The winner of the latest version of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series for readers' favorite seventh-place finalist of all nine seasons was no surprise.
Jennifer Hudson of Season 3 took in nine votes, or 37% of all 24 votes cast during the course of the week. While this number isn't very high at all, it's pretty easy to believe that J-Hud is the most popular seventh-place finalist of all time due to her post-Idol success.
The next closest placing was was Season 7's Kristy Lee Cook's showing in second thanks to seven votes (29%), while Season 9's Tim Urban nabbed four votes (16%).
In the next round, readers will be asked which 6th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Ryan Starr 1 (4%)
Kimberly Caldwell 0 (0%)
Jennifer Hudson 9 (37%)
Anwar Robinson 2 (8%)
Ace Young 1 (4%)
Sanjaya Malakar 0 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook 7 (29%)
Lil Rounds 0 (0%)
Tim Urban 4 (16%)
Total votes: 24
Showing posts with label lil rounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lil rounds. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Poll of the week: Jennifer Hudson eclipses fellow 7th-place finishers
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 5 Perform (5/4/10)
Last week's results were a letdown, so the Top 5 finalists really must dig deep to deliver stunners. Because let's face it, anything less at this point would be a disappointment of major proportions. Hopefully Harry Connick, Jr. is able to bring out the inner rat pack member of the finalists when they take on the song catalog of Frank Sinatra.
As always, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Brooke White, Chris Daughtry, David Archuleta, Elliott Yamin and Lil Rounds.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 9 Perform (4/6/10)
Tonight Teflon Tim and the rest of the Top 9 take the stage to trip over themselves singing songs from the overdone Lennon/McCartney songbook. Will it be a repeat of Season 7's Top 12? Or maybe that season's Top 11? Or maybe it will be worse than both? I'm going with the latter just to be safe. Fortunately for us, "Imagine" isn't eligible since it's solo work by John Lennon.
Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of David Archuleta, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Kristy Lee Cook, Lil Rounds, Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar and Taylor Hicks.
Friday, December 4, 2009
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jordin Sparks sings at White House tree lighting
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Jordin Sparks was in Washington, D.C., last night to sing at the 86th National Christmas Tree Lighting, which took place at the White House. Watch Jordin sing "Walking In a Winter Wonderland" with other guest performers and the entire audience to close out the show below:
The event was hosted by Randy Jackson and performers included Sheryl Crow and Celtic Woman among others. Then entire program can be watched here.
>Jennifer Hudson performed on Oprah's first ever Holiday Music Extravaganza, which aired Monday, in which she did a duet of "Silent Night" with country music duo Sugarland. Watch the performance below:
Jennifer will have her very own Christmas special on ABC, as Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home For Christmas will air on the network on Mon., Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. A preview of the special can be viewed on ETonline.com.
>This week two Idol alums from the show's eighth season announced record deals, as it was revealed on Monday that Lil Rounds has signed with Bungalo Records, while today it was made public that Michael Sarver signed with Dream Records. Below is an excerpt from Michael's press release:Los Angeles, CA–Dream Records/Universal Music Group announced today the signing of American Idol’s Top 10 finalist of the 2009 season MICHAEL SARVER with plans to release Sarver’s debut country music CD in the spring of 2010. Sarver’s first single from the new album titled “You Are,” will be released nationally and on itunes this coming Tuesday, December 8. Michael is currently available for interviews in support of the upcoming singles and his current Holiday Tour with other A.I. finalists.There are now a total of six finalists from the previous season that have confirmed record deals.
>Megan Joy posted some original tracks on her official music MySpace page earlier this week, including "Feel Love" and "Incomplete." She tweeted that she wrote all the lyrics on her own.
>David Archuleta began his tour promoting his new album Christmas From the Heart last week. Watch his performance of "Ave Maria" from his show at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, Calif., this past Monday below:
Arch's tour continues on Sunday at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, Co., and wraps up at the Capitol One Bank Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, N.Y., on Sun., Dec. 20. For full tour cities and dates see here.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Poll of the week: KLC cooks the competition for Top 7
Things are beginning to get a little ridiculous on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, as another Season 7 alum once again advanced to the finals of the series.
Kristy Lee Cook was voted the favorite seventh-place finalist of all eight seasons, taking in 41 votes (49%) in all, which was far ahead of the 22 votes (26%) that favorite Jennifer Hudson was able to muster.
The only other placing worth mentioning is Ace Young's third-place finish with 11 votes, or 13% of the total.
In the next installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, readers are asked which sixth-place finalist is their favorite of all eight seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Ryan Starr 0 (0%)
Kimberly Caldwell 6 (7%)
Jennifer Hudson 22 (26%)
Anwar Robinson 1 (1%)
Ace Young 11 (13%)
Sanjaya Malakar 0 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook 41 (49%)
Lil Rounds 2 (2%)
Total votes: 83
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Poll of the week: Kris ekes out a bonus win
Although it does not compare to his big win earlier tonight, Kris Allen was also victorious in the final installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week series for the eighth season of Idol. Kris scored 171 votes of the 328 total cast, good for 52% of the take. Adam was right behind him with 157 votes (47%).
Below are this week's results and the cumulative results for the entire season.
Adam 157 (47%)
Kris 171 (52%)
Total votes: 328
Total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Lil Rounds (5 votes)
10th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
09th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
08th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
07th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (51 votes)
05th - Anoop Desai (99 votes)
04th - Allison Iraheta (102 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (248 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (691 votes)
01st - Adam Lambert (852 votes)
So there you have it. Adam actually beat out Kris for the poll of the week series, but then again this is just a silly poll. Still, Adam's fans should be commended for voting as much as they did over the course of the season, and the rest of the finalists' fans did a pretty good job overall with their voting.
In this week's poll of the week, we begin our IDOL LIVE poll of the week champion series edition in which readers are asked to vote for their favorite Top 12/13 finalist of all time. Voting will last exactly one week.
Analysis: America still loves a comeback
And with that, Season 8 is no more. Kris Allen proved that even in the face of insurmountable odds, the underdog can never be counted out, and he did it an style tonight when word came in that he was crowned the American Idol of the eighth season.
I have to say that when I called Kris as the winner this morning, I was a little hesitant to type his name out. How could a no-named contestant that received zero air time before making it to the Top 36 make it all the way to the finale and defeat one of the most talented performers this show has ever seen grace its stage? But something in me said to go with my gut, that Kris' All-American image was really what this country was looking for and his vocal style is exactly what would be defined as "current." Kris is marketable and a record label's dream, and he will surely be able to move past Kara's dreaded "No Boundaries" single (which, by the way, he sounded better on tonight).
When the results came in, Kris looked as shocked as the next person. His surprise left him at a loss for words, which gave Ryan a reason to ask him to "show more excitement," but he really couldn't. It was too unexpected for him.
Adam Lambert should be very proud, though, because he will be much better off in the long run without the Idol stigma attached to his name. Besides, he delivered the single best performance of the night on his duet with KISS. Nothing can beat a little pyrotechnics and good old fashioned glam rock from the '70s and '80s. The performance was definitely the highlight of the night and will be remembered for years to come.
As for the rest of the show, it was leagues more entertaining than last night's performances. The guest performers were abundant and the duets kept on coming, and even though the silly "Golden Idol Awards" were brought back, they were actually epic this time around, with Nick Mitchell making a reappearance as Normund/Norman Gentle and Tatiana Del Toro was back to sing "Saving All My Love For You" for a fourth time while escaping security (yea nice try producers, that was so stage it almost wasn't funny). Those segments were funny, but kind of overshadowed by the performances.
Not all of the duets worked out well, though. Lil and Queen Latifah was kind of a shout fest and Lionel Richie seemed discombobulated when he sang his new single and "All Night Long" with Danny. In fact, Danny sounded so much better than Lionel it was kind of sad. Allison and Cyndi Lauper were soft and somber on "Time After Time" but once Lauper went off on a tangent near the end, things fell apart and the performance devolved into a contest between the two at who could sing the word "time" more.
Kris actually sounded really strong with Keith Urban on "Kiss a Girl." So strong, in fact, that he could actually pass as a country singer if he so chose to pursue that route. But the biggest "huh?" moment of the night had to have been Steve Martin and his folk band's duet with Megan and Michael. The whole thing seemed like a joke, only it wasn't. Poor Megan, she should have just said "caw! caw!" repeatedly and it would have been better than what she came up with in the form of singing. Michael sounded better but it was still rough in spots.
The Top 13 performed well together, but Allison should have had a bigger role on "So What," as the song has her name written all over it. The guys' rendition of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was kind of creepy, especially seeing them all dressed in suits. It was cheesy and boring until Rod Stewart came out from under the stage, only to nearly trip and fall on his journey across the stage to the micstand. It's possible he had one too many sherries before he was given the go-ahead to take the stage.
One of the most exciting moments of the show was when Katrina Darrell (aka "Bikini Girl") and her new assets and tan emerged onto the stage to perform "Vision of Love" in her signature bikini when who else but Kara burst out from behind the big ol' Idol door and joined her on the Mariah Carey track. As if that wasn't enough, Kara pulled off the most hilarious moment of the season when she ripped her dress wide open to reveal a black bikini, which she immediately covered up and told Ryan she only did it because the rest of the judges dared her to do it and they agreed to donate to charity if she followed through. For all the pain and suffering she caused as a judge and songwriter, though, this moment did a little bit to take away the sting.
Another performance worth noting were Adam and Kris' duet with Queen on "We Are the Champions," which was an amazing moment with fog overtaking the stage and the rest of the Top 13 serving as a backing choir of sorts up above on the stairs, looking down at the last two men standing. This was definitely not what most expected for a duet between the final two, but nevertheless it did not disappoint. And David Cook's emotional performance of "Permanent" was surely one that will be held near and dear to his heart. It would have worked better had he sang it later in the night but he still did an amazing job.
A performance that could have done without was the Black Eyed Peas and their No. 1 single "Boom Boom Pow," as the foursome brought an awkward five-second "Idol blackout" courtesy of Fergie and her potty mouth (apparently she didn't get the memo that they were to sing the edited, family-friendly version of the song for this special occasion). Santana, on the other hand, did not disappoint, and the Top 13's take on "Smooth" was actually pretty solid.
But now that all the glitz and glamor has ended, it is important to acknowledge that this season was not very good. In fact, it was downright disappointing. Kris and Adam were bright spots in the season, as were a select few other finalists, but the rest of the season was just awful. I will address my thoughts on the season in a forthcoming post on here.
But for now, IDOL LIVE would like to congratulate Kris on his big night. You deserve it buddy.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 5 Results (4/29/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 5 results show, when the final four finalists will be revealed in dramatic fashion. We're willing to be the results will be more exciting than Taylor Hicks' "welcome back" performance of "Seven Mile Breakdown" in addition to performances by Jamie Foxx and Natalie Cole. but there have been bigger surprises in this show's history. The blogcast will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will last one hour.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from David Cook, Anoop Desai, Blake Lewis, Lil Rounds and Carrie Underwood.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Poll of the week: Adam and Kris steal the show
Nothing out of the ordinary happened on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week, as Adam once again took hold of the competition with an additional 80 votes cast in his favor. He garnered 43% of the 182 total votes cast. This puts him in front of Kris for the first time in the overall standings.
Kris was once again the runer-up in vote totals for the week, as he received 47 votes (25%). Danny was next with 22 votes (12%), and Anoop took in 14 votes, good for 7% of the total take.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 5 favorite finalist. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 47 (25%)
Anoop Desai 14 (7%)
Matt Giraud 7 (3%)
Danny Gokey 22 (12%)
Allison Iraheta 11 (6%)
Adam Lambert 80 (43%)
Lil Rounds 1 (0%)
Total votes: 182
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Lil Rounds (5 votes)
10th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
09th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
08th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
07th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
06th - Anoop Desai (99 votes)
05th - Matt Giraud (46 votes)
04th - Allison Iraheta (70 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (173 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (297 votes)
01st - Adam Lambert (328 votes)
Analysis: Last week's save costs Lil & Anoop
Tonight went pretty much according to plan. Two finalists that really had no chance to win took their final bows and performed as contenders for the last time. The interesting thing to come of this is not as much as a whimper or whine could be heard from the audience over the ousters, which supports the notion that it really was their time to leave.
This is not a knock to Anoop or Lil, as the two of them should be proud of themselves for achieving the success they have attained on this show. But even they knew the two of them had overstayed their welcome, which supports why Lil went out with a smile on her face and Anoop left with poise, although visibly disappointed.
The judges were even long on praise for Lil, with Simon saying he was still a big fan of Lil's and with Randy saying this was just the beginning for her. The judges unfortunately did not have time to address Anoop's elimination, but they probably would have echoed something similar for him had they been able to get their last two cents in that could have been made possible by shaving 30 seconds off the disco medley (what was that, anyway?)
Moving right along to the disco medley, was that supposed to get the audience on the floor and in the mood to shake their groove thing? If so: mission absolutely not accomplished. It's always great to see legends perform their hits decades after they become hits, but sometimes you can't help but feel bad for them when it comes to their performances. I mean, Freda Payne was nearly out of breath by the time she finished shuffling across the stage through "Band of Gold" and KC of KC and the Sunshine Band looked like he was going to go into convulsions while surrounded by four much younger dancing girls. Thelma Houston was not much better on "Don't Leave Me This Way," as she looked like she took a page from Big Bird Margret's styling book (if anyone remembers who I'm referencing, you get two bonus points).
Then we were greeted by David Archuleta, who really was feeling his performance of "Touch My Hand" as he did his best to command the stage. Although he has long graduated from the Idol academy, one could have thought he was just another contestant on this season. It will take a few years, but soon enough Arch will be way beyond the Idol brand. He sounded great and was nice to Anoop and Allison as they sweated things out in the Bottom 2.
Not to be overlooked, Paula's much-hyped choreographed group performance by the Top 7 of Michael Jackson's "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" did not fail to impress. There were aspects that could be seen as being extremely cheesy, and the lip-synching was beyond obvious this week that it almost took away from the dancing, but they all worked will together considering it was put together in two days.
There are a few things that should be noted following these results. For the first time ever, The Top 5 does not include any minorities. Not that this will be a major issue, but some may seize upon this fact and take the opportunity to call the show racist (which is, after all, ridiculous). Also, this is the first time there is only one female among the Top 5, although the opposite was had in Season 3 when George Huff was the single remaining male contestant of the Top 5.
As for my original predictions and pre-show predictions, I was wrong about both finalists on the former (had Matt going in 7th with Scott going in 6th), but I was half-right on the latter. I correctly predicted Lil would be leaving in 7th place, but thought Matt would go in 6th, whereas Anoop got the honor instead. Looking back at the results and keeping things in perspective, tonight was a good night overall. From here on in, however, it will be a bumpy ride indeed.
IDOL LIVE predix: Top 7 Results, Pt. 2
Tonight's results will be a major turning point that helps hammer across the idea that DianIdol is not the be all, end all, of Idol results spoiling. This season has already been a disaster for the venerable predicting site, but it's not at fault. People just simply do not know how to read the results. They think just because someone is positioned at the top they received the most votes, and freak out every time their favorite is dwelling near the bottom of the chart. This will hopefully wake a few people up for good.
Alright enough wasting time, here is how things will most likely go tonight:
Bottom 3
>Danny, Lil, Matt
Eliminated in 7th Place
>Lil
Eliminated in 6th Place
>Matt
It has yet to be determined how Ryan will go through the results in a double elimination like tonight, but it's a good bet he will bring down the Bottom 3 and knock out the 7th-place finalists from that, leaving the next two lowest vote-getters. From there, he will read which one was next in line in terms of low vote totals, and therefore the sixth-place finisher.
So by following this model, it appears that Lil will finally leave, just as Simon said. Forget the fact that she is listed as the highest vote recipient on DialIdol, forget the whole sympathy factor, forget everything. If Lil could end up in the B3 with a performance in the pimp spot, it would make much more sense for her to leave going first. Who else could logically leave tonight other than her? Even though this show is not always about singing well, there are lines that can be drawn from time to time and tonight will be about who needs to go.
The judges' use of the save last week will be rendered pointless when Matt leaves tonight. He chose a cursed song (LaKisha Jones, anyone?) and did not sound much better than last week. Plus he did not get glowing reviews and that's a bad combination when you're short on fans. The third member of the potential B3 is probably going to be Danny, which will be as close to a shock as we'll get for now. This scare will pump up his fans and guarantee they kick it into gear in time for next week's two hours worth of voting. Although Allison looks to be in trouble tonight, she will be the major beneficiary of Lil's departure, as she could go as far as Top 3 by being the only remaining female in contention.
In my original predictions, I had Matt going home in 7th place and Scott leaving in 6th place, so the former is still a good possibility. Still, I think there's a greater chance he moves up a spot and is the second one eliminated tonight.
About last night: Vocals trump arrangements, apparently
If there's a single thing one should take away from last night's disco showdown, it is the assumption that with the exception of Adam and Kris, the judges would have preferred to hear straight-up arrangements rather than modified ones that suit the finalists better.
It seemed as if every performance had at least one judge putting a damper on the manner in which the song was performed, which is usually not how things go on this show. The positive thing about tonight was the fact that all four judges actually were allowed to get a word in (edgewise, maybe, but in regardless), yet they still managed to finish a minute or so after nine.
But it were the performances that really made the night what it was, for better or for worse. Kicking things off without even so much as a pre-performance video package (what a shame...), Lil got into her groove with "I'm Every Woman." First of all, how many times has the song been sung on this show over the years? Here's a hint: too many. Once again, Lil showed complete and utter disregard for the judges and their warnings with this song choice, and although she was able to hop around the stage with a few bright spots in her vocals, Simon was right on in accusing her of being "copycat." Simon was even more correct when he said this will be the last week we see Lil perform as an Idol finalist. If not, something in the Idol universe has gone horribly wrong.
Deciding to switch things up this week was Kris and his guitar, as the pair performed an unexpected song in "She Works Hard For the Money" (aka Donna Summer song #1). Although hundreds of thousands of Kris' fans most likely simultaneously held their breath in the 30 seconds prior to his performance, they let out a collective sigh of relief as soon as he began his acoustic take on the disco classic. Kris' vocals were as smooth as usual, but the way he configured the song to fit his personal style is something that should be admired. The judges agreed, although a few of them seemed to drag their feet (mainly Kara). Paula had to throw a hitch in what was an otherwise positive critique session, though, as she rambled on about Kris not being afraid to go shopping in women's departments. But Simon was able to paddle back to the center and delivered a glowing review. It would be a semi-shock to see him leave tonight.
Someone else who switched up his song's arrangement to result in a solid performance was Adam, as he defied Simon's $10,000 fake bet that he'd pick a Donna Summer song, instead opting for "If I Can't Have You" from Saturday Night Fever (or Saturday Night Live if you're asking Kara). With a little help from Michael Orland, Adam was able to take a well known song and turn it on its head. It was not his strongest showing to date, but it was a lot better than a few of the night's other performances. However, Paula's tearing up definitely could have been done without.
On the other side of the spectrum, Danny's take on "September" was a little on the overrated side. The dancing was improved, but the vocals were just not really up to speed. The strange thing was everyone pretty much gave Danny a pass on his vocals and praised him for making the song work for him, even though he did not mess with the arrangement. It probably would have worked better had he switched it up a bit, but Simon liked it so that's all that counts. If Kara's into foreshadowing with her "I hope we remember this by the end of the night" comment, it could be very much a possibility that Danny will land in the Bottom 3, although it would be a stretch to believe he's going anywhere.
Another finalist that did not change up the arrangement and once again did not get chewed up was Matt, as the most fortunate member of the Top 7 sang the cursed (in Idol terms) "Stayin' Alive" (aka Bee Gees song #1). Matt's vocals were a mess and his performance was extremely hectic, with the backup singers going out of their element by joining him front and center. Everything about the showing was too much: too much effort put in, too much vocals, too much moving around, too much not good enough. Yet the four talking heads were relatively easy on him, with Paula saying he threw a "strike" and Randy saying he "can really sing." Even though he gave it his all, it looks like Matt's journey on this show is finally over.
Last night's best performance came smack dab in the middle thanks to Allison's well-planned rendition of "Hot Stuff." The song is usually performed in a near joking manner, and Allison managed to transform it into an rocked-out experience. From the beginning when she was sitting vulnerably on the stairs to the last veteran-sounding run, she was able to take command of the stage as well as captivate the audience. But once again, the judges did not like this modified arrangement, with Randy borrowing a page from Simon's page when he called it "overindulgent." That's overindulgent, Randy? Really? And would you guys have preferred to hear another predictable, karaoke-sounding "Hot Stuff" songfest? I guess so.
And to close out the show was a new Anoop with a new look. He still had his old smooth vocal style, though, and his take on "Dim All the Lights" (aka Donna Summer song #2) was pretty solid. Once again, though, the current-sounding arrangement was nothing short of a major miss according to Simon, as were Anoop's vocals, as he called it his worst showing yet. That is for sure a stretch, and Randy, Paula and Kara were more on the money here (something that rarely happens this season). Maybe next time Anoop can do without the pink, though (just ignore Paula on that one, Anoop).
And with that, it's going to be close. At this point it seems like it would be fairly obvious as to who's getting the send-off tonight, but there are a few surprises to be had yet. There has yet to be a "shocker" of an elimination this season, and it might just happen tonight.
Just one more thing: I got answers to my two pre-performance questions. First, only two of seven finalists "took the boring route" and sang Donna Summer songs. Second, only one finalist "opted for the toe-tapping tunes of The Bee Gees."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Poll of the week: Adam's fans are born to be wild for him
Adam was once again victorious in IDOL LIVE's poll of the week, but it was not as close this time around. Adam took in another 109 votes for the week, or 45% of the poll's total votes cast, which puts him at 248 votes overall since the series began Top 13 week.
Kris was the runner-up once more, as his fans managed to get him 86 votes, or 35% of the total votes. It was not even close for anyone else, as Danny (16 votes, 6%) followed with Allison and Matt each tied for fourth place with 10 votes (4%).
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 7 favorite finalist. The poll will start anew rather than just continuing with the current results. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 86 (35%)
Anoop Desai 9 (3%)
Matt Giraud 10 (4%)
Danny Gokey 16 (6%)
Allison Iraheta 10 (4%)
Adam Lambert 109 (45%)
Lil Rounds 1 (0%)
Total votes: 241
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
10th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
09th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
08th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
07th - Lil Rounds (4 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (39 votes)
05th - Allison Iraheta (59 votes)
04th - Anoop Desai (85 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (151 votes)
02nd - Adam Lambert (248 votes)
01st - Kris Allen (250 votes)
Analysis: Judges make a bad decision
Well, at least one good thing can be said of tonight's results: the save is no more.
The rest of tonight's outcome was poorly concocted. It was a big mistake and will most likely cost a more deserving contestant his or her life in the competition next Wednesday. This is not to say that Matt is not a good guy, as he has a unique voice and has a great personality. But there are so many reasons he should not have been saved tonight, and a few of them are as follows.
First of all, Matt was a wild card contestant, meaning he was technically already "voted out" once. It was only after the judges gave him a second chance that he made it back into the competition. Secondly, Matt did not do extremely well last night, and received two lukewarm critiques from Randy and Kara. Thirdly, Matt sounded even worse tonight in his "singing for his life" opportunity, once again cracking on his falsetto near the end. Simon even made note of this in addition to saying that he thinks Matt has no shot at winning the competition prior to revealing the judges' decision.
For that comment alone, this save is pathetic. It is obvious that the judges are just trying to stir things up to increase the drama factor and it can be seen as nothing but a buzz builder and lame attempt to increase the show's sagging ratings this season. Simon knows this very well of course, but he apparently does not care anymore. He did not stand up for himself, unless of course it was three against one. That would make sense, but he never said he disagreed with the decision, so who really knows. After the show, however, Simon talked with Extra correspondent and former girlfriend Terri Seymour, saying he doesn't know why he saved Matt, but he did not get "caught up in the moment." Great rationale, Simon.
It was pretty apparent that the judges would exercise the save once Paula and Kara were shown swaying together during Matt's performance, as they appeared too jubilant to be sending him home. But now it's important to put tonight in the past and focus our attention on next week's possibilities.
First thing's first: Anoop is a total goner regardless of how he does. Secondly, disco week has not been traditionally kind to Idol finalists, and it would suggest that a front runner could very well be going next week thanks to the double elimination. The finalist that seems to be the most vulnerable in this situation is Allison, as she was not in the Bottom 3 this week so her fans are probably complacent right now, whereas Lil's fans once again got another kick in the pants, which could ensure her safety. Matt will most definitely not be going home next week because his fans realize they got a once in a lifetime opportunity with tonight's save, and they will be sure not to waste it.
The two obvious front runners that will not be going anywhere are Adam and Danny, though it would not be a shock to see one of them in the Bottom 3. Kris is the other vulnerable finalist next week, especially since he doesn't seem like much of a disco kind of guy. But we'll wait and see.
As for the rest of the show, Jennifer Hudson proved that she really is a great artist and although she showed signs of nervousness, she pulled it off in the end. The audience did not seem too into it but "If This Isn't Love" is one of those songs that's hard to really get into at a live performance.
A "singer" that could take a pointer or two from Jennifer was the night's other guest performer, Miley Cyrus. She looks more grown up than she has in the past, but her vocals are still very weak and do not justify her fame. It is a shame because her new single, "The Climb," is a solid song in its own right, it just belongs to the wrong owner. Hopefully Idol cancels Katy Perry's guest performance slot for Top 3 night before she can continue the streak of bad guest performances.
There was really nothing else interesting about tonight's results episode, as the Ford music video was boring and so were Ryan's questions to the finalists. One other thing of note was the montage of the Top 7 finalists attending the premiere of Zac Efron's new movie 17 Again, which received a huge amount of promotion from its four-minute commercial of sorts in front of 20-plus million. Oh, and by the way, the movie opens on Friday if you somehow missed that important tidbit.
On the results front, I would have been correct in both my original predictions and pre-show predictions with Matt receiving the fewest votes, but of course the judges had to go and screw that up. Maybe that's the real reason I'm upset? Regardless, this is really disappointing. Hopefully next week makes up for this horrible turn of events.
About last night: Tarantino's advice fails to spice
Self-professed Idol fan Quentin Tarantino came into his role as mentor to the Top 7 finalists with less pizazz than he did back in 2004 when he served as guest judge for the third season's movie night. He seemed more relaxed and understanding of the finalists' strengths and weaknesses this time around (see his "I didn't care" comment to Diana DeGarmo for reference). That said, last night was a real letdown in terms of performance quality, as Tarantino's advice really did not seem to matter in the end.
Although Allison kicked off the night with Aerosmith's venerable "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," it paled in comparison to David Cook's rendition last season. She had some impressive moments and definitely was spot on with her high notes, but the arrangement was not unique and overall was lackluster. The two judges that were allowed to comment (oh yea, another brilliant idea from Ken Warwick & Co. since Idol did not run over last night...oh wait, it did), Paula and Simon, seemed pretty pleased with Allison's job, but the comments were more overarching and centered around Allison compared to Lil than they were about her actual singing, but what else is new.
Last night was not a lot of things, but Adam's performance of "Born to Be Wild" was certainly accurate to its title. Since he is the strongest performer on the show this season, it was not unbelievable that he delivered on expectations with the Steppenwolf mainstay. But the vocals were sort of out of control in some spots, but again, that is not something that is to be unexpected. What was a little surprising was how Simon said it was "vocally incredible." That term is pretty powerful, and that was not one of Adam's better vocal jobs for sure. And of course, Paula was her usual fangirl self with Adam and her "path of greatness" drool was the icing on the cake.
Someone who was weaker than he has been lately was Matt. He picked a great song in Bryan Adam's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," but there were pitch problems galore as Randy so wisely pointed out. His piano playing was as good as usual but his vocals were inconsistent. Kara actually stated it well when she said if Matt wanted to change up the melody as much as he did it needed to be close to perfect. And it wasn't. Matt will be in serious hot water tonight based on the performance.
Like Matt, Danny had a rough night compared to what he is usually capable of. In addition to some off notes and pitch issues, Danny's lack of glasses took away part of his persona. Aside from that, Simon was right about him not stepping out of the box and coming off as boring compared to Cook's ultra-changed up rendition of Lionel Richie's "Hello" last season. Maybe it would not have been as believable had Danny gone and done a 180 with the song, but it at least would have become a bit more interesting. Definitely one of his weakest offerings to date, but he should steer clear from any trouble tonight.
Anoop on the other hand did a pretty solid job on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You." He slowed it down yet kept it sounding fresh and current, which is not usually an easy task for him. Randy and Kara each loved it, so that's got to count for something, right?
The best performance of the night was without a doubt Kris' take on "Falling Slowly" from the film Once. All the elements that combine for a great end result were present, including vocal control and correct usage of the falsetto. It may be true that he didn't end up going with the guitar as Tarantino originally suggested, but that actually ended up being the right decision because his vocals would have played second fiddle to his instrumentation. Randy's downer critique was unexpected because it really is hard to find something as wrong as he did with the performance. Kara might have overreached when she said it was his best to date, but she was closer than the truth than Randy.
But all was pretty much forgotten by the time Lil took the stage, as she delivered a wreck of a rendition of Bette Middler's "The Rose." Lil was under immense pressure after weeks of critical comments from the judges regarding her inability to pick the right song and make it her own. Last night was no different, as Simon truly lashed into her by saying she was not the same singer they met weeks ago, which prompted Lil to go on the defense as she tried to justify her infusion of R&B and gospel sound into such a soft song. Had Lil not gone last, she would most likely be going home tonight. But she got the pimp spot, thus she is going nowhere.
The prognosis of last night's performance offerings may not be good, but that does not mean all of the remaining finalists are not good. All of them are great in their own right, but there are still weaknesses to each of them. This is something people should take into account before they go ahead and declare the winner.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Analysis: Sun (finally) sets on Scott's 'Idol' journey
Scott MacIntyre is a happy guy. In fact, he was probably the nicest, most personable finalist to appear on Idol this season. That said, like last week there was really no other option for who was to be sent home.
After weeks of offering up very similar song choices and performances at the piano, Scott finally tried something different as a result of Paula's nudging of him to step out of his comfort zone. Looking back, he probably still would have left had he gone with the piano on "The Search Is Over" rather than the gimmicky guitar, so the blame really can't be pinned on anyone but him and his vocals.
As for the seemingly endless discussion among the judges to decide whether or not Scott was worth their powerful save option, there is no way two of them were actually willing to use it. It had to be all for show, to ratchet up the drama factor and to give Scott that much more hope that he'd have another week. One thing I noticed was Randy seemed to be really detached from the rest of the judges, as he was sitting behind Simon and Paula during Scott's final performance and really had nothing to say when it was time to make a decision.
By the way, what was up with the judges and that photoshopped "baby photo" of Simon and Paula? That was a waste of time. But what was an even bigger waste of time was Frankie Avalon's surprise performance to make Simon feel old about turning 50 this year. The guy walked out from behind those big doors looking eerily similar to what Ryan will probably look like in 50 years and proceeded to shuffle around the stage. At least half of the audience (probably closer to two-thirds) had no idea who he was or why he was there. In fact, I still have no idea what he was doing there. All I know is it was a waste of time.
Speaking of wastes of time, last night's guest performers were both on the average-to-awful side, as Flo Rida had more fun stripping on stage than he did singing along to his "Right Round"'s catchy hook and Kellie Pickler was more interested in flirting with the judging than churning out a respectable vocal. Flo's typical rapper schlock ("R.O.O.T.S. in stores now!") when he chatted with Ryan (who was trying to act too cool, by the way) post-performance was just another anchor on his appearance on the show.
Getting back to the results for a moment, the other Bottom 2 dweller was Anoop, which did not come as a huge surprise. It looks like unless he can score the pimp spot next week and pull off an amazing showstopper, his time may be up soon. Lil, on the other hand, will get a kick in the pants to finally listen to what the judges have been trying to tell her for weeks and she will turn the advice into a golden performance as long as she does not go for a "I Will Always Love You"-like performance for next week's "Songs of the Cinema" theme.
Another Ford music video was upstaged by its behind the scenes featurette that preceded it, as seven of the finalists had to pretend to enjoy dressing up like magicians, putting sparkles on their faces and singing along to Britney Spears' "Circus" (no surprise on who the one finalist that enjoyed the whole production was). The amount of footage of Scott in the behind the scenes video was a dead giveaway as to who would be leaving, as he had never been included that much in any off-site group video package.
As for IDOL LIVE's predictions, I am now 0-6 with my original predictions because I had Alexis going home originally and, well, she left in 11th place a few weeks back. I'm doing much better on my pre-results show predix, though, as I correctly called Scott leaving last night. Therefore, my record has improved to 3-6 in that predicting category. I was off on who would be joining Scott in the B2, though, as I had Kris in there over Anoop, and I had Anoop in third-to-last rather than Lil. But oh well, as long as the end result is the same.
As mentioned upstream, next Tuesday the Top 7 will have to master "Songs of the Cinema" and endure re-listening to Miley Cyrus' taped performance of "The Climb" from a few weeks back. Awesome!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Poll of the week: It's a mad world for Adam
For the first time, Adam emerged victorious on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week for Top 8 week of the eighth season of Idol. After Kris's two straight weeks of placing first, Adam eked out a win this week with 30 votes (30%) to Kris' 29 votes (29%) of the 100 total votes cast.
The next closest finalist was Danny, who remained in third for the week with 16 votes, and Anoop was right behind in fourth with 12 votes. Surprisingly, Scott received a grand total of zero votes, which probably explains why he was sent packing tonight.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote for their Top 7 favorite finalist. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 29 (29%)
Anoop Desai 12 (12%)
Matt Giraud 4 (4%)
Danny Gokey 16 (16%)
Allison Iraheta 8 (8%)
Adam Lambert 30 (30%)
Scott MacIntyre 0 (0%)
Lil Rounds 1 (1%)
Total votes: 100
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
10th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
09th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
08th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
07th - Lil Rounds (3 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (29 votes)
05th - Allison Iraheta (49 votes)
04th - Anoop Desai (76 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (135 votes)
02nd - Adam Lambert (139 votes)
01st - Kris Allen (164 votes)
About last night: Birth years make for poor song choices
In what was an overall off night, a few noteworthy performances were able to shine through when the Top 8 finalists took to the stage in the face of baby pictures clouding the big monitor. Birth years may be a favorite theme of the contestants according to Ryan, but it is almost never a favorite of the voting audience.
As usual, Top 8 night had the producers trying to fit way too many pigs in a blanket, as evidenced by the episode's 9:06 end time. Ryan did his best to rush through his speaking parts, but the judges' comments in the beginning slowed the whole thing down, most notably Paula's incoherent ramblings.
Kicking off the night was the eldest of the eight remaining finalists, Danny, whose rendition of "Stand By Me" used the arrangement set forth by Mickey Gilley. The arrangement was both Danny's best friend and his worst enemy, as it went from slow and forgettable to a little bit happenin' to all over the place. Simon actually liked the performance as a whole, though, while the other three salivated over the underwhelming offering Danny had following a spectacular performance last week.
Someone in the same boat is Matt, who did Stevie Wonder proud with "Part-Time Lover" despite having the odds stacked against him. The spectacle should have been a huge disaster based on song choice alone but Matt held it down while looking the part of and Idol. Since he went second to last, he had to endure snippets of critiques in comparison to his fellow finalists that went before him, which probably did more harm to him because although he received all positive comments, none were memorable.
A finalist that certainly did not benefit from her critiques was Lil, as her alright-but-not-good-enough take on Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It?" earned her a tongue lashing from the furious four, with Simon really laying it down by telling her "We've lost you. I have no idea who you are anymore." He did offer her constructive criticism, but it went on for far too long and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. Despite the frigid reception from the judges, Lil's hollow plea that she would "try harder next week if America gives her a chance" should be enough to earn her a spot in the Top 7.
Someone who surprised last night was for sure Anoop, especially after last week's lazy, haphazard performance. Anoop sang "True Colors," which usually would be grounds for elimination on the spot thanks to its dreariness and the fact that it's been performed to death. But despite a muffled microphone, he delivered in the end. Anoop received a stern talking to from Simon, though, as he said apologies to the judges for "being rude" are unnecessary because they also say things to the contestants that probably shouldn't be said. To add to everything, Kara yelled over the audience's clapping that Anoop never was even rude to him, basically rejecting his sincere apologize he doled out prior to taking the stage. Regardless, Anoop is a good guy for issuing the apology.
The second-best performance of the night came from Allison, as her straight-up version of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" did more good for her than any rocked-out version could have done. Allison's vocals came off a little Broadway in places, but overall there was hardly anything negative to say about the performance. Randy's comparing Allison to Idol-era Kelly Clarkson was out of place and although it's nice and flattering to her, it is sort of a slight to Kelly. That's not to say Allison's bad, she's just not in Kelly's league.
Two finalists that should be worried for tonight's results are Scott and Kris. The logical choice to go home based on the performances would be Scott, as his rendition of Survivor's "The Search Is Over" showed that while he tried to change it up a little bit, he really does not sound as good when he's not behind the piano. He tried his best with the electric guitar, but it could not mask his creaking and croaking vocals (especially the high parts).
Even though it was kind of a tough critique, Paula was able to treat Scott kindly while leveling some serious sense of reality to him. Scott was able to let some humor out, telling Paula he was "letting his punk side out" with the electric guitar, but it might not be enough to save him.
Kris, on the other hand, did a pretty decent job on Don Henley's "All She Wants to Do Is Dance." But decent doesn't always translate to votes, and the judges' lukewarm comments coupled with the overall forgettableness of Kris and things are not looking too bright for him tonight. Definitely expect a showing in the Bottom 3.
And then there was Adam. While I have been pretty rough on him this season, I have to give credit where credit is due. Just the fact that he was able to get Simon on his feet deserves props in of itself. Adam was able to retain a sense of vulnerability and raw emotion on Gary Jules' "Mad World." The lighting combined with the eerie instrumentation definitely set him up to have a "moment," and by estimations he did just that. It is fair to say it's too early in the season for him to have his finest showing, but whether or not this is his peak, Top 8 week will be looked back as a pivotal moment for Adam.
Tonight will be a test to see which finalist has the stronger fan base, as Kris or Scott will have to say goodbye to their Idol dreams. Check back later to see my predictions for how tonight will play out.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Season 8 finalists: Kelly or Cook?
Most FOX affiliates send one of its own to LA to cover all things Idol during the season. Once there, these correspondents compose a round robin of interviews with the finalists, most of the time asking pointless questions like "what's your favorite ice cream flavor?" or "is Simon mean to you?"
But Charley from Tampa Bay's FOX 13 actually asked an interesting question of the Top 9 finalists in his interview round. The question: "Kelly Clarkson or David Cook?" The answers:
So just for the record, the Top 9 finalists' preferences are:
Adam: Kelly
Allison: Kelly Cook (cop out, but funny)
Anoop: Kelly
Danny: Both (just a plain cop out)
Kris: Kelly
Lil: Kelly
Matt: David
Megan: Kelly
Scott: David
Ouch, looks like nothing comes close to the original, even as far as Idol alums are concerned.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Poll of the week: Kris is #1 again (no joke)
The Top 9 finalists raked in a good amount of votes in IDOL LIVE's most recent poll of the week, with Kris once again coming out on top. Kris managed to receive 33 votes, or 27% of the total take. This is the third week he has received the most amount of votes in the poll of the week series.
Adam was runner-up again, taking in 27 votes (22%), while Danny came in third with 20 votes (16%). In her final week, Megan could only muster six votes for 4% of the votes cast.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote for their Top 8 favorite finalist. You will have exactly six days to vote.
Kris Allen 33 (27%)
Megan Joy Corkrey 6 (4%)
Anoop Desai 12 (9%)
Matt Giraud 6 (4%)
Danny Gokey 20 (16%)
Allison Iraheta 13 (10%)
Adam Lambert 27 (22%)
Scott MacIntyre 3 (2%)
Lil Rounds 2 (1%)
Total votes: 122
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
10th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
09th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
08th - Lil Rounds (2 votes)
07th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (25 votes)
05th - Allison Iraheta (41 votes)
04th - Anoop Desai (64 votes)
03rd - Adam Lambert (109 votes)
02nd - Danny Gokey (119 votes)
01st - Kris Allen (135 votes)
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