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American Idol Season 12 Charlotte Auditions

29 01 2013

Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the places “The Hunger Games” was filmed. It is also known as the “Queen City.” Arrows were shot between diva queens Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. I was hoping they would get it out of the way at the top of the show and move on, but no, they had to drag it out. I do understand it happened and it has to be shown. But these are professional people. I love watching “So You Think You Can Dance” in part because the judges are not FIGHTING or being rude to each other. They can disagree with a performance but do it in a respectful manner. Nicki Minaj has some very insightful and constructive criticism for the contestants, but I’m finding myself drawn to the quiet energy of Keith Urban. I have never been a country music fan and all I know of Keith is that he is a successful country music singer from Australia who married Nicole Kidman. I actually now want to go listen to his music and find out more about him. If this is what I am going to see in Idol for the next several months, I really do not know if I can take it and for the first time since season 2, may decide not to watch. It is ironic that a Navy reservist, Brandy Hamilton, pleaded with them “Please don’t fight, it makes us sad” should be a wake-up call.

Nicki does like to talk, and, in fact, dominates the panel all the time. She is wonderful at lifting up a contestant’s spirits and finding something positive about them without crushing their spirit. But for me, she is beginning to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher. She needs to be more concise with her comments. With four judges on the panel this year, I cannot imagine the live shows ever being on-time if things keep going on this way.

Scotty McCreery was on hand to pump up the crowd. That is the American Idol finale results show that I went to see thanks to FOX VIP.

Naomi Morris. Nicki nicknames her “Omie” Nicki gives Naomi tips about her eye wear, that she needs to wear fake eyelashes and then her make-up will pop. Naomi massacred Aretha Franklin’s, “Respect.” Naomi should stick to making clothes. Perhaps she should try out for Project Runway? Marian looks like she is tired of bad singers. Randy I think was mesmerized at her boobs with the intermittent cringing of her singing.

So now that we have the bad singer out of the way, the next one should be a good one. Right? Joe Nemoyer decides that Andre Bocelli’s instruction to Chris Daughtry about singing while he was singing on the ground will improve his own singing. Nicki nicknames him “Jumanji.” He decides to sing, “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble because he is feeling….swell. How embarrassing for Joe that when the camera is getting a tight shot of his face laying down the audience was treated to…YUCK….a booger. Keith looks he feels a bit sorry for the kid. Randy thinks “never.” Mariah was a no. And Nicki just thinks she is in charge of the panel and talks and talks.

Brian Rittenberry’s wife has survived stage 4 appendix cancer. She got her hair and nails done on the chance she might get to see and/or hug Keith Urban. Brian sings, “Let It Be” by The Beatles. I like him. I got goosebumps and the wife got the hug she wanted.

Brian Rittenberry

Then there were three more yes votes, sending Jimmy Smith, Sarina-Joi Crowe, and Haley Davis through to Hollywood. Jimmy gave me goosebumps, while the other two had average voices. Na’Chelle Fullins-Lovell also made it through.

Jimmy Smith

Sarina-Joi Crowe

Haley Davis

Na’Chelle Fullins-Lovell

We had too many good auditions in a row and when I saw Matthew Muse you knew it was going to be one of “those” auditions. Matthew also liked to talk about himself in the third person. Keith thought he was trying to channel Brad Paisley. Since I have never heard his music, I am going to assume that was not the case. Nicki looks like her blood sugar is dropping. “Cool dude.”

Next was the segment of the invitation. Dawgs are NOT allowed on the school bus, Randy, unless they are service dogs. You should know that. Isabelle Gonzalez was nominated by her aunt. She looks like Carly Rose Sonenclar. She sang a Sam Cooke song. It was not great. Sometimes I hear potential greatness, but sometimes she is off-key (I’ll chalk that up to nerves). I do like, however, that she has a different sound.

Isabelle Gonzalez

Taisha Bethea sings in a rock band. But when she sang a Johnny Cash song, it did not sound like a Cash song turned into a rock song at all. The Alanis Morissette song was better. She is an average singer. It was two “yes” votes and two “no” votes. Apparently the tie-breaker in this city goes to Keith Urban, so it was a yes.

Taisha Bethea

And then we get down to the controversial battle between Nicki and Mariah. Summer Cunningham sang “Lean on Me.” She has an average voice but nothing about her particularly stands out to me. Nicki said “yes.” Summer said she “already did the country thing” but she wanted to put more soul into it (insinuating that country music cannot be soulful). Keith Urban took offense to that. He has been pretty even with his emotions so far during his judging experiences. The comment obviously rubbed him the wrong way. Keith, Mariah and Randy said that she could be a country star, but was trying to also say nicely that her voice is not soulful R&B (like Summer thinks she is). Nicki took offense to all this because she did not think anyone should be pigeon-holed into a certain type of genre. I disagree with Nicki here. I am never going to hear a Nicki song thinking, “She could sing anything, even opera” because that is just not a reality. Summer is going through to Hollywood but how awkward was that for her. I don’t think she’ll make it to Vegas week.

Summer Cunningham

Day Two of Charlotte begins and Navy reservist Brandy Hamilton starts the day off well with an Etta James song. I got goosebumps. I really like her. As she was leaving she said, “Please don’t fight; it makes us sad.” Schooled by a warrior woman in the matters of peace.

Brandy Hamilton

Ashley Scott (nicknamed Blondie) has a great personality. This is one of those times when the speaking voice does not match the singing voice. When she walked out with a gold ticket for Hollywood, some of her fellow contestants seemed shocked.

Ashley Smith

Janelle Arthur played a young Dolly in a local theater production. She is through. And it was time for Keith Urban to fly to New York to be with Nicole Kidman as she gets an award from the New York Film Festival.

Janelle Arthur

“The Voice of Charlotte”, Rodney Barber, sang Edward McCain’s “I’ll Be”. His voice gave me goosebumps.

My favorite of the night, however, was Candice Glover. She got cut in Vegas last year. I had heavy goosebumps here and Randy and Mariah gave her a standing ovation. Mariah said she was the best singer they had seen so far.

Candice Glover

“Frog Killer” Ja’Bria Barber sang Bonnie Raitt’s “Pride and Joy.” Is she related to Rodney Barber? After hearing Candice Glover, this was just okay, not spectacular.

Ja’Bria Barber

Brad Harris was rapper “Bakon” in Houston? Poor Houston. He should just sing for pleasure.

Seretha Gunn would close the show with “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” By the look on the judges’ faces, they thought it would be a disaster. It was good. Her daughter, London, accompanied her. London nicknamed Nicki — DunDun (of course that is the same as saying London to that small of a child).

Seretha and London Gunn

A total of 37 contestants made it through to Hollywood week. Next up: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Tags: "done that country thing", "Feelin' Good" by Michael Buble, "Fresh Prince of Bel Air", "Let It Be" by The Beatles, "Pride and Joy" by Bonnie Raitt, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, "The Voice of Charlotte", Alanis Morissette, American Idol, Andre Bocelli, Ashley Scott, Brad "Bakon" Harris, Brad Paisley, Brandy Hamilton, Brian Rittenberry, Candice Glover, Chris Daughtry, Dolly Parton, dundun, Edward McCain's "I'll Be", Etta James, Fox Broadcasting, Fox VIP, Frog Killer, Haley Davis, Hilda Bowen, Hilda Clark, Hilda Clark Bowen, invitation, Isabelle Gonzalez, Ja'Bria Barber, Janelle Arthur, Jimmy Smith, Joe Nemoyer, Johnny Cash, Keith Urban, London Gunn, Mariah Carey, Matthew Muse, Na'Chelle Fullins-Lovell, Naomi Morris, Navy reservist, Nicki Minaj, Nicole Kidman, no dawgs on the school bus, PBMom, Queen City, Randy Jackson, Rodney Barber, Sam Cooke, Sarina-Joi Crowe, Scotty McCreery, Seretha Gunn, So You Think You Can Dance, Summer Cunningham, Taisha Bethea, The Hunger Games
Categories : American Idol, Fox Shows, TV shows

American Idol Season 12 Chicago Auditions

18 01 2013

A lot of great talent blew through the windy city during the Chicago auditions. The little skit at the beginning was cute where the person on the phone thought their friend got through but she did not. It was a nice change of pace, but I wondered how much it was staged or actors were involved. And the rivalry between the divas, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey continued to evolve, while Keith Urban felt like a scratching post. Meow. Nicki, while having some constructive comments, also left me thinking “what is she on tonight?” Nicki giving contestants nicknames is also going to get old real quick.

With her father playing piano for Vince Gill, Mackenzie Wasner, age 17, got a lot of experience on stage because Vince would let her perform. She had a beautiful voice but I felt her vocal range was limited from what I heard. There was no “wow” factor for me. I felt like I was listening to some Joan Baez.

Mackenzie Wasner

It was a quick “no” from the judges for Austin Earles who massacred Mariah’s song, “Fantasy.” If you are going to Mariah, especially in front of her, you have to try at the very least not to insult her.

Coming off a birthday fundraiser for Barack Obama, Kiara Lanier came in confidently and performed “The Prayer” by Celine Dion. The best part was that Nicki Minaj was talking, talking, talking, and Kiara said, “Could I say something?” Then she turns to Mariah Carey to share she was a huge fan, and which point Nicki quickly shut up. Keith Urban said she sounded a little like Aaron Neville. I thought it was good, but it was a little bit off-key and her vibrato cracks at times (maybe nerves?).

Kiara Lanier

Nicki was not “wowed” by Stephanie Schimel who sang “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” by The Mamas and the Papas. Once the other judges put her through, Nicki said she said “no” because she was wearing purple eye shadow like her and felt they have a rivalry going on. WHAT????????? Nicki is beginning to act like Paula.

Stephanie Schmiel

If you have to wear a costume to your singing audition, it is 99.99% likely you are not going to be able to sing well. Melissa Bush sang “Downtown” by Petula Clark. I hope she is a better massage therapist. Then Nicki leaves her with the comment, “You’ll always be my bush?” WHAT??????????????

Melissa Bush

Gabe Brown brought his rock-and-roll/best-of-Jack-Black imitation and cookies! This led me to wonder if they have official taste-testers for the judges. Nicki said she would call him “Curly” because of his hair I imagine. He is a really funny guy, but I did not appreciate the loudness of his voice which made the song “Give Me Shelter” border on a screamfest. I think if he dials it down a little bit, he could represent the rock-and-roll crowd well.

Gabe Brown

Computer animator/dancer Kevin Nabity ruined “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies and then went on to “Come Sail Away” by Styx. This is “not for you probably.” Probably? Randy Jackson was more to the point: “Let the singing go.”

Kevin Nabity

Isabelle Parell, age 15, was channeling Mandy Moore’s character from the movie, “A Walk To Remember.“ She asked for someone to sing a duet with her to “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and both Keith and Mariah were happy to help. I like her personality but I would like to see more range from her. It was a “no” from Randy without any further explanation, but she is through to Hollywood.

Isabelle Parell

At this point, Keith Urban had to leave for a Vegas concert, leaving Randy Jackson to referee between the ladies.

Griffin Peterson is very good-looking but he has just an average voice. Nicki has nicknamed him, “Grrr.” He sang “Washed By The Water” by Need to Breathe. Meanwhile outside, we discover where he gets his flirting genes from–his mother. Ryan fulfilled a bucket-list request for her for a kiss (on the cheek). Randy said “no” as well to him, but Mariah and Nicki found common ground for a yes.

Griffin Peterson

I love Curtis Finch, Jr. He is a tutor at a private school in St. Louis. He sang, “God is Able” by Smokie Norful, who coincidentally Randy Jackson spoke to the night before. Testify! I got goosebumps! You know what that means. Nicki has nicknamed him “Finchy.” Curtis asked if his friend could meet Mariah because it would “change her life” and they were happy to accommodate. There was finally a nice moment between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey where Nicki complimented her and she said “thank you.”

Curtis Finch

I liked Mariah Pulice‘s audition with “Let It Be” by The Beatles. Mariah Carey said the name is now the 62nd most popular name. I checked that statistic and it is more like 98th in 2011. It was 78th in 2008 (which was the best year for the name). I also liked that Mariah Pulice shook the judges’ hands and thanked them for giving her a chance.

Mariah Pulice

And at this point, the show goes into the day 2 auditions. Keith Urban is back but not between the ladies!

Although I am not a particular fan of country music, Brandy Neely, age 17, sang with a lot of power to the Hank Williams’ song, “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” She is very confident.

Brandy Neely

I also like Josh Holiday. He sang “Back At One” by Brian McKnight. I liked his runs.

Josh Holiday

Courtney Williams is also a very nice singer and was put through with four yeses.

Courtney Williams

Andrew Jones sang “Knock on Wood” by Amii Stewart. I have not heard that song in a long time and enjoyed it.

Andrew Jones

I thought a looming disaster was about to happen with Clifton Duffin whose parents have never heard him sing before. A secret squirrel. He sang “Superstar” by Luther Vandross, his mother’s favorite song. Ryan sneaked the parents in and his mother became very tearful at hearing the beauty of her son’s singing. Mariah cried. Keith Urban said he got all teary-eyed seeing his mother cry. Theme music plays, “Secrets” by OneRepublic (I’m not joking).

Clifton Duffin

Ieisha Cotton is a professional dancer who dances better than sings. She tried Ashanti’s “Thank You”. Mariah tells her stay with her dancing. Then Mariah claimed to be distracted by Nicki when Nicki asked her for a yes or no and Mariah said “yes.” When Ieisha comes out, she informs her family, “They said I’d be better off dancing….so hopefully I can make it on next year.” WHAT???? What part of stay with dancing means you can make it on next year. Try out for “So You Think You Can Dance” instead (but her dancing was not that great either).

Ieisha Cotton

What planet the judges on when they gave four yeses to return contestant Johnny Keyser I just don’t know. I did not think it was good enough anymore for the level of competition that they have in season 12. Nicki says to Mariah, “You’re dismissed.”

Johnny Keyser

The most unique act of both the New York and Chicago auditions was Kez Ban (pronounced Bahn) Sauerbier. She is a street performer and has recently started doing fire performance. Keith made a funny comment about “old flames” when he asked her if she was seeing anyone. She is different and I LIKE HER A LOT, especially when she sang her original song. I’ll remember her. She is in total shock that she made it through because she is quirky. Randy loves her.

Kez Ban Sauerbier

A montage is played of Les Miserables–those who did not make it through. I blame the people in their lives who never told them they did not sing well.

A lot of time was wasted on Ashley Curry, a delusional college student who attends St. Mary’s University in Minnesota studying musical theater. I guess any college will take your money and find ways to keep it. She has a twin and apparently singing is the only thing that separates the two of them. The look the twin gave Ashley in the holding room was more of, “Girl, you are going to crash and burn” even if her words are encouraging. I think the twin is the smarter one. Ashley ruined “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J. Randy was laughing the whole time. She asks to sing it again because she sang it in the wrong key and it is done in the SAME DAMN KEY. The judges cannot keep their laughter contained anymore. Mariah actually got up to try to contain herself and went to look out the window. Randy tells her someone should have told you before (that she cannot sing). Security walks her off as she tries to sing it a third time. Her sister says, “She’ll never stop singing (then a pause)….ever.” Mom reinforces her AGAIN, “It is for you.” Ashley blames the judges’ response on them being tired. Sweetie–I was not tired. I listened to it twice, once on one day and again on another, and you need to move on to a different career. Perhaps your acting is better. Please don’t contribute to noise pollution.

Ashley Curry

Last was a story about Lazaro Arbos. He has been stuttering since the age of 6 when he and his family lived in Cuba. When they moved here when Lazaro was age 10, the stuttering got worse. He has had a lot of therapy but has never improved. I think that he should seek out a speech therapist that specializes in stuttering. He sang, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. A few of his words were wrong, “I will leave me down” instead of “I will lay me down” but it is okay. He has to be nervous and indeed after the song he is sweating quite a bit. I was curious why people who stutter while speaking do not stutter while singing. This is what I found: “The reason for not stuttering while singing is the prolonging of the syllables.”

Lazaro Arbos

Forty-seven contestants in total are through from Chicago to Hollywood. Next week is Charlotte, North Carolina, the site of the breaking story about the feud between Nicki and Mariah.

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Tags: "A Walk To Remember", "Baby It's Cold Outside" by various artists, "Back At One" by Brian McKnight, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, "Come Sail Away" by Styx, "Downtown" by Petula Clark, "Dream A LIttle Dream Of Me" by The Mamas and The Papas, "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey, "Give Me Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, "God Is Able" by Smokie Norful, "Knock on Wood" by Amii Stewart, "Let It Be" by The Beatles, "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J, "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, "Secrets" by OneRepublic, "Superstar" by Luther Vandross, "Thank You" by Ashanti, "The Prayer" by Celine Dion, "Washed By The Water" by Need to Breathe, "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams, Aaron Neville, Andrew Jones, Ashley Curry, Austin Earles, Barack Obama, birthday fundraiser, Brandy Neely, bucket list wish, Chicago auditions, Clifton Duffin, Courtney Williams, Curtis Finch Jr., feud, Fox Broadcasting, Fox VIP, Gabe Brown, Griffin Peterson, Hilda Bowen, Hilda Clark, Hilda Clark Bowen, Ieisha Cotton, Isabelle Parell, Johnny Keyser, Josh Holiday, Keith Urban, Kevin Nabity, Kez Ban Sauerbier, Kiara Lanier, Lazaro Arbos, Mackenzie Wasner, Mandy Moore, Mariah Carey, Mariah Pulice, Melissa Bush, Nicki Minaj, PBMom, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, secret squirrel, So You Think You Can Dance, St. Mary's University, Stephanie Schimel, stop reinforcers these people who cannot sing, Vince Gill
Categories : American Idol, Fox Shows, TV shows

American Idol Season 12 New York Auditions

17 01 2013

Season 12 got underway on Wednesday night with the New York auditions (actually Newark, NJ). Randy Jackson, resident dawg, was joined by Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj. They had a good rhythm about them. Randy had an easier time saying, “Don’t ever sing again”, while the others were more kind, “It’s no for now.”

First up was Michael Buonopane with “We Will Rock You” by Queen. He had a big personality but is not a good singer. Nicki asked, “Are you going to sing?” Nicki is a no, but Mariah is a yes? Mariah needs to be more discriminating. Is this the beginning of the diva battle? I would have said, “No way, no how.”

Average singer Tenna Torres was up next. She had previously attended Camp Mariah and had pictures to prove it. Of COURSE Mariah remembers her (probably not). Tenna sings Carole King’s, “You’ve Got A Friend.” She makes it through to Hollywood. I thought her voice was a bit shrilly, but if she works a little on that, it could be very pleasant.

Tenna Torres

James Bae came in, a Justin Bieber wannabe who Mariah felt might be better suited as a DJ. Randy is quite explicit in his no and Mariah laughs at Randy.

The quite promising Christina “Isabelle” Pasqualone sang “Summertime.” I love, love, love her voice. However, I laughed at her remark to Mariah, “I want to bring that great music back” (referring to Mariah’s music from the early 1990’s). Does this mean Christina (or does she go by Isabelle) mean that now Mariah is NOT singing great music? I’m sure she did not, but when one is nervous, funny stuff does come out of one’s mouth.

Christina “Isabelle” Pasqualone

Inspiring dancer, singer, actor Evan Ruggiero came in. He should have started with “Wanted Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi versus “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. He brought in the guitar but didn’t use it until they asked him to sing a different song. Maybe Nigel Lythgoe should let him try out for So You Think You Can Dance if he is tapping. His story of his battle through osteosarcoma and holding onto his dream should help some people.

Jessica Kartalis‘ mother nominated her for an invitation to come sing in front of the judges. When Randy delivered the number to her and I heard her singing then, I knew this was not going to be a good thing. She did not sound good in that place of business. She tried to play an original song on her guitar and sing and it was a disaster. She has some nice tones in there, but I agree with the judges that she needs a year or two to mature and decide what kind of singer she wants to be.

Jessica Kartalis

Shira Gavrielov had a number one hit in Israel. I like her voice. A few notes were on the borderline of being shrieking but overall I like her look and sound. Nicki loves her.

Shira Gavrielov

Frankie Ford is a bundle of energy from Brooklyn (my hometown). He was adopted at age 2 and his adopted mother is his rock. He sings on a train for work and has a lot of drive. You can tell he will absorb everything that he learns in Hollywood and he is put through. The obvious puns of “Frankie Goes to Hollywood” ensue. And at this point, it was the end of day one.

Frankie Ford

Benjamin Gaisey, who I like to call Rubberband Man, dressed in plastic with a Cee Lo Green-like wig was just horrible. His squeaky suit sounded better than he did. But he does make you laugh. Perhaps he should consider going into comedy.

Benjamin Gaisey

Rozanna Shindelman suffers from delusional-parent-syndrome. You know–the ones who are not honest with their children and make them think they are better whatevers than they are. That was really bad. “No for today.” Seriously? That was being kind. I think it will be a “no” forever.

Blueberry farmer Sarah Restuccio, who looks like she could be Natalie Portman’s cousin, did Carrie Underwood’s “Mama’s Song“, which was okay. I was more blown away with her rendition of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass.”

Sarah Restuccio

Albert Chang needs to meet my schoolmate, Franc D’Ambrosio, the longest running phantom on Broadway to see how that song is done right. Rozanna sang better than he did and that is saying something. See my school mate Franc below:

Albert Chang

The best for me of all the New York auditions is Angela Miller. Angela suffers from a percentage of hearing loss in both of her ears but sings still like an angel singing “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J. She gets four yeses.

Angela Miller

Brett Holt claims to be the biggest American Idol fan but does not get Ryan’s trivia questions all correct. He sang “When I Fall In Love” for the judges this time, having auditioned 7 times previously.

Gurpreet Singh Sarin, now nicknamed the Turbanator, has 40-50 different color-coordinated turbans that he wears. He is a smooth talker. He is not the best singer, but good enough for a try at the grueling Hollywood week. Keith Urban is the only “no” on the panel.

Gurpreet Singh Sarin

Last to sing was Ashlee Feliciano with an uplifting family story. They adopt medically complex children. She sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s, “Put Your Records On.” It was good. But she has a certain light that radiates from her that makes me remember her more.

Ashlee Feliciano

What We Learned About Our Judges

Nicki Minaj once wanted to be a city bus driver. When she is nervous, her British accent comes out. She is also trying to be the dominant force on the judges’ panel. Keith did some busking in his life. He also has a good sense of humor, suggesting Ben Gaisey (Rubberband Man) looked like Tom Jones. Randy Jackson once wanted to be a NASCAR driver. Mariah can say a word or two in French and Hebrew much to Nicki’s apparent annoyance. And while not a judge, Ryan Seacrest has been exhausted now for 10 years and he should never try to do Bollywood dancing.

Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Randy Jackson

Forty-one contestants are going to Hollywood from New York. Thursday night: Chicago auditions!

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Tags: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, "Mama's Song" by Carrie Underwood, "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J, "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae, "Summertime", "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "You've Got A Friend" by Carole King, Albert Chang, American Idol, Angela Miller, Ashlee Feliciano, Benjamin Gaisey, Brett Holt, Brooklyn, busking, Camp Mariah, Cee Lo Green wig, Christina "Isabella" Pasqualone, city bus driver, Evan Ruggiero, Fox Broadcasting, Fox VIP, Franc D'Ambrosio, Frankie Ford, French, Gurpreet Singh Sarin, Hebrew, Hilda Bowen, Hilda Clark, Hilda Clark Bowen, invitation, Israel, Jessica Kartalis, Keith Urban, longest running phantom, Mariah Carey, Maryland, Michael Buonopane, NASCAR, New Jersey, New York, Nicki Minaj, Nigel Lythoe, osteosarcoma, PBMom, Phantom of the Opera, Queens, Randy Jackson, Rozanna Shindelman, Rubberband Man, Ryan Seacrest, Sarah Restuccio, Shira Gavrielov, So You Think You Can Dance, Tenna Torres, Turbanator
Categories : American Idol, Fox Shows, TV shows

American Idol Season 12 Preview

8 01 2013

I got a chance to sit down and watch a 45-minute preview of the highlights from the New York and Chicago auditions of season 12 of American Idol which will begin on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 8 ET/7 Central with the New York auditions (actually Newark, NJ) and Thursday, January 17, 2013 8 ET/7 Central with the Chicago auditions.

I have been curious about the dynamic of the new judges and if there was any untapped talent left in America with all these singing competitions. I can reveal no specifics of names or whether or not they were voted through other than those things already released by Fox Broadcasting to the public at large. One New York contestant who attended Camp Mariah gave me goosebumps. There were several contestants like that; however, that occurred last year and those people did not make it through Hollywood week. Throughout the screener, there were some really talented people, and as always, there were some misses. The one young man, Lazaro Arbos, has an intense stutter. His story tears at your heartstrings without being exploitive. Although he got some of the lyrics wrong, his voice…wow, his voice. He hails from the Chicago auditions so be sure to tune in Thursday to see that.

As a side note, someone got their bucket-list wish fulfilled from Ryan Seacrest.

Some of the attraction of the show is to watch the judges bicker among themselves. Randy seemed to be the realist while the others were getting comfortable saying “no” to the contestants. As with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler that will become easier with time. There are times when Keith Urban could not get a word in sitting between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. He has a quiet positive energy that I really like. Randy Jackson, of course, is the veteran of the show, the “resident dawg” and we know what to expect from him. While the interactions were respectful from what I viewed, there is a diva struggle between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. Nicki is going to have to learn how to channel her opinion into short, concise sound bites and stop drooling over every good-looking male contestant, wondering out loud if they have a girlfriend or not. Mariah needs to stop doing the diva hair flip.

This is what the schedule looks like for the season:

(Other audition cities were: Charlotte, North Carolina; Long Beach, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and San Antonio, Texas)

Wednesday, January 16: New York auditions (2-hour show)
Thursday, January 17: Chicago auditions (2-hour show)

Wednesday, January 23: Auditions (2-hour show)
Thursday, January 24: Auditions (1-hour show)

Wednesday, January 30: Auditions (2-hour show)
Thursday, January 31: Auditions (1-hour show)

Wednesday, February 6: Hollywood week, part 1 (2-hour show)
Thursday, February 7: Hollywood week, part 2 (1-hour show)

Wednesday, February 13: Hollywood week, part 3 (2-hour show)
Thursday, February 14: Hollywood week, part 4 — top 40 announced (1-hour show)

Wednesday, February 20: Las Vegas Top 10 male singers perform (2-hour show)
Thursday, February 21: Las Vegas Top 10 female singers perform (2-hour show)

Wednesday, February 27: Las Vegas Remaining Top 10 male singers perform (2-hour show)
Thursday, February 28: Las Vegas Remaining Top 10 female singers perform (2-hour show)

The judges will pick the top 10 males and top 10 females here. Then live-voting begins:

Tuesday, March 5: Top 10 Male semifinalists perform in Las Vegas (2-hour show)
Wednesday: March 6: Top 10 Female semifinalists perform in Las Vegas (2-hour show)
Thursday: March 7: Results Show–Top 10 finalists announced in Los Angeles

Wednesday, March 13: The Top 10 Perform (2-hour show)
Thursday, March 14: Results Show

Going back to the original top 10 format will mean that the show ends May 8-9, two weeks earlier than they normally do, so there must be some twists along the way. It will be an interesting journey. Will you be watching?

Thanks again to Fox Broadcasting and the FOX VIP program for the privilege of seeing the preview.

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Tags: American Idol, Camp Mariah, Charlotte, divas, Fox Broadcasting, Fox VIP, Hilda Clark, Hilda Clark Bowen, Keith Urban, Lazaro Arbos, Long Beach, Mariah Carey, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Nicki Minaj, Oklahoma City, PBMom, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, San Antonio, season 12, stutters
Categories : American Idol, Fox Shows, TV shows

My American Idol Finale Trip — The Final Chapter

3 06 2011

Glicel and I retired to our room after the American Idol finale on Wednesday night. I had already received a phone call from my Twitter buddy, Robert Burnett, who is currently directing episodes of Femme Fatales on Cinemax. Having missed our dinner reservations for LA Market by Kerry Simon (a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, where Nona Sivley was now working, winner of Hell’s Kitchen Season 8), I had booked a reservation for 9 p.m. on May 25th after the Idol finale. Rob would meet us there.

After seeing that the menu did not have a dish with vegetables with nuts, I opted for the bricked organic chicken with organic farro, braised beet greens and citrus jus.

My chicken dish.

Glicel had the special-recipe meatloaf with mashed potatoes.

Secret recipe meatloaf

Rob had grilled beef tenderloin with Yukon au gratin, onion, smoked bacon and red wine jus.

Beef tenderloin

Ryan was our server. We each gave a little sample of our dish. I was a little disappointed when I took some chicken off the bone and it was a big pile of fat. There was not much of the chicken, but when I did actually get the chicken, it did melt in my mouth. However, after tasting the beef tenderloin, I had wished I had ordered that.

Glicel has a S’mores fettish right now, so we indulged. We reached consensus that there was no beating the original.

Upscale S'mores

My friend’s son wanted to go into filmmaking (surprise to me because I thought he wanted to be a musician) and she asked Rob a lot of questions. Rob was kind enough to offer his advice. The time went by very quickly; he had an early morning call so we parted ways.

Rob Burnett, Glicel, and me.

Texas is hotter than Hades right now (reached 100 degrees today). Even with the heat on (yes we turned on the heater in our room), I was still cold so the hotel was kind enough to bring me up a blanket. I went to the business center to find it had closed but they had a few computers outside the actual room. I used the opportunity to post on Twitter and Facebook and to print out our boarding passes for our flight home. On the way back up the elevator, I met two radio station personalities from Houston. I was trying to find a few of these people during the trip, and here they are in my elevator. I took the opportunity to explain who I was and when the Idols came into town, if they were interviewing them, I would love the opportunity to ask them questions or just say hello. They gave me their business cards and told me to contact them. They seemed to know me, or at least know my name, which was odd, but I had done a lot of promotional marketing for our April Rock Autism event benefitting my son’s school, “Including Kids”, so it is possible they remembered it from an email I sent. Hope lives that I will get to meet James Durbin soon.

It was 2-3 a.m. once again before I fell asleep and was up at about 7 a.m. We decided to go back to LA Market for breakfast where we opted for the buffet. We inquired if Nona was working, but we were told she would not be in until the afternoon. After breakfast, I ran down to the business center to post on Twitter and Facebook and mail off some things to home that would exceed the liquid limits on the airplane ride home. I also stopped in the gift shop where my new friend was excited to share her news: She was able to go to the finale herself and she smuggled in a camera. Her pictures were fantastic. We left in our taxi around 10:15 or so for our 12:45 flight home. I expressed my exuberant thanks to the taxi driver for the more peaceful ride to the airport.

A Rob-Burnett-inspired photo

I pictured a big wheel and two ghosts.

We went and checked out some areas of the hotel we had no time to explore.

And it was heated.

Nokia from the pool-eye's view.

The opposite corner's view

Our flight was just a few minutes late. Although my itinerary said Glicel and I were sitting together, the boarding passes indicated we were not. Instead, I got to sit to this inspiring 20-something-year-old named Donnell. He is a hip-hop music producer who had been in LA for a few months, and was just now returning home to Atlanta. We talked music for awhile and I let him listen to some of Houston’s local talent that I had on my IPod. Our discussions turned more philosophical and I was in awe at his wisdom, an old soul. I don’t think I ever did this in my life with someone I met on the plane, but I gave him my email address and asked him to keep in touch. I have met some wonderful people in my lifetime on a plane, even held the hand of a woman an entire flight who was going to her grandbaby’s funeral. The life stories I have heard have enriched my life. I normally thank them for sharing and wish them a wonderful life, but Donnell was different. He actually emailed me on Sunday and I was tickled. We plan to keep in touch. We had a very bumpy ride into and out of Phoenix, the kind of turbulence that makes your stomach drop. This turbulence was NOTHING compared to a flight from New Orleans to Houston when there were tornado warnings out in the area of the Houston airport. That was the scariest flight I ever took.

The next segment of our flight was both booked solid and late arriving (for us to even board). They asked people who were in loading zones 3, 4, and 5 for boarding to step forward and check their bags so they could get the plane boarded quickly so we could take off as soon as possible. Only five stepped forward. We were rewarded with an upgrade to zone 2 boarding. Because people did not listen to the airline personnel, when they tried to bring their luggage on board, it was packed, so they had to go back out of the plane to check their bags, causing a further delay in the flight. I let out a heavy sigh. If people do not cooperate voluntarily to a direction or suggestion that will ultimately make things better for all, everyone else suffers.

Glicel and I did sit together this flight, but our attention was directed to the young mother flying with her 2-month-old child. The baby was wonderful through the flight. She was on a one-way flight from Phoenix to Houston to live closer to home. As we were close to landing in Houston, she informed us of a family member serving in the armed forces and was stationed in Korea and also had had a baby. She was missing him. I thanked her for his service, noting that the families of those serving in the military deserve our gratitude as well. With Memorial Day around the corner, I shared that my father-in-law, would be turning 90 on that Saturday, had served in World War II on the naval vessel Daniel T. Griffin in the Pacific campaign. My father was in the Navy during the Korean War, but I believe he was stationed in Europe and did not see any actual fighting. Glicel and I helped her get out of her seat and get her baby fastened safely into stroller in the jetway. As we parted, I gave her a big hug. I do hug people all the time. It’s the only way I can let out all of the emotion I feel inside sometimes.

We arrived about an hour late, but Glicel’s husband was there to pick us up at baggage claim. Somebody in that area was having a serious flatus problem; I had to hold my breath until we got outside. When I got home, I realized the only one who missed me was my golden retriever.

What a whirlwind trip it was! We encountered a few hiccups, but overall I had the time of my life. The trip turned out exactly the way the trip was meant to turn out. Los Angeles’ weather was a glorious reprieve from the oppressive Texas heat. We left our sign for James Durbin at Nokia; I can always hope that someone may have given it to him, particularly because of the nature of the sign (with all the autism ribbons on it). The recorded Idol finale will never be erased from my DVR; all I have to do is replay it, and it will take me right there again.

Many thanks to be given: To Fox Broadcasting for not only developing the program, but for offering this as a prize within our group. To my local station, Fox 26 Houston, for the recommendation to be a part of this wonderful VIP program. To the JW Marriott LA Live staff. To Jessica and Scott who helped to make this adventure even more fun. To Rob for coming out to dinner with us even though he was likely tired. To US Airways for getting us from point A to point C in one piece and for the friendliness of their employees. To my friend, Glicel, who accompanied me. To my husband for working it out so I could go. To my sweet Patrick who did not give my husband any trouble while I was gone. To my friends for putting up with me during those weeks between winning and going. And to anybody whose name I did not catch, thank you as well.

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Tags: Adam Lambert, American Idol, American Idol finale, Ashthon Jones, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Casey Abrams, Clarence Clemmons, David Cook, Fort Worth, Fox Broadcasting, Fox VIP, Gladys Knight, Gordon Ramsay, Haley Reinhart, Hell's Kitchen, Jack Black, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, Judas Priest, JW Marriot, Karen Rodriguez, Kirk Franklin, LA Market, Lady Gaga, Lauren Alaina, Marc Anthony, Mark Kanemura, Michael Johns, Naima Adedapo, Nokia Theater, Nona Sivley, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacreast, Scotty McCreery, Sheila E, Stefano Langone, Steven Tyler, Thia Megia, Tim McGraw, TLC, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, US Airways
Categories : American Idol

American Idol Finale — Day 2, Part B: The Show

1 06 2011

Although the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles seats 7100, the theater seems very intimate with a good view from every chair. This was my ticket:

My ticket for American Idol Finale

And I was seated about where I have the dot on the chart:

Sat in the blue section, right side, where the dot is.

We entered about 3:45 p.m. The production staff was on stage. I thought maybe Comfort from So You Think You Can Dance might have been one of the choreographers on the stage, too, but we were too far away for me to make a positive identification. I had forgotten binoculars! Those WERE allowed into the theater. Bicycles were practicing behind them, which immediately brought Arcade Fire’s Grammy performance to mind. To my right in the mezzanine section was a sign for one of the contestants with battery-operated lights. I immediately realized the poor choice I made in the color selection of the sign for James. The cameras would never see it. To our left in the LOGE section was a group of young ladies holding up individual-letter balloons that spelled out S C O T T Y. Very creative.

I got to meet some more Fox people who were sitting around us. Everyone was so wonderful. I hope my excitement did not get on their nerves.

Corey is the warm-up guy for American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. He sounds like Ryan Seacrest. Before the show began, they introduced the judges: Randy Jackson, then Jennifer Lopez who was in a stunning gown, and then Steven Tyler. Then we were live.

Benefitting greatly from on-line voting this year, the vote for Scotty versus Lauren brought in a record 122 million votes. Decked-out in white, reminiscent of the David vs. David year, Lauren and Scotty took the stage. The group performed the Lady Gaga song, “Born This Way” and it sounded great in the theater.

During the commercial break, people were going in and out from the audience. Corey asked everyone to get up on their feet, especially towards the end of a song.

Coming into the theater on the orchestra level was a bald guy with a spiked costume. My friend was yelling to me that was James Durbin, but I was looking at the bald guy saying “no it’s not.” (She was looking in a different place). I had to ask Scott and Jessica with whom James was singing (Judas Priest)

Another thing I noticed when I watched it back on DVR was when they were making note of someone in the audience, like Adam Lambert or David Cook, it would not show up on the screens at Nokia (unless I totally missed it because there was so much going on).

Next up was Jacob Lusk with Gladys Knight and Kirk Franklin of Fort Worth, singing “I Smile.”

Casey Abrams and Jack Black were up next singing “Fat Bottomed Girls.” When they were head-to-head at the end of the song, I really expected Casey to kiss him, like his JLo move earlier in the season, although probably not as soft. What you missed on camera was Casey mauling Jack Black with a giant bear hug. I could see Casey pursuing a career in comedy (I mean that as a compliment).

The girls were up next with a medley of Beyonce songs. It sounded good in the audience; however, after I returned home and listened to it on DVR, it did not sound so wonderful. It gave me some perspective though on why the judges think everything sounds fantastic. Also the crowd was going bonkers, but on TV, the sound of the crowd was sort of muted. It reminded me of the voice-sensitive microphones they use for news broadcasts where you can hear the voice of the reporter, but the background noise is muffled out.

Houston-girl Beyonce looked and sounded fabulous. I remember saying that she must have been glued in tight for that dress and I worried for her for a wardrobe malfunction. Once she took center-stage, she was so awesome she made the girls look like amateurs. Beyonce is a goddess. That is all.

At this point, I was very surprised how slowly time was passing which was a good thing for me. I also felt sorry for my seat-neighbors hoping I hadn’t ruptured their eardrums with my high-octave screeching and apologize to anyone sitting behind me about my dancing. I was in the zone.

During the commercial breaks, Ryan or Corey (I really could not tell their voices apart) engaged the audience members, threw them T-shirts, and other things like that.

I was expecting Haley to sing with Lady Gaga, so I was very surprised to see Mr. Tony Bennett. Then TLC was up, but I did not recognize them at first either.

When “Live Like You’re Dying” was announced (misheard for the real song title “Like You Were Dying), I thought, “Cool, Scotty is going to be singing with Kris Allen.” Embarrassing how little country music I know. It was Tim McGraw.

Another commercial and then more bad singing which was then reprieved by Marc Anthony singing “Aguanile” by Hector Lavoe, with Jennifer Lopez dancing and Sheila E in the house. My friend Glicel later explained the song. It was about black magic and calling out the evil spirits, which would explain the JLo booty shaking.

Another shocking guest star appearance was Tom Jones after a medley of his superhits by the boys.

After this I had what I’d like to call my Disney-overwhelm moment. To understand, back in the late 1990’s I went on another girls’ trip with a friend, her sister, and her friend to Disney. I had so many years at that point of caregiving and throwing myself into my son’s treatment program. I was working 40-60 hours a week for my employer, working 40-60 hours a week with him and running him to occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy in between. The first night we were at Disneyworld, seeing the fireworks, hearing the music, not believing that I was actually having this fun time that I desperately needed with these wonderful friends, the flood gates to my emotions just opened up and I found myself sobbing. Having gotten only 6 hours of sleep between Monday and Wednesday, being there, hearing the music, getting a break from my son, my eyes began to well up with unexpected tears. Since I was not anticipating having this moment, I did not wear waterproof mascara. The fear of having raccoon eyes quickly quelled my emotional overload.

While the stage was being set up for Lady Gaga, Ford did their tribute with the teachers. Three cheers for them. Our teachers in this nation deserve some recognition. Not only did the school get money, but the teachers got a car. Then we learned Scotty and Lauren could have a Ford car of their choice and consensus around where we were sitting was that Scotty would get a pick-up truck–I’m thinking F-150.

Lady Gaga is a terrific performer, but the simulated sex and jumping off the edge of a cliff with Mark Kanemura (from So You Think You Can Dance) in the song “The Edge of Glory” were not something for young kids’ eyes. Although the age limit was no one under 6 allowed, there were some kids younger than 6 in that crowd. At home, you have the choice as a parent to turn off the television; attending a concert that you trust is family-friendly, she should have had the good sense to modify her act. When Adam Lambert was touring Indonesia, he was asked to tone down the concert and he respectfully did. It goes back to the age-old argument that yes, you have first amendment rights and a right to creative expression, but you have to use that right with responsibility. It was nice to see Clarence Clemmons, however.

Lauren sang a great duet with Carrie Underwood “Before He Cheats” and just like Beyonce, the star shined. However, I give her major props for trying to keep up especially with her vocal cords problem.

After more “youngest contestant” jokes, Beyonce performed yet again. I could never get enough Beyonce.

During the commercial, they emphasized to the audience to make sure the aisles were clear. The Spiderman performance required very precise movements and they wanted to ensure the safety of both the acrobats and the audience. When Bono and the Edge and Reeve Carney (the guy who sings in the play on Broadway) took the stage, I slapped my head and feigned fainting. When I got home and watched the performance on playback, wouldn’t you know that there was some idiot in the audience who thought the rules did not apply to her and tried to touch one of the acrobats when he came down into the audience.

After another commercial break, Steven Tyler came on and performed “Dream On.” It was too short; I was left wanting more.

Coming back from another commercial break, Scotty was named the winner. As he broke down and cried, my heart again welled up with tears. Scotty and Lauren were both very humble and very down-to-earth kids; if James could not win, then either of them would have been the next best thing.

There were congratulations to the band and then the crew with the show signing off. I wanted to stay in the audience as long as possible (until we were kicked out) but Glicel wanted to get t-shirts before they sold out, so out we went.

After obtaining t-shirts, we exited the Nokia and saw a bunch of lights and excitement over at the Fox tent, so we went to investigate. However, too many people were smoking, and I could not tolerate it, so we went back to the hotel.

Next up: The rest of Day 2 and Day 3

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Tags: Adam Lambert, American Idol, American Idol finale, Ashthon Jones, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Casey Abrams, Clarence Clemmons, David Cook, Forth Worth, Gladys Knight, Haley Reinhart, Jack Black, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, Judas Priest, Karen Rodriguez, Kirk Franlin, Lady Gaga, Lauren Alaina, Marc Anthony, Mark Kanemura, Michael Johns, Naima Adedapo, Nokia Theater, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacreast, Scotty McCreery, Sheila E, Stefano Langone, Steven Tyler, Thia Megia, Tim McGraw, TLC, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett
Categories : American Idol

American Idol Finale — And I’m Going To Be There — Pinch Me!

23 05 2011

I am going to the AMERICAN IDOL FINALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Did I use enough exclamation marks?)

How did I manage this? Keep reading.

The first week of May was a very exciting week for me. At the beginning of the week, I had won two $25 gift certificates to My Fit Foods in our local area. I decided to go ahead and donate that back to my son’s school for autism so the children could take a field trip one day, maybe a lesson centering on nutrition. Later in the week I got another swag package from @OFFICIALFOXVIP to promote the season finale of Fringe.

Fringe night light.

Fringe squish sticky ball

The very next day I got ANOTHER package, this time from a program I participated in back in January with Fox where they sent out Red Vines to celebrate the move to Friday nights (thanks to my friend Nadine for that wonderful hookup). This was similar to my package I had gotten the day before, but this time it included a signed Fringe script!!!!

Signed Fringe script

Being with Fox VIP, I have had access to previews of Fox shows not yet aired, swag, and a few internal contests. I have also met interesting people and continue to enjoy getting to know them. The previous week we got a notice that one of the Fox VIP group would be going to the American Idol finale. I hesitated at first, making sure that if I did win, I would be able to fulfill this commitment. Having a trip in the middle of the week in the month of May had three strikes against me: 1) The trip itself and my waxing and waning health; 2) my husband would have to take the 3-hour journey every day to take Patrick to school and stay with him after school; 3) I was supposed to have a big meeting with the school district in the month of May and trying to coordinate everyone’s schedules was becoming nightmarish; this would mean another 3 days someone was not available. However, the other side of me said, “When are you going to get enough opportunity like this with the odds of winning so favorable. You’ll regret not entering, and as you see in this entry “Life Without Regrets” I would not want that to happen. Oddly enough, when I sent in my entry, I told my husband, “I’m going to win this.” It was that sixth sense feeling that I often get, a gut feeling that has saved my life and rarely has been wrong. Perhaps it is because I am a Pisces. In our private group, we were making jokes about who was going to win and I said, “I’m very sorry but my horoscope said I was winning.”

Friday, May 6, 2011 is when the name would be drawn. Friday was also the day of Patrick’s school’s Mother’s Day celebration–a picnic at the park. I had left at about 11:15 a.m. We had a wonderful time. When Patrick used his IPad & Proloquo2go program to give me a Mother’s Day greeting, I was moved to tears. It was the best Mother’s Day gift EVER.

Patrick and his teacher at Mother's Day Picnic using the IPad to tell me something.

I came home and shared this day with my husband. I sat down at my computer to start working when I saw the email from Fox asking me to call them. Then I remembered: This was the day they were drawing the name for the contest, and I let out a scream that I won to my husband.

The phone then rang. It was a parent of a child with autism who really needed to talk with me. I just could not ask her if I could call her back. If you are a parent with a child with autism, you know that sometimes you need to talk to someone immediately. I would want someone to be there for me. The phone call lasted until almost 5 p.m. Fortunately, Los Angeles is 2 hours behind or I really would have had to call her back.

I dialed the phone number and reached the person with whom I needed to speak. I screamed, “Did I WIN?????” With the banshee screech I let loose, I’m surprised I did not rupture her eardrum.

The possibility of James Durbin being named the American Idol this year was exciting to me. The autism community speaks often of him and what a wonderful role model he is to the world. Of course, we know James will not be in the final 2, but I will get to see him perform.

I will fly out Tuesday afternoon. My friend and I will be having dinner at LA Market, where Nona from Hell’s Kitchen last year is now working (Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant). On Wednesday, I plan to have lunch with my brother-in-law who lives in the LA area before I go get my tickets at the Fox tent, and then on to the American Idol finale results show. I do not know where I’ll be sitting in the audience, but I feel blessed to be there. The people at the hotel say there is not a bad seat in the Nokia. My sign will hopefully say “Houston Warrior Moms Love James.” Something to that effect, but definitely the Houston Warrior Moms part will be on there. That will depend if I can find the right supplies in the area of the hotel. No cameras or phones are allowed into the Nokia. After the finale, I hope to meet up with another person I know for dinner. Then Thursday, I’m on the plane home again.

I hope to post updates here, on Facebook and/or on Twitter (Follow @PBMom) as I can access the hotel computers. Hope you’ll follow along this wonderful journey with me.

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Tags: American Idol, American Idol finale, finale, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Iovine, Lauren Aliana, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacreast, Scotty McCreery, Steven Tyler
Categories : Uncategorized

American Idol Top 4

12 05 2011

I think next season, American Idol should put a poll on-line of what “theme weeks” we want to hear. This week it seemed to be “one of these things is not like the other.” The contestants were asked to pick a song that inspires them. In the second half, they chose from a list of lyricist Jerome “Jerry” Leiber and composer Mike Stoller, who brought you long-ago hits like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog”, “Stand By Me” among many others. These song choices were mentored by Jimmy Iovine and Lady Gaga. I was looking forward to seeing the awkwardness of Lady Gaga and Scotty McCreery.

James Durbin got the sweet spots of both opening and closing the show. Part of being a contestant is choosing smart songs. While the audience is tired of hearing “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey, especially given the resurge in popularity because of “The Sopranos” ending and for it being used in “Glee,” Randy Jackson is not. James did pick wisely; however, once again, his pitch was off. The last few shows when he is singing in his usual register, he has been mostly sharp. I think James enjoyed his time with Lady Gaga who helped him to move his hips better. When James does this, it is sexy (not so much on Scotty, see below). James closed the show with “Love Potion Number 9.” When comparing him to the other contestants, he is the most talented of the ones that are left. When comparing him to other Idol seasons, he is not quite there yet for me. He is my pick to win this year.

Haley Reinhart picked a self-indulgent song (“The Earth Song”) versus a song that is what she would produce as an artist. Perhaps she thought doing Michael Jackson was a risk, but it did not pay off. By the end of the song, she was screaming like a banshee. You could hear the strain in her voice. Wardrobe is making her wear that horrid red lipstick again. Randy and JLo had some issues with it; Haley did not take what she felt to be an attack well. The music industry is not for the timid, but one also needs to know their place within the music industry. She is a rookie and when professionals are giving her advice, even if it comes off as criticism and not constructive criticism, she should be eager to accept the advice and take what she can from it and apply it to her music. People who talk back to the judges are generally voted off, especially when it begins to go on and on. She told the judges, “That’s NOT the top of my range” and “You don’t have to say it again.” I had a feeling that the judges or maybe even Jimmy Iovine gave her advice during the earlier part of the week and she did not take it to hear. She enjoyed her time with Lady Gaga (I bet she is singing with her during the finale show). Even with Lady Gaga, however, she appeared a bit snarky. When Lady Gaga suggested a way to put a dramatic point into her song, she retorted, “Why?” It wasn’t a “why” as in, please teach me; it was more of a “why” like “why are you criticizing me.” I thought how she sang the song during the rehearsal sounded great, but it never translate to the stage, it seems. I’d like to see her do a stripped down song with no growling in it. The song in rehearsal had that. In the end, “I Who Have Nothing” was much better than her first song.

I had some thoughts that maybe the producers were going for reverse psychology in the voters. Perhaps they really want Haley in the final 3, but she wasn’t going to get there with the number of votes she was pulling in. So they set her up to take a fall with harsh criticism during the first number and then she is redeemed in the second number. I can tell you that people who would not have voted otherwise for Haley said in Twitter last night that they would be voting because of it. Whether her talking back turned off more voters than she gained trying to protect her, we will soon discover on the results show. There is one fan for sure of Haley’s — Casey. Did you see them cutting to him in the audience several times and he way-over-the-top support of her? Casey’s pheromones were on fire.

Scotty McCreery is a smart young man. People who chose patriotic songs do not get voted off. I think it was Kelly Pickler who did this when she was in jeopardy of being voted off and she was saved for another week; Simon told her it was a brilliant move. In light of the death of Osama Bin Laden by US forces, “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning” was either a Rudy Giuliani move that will turn people off, or secure his place in the final 3. Poor Scotty. I was embarrassed for him with Lady Gaga. Was he old enough to even be in the same room with her? “Young Blood” by the Coasters was an embarrassment. I hated the weird Casey-like exaggerated eye movements. Note to Scotty: Please don’t try to move your hips or pelvic thrust; it’s just not sexy. I think he is secure in the final 3.

Lauren had the best night since her audition. I do not know what happened to this feisty young lady who auditioned and had the guts to sing a duet with Steven Tyler in the audition. It seems like she came to the stage and lost her nerve or was intimidated by the competition. I still do not believe that she believes fully in herself. She picked a smart inspirational song: “Anyway” by Martina McBride and did a wonderful job. Her time with Lady Gaga helped break her out of her shell and she performed a great rendition of “Trouble.” She came onto the stage very confident. But is it too late? I think this will all depend on the audience’s reaction to Haley.

I was thinking perhaps we could morph Lauren and Haley and create a new contestant called “Laley.” Laley would have Lauren’s voice and sweetness and Haley’s confidence.

Steven Tyler’s secret password this evening was “beautiful.” Everything was ‘beautiful.”

If I have to call it, I think James and Scotty are definitely in the top 2. I think Lauren sneaks by because of Haley’s backtalk.

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Tags: American Idol, Anyway, Don't Stop Believin, Haley Reinhart, I Who Have Nothing, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, Jerome "Jerry" Leiber, Jimmy Iovine, JLo, Journey, Lady Gaga, Lauren Alaina, Love Potion Number 9, Martina McBride, Mike Stoller, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacreast, Scotty McCreery, Steven Tyler, The Coasters, The Earth Song, Trouble, Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning, Young Blood
Categories : American Idol

American Idol Top 7 — 21 Century Week

21 04 2011

The world complained week after week about the judges and finally they WOKE up, well perhaps just JLo and Randy, but the 5-second delay has come in quite handy for Steven Tyler’s comments. When the judges start getting booed, you know you are getting close to providing the appropriate amount of constructive criticism. However, you could see Jennifer Lopez cringe when the audience booed at her for the comments she made to Scotty.

Tonight’s theme was songs of the 21st century. I think it was a smart pick. Overall, last night was the best I’ve heard everyone sing with a few exceptions.

I think Scotty misunderstood the assignment. The song “Swingin” is a 1983 hit from John Anderson originally, not Lee Ann Rimes. For Scotty, upping his game is switching hands to hold the microphone. He needs to step out of his comfort zone and surprise us with being able to sing something else, for example, when David Cook sang “The Music of the Night.” Instead of making it a rock tune, he sang it as if he were singing it on Broadway. It made him stand out as a well-rounded performer. David Cook will be performing tonight on Idol, so be sure to tune in. Scotty looked very uncomfortable getting constructive criticism from the judges. I put that on the judges. He needed constructive criticism the week he sang the Elvis song.

Certain to be within the top 2 or 3 in the finale, James Durbin chose “Uprising” from Muse. I love James. “Uprising” has been sort of a theme song for me of my rebellious streak. I love Muse. The music started off rough. His lower vocal register needs some work. The chorus was great. The marching band was crazy weird.

I have been very vocal about not being a Haley fan. When I heard she was going to tackle an Adele song, I was worried….for the song. She chose “Rolling in the Deep.” I agree with Jimmy Lovine that she can sing the song, but she has to FEEL the song. I think at her tender age, she has not had the life experience to pull this off. There were parts of the song that were great; the growling is getting old. One growl would have been fine, but she just kept on and on. I did like her dress tonight. I would say it was Haley’s personal best.

“Dance With My Father” by Luther Vandross was Jacob’s pick. His story was filled with emotion and I was with him feeling his pain during the rehearsals. There was a pause within the song and we all thought it was because of his emotion. The judges had some constructive criticism for him, especially Jennifer, about needing to find the line between showing his emotions and becoming so emotional you cannot sing the song. At the end, Jacob blamed it on the equipment. It very well could have been the equipment, but it made it look like he was deflecting the criticism by putting blame on an external source.

Casey was up next. I enjoyed the video where the other Idols are imitating things about him. It was the funniest one of the bunch. Casey chose “Harder to Breathe” by Maroon 5. I like Casey’s voice a lot when he is not growling. What IS it about the growling this year? I have a hard time with his facial expressions because I don’t believe in their sincerity. It’s a dichotomy between wanting to be serious in his singing, and wanting to be a clown in his performance. It comes off very strange at times. The kiss given to Jennifer Lopez was creepy, but it might save him from being in the bottom 3 this week.

Also achieving a personal best this week was Stefano singing “Closer” by Ne-Yo. On Twitter, when Joey Guerra, music critic of the Houston Chronicle, suggested that he was like a member of a boy band trying to go solo, I responded, “Yes, yes, like a replacement player for O-Town.”

I think they put Lauren at the end of the show not because she was the best performance but rather because they desperately want to keep one of the last two girls on the show. Lauren looked beautiful and said “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans. I am not familiar with this song because I don’t listen to country music, but it sounded good. My eye, however, was turned more towards the musician on the violin. He was outstanding.

My top 2 for the evening: Casey and James.
My bottom 2 for the evening: Stefano and Scotty

Who do you love? Who do you think will go home?

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Tags: 21st century songs, Adele, American Idol, Born To Fly, bottom 3, Casey, Closer, Dance With My Father, David Cook, End of the Road, Haley, Harder to Breathe, Jacob, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, John Anderson, judges, Lauren, Lee Ann Rimes, Luther Vandross, Maroon 5, Muse, Ne-Yo, Randy Jackson, Rolling in the Deep, Sara Evans, Scotty, Season 10, Stefano, Steven Tyler, Swingin, Top 8, Uprising, violin, who goes home
Categories : American Idol

American Idol Top 8 — Songs of the Cinema

14 04 2011

When American Idol first started this season, I chalked up the judges not giving constructive criticism as them trying to get comfortable in their new roles. A few weeks in, Jennifer Lopez began giving really great advice to all the contestants. Randy chimed in with the occasional outright criticism about how he didn’t like it, but no real advice on how to make things better. Steven Tyler is jazzed just to be there. That period of constructive criticism did not last very long; now all we see week after week is a love fest. I know there is a discrepancy between what they hear in the audience versus what we hear on the television (and at times Simon would come back and say how something was horrible or better after he listened back to it later), but it cannot be that much. What exactly is in their drinks and why do they keep dubbing out comments (I experienced this on Directv and a friend on Comcast said the exact same place was dubbed out on theirs). The judges need to do their job–judge. It is not pleasant. It is not easy. But Scotty doing an Elvis song last week was excruciatingly painful for me to listen.

Tonight it was “Songs of the Cinema.”

Paul opens for the show with another loud outfit. It does set him apart in the style department, but this is not Project Runway. He chooses “Old Time Rock N Roll” by Bog Seger. He stated that every time he goes out there, he imagines he is doing his encore. I think he needs to dial it back a bit and think about just performing a good show. Paul seems like a happy, upbeat, pleasant individual–the kind of person I like to hang out with. The question is this: Would I spend my very tight budget in this hard economic times on music he makes after Idol? My answer would be no.

Anyone can sing a Miley Cyrus song better than Miley Cyrus. She has a good recording voice, but every time I have seen her perform live, I cringe. Jimmy Lovine tells Lauren that she sang the song “The Climb” from The Hannah Montana Movie better than Miley Cyrus. Again, not hard to do. Lauren has a good voice, but she was all over the place. I had such high hopes for Lauren when I saw her at the audition. This was better than Paul, but still no goosebumps.

If American Idols of days past have learned, never ever sing a song that talks about “leaving”, “goodbye” etc. Stefano wants to take it to the next level with another ballad, this time from Boyz II Men. Singing “End of the Road” might just seal his fate as the person who goes home this week.

I cannot comment about Scotty. I just do not like country music. Scotty has a good voice and people like him despite him sounding exactly the same on every song. I went to get my dinner at this time.

Presenting “Nature Boy” or “In the Air Tonight” to Jimmy Lovine and why-am-I-here Will.i.am, they tell him to go with Phil Collins. Casey sticks to his guns and does “Nature Boy.” While I am partial to the Celine Dion version, I was not sure, at first, if I liked it or not. I listened to the song later without watching him and I enjoyed it a great deal more.

Haley needed to go home weeks ago. From seeing Nigel Lythgoe’s reaction to her a few weeks ago when they panned the camera over to him, I think he is her biggest fan and might explain some of what is going on with her. I feel insulted as a woman the way she acts–slutty. Singing “Call Me” by Blondie from American Gigolo did not help her cause with me one bit. It was a blonde mess. This must be the year of Idol grunting: Casey does it and Haley does it. In order for Haley to win me over, she needs to: 1) get through this week and 2) dress simply and sing without all the gimmicks. Let me hear your natural voice.

Someone found the guts to say what needed to be said: Jimmy Lovine. He told Jacob not to lecture the American people. Jacob appeared to take this to heart. I was worried about Jacob’s choice: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. After Clay Aiken did an amazing job on this song, it was bound to be compared to it. I tried very hard to judge it just on its own merits. If I closed my eyes and just listened to the song, I enjoyed it a great deal.

Closing the show was James Durbin singing Heavy Metal, a Sammy Hagar song that he was doing for Cole from Make-A-Wish. On the guitar was Zakk Wylde from Ozzy Osbourne’s gang. I love James and have him in the top 2 spots on the show. This performance was not his best, but it was a crowd-pleaser. James just loves being a rock star and brings in the whole audience.

My top 3 (in order): Casey, Jacob, James

My bottom 3 (in order): Paul, Stefano and Haley with Haley going home (my wish) but I think this might be the “End of the Road” for Stefano.

Who are yours?

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Tags: American Gigolo, American Idol, Blondie, Bob Seger, bottom 3, Boyz II Men, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Call Me, Casey, Clay Aiken, End of the Road, Haley, Jacob, James Durbin, Jennifer Lopez, Lauren, Miley Cyrus, Nature Boy, Paul, Randy Jackson, Sammy Hagar, Scotty, Season 10, Simon and Garfunkel, Songs of the Cinema, Stefano, Steven Tyler, The Climb, Top 8, who goes home, Zakk Wylde
Categories : American Idol

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