It wasn't even close this week regarding IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series, as Brooke White easily defeated her fellow fifth-place finalists.
Brooke's 21 votes (46%) was a while 11 votes ahead of the next-highest placing finalist, as Season 8's Matt Giraud managed to take away 22% of all 45 votes cast.
The only other alums to make a dent in this week's competition of were Season 9's Aaron Kelly (15%) and Season 6's Chris Richardson (8%).
In the next round, readers will be asked which 4th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
R.J. Helton 0 (0%)
Trenyce 0 (0%)
George Huff 1 (2%)
Scott Savol 1 (2%)
Paris Bennett 1 (2%)
Chris Richardson 4 (8%)
Brooke White 21 (46%)
Matt Giraud 10 (22%)
Aaron Kelly 7 (15%)
Total votes: 45
Showing posts with label matt giraud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label matt giraud. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Poll of the week: Brooke White wipes floor with competition
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 6 Results (4/28/10)
Last night was nice mostly because it didn't run over, but there were also a few decent performances. Maybe it's because we're getting down to the wire and the majority of the cannon fodder are gone? Or maybe it's just the standards have been lowered so much that they have nowhere to go but up? Either way, I'll refrain from complaining.
Tonight we surprisingly cannot expect a performance from this week's mentor, Shania Twain, however Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and...Shakira...will all be there to perform. To see who I predict will be leaving tonight, see here.
Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 9 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Daughtry, Jasmine Murray, Katharine McPhee, Kristy Lee Cook, Matt Giraud.
Friday, April 2, 2010
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jennifer Hudson dishes on weight loss on 'GMA'
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Jennifer Hudson appeared on ABC's Good Morning America this morning to chat with Robin Roberts about how she slimmed down after giving birth to her son, David Jr. Watch the segment below:
Jennifer treated her TV audience to her "sweetest little baby in the whole wide world" song that she gets David Jr. laughing with and talked about the privilege she has in playing Winnie Mandela in an upcoming biopic.
>Stephanie Edwards, who placed 11th on the sixth season of Idol, was arrested Monday night in Savannah, Ga., for being stupid (and fighting in public). Per RealityTVWorld:
Edwards told police that the woman, Laquilla White, had been harassing her all day with phone calls -- so she decided to travel to her home and confront her, which is when things got physical, Moore said.Stephanie and the other woman were let out on $1,300 bail. Now she can go back to having a career in music, right? Right...
>Not as funny (but equally as law-related) was the news that Chikezie Eze will be charged with more serious charges after his botched attempt at shoplifting $1,200 worth of cologne at a Neiman Marcus in LA last month. Per EOnline.com:
Now the Los Angeles D.A. is charging him with misdemeanor attempted grand theft and misdemeanor identity theft. Eze's pretrial hearing is set for May 2.
Something tells me Chikezie will have a lot to talk about over the next month. Wonder if he'll find a TV show willing to hear him out?
>TV Guide Network recently profiled Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre in a "Where are they now?" segment, which focuses on their post-Idol activities. Watch the segment below:
It's not surprising that Matt is still fond of how he was the first finalist to ever be saved by the judges. Scott is great at keeping a positive outlook on his career and it's good to see he's still getting noticed for things other than his visual impairment.
>Jason Castro announced his upcoming summer tour in support of his debut self-titled album, kicking off at the Palladium Ballroom on Sat., April 17, in Dallas, Tex. Per the press release:
Castro will kick off his first headlining tour in his home state of Texas with an April 17th show at Dallas's The Loft. The trek will then traverse the US through mid-May (see itinerary below). A further slate of summer tour dates will be announced shortly.
The tour will wrap up at The Note in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sun., May 16. Jason Castro features the single "That's What I'm Here For" and is set for a Tues., April 13 release.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 11 Results (3/24/10)
Last night's exhibition of Billboard No. 1s was extraordinarily boring, but at least it wasn't bad. Therefore, tonight we will most likely see an expected boot because it's still too early in the season for a shocker.
At least we get to look forward to Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas as our featured guest performers. Oh wait...
To see who I predict will be leaving tonight, see here. Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 9 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Matt Giraud, Melinda Doolittle and Nick Pedro.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The dreaded "judges' save" gimmick returns
I must say I was a little surprised tonight when at the beginning of the Top 12 results show, Ryan asked Simon to explain how the "judges' save" tool works. For a second I thought we were accidentally warped back in time to a year ago, because no one had brought up part of last season that no one wanted to remember because of its sheer stupidity. When I realized this was not the case, I was both sad and confused: why would the producers bring back an option that was widely panned by fans and critics alike?
At the completion of Idol's eighth season, this is what I had to say about the gimmick:
Perhaps the chief rival to Kara being added as a judge for the biggest fumble of Season 8, the infamous "judges' save" option was threatened to be used for weeks before it was finally exhausted in one of the most inexplicable moments of the season. The save was introduced in the Top 13 to keep a "shocker" from happening (i.e. Chris Daughtry, Tamyra Gray). Or at least that's what Ryan and the judges stated.
However, the transparency of the gimmick was so blatant that each week when the results were read, many people couldn't help but roll their eyes at the sight of the judges' "deliberating" while the unlucky contestant "sang for their life." If the whole thing wasn't thought to be phony based on the image of Paula dancing while they were supposed to be talking things over, Simon's hollow "sorry, it's the end of the road" spiels were the icing on the cake for this mess of a gimmick.
The whole time it was easy to see that the save was nothing more than a safety net for TPTB's favorite contestants in case they went under prior to the Top 5, mainly Adam and Danny (Lil at the beginning of the season but not in her last few weeks). After they realized that none of the above were going anywhere for a while, the judges decided to waste it on Matt. Really? Yes, they used it on Matt. It's not like he was a bad guy, but he was one of the last contestants of those remaining that should have been granted the honor.
One cosmetic side effect of the save was that it damaged the suspense factor for half the finals. Even though it was a good guess the option would not be put into effect on a given night, just the idea that the vote was revealed and that contestant still did not know his or her final fate was both annoying to the contestant and anticlimactic to the audience. Therefore, it would be a complete and utter mistake for this cheap shenanigan to return for Season 9.
Needless to say, I still feel the same way. I don't think the judges would use the save on anyone other than Crystal Bowersox, Casey James or Siobhan Magnus. But then again they used it on Matt Giraud last season, so maybe they would waste it on a Didi Benami or Andrew Garcia?
Either way, the decision to invite the save back is foolish to say the least.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 16 Results (3/11/10)
After many weeks of waiting, we will finally see the culmination of the talent dug up during Idol's ninth season, and there are as many signs pointing to originality as their are pointing to overrated. Surprisingly, we get to witness performances by Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre, both members of last season's Top 12 roster.
Please feel free to add your input throughout the one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Diana DeGarmo, Elliott Yamin, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Mandisa.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Poll of the week: "Ring of Fire" is readers' most memorable moment of '09
IDOL LIVE readers elected Adam Lambert's "Ring of Fire" performance as their most memorable Idol-related moment of 2009 in the latest edition of the poll of the week series.
Adam's performance eked out a win with 35 votes (31%) over Kris Allen's winning moment over Adam, which nabbed 29 votes (26%). The moment that IDOL LIVE selected as its most memorable moment of the year, Adam's American Music Awards performance, only finished third this time around with 12 votes (10%).
The least memorable of the most memorable moments was the judges' use of their save power to protect Matt Giraud from falling victim at the hands of voters, as it failed to earn a single vote.
In this week's edition of the poll of the week, readers are asked what they are most looking forward to for Season 9. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Kelly Clarkson's spat with Ryan Tedder over "Already Gone" 2 (1%)
Paula Abdul departs 'Idol' 8 (7%)
Adam Lambert's "Ring of Fire" performance 35 (31%)
Kris Allen's win over Adam Lambert 29 (26%)
Joanna Pacitti DQ'ed 2 (1%)
Adam Lambert's AMA performance 12 (10%)
Ellen DeGeneres added as judge 4 (3%)
Carrie Underwood's "good year" 11 (9%)
Judges save Matt Giraud 0 (0%)
Danny Gokey's scream 1 (0%)
Other 7 (6%)
Total votes: 111
Thursday, December 31, 2009
IDOL LIVE's Top 10 most memorable moments of 2009 - Part 2
And now the continuation of IDOL LIVE's Top 10 most memorable moments of 2009. If you missed moments #10-6, catch up before you proceed.
05) Judges' save used on Matt Giraud
Season 8 was full of awkward changes and poor decisions from a production standpoint, but one of the worst ideas was without a doubt the introduction of the "judges' save" option, which enabled the judges to save a contestant from elimination anytime between Top 13 week and Top 5 week. The "threat" of the judges' tool for manipulation hung over each finalist upon elimination, each time giving said finalist hollow hope until they finally caved and granted Matt Giraud the gift when he was set to be eliminated in Top 7 week.
Matt was a good enough guy, but it was definitely his time to go, and the judges' use of the power seemed like an afterthought by the time they used it. Still, it marked a historic moment in Idol history and gained widespread media attention for the show that was supposed to let viewers decide who advanced. The action prompted many to accuse the tool as a fail-safe method by which producers could discreetly keep some of their favorites in the running, be it Adam Lambert or Danny Gokey had either failed to garner enough votes to remain on the show. The gimmick was largely panned, and will most likely be remembered as a mistake.
04) Ellen DeGeneres added as fourth judge
Alright, so Ellen DeGeneres's addition wasn't as big as Paula's departure, but it was still pretty huge. After word broke of the new face that would be joining Simon, Randy and Kara, weeks of speculation ensued with all corners of the media questioning how this would affect the show's dynamics and whether or not the talk show host was the right fit considering she has no experience in the music industry. Even Larry King had to get Tyra Banks's take on the news, which proves that Ellen's new gig gained all kinds of attention from across the media spectrum.
Of course, tons of the show's alums from seasons past had to give their two cents as well, which gave the media even more of a reason to talk about it. And Ellen being a talk show host also gave her a platform on which to talk about the big news. Ellen was careful in discussing the matter, though, as she tried to quell concerns that she would not be useful in critiquing performances and was in effect "stealing Paula's job," saying:
"I hope Paula is OK with it....I don't want anybody to think that I took Paula's job away."Paula had nothing but nice things to say about Ellen, though, as she wished her luck with the new role:
"Ellen DeGeneres is wildly funny and talented in her own right. I wish her and the show only the best of luck."Whatever happens in terms of judge shuffling, there's sure to be plenty of material from Ellen, as she is first and foremost a comedian. But the actual announcement that Ellen would be joining the judging panel was one of the few big stories to penetrate the national media in the off-season, so for that it earns its spot on this countdown.
03) Adam Lambert loses American Idol
One of the greatest shocks of 2009 in the Idol world was the fact that Adam Lambert lost what was largely thought to be his title to lose, that being the title of the next American Idol. The majority of the season felt like a running coronation for Adam, as he received all ingredients necessary for a bona fide star, from tons of fan support to endless praise from the judges to extensive media coverage. But in the end, a dark horse from Arkansas named Kris Allen stood in the way of what seemed to be the inevitable. Many did not expect Kris to make the Top 12, let alone win, so it was a big surprise for virtually everyone when Ryan Seacrest read his name aloud that night.
Even Idol's own crew, especially Simon, picked the glam rocker to take it all. The stunning defeat leads to many conspiracy theories, some of which are perputated by mainstream media outlets including The New York Times claiming AT&T gave free phones to Kris's fans in Arkansas, and the whole "38 million votes from Arkansas alone" garbage that was spread around the net thanks to Little Rock's FOX affiliate KLRT, which also was picked up the media because of the overwhelming disbelief that Adam could lose the competition.This combined with the usual rationalization from fans as to how their favorite lost, ranging from Kris absorbing votes from Danny Gokey's fans because they were "both Christians" to overconfidence leading to a lack of power voting. Despite all this silliness, both Adam and Kris took the result in stride and were vocal about their continued friendship despite the outcome. But just like every other year, the final outcome of that year's installment of Idol is among the top stories of that year's news cycle.
02) Paula Abdul finally calls it quits after eight seasons
Call it jealousy. Call it failure to meet in the middle. Whatever it was, the fact remains that Paula Abdul is no longer a member of the Idol judging panel. After a public ping pong match with the back-and-forth mixed messages sent from both Paula's camp and Idol's camp, the official announcement came on Tues., Aug. 4, via her official Twitter account:
With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all...I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon.
This was obviously a memorable moment because it marks the first time that a judge has left the show. But considering there were conflicting reports on whether or not Paula would be sticking with the show due to her contract dispute literally for months beginning before the eighth season even concluded, the matter was magnified even moreso than it usually would have been. Evidence pointing to a departure included reports of a "crying fit" in her dressing room during meetings with show management and statements from her reps that pointed to it not looking likely that she'd return. Not to mention her "performance" of "I'm Just Here For the Music" near the end of the season, which could have been taken as a sign that Paula was ready to move on and pursue other things including another run at a music career. But there was also evidence that Paula would strike a deal to remain on the show, so there was much confusion shrouding whatever the real situation of the contract talks was at the time. So in that respect it wasn't a shock, but it still was a big deal.
The announcement was reported by the national media mere hours after it happened and played out in the media for the following weeks. The debate as to whether Paula should have sucked up her differences and accepted the contract offer was reignited when Ellen DeGeneres was picked to replace her, but she remained steadfast in her reasoning for not sticking with the show. Of course, Idol alums were not in short supply to offer their viewpoints on how it all went down and how Paula would be sorely missed on the show.
01) Adam Lambert shocks audiences with controversial American Music Awards performance
Even though this event came late in the year, there's no denying it was by far the biggest most memorable Idol-related moment of 2009 because it made Adam Lambert a household name once again and even (the few) people who had not heard of him prior to the performance were finally acquainted with him, which either left a very negative or positive first impression of him with many.
Aside from the performance and all its crotch-grabbing, flipping off and falling down glory, the discussion that ensued in the media and around the water cooler was unmatched by anything else at the time. All anyone could talk about for days was Adam, who actually lengthened the story himself by lashing out at critics, then accusing some of having a double standard. ABC's decision to cancel Adam's upcoming appearances on the network in promotion of his album also drew a rise out of his fans, who called for boycotts of the network, and every talk show scrambled to get Adam on their program in the hopes of grabbing ratings and one-upping ABC for what they believed to be a poor decision. All of this was carried out in the media for everyone to see, which was both good and bad for all parties involved.
The story finally died down when Adam admitted he didn't think the whole thing through and said he probably wouldn't have approached the performance the same way had he the chance to do the whole thing over, but still questions about the performance seem to follow him wherever he goes.
For better or for worse, 2009 was certainly the year of Adam Lambert, and so there's no better way to summarize this than by having this moment be the most memorable one of the year for this countdown's purpose.
So there are your Top 10 most memorable moments of 2009 as compiled by IDOL LIVE. Do you agree? Don't forget to voice your opinion in the poll of the week for your most memorable Idol moment of the year.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Poll of the week: Brooke's fans have high hopes
After a bump in the road in last week's champion series poll of the week results with a victory from Season 5's Kellie Pickler, Season 7 restarted its streak this week with a convincing win for fifth-place finalist Brooke White.
Brooke took home the honors with 28 votes, good for 52% of the total amounts of votes cast for the week. No one came even close, as the second-most voted for finalist was Matt Giraud, who was able to pull in 12 in all (22%).
In the next installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, readers are asked which fourth-place finalist is their favorite of all eight seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
RJ Helton 1 (1%)
Trenyce 0 (0%)
George Huff 2 (3%)
Scott Savol 0 (0%)
Paris Bennett 6 (11%)
Chris Richardson 4 (7%)
Brooke White 28 (52%)
Matt Giraud 12 (22%)
Total votes: 53
Saturday, May 23, 2009
IDOL LIVE's Top 10 best performances of S8, Pt. 1
After months of grueling competition, we all can finally sit back and revel in our memories of the most recent season of Idol. Although Season 8 was a disappointment, there were a good amount of performances that were able to shine through the problems that clouded the competition from a production point of view.
In this two-part series, IDOL LIVE has selected the 10 best performances that occurred on the Idol stage this past season.
10) Anoop Desai, "Ooo Baby Baby"
The likable guy with an unusual name from Chapel Hill was hit or miss in the finals, and inconsistency is probably what landed him in sixth place. Fortunately he was able to deliver his rendition of The Miracles' "Ooo Baby Baby" during Motown Week as a member of the Top 10. Watch the performance below:
This performance really showed that Anoop's crooning was not just a fluke, and for the second week in a row he took on a ballad and showed range. Paula commented on his falsetto being "sweet and spot-on," while Simon said the vocals was great but he "looked half asleep." Asleep or no, Anoop showed that he was more than just a guy with a prerogative with this showing.
09) Matt Giraud, "So Small"
Matt took a big risk Top 11 week when he chose to sing Carrie Underwood's "So Small" for the challenging theme of selections from the Grand Ole Opry. Since country is hardly his style, Matt took a different approach to the uplifting #1 hit. Refresh your memory on the performance below:
Matt's use of the piano to heighten the emotional impact on "So Small" was genius, as he also seemed relaxed and comfortable behind the keys. His husky vocals blended nicely with the instrumentation and helped him prove that he could put his own touch on very familiar songs. Randy called it his "favorite performance of the night" and Simon told Matt he out-sang Danny and that he did not get enough credit up to that point. "So Small" was the moment when Matt really emerged as a contender.
08) Adam Lambert, "Whole Lotta Love"
Adam was no stranger to blowing the roof off the house with his performances by Top 4 week, but his take on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was one for the Idol history books. Revisit Adam's rock 'n roll week offering below:
Simon summed up the sentiment of this performance perfectly when he told Adam "no one can top that," which was a bold statement considering Adam kicked off the show with "Whole Lotta Love." He looked like he was having more fun than ever before, and showed naysayers that he could do Led Zeppelin proud. Paula was succinct when she said Adam was "a whole lotta perfect," which is a huge overstatement, but showed the kind of effect Adam had on the audience.
07) Danny Gokey, "Come Rain Or Come Shine"
Over the course of the season, Danny was a dependable performer who could do both upbeat and slowed down numbers. When it came time for music of the Rat Pack standards, he was ready to belt out Harold Arlen's "Come Rain or Come Shine" to the best of his ability. Remind yourselves of how the performance went below:
Danny's vocals on "Come Rain or Come Shine" were extra smooth and as Kara pointed out, he had a "rat pack swagger" going on. The use of his chest voice and growling aspect of his voice were done so in the optimal ear-pleasing manner, and Simon loved the arrangement. The performance could not have come at a better time for Danny.
06) Kris Allen, "Ain't No Sunshine"
When Kris was unexpectedly awarded the pimp spot for Top 9 week, he was sure not to waste the opportunity despite having a cornucopia of songs to choose from for the top downloads theme and went with an oldie but a goodie with Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." Watch the unforgettable performance below:
Even though he probably sang it a little better on the reprise for the Top 2 performance show, Kris' first take had that special something to go along with it. The whole use of the keyboard with minimal instrumentation to accompany him provided for an ideal setting for Kris to show off his vocal sensitivity. Simon and Paula agreed that it was Kris' best performance to date, and Kara bestowed upon him her most prized compliment: "that was artistry!"
Alright, so we're halfway through the countdown of IDOL LIVE's Top 10 performances of Season 8. If you have yet to see your favorite performance of the season, it's most likely because we have not yet reached the top tier of this season's crop. Stay tuned for the Top 5 performances of the season, which will be posted tomorrow.
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.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 4 Results (5/6/09)
Join us tonight as we taking a journey down the nail-biting road to the Top 3 of the eighth season of Idol, when a member of the final four must see their dreams crushed following last night's performances from the genre of Rock 'n Roll. Fortunately, Daughtry and No Doubt will both perform their new singles "No Surprise" and "Stand and Deliver," respectively. The blogcast will last one hour and will begin at 9 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Ayla Brown, David Cook, Matt Giraud, Leona Lewis and Mandisa.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Poll of the week: Adam's "feeling good" about the results
In IDOL LIVE's most recent edition of the poll of the week, it was another week of being on top for Adam. Season 8's most talked about finalist added another 78 votes to his running total, which made up 51% of the total votes cast this past week. This extends his lead as the first-place finalist in the poll of the week series.
Kris once again came up short, but this week it was not even all that close. Kris brought in 36 votes (23%), way behind Adam. Danny was next with 20 votes (13%), with Allison (12 votes, 7%) and Matt (5 votes, 3%) brought up the rear.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 4 favorite finalist. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 36 (23%)
Matt Giraud 5 (3%)
Danny Gokey 20 (13%)
Allison Iraheta 12 (7%)
Adam Lambert 78 (51%)
Total votes: 151
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 - Matt Giraud (51 votes)
05th - Anoop Desai (99 votes)
04th - Allison Iraheta (82 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (193 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (333 votes)
01st - Adam Lambert (406 votes)
Analysis: Producers are trigger happy for drama
The end result of tonight's Top 5 results show was anything but unexpected. The means we took to get to the result, however, are another matter. But if anyone is surprised that Adam landed in the "Bottom 2," let's just take a look at the factors in play here.
First, Adam has never been in the Bottom 3, nevermind the B2. Therefore, the chances that he could skate into the finale without ever being in the latter were very slim. So what do the producers do? They psych out all of Adam's fans, who have become complacent over the past few weeks. I mean, it's hard to argue with such high numbers on DialIdol, isn't it? But there will come a day when a power hungry Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta fanbase votes and texts its way to a victory in that scenario.
Even though there were only five finalists remaining when votes were cast last night, which supported the notion that anyone could end up in any order when the results came in, there was zero chance that Adam was actually in the B2 following a highly praised performance in the pimp spot. The assertion that his polarization could be a reason to alienate a lot of the audience remains true, but again, that would not be enough to warrant a trip to the B2 on its own. There are still just as many supporters as there are those who do not vote for him.
But stepping back from the results for a moment, Adam made one of the most boneheaded moves when he picked Allison's and Danny's group based on who "did the best last night," which meant he assumed he was among the best performers of the night. Now, he really cannot be faulted for this because, well, everyone else thought he was among the best and that he would be in the top vote-getting group when Ryan began splitting the five of them up. Still, he should have taken a page from the rest of the finalists from seasons past that refused to pick a group and/or just sat/stood in the middle of the stage in protest.
Once people can come down from being hit by the blow to the face of Adam being in the B2, it's really no surprise that Matt left in fifth. As even he mentioned to Ryan following the revelation of the results, he was like a cat with nine lives on the show and is appreciative of how far he made it. Matt is right: he got a ton of chances to extend his time on the show and it was just his time to leave this week. Matt even sounded better on his encore than he did last night, and could have a career as an R&B singer if he chooses to pursue that route.
As for the rest of the results, it was no shock that Danny and Allison landed in the top spots based on last night, with Simon's ridiculous underwhelming critique of Allison's stellar vocal showing sending fans into a frenzy, undoubtedly accounting for a large chunk of the 47 million votes cast last night. And Kris was not up to anything new, as he ended up in the middle of the pack once again. Dark horse? Perhaps.
Moving on from the results, the producers had to reach for three guest performers tonight to act as filler, and could not have picked an odder combination. First up was Natalie Cole, who looked classy and sounded as crisp as ever on her song. Then came Taylor Hicks and his "Seven Mile Breakdown," which injected some life into the show but felt kind of out of place amid the backdrop of Rat Pack era week. He seemed to really appreciate being asked to return and perform, though, and reiterated that he loved being back on the Idol stage. All in all, it was not an amazing vocal performance but it was more on the exciting side than what we could have had in his place.
And then there was this week's mentor, Jamie Foxx. As if Foxx was not out of place after last night's critiques, he was even more out of place tonight when he autotuned the life out of his "#1 single" (according to Ryan. Is that song really #1 in the country?!) "Blame It." He did more twirling than even pretending to lip-synch, as he forgot to hold the mic up to his mouth more than a few times. And then for him to say the Top 5 finalists were the most talented singers he had heard in the past few years? After that performance, Jamie, that is more of a diss than it is a compliment. And didn't he recently say something on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to the effect of "just remember one thing: everything I say, I don't mean any of it." Right, we'll take you up on that.
Moving on, the Ford music video was dumber than usual this week, as the scenery was painted in color after beginning with a boring and lifeless grey scale landscape. The behind the scenes footage of seeing the finalists "baking a cake," however, was definitely worth every penny. We got to see Danny and Allison throw cake in each others' faces! We saw Kris, Adam and Matt breaking plates and strangling each other in cake batter and flour. How is that not entertaining?
There was really nothing else exciting about this results show, though. The group performance was good even though there was no lip-synching, and then Simon actually acted humble knowing that his critiques were less spot-on than Kara's and Randy's (keyword: acting).
My original predictions did not do all that well this week, as Allison was my first pick to leave in fifth place when I put in my predictions all those weeks ago. My pre-show predictions, however, were much more on the right track, as I had Matt going home with Kris in the B2 and Allison as the third member of the B3. Obviously the latter two guesses were wrong, but I had Matt going home and that's all that matters. Right?
One thing's for sure, though: next week's showcase of rock songs will be a sight to see.
IDOL LIVE predix: Top 5 Results
Nothing will come as a shock tonight when a finalist that should have exited the competition two weeks ago finally goes home in fifth place. Even though the producers (and Ryan) will try to hype up the notion that anyone that goes tonight will come as a "shock," there will be no such thing.
The predictability factor will be out in force for tonight's results:
Bottom 3
Allison, Kris, Matt
Bottom 2
Kris, Matt
Eliminated
Matt
Matt really has done the best job possible all things considering, and he was able to deliver a very strong performance last night in a week that was really his to shine during. That said, he has gone as far as possible considering the major competition he has been paired with, and will gracefully bow out with a reprise of "My Funny Valentine."
Things that are working against Matt are the finite possibilities of who can go home at this point, the fact that he chose a song that was basically already perfected by two finalists on this show (Melinda Doolittle in Season 6 and Constantine Maroulis in Season 4) and most importantly Simon's shenanigans with his good old reverse psychology.
As for the finalists that will receive a wake up call tonight, Kris will certainly be one, joining Matt in the Bottom 2. If there is a Bottom 3 formulated from this crop of five, it would have to be Allison that fulfills the spot, but Ryan will most likely skip ahead to the B2 in order to create a sense of suspense.
In my original predictions, I had Allison leaving tonight, but even though that technically could still happen, I really do think Matt's time has come to a close for the final time. But of course, there is only one way to find out whether or not this commonly held prediction comes true tonight.
About last night: A pack of rats and a Foxx deliver
The debacles from the events over the past few days were looking to put a damper on last night's catalog of songs from the Rat Pack era, but everything seemed to fall in place by the time 8 p.m. ET rolled around. There was not one bad performance, even though the Top 5 finalists had to scramble last minute and drop one of the two songs they had been rehearsing in order to ensure there were no time overruns. And Jamie Foxx actually gave some good tips despite having to deal with negative perceptions going into tonight.
After Foxx's lengthy intro montage and his "surprise" unveiling to the finalists was shown, Kris took the stage and did a subdued but smooth rendition of Frank Sinatra's staple "The Way You Look Tonight." Kris' vocals were a little bit better than usual, but it's fair to say they were consistent and the use of his falsetto enhanced the overall result. Simon's critique of the performance being "wet" may or may not resonate with the voting public, but it is quite apparent that the other three judges thought highly of it. What could end up hurting Kris is the fact that he went first, which seems like it would be a non-factor this late in the season, but it is always a possibility.
Following Kris was Allison, who looked a lot more mature and sounded years beyond her age, even more so than usual. She sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone to Watch Over Me" with grace and poise, proving that even the rocker chick can simmer down for enough time to show that she is capable of delivering heartfelt low key showcases. Allison was also able to get a few Christina Aguilera-isms in and even belted out the last few notes. Her performance was a few notches better than Simon's weak 7 out of 10 score, and Kara let him know he was "crazy" for his critique since she was so sure that Allison is not a one-trick pony and that she didn't need anyone watching over her last night.
More importantly than any of her critiques, Allison truly looked like a contender regardless of Simon's questioning of how badly she wants to win it. This should be enough to keep her out of trouble tonight.
Someone who had his name written all over last night's theme was Matt, as he is a jazz music major at Michigan State. That being said, he did not do the best with his rendition of "My Funny Valentine," which was made famous on this show by Melinda Doolittle on its sixth season. Matt was his regular self with hat and all, but his lack of piano playing was actually missed a bit last night. Still, his vocals on the classic standard were among his best yet, which was noticed by Simon.
The deal with Simon, however, is that he was using his signature reverse psychology on Matt, which will be realized by the majority of the public when tonight's results are read. It's true that Matt deserved some praise for his efforts, but Simon was the noticeable sore thumb sticking out among the rest of the judges with the exception of Paula, who gave her usual dribble drabble about seeing a "pure and simple side" of Matt. Randy and Kara were actually dead on when they noticed a lack of emotion and connection to the song, and these comments will ring true once things become more clear tonight.
Danny, on the other hand, came out and gave the performance of his life with "Come Rain or Come Shine," which he needed to do in order to revitalize his chances for the title. Danny started off in his usual rhythm and blues mantra, but near the end he really came alive despite incorporating his usual growls into the otherwise smooth vocal performance. It was not a surprise that the judges raved about the showing, and even Simon's comments about Danny finding his confidence and agreeing with Kara that he had swagger seemed appropriate. Even though he did not get the coveted pimp spot, Danny showed that he could still deliver despite the assertion that his Idol star has waned over the past few weeks.
And then there was Adam, who really wore his theatrics on his sleeve with an over the top take on Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." The performance fit Adam to a T, and was definitely a sight to see with a dramatic descension of the staircase lit in hot pink florescent lights. The vocals were a bit too much, though he had a great note near the end that has seemed to be lacking from the current season of Idol. There was a time when the glory note was considered the cherry on top of a performance, but it has since fallen from popularity.
As usual, the judges had no qualms about Adam's showing, and Simon's "a cow moos" comment injected some humor into the critiques. It goes without saying that Adam is not going anywhere tonight.
After looking back at last night's performances, it can be said that this was perhaps the best performance episode of the season, with no one being so blatantly bad that they warrant a ticket home. Someone does have to go, however, and it will probably be another obvious boot. But just to cover all the bases, there have been stranger things to happen on this show.
One last note: Jamie Foxx was actually a more effective mentor than many thought he would be. There were times when his advice made a lot of sense and he seemed to care about what he was saying to the contestants, even though he probably did not mean much of it. He's still not a nice person, but whatever.
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 Blog: Top 7 Results Pt. 2 (4/22/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 7 finalists' second round with results, when two will most definitely be leaving the competition. Were last night's disco exhibits a letdown or a success? Will Matt escape elimination for the second week in a row? There's only one way to find out, by tuning in at 9 p.m. ET and following along for our one-hour blogcast. To make things even more special, David Archuleta will return to perform.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Melinda Doolittle, Matt Giraud, Michael Johns, Kimberley Locke and Ramiele Malubay.
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.
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