Showing posts with label michael sarver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michael sarver. Show all posts

Sunday, August 1, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kristy Lee Cook records music and shoots deer on 'Goin' Country'

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

>Kristy Lee Cook might be a few years removed from the music biz, but that doesn't mean she can't keep busy with her second favorite past time - hunting. Catch Kristy on her new show Goin' Country with Kristy Lee Cook, which premiered today on Versus at 9 a.m. Watch a promo clip for the show below:



As you can tell by the clip, the whole show isn't about her shooting deer (probably just 80%), The show will feature cameos by some of KLC's friends, including Blake Lewis, so be on the lookout for that episode.

>Allison Iraheta and duet partner Orianthi appeared on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance? results show on Thursday to help their struggling single "Don't Waste the Pretty." Watch the performance below:



This single is currently hovering in the mid-70s on Mediabase's Top 40 chart, sitting at #74 w/ an audience impression of 0.172 million. It's available to purchase at iTunes.

>Kimberley Locke and her team want to give you an iPad - for free! The catch is, you have to be signed up on her street team and do some promo work to raise awareness for her music. The following is a portion of an update that was sent out to fans on her mailing list on Wednesday:
Our new SUMMER CONTEST has just launched which may result in YOU winning a brand new iPad, valued at $499 + tax. Members of this mailing list will need to ensure they are on the street steam in order to participate. To ensure you are on the street team, please follow the "Update Contact Info" link at the very bottom of this email and ensure the "street team" box is checked. Details for each weekly mission will be emailed on each Saturday from July 31st through August 27th. You could win an iPad just by promoting Kimberley's music on your websites.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, head over to KimberleyLockeOfficial.com for more details. Kim's next appearance will be at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 15.

>Michael Sarver's self-titled debut effort dropped this past Tuesday courtesy of Dream Records. Although the album is more gospel than country, Alison Bonaguro of CMT.com wrote about the country connection the CD has:
Michael Sarver
In fact, one song comes right out and says his dreams stretch far beyond the country line. But as you sift through the track-by-track review from the paper, it still sounds like there are a lot of country influences going on. The ones that sound like the best bets to me are "Safe," a waltz about how he will always be your home, and "Ferris Wheel," about the weightlessness you feel when you are falling in love. Then there's "Always Surviving," which I know I will love no matter what it's about, because it was written by two of Nashville's most gifted tunesmiths, Rachel Thibodeau and Rivers Rutherford.
Michael Sarver is available to purchase at Amazon for $10.99 and at iTunes for $9.99.

>With all the recent rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic that is American Idol, one Idol personality who probably won't be going anywhere is Debra Byrd, the show's head vocal instructor. Byrd just announced she will be holding a master class for aspiring singers called STAR SCHOOL LIVE! at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio.
Byrd will kick off her tour at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Saturday, August 14, at 10AM. Private instruction is available following the master class beginning at 1:00 PM. Sign up for a 30 minute or 1 hour session. For more information, please email byrd@debrabyrd.com.

STAR SCHOOL LIVE! is made possible by Olbas Pastilles herbal lozenges and microphone manufacturing company Sennheiser. Tickets are $45 in advance, $50 the day of the show and $40 for groups of 10+ and can be purchased at HouseofBlues.com.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Poll of the week: Chikezie is easily favorite 10th-place finalist

There was a little more competition than usual, but Season 7's Chikezie Eze was comfortably the preferred 10th-place finalist of all nine season in the latest round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series.

Chikezie took in nine votes, good for 34% of all votes cast, which was above Didi Benami's six votes (23%) and Michael Sarver's four votes (15%). Neither Chris Sligh (Season 6) nor Julia DeMato (Season 2) received any votes.

In the next round, readers will be asked which 9th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for six days.

EJay Day 0 (0%)
Julia DeMato 0 (0%)
Amy Adams 1 (3%)
Jessica Sierra 5 (19%)
Lisa Tucker 1 (3%)
Chris Sligh 0 (0%)
Chikezie 9 (34%)
Michael Sarver 4 (15%)
Didi Benami 6 (23%)

Total votes: 26

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 6 Perform (4/27/10)

Tonight the Top 6 finalists sample entries from the songbook of Shania Twain, which will be the closest this crop comes to being forced to perform country music. That means Aaron Kelly should be in his element and virtually be protected from elimination unless he picks something on the scale of "(Man) I Feel Like a Woman," which I wouldn't put past him.

As always, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the (allegedly) one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.



Tonight's blogcast features the music of Amanda Overmyer, Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, LaKisha Jones and Michael Sarver.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Friday, April 9, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jordin Sparks goes one day without shoes

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

>Jordin Sparks spent yesterday without shoes in support of One Day Without Shoes, the campaign TOMS sponsored that encourages people to go without wearing shoes for one day out of the year to give them an idea of what it's like to be underprivileged and not have any. Watch Jordin promoting the cause below:





Jordin was so excited that she flashed her bare foot at the camera. This is just the latest cause Jordin has taken up, including Making a Difference (MAD).

>Randy Jackson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday to discuss the show and ended up discussing the love (and lackthereof) demonstrated among the judges. Randy joked that they all make out with each other between commercial breaks. Watch snippets of the the segment below:





Leno then surprised Randy with old footage of Ellen DeGeneres kissing Leno years ago on Tonight, followed by a photo of what looked like Randy and Ryan Seacrest were about to smooch. Apparently the two were engaged in a fake "shouting match."

>Ryan Seacrest was one Ellen on Tuesday, where he dished on all things Idol with the show's host and fourth wheel Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres. Watch a clip from his segment below:





Ryan was asked by an audience member what's going on between him and Simon, and he attributed their weird relationship this season to them being "roommates" before saying they were friends. Ellen said during commercial breaks she walks behind the stage with the other judges while Simon goes to have a smoke. Very insightful.

>Blake Lewis sent out an email to his fans this week asking for support in the hopes of releasing a vinyl version of his latest release Heartbreak on Vinyl. Per his email:

I really want to get my album out to you on Vinyl, but I really, really, really need all of your help. It's all up to you guys and gals.

You are the greatest fans and I'm so thankful for all of your continued support and love for my music.

So, help me and the lovely people at my label Tommy Boy to make a decision by clicking here, and answering 3 very simple questions.

So unless you don't want Blake's album title to not make sense, you better help him out by answering those three very important questions.

>Michael Sarver exclusively premiered the album art for his next single and track list for his forthcoming album Michael Sarver on AINow.org this week. The track list is below:

1. Watch Me
2. Baby I Want You
3. Ferris Wheel
4. Gonna Be A Good Night
5. Safe
6. Give It To Me
7. I'm In The Mood
8. Let Me Love You
9. Cinderella Girl ( Remix)
10. The Way She Loves Me
11. Always Surviving
12. Tell Me
13. You Are (Remix)

The album is set for a June 29 release, while his next single, "Ferris Wheel," gets a May 25 digital release. Maybe he's going for a Carnival Ride type thing?

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 11 Perform (3/23/10)

Tonight the Top 11 finalists take on songs that have landed at #1 on the esteemed Billboard Hot 100 chart, not the horrid "teen idol" theme that was originally misreported elsewhere. Therefore, it is only fitting that Miley Cyrus will serve as the contestants' mentor. Right?

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 Blake Lewis, Bucky Covington, Carly Smithson, David Cook, David Hernandez, Diana DeGarmo, Jason Castro, Katharine McPhee, Leona Lewis, Michael Sarver and Stephanie Edwards.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Out today: David Archuleta's "Joy to the World"

The most high profile Idol-related release this week is David Archuleta's Christmas single "Joy to the World." The song is the first track on David's hit album Christmas From the Heart. The song is being featured as iTunes' holiday single of the week.

Also out today is Michael Sarver's double single "You Are" / "Cinderella Girl." The single is listed in the country genre and actually sounds like something Kris Allen would record.

Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:

Singles
David Archuleta
, "Joy to the World"

iTunes - (Free) - Buy

Michael Sarver, "You Are" / "Cinderella Girl"

iTunes - ($1.98) - Buy

Michael's singles are courtesy of Dream Records, a label that he was announced to have inked a deal with late last week.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

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.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Poll of the week: Chikezie champ of 10th-place finalists

For the second week in a row, the seventh season's representative for the IDOL LIVE poll of the week was victorious, as Chikezie took home the gold in a hardly competitive field.

Chikezie pulled in 17 votes (34%) of the 49 total votes in this round, which was a full seven votes ahead of Amy Adams' 10 votes (20%). The only other contestant to merit mentioning this week was Chris Sligh, who garnered eight votes (16%).

In the next installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, readers are asked which 9th-place finalist is their favorite of all eight seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Ejay Day 0 (0%)
Julia DeMato 2 (4%)
Amy Adams 10 (20%)
Jessica Sierra 4 (8%)
Lisa Tucker 4 (8%)
Chris Sligh 8 (16%)
Chikezie 17 (34%)
Michael Sarver 4 (8%)

Total votes: 49

[+/-] Show Full Post...

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.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

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.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 9 Results (4/1/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the results episode of the Top 9. Last night sure was something (and by "something" I mean something not very good), but tonight will probably be more exciting by a mile. Tonight's guest performers include a David Cook singing "Come Back to Me" in a pre-taped segment and a live performance of "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. The blogcast will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will last one hour.



Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Bo Bice, David Cook, Sanjaya Malakar, Michael Sarver and Jordin Sparks.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Friday, March 27, 2009

Analysis: Mini-surprise livens up Top 10 results

In a night filled of fake-outs, big surprises and not so big surprises, Idol hit a high mark with last night's results show. Yes, it felt extremely rushed and a few things could have been cut out to ease the pace (*cough*SmokeyandJossStone'sduet*cough*), but all in all it was the best results show of the season.

Breezing through Ryan's witty tease with Kara over her botched "six words" critique of Adam and his lame attempt to rekindle Paula's crayons (or crowns, according to Ryan) joke on Simon, which resulted in Simon saying they "got a room" after the show, we got to see just how well the Top 10 sounds when its group performance is pre-taped (even though we already know how it sounds when the track is pre-recorded). Bravo to whoever thought of that quick fix to the lip-synching scandal.

The performance could have been done without actually, but it was not the lowest point of last night. That came when the second guest performance set took the stage in Joss Stone and Motown week's mentor, Smokey Robinson. Although Smokey proved to be a wise pick in coaching the finalists, his creepy singfest with the much younger Joss was boring with a capital B, not to mention their vocals did not mesh well together whatsoever.

But second season winner Ruben Studdard sounded awesome on his new single "Together," as the slimmed down (and newly-married, as Ryan pointed out) velvet teddy bear reminded the audience why he won his season despite being far from where he began success-wise at the moment. What was particularly bothersome was how Ruben was hurried off the stage, only having time for a quick exchange with Ryan before he got down to the night's results.

As for the results, the announcement that Matt was in the bottom three was certainly not expected, as the studio erupted with audience members voicing their dissent. Even Matt himself seemed a little surprised, and understandably so. But this just goes to show that either performing first or having the producers play games for ratings can be a round trip ticket to the B3, depending on which explanation you prefer to subscribe to. Either way, there was no way Matt had the third-lowest votes of the night. No way.

Michael and Scott were both expected to be in the B3, and that is exactly where they wound up. But Randy's suggestion that Matt did not belong with the both of them was a sign of what was next to come, as Ryan told Scott that he would be back next week to perform (but hey, at least Randy didn't get Matt's name wrong). Again, the thunderous outcry from the audience members was a sign that people were genuinely shocked that Matt could be in the Bottom 2.

Then came yet another guest performer in Stevie Wonder, who tore up the house but could have done without the tired shout outs to President Obama and American Idol. Still, he was able to get the entire Top 10 (including Michael and Matt) on its feet dancing along, with Kris even enthusiastically mouthing the words and Lil bowing down to him in an "I am not worthy" motion. One thing he was not able to accomplish, however, was getting Simon on his feet. That is something that man will probably never do on this show.

But when it came time for the results, no one was surprised. Michael, who many pegged as being a "WTF?" pick for the Top 13 in the first place, showed that he can bow out with grace and poise, smiling all the while. When he sang "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" one last time for the judges to allegedly discuss whether or not to use their tool on him, it was apparent that not everyone was digging the idea of having a pow wow. Paula was up dancing the night away, clapping along and only briefly nodded her head when Kara tried to get a word in. The others barely spoke at all, and when it came time for them to give their verdict, spokesman Sir Cowell claimed they had not reached a consensus, instead asking Paula "yes or no?"

But in the end, of course the judges did not waste their immunity on the oil rigger, as his name is not Adam, Danny or Lil. The fact that Michael was able to depart with his spirits high speaks volumes.

As for IDOL LIVE's predictions, I am now 0-4 with my original predictions because I had Jorge going home originally. I was actually right on with my pre-results show predix, though, as I correctly guessed Michael would be striking out even though I had Megan in the Bottom 3 rather than Matt and Scott in the Bottom 2 rather than Matt. That makes me 1-4 in that predicting category.

Next Tuesday, either rock songs or selections from the iTunes Top 100 chart will be performed on the Idol stage if rumblings are to be believed.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Poll of the week: Kris continues his crusade

The Top 10 leg of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week series was pretty much more of the same, with Kris Allen once again taking the lead with 36 votes in all, good for 26% of the total vote. This marks the first week that Kris is ahead of Danny in overall votes.

Adam was up next with 30 votes (22%), taking over for Danny in the second spot. Danny was third with 24 votes (17%). The only other two finalists to garner 10 votes or more were Anoop with 11 votes (8%) and Megan with 10 votes (7%).

Michael, who left the show in 10th place tonight, only received 1 vote for the week, composing less than 1% of the total votes cast.

In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote for their Top 9 favorite finalist. You will have exactly six days to vote.

Kris Allen 36 (26%)
Megan Joy Corkrey 10 (7%)
Anoop Desai 11 (8%)
Matt Giraud 9 (6%)
Danny Gokey 24 (17%)
Allison Iraheta 9 (6%)
Adam Lambert 30 (22%)
Scott MacIntyre 4 (2%)
Lil Rounds 1 (0%)
Michael Sarver 1 (0%)

Total votes: 135

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 - Lil Rounds (9 votes)
08th - Scott MacIntyre (14 votes)
07th - Matt Giraud (19 votes)
06th - Allison Iraheta (28 votes)
05th - Megan Corkrey (42 votes)
04th - Anoop Desai (52 votes)
03rd - Adam Lambert (82 votes)
02nd - Danny Gokey (99 votes)
01st - Kris Allen (102 votes)

[+/-] Show Full Post...

IDOL LIVE predix: Top 10 Results

After a night of a few good (and mostly bad) Motown performances, the bottom three could not be any more crystal clear. Once we get down to who will actually be leaving, however, things seem a little trickier, but either way no one will be surprised with who is eliminated tonight.

With that said, read my predictions for how tonight will go below:


Tonight will go as follows:

Bottom 3
>Megan, Scott, Michael

Bottom 2
>Scott, Michael

Eliminated
>Michael

The bottom three will without a doubt be Megan, Scott and Michael, which is weird because the three worst performances are not usually also the bottom three vote-getters. Megan will be sent back to the couches to caw some more next week because we can't have a Top 9 with only two girls. We just can't.

The real challenge then becomes deciding whether or not it will be Scott or Michael getting the heave-ho. It really becomes a toss up, as Scott has been running on fumes for weeks now, whereas Michael just had a worse performance than usual. Michael's post-performance comments also didn't do him any favors, even though he did seem to be appealing on an emotional wavelength.

For these reasons, I predict that Michael will be leaving us tonight and will not even have to worry about singing for his life to be spared because there's just no use, giving Scott one more week to play his baby grand before millions.

In my original predictions I had Jorge departing in 10th, which obviously won't be happening.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

About last night: Leaping Lamberts and Smiley Smokey

Motown (the record label, not the genre) has given the world many things as Ryan so astutely pointed out during an intro montage last night. None of which were intended to be whiny renditions of its songs sung by kids on a TV show.

Last night saw three to four good performances and a whole lot of copycat, boring and forgettable ones. Even with Smokey Robinson there to flash his pearly whites in hopes of raising the Top 10's confidence, it just was not enough to sustain the show. And don't even start with Paula's gifts of crayons (or crowns as Ryan called them) and coloring books from under her skirt to Simon mid-show. The fact that he actually touched them after that puts him down a few rankings in our book.

Matt kicked off the night with a way overpraised rendition of "Let's Get It On," which showed even the piano cannot hide crackling vocals. The perplexing part of the whole thing was that even Simon was caught up in the act (besides pointing out his cheesy move toward the judges' table), proclaiming him to be one of the front runners.

Kris was next with "How Sweet It Is," and his vocals were far superior to Matt's. He did, however, lack stage presence in comparison, which was something Simon pointed out when he likened his standing position to waiting at a bus stop. Randy made the most peculiar critique when he said Kris "ain't doing nothing wrong, baby." Kris was a bit forgettable tonight but he most likely won't be going anywhere tonight.

Another finalists that received too much praise was Lil, whose take on the classic "Heatwave" was complete with Burger King background flames and infrequent screaming outbursts. Although Lil looked much better tonight than she did a week ago, her vocals were copycatish and she did not stand out from the crowd, which most of the judges pointed out. Simon and Paula just had to go and partially excuse the performance as a "tribute" to the greats of the past because she got so emotional at the Motown Museum last week. Please guys, that's no excuse for giving an underwhelming performance. Add in the impromptu "Obama!" outburst at the end of Paula's mindless "you could run for president" comment and it made for an off night for Lil.

Danny, on the other hand, opted for a strong performance and light vocals with "Get Ready," which drew some Taylor Hicks comparisons (which is never good on this show). The fact that he ignored Smokey's advice to sing with the backup singers in certain parts even though he said in his pre-performance package that he'd be listening to the advice (and this served as the entire premise of the video, mind you). Although to be fair, we do not know if they decided it would not work well over the course of rehearsals or whatever. Anything could have happened and Danny will probably be forced to answer the burning question tonight while sitting on the couches.

Anoop was good once again this week on "Ooh, Baby Baby," but the word "boring" could not escape him. Simon was sure to mention this in his critique, saying he looked "half asleep" throughout the performance. Be that as it may, it was still leagues better than "Beat It" in Top 13 week.

But the absolute worst three finalists last night were without question Megan, Scott and Michael. Megan's jazzed up "For Once In My Life" was all over the place, full of bum notes and a "too fast for you and your tattoo" tempo. Scott's "You Can't Hurry Love" was haphazardly prepared and rushed in addition to featuring ultra nasal vocals. And Michael's seemingly good song choice in "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" was anything but, prompting Paula to steal a line from Simon's playbook by calling it "Las Vegas loungey," which earned her a few boos from the audience. Paula was visibly distraught over actually having to do her job as a judge, while Simon was more blunt in saying Michael has "no shot at winning." Barring a major shocker, hese three will be tonight's bottom three and the stupid immunity will not be wasted.

And then there was Adam, who did a complete 180 from last week's crash and burn and instead opted for a polished look and soft, tender vocals on Smokey's own "Tracks of My Tears." Although not the best of the night, Adam showed that he could still switch it up and put on many different hats in this competition even though his falsetto is as grating as getting a root canal. It was an improvement, of course, but nowhere near worthy of the endless praise the judges bestowed upon him. Kara's "I don't stand up often but I have to after that" slosh and Simon's "you have emerged as a star tonight" comment were just part of it, followed by Ryan's suggestion that they go right to the numbers because there was "nothing else to say." We'll see if he can sustain this momentum.

The best the night had to offer didn't come until the very end, when Allison brought out her funky aggressiveness on "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Allison, although a bit dead behind the eyes, surely knows how to rock it out to the best of her ability. She was able to command the stage unlike anyone else and hit notes that many didn't know she could. Kara said it sounded like she had been singing for 400 years (is that why she's hoarse?) and Simon said she recovered from last week. DialIdol would support this claim for sure.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Fantasia, Michael Sarver pestered by TMZ

An Idol winner and a contestant currently seeking the title of "Idol winner" today were each caught in the cross hairs by TMZ. Fantasia was on her way to catch a flight when she was asked about her new "assets" and her house woes among other things (all the while said in a boastful tone), while Michael Sarver was tracked down walking with Dancing with the Stars dancer Mark Ballas in downtown Hollywood. Watch Fanny's exchange below:



After seeing that, it's amazing to think she was actually named the winner of Season 3. As for Michael's video, it has recently gone MIA (per a request submitted by 19E, no doubt), but the gist of it was that Michael smartly ignored the paparazzo's questions except to say his wife made him blush when he was asked if Paula makes him blush.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Analysis: Little Alexis faces big nerves in her exit performance

Last night's elimination episode was all about Carrie Underwood, which was probably a good thing because the results were really dull. Carrie's performance of her latest single "I Told You So" as a duet with the song's original owner, Randy Travis, was the highlight of the night. Despite the creepy feeling one gets when seeing a man twice Carrie's age sing a love song with her, the performance was one of the purest vocal showcases Carrie has ever done on the show. But obviously the Carrie of today dwarfs her 2005 counterpart before she was given the crown.

Aside from this, the night was empty of surprises, except for the fact that DialIdol was right about Alexis going home and Allison joining her in the Bottom 3. The Ford video was a little more exciting than usual, but Ryan's failed water balloon lob at Simon was unnecessary (if it even happened). Someone should find the unlucky audience member that was allegedly pegged by the errant throw. The new feature of showing the aftermath of eliminations was a nice addition but if that is what we were waiting for the "reality portions" of the show that were being hyped up, that's really sad.

Brad Paisley's performance was boring but he sounded good, while the lip-synched group performance was pointless. It will be interesting to see how Scott handles the tour considering all he seems to do is sit at the piano. If the tour is anything like it was last year, though, he should be all set because he won't have to participate in the usual group extravaganzas.

One of the only touching moments of last night's elimination round was Michael's teary story about his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter asking him why he doesn't want to live with them (Michael's family) anymore. That got the audience to put some effort into showing emotion, which is more than can be said about its reaction to Alexis' singing for her life.

Alexis is a sweet girl, but her nerves got the best of her during her performance last night (and understandably so). This whole judges' immunity thing is really weighing the suspense factor down, as we all knew Simon was merely toying with Alexis' hopes when he said they were considering using the save on her. While she was performing her heart out, the judges were probably plotting where they would go for dinner later on while in their huddle.

Still, Alexis had nothing but respect for the judges and their decision and, in keeping with her last name, was very gracious after hearing the news, saying "things happen for a reason." With Alexis gone, that leaves just three girls left in the competition, and by the looks of things, we could be down to just one female competitor by Top 6 or earlier. Season 3, anyone?

One of the more memorable moments of last night was when Simon told Ryan that he would not take back his "indulgent rubbish" critique, rather stating that Adam's performance was much worse than he originaly thought when he watched it back, which prompted the strongest response from the audience of the night.

As for IDOL LIVE's predictions, this week was another not so good one. For my original predictions I had Jasmine going home last night, and obviously she went home last week so that was just not going to happen anyway. That makes me 0-3 for my original predictions. As for my pre-results show predix, I had the right Bottom 3, but Alexis went home instead of her Bottom 2 mate, Michael. That makes me 0-3 in that bracket, but to be fair, we never really got a straight answer on who went in what order last week, so for all I know I could be 2-3. Oh well, until official word surfaces i will not give myself the benefit of the doubt.

Looking ahead to next Wednesday (Thanks a lot, President Obama), expect some predictable song choices and a whole lot of copycat performances. In other words, see Season 3's Top 10 night.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Poll of the week: Kris-crosses Danny for the week

In IDOL LIVE"s poll of the week series for the Top 11 we had a new champ. Kris was able to steal Danny's thunder, scoring 40 votes (22%) to Danny's 38 votes (21%). Danny is still ahead overall, but not by much.

Adam placed third for the second week in a row, only this time his 31 votes (17%) were way ahead of Megan's 11 votes (6%). As for Alexis, it is easy to see why she left based on the amount of fanfare she has been generating among IDOL LIVE readers. Alexis only scored four votes this week (2%), amounting to six votes in all.

In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote for their Top 10 favorite finalist. You will have exactly eight days to vote.

Kris Allen 40 (22%)
Megan Corkrey 11 (6%)
Anoop Desai 21 (11%)
Matt Giraud 6 (3%)
Danny Gokey 38 (21%)
Alexis Grace 4 (2%)
Allison Iraheta 13 (7%)
Adam Lambert 31 (17%)
Scott MacIntyre 4 (2%)
Lil Rounds 4 (2%)
Michael Sarver 6 (3%)

Total votes: 178

Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
10th - Michael Sarver (7 vote)
09th - Lil Rounds (8 votes)
08th - Matt Giraud (10 votes)
06th - Scott MacIntyre (10 votes)
07th - Allison Iraheta (19 votes)
04th - Megan Corkrey (32 votes)
05th - Anoop Desai (41 votes)
03rd - Adam Lambert (52 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (66 votes)
01st - Danny Gokey (75 votes)

[+/-] Show Full Post...

IDOL LIVE predix: Top 11 Results

Grand Ole Opry night has come and gone, but the perforamnces first seen during the spectacle have left a lasting impression (not all of them good). Regardless of what happened onstage last night, tonight's elimination will be more about who does not have a shot at winning this whole thing and would be better served exiting now than it is about which finalist delivered the worst performance.

With that said, read my predictions for how tonight will go below:

Here is how tonight will go:

Bottom 3
>Allison, Alexis, Michael

Bottom 2
>Alexis, Michael

Eliminated
>Michael

Even though DialIdol has Michael in the clear (and above Scott), it will not be right this week. That does not mean Alexis will escape tonight unscathed, as her Idol hopes will be hanging by a thread. She will be granted one more shot at making an impression on America and will merely be a member of the bottom 2.

Allison will make an appearance as a wake up call of sorts to her fanbase, prompting it to vote even harder next week to ensure she sticks around a little bit longer. But Alexis being in the bottom 2 would be a little more believable than Allison in the tricky situation.

Michael is an easy option to send home this week. He gave a lackluster performance, received lukewarm comments and was left forgettable after an onslaught of generally more highly-praised performances. This will be a carbon copy of Season 3's Top 11 results show, when Matt Rogers was sent home. If Michael does not leave now, he will lag along until mid-season, knocking out a few front runners while he's at it.

Even though it may not matter in the end because there are only three "front runners" in total, the producers don't want to send any red flags this early in the season. And losing two girls in two weeks would leave the male/female ratio at 7/3 for the Top 10, which would be the reverse of Season 3, and we all know that cannot (and should not) happen again.

My original predictions for the 11th-place finisher was Jasmine, but we all know how that turned out. Still, Michael was my prediction to go home 12th, so him leaving 11th would not be that far off. Needless to say, the judges would never in a million years waste the immunity privilege on him.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

About last night: Weird arrangements and nice surprises on GOO night

With such low expectations put in place for Grand Ole Opry night, it was hard for anything to come off seeming awful last night. That's not to say that there weren't a few near misses, though.

In what can only be described as a weird assortment of attempts at doing country music right, Matt, who took a major risk by singing a Carrie Underwood song (something no one on this show should ever do), led the 10 others with the best offering from the bunch. What helped Matt out was the stripping down of "So Small" so that it was just his soulful vocals, the piano and the song's inspirational lyrics that left an impression on the judges. Paula standing up, rocking to the song mid-performance was a head-scratcher, though (as was Simon's covering of Paula's mouth before Matt's pre-performance package was shown).

A note to Simon, though: Matt is nothing like Michael Buble. I can see the Justin Timberfake comparisons as well as the Jason Mraz ones, but I could never picture Matt singing the standards. It just wouldn't work. So no more "Matt Buble," please.

Following right behind Matt in terms of solid performances was Anoop. The positive feedback he received from the judges for his tackling of Willie Nelson's "You Were Always On My Mind" was definitely warranted and proved why he is still around after last week's disastrous performance. His smooth R&B vocals glided over the subtle string accompaniment, something that had not happened with the 'noop dawg until now.

There were again a few overrated performances, as Megan's hokey "Walkin' After Midnight" (in between coughs) was just barely listenable at best. Yes, it is true that Megan has the flu, as Paula pointed out so viciously, but that happens in real life. And this is supposed to be sort of like real life...so she might as well get used to it, suck it up and go on with the show. And Kara needs to stop with her lovefest over Megan. It's getting old really fast.

Michael and Scott were probably tied for weakest performance of the night, but Scott at least injected humor into his delivery ("we could always move the piano closer!") despite his snooze-a-thon on Martina McBride's "Wild Angels." Michael was just...there...and even though Garth Brooks was probably the perfect match for him this week, he just does not belong singing the genre.

Simon's spat with Paula during Scott's critiques was one of the highlights of last night, as Simon was 100% right about leaving Scott alone for using the piano two weeks in a row. Paula's "crutch" comment came off as being really low and tasteless, and made her look like a bigger buffoon than usual.

But the biggest WTF moment of last night was undoubtedly Adam's overtly-campy take on the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire." The middle eastern citar-tastic arrangement mixed with his gross sultry/screechy vocals was something out of an 1930s eastern European freak show, and even Kara had trouble spitting out words to describe it. Simon was right on the mark when he called it "indulgent," and Randy needs to get his ears checked if he thinks that's what Trent Reznor would sound like doing country. Don't get me wrong, though, it was mesmerizing and was the biggest spectacle of the night. The showing continues to support the idea that Adam is without a doubt a great performer. He's just not Idol material.

Alexis and Allison were both forgettable last night, with the former's "Jolene" being a far cry from Brooke White's rendition last season and the latter's "Blame It On Your Heart" was a good vocal showcase but the performance itself was lackluster. Look for the two girls to be in the danger zone tonight.

Believe it or not, Danny was one of the more overrated finalists last night. His rendition of Carrie Underwood's untouchable "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was good to a point, but seemed a little disorganized. Even though Kara's comment about wishing he had done more of the second half than the boring first half was dimwitted, so was Paula's comment about Carrie wanting to rush out and buy his version of the song. Randy probably made the most sense with his critique for once.

If there's one thing Kris showed last night, it was the notion that consistency is key to lengthening your stay on this show. Even with his guitar taking the night off he was able to show that song choice can make or break how one fares, as he picked a perfect choice of "To Make You Feel My Love." If Kris can keep this up, he might just be the dark horse in the competition.

And then there was Lil, falling far from her high and mighty perch last week. By picking "Independence Day," Lil was thinking in the right direction despite Randy's suggestion that she should have gone for the predictable "I Will Always Love You" or "How Do I Live." So she scores points for trying something new. She loses them for failing to deliver a convincing effort.

After all the surprises and weirdness of last night, it would be hard to see anyone other than Michael, Scott or Alexis leaving tonight. Look for my predictions later on this morning. In the mean time, who do you think is on their way out tonight?

[+/-] Show Full Post...

Search & Win