When they said the most shocking result in our history, and then they told Melinda she was safe, I got really pissed off really quickly, because Jordin has quickly become our favorite at Idol HQ, and most people thought she was awesome last night (we didn't, and we'll explain why below).
Then I just happened upon the music blog www.idolator.com (no relation to the show). They posted a story this afternoon about the contestants' picks on iTunes. I can't give you the iTunes link, but here's the idolator link with the iTunes link inside.
And guess what happens when you follow the link and your iTunes opens up? EVERYONE'S PLAYLISTS ARE THERE EXCEPT FOR CHRIS'!!!!!!
I thought it was a sure bet that Chris was gone. Turns out it was nobody leaving this week. Awesome. Especially for our pool.
Back to the iTunes thing real quick: Massive kudos to Jordin for selecting Sufjan Stevens' "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." in her playlist. Almost as cool as Blake Lewis selecting Elliott Smith's "Independence Day" AND Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" AND "Leave Me Alone" AND "100% Dundee". And definitely not as cool as LaKisha selecting all the songs she's sung on Idol.
I mean, seriously, what is LaKisha's deal? She does a Carrie Underwood song and a Fantasia song in back-to-back weeks --- so horrible song choices. She looks like she doesn't get along with anyone. She doesn't hold Sanjaya's hand when she's in the bottom 2. What is her story? She's a clown.
Speaking of clowns, what is Terri Hatcher's deal? Did she rush to the Idol taping from a 3-ring circus in her little clown car and forget to take off her outrageous clown makeup?
Here are our other thoughts about Wednesday - Why can't Simon talk to the camera onstage? Was he confused which way was forward or does he think his back is his most photogenic side?
So many Sanjaya jokes tonight, and he's IN THE AUDIENCE! That's not cool. Oh, and looks like Sanjaya's Mom had a big day last Friday. PS - that means she likes pot.
It's a good thing they didn't ask Quincy Jones to speak. Remember what happened earlier this year? And do you call what Quincy did "conducting"?
Randy Jackson, Seal, and Jack Black - nicely done.
Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck - Awesome. I could watch Kelly Clarkson sing for the whole 2 hours, but then I would be without knowing each funeral Gwenyth Paltrow has ever attended, and I NEED to know that. By the way, do all these famous people know anyone or are they only friends with really young and healthy people? I'm younger than almost all of the celebrities they showed and have been to more funerals than all of them.
Who's hotter - Helen Mirren or Kiera Knightley? I think it's a toss up. I must be getting old.
My eyes physically hurt me when I watched Celine Dion and Elvis sing. I assume it was the special effects that made her blurry.
When Madonna said all those kids she was standing with in Malawi had AIDS and were dying.....I really hope those kids don't understand English.
OK, here are our thoughts about Jordin doing "You'll Never Walk Alone": You thought Jordin Sparks had an awesome rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone"? Think again.
Anyone who's anyone knows that in order to sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" perfectly, you must sing "One Light" immediately after it and then "Climb Every Mountain", "The Dudley Hymn", and "Now the Day is Over" and fade it all out with 3 pianos playing while you hum the melody until the lights above you slowly darken. And you must be 10 1/2 - 14 years old. And you must sit on the floor. And you must be surrounded by 350 of your peers. And the doors must be open. And it must be the summer.
Those are the rules for singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" perfectly. Jordin did well, but until I see her in Westport, NY, she'll always be 2nd best....Download a perfect version of "You'll Never Walk Alone"here. But hurry because that download is only available for a week!
Well, that's about it to add from here. Not quite sure what we're going to do for scoring next week. Ideas?
There is so much news about Tuesday and Wednesday's shows that we found tons of information while searching the whole internet for news-worthy quotes about what to expect.
First off, this is what Idol's site says about Tuesday and Wednesday's show:
In keeping with the them of Idol Gives Back, the Top 6 finalists will sing “life anthem” songs about compassion and hope tomorrow 8/7c. Then, don't miss Wednesday's star-studded 2-hour results show!
Yes! Life Anthems! The cheesyness factor will be amped up to 11 Tuesday night, and I'm sure we'll see great performances from the girls (Melinda, LaKisha, and Jordin). They will certainly not disappoint. If I were to bet right now, I'd say a guy is going home this week.
Then, if you're feeling charitable, every time you vote on Tuesday night, the sponsors for the week's show will make a contribution to the charities that are the center of the week's theme.
But, the real show this week is about Idol's 2-hour spectacle on Wednesday night! That is the "Idol Gives Back" show with tons of "A-List" celebs. And this is what we've discovered:
Actors Forest Whitaker, Hugh Grant and Kiera Knightley have signed up to perform on a special charity edition of hit US TV talent show, American Idol.
They will be joined by Daniel Radcliffe, Helena Bonham Carter and Desperate Housewives star Terri Hatcher on American Idol Gives Back, a one-off programme to raise money for children in Africa and those whose lives were severely affected by 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
For those of you too lazy to click on the Himalayan Times of Nepal's link, here's the picture they run with the story (I'm not kidding). Is there a picture of Kiera Knightley wearing less clothes out there?
For those of you unfamiliar with Kiera Knightley, you might know her best as the terribly toothed newly-married wife in "Love Actually", a side plot in the movie that added absolutely nothing to the film at all.
Of course, Daniel Radcliffe is best known for his role in (and the pictures of) London's most recent production of "Equus".
Helena Bonham Carter, aka Mrs. Tim Burton, is best known for her role as Ari in Burton's "Planet of the Apes". Not sure who I'm talking about? Here you go.
And of course everyone knows Terri Hatcher from her line in Seinfeld, "They're real, and they're spectacular".
Looking elsewhere around the internet, The Namibian, has chimed in with this piece of great information:
The Wednesday results show will feature guests including Hugh Grant, 'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe and spoof Kazakh journalist 'Borat' appearing live or by video, and performances from a concert at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
Borat?!?! For those of you who don't know him or the Kazak national anthem, here's a American Idol-worthy clip to get you familiar with the man:
So, thanks for The Namibian for this great nugget of info!
Elsewhere around the internet, we travel all the way to Orlando to learn that Ellen DeGeneres will host Wednesday's show:
The Wednesday results show, at 8 p.m., will be a two-hour extravaganza with DeGeneres hosting from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The event will draw attention to Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, which helps children in Africa and America.
Bono will meet the finalists and explain how viewers can help. The Irish singer will talk about One: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. You can learn more at www.one.org ...
As for the musical side of the show, the "Idol" finalists will perform "American Prayer," which Bono and Dave Stewart wrote about Africa's AIDS crisis.
The other guests on Wednesday's show include Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, Quincy Jones, former "Idol" victors Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Il Divo, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Jack Black, Rascal Flatts, Annie Lennox and Earth, Wind & Fire.
I'm sorry, did you say Quincy Jones
Kelly Clarkson
Carrie Underwood
Celine Dion
Pink
Gwen Stefani (who you've seen already on this blog),
Jack Black (NOT SAFE FOR WORK LANGUAGE IF YOU CLICK ON THIS, but awesome singing)
Rascal Flatts
Annie Lennox
and Earth, Wind and Fire (this clip's from the worst movie ever!)?
So, are you sufficiently prepped for Tuesday's and Wednesday's shows?
One last thing, just so that you know what all these appearances are going towards, Damian Stafford has shared with us the following:
This is best thing that anyone could do for Africa. Ever.
To bring it all back to the pool, there are 25 people who can go 4 for 5 or better this week. We mentioned them last week, but to recap, they are:
#4 Team Zach & Sarah - need Blake or Phil out #5 Marybeth - needs Phil to go out to be 5 for 5! #6 Will - needs Phil or Chris out #7 Damian - needs Phil or Blake out #8 Missy - needs Phil out to be 5 for 5! #9 Julie - needs Phil or Blake out #10 Jane - needs Phil or Blake out #12 Amy Y. - needs Phil or Jordin out #13 Paul P. - needs Phil or Chris out #14 Kristin - needs Phil or Chris out #16 Mike - needs Phil or Jordin out #18 Crystal - needs Phil or Jordin out #19 Meredith - needs Phil or Chris out #21 Jennie - needs Phil or Jordin out #23 Jen - needs Blake or Jordin out - yes she still has Phil alive! #26 Marsha - needs Phil or Blake out #27 Adele - needs Phil or LaKisha out #29 Lance - needs Phil or Jordin out #32 Dave - needs Phil or Jordin out #34 Yvonne - needs Phil or Jordin out #35 Marsha - needs Phil or Jordin out #36 Jon - needs Phil or Jordin out #38 Lisa's Mom - needs Phil or Jordin out #40 Heather - needs Phil or Chris out #41 Grant - needs Phil or Jordin out
As you see, most of our pool will benefit if Phil, Chris, or Blake go out....If overly dramatic life anthems are the theme for the night, I would be willing to bet it's one of those three that leaves us....
America finally got it right. All it took was 38 million votes for the country to realize that Sanjaya was the worst remaining contestant.....or, maybe it was the ringing endorsement of bitterness from Paris Bennett that did him. Or maybe it was Hillary's very tough stance she took on Sanjaya.
Regardless, Sanjaya lasted longer than any of us predicted. Any of us, that is, except Chris Serico. Chris had Sanjaya going out this week. What a prediction!
Where Sanjaya will fall in with the likes of Scott Savol, Anthony Federov, and John Stephens remains to be seen, however. Was he truly the worst contestant to get this far? What do you guys think?
Before we get to the comments, you should know that blogger is acting up tonight, so I can't post the standings as a separate entwry. Instead, I will list them old school at the bottom of this post.
Here's a big pet peeve of the American Idol Pool staff - when you claim a song you didn't write is yours.
Now, I don't know whether to point the finger at Martina McBride or at Tim McGraw, but Tim, why did you reportedly tell Martina that you hoped someone did "When the Stars Go Blue"? And American Idol, why did you call the song Tim McGraw's?
For those of you looking for info on the song, McGraw released it on his Greatest Hits Volume 2 on March 28, 2006.
Of course, The Corrs first recorded that song for a VH1 album that was recorded in Dublin in 2002.
However, The Corrs didn't even write the song!
Every alt-country fan knows that Ryan Adams wrote "When the Stars Go Blue" for the album Gold which also included his well-known song "New York, New York" and was released just after September 11, 2001, which is 1/2 a decade before Tim McGraw did his version.
This just goes to show you - don't try to pull the wool over AI Pool's eyes. We are always watching....So, Dave Matthews, you better not hope to hear someone sing "All Along the Watchtower" for Dave Matthews week. And Jessica Simpson, don't you dare let us hear that you want someone to do "These Boots Are Made for Walking" on some future Jessica Simpson week. And, Obadiah Parker, do we even have to mention "Hey Ya" for Obadiah Parker week?
Funny thing about the video for "New York, New York". It was recorded just before September 11, 2001 at a location extremely close to American Idol Pool Member Damian Stafford's apartment and includes footage of the World Trade Center every time Ryan Adams is shown performing. You can watch it here.
Here at AI HQ, we seem to remember questions in rock publications questioning why the video wasn't re-shot to show other scenes of NYC. Remember, it was released just after 9/11. And the cynic in us would remember that "New York, New York", a song about a failed romance, was quickly scooped up by MTV and every radio station on earth as an anthem to the city during that time - pretty much because the words "I'll always love you, though, New York" make up the refrain.
Was the label eager to cater to the nation's sensitive sentiment of the time?
That brings us to Tuesday night's (by now) infamous remarks by Chris and the reaction (or non-reaction depending on who you believe) of Simon's:
For those of you who don't know this story by now, and for those of you who didn't see Wednesday's show, here's the recap:
1. Chris Richardson "chose" to sing nasally. Supposively, it is a form of singing. 2. Simon and Chris have words about Chris singing nasally. 3. After exchanging words with Simon, Chris says his thoughts are with the students, faculty, and staff of VT. 4. When the camera cuts back to Simon, he's shown rolling his eyes.
So, the questions of the day are/were: 1. Was Chris using the VT shooting as a vote-getting measure after getting ripped by the judges? 2. Was Simon rolling his eyes because Chris mentioned VT, or was he rolling his eyes because, as he said, he thought Chris' nasal argument was bogus?
Regardless, it was pretty obvious that the producers realized they had caught the eye roll right after the VT comment, because Simon made a comment about the VT shooting later in the show after Blake performance.
Recapping Tuesday night's show......wait, we just need to say this about Wednesday night's show - where else do you get Martina McBride, Fergie, Antonio Banderas, AND Emma McBride all on one show? It's just incredible entertainment.
OK, recapping Tuesday night's show, we at AI HQ were pleasantly surprised with country week much like we were with J. Lo leading master class. Jordin and Phil were extremely strong, and Melinda was her rock solid self.
We agree with Amy's assessment on the blog today - Blake's voice just isn't that great, but there's something about the way he performs a song that tricks everyone and their mom into thinking he's the best thing ever.
LaKisha and Sanjaya were clearly the worst two of the week, and then I think a case could be made for either Chris or Blake being in the bottom 3, so America did well this week. Jordin, Phil, and Melinda were the cream of this week's crop.
So, it should have been no surprise that LaKisha and Sanjaya were the bottom 2. One quick note though - did anyone notice that when the bottom 3 were Sanjaya, LaKisha, and Blake - and they were standing in that order from left to right - that Blake and LaKisha were holding hands but LaKisha and Sanjaya were not? But then, after Sanjaya got the boot, LaKisha and Sanjaya hugged for an awfully long time......give you something to talk about, and it's not hair.....
Looking at the standings: As we said yesterday, the loss of Sanjaya means that the pack tightens considerably.
Yes, Lisa is still in first place with 168 and a max of 298, and yes, Matty is still in 2nd with 168 and a max of 250, but the field behind them is catching up. Both Lisa and Matty can do no better than 3 for 5 next week which will get them 24 points, while a lot of people behind them can go 4 for 5 and make a pass. So, now Lisa and Matty need some upsets quickly ---- both of them would like to see Jordin out quickly.
Kendra is in 3rd place still, but she's closed the gap. She has 166 points for the week and can max out at 298.
Team Zach & Sarah holds their place in 4th with 166 points and a max of 279.
And behind them, last year's big late-season mover Marybeth Heyd, has started making her move. MB has 163 points and can max out at 303. Marybeth will be 5 for 5 next week if Phil goes out!! Look out!!
Really quickly - There are a lot of people who can go 4 for 5 or better next week....these people would shoot up the standings/be in great shape/be psyched if they have one of the following people go out (it's a lot of Phil bashing). Here they are:
#4 Team Zach & Sarah - need Blake or Phil out #5 Marybeth - needs Phil to go out to be 5 for 5! #6 Will - needs Phil or Chris out #7 Damian - needs Phil or Blake out #8 Missy - needs Phil out to be 5 for 5! #9 Julie - needs Phil or Blake out #10 Jane - needs Phil or Blake out #12 Amy Y. - needs Phil or Jordin out #13 Paul P. - needs Phil or Chris out #14 Kristin - needs Phil or Chris out #16 Mike - needs Phil or Jordin out #18 Crystal - needs Phil or Jordin out #19 Meredith - needs Phil or Chris out #21 Jennie - needs Phil or Jordin out #23 Jen - needs Blake or Jordin out - yes she still has Phil alive! #26 Marsha - needs Phil or Blake out #27 Adele - needs Phil or LaKisha out #29 Lance - needs Phil or Jordin out #32 Dave - needs Phil or Jordin out #34 Yvonne - needs Phil or Jordin out #35 Marsha - needs Phil or Jordin out #36 Jon - needs Phil or Jordin out #38 Lisa's Mom - needs Phil or Jordin out #40 Heather - needs Phil or Chris out #41 Grant - needs Phil or Jordin out
Who wants to guess what the duet is next week will be? Our first thought was this, but we doubt this is it. I can't wait to see Borat, Jack Black, and Celine Dion on stage at the same time. In fact, if the mystery duet is Celine Dion and Borat, American Idol will become the best show in the history of the world.....I'm talking about the future world, too.
The Master
Here are the standings. We'll get the separate post up as soon as Blogger starts cooperating:
1. Lisa W. - 168 2. Matty - 168
3. I went to Tuck - 166 4. Team Zach & Sarah - 166
5. MB - 163 6. Don't you wish you were this guy? - 163 7. New Shirt Guy - 163
8. Orlando Bail Artist - 161
9. Tucker - 160
10. Mrs. LeBlaBla - 159
11. Serico - 157
12. Making the move back to NYC! - 156
13. Natick's one and only - 155
14. Kristin - 154
15. Stags - 153 16. Mr. LeBlaBla - 153 17. How's BC apps reading treating you? - 153
I mean, we JUST had Country week in Season 4. We really have to do it again?
What we're going to do with the post this week is, instead of harping on how much country music sucks over and over again, we're going to post some links about Idol that hopefully you haven't seen yet (including the story behind the picture above). There are just a lot of links that we accumulate here at HQ, and sometimes we forget to get them to you. No day like today! Forget regret or life is yours to miss! I hate the fall.
Wait - let's touch on country music really quickly....besides sucking, country music also really isn't a fit for any of the remaining contestants. Back in Season 4, the episode shared a theme with country music & the music of Gamble & Huff, so everyone did one country song and one Gamble & Huff song. Of course Carrie was a shoe-in.....but the bottom 2 that week (it was the final 4 epsiode) were the 2 remaining contestants who obviously were the weakest and the most incapable of singing a country song - Vonzell and Anthony Federov.
So, translating that to this season, can we expect to see the people who you'd think would have the most problems singing country in the bottom 3 (I'd say that'd probably be LaKisha, Sanjaya, and maybe Phil/maybe Jordin)?
I'd venture to guess that LaKisha could be especially vulnerable this week. She did not do a great job with "Conga" last week, and Latin music was obviously outside of her comfort zone. If she mails in another performance on an blah song in a genre that isn't a strong suit of hers, she could be in trouble.
Want to know what I'd rather watch than an hour of country music?
An hour of this:
OK, back to Clay in Afghanastan. Turns out he's now a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador (and he didn't even go to SIPA!). And as part of his trip, he is trying to raise $100,000 in 10 days to support UNICEF in Afghanistan!
And Clay says this:
If you contribute $50 or more by April 22nd, UNICEF will e-mail you my exclusive field report, in a PDF file format, with some of my own photos from the trip that won't appear anywhere else. As my personal thanks to those of you who are able to donate $1,000 or more, we'll mail an autographed copy of my report.
Yes! An autographed copy of his report, people!
Wondering what some other of your past favorite contestants are up to? Check this out. I can't believe William Hung has made that much cash off his "fame".
While we're on the "where are they now?" track, it seems like you can't surf the net without finding something about Alaina Alexander. Her voice might not be taking her places, but her hair is. I mean, how does dying your hair black make news?
On to smarter things, did anyone else see that Simon was once on a daytime quiz show in 1990 called Sale of the Century where he won kitchen utensils?!?!
OK, seriously, this blog wouldn't earn my own respect if we didn't mix the trivial with the interesting.
Here are two links that I find fascinating:
Do you know who Michael Orland is? He's the accompanist during master class and is the show's composer. Ever wonder how much input the finalists have on their arrangements? Ever wonder why it seems like the contestants don't take the master class master's advice? Check this out!
Ever wonder what the contestants do on a daily basis? Like when they pick their song, when they do the master class, when they film the Ford commercial, etc., etc.? Check this out!
OK, that should be enough links for all of you for the day, right?
Let's look at the standings really quickly....we could see some movement in the top of the pack this week since there are a bunch of pool members who can go 5 for 6 if the right person leaves the show this week. They are:
#3 Kendra #4 Team Zach & Sarah #8 Marybeth #9 Will #11 Damian #12 Missy #13 Julie #21 Paul P. #22 Kristin
Without looking at it too closely, odds are all these people would go 5 for 6 if either Phil or Sanjaya leaves. If that happens these 8 people would get 35 points for the week while the rest of the field wouldn't get any more than 28. That's some serious points for these people to earn if it breaks the right way.
Now, if that happens, it doesn't mean Lisa Wagner will lose her top spot, but the field will bunch up awfully quickly.
But, if our dark horse candidate, LaKisha, bows out this week on Country Week (ugh), things will go topsy turvy awfully quickly.
