If there was any one contestant to appear on stage during the Top 32 of Season 3 who would be remembered more for her appearance than for her voice, Briana Ramirez-Rial was that semifinalist. What was even more amazing was the disparity between her appearance and her voice. Watch her sing Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why" during her Group 2 performance below:
While Briana wasn't that bad looking back at this performance, Simon and Randy just felt something was off about the whole spectacle. Once those two drove the nail into her coffin, Briana's apparent tweaking out on the couch next to Ryan while she was supposed to be asking for votes didn't help her cause. In effect, Briana was ahead of her time, and had she appeared on the show in the future (especially the most recent edition) she probably would have made it further.
Raise your hand if you remember Patrick Forston (it's okay if you don't, since I didn't). The gospel/soul singer tried his best on Idol's second season, where he appeared in Group 1 of the semifinals and performed "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton. While Patrick's vocals seemed to gain a good response from Paula and Randy, it was the issue of style that made this performance especially memorable. Watch the ordeal below:
While Simon probably had a point, it's ironic thinking about how Ruben Studdard was able to actually win the same season wearing similar outfits from time to time. Even though Patrick's vocals were a little too similar to Toni's, it's fair to say his clothes are what set him apart, and the fact that Papa Forston was willing to come forth and defend his son against the evil Season 2 Simon was definiyely respectable.
After yesterday's bottom half of the Top 10 most memorable Simon moments, it only makes sense to finish off the list with the top half o the list.
No. 5: Kira Scott calls Simon "gay"
By Idol's third season, America was finally starting to warm up to mean old Simon. Then some loudmouth Hollywood contestant Kira Scott had to turn into a sourpuss because the judges weren't digging her style:
I remember this one exchange being used during this episode on every commercial break to keep people tuned in (not like the show had to work to do that back then). The way Simon handled this girl was first class and showed that he's not the high maintenance stuck up British guy.
No. 4: Chris Sligh plays the Teletubbies card on Simon
Simon isn't one to shy away from his past work, but there are some projects he'd rather not discuss if he can help it. On Season 6, Simon became visibly uncomfortable when Chris Sligh went for a low blow after Simon admitted he wasn't totally feeling his performance of dc Talk's "Wanna Be Loved" during Top 16 week. What added to the awkwardness was Ryan's reaction to Simon calling him "sweetheart":
Yikes, it's just as uncomfortable watching it back now all these years later as it was when it originally aired. C'mon Simon, you should be proud of you S Club 7, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Teletubbies and any other concoctions you came up with.
No. 3: Simon correctly predicts Carrie's future
Carrie Underwood's Top 11 performance of Heart's "Alone" stands out as one of the single best performances ever delivered on the Idol stage across all nine seasons, but there was something that put the performance in a league of its own that night. Simon's gutsy call that not only would Carrie win the season, she'd sell more records than any other winner was really a stretch, but the fact that it proved to be true was even more impressive:
Although it can be argued Kelly Clarkson has sold more albums worldwide than Carrie has, Carrie holds the domestic record and will most likely pass Kelly in worldwide totals in the near future. This call will always remain as Simon's most impressive prediction as judge.
No. 2: Saula's affair (a.k.a. "the kiss")
It might not seem like that big of a deal looking back on it now, but the "Saula affair" spoof on the Season 2 finale was huge at the time because it was so unexpected.
Forget about the whipped cream, the strawberries and the lip-licking, that kiss was what sealed the deal. After all the drama Simon and Paula went through during their first two seasons on the show, it was one of those unforgettable moments that will live in television infamy.
No. 1: The eyeroll
You knew it was coming. The most memorable moment of all Simon's duration on the show came in Season 7 when Fantasia took to the stage and put America under a spell with her performance of "Bore Me" during the Top 3 results show, including Simon. It's funny to think a split second of confused expression could say so much about a situation:
There, doesn't that just cheer you up?
And that concludes the Top 10 most memorable Simon moments throughout his history on the show. There's always a chance that something he does tonight could earn a spot on this list, but one would be hard pressed to find a more memorable moment than the #1 entry above.
As Simon's run on Idol comes to an end tomorrow, let us look back on some of his most memorable moments over the past nine seasons. If you don't agree with some of them , feel free to offer your own lists.
No. 10: Simon calls a re-vote for no reason
Although the following clip is nothing special, it is emblematic of all the many mean spirited moves Simon pulled over the course of his auditions-judging sessions. In the clip below, Simon rejects the two Molfetta twins - twice, all "for sport" according to Paula:
Although sometimes Simon's comments went over the line, they were usually all in good fun. Hey, a judge has to have fun on this show or else it would be unbearable.
No. 9: Simon gets his way and still gets a hug from Paula
Simon and Paula had a long history over the course of the first eight seasons on Idol, with many of their encounters ending in sarcastic comments and witty comebacks. Back on Season 2, the two judges got into one of their most heated debates, eventually requiring the assistance of producer Nigel Lythgoe:
What made Simon the king of these arguments was his ability to come out victorious without looking completely undignified. As much as they both enjoyed each other's company, they especially enjoyed these opportunities to release a bit of steam.
No. 8: Simon doesn't roll his eyes at "Virginia Tech" mention
This one might be harder to remember, but back during Season 6 the tragic school shooting at Virginia Tech touched all Americans for a time. But when the story came up during Chris Richardson's post-performance bit, Simon's facial expression was taken the wrong way due to an unfortunate camera switch:
Immediately following the "eyeroll," fans were accusing Simon of rolling his eyes at Chris bringing up the tragedy because he thought Chris was clamoring for votes. That was, however, obviously not true, instead Simon was still reacting to Chris's "nasally singing" justification. A simple misunderstanding, no doubt.
No. 7: Simon apologizes for being hard on Katharine McPhee
There have been very few times over the course of Simon's tenure on the show when he's had to retract his critique after watching it back on TV. During Season 5's Top 7 results show, Simon apologized to Katharine McPhee for being a little harsh in his comments the previous night:
There have been other instances when he's backed off from his tongue lashings, just as he's come back with harsher critiques on some occasions after watching the performances back. But this one in particular was memorable.
No. 6: "Do we have a bigger stage this year?"
Simon is obviously known for his off the cuff quips at others' expense, and these usually come out during the audition rounds. But perhaps the most memorable instance of this happening was back in Season 5 when he joked about Mandisa's weight, asking after she received her golden ticket "Do we have a bigger stage this year?" Watch the moment below:
Later in the season when Mandisa came before the panel to hear her fate as to whether she made the Top 24, she confronted Simon on his comment, resulting in an honest apology from the Brit.
Stay tuned for the Top 5 most memorable Simon moments, as they will be posted tomorrow.
Last night is what we call an "open ballot." Through their song selections and critiques, the judges in effect cast their votes for Lee DeWyze to be crowned the winner of Idol's ninth season. At this point, it will take a bombing of epic proportions for Lee or a masterpiece of historic magnitude for Crystal for this season's trajectory to be derailed.
As pimped as Lee was with all the bells and whistles (spotlights and backup singers) during his take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," his vocals were primarily on the mark, and so the judges can't be completely called out for their over the top praise. To add to this, his only other performance was helped by a great song choice (Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man"), and if this was even up to debate, Simon's surefire declaration that Lee "crushed" his peers in the first round should be evidence that the judges felt he decisively outshone everyone else.
Crystal Bowersox did the best she could given the circumstances, and her two showings were a mixed bag. While she fumbled on a generic rendition of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window," she thrilled audiences with a gender-incorrect (or gender-correct, depending on how you look at it) version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" (much to the pleasure of Ellen, who gave her a standing ovation as Crystal finished the song), and as Simon said, this was probably enough to drag her across the Top 2 marker in the race for the title.
And so it comes as no surprise that I'm pegging Casey James to leave in third place tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary, and I think virtually everyone else is calling for the same result. Casey had a good thing going for a while but he tripped up last night with an obsure song choice, stiff stage presence and shaky vocals, and the fact that he was thrown under the bus by every judge and their mother just cemented his fate.
Oh well, maybe Justin Bieber's performance tonight will lighten the mood and provide some excitement. On second thought...
In my original predictions I had Crystal finishing 3rd, so although it's possible this scenario could come to fruition, I just don't see it happening. At all.
Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 6-21 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 2-9 eliminations. Go me!
I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I've been wrong on a lot of my predictions this season. In fact, I think I've only called two boots correctly in the Top 12 so far, which is especially bad for me. But for someone who pegged Siobhan Magnus to win the whole thing at the outset of the Top 12, tonight's results are even more disappointing than usual.
Even though she was never one of my favorites, I respected Siobhan's fearlessness and the way she was able to switch up her performance styles from week to week. It was also cool that a fellow Massachusetts resident was able to make it as far as she did. And then she just seemed like an all around cool person to hang out with. Sadly, however, it was not her title to earn, but it's really frustrating that the likes of Aaron Kelly and Mike Lynche have now outlasted her. They are two of the most overrated contestants of the season, and the fact that they're still there is inexplicable.
Regardless, Siobhan should go on to bigger and better things, most likely on Broadway, and Randy Jackson was right to tell her to be herself. If she does just that, things should go quite well for Season 9's spunky firecracker with a distinguished screech.
Today marks the release of Jason Castro's first post-Idol album, Jason Castro. The album, courtesy of Atlantic Records, features tracks like the first two singles "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" and "That's What I'm Here For" as well as a cover of "Hallelujah."
Although it came out last week, be sure to check out Kimberley Locke's new single "Strobelight," on which she worked with Randy Jackson. The single is courtesy of Jackson's label Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment.
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
The Amazon exclusive version of Jason Castro features six bonus tracks including an acoustic version of "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" and a cover of "Over the Rainbow."
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?
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Syesha Mercado appeared on Good Day LA this morning to promote the LA run of the national tour of Dreamgirls, in which she's currently starring. Watch the segment below:
Syesha said she got to work with Diane Warren between Idol and Dreamgirls and that she wants people to see her as "Syesha the artist." She also said she tries to do yoga and work out to keep her stamina fresh, which is necessary for the show. Dreamgirls is at the Ahmanson Theatre now through April 4.
>Kimberley Locke premiered a snippet of her new single "Strobe Light" in a chat with fans on Monday night. A clip of the single can be listened to below:
"Strobe Light," which was produced by Cutfather and Paparazzi and is courtesy of Randy Jackson's record label Dream Merchant 21 Records, will be available to purchase on iTunes on Tues., April 6.
>Entertainment Weekly reported Tuesday that Tamyra Gray and her husband Sam Watters are expecting their first child. Tamyra was expectantly excited, as she told EW:
”I’m just trying to take care of myself and enjoy it,” she said. ”This is way harder than Idol.”
Tamyra said the baby is due in July and they will be surprised with its sex.
>Anoop Desai's new single "My Name" was released on iTunes Tuesday. He took to Philadelphia's The 10! Show on Tuesday to perform an acoustic version of the song, which can be watched below:
The studio version can be listened to here. Anoop went on to promote his new single elsewhere throughout the week including ABC News NOW.
>Lacey Brown continued her post-Idol farewell tour this week, as she stopped by CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday to chat about her short time on the show. Watch her segment below:
Lacey did fairly well on "What a Wonderful World" and had a nice back-and-forth with Letterman. If only she had sounded that good last week.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>It was announced yesterday that Kelly Clarkson will join Sarah McLachlan and her crew on the 2010 Lilith Fair tour. Per MTV News:
Kelly Clarkson will soon take her pop anthems on the road as the latest artist to join the Lilith Fair. It was announced on Thursday (March 4) that Clarkson, The Bangles, The Go-Go's, Dixie Chicks' Emily Robison and Martie Maguire's side project the Courtyard Hounds, Martina McBride and Suzanne Vega will be the latest ladies hitting the road for the female-focused festival.
No word yet on when the tour kicks off, but some of the cities on the itinerary include Boston, Los Angeles, Raleigh and Seattle. Other artists accompanying Kelly range from Ke$ha to Colbie Caillat and La Roux and Loretta Lynn.
>Jay Leno made his much anticipated return to late night on Monday when he took back the reigns of NBC's The Tonight Show. Not surprisingly, Leno had a few friends help him out, including an appearance by Randy Jackson in a taped "man on the street" segment in which Leno went door-to-door searching for a new desk. Watch the clip below:
Randy brought along his pals from the third season of his America's Best Dance Crew, who did an impromptu break dance routine in some random family's doorway. Now that's a party!
>Randy wasn't the only Idol family member to appear on The Tonight Show this week. The next night, Adam Lambert took to the stage to perform "Sleepwalker." Watch the performance below:
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was also on the show that night, but there's no word on whether she and Adam exchanged any words.
>A few weeks after the release of "We Are the World 25: For Haiti," Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan unveiled the Spanish version of the charity single called "Somos El Mundo 25: Por Haiti" on Tuesday. The song and video features David Archuleta and can be viewed below:
The single and video can now be purchased at iTunes for $2.99, with all proceeds going to the efforts in Haiti.
>Elliott Yamin was in Chile last weekend when the infamous 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation. He was participating in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival at the time of the disaster, and so he has been updating fans of his activities via his official Twitter account, sending tweets like the one below:
Hey yall,.I am fine....no need 2 worry about my meds!...I have insulin....I will live!!..thanx ur concern everybody!!...please retweet asap 8:31 AM Mar 3rd via UberTwitter
Since the earthquake, Elliott has been spreading his story on various media outlets, including Ryan Seacrest's radio show on KIIS-FM.
Kimberley Locke revealed to fans the name of her upcoming single in an e-mail sent to subscribers of her official mailing list this evening. Kimberley, whose single "Strobe Light" was produced by Randy Jackson, wrote in the e-mail:
I have a new single coming out titled "Strobe Light". I collaborated with the talented and loving Randy Jackson. I never thought I would be working with him! I must say that we had so much fun and I couldn't be more excited about this project!!! Stay tuned for more information. I know you will!!! I appreciate all of you and you support....Without the fans there would be no celebrities!
K-Lo was also busy tweeting tonight, as she let fans know that she was taping an episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories on the Biography channel for tomorrow. "Strobe Light" is set for a March 16 release.
Kimberley Locke recently sat down with Josh Skinner of WithJosh.com to for a two-part interview in which she spoke about her various recordings in addition to other things.
In part one, Kim talks about her #1 single "Eighth World Wonder" and some of her favorite songs she's recorded over the past few years. She also talked about how she's no longer with Curb Records and that she's aiming for her new dance single with Randy Jackson to be out in February.
Watch part one below:
In part two, Kim talks more about the single, how she got reconnected with Randy to produce her new single and why she chose to pursue a career in dance music.
Watch part two below:
It's Kim's 32nd birthday today, so happy birthday to her! As for Josh, he recently announced a new partnership with AINow.org for his interviews with Idol alums.
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.
Now that word has been circulating that FOX is interested in permanently replacing Paula Abdul for the ninth season of Idol, it should be expressed that there is absolutely no need for another fourth judge.
The laundry list of reasons why this would be unnecessary and even downright irresponsible is lengthy, but there are a few major reasons that stick out above the rest. First of all, do the producers not recall how many times performance episodes ran over thanks to the extra set of critiques that were needed after each performance? Whose fault was that again? Yeah, it was your fault by the extension of Kara DioGuardi and her babbling. Remember the time Adam Lambert's performance of "Mad World" went over the broadcast's allotted time during Top 8 week? And then the next week, only two judges were allowed to critique each performance, and the overtime still amounted to two minutes? That is not a professional way to run a show.
And then of course there's the whole notion that hearing an extra critique per contestant does not affect much in terms of swaying voters to vote one way or another, it usually only reinforces one of the other judges' opinions. Plus, during auditions and in Hollywood it is Simon who gets to make the final decision when the four of them reach a stalemate. Even though he probably merits this power thanks to his role in the show's production and his stature, it is still annoying that he not only has a contract worth millions upon millions more than his fellow judges and this additional perk is solely at his discretion and he could potentially (and probably already has) denied someone a ticket to Hollywood because he just "didn't like them."
So unless the plan is to fire Kara and replace her with someone who doesn't care so much about "artistry" or to do away with Randy's role after the next "dude" or "dawg" he drops, there should be no new faces appearing on this show come Season 9. None.
Singer/songwriter Brooke White knows a thing or two about recording an album. Therefore, it is no surprise that she excels on her sophomore album, ‘High Hopes & Heartbreak,’ on which she wrote 11 of the album’s 12 songs. The album is the first courtesy of June Baby Records, a label formed by White and ‘American Idol’ judge Randy Jackson.
The track tasked with introducing audiences to ‘Heartbreak’ is the catchy “Radio Radio,” the album’s second single. The song, which was co-penned by White and Dave Cobb, shows the bubbly side of White’s personality that many fell in love with while she was on ‘Idol,’ and the song is without a doubt a feel-good one. This song marks the beginning of the presence of White’s piano talent on the album, which meshes extremely well with the disc’s overall Carole King / Carly Simon sound.
This upbeat, sing-song theme is found elsewhere on ‘Heartbreak,’ most notably on “Phoenix,” which is the closest comparison to material by Carole King on the album. The dated instrumentation works in White’s favor, as it gives the song an eclectic feeling. The album’s title track, “High Hopes & Heartbreak,” is another up-tempo track that fuses seventies influences with a folksy background.
On “California Song,” White invites listeners to sing along and have fun without worrying about getting the lyrics wrong. The incorporation of different elements of California life in the lyrics allows listeners familiar with the state to identify with the song.
The album’s first single, “Hold Up My Heart,” sets a serious tone that allows for White’s vulnerability to shine through, as a story is told through the song’s lyrics (“When I am weak try to always find the best of you and me / but I will always be the one who understands you”) and allows listeners to identify with the feeling of weakness yet retain a sense of hopefulness.
On “Out of the Ashes,” White expounds on the quiet confidence she builds in “Heart” to result in a pretty vocal performance, as she is aided by Steve McEwan’s vocals on harmony. “Little Bird,” which White co-wrote with fellow Season 8 alum Michael Johns and Cobb, is an area where the Carly Simon vibe is felt, and the sound effects added throughout the song give it a laid back feeling.
“When We Were One” is a ballad that features a chorus with a hook, allowing White some leverage as a potential single. The song itself sounds as if it could have been set to any style of music that is in at the moment, but her choice to apply her own style to the song results in a unique and ear-pleasing result that fits right in with the album’s other songs.
White’s strongest effort on the album comes in the form of “Smile,” a sweet, subdued-sounding ballad that has matching lyrics (“It might take a while`/ maybe a couple million miles / until I forget your smile”). The addition of stringed accompaniment that enters near the end of the song adds another aspect that heightens the emotional effect the listener feels. “Sometimes Love” is a close second in terms of quality, as the simplicity of the melody results in a powerful effect on listeners.
‘Heartbreak’s only cover comes as its sixth track, as White tackles Kings of Leon’s hit single “Use Somebody.” The arrangement is obviously very different, but the experiment works quite well.
To close out the album, White advises listeners to “Be Careful” in a nurturing, friendly manner. The stringed accompaniment adds a sense of sentimentality.
The bottom line of ‘High Hopes & Heartbreak’ is the fact that Brooke White possesses a single characteristic that many artists nowadays lack: she knows exactly what kind of artist she was born to be. She is not out to become the next huge pop superstar, instead she is concerned with showing fans that she is confident in the genre of music she records. This confidence shows immensely.
High Hopes & Heartbreak hits stores nationwide tomorrow and is now available to purchase on iTunes.
The 2009 CMT Music Awards were a little lackluster this year thanks to a familiar face at these kinds of events skipping out on the festivities, as Carrie Underwood opted to join her mother on a mini-vacation rather than attend the show. But there was still plenty of Idol to go around at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Although she came up empty handed in the "Female Video of the Year" for her "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" music video, Kellie Pickler was quite a presence at the awards show. After appearing onstage with Randy Jackson to present the award for "USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year," Kellie returned to perform her current hit single "Best Days of Your Life." Watch the performance below:
Before the show even started, though, Kellie turned up in the opening pre-taped sketch between host Bill Engvall and Taylor Swift, which involved Swift and Kellie colliding in the hallway before the show and landing on the floor. Watch the bit below:
The biggest honor of the night, "Video of the Year," went to Swift's "Love Story."
Also in attendance was Bucky Covington, but he was merely a spectator this time around. The awards show was broadcast live concurrently on CMT and CMT.com.
As certain as the sun will rise and Ryan Seacrest will tell people they are safe, the Teen Choice Awards are once again returning to FOX this August. And, as usual, Idol alums dominate the list of nominations.
This year, the most interesting category to watch will be the "Male Reality/Variety Star" category in the TV section, where both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are nominated. This is interesting, as the category is usually reserved only for the Idol winner. Adam received one other nomination in the "Red Carpet Icon - Male" category in the Other Stuff section, which he will easily win in.
Another rather interesting observation in terms of Idol effects is the "TV: Personality" category, which features two personalities from Idol (Simon Cowell and Ryan) and two from America's Best Dance Crew, which is produced by Randy Jackson.
But the Idol alum to score the most nominations is David Archuleta, as he is up for "Music: Breakout Artist," his single, "Crush," is up for "Music: Love Song" and his tour with Demi Lovato is nominated for "Music Tour."
See a full list of Idol-related nominees below:
TV: Reality Competition America's Best Dance Crew Dancing With The Stars American Idol America's Next Top Model The Bachelor
TV: Personality Ryan Seacrest - American Idol, E! Simon Cowell - American Idol Tyra Banks - America's Next Top Model Lil Mama - America's Best Dance Crew Mario Lopez - America's Best Dance Crew
TV: Male Reality/Variety Star Kris Allen - American Idol Brody Jenner - Bromance Adam Lambert - American Idol Ryan Sheckler - Life of Ryan Rob Dyrdek - Fantasy Factory
Music: Single Miley Cyrus - The Climb Britney Spears - Circus Katy Perry - Hot N Cold Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You Lady Gaga - Poker Face
Music: R&B Artist Beyonce Jaime Foxx Jennifer Hudson Ne- Yo T- Pain
Music: Breakout Artist Asher Roth David Archuleta David Cook Kid Cudi Lady Gaga
Music: Love Song Crush - David Archuleta Halo - Beyonce How Do You Sleep - Jesse McCartney Love Story - Taylor Swift Lovebug - Jonas Brothers
Music: R&B Track Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A ring On It) Jennifer Hudson - If This Isn't Love Kanye West - Love Lockdown Ne-Yo - Mad Soulja Boy Tell 'em Featuring Sammie - Kiss Me Thru The Phone
Music Album Female Artist Carnival Ride - Carrie Underwood Fame - Lady Gaga Fearless - Taylor Swift I am… Sasha Fierce - Beyonce One Of The Boys - Katy Perry
Music Album Male Artist Relapse - Eminem We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - Jason Mraz David Cook - David Cook 808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne
Music Tour Jonas Brothers Britney Spears Demi Lovato/David Archuleta Taylor Swift American Idol Tour
Other Stuff Red Carpet Icon - Male Justin Timberlake Adam Lambert Jonas Brothers Zac Efron Kanye West
The 2009 Teen Choice Awards, hosted by The Jonas Brothers, will be broadcast on Mon., Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Voting runs from now until Aug. 1 and is open to anyone between the ages of 13-19 (or anyone who says they're between this age range).
Tonight's finale was set to be a one-sided wipe-out, and although it may not have been as clear cut as expectations had us all believe, it was still a wipe-out based on the judges' comments. The three songs per finalists thing must have not really been a big hit with Adam and Kris, as it seemed like the two of them ran out of gas near the end of the show.
But who can be blamed for that? No one but Ms. Kara DioGuardi. Her co-penned coronation cheese-fest "No Boundaries" was set in a key so foreign to the two contenders that each of their takes on it came off sounding like two amateurs were attempting to sing something they just overheard someone playing in a cheap bar.
Adam took on the song first, which would have showed he was pretty brave had he not been required to do the duty before Kris. The result was something that was not very pretty. Adam was off pitch a couple of times, just as Randy noted, and his theatrical style just sounded all wrong on the poppy track about mountains and hurricanes and whatnot. In fact, it would probably be best for him not to win if only for the sake of his credibility not being damaged. But on the other hand, David Cook survived the blunderful "magic rainbow" line in "The Time of My Life," so anything can happen.
Kris took the same approach, as they were barred from playing instruments during the final performance. This left him virtually naked and a little uncomfortable, as he had to grapple with the high key and used the mic as his crutch to prevent any nervousness from seeping out. That did not really work, though, and in addition to slipping up on the lyrics for a half-second, his voice just sounded like it was giving out at times. Still, this faltering was nothing compared to Blake Lewis' surrendering back on Season 6 when he was given "This Is My Now" as his final song. As the judges noted, "No Boundaries" was probably fit more for Kris' vocal style, but he may or may not be able to call the song his own depending on how tomorrow's results go.
The judges were easy on the song itself, with even Simon stating that he would ignore the song and focus just on the individuals as vocalists during the show. This was all to spare Kara any embarrassment that is usually directed toward the writer(s) of the coronation tracks. But even Kara said something in a "yea yeah" sarcastic tone when Simon mentioned the "mountains" part of the lyrics, so she must agree that it did not work all that well on the two of them.
I will go into detail with my thoughts on the song following this post, so be sure to look for it (I promise I won't disappoint).
As for the two thirds of the show that didn't suck, it was pretty evenly split. Adam opened the show with a bang when he re-did "Mad World" in Broadway garb that would make any character from the Great White Way proud. The fog machine (or dry ice? as Adam said following his performance) was probably the thing that sent the performance over the edge into the category of ridiculousness, as Simon made sure he got in a word about. Vocally, it was strong, perhaps on par with his version back on Top 8 night but must likely not equally matched.
Simon Fuller's choice, on the other hand, was the most awkward, unfit song for Adam to sing that it sucked out any momentum that he gained from the first round, no matter what Simon said about him being "a million times better" than Kris in the second round. Although Adam sang the song well, the fact that he was tasked with finding a more soulful sound deep within the layers of his signature style kind of resulted in an odd final product. Still, the judges loved what he came up with, as Kara applauded him for finding his own interpretation of the song and Paula went as far to say that it was the best she had ever heard him sing on the show.
Kris, on the other hand, had the best performance of the night with his reprise of "Ain't No Sunshine." It's just too bad, as Simon pointed out at the end of the show, that Kris had to waste his best showing at the beginning of the night. The fact that he tried it out on the piano showed that he really is a true artist and is very versatile with playing instruments while performing. He was able to show his softest side on "Sunshine" and won praise from the judges,hearing everything from "awakening spirits in all of us" courtesy of Paula to "creating an intimate bond with the audience" from Kara. Simon was more effective in his turnaround in which he said Kris deserved to be in the finals after the performance.
On the Fuller choice of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," however, he lost a little bit of his luster. The vocal was raw and very Jason Mraz-y, which was good, but Randy and Simon had a point when they said it was a little "light" for the finale. Acoustic is great, and works extremely well on the much smaller Idol studio stage, but in the Nokia Theatre it gets a little lost in the air. And once again, Simon was right on the money when he compared it to something that could be heard in a bedroom with three friends just playing around on the guitar (where does he come up with these comparisons?).
Fortunately for us, Carrie Underwood was there to sing us out in what was probably the most exciting (and best) performance of the night when she took on this season's goodbye song "Home Sweet Home." She looked as good as ever and sounded pretty strong.
And for a few bragging rights, Adam and Kris did take my advice into consideration by picking "Mad World" and "Ain't No Sunshine" for their encores, respectively, so that was good to know.
So when all was said and done, this finale performance episode definitely ranks among the lower rungs of the finales when compared with the past seven seasons, as the excitement factor just did not live up to expectations. Still, whoever wins tomorrow night will have a lot to live up to and he better get to making "No Boundaries" work with his voice, because the song is not going away.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>David Cook and David Archuleta are taking the stage together, only this time there's a little less competition. The seventh season's winner and runner-up are over in Manila, Philippines, where they will perform in concert together at the Mall of Asia concert grounds on Sat., May 16. The two passed clearance in their H1N1 tests, so all things are a go.
>Another Season 7 finalist, Brooke White, was in the news this week when a press release was issued regarding her upcoming album release, High Hopes & Heartbreak. The album was originally set for a June 2 drop date but has since been delayed until July 21. It will be released on the newly formed June Baby Records and will be produced by Randy Jackson.
>Blake Lewis was on FOX Reality Channel's American Idol Extra Wednesday night, where he sat down with co-hosts Jillian Reynolds and Ace Young for a few words before performing Rihanna's "Disturbia."
Looks like Blake's into auto-tuning and relying heavily on backing tracks for his live performances. His upcoming album will be out Oct. 6 and will feature the single "Sad Song."
>With "I Told You So" reaching the pinnacle spot atop the Mediabase country airplay chart this week, Carrie Underwood has become the first country artist to have her first 10 singles hit #1 on a key sales or airplay chart, including Billboard's Hot Country Songs and the Radio & Records country airplay chart among others.
>Clay Aiken made an appearance on last night's 30 Rock finale on NBC on which he played the cousin of regular Kenneth the Page. Watch a clip featuring Clay below:
Other celebrities that appeared on the star-studded finale include Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow and Elvis Costello.
The talk show circuit was hot with Idol judges yesterday, as Simon Cowell's episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired in addition to appearances by Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson on late night programs. Kara stopped by ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live where she talked about a misconception that she shaves her nose and what it was like to write a song for Paris Hilton. Watch the segment below:
She again said that it's still undecided whether or not she will be back next season, despite Simon already confirming that there would be four judges on Season 9. She also dodged the question that everyone always asks: who she thought was going to win, as Kimmel did not even go there in the interview.
Not to be outdone, Randy was on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to chat with the show's host. Watch it below (begins at 28:40):
Randy said it will come down to Adam and Danny and defended Adam against Fallon's "broadway" comment.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
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