The Top 6 finalists opened the show with a medley of more great songs from Carole King that included the #1 hits Go Away Little Girl and It's Too Late.
The Season 9 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Crystal Bowersox was the clear front-runner from the beginning and it was a huge surprise that she didn't win. She came back to perform a great song that was the perfect mix of pure vocal talent combined with a fun country/pop/rock vibe.
Haley, James and Lauren are all safe leaving Jacob, Scotty and Casey in the bottom three.
Bruno Mars has been an unstoppable hit machine for the last 12 months hitting #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with Nothing On You, Just The Way You Are and Grenade. Tonight he performed his latest single, The Lazy Song, and it is sure to be on a fast track to the top in the next few weeks as well.
Jacob and Scotty were both safe meaning that after being the lowest vote getter for the second time, we are finally going to be rid of Casey Abrams. He has given people the creeps since he first knocked a chair off the stage followed by very rudely slapping James. Then he was very inappropriate when he kissed Jennifer combined with the general hostility that he evokes when he's trying to sing. Thankfully we won't have to see his instability on stage again. And he's just not a good singer also.
I correctly predicted that Jacob and Casey would both be in the bottom three. Haley Reinhart should have never made the top 24 and the fact that she is now in the top 5 doesn't make any sense at all. Start bracing yourselves now as she is likely to wind up winning the whole thing....
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Pia Toscano is in demand!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWDTTbuPwUI
Season 10 isn't even over yet and the offers and opportunities are already rolling in for finalist Pia Toscano.
I guess it's a good thing that she was eliminated way too soon because it gave her a chance to do this fantastic performance on Dancing With The Stars! She really looked and sounded wonderful.
Season 10 isn't even over yet and the offers and opportunities are already rolling in for finalist Pia Toscano.
I guess it's a good thing that she was eliminated way too soon because it gave her a chance to do this fantastic performance on Dancing With The Stars! She really looked and sounded wonderful.
The Top 6 sing Carole King
Tonight the Top 6 finalists performed the music of accomplished singer/songwriter, Carole King.
Carole King released an album called Love Makes The World in 2001 that included the track Oh No Not My Baby and Jacob Lusk did his best to make this song his own. He brings a lot of enthusiasm to his performance and literally bounces across the stage, but his vocals just aren't focused and controlled enough to impress.
Tapestry, her Grammy winning Album of the Year from 1971, included the track Where You Lead that Lauren Alaina did her best to inject some personality into. Where Carole has written a fantastic song Lauren, sadly, doesn't have much personality to contribute so it ended up falling flat.
I Feel The Earth Move spent 5 weeks at #1 in 1971 and Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart made a complete mess of this fantastic song with their complete inability to sing well. There was an embarrassing amount of over-compensating going on up on the stage with unpleasant wailing, growling and screaming substituting for vocal talent. It's as if they both are blatantly admitting they don't have what it takes to just sing well.
You've Got A Friend won the 1971 Grammy for Song of the Year as well as spending one week at #1 for James Taylor. Scotty McCreery did his best to convey some depth and sensitivity with his interpretation, but it all ended up falling flat. It was an effort at showing some range, but this exposed that he doesn't really have any.
Will You Love Me Tomorrow by the Shirelles became the first song written by Carole King to hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 when it stayed there for two weeks in 1960. James Durbin demonstrated for all of the other contestants what it means to perform, interpret and re-invent a pop classic. James has an exceptional voice and outstanding professional stage presence. He quite literally rocked the house and 50 years later this song could be a #1 hit all over again!
The Drifters took Carole's song Up On The Roof to #5 in 1962. Scotty and Lauren's duet of this wonderful song was over before it began. It simply lacked any connection to each other or the lyrics.
Blood Sweat and Tears took Hi-De-Ho to #14 in 1970. Casey Abrams just gave us more of his self-indulgent creepy mannerisms to this performance and it was just a relief when it was over. He brings unpleasant tightness and hostility to the stage that is uncomfortable to watch.
Beautiful is another wonderful track from Tapestry and Haley simply brought it down to the level of a second rate amateur hour. She's is up there play acting the part when she just doesn't have the goods.
I'm Into Something Good was a #13 hit for Herman's Hermits in 1964. The pairing of Jacob and James for this duet was not something good. James is up there like a seasoned professional while Jacob is floundering around completely unable to keep up.
My prediction for the bottom three is Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart. I have to believe that at this point in the competition the public is able to tell the difference between the legitimate talent that James Durbin has and that they will be voting to keep him in the game. The rest of them can go, but this week Jacob Lusk should be the lowest vote getter.
Carole King released an album called Love Makes The World in 2001 that included the track Oh No Not My Baby and Jacob Lusk did his best to make this song his own. He brings a lot of enthusiasm to his performance and literally bounces across the stage, but his vocals just aren't focused and controlled enough to impress.
Tapestry, her Grammy winning Album of the Year from 1971, included the track Where You Lead that Lauren Alaina did her best to inject some personality into. Where Carole has written a fantastic song Lauren, sadly, doesn't have much personality to contribute so it ended up falling flat.
I Feel The Earth Move spent 5 weeks at #1 in 1971 and Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart made a complete mess of this fantastic song with their complete inability to sing well. There was an embarrassing amount of over-compensating going on up on the stage with unpleasant wailing, growling and screaming substituting for vocal talent. It's as if they both are blatantly admitting they don't have what it takes to just sing well.
You've Got A Friend won the 1971 Grammy for Song of the Year as well as spending one week at #1 for James Taylor. Scotty McCreery did his best to convey some depth and sensitivity with his interpretation, but it all ended up falling flat. It was an effort at showing some range, but this exposed that he doesn't really have any.
Will You Love Me Tomorrow by the Shirelles became the first song written by Carole King to hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 when it stayed there for two weeks in 1960. James Durbin demonstrated for all of the other contestants what it means to perform, interpret and re-invent a pop classic. James has an exceptional voice and outstanding professional stage presence. He quite literally rocked the house and 50 years later this song could be a #1 hit all over again!
The Drifters took Carole's song Up On The Roof to #5 in 1962. Scotty and Lauren's duet of this wonderful song was over before it began. It simply lacked any connection to each other or the lyrics.
Blood Sweat and Tears took Hi-De-Ho to #14 in 1970. Casey Abrams just gave us more of his self-indulgent creepy mannerisms to this performance and it was just a relief when it was over. He brings unpleasant tightness and hostility to the stage that is uncomfortable to watch.
Beautiful is another wonderful track from Tapestry and Haley simply brought it down to the level of a second rate amateur hour. She's is up there play acting the part when she just doesn't have the goods.
I'm Into Something Good was a #13 hit for Herman's Hermits in 1964. The pairing of Jacob and James for this duet was not something good. James is up there like a seasoned professional while Jacob is floundering around completely unable to keep up.
My prediction for the bottom three is Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart. I have to believe that at this point in the competition the public is able to tell the difference between the legitimate talent that James Durbin has and that they will be voting to keep him in the game. The rest of them can go, but this week Jacob Lusk should be the lowest vote getter.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Results - 21st Century
Stefano, Jacob, Haley and Lauren opened the show with a performance of one of the biggest hits of 2010 - Hey Soul Sister by Train. Then Casey, Scotty and James got together to sing Coldplay's #1 hit from 2008 - Viva La Vida.
The first bit of unfortunate news for the evening was that the first finalist to be named as safe was creepy Casey. Jacob was the first to be named in the bottom three.
The Season 7 Miss American Idol winner, David Cook, is more well known for his support of charitable causes that he is for his musical success. He has failed to hit the top 10 again since his #3 debut single The Time Of My Life in 2008. He came back to the American Idol stage to debut the first single from his second album so maybe this exposure is just what he needs to make another dent in the charts.
It was then revealed that Lauren, James and Scotty are all safe leaving Haley and Stefano to join Jacob in the bottom three. Haley barely had a chance to sit down, though, before Ryan sent her back to safety.
Superstar hitmaker Katy Perry was easily one of the most successful top artists of 2010 hitting #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with California Gurls and Teenage Dream. The hits have continued in 2011 with two more huge #1 hits Firework and E.T. Katy came to the American Idol stage and brought all of her extraterrestrial, supernatural amazing awesomeness in an outstanding performance of E.T. that should ensure that it stays at the top of the charts for a long time to come.
For another week now we have had to say good bye to one of the best finalists as Stefano was revealed as the lowest vote getter. His fantastic high energy disco performance of Lately was a final reminder that the voters don't want to recognize exceptional talent this season. His vocal range is outstanding and he moves across the stage with handsome finesse.
This week I correctly predicted that Jacob would be in the bottom three, but it's a shame that we'll have to see him again next week. The more we see Casey each week the more we see his creepy and unlikable personality. It was especially weird and unpleasant when Casey got up in her face and kissed Jennifer. Scotty and Lauren are coasting in this popularity contest without having any impressive talent to back it up. Haley is like a character study for a recurring skit that Kristen Wiig will be doing on Saturday Night Live next year. That leaves us with James as the only remaining finalist with any vocal skills, talent and stage presence worthy of a legitimate career in the music business. That probably means that James will be going home next week.
The first bit of unfortunate news for the evening was that the first finalist to be named as safe was creepy Casey. Jacob was the first to be named in the bottom three.
The Season 7 Miss American Idol winner, David Cook, is more well known for his support of charitable causes that he is for his musical success. He has failed to hit the top 10 again since his #3 debut single The Time Of My Life in 2008. He came back to the American Idol stage to debut the first single from his second album so maybe this exposure is just what he needs to make another dent in the charts.
It was then revealed that Lauren, James and Scotty are all safe leaving Haley and Stefano to join Jacob in the bottom three. Haley barely had a chance to sit down, though, before Ryan sent her back to safety.
Superstar hitmaker Katy Perry was easily one of the most successful top artists of 2010 hitting #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with California Gurls and Teenage Dream. The hits have continued in 2011 with two more huge #1 hits Firework and E.T. Katy came to the American Idol stage and brought all of her extraterrestrial, supernatural amazing awesomeness in an outstanding performance of E.T. that should ensure that it stays at the top of the charts for a long time to come.
For another week now we have had to say good bye to one of the best finalists as Stefano was revealed as the lowest vote getter. His fantastic high energy disco performance of Lately was a final reminder that the voters don't want to recognize exceptional talent this season. His vocal range is outstanding and he moves across the stage with handsome finesse.
This week I correctly predicted that Jacob would be in the bottom three, but it's a shame that we'll have to see him again next week. The more we see Casey each week the more we see his creepy and unlikable personality. It was especially weird and unpleasant when Casey got up in her face and kissed Jennifer. Scotty and Lauren are coasting in this popularity contest without having any impressive talent to back it up. Haley is like a character study for a recurring skit that Kristen Wiig will be doing on Saturday Night Live next year. That leaves us with James as the only remaining finalist with any vocal skills, talent and stage presence worthy of a legitimate career in the music business. That probably means that James will be going home next week.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Top 7 sing the 21st Century
The Top 7 finalists were able to select any song recorded since the turn of the century:
Leann Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1996, and as recent as 2010 she was nominated for a Grammy for her high energy performance of Swingin'. Scotty McCreery tried to give his own spin to this hot song. He slowed down the arrangement and essentially sucked the life out if it. There was no personality in his tepid rendition.
Current hitmaking rockers, Muse, had a hit in 2010 with Uprising and it was the perfect song to allow James Durbin to show that he can just as easily be fresh as he is classic. He displayed amazing vocal range and personality.
Adele won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008, but it wasn't until this year that she hit the top of the Billboard albums chart with her second release 21. She also earned her first top 10 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 with Rolling In The Deep and Haley Reinhart provided her least messed up performance of the season so far with her cover. She didn't totally butcher it, but you could tell she was really trying to with her totally awful growl thrown in there just to remind us that she's more of a comedy routine than anything else.
Luther Vandross won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2003 for Dance With My Father and Jacob Lusk actually interpreted it very well. He showed some amazing vocal restraint for a change and was more watchable than usual.
Maroon 5 won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2004 and Casey Abrams chose to sing their very first hit, Harder to Breathe. In his case he is just getting harder to watch and harder to listen to. Creepy does not even begin to describe his unpleasant stage presence. He belongs in the background as a musician - if that.....
Ne-Yo hit #7 in 2008 with his pop smash, Closer. Stefano Langone took our breath away with his vocally fantastic performance. He is completely ready to be in the spotlight on stage and in front of the camera for hot music videos. He gave us American Idol perfection! His dance moves are slick and impressive and he belts out the big notes with effortless ease. Not to mention the fact that he looks so handsome in the most stylish fashions. :)
Sara Evans had a big hit with Born To Fly in 2000. It's a fun song, but Lauren Alaina failed to give any personality to her take on it. Her voice is mildly good, but nothing exceptional. She doesn't seem to know what do with herself on stage so she just stands there appearing to be scared and nervous.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery. I'm giving Haley a free pass this week because she restrained herself to do a respectable job on a song that I really like. If we're really lucky, by my not predicting her to be in the bottom three we may finally get rid of her! So of the three boys I predicted to be in the bottom, I think Casey and Scotty will be safe because they have enough fans who will stick by them no matter how creepy or boring they are. That leaves Jacob to be the one going home this week.
Leann Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1996, and as recent as 2010 she was nominated for a Grammy for her high energy performance of Swingin'. Scotty McCreery tried to give his own spin to this hot song. He slowed down the arrangement and essentially sucked the life out if it. There was no personality in his tepid rendition.
Current hitmaking rockers, Muse, had a hit in 2010 with Uprising and it was the perfect song to allow James Durbin to show that he can just as easily be fresh as he is classic. He displayed amazing vocal range and personality.
Adele won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008, but it wasn't until this year that she hit the top of the Billboard albums chart with her second release 21. She also earned her first top 10 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 with Rolling In The Deep and Haley Reinhart provided her least messed up performance of the season so far with her cover. She didn't totally butcher it, but you could tell she was really trying to with her totally awful growl thrown in there just to remind us that she's more of a comedy routine than anything else.
Luther Vandross won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2003 for Dance With My Father and Jacob Lusk actually interpreted it very well. He showed some amazing vocal restraint for a change and was more watchable than usual.
Maroon 5 won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2004 and Casey Abrams chose to sing their very first hit, Harder to Breathe. In his case he is just getting harder to watch and harder to listen to. Creepy does not even begin to describe his unpleasant stage presence. He belongs in the background as a musician - if that.....
Ne-Yo hit #7 in 2008 with his pop smash, Closer. Stefano Langone took our breath away with his vocally fantastic performance. He is completely ready to be in the spotlight on stage and in front of the camera for hot music videos. He gave us American Idol perfection! His dance moves are slick and impressive and he belts out the big notes with effortless ease. Not to mention the fact that he looks so handsome in the most stylish fashions. :)
Sara Evans had a big hit with Born To Fly in 2000. It's a fun song, but Lauren Alaina failed to give any personality to her take on it. Her voice is mildly good, but nothing exceptional. She doesn't seem to know what do with herself on stage so she just stands there appearing to be scared and nervous.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery. I'm giving Haley a free pass this week because she restrained herself to do a respectable job on a song that I really like. If we're really lucky, by my not predicting her to be in the bottom three we may finally get rid of her! So of the three boys I predicted to be in the bottom, I think Casey and Scotty will be safe because they have enough fans who will stick by them no matter how creepy or boring they are. That leaves Jacob to be the one going home this week.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Results - Movie Music
This year's Miss American Idol Sweethearts, Scotty and Lauren, opened the show with a very bland performance of American Honey that made us long for the original version by Lady Antebellum. Then Haley and Casey moaned and groaned their way through a sloppy mess of something verging on jazz, except that it wasn't any good. It was revealed afterward that Scotty, Lauren and Casey are all safe, while Haley had to take the first seat in the bottom three.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has enjoyed some fantastic success including platinum sales, #1 hits and some Grammy wins. She is showing some lasting staying power as she is still having hits after all these years. She returned to the Idol stage to perform her current hit, Don't You Wanna Stay, with country star Jason Aldean. This wonderful love song has slowly been getting bigger and bigger every week and now with this high profile exposure it is sure to get a significant bump on the charts.
The remaining boys, James, Stefano, Jacob and Paul, got together to perform a medley of Simon and Garfunkel #1 hits: The Sounds of Silence and Mrs. Robinson. While James and Jacob were both safe, Stefano and Paul had to go join Haley in the bottom three.
The biggest superstar hit maker over the past five years is without argument Rihanna. She has had a string of too many #1 hits to list all of them. She has already hit the top with the first two singles (What's My Name and Only Girl In The World) from her latest album, Loud. While her third single, S&M, is on the verge of doing the same thing, she came to the American Idol stage and decided to perform her fourth single rather than giving S&M the push. Honestly, everything she touches becomes a hit whether she promotes it or not so she might as well debut the fourth single.
Haley and Stefano were announced as safe so that left Paul McDonald to be the first boy to be eliminated from the top 13. He performed his quirky version of Maggie May one last time.
This week I correctly predicted that both Haley and Paul would be in the bottom three. At this point it's all just part of the joke for me to predict that Haley will be the one going home because we all know that she is going to win the whole thing anyway.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has enjoyed some fantastic success including platinum sales, #1 hits and some Grammy wins. She is showing some lasting staying power as she is still having hits after all these years. She returned to the Idol stage to perform her current hit, Don't You Wanna Stay, with country star Jason Aldean. This wonderful love song has slowly been getting bigger and bigger every week and now with this high profile exposure it is sure to get a significant bump on the charts.
The remaining boys, James, Stefano, Jacob and Paul, got together to perform a medley of Simon and Garfunkel #1 hits: The Sounds of Silence and Mrs. Robinson. While James and Jacob were both safe, Stefano and Paul had to go join Haley in the bottom three.
The biggest superstar hit maker over the past five years is without argument Rihanna. She has had a string of too many #1 hits to list all of them. She has already hit the top with the first two singles (What's My Name and Only Girl In The World) from her latest album, Loud. While her third single, S&M, is on the verge of doing the same thing, she came to the American Idol stage and decided to perform her fourth single rather than giving S&M the push. Honestly, everything she touches becomes a hit whether she promotes it or not so she might as well debut the fourth single.
Haley and Stefano were announced as safe so that left Paul McDonald to be the first boy to be eliminated from the top 13. He performed his quirky version of Maggie May one last time.
This week I correctly predicted that both Haley and Paul would be in the bottom three. At this point it's all just part of the joke for me to predict that Haley will be the one going home because we all know that she is going to win the whole thing anyway.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Top 8 sing Movie Music
The top 8 finalists are singing songs from the movies tonight:
Old Time Rock & Roll originally peaked at #28 in 1979 for Bob Seger, but it didn't become a classic until Tom Cruise did an underwear lip sync to it in Risky Business in 1983. Paul McDonald not only left his pants on for this performance, but he showed off another flowered suit. The suit ended up being the best part of this as his vocals were once again all wrong.
Miley Cyrus took her Hannah Montana character to the big screen in 2009 and had a #4 hit from it with The Climb. Lauren Alaina did a better job than Miley with her rendition, but since Miley's not a very good singer that's pretty easy to do. This is exactly the comfort zone for Lauren so if she keeps on doing more of this she should be around a lot longer.
Boyz II Men spent 13 weeks at #1 in 1992 with the End Of The Road. Who even remembers that this song was featured in Boomerang? Stefano Langone has a super smooth voice that is perfect for this R&B slow jam. He served up an outstanding vocal performance and he looked even more handsome than ever.
George Strait is probably the most boring man in country music history - and he's also one of the most successful. He made a movie called Pure Country in 1992 and included a song called I Cross My Heart that Scotty McCreery decided to sing tonight. Clearly Scotty is striving for safe and boring. It worked for George Strait and it will certainly work for Scotty.
Nat King Cole is the standard when it comes to jazz classics and Casey Abrams got up on stage with his upright bass again and performed his Nature Boy. It was very far from the standard set by Nat as Casey crossed over into the creepy with his weak vocals and strange facial expressions. If anyone knows what movie Nature Boy was featured in, please let me know.
Blondie spent six weeks at #1 in 1980 with Call Me from the movie American Gigolo. This song is one of the best rockin dance/pop jams in the history of ever and Haley Reinhart just made a mockery of it. Once again she acted like any old random drunk girl in a bar. Haley has no sense of professionalism, style or good taste when it comes to her performance choices.
Simon & Garfunkel spent six weeks at #1 in 1970 with Bridge Over Troubled Water. It also went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year. Jacob Lusk provided his most controlled and disciplined performance of the competition so far with this fantastic song. Incidentally, the song was included in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006.
In 1981 the animated cult classic Heavy Metal was released with the hard rocking theme song performed by Sammy Hagar. James Durbin closed the night with an outstanding over the top high energy rock concert performance of this anthem. James has the vocal skills and the stage presence to headline anywhere and everywhere right now!
Tonight we were treated to a broad range of musical diversity from smooth R&B to hard rocking heavy metal, and from classic country to jazz. James and Stefano were easily the best of the night while my prediction for the bottom three is Paul, Haley and Casey. I'm going to keep saying this every week until she ends up winning the whole thing, but Haley will hopefully be the lowest vote getter and will be going home.
Old Time Rock & Roll originally peaked at #28 in 1979 for Bob Seger, but it didn't become a classic until Tom Cruise did an underwear lip sync to it in Risky Business in 1983. Paul McDonald not only left his pants on for this performance, but he showed off another flowered suit. The suit ended up being the best part of this as his vocals were once again all wrong.
Miley Cyrus took her Hannah Montana character to the big screen in 2009 and had a #4 hit from it with The Climb. Lauren Alaina did a better job than Miley with her rendition, but since Miley's not a very good singer that's pretty easy to do. This is exactly the comfort zone for Lauren so if she keeps on doing more of this she should be around a lot longer.
Boyz II Men spent 13 weeks at #1 in 1992 with the End Of The Road. Who even remembers that this song was featured in Boomerang? Stefano Langone has a super smooth voice that is perfect for this R&B slow jam. He served up an outstanding vocal performance and he looked even more handsome than ever.
George Strait is probably the most boring man in country music history - and he's also one of the most successful. He made a movie called Pure Country in 1992 and included a song called I Cross My Heart that Scotty McCreery decided to sing tonight. Clearly Scotty is striving for safe and boring. It worked for George Strait and it will certainly work for Scotty.
Nat King Cole is the standard when it comes to jazz classics and Casey Abrams got up on stage with his upright bass again and performed his Nature Boy. It was very far from the standard set by Nat as Casey crossed over into the creepy with his weak vocals and strange facial expressions. If anyone knows what movie Nature Boy was featured in, please let me know.
Blondie spent six weeks at #1 in 1980 with Call Me from the movie American Gigolo. This song is one of the best rockin dance/pop jams in the history of ever and Haley Reinhart just made a mockery of it. Once again she acted like any old random drunk girl in a bar. Haley has no sense of professionalism, style or good taste when it comes to her performance choices.
Simon & Garfunkel spent six weeks at #1 in 1970 with Bridge Over Troubled Water. It also went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year. Jacob Lusk provided his most controlled and disciplined performance of the competition so far with this fantastic song. Incidentally, the song was included in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006.
In 1981 the animated cult classic Heavy Metal was released with the hard rocking theme song performed by Sammy Hagar. James Durbin closed the night with an outstanding over the top high energy rock concert performance of this anthem. James has the vocal skills and the stage presence to headline anywhere and everywhere right now!
Tonight we were treated to a broad range of musical diversity from smooth R&B to hard rocking heavy metal, and from classic country to jazz. James and Stefano were easily the best of the night while my prediction for the bottom three is Paul, Haley and Casey. I'm going to keep saying this every week until she ends up winning the whole thing, but Haley will hopefully be the lowest vote getter and will be going home.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Results - Rock&Roll Hall of Fame
The show opened with the top 9 finalists performing a fun mash-up with the girls singing the 1982 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts #1 smash I Love Rock-n-Roll mixed together with the boys singing Lynard Skynard's Sweet Home Alabama that hit #8 in 1974. It was good, but it really highlighted the difference between the finalists who have stage presence and talent (Pia, James and Stefano) compared to the awkwardness of the others.
And it figures that one of the most talented, Stefano, ends up being the first to be in the bottom three while Lauren and Scotty were safe.
The Season 4 finalist, Constantine Maroulis, returned to the Idol stage to perform a very good rendition of Unchained Melody. He has been touring across the country for a few years now in the smash Broadway hit, Rock Of Ages. He even got a Tony Nomination for his performance.
Things went from bad to worse when another of the most talented finalists, Pia, had to go join Stefano in the bottom three while Paul and Casey were safe.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Iggy Pop, then performed his very unique brand of alternative rock that was actually pretty bad. I'm sure Haley was taking notes very closely and she'll be adding some of his moves to her comedy routine for next week.
Unfortunately, Haley will be coming back next week as she and James were both safe leaving Jacob to take the final spot in the bottom three.
Last week, America got it very wrong sending Thia home way too early and it is just getting worse from there. Stefano and Jacob are both safe and in the worst joke in American Idol history since Jennifer Hudson was eliminated, Pia Toscano was the lowest vote getter of the week.
What started out as a great competition with lots of talented finalists is quickly becoming a farce. At least I correctly predicted that Jacob would be in the bottom three, but the pity party votes for Casey are going on for way too long. And the fact that Haley is getting any votes at all is the biggest piece of confusion in all of this. At the rate things are going, I predict that Haley will end up winning the whole Season 10 Miss American Idol crown.
And it figures that one of the most talented, Stefano, ends up being the first to be in the bottom three while Lauren and Scotty were safe.
The Season 4 finalist, Constantine Maroulis, returned to the Idol stage to perform a very good rendition of Unchained Melody. He has been touring across the country for a few years now in the smash Broadway hit, Rock Of Ages. He even got a Tony Nomination for his performance.
Things went from bad to worse when another of the most talented finalists, Pia, had to go join Stefano in the bottom three while Paul and Casey were safe.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Iggy Pop, then performed his very unique brand of alternative rock that was actually pretty bad. I'm sure Haley was taking notes very closely and she'll be adding some of his moves to her comedy routine for next week.
Unfortunately, Haley will be coming back next week as she and James were both safe leaving Jacob to take the final spot in the bottom three.
Last week, America got it very wrong sending Thia home way too early and it is just getting worse from there. Stefano and Jacob are both safe and in the worst joke in American Idol history since Jennifer Hudson was eliminated, Pia Toscano was the lowest vote getter of the week.
What started out as a great competition with lots of talented finalists is quickly becoming a farce. At least I correctly predicted that Jacob would be in the bottom three, but the pity party votes for Casey are going on for way too long. And the fact that Haley is getting any votes at all is the biggest piece of confusion in all of this. At the rate things are going, I predict that Haley will end up winning the whole Season 10 Miss American Idol crown.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Top 9 sing Rock&Roll Hall of Fame
Tonight the top 9 finalists had to make a selection from the inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Michael Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Jacob Lusk showed that he doesn't have any star quality remotely close to that of the King of Pop as he butchered Man In The Mirror (#1 for 2 weeks in 1988). He really should have switched places with the wonderfully talented singer and songwriter, Siedah Garrett, who was on stage with him doing background vocals. Jacob does not belong front and center.
Janis Joplin was inducted in 1995 and Haley Reinhart performed her classic Piece of my Heart. Haley is taking her game of playing dress up as a pop star way too far. She must be the niece of some high powered record executive to have gotten this far in the competition because she has no likable or desirable vocal talent at all. This was just comical screaming.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted in 1993. Have You Ever Seen The Rain hit #8 in 1971 and Casey Abrams got back up on stage with his upright bass and showed that he's much more of a musician than a singer. His vocals simply aren't that good.
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was inducted in 1987. Lauren Alaina took one of the greatest songs of all time, A Natural Woman (#8 - 1967) and made it very emotionless and boring. And the outfit she had on was not flattering at all.
George Harrison has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once with the Beatles in 1988 and then again as a solo artist in 2004. His power ballad While My Guitar Gently Weeps is the perfect showcase for James Durbin's dynamic musical and vocal range. This was a spectacular, powerful and emotional performance.
The King of Rock-n-Roll, Elvis Presley, was inducted in 1986. Elvis could successfully perform Rock, Soul, Country and Gospel where Scotty McCreery isn't quite as convincing when he steps out of his comfort zone. This was a respectable effort but he really needs to polish things up a lot more before he's ready for the big leagues.
Tina Turner was inducted in 1991 and one of her signature hits is River Deep, Mountain High. This song has a dramatic production value that is an exciting compliment to the outstanding vocals of Pia Toscano. She sounded even better than last week!
Percy Sledge was inducted in 2005 and he is most well-known for his fantastic smash When A Man Loves A Woman that hit #1 for two weeks in 1966. Stefano Langone once again showed that he has all the ingredients necessary to be a huge pop idol. His vocals were over the top amazing as he belted out every lyric with passion and conviction.
Johnny Cash was inducted in 1992 and he is probably the coolest cowboy ever. Paul McDonald is more like the cool cowboy's crazy cousin, but he definitely made Folsom Prison Blues his own. It was the same quirky Paul that we've seen every week.
The division between the good finalists with pop music potential and the other finalists is getting wider and wider. It's very clear that the talented front-runners are Pia, Stefano and James.
Then there's the not-so great ones who should be going home. My prediction for the bottom three vote getters this week is Jacob, Haley and Casey with Haley finally going home this week. Haley has absolutely no star quality or charisma and her performance style is so embarrassing and amateurish. We can only hope that we won't have to see her again.
Michael Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Jacob Lusk showed that he doesn't have any star quality remotely close to that of the King of Pop as he butchered Man In The Mirror (#1 for 2 weeks in 1988). He really should have switched places with the wonderfully talented singer and songwriter, Siedah Garrett, who was on stage with him doing background vocals. Jacob does not belong front and center.
Janis Joplin was inducted in 1995 and Haley Reinhart performed her classic Piece of my Heart. Haley is taking her game of playing dress up as a pop star way too far. She must be the niece of some high powered record executive to have gotten this far in the competition because she has no likable or desirable vocal talent at all. This was just comical screaming.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted in 1993. Have You Ever Seen The Rain hit #8 in 1971 and Casey Abrams got back up on stage with his upright bass and showed that he's much more of a musician than a singer. His vocals simply aren't that good.
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was inducted in 1987. Lauren Alaina took one of the greatest songs of all time, A Natural Woman (#8 - 1967) and made it very emotionless and boring. And the outfit she had on was not flattering at all.
George Harrison has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once with the Beatles in 1988 and then again as a solo artist in 2004. His power ballad While My Guitar Gently Weeps is the perfect showcase for James Durbin's dynamic musical and vocal range. This was a spectacular, powerful and emotional performance.
The King of Rock-n-Roll, Elvis Presley, was inducted in 1986. Elvis could successfully perform Rock, Soul, Country and Gospel where Scotty McCreery isn't quite as convincing when he steps out of his comfort zone. This was a respectable effort but he really needs to polish things up a lot more before he's ready for the big leagues.
Tina Turner was inducted in 1991 and one of her signature hits is River Deep, Mountain High. This song has a dramatic production value that is an exciting compliment to the outstanding vocals of Pia Toscano. She sounded even better than last week!
Percy Sledge was inducted in 2005 and he is most well-known for his fantastic smash When A Man Loves A Woman that hit #1 for two weeks in 1966. Stefano Langone once again showed that he has all the ingredients necessary to be a huge pop idol. His vocals were over the top amazing as he belted out every lyric with passion and conviction.
Johnny Cash was inducted in 1992 and he is probably the coolest cowboy ever. Paul McDonald is more like the cool cowboy's crazy cousin, but he definitely made Folsom Prison Blues his own. It was the same quirky Paul that we've seen every week.
The division between the good finalists with pop music potential and the other finalists is getting wider and wider. It's very clear that the talented front-runners are Pia, Stefano and James.
Then there's the not-so great ones who should be going home. My prediction for the bottom three vote getters this week is Jacob, Haley and Casey with Haley finally going home this week. Haley has absolutely no star quality or charisma and her performance style is so embarrassing and amateurish. We can only hope that we won't have to see her again.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Taylor Hicks on TV??!!!!!!
The Season 5 Miss American winner, Taylor Hicks, hasn't really been seen much since his debut single Do I Make You Proud hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 shortly after his win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLAMhTorPCk
In a very fun surprise he showed up performing with Stephen Colbert on the Jimmy Fallon Show singing the latest pop sensation, Friday. As always, he looks like he's having a great time and he even pulled out his signature harmonica. This version is a billion times better than the original. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLAMhTorPCk
In a very fun surprise he showed up performing with Stephen Colbert on the Jimmy Fallon Show singing the latest pop sensation, Friday. As always, he looks like he's having a great time and he even pulled out his signature harmonica. This version is a billion times better than the original. :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
It's all about Carrie Underwood!
The Academy of Country Music Awards were just on and it was another night all about the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood!
This is the Awards show that for the past two years in a row named Carrie the Entertainer of the Year. Even though Carrie didn't win any awards this year, she was still all over the show. Here is a very exciting clip of her performance from the evening. She starts out with her huge hit Undo It and she is joined by current American Idol judge, Steven Tyler. They then go into a rocking jam of Walk This Way. Easily the best performance and the highlight of the evening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBMrC2ToAgU
In addition to this showstopper, Carrie was featured in not 1, not 2, but 3 commercials throughout the telecast.
We've all seen her stunningly flawless face in the ad campaign for Olay for many months now and it continued to be shown during the Academy of Country Music awards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3KeVmLl1g
Carrie wrote and performed a song called There's A Place For Us for the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Commercials advertising that the movie is being released on DVD this week were played during the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua_r7u6__tY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ2Vzw33v6w&feature=fvwrel
Then there's the biggest and most exciting news about Carrie's big movie opening in Theaters on Friday April 8th. She has a starring role in Soul Surfer based on the true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through the love of her family, her sheer determination and unwavering faith. The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SoulSurfer4811?v=MWeOjBCi3c4&feature=pyv&ad=10080872974&kw=soul%20surfer
This is the Awards show that for the past two years in a row named Carrie the Entertainer of the Year. Even though Carrie didn't win any awards this year, she was still all over the show. Here is a very exciting clip of her performance from the evening. She starts out with her huge hit Undo It and she is joined by current American Idol judge, Steven Tyler. They then go into a rocking jam of Walk This Way. Easily the best performance and the highlight of the evening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBMrC2ToAgU
In addition to this showstopper, Carrie was featured in not 1, not 2, but 3 commercials throughout the telecast.
We've all seen her stunningly flawless face in the ad campaign for Olay for many months now and it continued to be shown during the Academy of Country Music awards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3KeVmLl1g
Carrie wrote and performed a song called There's A Place For Us for the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Commercials advertising that the movie is being released on DVD this week were played during the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua_r7u6__tY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ2Vzw33v6w&feature=fvwrel
Then there's the biggest and most exciting news about Carrie's big movie opening in Theaters on Friday April 8th. She has a starring role in Soul Surfer based on the true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through the love of her family, her sheer determination and unwavering faith. The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SoulSurfer4811?v=MWeOjBCi3c4&feature=pyv&ad=10080872974&kw=soul%20surfer
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