:

"A few weeks in, when I was rehearsing, Ken and Nigel came in and said, 'You know, we knew you were pretty but we really didn't know you could sing this well,'" Brown said. "It made me think that I was on the show, and some people are put on the show, just to get ratings."

Similarly, Justin Buckles, a former production coordinator for Idol, said that the way the show's contestants are treated "is slave labor and I am not afraid to say it."

>Daughtry's highly anticipated AOL Sessions were uploaded to AOL Music last week. Watch the entire set below, starting with "No Surprise."



Other songs performed during the set include "Possum Kingdom," "Every Time You Turn Around," "Home" and "Ghost of Me." In addition to the performances, the band participated in a Q&A session.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Ju'Not Joyner claims AI is "rigged"

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>In the dog days of summer, it does not take much to get one's name out in the news. Exhibit A is Ju'Not Joyner's stirring of a hornet's nest earlier this week with his claims that Idol is rigged. The Top 36 contestant from Season 8 said the following in an interview with AI Now:

"What I mean is that people think AI is a talent show. No. It's a reality show with writers!! We're all actors. All these shows have writers that guide the public opinion. The Hills, Real World. All of them."

So far there has been no comment from the 19E/FremantleMedia camp, and it would be a surprise if anything substantial came from them period.

>One of the aspects of the "Idols Live!" tour that Kris Allen must not be thrilled about are the pesty fans that bug him and the other alums backstage. In the following video, Kris is interrogated about his t-shirt that reads "I'd trade my girlfriend for a Coke":



Obviously Kris does not have a girlfriend, since he is married. Oh well, this is just an example of the joys and pains of allowing backstage passes.

>While Paula Abdul's future with Idol still hangs in the balance, Kara DioGuardi's time on Season 9 as a judge has already been reserved. Although full details of the contract are not yet available, it is assumed that Kara will be making substantially less than any of the other judges, but that's apparently not a problem for her.

>The first season of Idol acquainted millions of people with a few big names like Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray, but Kelli Glover was not one of them. The Top 30 contestant was recently featured on the fourth season of America's Got Talent, but was eliminated in Las Vegas before the show got to the live voting portion. Watch Kelli below:



Kelli sang "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" back in the wild card round of the semifinals, after performing "I Will Always Love You" in group 1.

>Apparently Jordin Sparks and Leona Lewis made a pact to record a track together that will appear one either of the artists' next albums. Jordin allegedly told the British tabloidThe Daily Star:

"I love Leona. We made a pact to duet together but my record was already finished"

Only time will tell if the pact comes to fruition, but Lewis' sophomore album is due out in November, so it could come sooner than expected.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Poll of the week: Lil bit of competition in Group 3

In last week's IDOL LIVE poll of the week series, there was a strong showing for virtually all of Group 3's contestants, as the results were scattered all over the board rather than being concentrated for one semifinalist.

Lil Rounds came out on top with the most votes, taking 24 of the 115 total votes cast over the course of the poll's eight days of being open. Her percentage was 20%. Not surprisingly, Felicia Barton was next up with 21 votes (18%) cast in her favor. It's a shame that result could not have been reflected in the actual voting for the show.

Next up was Scott MacIntyre, who was able to manage 12 votes (10%), followed by Kristen McNamara and her 11 votes (9%). Aside from these top finishers, everyone else was able to come up with at least two votes each, which supports the idea that Group 3 was the strongest of the three.

In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote for their Top 13 favorite finalist. You will have exactly six days to vote.

Arianna Afsar 6 (5%)
Felicia Barton 21 (18%)
Kendall Beard 2 (1%)
Ju'Not Joyner 7 (6%)
Scott MacIntyre 12 (10%)
Nathaniel Marshall 7 (6%)
Kristen McNamara 11 (9%)
Jorge Nunez 2 (1%)
Lil Rounds 24 (20%)
Von Smith 8 (6%)
Taylor Vaifanua 8 (6%)
Alex Wagner-Trugman 7 (6%)

Total votes: 115

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Analysis: Judges blow it big time with wild card picks

This season was already going down the tubes, but the judges last night all but killed off its saving grace with their wild card selections. Sure, it was bad enough when the very competitive Group 3 had to let only three people into the Top 12 via America's votes, especially considering two spots were virtually reserved for screen time favorites Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre. Jorge Nunez making it over Ju'Not Joyner and Felicia Barton was nothing outrageous, but he will be a waste of a spot and will exit relatively early in the finals. But when the judges only chose one from the group, Von Smith, to compete in tonight's wild card, something went horribly wrong.

The judges' motives are so transparent it's not even a matter of to what degree their favoritism is lying in the shadows, it's just plain out there for everyone to see. They purposely chose three average to forgettable girls so that it does not look so bad when they go with Megan Corkrey. This is important because tonight's "sing for their lives" spectacle has no bearing on whom the four horsemen will choose, it's all for show and to give FOX another win on a night they normally would lose to the other networks (plus it's a killer lead-in to Hell's Kitchen).

While Tatiana del Toro's vocals are actually pretty good, she was brought back for the drama, pure and simple. And people fall for it, which is sad, but what can you do? The stranger picks are Jesse "don't you just love those drum claps?" Langseth and Jasmine "you better sing a Rihanna song" Murray, each of whom have no shot at being one of the three picks unless the producers pass a law requiring semi-gender equality, making it a 7-5 ratio rather than a more likely 8-4 ratio.

What is embarassing is that the judges did not see the point of bringing back Felicia and Kristen McNamara, each of whom are leagues better than the four girls that have a second shot tonight. This is further proof that all they are concerned about is having Megan make it, and for that reason they are just plain lost. Just the absolute wrong way to go about choosing wild card spots.

As for the guys, everyone they picked was deserving except Von, who should have ceded his spot to Ju'Not. It's surprising that there will be no black male in the Top 12 this season, but it worked in Season 5 so whatever.

No matter what happens, from here on out it's all about Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Lil. If these three are not the final three of Season 8, that would mean there had to have been a miracle of sorts because this season is more predictable than all the rest combined.

Hopefully there are no more angry analyses on here for this season. Something tells me that won't be the case, though.

IDOL LIVE's predictions are now 6-9 for the Top 36 and 5-9 for the Top 12. At least we're batting above .500 for now.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

IDOL LIVE predix: Group 3 of Top 36

The consesus about last night is that there are two very much all-but-confirmed spots reserved for big names, and a free-for-all for the third spot in which a good seven contenders have at least a slim shot of landing the position of next highest vote-getter, with at least three that stand a very good chance of advancing.

Overall, Group 3 showed that when you get a couple weeks to watch and learn from others that sing for their lives, preparedness certainly plays dividends. It also helps to be very talented, which many of last nights contestants are.

Read my predictions below.

Surprising or not, these will be the latest Top 12 members:

>Lil Rounds
>Scott MacIntyre
>Ju'Not Joyner

Lil is a given. She has been guaranteed a spot in the Top 4 since she auditioned, so this was nothing but a cake walk. In fact, the judges should have given someone else the pimp spot just because it was pure overkill having Lil close out the night to a thunderous chorus of positive critiques. She was great and all, but she still has a ways to go to get positive comments, so the judges might as well hold off until she starts delivering consistently.

Scott is another given. He hasn't been a sure thing all season like Lil, but his great personality coupled with his good vocals (oh yea, and the fact that he's blind) is like a big apple pie with whipped cream on top for the regular voting bloc of this show. Scott was not the best male singer last night, but he was far from the worst. Look for him to go fairly far inside the Top 12.

Unlike the first two spots, the third and final Top 12 space as (allegedly) decided by America is extremely difficult to pinpoint. Many people would tell you who they want to go through, but they are not really thinking about who will go through when all factors are taken into consideration. Jorge Nunez seems like a good fit, but just because he lost his accent and Paula and Kara wanted to squeeze him last night does not mean he will get through, even in the face of a great, surprising performance.

Felicia Barton is also a favorite to take the third slot, but she will have to wait for Thursday for news that she made it into the Top 12. The producers want America to get an extra glance at her for them to decide whether or not they actually like her, since the judges obviously like her and she has received virtually no air time up until now. Nathaniel Marshall and Kristen McNamara are good guesses as well, but just as they started together in Hollywood Week, they will finish together outside the Top 12.

So that leaves Ju'Not, who was on top of his game when he slowed down "Hey There Delilah" and made it an entirely different song. More shots of his son during his pre-performance package and an awkward joke about getting a shot for his asthma will all combine in a perfect storm of happiness for Ju'Not, which will sort of come as a surprise to most of the audience after thinking Jorge will be the third choice of the night. If they really want to maximize suspense tonight, the producers will have Felicia, Ju'Not and Jorge stand together at the end of the show and read the results with all of them vying for the spot, but most likely they will save Lil's obvious victory for last. Thanks for keeping it interesting.

Of course, I reserve the right to be wrong on the third spot. Not the first two, though. Those are 100% guaranteed or you can ask for a refund. Right now I am 4-6 after last week's predictions so a clean sweep tonight would be much appreciated.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

About last night: Where has Group 3 been this whole season?

So it's apparent that the producers saved the best for last, but what for? So that a lot of great semifinalists will be shut out of the Top 12? Well whether or not that was a concern when they formed the groups, it will surely come true tonight.

It's true there were still a few clunkers, like Arianna Afsar's depressing "The Winner Takes It All" and Alex Wagner-Trugman's growl-a-thon on "I Guess It's Why They Call This the Blues," but the majority of the performances last night were memorable and the contestants had song choices that were near perfect fits for their vocals.

There were a few surprises last night, one of the more notable ones coming early on when Von Smith toned down his theatrics tenfold as he opened the show with "You're All I Need to Get By." It was a much different Von than the one we saw during Hollywood Week, where Simon gave him the lashing of a thousand tongues with his critique. It was obvious Von didn't see the Clay Aiken comparison coming last night, but he handled it well by saying Clay is successful so he doesn't mind the comparison.

Another surprise was Puerto Rican Jorge Nunez, who proved to be a true contender when he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," which has generally been considered to be a cursed song on the show. Paula's and Kara's cougar fangirlism following his performance could have been left out of the scheme of things, but the fact that he went near the end of the night was a great help for his Top 12 prospects.

There were also a few semifinalists that were kind of just there for the sake of being there, like Kendall Beard, who filled the role of the blonde country girl very nicely, but it was apparent the judges did not have her set in their sights for the Top 12. Nathaniel Marshall, while his vocals are sort of alright deep down beneath his glammed up drama queen look, managed to receive the most commentary from the judges and gain pretty much nothing constructive from it except a chance to shake Simon's hand. That awkward exchange just goes to show that Ryan really doesn't think before he acts most of the time.

Taylor Vaifanua was in a strange position because while she did not sound all that bad, she has an issue with standing out amongst a crowded crew, and her rendition of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" could be described by the three b-words: bland, boring and blah.

As for some other bright spots last evening, Kristen McNamara came out of her shell and defined herself as a new girl minus purple-streaked hair on "Give Me One Reason." The judges (mainly Kara) had some weird fixation on suggesting that Kristen should sing more Kelly Clarkson songs, something Kristen took to heart when after her critiques she said she could see herself recording similar material to Kelly and Leona Lewis.

Scott MacIntyre, while he picked an interesting song and sounded pretty solid overall, was given the second-most unnecessary praise of the night by the judges. It's a tricky territory to tightrope considering the whole blind thing he's got going on, and no one wants to suggest that will help him out on this show, but when something like this is so obvious it can't help but be said. It should also be noted that Simon's comments about Scott being relevant were very misguided. Scott is a great guy, but there's no way he should make it over Ju'Not Joyner, whose "Hey There Delilah" was much more original than the original and sounded smooth and soulful, actually making it listenable after radio ran the song into the ground in 2007.

Felicia Barton came out strong last night. She showed everyone why she belonged in the Top 36 in the first place, and despite hitting a few bum notes here and there while singing "No One," she was overall the second best girl of the night. Simon got it right when he said the first half of the performance was better than the second half, but Felicia's originality should make up for that. If she doesn't make it tonight, she will definitely be a wild card contender.

And then there's Lil Rounds, whose smart song choice of "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige coupled with her inevitable pimp spot and overwhelming praise by the judges virtually reserved her a spot in the Top 12. That's not to say she wasn't good, she was probably the best vocalist of the night, and the fact that she didn't pick something by Whitney Houston should earn her a few extra credit points. Lil has a great personality to boot, so that will only help her down the road.

After all is said and done, Group 3 is for sure the most talented of the bunch and it will be sad to see many of last night's contestants not go through. Can we just swap out Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace for a few of tonight's performers? If only...

P.S. it was hilarious how they went the whole show without mentioning Joanna Pacitti's name. What if someone had been watching the season without venturing online or watching any of the entertainment shows to see the fallout of the controversy? They must have thought "Where's Joanna and what's up with this Felicia chick?" Chalk up another one for Idol producers.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Analysis: "Predictable" doesn't begin to describe...

Who really thought Nick Mitchell would take the "final" spot last night over Adam Lambert? Do the producers think the audience is that stupid, that it would be more susprised that Adam made it over Nick than it would Kris Allen making it over Matt Giraud or Megan Corkrey?

Although the show did improve format-wise this week (i.e. the elimination of the parent/loved ones segment), it failed to capitalize on what would have made for a more interesting final reveal for the third spot. I wouldn't be surprised if a third of the audience just stopped watching after Kris was handed the second spot in the Top 12, as everyone and their mother knew Adam would make it since it was crystal clear he got the Gokey treatment on Wednesday.

Even Allison Iraheta's Top 12 spot could be spotted a mile away, so the whole hour was kind of useless in the whole results department, which is kind of a problem. And did we really have to see that montage set to "What a Wonderful World" again? If that doesn't scream "filler," I don't know what does.

And then there was the 12 semifinalists' pre-recorded sounding rendition of Ne-Yo's "Closer." If the performance is any indication of how this season will turn out, it gives the notion that it will be a guy-dominated season much more support, as the six girls sang about a total of three and a half lines.

Despite these blemishes, the show was otherwise pretty entertaining. Simon and Paula got into their normal spats, and Kara even engaged Simon head on, which I suspect we will begin to see more of as the season goes on.

The highlight of the show, however, was Brooke White's return to the Idol stage to perform her new single, "Hold Up My Heart." Brooke was refreshing both vocally and personality-wise, as her advice to the semifinalists of not "googling yourself" beckoned back to the same quirky Brooke that audiences fell in love with last season.

So far this Top 12 is a mixed bag. It's definitely strong on diversity of singing style and personality but it's short on diversity overall, which makes me think Lil Rounds is all but guaranteed a spot and Ju'Not Joyner could also be a great bet next week.

Possible wild card selections from this bunch are most likely Matt G. and Megan, but it's doubtful the judges would waste a few other spots on semifinalists from this group with the exception of Jasmine Murray, whom they all seem to like because she's "very commercial." Expect the majority of the picks to come from Group 3.

As for IDOL LIVE's predictions, we're 4-6 in the semifinals and 3-6 in the Top 12, so it's not looking all that great so far.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

IDOL LIVE predix: Top 12 of Season 8

Now that the Top 36 has been chosen and barring any other Joanna-like swaps, it seems like now would be a good time for IDOL LIVE to post predictions for the Top 12 of Season 8. Although the other two groups have yet to be revealed, it is safe to assume that anyone that does not advance on their first go-round would be a viable candidate for a wild card slot. So without further ado, here is how we think the Top 12 will materialize:

The Top 12 of American Idol: Season 8

Felicia Barton

Felicia has been on a wild ride for the past few days. She had no idea she would be named as a replacement following Wednesday night's ouster of future Top 12 contestant Joanna Pacitti, and so she will put more effort into her song choice, appearance, stage presence and showcasing her personality when TV time comes. Felicia has more buzz surrounding her than any other Top 36 contestant at the moment thanks to the hundreds of news articles, blog entries and other mentions in the media as part of the Joanna disqualification story. If she does not make it the first time, odds are pretty good she will be a wild card pick to keep the guys from completely dominating the Top 12 this season.

Ann Marie Boskovich

Not only did she get a great shot to display her winning personality during her odd audition experience (being asked by the judges to come back and audition after changing up her look and song choice), but she also was heavily featured throughout Hollywood Week. Add to that the fact that she's beautiful and has experience in the music industry and you've got yourself a spot in the Top 36. She will be the only girl to advance from Group 1.

Anoop Desai

Anoop has a lot of things going in his favor. First, he his genre is R&B/Soul, so he should be able to shore up a good amount of those fans. He also is very likable in a geeky way, and as Clay Aiken has shown, Idol viewers love geeky guys. Add to this the fact that he is the first Indian-American contestant to reach the semifinals (and the sweeping popularity of Slumdog Millionaire in this country at the moment), and it looks like Anoop has more than a great shot at making the coveted Top 12. He will receive the second-most votes from Group 1, which will earn him one of the three spots from the group.

Matt Giraud

Another soulful R&B crooner, Matt has been compared to Elliott Yamin for his singing style. He has not been featured as prominently as some of the other guys, but his solo in Hollywood Week won him a lot of praise and he definitely has originality written all over him. He should make it into the Top 12 on his first try no matter which group he ends up in. Oh, and Matt's from Michigan. When's the last time there's been a semifinalist from the mitten state, LaKisha Jones? Yeah, that's a good enough reason to put him through (especially since he's from Kalamazoo).

Danny Gokey

Danny is probably the surest of sure bets to make the Top 12. He has progressed beyond his "story" that initially drew the ire of many viewers, as the sob stories were out in full force during this season's auditions. Danny was featured heavily in Hollywood Week along with his friend Jamar, whose failing to make the Top 36 came as a shock to many and will undoubtedly earn Danny some votes. He can also sing really well and has a unique quality to his voice, which is never a negative characteristic for an Idol finalist. Danny will be the first one sent through to the Top 12, as he will receive the highest amount of votes come Tuesday.

Ju'Not Joyner

Since there has to be at least one black male finalist, it will go to Ju'Not, though it should have been reserved for his major competition, Stephen Fowler, as he would have been known as the eighth season's "comeback kid" after rebounding from his botched stab at David Cook's "The Time of My Life" in Hollywood Week. Ju'Not has received less airtime and has a weaker voice, but since he will not be stuck in the strongest group like Stephen, he will make it instead.

Adam Lambert

Despite his puzzling solo of Cher's "Believe" in the final round of Hollywood Week, Adam has a lot of buzz surrounding him. Add in an existing fan base and initial universal support from the judges (although something tells us Simon Cowell might not be on the Adam train for very long) and the whole "goth-lite" look and it seems that he will define a whole new style of music that will be performed on the show (maybe it will be called "Male Diva Goth Rock"?).

Scott MacIntyre

He may not be the strongest singer among the guys, but something just tells us Scott will squeak into the Top 12. Although it sounds harsh to say that the "pity vote" from the grandmas and others might help him out a bit on his Idol journey, it would be a disservice to deny this notion. He's a great musician, as he plays the piano wonderfully, which will help compensate for what he's lacking in vocals.

Kristen McNamara

Kristen will be this year's Carrie Underwood / Kellie Pickler / Kristy Lee Cook, as there's an unwritten rule that a female country singer needs to be in the Top 12. She will beat out the other blonde country girl, Kendall Beard, primarily because she has received the most screen time and was seen as the victim in her Hollywood Week group's meltdown. Plus, it's a necessity to have a finalist that for whatever reason irks Simon, so Kristen will be that finalist.

Jasmine Murray

Incorporating Jasmine in the Top 12 will kill two birds with one stone, as she will be the commercial cute teenager in addition to being one of the African-American female singers. It also doesn't hurt that she has an extremely radio-friendly voice, and her voice's chances at making it into a recording studio would only be helped if she were allowed to make it semi-far in the competition. Jasmine also seems to be a favorite of the producers, which is never a bad thing.

Lil Rounds

If you haven't been following Idol up to this point, you never would have known the amount of praise has been lobbed Lil's way by the judges. She's being hailed as "the next Fantasia," and not many people agreed with the judges' over enthusiastic reactions to her first Hollywood solo performance. Regardless, she will get a spot in the Top 12 one way or another. Just you wait and see.

Michael Sarver

Idol desperately wants a male country winner. Since they apparently inexplicably swapped his slot in the first group with Matt Breitzke, it is even more obvious because Michael would hardly have a shot if he were to remain in that ultra competitive group. Even if it means the judges will have to waste a wild card pick on him because he might not make it in on America's vote alone, they will do so without thinking twice in order to keep him in the mix. Although he won't win, the producers will do their best to present him in a favorable light.

What do you think? Is this the Top 12 of Season 8 or what? (All photos courtesy of AmericanIdol.com).

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...