And Season 12 Begins!

In less than a week American Idol will start it's 12th Season and the search for another superstar will begin! Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend an American Idol Premiere advance screening event with a live Q&A with the new panel of judges.

It was right after work so I had to finish things up for the day and head out so I could make it to the movie theater in time to meet my friend Ryan and get in line. It was so great to be there with other American Idol and Mariah Carey fans who are all looking forward to this next chapter. While waiting in line the local FOX News cameras came by to film all of the energy and anticipation of the eager crowd. One of the most notable things about the group in the line was how diverse it was.

A lot of credit has to be given to the American Idol producers for selecting a panel of judges that is going to attract all demographics. Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj are all very different and the same is true for their base of loyal fans. We were surrounded by fans young and old, gay and straight, black and white, lovers of country, soul, hip hop and R&B.

The screening included a free box of popcorn and a diet coke for everyone in the theater. We had a chance to see the first round of auditions on the big screen. There were a few really misguided bad singers as usual, but there were also some very inspirational talents to be found. I am sure everyone is hoping to see the young man with the stutter make it far in the competition this year. He had the entire theater crying along with him.

The Q&A afterward had the new panel of judges on their best behavior. We got a chance to see a sample of how they will be interacting during the competition. Keith is an easy-going guy who knows what he is talking about and what he is looking for in a new talent. Nicki is out-spoken, opinionated and speaks her mind loudly and proudly. Mariah also has a strong point of view, but the difference is that she expresses it in a more subdued manner.  

Just like it has been widely reported that there is some dysfunctional friction between the new judges, the same was to be found among the fans in the theater. The Nicki Minaj fans were the most vocal of the group to sing her praises to the extent of coming off as loud, obnoxious, unpleasant and rude. While the more classy and respectful Mariah Carey and Keith Urban fans had to endure all of this enthusiastic drama during the screening, the good thing to be found in it is that a whole new group of young people has discovered American Idol for the first time.

Yes, these immature Nicki fans threw popcorn around the theater and kicked the back of people's chairs, but hopefully, by the end of the season they might learn that some professionalism and respect is also a part of being a pop superstar.

At the end of the screening we are all given free American Idol hats and t-shirts. I am sure to be wearing mine quite a bit over the next few months!

Artists of the Year - David Guetta

This is the first in a series of entries where I will be listing my favorite artists of 2012. I hope you enjoy it!

David Guetta

You may not even know who David Guetta is and here I am putting him on the 2012 Artists of the Year list. You might not be able to recognize his face or be able to name his songs, but trust me, you have been singing along to the them and dancing to them all year long.

David is a DJ/Producer who released an album called Nothing But The Beat in 2011 and it is jam packed with hits.

The first one to have impact was Without You with lead vocals by Usher. This track actually made my Top 10 list of favorite songs of 2011. Another song on the album has lead vocals by Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, called Night of Your Life. Both Usher and Jennifer Hudson have recent albums out, but they did not include these David Guetta productions on their final track listing. Their albums were good, but these tracks were outstanding! David has an ability to bring out the best of an artist.

The hits kept coming in 2012 starting with Turn Me On featuring Nicki Minaj. Nicki has tried to release a boat load of singles this year, but it was this hot dance floor jam that showcased her at the top of her game. If Nicki released an album of hits like Turn Me On, she might be a much more successful artist.

The crowning gem on the collection is an uplifting and empowering anthem called Titanium with lead vocals by a new artist named Sia. This song is quite simply amazing. David is transforming pop music and making it more dance floor/club friendly. At the American Music Awards this year, they actually introduced a new category called Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist just so they could recognize David for his contribution to the music scene this year.

The Results - Heroes

Tonight's results show opened with the finalists getting showered with praise via twitter from the artists whose songs were performed last night. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood loved how Hollie sand her song last night and superstar Mariah Carey was very impressed with Joshua. Deandre received the most exciting praise of all, when Eric Benet actually showed up on stage to congratulate him on a job well done.

Elise and Phillip were the first to learn they are safe, while Hollie somehow ended up in the bottom three.

Nicki Minaj took the stage to perform her latest dance/hip-hop hit song, Starships. It's a fun techno infused jam, but it didn't sound like there were any live vocals in there at all.

Colton and Joshua are also safe, putting Heejun in the bottom three with Hollie.

The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, is the most successful Idol winner of the past few years. His debut album, Clear As Day, hit number one on the Billboard Albums chart and it has been certified platinum. He returned to the Idol stage tonight to sing his latest traditional country single, Water Tower Town.

Jessica and Deandre then learned that they are safe leaving Skylar to complete the bottom three. Hollie and Skylar are both safe which meant that Heejun had to sing for his life and thank goodness the judges did not use the SAVE so we are rid of him for good.

I correctly predicted that both Skylar and Heejun would be in the bottom three and there can be dancing in the streets as we celebrate that I was right about Heejun getting the ax.