Marybeth Heyd: What it's Like to Attend an Idol Taping

What a fun night! First of all, I feel so lucky that I got to see such a great theme week with AMAZING music. It could have been so much worse, and I really think that the performances were good - and some were downright incredible. So awesome awesome week to get to go, and 11 singers too - I definitely hit the jackpot. Just to give a little background, I taught a girl named Ava last year, and wound up tutoring her all summer. Also, all summer, her dad Jonathan was off doing Survivor in the Cook Islands. I know that was so last fall's reality TV, but if you didn't watch, her dad did a great job and I think was in the top 6? 5? I can't remember. Anyway her lparents have a million connections in town - which is why this was Ava's FOURTH taping of AI. She's been to 2 regular tapings and a finale, and the Survivor finale (which she attended) was on the same soundstage as AI, so let's be clear - she took me to the show Tuesday night, and not the other way around. She knew her way around like the back of her hand, and was so poised and articulate when she met the contestants (in marked contrast to a certain other young person who got, in my opinion, just a smidge too much camera time last night....anyway I digress). So that is the scoop on how I got the tickets. Jonathan was not with us, otherwise I'm sure that a) we would have had better seats and b) we would have been on screen a LOT more!

We got there about an hour early, checked in to get our VIP lanyards, and headed to the VIP lounge which was just a curtained off area with some TVs and tables and chairs and a bunch of food and drinks and, well, VIPs. Basically lots of old people (I have to assume they were entertainment bigwigs of some form or another) with their grandchildren, and lots of people with British accents (Peter Noone was in there but did I know who he was? Of course not!) and the girl who I will heretofore refer to as "Waterbags" and her entourage. I know in the studio she was just sitting with one other girl, but in the lounge she was with 4 girls and 2 moms. I would love to see the rock-paper-scissors game that determined that the one girl who got to sit with her, let's call her "Becky", was the winner....the remaining girls and moms got to stay in the VIP lounge and eat the congealed potato skins left behind by the actual VIPs (I'm talking about Peter Noone here, not me) and...watch the show on TV?!?! Thanks for flying in from middle America, Waterbags, Becky and friends - friends, have fun doing what you normally do in your living room on Tuesday nights - enjoy the folding chairs and NO Tivo! Woo hoo! So clearly in addition to looking like an ass on national TV over and over, Waterbags is NOT going to have an easy time in 9th grade, courtesy of the friends who she left behind. These friends seemed utterly unconcerned that this girl would literally cry at ANYTHING - Sanjaya's mom (Momjaya - I am guessing that she is around late 30s tops and I have to say, I know we hate him and whatnot, but she was incredibly sweet and looked very very good for having a 17-year-old or however old he is) and sister (again, so pretty and sweet, I felt bad hating him as much as I do) came in and WB was wailing, and hugging them all like they were at Sanjaya's funeral...I have to admit I was mesmerized. I just had the worst thought....what if she won some Make-A-Wish contest? Oh no. I bet that's it. I'm so going to hell.

We got in about 30 minutes ahead of showtime and met Cory, the annoying warmup guy who basically had to talk to us throughout every excruciating commercial break. You know the kind of guy I'm talking about? The, you know, that guy. I kept wanting to call him a fluffer, but you get the basic idea. Chit chat, let me see your signs, I need big applause, where are you from, that kind of stuff. Ava promptly spotted David Ian, one of the judges from Grease:You're the One That I Want.See all the reality TV overlap here? It's kooky I tell you.

Also in the house were a bunch of people from this show (I haven't watched last night's show yet but I'm assuming they did their little Fox shameless plug thing?) and this chickwho was more or less naked. You thought Haley was scantilly clad? Please. Simon and Randy were LOVING Miss Alaina and all of her....skin. I'm not ready to make nice either, honey.


Once the show started, it was very much what you see on TV - honestly. The performances were amazing and the only bummer is that the band is pretty darn loud, so I'm excited to watch the performances at home tonight and (find myself in my green hat and) really listen to the quality of their voices. It's a pretty small soundstage, so even though we were kind of further back, we could still hear and see absolutely everything. I was a little blinded by the lights during Gina's set, and I got a little dizzy during Lakisha's disco ball number.

For the most part everyone in the audience is real well behaved - for example not one cell phone went off for 2 hours, which in LA basically means there has been an earthquake, or you're at something really REALLY important. Seriously, that blew my mind. The fluffer guy Cory asks all kinds of dumb questions during the excruciatingly long commercial breaks, which made them go by even slower. And man, did I learn that I have Tivo-ADD. Big time. I could barely function, having to wait the 4 minutes or whatever it is...and I was AT the show! Yikes, time to bring that up with my school psychologist.

ANYway, lots of fun, great great performances, I totally agreed with the judges on everyone but Lakisha who got a GIANT standing O, and I really dug her song. I was struck by Ryan's shortness, the visibility of his facial makeup, and the fact that at every single break, the judges dashed out of their seats and went off somewhere until the stage manager was literally counting down "3...2...1..." before they rushed back to their seats - where do you think they go? I am dying of curiosity - mainly because in my mind they park in those seats for 2 solid hours and they don't go anywhere, and they chitchat about the performances while we suffer through Cory (in the studio) or Coke/Ford/AT&T commercials (at home). That was really the most surprising thing. Oh, and that Simon seemed completely into Paula - lots of touching and arm around her chair, that sort of thing. And Ryan was biffing out with the 3 of them too - maybe they made up after the last few weeks of bickering? I don't know but it really did seem like one big happy family. Sigh.

The biggest treat of all was yet to come - getting to meet the contestants as they departed CBS studios. This is what VIP status got us - and it was so cool! There were only about 15-20 other people waiting at the exit for them, and clearly the contestants must have been told "these people have been waiting for 45 minutes, and it's drizzling, and they know someone relatively important (in our case Brian Grazer - you may know him from...well, from any of these got the tickets for Ava's parents) so be nice, be friendly"...and they were!

The Chrises (is that the plural form of Chris?) came out first and Chris S is Ava's fave, so that was a big deal. Both signed autographs for us, but I will just say that to compare and contrast immediately, Sligh seemed a little bigger for his britches...and that is not a weight comment. He just seemed slightly more comfortable coming out to a crowd and signing autographs...and I think at this point, Richardson's obvious lingering discomfort with this endeared him to me a little more. Plus the fact that he hugged his dad when he got out for, I kid you not, a full 2.5 minutes. Adorable. And he had a skateboard with him, so the high schooler in me was swooning. Sigh, again.

Haley walked right on by us, which I have to say, was pretty much fine with me.

Next was Blake, so charming and so cute, we loved him. Bouncy and adorable, love love him.

Phil came over and just wanted to shake our hands (?) and thank us for coming, and was not so into signing autographs. His wife and the daughter who wasn't just born on national TV were standing with us and were just lovely.


I think Jordin was next, and she was literally like "Hi guys!" on her way over to Ava and me, and was chatting us up, telling us that 3 years ago she was just like us, waiting to get autographs from the contestants (I hope that was a nod to Ava making her singing dreams come true and not me because I am officially too old to be an Idol, but maybe I love her a little more for thinking that I'm not? hmm) and introduced us to her brother DJ, who had a big poster, which he asked her to sign (hmm? really DJ? that's the way it is in the Sparks house?), and she also was just lovely. I really mean it. And so composed, and quite tall, and at the same time - 17. It's a winning combo.

Sanjaya came out and wrote "Stay Pretty" on Ava's ticket (Stay Pretty, Ava? Or I'm Sanjaya and I can't sing but I sure can Stay Pretty? not sure), and signed his name rather uncomfortably, and was just mumbly and un-charming and maybe had a headache from screaming? I'm not sure but I am sure that if I hadn't met his lovely mom and sister earlier in the evening, I would have been a lot less kind - I did mutter a "nice job" or something to that effect, but he was reading me loud and clear because he sort of shuffle-mumbled away without signing my ticket, which, again, I'm ok with.

I should have had my pool top 12 typed up and asked them to sign next to their name...which of course means he would have, but Phil and Haley wouldn't have - hey, wait a minute! Anyhow, Sanjaya is just uncomfortable in his own skin, and it shows.

Stephanie was next, all bubbly and with the most butta-ful nails I have ever seen - we chatted about how they were maybe too long and she wasn't real happy with them, and she swears she's seen Ava before at previous taping, which Ava loves. So I heart Stephanie, and yes as I write this maybe just maybe she's getting voted off, but I don't care. I really liked her song and I liked her. There.

Melinda and Lakisha came out at the same time, and Melinda, I kid you not, made a beeline for us like we were her best friends. And she is every inch as humble, unassuming, gracious, and perfect as she appears on TV. Maybe more so because being able to be all those things in the presence of an 8 year old is a pretty huge test, and man did she pass with flying colors. I adore her. She signed our tickets and was patient and made us feel like we were the only people there - it really is remarkable.


We hunted a little for Lakisha, who was on her cell phone and about to get in a car when Ava called out to her, and she promptly told the person she was talking to that she'd call them back, and proceeded to visit with us, try to sign our tickets (at this point it was pretty much full on raining) and then when that didn't appear to work, she fished through her bag to get us Idol trading cards with her picture on them, and signed those for us. She was amazing too - and Ava told her that she disagreed with Simon's judgment of her this week, which was adorable, and Lakisha said "Thank you!" and put her hand up for Ava to high-five, but in a totally attitude-less way...I mean it's kind of ridiculous how picture perfect these people are in their responses and in their interactions with the crowd. It was genuinely very fun to meet them and see them in this still early stage of stardom.

Just when we thought our night was over, we were waiting to be seated for dinner at a restaurant not far from the studios when in walked Melinda and her mom. She once again made a beeline for us and said "Hey! How are you two?" as if we were there meeting her for dinner. She chatted with us before we were all seated, and we kept checking over her way during our meal - a few people approached her but for the most part she and her mom ate quietly at the bar. Now I know this is LA and people don't generally approach celebs as part of the whole etiquette thing, but we were in a place that was mainly tourists, and people know the show is taped there...I just think that if you don't watch the show, you'd have no reason to know who she was. I firmly believe she's going to win the whole thing, so it was sort of neat just to be in the presence of that future greatness. We actually broke ranks with the LA etiquette set at the end of the meal and went up to HER this time, and wished her luck, and Ava gave her a lucky penny that we had found on the floor on the way over to her, and told her once again how amazing she was. I think I actually said "You have a beautiful voice and a beautiful spirit" and I sincerely meant it, as fake as it sounds. She just makes you happy, doesn't she?

Sigh.

In a nutshell (too late!) it was super fun and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's 8:19 pm in LA on Weds, which means I have 41 minutes to go watch last night's show on Tivo before tuning in to see who's out....if the studio audience reaction was any indication, it'll be Sanjaya...but who are we kidding, Waterbags sealed that deal for another week at least. Sadly, following that, I may have to go with Stephanie, but I'd be happy for Phil or Haley to go home - and not just because neither one of them is in my top 12!

XXOO
MB

Who's your daddy? It's British Invasion Week 3!!!

The question on everyones' minds is - Is this a happy little girl crying because she's happy Sanjaya is still around? Or is she a sad little girl who symbolizes a great number of your entries in this pool? Because after Stephanie got the boot, a lot your picks started taking a nose dive. I sense those tears coming.....I know, you can't help the sobbing! Now you know what that girl felt last night. Except without the cameras in your face. And without the ability to hug as many people in the top 11 as possible. And without the national attention it's gotten you today around the water cooler. Oh, to be a weepy little girl again.

Or maybe she's a symbol of your excitement of being in this pool and reading this blog entry. You're all so pumped to be a part of this magical American Idol Pool that you can't stop the hysterics!!! I understand.



On to the show!!!
Marybeth Heyd saw hands down the best American Idol episode this season. Turns out everyone brings their A game when it means a spot on the summer tour, which is what you get if you make it to the top 10. Oh, wait....Sanjaya brought his F- game, but thankfully there were so many A+ (Melinda, Blake, Jordin, and we think LaKisha, too - the judges were too harsh on her), that they balance his horrendousness out.

We got some Shirley Bassey songs. We got some Zombies songs. And, we got to see Seacrest's moves.

Of course, we got to see another terrible performance by Sanjaya. Since when does running around the stage like a freak and screaming count as a performance? I guess screaming so horribly it makes girls cry is a marked improvement on Sanjaya's last few weeks. I mean, the judges thought Phil's performance was hollow because it was not believable? Sanjaya was running around the stage singing a song to a "girl" that she gets him so riled up that he can't sleep at night. Come on!

I want to trade in Sanjaya for this girl right now!!!! She's already better than Sanjaya even though she has constant pitch problems. Don't you just adore her?

By the way, thanks to Katy Lane for telling us about J, the girl whose on a hunger strike until Sanjaya leaves. Check out her myspace page here. She's got another week of fasting ahead of her. Sucker.

And for those of you who enjoy a little blue humor (we know who you are), did you catch Seacrest's hand gestures while talking with Chris Sligh about the mic stand? Are you still wondering what the judges were snickering about after watching that?


So, how does Stephanie leaving the show affect the pool?

Stephanie was the 7th most popular contestant in our pool, and although 9 people had her out of the top 12 to begin with, there were more people who had her doing very well including Adele (at #2), Katy, Lisa Bags and Marsha (at #3), and Alieda, Amy York, Brian, Darby, Dina, Don, Jaime, Jon, and Mark (at #4). Not good, people.

Congratulations go out to Matty and Milly! They are the only two out of the 51 of us who called Stephanie out this week.

Matty's call of Stephanie out at 11 helped him tremendously as he has now moved on up to a tie for first place!!! Matty share first with Lisa Wagner, who has held at least a share of first place since Week 1! Both Matty and Lisa are 8 for 10 and have missed only their #9 and #10. They have total scores of 52 points and can max out at 348.

Right on their heels are Kendra and the Zach & Sarah duo with 52 points and a max of 339. Kendra, who held a share of first last week, had Stephanie at #8 which is why she has slipped just a bit. Zach & Sarah had Stephanie out at #7, so they weren't hurt too badly this week.

Rounding out the top 6 are Jane LeBlanc at #5 (52 total points and a max of 321) and Brooke Stafford (52 points but just a max of 292). Jane's looking strong, but Brooke's going to need to overcome the early loss of Sundance at #2 to make a run at the end.

FYI, are you scrolling way down the list for your name and seeing yourself at 18 (Mandy), 21 (Mike), 22 (Julie), 27 (Serico), 28 (Meredith), 29 (Paul P.), 31 (Chris P.), 36 (Jennie), 37 (Dave), 38 (Larsen), or 43 (Yvonne) and thinking to yourself "I'm out of it"? Poppycock! You people might be low in the standings right now, but you can all still max out at 300 points or more. You're still right in it.

And for all of you not listed in the paragraph above, do you think it's over? OVER? It's not over until you decide it is!!! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?!

American Idol Standings Week 3

Talk about Week 3 Here!

Well, this week the group average says Brandon's out, and he's already gone. In his stead, we've posted a picture of our least favorite person on the face of the earth, Sanjaya. Why won't he leave?!?!

But, before we get to ways to rid the show of Sanjaya, and before we get to this week's theme and this week's links and this week's viewing guide, we have some very exciting news to share with everyone!!!

AMERICAN IDOL POOL PARTICIPANT MARYBETH HEYD IS GOING TO THE TAPING OF AMERICAN IDOL



Everybody, this is what she looks like!!!! Here she is posing as Katherine McPhee for Halloween with Taylor Hicks. No, seriously, that's him...He looks completely different in real life.

So, if you see Marybeth on TV, make sure you scream like a little girl and jump up and down and run over to this blog and say "OMG I saw her!!!!".

Marybeth promised to take "copious" notes about her experiences at the taping on Tuesday and says there's a 50-50 chance she'll make it backstage with the contestants afterwards....Exciting!! So, look for a guest post from her about what it's like to attend an Idol taping later this week.

By the way, she's going with this guy (and his 8-year old daughter. It'll be her 4th taping). I wonder what Ben thinks about all this. I also wonder why he's not in the pool:




Yes, that's Jonathan from Survivor:Cook Islands.


There have been a lot of email links being sent around this week, and we here at the American Idol Media Committee would like to share some of them....

Simon has been in the news lately for saying something that the American Idol Media Committee doesn't think is even deserving of being mentioned....but, here's something that does deserve a mention - Simon turned down $100,000 for something that we're sure would have only lasted a couple minutes. Wonder what we're talking about? Read about that, and many more Simon tidbits here.

What blog entry would be complete without trashing Sanjaya. Man, does he suck. And, the NY Post seems to agree. Raakhee Mirchandani confirms what The Master has said all along, that India is voting for Sanjaya!!! Read about it here. Of course, this article doesn't echo the Pool's plan which calls upon Alieda or Damian or Brooke to call on their people to stop the madness. Rather, Raakhee seems to think the Indians are getting bored of the novelty of voting forward someone who sucks. Will our prayers to the Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and the arts, finally be answered?


On to this week's show, which is a show that The Master, as well as all of you, Marybeth, Jonathan from Cook Islands, Michael Rappaport, and the cast of Bones should all be excited about - British Invasion week!!! I know some of you love you some British invaders - will there be a "House of the Rising Sun" or "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" for Brooke or Damian? Will anything from The Kinks be performed for Mark? We could almost guarantee at least one Dusty Springfield song. The Idol Pool Master would be pumped if someone did a song by The Zombies (a group that deserves a lot more credit that they've received)....

The Moody Blues, Them, Herman's Hermits....the list goes on. USA Today reported back in January that the show has the rights to some Beatles songs.Will this be the week we hear them? What about The Rolling Stones? The Who? Cream? The list goes on and on with some great great songs and artists, so we could be in for a good one!!!

And nothing would be better for almost everyone in the pool if Sanjaya lit his hair on fire instead of sing a song. He's got to go, and almost everyone in the pool would benefit with his departure. There are only 5 people who have him still alive after this week, so 46 people would benefit by his departure. Of course, only 3 people still have Haley alive, so even more people would benefit with her departure, but at least she's likeable.

Looking at the leaderboard, first place Lisa Wagner and Kendra both had people who were already out go out this week. So, they both have the ability to go 10 for 11....Lisa has Sanjaya at 8, so she needs Haley or Phil gone. Kendra has Haley at 10, so she needs Sanjaya or Phil gone.

Right on their heels are Amy York (who's moving back to the big smoke), Matty, and the American Idol Pool's Neil Armstrong, Marybeth Heyd. None of them can go 10 for 11, but all of them would be aided with the departure of Sanjaya.

Jane, Zach & Sarah, Will, Katy, Rich, Mandy, Christy....they're all right on those peoples' heels, and they all will benefit with the loss of Sanjaya. Zach & Sarah will go 10 for 11 if Sanjaya or Haley goes home.

So, that's where we are this week. Happy viewing everyone!!!! Look for Marybeth tomorrow night!