American Idol 2007

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

What is your background in understanding of music?

More importantly, what does it even matter in the context of AI? I, for one, am not claiming that Melinda is lesser of a singer/performer than the other two, nor am I suggesting that I'm interested in buying any music put out by any AI performer. I'm looking at it solely from the perspective of TV show viewer and what the producers of the show ultimately hope to accomplish. If you're trying to put too much into critical analysis of TV show contestants, you've lost the plot of the show to begin with.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

More importantly, what does it even matter in the context of AI? I, for one, am not claiming that Melinda is lesser of a singer/performer than the other two, nor am I suggesting that I'm interested in buying any music put out by any AI performer. I'm looking at it solely from the perspective of TV show viewer and what the producers of the show ultimately hope to accomplish. If you're trying to put too much into critical analysis of TV show contestants, you've lost the plot of the show to begin with.

yes yes

[Vinatieri for Prez]

I actually do get it. Forced to buy and ticket and watch an hour of someone's show, I would go with Blake first by far, then Jordin, and last Melinda. I want to see a show, a performance, and Melinda brings none of that. Of course, if not forced to buy a ticket, I wouldn't go see any of them perform.

I have left out a discussion of CD sales (the non-visual/non-performance part) because AI is performance contest.

[Ksyrup]

Hadn't heard of this one before. Sounds kinda interesting.

KITTIE Attorney Serves 'America's Hot Musician' Cease-And-Desist Letter - May 21, 2007

An attorney representing the band KITTIE served American Youth Symphony (AYS), producers of the upcoming television show "America's Hot Musician" a cease-and-desist letter for their use of clips from the band's video "All I Always Wanted" in the show's opening theme. "America's Hot Musician" features former KITTE bassist Talena Atfield as one of its three judges. AYS, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote instrumental music in the MTV/hip hop generation, says it was given permission to use the clips by Sheridan Square Entertainment, which owns licensing rights to the video, and has no plans to adhere to the cease-and-desist request. "America's Hot Musician", the "American Idol"-like competition for instrumental musicians debuting on the Oxygen network in July, was scheduled to begin taping the first round in May, showcasing male and female musicians from all over the country playing a wide range of styles. "America's Hot Musician" will feature clips from each of the judges in its opening theme. National Symphony Orchestra violinist Marissa Regni and Duke Ellington Orchestra trombonist Gregory Charles Royal also have featured clips. New audio tracks have been set to the clips for a cohesive musical theme.

[Ksyrup]

I wanted to post this earlier, but I was laughing too hard to cut-and-paste this!



LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paula Abdul broke her nose over the weekend after she fell while trying to avoid stepping on her Chihuahua, her publicist said Monday.

Abdul was recovering from the mishap and will appear on "American Idol" Tuesday and its season finale Wednesday, publicist David Brokaw said.

"She's a little sore, but is doing fine," he said.

Abdul told the syndicated entertainment TV show "Extra" she tore cartilage in her nose and fractured her toe.

"I took a nasty fall ... trying not to hurt my dog. I bruised myself on my arm ... my chest, my waist all the way down to my hip. All from my little chubby Tulip," Abdul said.

The dog was not hurt, Brokaw said.

[wade moore]

You made my day.

[kurtism]

Man, I sure hope that David Brokaw is no relation to Tom. "Hey, nice work being Paula Abdul's publicist! Do you have the "Big Book of Drug Excuses" handy? I'm sure Grandpa Tom is very proud of you!"

[Ksyrup]

lol

[Toddzilla]

I'll step on the dog 20 times out of 10 in a situation like that.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

I'll step on the dog 20 times out of 10 in a situation like that.

FWIW, my experience/reading would tell me that you SHOULD step on the dog in that situation... the dog needs to learn to move out of your way, not the other way around.

[Ksyrup]

A whole bunch of spoiler info from MJ re songs for tonight and appearances on tomorrow's finale. Note this is pretty early for this stuff, so I bet some of this will be revised between now and then.

Spoiler

Song Choices (Winner Single, New Song, Reprise)

Jordin Sparks

• A Broken Wing by Martina McBride
• Fighter by Christina Aguilera
• Winner single

Blake Lewis

• She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
• You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
• Winner single

There will be one coronation song–the winning single of the Idol Songwriter’s contest, performed by both Blake and Jordin.

Chris Daughtry appears tonight to sing this year’s elimination song, “Home.”


Idol Guest Performers for the Finale:

• Kelly Clarkson - may sing solo (”Never Again”) and duet
• Carrie Underwood
• Taylor Hicks

Songs from the Beatles catalog have been made available for tomorrow’s show. More on that as details arrive…

Rumors:

• According to MTV Doug E. Fresh is in negotiations with Idol to appear on tomorrow’s show. His appearance has not been confirmed.
• There will be no hometown parties. The original plan was to have them, but the producers thought otherwise and cancelled them.
• According to Perez Hilton, there is buzz around Hollywood that Britney Spears will appear on the Finale. Hello trainwreck!
• I’m pulling this from comments. The NY Post reports that the winners of the songwriting contest are two men. Americanidol.com has songwriter bios posted for all 20 contestants. The forum at Spinme.com (I’ll be posting something on the songwriter’s contest later…) has supposed insiders who claim “This is My Now” written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne as the winning song. You can listen to it at the bios link.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I wanted to post this earlier, but I was laughing too hard to cut-and-paste this!



LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paula Abdul broke her nose over the weekend after she fell while trying to avoid stepping on her Chihuahua, her publicist said Monday.

Abdul was recovering from the mishap and will appear on "American Idol" Tuesday and its season finale Wednesday, publicist David Brokaw said.

"She's a little sore, but is doing fine," he said.

Abdul told the syndicated entertainment TV show "Extra" she tore cartilage in her nose and fractured her toe.

"I took a nasty fall ... trying not to hurt my dog. I bruised myself on my arm ... my chest, my waist all the way down to my hip. All from my little chubby Tulip," Abdul said.

The dog was not hurt, Brokaw said.

I wonder what her BAC was when she was avoiding the dog.

[Mustang]

Hopefully Blake loses so he never has to sing that tripe again.

[Logan]

Is Chris Daughtry wearing eye makeup?

edit: Yes. Yes he is.

Can I have my admiration of him from last season back please?

[Thomkal]

They have just got to stop making these finalist sing these sappy songs about their journey, time is now, etc. That song killed any chance Blake had of winning this thing. What they need to do is take the last 4 or 5 left in the competition, sit them down with a team of songwriters, and work out their own individual song to sing in the finale. That way they can tailor to vastly different styles like Blake and the more traditional like Jordin. I think Simon said it best, best performance to Blake, best singing to Jordin.

And yes that was Chris Daughtry with eye makeup. What the hell was he thinking wearing that?

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

What they need to do is take the last 4 or 5 left in the competition, sit them down with a team of songwriters, and work out their own individual song to sing in the finale.

Shit.. don't even have to do that. Not like Bon Jovi doesn't have a bank of 1,000 songs to pick out one for Blake.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

And yes that was Chris Daughtry with eye makeup. What the hell was he thinking wearing that?

Nothing really new.. thought he did that several times (If not all the time) during last season.

[Mota]

Blake for the loss!

I much prefer Blake to Jordin, but for his long term survival as a musician he has to lose tomorrow.

Jordin is the malleable generic pop star type that they can transform into anything they want to. But Blake has a specific style that he excels at, and judging by his potential first single tonight, it would be a horrible disaster as they'd try to bracket him into the generic mold, which he can't do.

So I'll cheer for Jordin to win it all, and I'll buy Blake's album when it comes out.

[Draft Dodger]

so, the clip of Jordin singing the 3rd song in the recap was not the same as her live rendition. do they always pre-record those?

and wow, Chris Daughtry has the gayest looking band of all time

[Ksyrup]

That was the clip of her singing from the dress rehearsal. They always do that with the last singer, since they don't have time to edit the clips before they show the recaps. Most of the time you can't tell the difference, but tonight was obvious because of her "verklempt moment."

I hope Pumpy was watching, because when they flashed a shot of Kathy Griffin, I lost it. The exchange between my wife and I went something like this:

Me: "Oh my God, that wasn't...?"
Her: "Yes, that was Kathy Whatshername."
Me: "Goddammit, now I'll have to wait 4 weeks for my next erection."
Her: Solid punch to my stomach
Her: "That was unnecessary!"
Me: "But I looked right at her! It's not my fault she's so ugly!"

[Crim]

Whaa? I missed the KG sighting. Gotta go watch again, and get my solo groove thing going...

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

so, the clip of Jordin singing the 3rd song in the recap was not the same as her live rendition. do they always pre-record those?

and wow, Chris Daughtry has the gayest looking band of all time

they've always done it that way since they have slow editors.

[Solecismic]

It seems like just yesterday that Amy Krebs and three other extras bid adieu as season six of American Idol opened. It's actually been 90 days, and we've experienced a lot, from Haley Scarnato's daring outfits, the Sanjaya phenomenon, the fated scatting of Leslie Hunt, the goatbleating of Chris Richardson, the rocky rocking of Gina Glocksen and the tired shouting of LaKisha Jones.

The true winner was Melinda Doolittle, who outsung everyone, week after week. She will have a long career, but she failed to grab the audience as is necessary in this competition. I think she would have won the audience vote had she broken out with a Whitney ballad last week, or something a little more in tune with today's youth. That's just the way American Idol works. It's not even upsetting, really.

The people still *want* to see good performances. If it were just about youth popularity, Sanjaya would have been standing next to Blake, and Daughtry wouldn't have been the one wearing the most eye makeup, as he was tonight. I had a girlfriend once who liked to layer that black mascara under the eyes. I never understood that. After a while it starts to cake a bit, and then instead of that intense eye contact, you're distracted by those little globs of fuzzy black stuff, and wondering if you should hand her a tissue.

And maybe that's what happened in season five. Daughtry has always made people a bit uncomfortable - like we always knew some day he would show up for an important performance, and someone would talk him into wearing heavy mascara, or a pink fedora, or an eye-patch, or maybe one of those handlebar mustaches loaded up with styling wax. Or even short-shorts and a halter top like Haley. Thirty years ago, Daughtry would have been the only straight guy among the Village People (at least they knew how to apply mascara).

Yeah, Sanjaya wasn't on stage tonight, nor was his sister. Melinda was in the audience, but that's okay. It was Blake and Jordin's night out, and that worked fine for season six, kind of a weak season overall, but the voters generally did well.

On to the final rankings.

1. Blake Lewis, Song 1 (Reprise of Bon Jovi week). This is Blake. This was his signature performance, where the drum noises are in context and he's producing as well as performing. I don't think there's a whole lot else to Blake, but he does this very well. Score of 89.

2. Jordin Sparks, Song 3 (Song Contest). This is the kind of sappy ballad she should be singing while she learns how to perform. It shows off her considerable talent without forcing the changes that give her trouble. It's a very even, predictable song that shows off her type of voice. Teenagers will find this "deep," and mutter generally approving comments. Score of 87.

3. Jordin Sparks, Song 2 (Country Week reprise). This was one of her best performances during the season. A difficult song that doesn't hit her trouble areas, plenty of power notes. I thought she stumbled a little bit, but was generally solid. Score of 85.

4. Blake Lewis, Song 2 (Maroon-5). Blake has such a good sense of what he can do, the only problem is that he is limited to simple tunes because he can't riff like the other top contestants. This was credible, but really shows that his future could be as the lead singer of a band, not as a soloist. Score of 81.

5. Jordin Sparks, Song 1 (Xtina Aguilera). I know why Jordin is drawn to these songs, she can riff with the big voices like Christina's. But she's not mature yet, and she has a lot of trouble with the changes and breathyness when she tries complex songs. There will be a day when she can perform a song like this with anyone. Today is not that day. Only 17, though. The reminder is more a taunt when it comes to a performance like this. Score of 77, still good.

6. Blake Lewis, Song 3 (Song Contest). He tried. Not fair, really. The song was written for a big voice like Jordin's. Blake's attempt just reminded me how crappy these song-contest songs are every year. If he wins, they should wave the requirement of him recording it. Score of 62.

Scores for the night: Jordin 83, Blake 77.

Scores of the season: Jordin 80, Blake 76.

Who should win: Jordin.

Who will win: Jordin.

Good night, everyone. Thanks for listening, and I'll likely be back with the season 7 writeups in February, just as I celebrate ten years in the game-writing business.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Now get back to work on FOF2K8 and the new dynamic coaching staff add-in and combo game with TCY. Thanks.

[path12]

Jim, I've enjoyed your commentary almost as much as your game.




Well, no. That's not true. But they've been entertaining nonetheless. See you next year.

[Lathum]

Put me in the camp that feels Blake got screwed by that last song

[WVUFAN]

I can't stand Blake. He ruined a perfectly good Bon Jovi song.

He doesn't deserve to win, since this isn't a "beatbox" competion, or whatever you call that foolishness he did tonight, it's a singing competition, and Jordin is clearly the better singer.

Blake shouldn't have gotten this far. Now, having said that, he'll win, because America seems to enjoy voting for the sucky singers (see: Soul Patrol last year)

[Arles]

This is shaping up to be the most lobsided lost since Kelly roadgraded poor Justin in the finale of season 1. Ironically, there are many similarities to the first season in the most consistent singer (Tamyra = Melinda) being voted off before the finale so that the fan base can have the "simple" distinction between the charismatic guy with a weak voice (Justin = Blake) and the young, out of nowhere marketable voice (Kelly = Jordin). In no way do I think Jordin is as good as Kelly, but the final 3-4 weeks are very similar in theme.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

it's a singing competition, and Jordin is clearly the better singer.

Once again, it's not a singing contest. It's an idol contest.

[Danny]

I hope Jordin wins and she deserves it after putting up a better showing than Blake for the finale. Blake is my favorite contestant and I thoroughly enjoyed many of his performances this season, but he would be better off finishing second for his potential career.

Also, I know she's only 17, but to me Jordin was the cutest contestant all season.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Vinatieri for Prez

Once again, it's not a singing contest. It's an idol contest.

It's amazing how many people don't get that.


All of that being said, I think Jordin will and should win. She had an amazing night and imo outdid Blake even without the sappy song. I've been a supporter of Blake all season, and I felt like he deserved to be here. But, I think Jording should win. And I stand by what I said a couple of weeks ago, I think Jordin could be up there with Underwood and Clarkson in post-Idol success - she just has so much upside.

Edit: Oh, and I also agree that Blake's career is probably better off with a 2nd place finish.

[RedKingGold]

Jim, I've looked foward to your comments every Wednesday morning, and you never disappoint. You've definitely got some Tony Kornheiser in you.

I also agree that Jordin should win, and I think she has great potential as a future Whitney when she gets her vocal skills developed along with her pipes. Blake is a one-trick pony, but he does that one-trick extremely well.

Either way, it'll be kinda sad to see American Idol end. I feel like there's not much to watch on TV now for the next two months until football cranks up again.

[Ksyrup]

Jordin is going to win this in a landslide.

Even before last night, it seemed pretty obvious. Just from snippets here and there of AI fans and local stories about people who watch, it was all about Jordin. Seacrest won't be able to give one of those "After 100 million votes, it came down to a razor-thin margin" comments he's made in the past. Well, he can say that, but he'll be lying.

That contest song was so damn bad. "This is my now." I've already turned this into a catch phrase I throw around for no good reason. After Idol ended, I forget what we were watching, but my wife learned something that I thought was common knowledge, and she said something about not having learned it in high school. So I turned to her and said, "Well honey, that was then, this is your now." And we both had a good laugh.

I guess the music industry is comforted by knowing that when the current generation of shlock writers dies off, there are more waiting in the wings.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

But she's not mature yet, and she has a lot of trouble with the changes and breathyness when she tries complex songs.

Yep. I'd never heard that song until last night, but I thought she was terrible in the middle of the song. I don't know if it was the song's phrasing, her inability to keep up with the melody and catch her breath or what, but that was a mess.

I hope you'll come back for the AI band search show. That starts up in the fall. Something tells me it's going to fall flat on its face, though. But I'll take what I can get.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I hope Pumpy was watching, because when they flashed a shot of Kathy Griffin, I lost it.

Damn, I was watching, but I missed Kathy Griffin. I'm usually pretty good at picking out people in the crowd, too. Dag nab it.

[Ksyrup]

With someone that ugly, you don't pick her out. She picks you out.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

With someone that ugly, you don't pick her out. She picks you out.

IF YOU KEEP DISSING KATHY GRIFFIN, I'M GOING TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE

[Ksyrup]

BRING IT ON. JUST DON'T BRING HER.

[Toddzilla]

With Idol's constant parading of past losers (Elliot, Daughtry, Kelly Pickler, et. al), they are all but admitting that the competition in and of itself is meaningless. Just getting into the final 10 is enough to make you a star - provided you have some talent.

And did anyone see Melinda in the audience when Jordin was singing the last song? She was standing in front of Chris, and she looked like a zombie again - pretty much the same as last week when Maroon 5 was performing.

[Ksyrup]

Interesting thought from a buddy of mine who does a funny as hell summary of each AI show on his blog:


"Now, the Songwriting Winner. Ladies and gentlemen, the fix is in. Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody have submitted “This is My Now”. Now, keep in mind everyone thought Melinda would make the finals. Also note her background in singing backup on Christian records. Note that Jordin has toured with Michael W. Smith. Note that Phil, Chris Sligh, Melinda, Jordin, and LaKisha have all cited, sang, or mentioned a church music background.

Scott Krippayne is a Christian singer/songwriter who has performed for years. He has written for numerous other artists as well. Seems a little too coincidental, no? Also recall the rumors that the contest was flailing not even six weeks ago. Furthermore, didn’t we hear there would be a song written for EACH finalist? I know I heard that somewhere…I guess Krippayne is on the “E” list, since he’s seated behind Kathy Griffin."


I also thought his take on Jordin was pretty dead-on:

"Jordin Huxtable is next, with Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”. At first, I think it’s a good choice – she hasn’t really nailed a modern song yet. The song is a bit too fast for her, she’s trying to keep pace with it throughout. She doesn’t quite sell the attitude it needs, but she comes close. It’s weird, she’s like a combination of two previous top 12 performers – she’s half Lisa Tucker, the precocious 17 year old wunderkind, and half Mandisa, the likeable, pretty, big girl who has a gospel voice. Randy says “the voice was stellar”, Paula echoes that, and Simon states “it was great for you to choose a younger song, but a bit shrieky in the middle – round one to Blake.” "

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I hope you'll come back for the AI band search show. That starts up in the fall. Something tells me it's going to fall flat on its face, though. But I'll take what I can get.

I intend to watch. I never watched the Rockstar show, but this one intrigues me because it is whole bands rather than individuals.They show Sligh in the previews, I wonder if he is eligible to bring his band on the show?

[Ksyrup]

Updated spoilers for tonight. Not all of these can be true, and dear God, I hope the Sanjaya rumor isn't!

EDIT: I'm updating the rumors here, instead of posting them separately. Some of them are contradictory, as more info (or new false rumors) appear.

Spoiler

Guests for tonight, according to this article

• Green Day is the ”surprise” guest
• Gladys Knight - internet rumors have her performing a medley with the top 12 girls
• Smokey Robinson - internet rumors have him performing with the Top 12 guys
• Joe Perry (guitarist for Aerosmith) - internet rumors have him performing a Beatles medley with the Top 12
• Tony Bennett will perform
• Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks will perform.
• In an interview this morning, Taylor Hicks said that he would be performing a Sgt. Peppers medley with the Top 12 (with Joe Perry on guitar, perhaps?). Taylor will also be performing his single, “Heaven Knows.”
• Nigel Lythgoe said in an interview on Good Day LA that Peter Noone would sing a medley of Herman’s Hermits hits (was he kidding?).
• According to MTV Doug E. Fresh is in negotiations with Idol to appear on tomorrow’s show. His appearance has not been confirmed.
• Lakisha Jones said on a radio interview this morning, that ONLY THE TOP 3 will get to sing duets with special musical guests.
• There will be no hometown parties. The original plan was to have them, but the producers thought otherwise and cancelled them.

RUMORS:

• Melinda Doolittle performs with Bebe and Cece Winans
• Jordin Sparks performs with Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Anika Noni Rose
• According to this article, Sanjaya Malakar will sport short, platinum blonde hair tonight, and sing a duet with Steve Perry, former lead singer of Journey.
• According to Perez Hilton, there is buzz around Hollywood that Britney Spears will appear on the Finale. Hello trainwreck!

EDIT:
TMZ has learned that Kelly — and all winners from seasons past, except Fantasia — will be back performing on the “American Idol” stage for tonight’s finale.

Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks are headed to the Kodak Theater, but Fantasia Barrino won’t be, since she is headlining Oprah Winfrey’s production of “The Color Purple” on Broadway.

Sources tell TMZ Gladys Knight will perform “Midnight Train to Georgia” with the top six female finalists, while Smokey Robinson will join the top six male finalists for a rendition of “Ooh Baby Baby.” Most recently booted finalist Melinda Doolittle will sing with brother and sister gospel duo BeBe and CeCe Winans, while the hairiffic Sanjaya duets with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry to the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” It’s sure to be an unbeweavable night!

Beat-boxing finalist Blake Lewis will show off his mad skillz against rapper Doug E. Fresh, and then duet with fellow finalist and probable winner, Jordin Sparks, to the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” Since producers were able to finally get clearance to use Beatles music, a medley of Fab Four hits will be performed as well.


Randy Jackson will play bass on the Sanjaya/Perry duet

Sanjaya will play Paula in a Idols/Judges skit.

Someone also said the old guy (Sherman Pore?) that auditioned would appear - he has released an album

[Ksyrup]

Look at the jump these songs took!


Songs featured on Idol this past week:

1 Maroon 5 “Makes Me Wonder” 163908 (25%) 715397
41 Maroon 5 “This Love” 20913 (365%) 855512
183 Thicke “When I Get You Alone” 6223 (999%) 18566

[Ksyrup]

This really isn't a spoiler, so I'm just going to post it here:


ETA: Somebody gave me the heads up: They are pre-taping one of the bands today, it looks to be a last-minute deal. From the email:

We are taping a performance by a VERY special, surprise band and tickets are FREE. This pre-tape will be aired as a segment of tonight’s finale.

The taping is at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and the arrival time is 1:30 PM.

[CraigSca]

omg, the Stone Roses re-formed for AI?!

[Young Drachma]

So when did the Idol final day turn into an awards show? Pretty elaborate. But I guess with all of those folks watching...it makes sense.

[MJ4H]

Last year.

[MJ4H]

At least the second best won this year. Unlike last year.

[Young Drachma]

That Jordin girl is really....tall?

[Young Drachma]

Oh heavens....this bothers me. A lot.