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.
Showing posts with label queen latifah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queen latifah. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Analysis: America still loves a comeback
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Carrie Underwood: Commercial Queen
Evidence that Carrie Underwood's popularity has transcended Idol and country music is so apparent that one does not need to look far in order to spot her staggering presence. She is now being featured in two commercial on two separate networks: one for the eighth season of Idol on FOX and one for the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards on CBS. Watch the Idol commercial below:
For the PCA commercial, scenes from Carrie's music video for "Last Name" are used parsed with shots of host Queen Latifah letting audiences know of the upcoming awards, which air Wed., Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. on the eye network. Watch it below:
Carrie will perform at the show and is nominated for a pair of awards (Jordin Sparks also has two nominations).
Monday, November 10, 2008
Carrie, Jordin receive People's Choice noms
American Idol and its offspring are heavy contenders at the 35th annual People's Choice Awards, as Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks are each up for two awards. While Idol will most likely walk home with a win for Favorite Competition / Reality Show after taking the category in 2004, 2005 and 2006, Carrie has stiff competition in both categories she's nominated in (Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Country Song for "Last Name"). Carrie is also one of 32 celebrities up for Favorite Star 35 & Under.
Jordin, whose hit duet "No Air" with Chris Brown will also have to stave off Rihanna's "Disturbia" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" in the Favorite Pop Song category, while Madonna and Justin Timberlake's "4 Minutes" and Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston's "Love Like This" will both try to prevail in the Favorite Combined Forces category. Below are all Idol-related categories:
FAVORITE COMPETITION / REALITY SHOW
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
FAVORITE FEMALE SINGER
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Carrie Underwood
FAVORITE POP SONG
"Disturbia" by Rihanna
"I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
"No Air" by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown
FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG
"Last Name" by Carrie Underwood
"Love Story" by Taylor Swift
"Take Me There" by Rascal Flatts
FAVORITE COMBINED FORCES
"4 Minutes" by Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake
"Love Like This" by Natasha Bedingfield featuring Sean Kingston
"No Air" by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown
Fans can now vote in all categories by visiting PCAVote.com. The show will air on CBS on Wed., Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET. It will be hosted by Queen Latifah.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Jennifer Hudson's Anthem performance at the DNC
Introduced as "Academy Award Winner" on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Thursday, Season 3's seventh-place finalist, Jennifer Hudson, sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before many thousands of spectators at Invesco Field. The resounding performance was just one aspect of a very historical night, which was capped off by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech for his party's nomination for the presidency. Watch the performance below:
Jennifer was personally asked by the senator to sing the Anthem. Her debut album, Jennifer Hudson, is set for a Sept. 30 release. She will next appear on the silver screen in The Secret Life of Bees alongside Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.
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