The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2016 is 25 by Adele.
There
was only one Miss American Idol finalist who made an impact on the
2016 year end charts. It's no surprise at it is The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner,
Carrie Underwood. The latest release from
Carrie Underwood, Storyteller, finishes out the year at #36. She also comes in strong ranking at #98 with her Greatest Hits:
Decade #1.
Over on the Top Country Albums chart for 2016 Storyteller lands at #4 for the year while Greatest Hits:
Decade #1 is at #25.
The
Top 5 singles for 2016 on the Billboard HOT 100 are: #1 Love Yourself by
Justin Bieber, #2 Sorry by Justin Bieber, #3 One Dance by
Drake, WizKid and Kyla, #4 Work by Rihanna and Drake and at #5 Stressed Out by 21 Pilots.
There weren't any Miss American Idol finalists who were able to make a showing on the 2016 Top Billboard HOT 100 hits of the year.
Over
on the Billboard 2016 Top Artists of the Year
chart the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood,
can be found at #29. If you only look at the Top Female Artists of 2016 she ends up at #9. And if we look at the Top Country Artists of 2016 Carrie Underwood comes in at #5.
Showing posts with label Rihanna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rihanna. Show all posts
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Top 4 Sing Again
Tonight the top 4 finalists will each sing two songs. The 1st one will be a song that is a current hit in 2013 and the 2nd will be a classic standard.
Angie Miller started out the night at the piano with her heartfelt rendition of Rihanna's most recent #1 hit, Diamonds. Angie completely made the song her own and injected some new personality and punch to the song. For her second song Angie graced the stage in a lovely long gown and her beautiful vocals on Some One To Watch Over Me. She is a poised and polished entertainer all around.
Amber Holcomb selected the current hit by Pink called Just Give Me A Reason. The song itself is not very good and not very catchy, but Amber's exceptional vocals were easily better than the original. Since this performance was somewhat lackluster, it's a good thing she could come back and apply her amazing voice to the classic, My Funny Valentine. It was an outstanding moment in the spotlight for her.
Candice Glover added her own special vocals to the current #1 hit by Bruno Mars, When I Was Your Man. She sounded incredible and she made the lyrics really mean something with her interpretation. Her classic selection was You've Changed and she once again turned things up a notch with the perfect combination of her great voice connecting with the story being told in the lyrics.
Kree Harrison took on the current single from the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood. She was just back on the American Idol stage a few weeks ago performing the song, so Kree's effort had a lot to live up to. Both on this song and on her second selection, Stormy Weather, the biggest weakness Kree has is prominently on display. She does not have a distinctive quality that sets her apart from other singers.
Angie, Amber and Candice should all make it into the top 3 because they are able to combine their outstanding vocals with an interesting and dynamic stage presence and personality. Because of their exceptional abilities, that leaves Kree as the finalist who should be going home this week.
Angie Miller started out the night at the piano with her heartfelt rendition of Rihanna's most recent #1 hit, Diamonds. Angie completely made the song her own and injected some new personality and punch to the song. For her second song Angie graced the stage in a lovely long gown and her beautiful vocals on Some One To Watch Over Me. She is a poised and polished entertainer all around.
Amber Holcomb selected the current hit by Pink called Just Give Me A Reason. The song itself is not very good and not very catchy, but Amber's exceptional vocals were easily better than the original. Since this performance was somewhat lackluster, it's a good thing she could come back and apply her amazing voice to the classic, My Funny Valentine. It was an outstanding moment in the spotlight for her.
Candice Glover added her own special vocals to the current #1 hit by Bruno Mars, When I Was Your Man. She sounded incredible and she made the lyrics really mean something with her interpretation. Her classic selection was You've Changed and she once again turned things up a notch with the perfect combination of her great voice connecting with the story being told in the lyrics.
Kree Harrison took on the current single from the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood. She was just back on the American Idol stage a few weeks ago performing the song, so Kree's effort had a lot to live up to. Both on this song and on her second selection, Stormy Weather, the biggest weakness Kree has is prominently on display. She does not have a distinctive quality that sets her apart from other singers.
Angie, Amber and Candice should all make it into the top 3 because they are able to combine their outstanding vocals with an interesting and dynamic stage presence and personality. Because of their exceptional abilities, that leaves Kree as the finalist who should be going home this week.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Top 4 Sing
The Top 4 finalists will all sing two songs each. The 1st one will be anything of their own choosing and the 2nd will be a song from a one hit wonder.
Celine Dion spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with The Power Love. Amber Holcomb completely radiated star quality with her flawless interpretation of this song. She looked beautiful in a sleek jumpsuit and sounded amazing. Wonderful!
Drake is a current hitmaker on the charts and Candice Glover used her outstanding voice to re-imagine one of his hits and make it her own. She has the ability to quite literally sing anything and be vocally impressive.
Kree Harrison, unlike the other finalists still left in the competition, hasn't grown very much. She started out good, but she is still stuck at the same place. Where the others have evolved and stepped up their range and performance style, Kree is the same old boring performer who is stagnating with her blank expressionless style.
Jessie J is another current hitmaker serving up a range of ballads and dance songs. Angie Miller is also an artist who is capable of delivering a broad range of musical styles. The song Who You Are was the perfect choice to represent the kind of artist Angie can be. Her musicianship at the piano was fantastic and her vocals were heartfelt and powerful.
Kree and Amber paired up for a duet on Adele's Rumor Has It and they both sounded very good. Amber easily has a more commanding stage presence than Kree. Then Candice and Angie showed them how it's done with their version of Rihanna's Stay. They are both better singers than Rihanna, so this was much more dramatic and powerful than the original.
Richard Harris is an accomplished actor who was a one hit wonder in 1968 with MacArthur Park that later become a huge disco smash by Donna Summer. Amber Holcomb demonstrated more of her start quality with this vocal tour de force. She looked and sounded confident and current even singing this song that is 45 years old!
Samantha Sang hit #3 with her one and only hit Emotion in 1978. Candice Glover did her best to inject some new life into this song with some strong vocals, but she is starting to settle into a smooth jazz groove. We know she is good, but she has to be careful not to coast.
In 1967 Procol Harum hit #5 with A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Kree Harrison got up there and served up another shade of boring. Her vocals are simply good, but they aren't distinctive and unique enough that will set her apart from the pack of other artists out there. And to make it worse, she has no personality to speak of.
We have to go all the way back to 1955 to find the one hit by Julie London that peaked at #9, Cry Me A River. Angie Miller exuded classic beauty and style with a lush and lovely rendition of this timeless song. Her vocal range was the most dynamic and impressive that it has ever been. She sounded crystal clear and totally pure.
This is an outstanding top four, but the one who is out of her league is Kree Harrison. She was already in the bottom two last week, and this week she should be coming to the end of her journey.
Celine Dion spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with The Power Love. Amber Holcomb completely radiated star quality with her flawless interpretation of this song. She looked beautiful in a sleek jumpsuit and sounded amazing. Wonderful!
Drake is a current hitmaker on the charts and Candice Glover used her outstanding voice to re-imagine one of his hits and make it her own. She has the ability to quite literally sing anything and be vocally impressive.
Kree Harrison, unlike the other finalists still left in the competition, hasn't grown very much. She started out good, but she is still stuck at the same place. Where the others have evolved and stepped up their range and performance style, Kree is the same old boring performer who is stagnating with her blank expressionless style.
Jessie J is another current hitmaker serving up a range of ballads and dance songs. Angie Miller is also an artist who is capable of delivering a broad range of musical styles. The song Who You Are was the perfect choice to represent the kind of artist Angie can be. Her musicianship at the piano was fantastic and her vocals were heartfelt and powerful.
Kree and Amber paired up for a duet on Adele's Rumor Has It and they both sounded very good. Amber easily has a more commanding stage presence than Kree. Then Candice and Angie showed them how it's done with their version of Rihanna's Stay. They are both better singers than Rihanna, so this was much more dramatic and powerful than the original.
Richard Harris is an accomplished actor who was a one hit wonder in 1968 with MacArthur Park that later become a huge disco smash by Donna Summer. Amber Holcomb demonstrated more of her start quality with this vocal tour de force. She looked and sounded confident and current even singing this song that is 45 years old!
Samantha Sang hit #3 with her one and only hit Emotion in 1978. Candice Glover did her best to inject some new life into this song with some strong vocals, but she is starting to settle into a smooth jazz groove. We know she is good, but she has to be careful not to coast.
In 1967 Procol Harum hit #5 with A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Kree Harrison got up there and served up another shade of boring. Her vocals are simply good, but they aren't distinctive and unique enough that will set her apart from the pack of other artists out there. And to make it worse, she has no personality to speak of.
We have to go all the way back to 1955 to find the one hit by Julie London that peaked at #9, Cry Me A River. Angie Miller exuded classic beauty and style with a lush and lovely rendition of this timeless song. Her vocal range was the most dynamic and impressive that it has ever been. She sounded crystal clear and totally pure.
This is an outstanding top four, but the one who is out of her league is Kree Harrison. She was already in the bottom two last week, and this week she should be coming to the end of her journey.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Top 10 Boys take their first shot
The Top 10 Boys can sing any song of their choice to try and win your votes:
Elijah Liu started the night out with a performance of Rihanna's hit Stay that is currently in the Top 10 this week. He is young and cute and this song presented himself as a pop star who is ready to be loved by the masses.
Cortez Shaw also took on a song that is presently dominating radio airplay. The recent #1 smash from Bruno Mars, Locked Out Of Heaven, allowed him to have fun and show off his dance moves as well as sing. He is very handsome, but his voice isn't the most impressive instrument of the group.
Nick Boddington sat at the piano and performed a sincere and vulnerable rendition of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. He is a very nice guy who is clearly passionate about music and that comes through when he performs.
Burnell Taylor tried to recreate the magic of the showstopper I'm Here from the musical The Color Purple. Season 3 Miss American Idol winner, Fantasia, does this song and totally hits it out of the park, but Burnell just sounded like he was going through the motions. It lacked spirit, energy and left us without delivering a big powerful ending.
Paul Jolley is a tall, handsome and talented singer with a great smile. The song choice wasn't as strong as it should have been, but his personality and voice helped to compensate. He needs to lighten his style so he doesn't come off as so serious.
Lazaro Arbos has already won my heart in the past few weeks and he solidified it even more with his stellar performance of Feeling Good. The Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson has made this song her own and now we have witnessed another Idol take it for himself. Lazaro is charming, sweet, easy on the eyes and his voice will just make you melt.
Curtis Finch Jr. hoped that his gospel infused rendition of R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly would make us all believers. While he has the passion and the heart every time he hits the stage, the problem is that his vocals aren't that impressive.
Devin Velez delivered the pop standard It's Impossible with effortless vocal ease. He has a smooth voice with a great range that he can sing in both Spanish and English. American Idol may have found their first international superstar.
Vincent Powell attempted to tackle the huge #1 hit from 1993 End of the Road by Boyz II Men. Unfortunately the song proved to be too big for him. His vocals got lost in there, even though we know he's good. He just didn't show it tonight.
The boys were supposed to bring their A Game tonight, but many of them didn't seem to get the memo. Here's my prediction for who I think should make the Top 5: Lazaro Arbos, Paul Jolley, Devin Velez, Elijah Liu and Nick Boddington.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
And the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is....
The Season 11 Top 12 finalists opened the show with a very fun group performance of the Bruno Mars track Runaway Baby. It was great to see Colton, Deandre, Skylar and Hollie out there showing off what they can do.
Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison.
The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....
Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.
Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.
Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.
Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.
Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!
Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.
Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb
Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.
Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!
He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.
Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison.
The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....
Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.
Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.
Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.
Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.
Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!
Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.
Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb
Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.
Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!
He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Top 10 songs of 2011!!
2011 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:
Last Friday Night - Katy Perry
No other song this year fully captured the pure joy that pop music can bring into our lives better than this 5th consecutive #1 smash hit from Katy Perry's outstanding album Teenage Dream. The beat is bouncy, the lyrics are fun and the video is quite simply the most amazing star-studded entertainment masterpiece EVER! The electric neon fashions of the 80's are back in full force along with Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman and Kenny G. And the video not only co-stars both Artie and Blaine from the cast of Glee, but they also covered this great song on an episode of the show this year!
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera
When you take the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 1999 (Christina Aguilera) and pair her with the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 2004 (Maroon 5) you are destined to have a huge hit on your hands. While these two acts combined forces as hosts of the music competition show The Voice, the best thing to come out of it had nothing to do with any of the contestants. It was this incredible musical collaboration that starts out paying tribute to the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, but ends up just being a pounding beat that makes you want to get up and dance the night away.
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
If you wanted to get the dance party started this year, you needed to look no further than the very appropriately titled Party Rock Anthem. It lived up to its name exceptionally well and could be played multiple times through the night and people would be sweating and dancing to it every time with no complaints. Did you know that LMFAO actually stands for Laugh My Fabulous Ass Off?
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
The first single from her second album can be taken as a literal declaration that Adele is going to have it all not only this year, but for many years to come. She was very rightly honored with the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008 and this song showed that she can keep on getting better.
Give Me Everything - Pitbull with Ne-Yo
All the right pieces in all the right places, expertly executed by talented artists who look and sound great doing it. It's catchy, danceable and everything it should be.
S & M - Rihanna and Britney Spears
Even without the glitz of this high profile pairing of pop princesses, this naughty little number is still a hit in every sense of the word (hit me baby, one more time!). And the fact is that everything Rihanna touched was at the top of the charts this year. Thankfully the jams were infectious tracks like this one.
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Lady Gaga for releasing this genuine anthem of empowerment for all the young gays and lesbians to know that it not only gets better, but in this day and age, it really IS better. This song is a joyous celebration and it inspired an outstanding episode of Glee.
Just A Kiss - Lady Antebellum
This is a beautiful ballad that once again exemplifies the wonderful songwriting and vocal talents in this group. They know how to connect with the audience right to our hearts.
Without You - Usher
After cranking out the best hits of his career in 2010, Usher teamed up with DJ David Guetta to keep up the good work. This is another club friendly dance jam that helps to make up for all the unpleasant arrogance that Usher used to be known for.
Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner returned to the top 10 this year with this impressive pop song that is sure to be just a taste of what she will be giving fans in 2012.
Last Friday Night - Katy Perry
No other song this year fully captured the pure joy that pop music can bring into our lives better than this 5th consecutive #1 smash hit from Katy Perry's outstanding album Teenage Dream. The beat is bouncy, the lyrics are fun and the video is quite simply the most amazing star-studded entertainment masterpiece EVER! The electric neon fashions of the 80's are back in full force along with Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman and Kenny G. And the video not only co-stars both Artie and Blaine from the cast of Glee, but they also covered this great song on an episode of the show this year!
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera
When you take the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 1999 (Christina Aguilera) and pair her with the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 2004 (Maroon 5) you are destined to have a huge hit on your hands. While these two acts combined forces as hosts of the music competition show The Voice, the best thing to come out of it had nothing to do with any of the contestants. It was this incredible musical collaboration that starts out paying tribute to the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, but ends up just being a pounding beat that makes you want to get up and dance the night away.
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
If you wanted to get the dance party started this year, you needed to look no further than the very appropriately titled Party Rock Anthem. It lived up to its name exceptionally well and could be played multiple times through the night and people would be sweating and dancing to it every time with no complaints. Did you know that LMFAO actually stands for Laugh My Fabulous Ass Off?
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
The first single from her second album can be taken as a literal declaration that Adele is going to have it all not only this year, but for many years to come. She was very rightly honored with the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008 and this song showed that she can keep on getting better.
Give Me Everything - Pitbull with Ne-Yo
All the right pieces in all the right places, expertly executed by talented artists who look and sound great doing it. It's catchy, danceable and everything it should be.
S & M - Rihanna and Britney Spears
Even without the glitz of this high profile pairing of pop princesses, this naughty little number is still a hit in every sense of the word (hit me baby, one more time!). And the fact is that everything Rihanna touched was at the top of the charts this year. Thankfully the jams were infectious tracks like this one.
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Lady Gaga for releasing this genuine anthem of empowerment for all the young gays and lesbians to know that it not only gets better, but in this day and age, it really IS better. This song is a joyous celebration and it inspired an outstanding episode of Glee.
Just A Kiss - Lady Antebellum
This is a beautiful ballad that once again exemplifies the wonderful songwriting and vocal talents in this group. They know how to connect with the audience right to our hearts.
Without You - Usher
After cranking out the best hits of his career in 2010, Usher teamed up with DJ David Guetta to keep up the good work. This is another club friendly dance jam that helps to make up for all the unpleasant arrogance that Usher used to be known for.
Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner returned to the top 10 this year with this impressive pop song that is sure to be just a taste of what she will be giving fans in 2012.
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, March 2, 2011
The Top 12 girls take their first shot...
Tonight we get to know what these top 12 girls can really do - they can pick any song they want to present themselves to America for the first time:
Rihanna took Only Girl in the World to #1 in 2010. Ta-Tynisa Wilson used this Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording to strut her stuff in high heels and belt out some big notes. She did a pretty good job showing off her potential to be a radio friendly hit-maker.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol winner, Fantasia, performed Summertime and to this day set the standard for best Idol performance ever. Naima Adedapo did her best to mix things up with a more bouncy and light jazz arrangement to make the song her own. She was actually quite successful showing off a great vocal range and professional performance style.
Christina Aguilera included Impossible on her 2002 album Stripped. Kendra Chantelle has a nice voice and is quite pretty, but she didn't add anything special or exceptional to her performance of this very hot album track.
Fiona Apple took Criminal to #21 in 1997. Rachel Zevita served up an almost unrecognizable burlesque version of the song that was partially entertaining, but sort of awkward as well. It's clear she has ambitions to be an all around entertainer, but this performance did not showcase her voice at it's best.
Mariah Carey took Hero to #1 for four weeks in 1994. Karen Rodriguez stepped up to the challenge and and hit it out of the park with her wonderful Spanglish interpretation of this popular favorite. She exuded stage presence, confidence and class.
Lauren Turner took the stage and presented herself as a sort of female version of Season 5 Miss American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. She was singing some bluesy number and she was running around all over the stage.
Monica released Love All Over Me from her under appreciated 2010 release Still Standing. Like Monica, Ashthon Jones definitely has all the necessary qualities to be chart-topping hit-making DIVA herself. She looks beautiful and her voice can powerfully belt out the big notes with passion and emotion.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, took Breakaway to #6 in 2004. Julie Zorrilla should unfortunately not expect to have any success after her very weak rendition of the song.
Alicia Keys took Fallin to #1 in 2001. Alicia went on to become a Grammy favorite winning Best New Artist, but Haley Reinhart should not expect the same results at all after this forgettable and clumsy performance.
Irene Cara took Out Here On My Own to #19 in 1980 from the Fame Soundtrack. Thia Megia stood center stage in a spotlight with almost no musical accompaniment and showed all of the other finalists, both the boys and the girls, what it's like to have a truly pure and exceptional vocal instrument. Thia is exactly the kind of talent that American Idol was made for. If America has any sense at all, this extremely talented 15 year old is on the track to reaching her very own success story to FAME!
Country music superstar, Reba, is having current success with her latest single Turn On The Radio. Lauren Alaina infused this fun anthem with some youthful energy and did a great job showing off her nice voice and fun personality.
The Pretenders took I'll Stand By You to #16 in 1994. Pia Toscano did not hold back at all in her genuine efforts to show off that she is the whole package - voice, confidence, beautiful good looks, and stage presence.
Now it's up to America to vote so you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/. My top 5 will be: Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo.
Thia Megia is the clear front-runner by a wide margin. :)
Rihanna took Only Girl in the World to #1 in 2010. Ta-Tynisa Wilson used this Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording to strut her stuff in high heels and belt out some big notes. She did a pretty good job showing off her potential to be a radio friendly hit-maker.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol winner, Fantasia, performed Summertime and to this day set the standard for best Idol performance ever. Naima Adedapo did her best to mix things up with a more bouncy and light jazz arrangement to make the song her own. She was actually quite successful showing off a great vocal range and professional performance style.
Christina Aguilera included Impossible on her 2002 album Stripped. Kendra Chantelle has a nice voice and is quite pretty, but she didn't add anything special or exceptional to her performance of this very hot album track.
Fiona Apple took Criminal to #21 in 1997. Rachel Zevita served up an almost unrecognizable burlesque version of the song that was partially entertaining, but sort of awkward as well. It's clear she has ambitions to be an all around entertainer, but this performance did not showcase her voice at it's best.
Mariah Carey took Hero to #1 for four weeks in 1994. Karen Rodriguez stepped up to the challenge and and hit it out of the park with her wonderful Spanglish interpretation of this popular favorite. She exuded stage presence, confidence and class.
Lauren Turner took the stage and presented herself as a sort of female version of Season 5 Miss American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. She was singing some bluesy number and she was running around all over the stage.
Monica released Love All Over Me from her under appreciated 2010 release Still Standing. Like Monica, Ashthon Jones definitely has all the necessary qualities to be chart-topping hit-making DIVA herself. She looks beautiful and her voice can powerfully belt out the big notes with passion and emotion.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, took Breakaway to #6 in 2004. Julie Zorrilla should unfortunately not expect to have any success after her very weak rendition of the song.
Alicia Keys took Fallin to #1 in 2001. Alicia went on to become a Grammy favorite winning Best New Artist, but Haley Reinhart should not expect the same results at all after this forgettable and clumsy performance.
Irene Cara took Out Here On My Own to #19 in 1980 from the Fame Soundtrack. Thia Megia stood center stage in a spotlight with almost no musical accompaniment and showed all of the other finalists, both the boys and the girls, what it's like to have a truly pure and exceptional vocal instrument. Thia is exactly the kind of talent that American Idol was made for. If America has any sense at all, this extremely talented 15 year old is on the track to reaching her very own success story to FAME!
Country music superstar, Reba, is having current success with her latest single Turn On The Radio. Lauren Alaina infused this fun anthem with some youthful energy and did a great job showing off her nice voice and fun personality.
The Pretenders took I'll Stand By You to #16 in 1994. Pia Toscano did not hold back at all in her genuine efforts to show off that she is the whole package - voice, confidence, beautiful good looks, and stage presence.
Now it's up to America to vote so you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/. My top 5 will be: Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo.
Thia Megia is the clear front-runner by a wide margin. :)
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Top 10 songs of 2010!
2010 has been a great year for fun pop songs and here's the Top 10 of the year:
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry: No other song this year embodied the vibrant thrill of being young and in love than the title track from Katy's latest album. Not only that, but it reached the broader audience of older listeners making them feel young again. Then, this amazing song was used in an episode of Glee and it was elevated to an even higher place of significance in all of our hearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E46BhMIRujI
Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert: The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up released a fantastic collection of songs on his debut release For Your Entertainment and was asked to be a mentor to the Season 9 finalists. They were a very dreary group, but even Adam's dynamic range and performance style couldn't get them out of their doldrums. When he performed this second single from his album on the show it leaped into the Billboard HOT 100 Top 10 singles chart. This song is the perfect response to how the media loves to scrutinize his free spirited personality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Fqn9du7xo
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz: 2010 was getting off to a very boring start in the first three months of the year and that all changed when Taio Cruz released his debut single. This song can take credit for the sudden turn around making the radio fun to listen to again. It lead the charge of the club friendly dance beats that came to dominate the rest of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SI2EDM6Lo
Only Girl In The World - Rihanna: Her dismal release Rated R is responsible in large part to what was making radio so boring in the first part of the year. Rihanna clearly wanted everyone to be in just as bad a mood as she was, but thankfully the first single from the album Loud turned all of that around. This song is a joyous anthem that demands your attention and you feel fantastic with no regrets afterward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM
OMG - Usher: As one of the biggest artists of the decade, Usher was never one to be a follower, but this year he could have been accused of jumping on the club dance beat bandwagon. The fact is that while this song is very danceable, it is nothing like the generic throb found in other songs. He is continuing to be an innovator releasing the most entertaining and enjoyable single of his career. Usher was also a mentor on American Idol this season and his appearance helped catapult this song to the #1 position on the Billboard HOT 100.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RnPB76mjxI
Nothin' On You - B.o.B. / Bruno Mars: When you pair two completely new artists together the odds of having a hit are slim to none, but when the song is this catchy it becomes impossible to ignore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTDv_szmL0
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias: Everything about this song from it's strange Lionel Richie tribute to the fact that it's by Enrique Iglesias, who has never put out anything all that great, made me think this was just a throwaway track. Even the inclusion of the horrible Jersey Shore cast in the video couldn't stop me from admitting that yes, Baby - I LIKE IT! It's a completely feel good and fun jam every time you hear it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0QzUdjhIg
Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner: Here's another unknown artist who managed to find the perfect song to introduce him to the public. It's completely infectious and who can't relate to the lyrics?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqWq_48LxWQ
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars: After the success of his smooth vocals on Nothin On You, Bruno was primed and ready to have a huge solo hit and it came in the form of this toe tapper. Once again, just like with Teenage Dream, while it was still at the top of the charts, the cast of Glee injected some more life into an already amazing smash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttwW7y1x1rk
Baby - Justin Bieber: Every generation needs to have their teen idols and in 2010 they were all catching Bieber Fever. This was his biggest hit and it is well crafted to have all the ingredients of young love and innocence to appeal to exactly who it's supposed to, teenage girls and me. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry: No other song this year embodied the vibrant thrill of being young and in love than the title track from Katy's latest album. Not only that, but it reached the broader audience of older listeners making them feel young again. Then, this amazing song was used in an episode of Glee and it was elevated to an even higher place of significance in all of our hearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E46BhMIRujI
Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert: The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up released a fantastic collection of songs on his debut release For Your Entertainment and was asked to be a mentor to the Season 9 finalists. They were a very dreary group, but even Adam's dynamic range and performance style couldn't get them out of their doldrums. When he performed this second single from his album on the show it leaped into the Billboard HOT 100 Top 10 singles chart. This song is the perfect response to how the media loves to scrutinize his free spirited personality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Fqn9du7xo
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz: 2010 was getting off to a very boring start in the first three months of the year and that all changed when Taio Cruz released his debut single. This song can take credit for the sudden turn around making the radio fun to listen to again. It lead the charge of the club friendly dance beats that came to dominate the rest of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SI2EDM6Lo
Only Girl In The World - Rihanna: Her dismal release Rated R is responsible in large part to what was making radio so boring in the first part of the year. Rihanna clearly wanted everyone to be in just as bad a mood as she was, but thankfully the first single from the album Loud turned all of that around. This song is a joyous anthem that demands your attention and you feel fantastic with no regrets afterward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM
OMG - Usher: As one of the biggest artists of the decade, Usher was never one to be a follower, but this year he could have been accused of jumping on the club dance beat bandwagon. The fact is that while this song is very danceable, it is nothing like the generic throb found in other songs. He is continuing to be an innovator releasing the most entertaining and enjoyable single of his career. Usher was also a mentor on American Idol this season and his appearance helped catapult this song to the #1 position on the Billboard HOT 100.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RnPB76mjxI
Nothin' On You - B.o.B. / Bruno Mars: When you pair two completely new artists together the odds of having a hit are slim to none, but when the song is this catchy it becomes impossible to ignore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTDv_szmL0
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias: Everything about this song from it's strange Lionel Richie tribute to the fact that it's by Enrique Iglesias, who has never put out anything all that great, made me think this was just a throwaway track. Even the inclusion of the horrible Jersey Shore cast in the video couldn't stop me from admitting that yes, Baby - I LIKE IT! It's a completely feel good and fun jam every time you hear it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0QzUdjhIg
Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner: Here's another unknown artist who managed to find the perfect song to introduce him to the public. It's completely infectious and who can't relate to the lyrics?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqWq_48LxWQ
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars: After the success of his smooth vocals on Nothin On You, Bruno was primed and ready to have a huge solo hit and it came in the form of this toe tapper. Once again, just like with Teenage Dream, while it was still at the top of the charts, the cast of Glee injected some more life into an already amazing smash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttwW7y1x1rk
Baby - Justin Bieber: Every generation needs to have their teen idols and in 2010 they were all catching Bieber Fever. This was his biggest hit and it is well crafted to have all the ingredients of young love and innocence to appeal to exactly who it's supposed to, teenage girls and me. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Results - Adam Lambert!
Last week's results show performers, Jason DeRulo and Rihanna, don't need any bump from their American Idol performance as they are already enjoying long rides at the top of the Billboard charts. The Season Seven 1st Runner Up, David Archuleta, surely would have liked a bump after his performance last week, but there is no new action for him on either the Billboard HOT 100 or the itunes chart this week. Usher, the mentor from two weeks ago, sees his single, OMG, land at #14 on the Billboard HOT 100.
Once again, the opening group performance sounds so incredibly fake and over produced that it's shameful. It's like the producers are openly admitting that these kids can't sing. This medley of Elvis hits was downright cheesy.
Aaron, Casey and Andrew were all called to the center of the stage hopefully to all be eliminated tonight, but unfortunately, both Aaron and Casey are safe. The only good news to come from this is that Andrew is finally being sent home. The world can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we won't have to be bored by his dreary singing ever again.
Season Seven finalist Brooke White wasn't a very good singer back then and tonight upon her return to the American Idol stage we learn that she still isn't very good. She got up there still completely lacking vocal range and personality to sit at her piano again and sing another sleep inducing song. There is no American Idol bump expected after this weak effort.
Crystal, Siobhan and Lee are all safe this week leaving Michael, Tim and Katie up for possible elimination.
In Season Eight, the audience was treated each week to one of the most dynamic, electric and mesmerizing entertainers in American Idol history. Adam Lambert somehow ended up as the 1st Runner Up, but he's the only finalist to ever come back and mentor the latest group. He once again commanded the stage with an exceptional performance of his latest single, Whataya Want From Me. Even with his own songs, he knows how to mix up the arrangement and the vocals and present something fresh and captivating. It recently peaked at #20 on the Billboard HOT 100, but it should hopefully see a significant bump after this great showstopping effort.
Tim and Michael are both safe leaving Katie Stevens to be eliminated from the competition way too soon. She's a talented young woman with her whole life ahead of her that will surely be filled with many more opportunities.
I only got one of my bottom three predictions correct, but at least it was the long overdue elimination of Andrew Garcia. The elimination of Katie was completely unexpected. We wish her the best!
Once again, the opening group performance sounds so incredibly fake and over produced that it's shameful. It's like the producers are openly admitting that these kids can't sing. This medley of Elvis hits was downright cheesy.
Aaron, Casey and Andrew were all called to the center of the stage hopefully to all be eliminated tonight, but unfortunately, both Aaron and Casey are safe. The only good news to come from this is that Andrew is finally being sent home. The world can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we won't have to be bored by his dreary singing ever again.
Season Seven finalist Brooke White wasn't a very good singer back then and tonight upon her return to the American Idol stage we learn that she still isn't very good. She got up there still completely lacking vocal range and personality to sit at her piano again and sing another sleep inducing song. There is no American Idol bump expected after this weak effort.
Crystal, Siobhan and Lee are all safe this week leaving Michael, Tim and Katie up for possible elimination.
In Season Eight, the audience was treated each week to one of the most dynamic, electric and mesmerizing entertainers in American Idol history. Adam Lambert somehow ended up as the 1st Runner Up, but he's the only finalist to ever come back and mentor the latest group. He once again commanded the stage with an exceptional performance of his latest single, Whataya Want From Me. Even with his own songs, he knows how to mix up the arrangement and the vocals and present something fresh and captivating. It recently peaked at #20 on the Billboard HOT 100, but it should hopefully see a significant bump after this great showstopping effort.
Tim and Michael are both safe leaving Katie Stevens to be eliminated from the competition way too soon. She's a talented young woman with her whole life ahead of her that will surely be filled with many more opportunities.
I only got one of my bottom three predictions correct, but at least it was the long overdue elimination of Andrew Garcia. The elimination of Katie was completely unexpected. We wish her the best!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Results - Lennon/McCartney
Last weeks mentor, Usher, had a huge sales week after his performance on the show selling over 300,000 copies of his latest release, Raymond Vs. Raymond, to debut at #1 on the Billboard album chart. The song he performed, OMG, is currently #6 on the itunes sales chart so it should make a pretty strong leap on the Billboard HOT 100 chart as well. Unfortunately, the Season Two Miss American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard, saw no such sales bump as a result of his performance last week.
This week, the top 9 opened the show with a Beatles medley that sounded completely over-produced and fake. None of these finalists actually sound this good. It was a very obvious lip sync. But the girls looked simply fabulous in their 60's mod mini dresses!
Getting the good news out of the way first, it was revealed that all three girls, Crystal, Siobhan and Katie are all safe this week.
Jason Derulo hit #1 in 2009 with his smash hit dance jam Whatcha Say and tonight he performed his follow up single that recently peaked at #8 on the Billboard HOT 100, In My Head.
One of John Lennon's most amazing songs, Imagine, hit #3 in 1971 and was performed on the American Idol stage in Season Seven. David Archuleta, who ended up being the Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up that year, came back tonight to entertain the fans with his fantastic rendition of this exceptional song. He sounded great.
Lee, Casey and Tim are all safe leaving Michael, Andrew, and Aaron as the bottom three. Aaron was then informed that he was also safe.
Rihanna has been the biggest hit maker on the charts of the last 5 years hitting #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 six times including Rude Boy which is at the top of the chart this week. Tonight she introduced the world to her next single, Rock Star 101, which is sure to be another hit.
With Andrew finally in the bottom two where he belongs, we got the shock that he is once again safe and Michael Lynche is the lowest vote getter of the week. He did a great job singing for his life hoping the judges would save him. And it worked! All nine finalists will be coming back next week including Michael.
I got two of my predictions right this week with both Andrew and Aaron ending up among the lowest vote getters. If we are lucky, they will both go home next week.
This week, the top 9 opened the show with a Beatles medley that sounded completely over-produced and fake. None of these finalists actually sound this good. It was a very obvious lip sync. But the girls looked simply fabulous in their 60's mod mini dresses!
Getting the good news out of the way first, it was revealed that all three girls, Crystal, Siobhan and Katie are all safe this week.
Jason Derulo hit #1 in 2009 with his smash hit dance jam Whatcha Say and tonight he performed his follow up single that recently peaked at #8 on the Billboard HOT 100, In My Head.
One of John Lennon's most amazing songs, Imagine, hit #3 in 1971 and was performed on the American Idol stage in Season Seven. David Archuleta, who ended up being the Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up that year, came back tonight to entertain the fans with his fantastic rendition of this exceptional song. He sounded great.
Lee, Casey and Tim are all safe leaving Michael, Andrew, and Aaron as the bottom three. Aaron was then informed that he was also safe.
Rihanna has been the biggest hit maker on the charts of the last 5 years hitting #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 six times including Rude Boy which is at the top of the chart this week. Tonight she introduced the world to her next single, Rock Star 101, which is sure to be another hit.
With Andrew finally in the bottom two where he belongs, we got the shock that he is once again safe and Michael Lynche is the lowest vote getter of the week. He did a great job singing for his life hoping the judges would save him. And it worked! All nine finalists will be coming back next week including Michael.
I got two of my predictions right this week with both Andrew and Aaron ending up among the lowest vote getters. If we are lucky, they will both go home next week.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Crush
As you all know, when David Cook ended up being crowned the Season 7 Miss American Idol, all of my attention went toward feeling bad for cute little David Archuleta. The judges set him up all season to think he was certain to get the crown. When he didn't, you could see that he was blind-sided by the news.
David Cook then went on to dominate the Billboard HOT 100 (for one week at least) with 11 songs debuting in the same week. David Archuleta had to once again settle for being in the shadows, but this week, his time in the spotlight has come! David Archuleta's first original single "Crush" has sold 166,000 downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and opens at #2 on the Billboard HOT 100.
Compared to the chart achievements of the other American Idols, this is pretty amazing. Even David Cook's The Time Of My Life only peaked at #3. The only other Idol single to get up to #2 is Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone from 2005. This is a very promising start to David Archuleta's music career.
Jordin Sparks, meanwhile, is continuing to inch up the Billboard HOT 100 with One Step at a Time which is now up to #21 this week.
The other exciting news to come out involves the Supreme Miss American Idol, Carrie Underwood, releasing a benefit single with some of the other biggest musical divas in the business. She will be joining 14 other superstars on the single to be released on Sept. 2nd that will benefit cancer research. The impressive list includes the biggest hitmakers of recent years, Fergie, Rihanna and Beyonce, and three other divas who share the honor of winning the Grammy for Best New Artist just like Carrie Underwood did. Those other divas are Sheryl Crow, the amazing Leann Rimes and the biggest mega-superstar diva of all time, Mariah Carey.
I will be right there on iTunes the day this song is available to buy it immediately. I haven't even heard it yet, but it's already my favorite song of the year!
David Cook then went on to dominate the Billboard HOT 100 (for one week at least) with 11 songs debuting in the same week. David Archuleta had to once again settle for being in the shadows, but this week, his time in the spotlight has come! David Archuleta's first original single "Crush" has sold 166,000 downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and opens at #2 on the Billboard HOT 100.
Compared to the chart achievements of the other American Idols, this is pretty amazing. Even David Cook's The Time Of My Life only peaked at #3. The only other Idol single to get up to #2 is Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone from 2005. This is a very promising start to David Archuleta's music career.
Jordin Sparks, meanwhile, is continuing to inch up the Billboard HOT 100 with One Step at a Time which is now up to #21 this week.
The other exciting news to come out involves the Supreme Miss American Idol, Carrie Underwood, releasing a benefit single with some of the other biggest musical divas in the business. She will be joining 14 other superstars on the single to be released on Sept. 2nd that will benefit cancer research. The impressive list includes the biggest hitmakers of recent years, Fergie, Rihanna and Beyonce, and three other divas who share the honor of winning the Grammy for Best New Artist just like Carrie Underwood did. Those other divas are Sheryl Crow, the amazing Leann Rimes and the biggest mega-superstar diva of all time, Mariah Carey.
I will be right there on iTunes the day this song is available to buy it immediately. I haven't even heard it yet, but it's already my favorite song of the year!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
One Step At A Time
Katy Perry is showing the Miss American Idol finalists how it's done. She's now spent her 6th week at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 singles charts with her provocative dance pop single, I Kissed A Girl. Perhaps the expectation of a squeaky clean image is preventing the Idols from having bigger hits these days. While Katy has achieved huge success announcing to the world that she kissed a girl and she liked it, David Cook and Jordin Sparks are struggling.
While the sales for David's The Time Of My Life have slowed down, it seems like airplay is picking up a bit because it's not dropping as fast as it was off the chart. Jordin's duet with Chris Brown, No Air, is also dropping very slowly of the charts. Chris Brown is doing very well all by himself - his hot dance smash Forever is holding strong at #3 this week. It's one of my favorite songs out right now. It's great to blast really loud while driving.
Remember back when Jordin performed her new single on the American Idol finals when David Cook was crowned the Season 7 Miss American Idol? She sang One Step At A Time and she looked and sounded amazing. This song is very fun and catchy and I am happy to report that it has finally started to get the airplay that it deserves. It's sitting at #34 this week on the Billboard HOT 100.
While Jordin is making her way up the charts one little step at a time, the reigning pop superstar, Rihanna is still topping the charts with everything she puts out. She's still at #2 with her former #1, Take A Bow, and this week her latest release, Disturbia, leaps all the way up to #4. It's not that rare for an artist to have more than one song in the top five in the same week. The biggest megastars like The Beatles and the Bee Gees did it almost every week and a Legendary Diva like Mariah Carey has done it on numerous occasions. It's still a feat that no American Idol has done yet, but it can still happen - one step at a time...
While the sales for David's The Time Of My Life have slowed down, it seems like airplay is picking up a bit because it's not dropping as fast as it was off the chart. Jordin's duet with Chris Brown, No Air, is also dropping very slowly of the charts. Chris Brown is doing very well all by himself - his hot dance smash Forever is holding strong at #3 this week. It's one of my favorite songs out right now. It's great to blast really loud while driving.
Remember back when Jordin performed her new single on the American Idol finals when David Cook was crowned the Season 7 Miss American Idol? She sang One Step At A Time and she looked and sounded amazing. This song is very fun and catchy and I am happy to report that it has finally started to get the airplay that it deserves. It's sitting at #34 this week on the Billboard HOT 100.
While Jordin is making her way up the charts one little step at a time, the reigning pop superstar, Rihanna is still topping the charts with everything she puts out. She's still at #2 with her former #1, Take A Bow, and this week her latest release, Disturbia, leaps all the way up to #4. It's not that rare for an artist to have more than one song in the top five in the same week. The biggest megastars like The Beatles and the Bee Gees did it almost every week and a Legendary Diva like Mariah Carey has done it on numerous occasions. It's still a feat that no American Idol has done yet, but it can still happen - one step at a time...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Idol Gives Back 2008
The familiar beat of the current top 10 smash, Don't Stop The Music, could be heard opening the show for this year's Idol Gives Back. Could that mean that chart-topping star Rihanna is the first of many big name talents helping out? The vocals started and it sounded like Rihanna, but it was just our top 8 Finalist Syesha Mercado still looking for her own identity. She was joined by the rest of the top 8 and the winners of Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew for a very entertaining group performance.
Snoop Dogg and Charlie Wilson provided their version of a street savvy contribution to the evenings fund raising efforts followed by the unmistakable sound of Before He Cheats. Just as we were looking forward to seeing the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four's Carrie Underwood take the stage, it was Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives who took the mike instead. She actually sang the whole song. The real Carrie only came out at the end which just made no sense.
The excitement picked up when super hot teen sensation Miley Cyrus took the stage and gave a small sample of her Best of Both Worlds live concert experience. Unfortunately, she did not sing her current smash See You Again, but it was still lots of fun. She was followed by Fergie who proved with her three #1 hits last year that she doesn't need anyone to be a huge success. Even so, she shared the stage with Best New Artist Grammy winner John Legend for a performance of Finally. Afterward, she introduced classic rock band Heart who started to sing their hit Barracuda. To this day Ann Wilson holds the title of having the best voice in rock music so when Fergie came back to share lead vocals it was a risk. She did a very respectable job holding her own and she didn't need to add the cartwheels as a distraction, even though it was pretty entertaining.
Annie Lennox provided her annual contribution to Idol Gives Back and then we were given the Carrie Underwood performance we were cheated of earlier. George Michael hit #1 in 1990 with his poignant ballad Praying For Time. Lyrically it is the perfect embodiment of what the night is all about and Carrie added her outstanding vocal talents to breath new life to this wonderful song. Gloria Estefan then energized the crowd to Get On Their Feet and give to this important fundraising event.
The top 8 finalists were put to work answering phones and accepting donations, but they were given a break to perform the hit song from the musical Rent, Seasons of Love. The theme for the entertainment this evening has been to tease the audience. First it was with Carrie Underwood and now with Miley Cyrus. To the pleasure of the audience, Miley came back to sing See You Again!
The only other Idol alumni to make an appearance tonight was Season Five Miss American Idol third runner up Chris Daughtry. I guess Kelly Clarkson was busy with other commitments this year.
Idol Gives Back came to an end with a sensational preview of what the finalists will be treated to next week. Mega million selling superstar hit maker Mariah Carey graced the stage to perform one of the many smash hit songs from her Grammy winning The Emancipation of Mimi. Fly Like A Bird, with it's message of hope and faith was the perfect way to sum up this important evening of entertainment.
Snoop Dogg and Charlie Wilson provided their version of a street savvy contribution to the evenings fund raising efforts followed by the unmistakable sound of Before He Cheats. Just as we were looking forward to seeing the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four's Carrie Underwood take the stage, it was Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives who took the mike instead. She actually sang the whole song. The real Carrie only came out at the end which just made no sense.
The excitement picked up when super hot teen sensation Miley Cyrus took the stage and gave a small sample of her Best of Both Worlds live concert experience. Unfortunately, she did not sing her current smash See You Again, but it was still lots of fun. She was followed by Fergie who proved with her three #1 hits last year that she doesn't need anyone to be a huge success. Even so, she shared the stage with Best New Artist Grammy winner John Legend for a performance of Finally. Afterward, she introduced classic rock band Heart who started to sing their hit Barracuda. To this day Ann Wilson holds the title of having the best voice in rock music so when Fergie came back to share lead vocals it was a risk. She did a very respectable job holding her own and she didn't need to add the cartwheels as a distraction, even though it was pretty entertaining.
Annie Lennox provided her annual contribution to Idol Gives Back and then we were given the Carrie Underwood performance we were cheated of earlier. George Michael hit #1 in 1990 with his poignant ballad Praying For Time. Lyrically it is the perfect embodiment of what the night is all about and Carrie added her outstanding vocal talents to breath new life to this wonderful song. Gloria Estefan then energized the crowd to Get On Their Feet and give to this important fundraising event.
The top 8 finalists were put to work answering phones and accepting donations, but they were given a break to perform the hit song from the musical Rent, Seasons of Love. The theme for the entertainment this evening has been to tease the audience. First it was with Carrie Underwood and now with Miley Cyrus. To the pleasure of the audience, Miley came back to sing See You Again!
The only other Idol alumni to make an appearance tonight was Season Five Miss American Idol third runner up Chris Daughtry. I guess Kelly Clarkson was busy with other commitments this year.
Idol Gives Back came to an end with a sensational preview of what the finalists will be treated to next week. Mega million selling superstar hit maker Mariah Carey graced the stage to perform one of the many smash hit songs from her Grammy winning The Emancipation of Mimi. Fly Like A Bird, with it's message of hope and faith was the perfect way to sum up this important evening of entertainment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)