American Idle

Well, Idol 8 is hitting full steam now and this season looks to be one of the most promising in recent memory. But the Idols of old are doing some serious damage, too and so let’s look at a few who are making headlines this week.

Brooke White has finally released her first single, “Hold On My Heart,” which she debuted on American Idol 8 Thursday night. (Video above) It’s nice to see that White has finally taken the initiative to go out and do something; now we’re just waiting on her roommate/buddy Jason Castro to put out his own music, which many of us are anxiously awaiting.

As for Paula Abdul, she has been spending her week defending reported comments she made about fellow female judge Kara DioGuardi. Are they true? Are they not? Who knows for sure, but one thing I do know is that Paula’s spent a good portion of this week deflecting the criticism and has been busy from a PR standpoint. She also claimed this week that she is now pain-free, which does mean we won’t have to watch her doped up on TV any longer.

David Archuleta is still touring the U.S. in March, but April marks the time in which he’ll head for Europe, including a whopping two months in the United Kingdom (uh, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, etc.).

And Kelly Clarkson continues her media blitz, stopping off at Saturday Night Live as their musical guest on March 14. This of course is to drum up even more publicity for her upcoming album, All I Ever Wanted, which is due out March 10 (even though you already probably know).

More from Idol 8 tomorrow, and continue signing up for my office pool! It’s a big hit!!

It was no surprise that Adam Lambert made it into the Top 12 after destroying his competition the night before, but Idol made him earn every minute. Lambert was there until the end of the night, waiting alongside Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle on stage (bottom photo).

But Lambert was the one to hear his name called and now will move on to the Top 12, knowing he is in the driver’s seat on American Idol 8.

The earlier portion of the show left me perplexed, though, since Allison Iraheta (top photo) heard her name called first. She sang “Alone” and again, I was reminded of past female rockers who have been in the Kodak Theatre. And several segments later, the most confusing selection of the evening came when Kris Allen (middle photo)–who sang a tepid “Man In The Mirror”–had his name called for the Top 12.

Wow, didn’t see that coming. While it was no shocker that Lambert made it, I have to be honest and say it was a HUGE shock to my system that both Iraheta and Allen were chosen.

While both Iraheta and Allen sang OK, they did not impress me to the point where I thought they would be legitimate contenders for Idol 8. Iraheta looks like your everyday girl and does resemble Amanda Overmyer. Allen, on the other hand, seems to be a favorite of the ladies, who obviously voted for him, else he wouldn’t be heading to the Top 12.

I thought, honestly, that the other two spots would go to Jesse Langseth and Norman Gentle, based on their pre-Top 12 buzz. And possibly even Megan Joy Corkrey. A DialIdol report–which has been wrong before, BTW–even had Matt Giraud sitting pretty, too, prior to the announcement.

Well, that shows just how unpredictable Idol–and America–can be. So it’s Lambert, Iraheta and Allen heading through to the next round.

If there were any question as to who would be in the cat seat during American Idol 8, let there be no question now. Adam Lambert has all of the chips in his corner.

After belting out “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones to absolute perfection and frankly taking the song somewhere it’s never been, Lambert was a one-man band out there last night. Hear his ground-breaking song here.

Other than Lambert, the most buzz has been going in Mishavonna Henson’s direction (bottom photo) for her also-unique performance of “Drops Of Jupiter,” which I’m also happy to say I’ve downloaded (and so should you.)

The third spot is tricky, and Allison Iraheta did Matt Breitzke and Megan Joy Corkrey no favor by rocking the house last night with “Alone.”

Sure, it sounded pitchy (most did) but it sounded pretty good. The other dark horse? The name will surprise you, but again he’s getting some buzz. Norman Gentle aka Nick Mitchell is this year’s Sanjaya. Jesse Langseth, Kris Allen and Matt Giraud are also remote possibilities.

My picks are Adam Lambert, Mishavonna Henson and, in a surprise choice, America goes with Norman Gentle.

Don’t forget to vote for your favorites! Click on my FunOfficePools.com link on the left sidebar and tell us who you think is through to the next round!

The second week of the Top 36 is upon us. Let’s breakdown each singer’s performance, shall we?  It started out horribly, with the first three singers bombing big-time. But then Norman Gentle (above photo) took the stage and all was well (and hilarious.) And then we met Allison Iraheta (bottom photo), who may just be the dark horse in Idol 8. Here’s the complete wrapup in order of performance:

Jasmine Murray - 16 years old from Starkville, MS/audition city: Jacksonville, FL - “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles - Murray was pitchy throughout the song, according to Randy Jackson. Others said she was all over the place and did not start out well. I just thought it sounded too much like Sara, which is a major no-no at this stage of the competition–unless you can really bring it. Simon said she’ll do well “in a few years.”  

Matt Giraud - 23 years old from Kalamazoo, MI/audition city: Louisville, KY - “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay - The dueling piano man pikced a risky song, according to the judges. Simon even said it “verged on a horrible performance.” What it tells me is some of these singers may not be as good when they don’t have their instruments.

Jeanine Vailes - 27 years old from Sherman Oaks, CA/audition city: San Francisco - “This Love” by Maroon 5 - I hate to say this about anyone, but this was by far the worst performance of the night. And since there were many, it’s not a compliment. Which is too bad, since Vailes — who didn’t get any airtime prior — seems like a nice lady. Simon made a few comments about her legs and lips. Typical.

Nick Mitchell - 27 years old from Brookfield, CT/audition city: New York, NY - “And I Am Telling You” by Jennifer Hudson - Mitchell came out as Norman Gentle once again, to the delight of the audience. I don’t know if anyone else saw this, but his dad was glaring at him at the beginning of his performance. LOL Maybe he was in deep thought. Simon knows this guy’s a threat, saying “I pray you do not make it through to the next round.” Guess what, Simon? He’s in, after that performance. Hilarious and solid. Ryan even made mention of him going to “2nd base with the logo.” Heh.

Allison Iraheta - 16 years old from Los Angeles/audition city: San Francisco - “Alone” by Heart - Allow me to introduce Iraheta (oh wait, I already did! LOL) to the rest of America. She basically kicked ass and took names this evening, even sounding like Kelly Clarkson in parts (and I thought she sounded like Amanda Overmyer,too).

Kris Allen - 23 years old from Conway, AR/audition city: Louisville, KY - “Man In The Mirror” by Michael Jackson - Allen took a tough song and made it his own, albeit in a baritone. I wasn’t thrilled by it, but it was better than most this evening. Since he is a hit with the ladies, I do think he has an outside shot at making the Top 12.

Megan Joy Corkrey - 22 years old from Sandy, UT/audition city: Salt Lake City, UT - “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae - If my predictions are correct, Corkrey (middle photo) is making it through because of her looks. Not because of her singing — which is okay. The judges called her a package deal, which is accurate. She’ll be in deep trouble once she hits the Top 12 but for now I think she may be the one female who makes it through. That does leave Iraheta out, but Iraheta should be back in the WildCard anyway.

Matt Breitzke - 27 years old from Bixby, OK/audition city: Kansas City, MO - “If You Could Only See” by Tonic - Such a great song, but Breitzke made it sound like he was playing in a bar band. He’s done.

Jesse Langseth - 25 years old from Minneapolis, MN/audition city: Kansas City, MO - “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes - Another great song that Langseth could have used to her advantage. Instead she played it safe, which is never a good thing unless you have Adam Lambert’s talent. She doesn’t and I think Simon summed it up when he said she was forgettable. I think the Idol judges would have found a reason to eliminate her anyway, with her record.

Kai Kalama - 26 years old from San Clemente, CA/audition city: San Francisco, CA - “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” - Kalama was way out of his depth tonight and it showed. Simon called him a backup singer. Ouch. He’s a nice guy, though and he’ll resurface somewhere in the music industry. But he’s done here.

Mishavonna Henson - 18 years old from Irvine, CA/audition city: Phoenix, AZ - “Drops Of Jupiter” by Train - Hers was my favorite song of the night and I even downloaded her version, which you can pick up by clicking on the iTunes link above. The judges didn’t like her version, though, but she is likeable and will at worst get in by WildCard. At least I hope she does.

Adam Lambert - 26 years old from Los Angeles/audition city: San Francisco -  ‘Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones - The best truly did go last, as Lambert showed everyone he is the one to beat this season. he took a tough song and not only made it his own, but also added some nuances that made it memorable. He may quite simply be the best singer Idol has ever had. He really has set the bar so high that it may be more difficult for opponents to overcome than it was last season when David Cook blew everyone away.

Group two of the Top 36 goes on Wednesday night, with each singer getting one song to knock out of the park. After looking this list over, it’s a far weaker group than the first.

So here goes the list of singers:

1. Megan Corkrey - The single mother from Utah was well publicized during the Salt Lake City audition, but has been virtually unheard from since. This tells me that unless she really brings it on Wednesday, she will have a hard time making it through to the Top 12.
2. Kris Allen - Not much is known about Allen, a student at the University of Central Arkansas. But he does seem to have a background in gospel and has traveled the globe singing his music. I would call him a dark horse and can’t wait to hear what he can do.
3. Mishavonna Henson - Henson is not only a threat for the Top 12, she’s a threat to win it all. She’s been here before (Top 50 previously) and so she understands what it’s gonna take to make it. She also has the odds with her, since this particular group isn’t filled with female threats.
4. Matt Breitzke - I think this is the end of the road for Breitzke, a welder from Oklahoma who has had a nice run on the show. The problem for him is that Michael Sarver has already made it through and Breitzke is paired in this group with Adam Lambert and Norman Gentle (Nick Mitchell). Still, you could see Breitzke in the WildCard round.
5. Allison Iraheta - Hmm…kinda weird that Iraheta’s fan site is down. A favorite on Telemundo (video above) Allison should make the Top 12, especially with Jesse Langseth’s well-publicized legal issues. Another singer who has the fortune of being placed in a weak group. At worst she’ll be a WildCard.
6. Matt Giraud - Giraud got a lot of pub at first, and it’s died down since. Expect it to pick up to a fever pitch this week and Giraud is probably the best in a weak bunch. (Sorry, Adam.) The dueling piano player from Michigan should have little problem getting where he needs to go.
7. Jasmine Murray - Joanna Pacitti’s replacement after Pacitti was disqualified, Murray is a 16-year-old who got a fair amount of airtime early on and also saw her star fade. Whether or not that will have an effect on her is up for debate, but she can sing and in a weak group she has a shot.
8. Kai Kalama - Kalama got a slew of airtime early on as one of the faves in San Francisco, but he has been largely overshadowed since. He could go either way.
9. Jesse Langseth - Jonny Lang’s little sister has a strong musical background but a criminal history to boot. And that usually doesn’t sit well with Idol brass. She’d really have to bring it to have any chance of beating her rap sheet. If she did, Idol might look the other way, like they did with Bo Bice.
10. Adam Lambert - The darling of group two, Lambert is getting the most publicity of any person in this group, including Langseth and Norman Gentle. Even if he falls hard this week, he’ll still be a WildCard. The only shoo-in of the group, in my view.
11. Jeanine Vailes - If she really is going next to last, getting that spot does help her chances, but since there is little known about her–and she’s sandwiched between Lambert and Gentle–I give her a next-to-zero opportunity of making the Top 12.
12. Norman Gentle - Ah, Norman Gentle (above photo), the dark horse of Idol, the fellow who has made us laugh during a tough economic time. I feel this may be the end for Gentle, if only for a few weeks until he resurfaces in the WildCard round.

Top 12 picks: Mishsvonna Henson, Matt Giraud, Adam Lambert
WildCard possibilities: Matt Breitzke, Jesse Langseth, Norman Gentle, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, Jasmine Murray

Because of a bizarre week in which American Idol 8 will air Wednesday instead of Tuesday this week, we’ll catch up with some of our former Idols who have been busy furthering their careers. Kind of.

Actually, the Idols we’ll focus on this week got a touch of bad news. But first, the good news. They had something called the Academy Awards last night and Randy Jackson looked like a big stick of Extra gum. (The picture proof, as they say, is above.) Now on to the bad.

First up, it was reported this week that Clay Aiken was dumped by RCA Records, but it actually happened two months ago. (Sneaky.) Anyway, word on the street is the label wanted to “refresh” its talent roster, and apparently Aiken playing to the squeals of silver-haired ladies chucking their panties on stages the world over wasn’t enough. So basically the moral of the story is, going double-platinum may not even enough for a singer to stay on a label.

Ruben Studdard may have a new single called “Together” under the Sony/ATV banner and Hickory Records label, but since it’s tax time the IRS would like to let him know that before he thinks about making any profit from his record sales, he will first need to pay out some back taxes. Like $254,119, according to state and federal tax records. Ouch!

And finally, Jon Peter Lewis does his best Ryan Seacrest impersonation (and mimics several other Group 1 singers from last week) in this funny You Tube video, which I have posted above. Halfway though his show gets more serious and he interviews an A&R guy. It’s not that funny, but it is informative.
And the Jaded Insider blog on Billboard (the same folks who gave you the Aiken news) reports that Joanna Pacitti may have been disqualified from Idol 8 but she’s planning to make it big and the plans may even include her boyfriend, Mark Ballas. (of the Ballas/Hough Band)

Top 36 Group 2 preview tomorrow! Don’t forget to sign up for our Office Pool. Click on info box on the left. Thanks for playing!

Well, FOX is back to its usual shenanigans again, sending a Ricky Braddy fan site a “cease-and-desist” letter, claiming the site had an unfair advantage. Whatever, FOX sends everyone they don’t care for a cease-and-desist letter; this is nothing new to any of us.

What is new is that they threatened to send home Braddy early if the site did not comply with the letter and shut down (for now). So the site, www.thebraddybunch.com, did (for now) and so now the word is Braddy might be a WildCard entrant.

Talk about blackmail. What a bunch of horsecrap. Luckily for the site–which actually has done a lot for Braddy despite him not being featured on TV until the Top 36–they had some friends in high places that helped them through everything.

Supposedly, somebody has already received hints that Braddy is through to the WildCard round, courtesy of a riddle. Welcome to the first official scandal of the eighth season of American Idol, folks. Where do you stand on this?

BTW, join my office pool at Fun Office Pools! It’s fun, it’s free and mostly…it’s fun!! Weigh in on group two!!! Click on the “Join” link on the left sidebar of this site.

2-23-09 UPDATE - This newspaper says Braddy in the WildCard round is a done deal. They say they placed a call to FOX’s PR department to get their scoop. Guess we’ll have to wait and see, huh?

Ricky Braddy may have been eliminated from the Top 36 (for now) but his dance is catching on everywhere. It’s a cross between The Helicopter and The Robot, but it’s definitely original.

Hardly anybody knew about this guy, which is strange considering he actually had a good voice. Now everyone knows him because of this dance. Heh.

Aw, well, so be it. For now. But I tell you, this dance is gonna catch on and his fan club will be happy. Then we’ll see Braddy back in the WildCard spot and if he gets that far–don’t think he couldn’t win Idol and be the first.

And this dance of his (which you can see above) may have some real staying power.

Those in the know, know what I’m talking about. Anyway, Ricky has a bright future ahead of him, more so than that annoying bitch Tatiana Del Toro but probably not as much as University of Minnesota student (and bikini bombshell) Casey Carlson.

So if Braddy actually gets to the WildCard round, watch out, because he’s got an army of admirers behind him and they look to be the kind of people who can throw a few votes his way.

Now that group one led by Danny Gokey has come and either sang their way into the Top 12 or went home (for now, anyway) the fact of the matter is, who out of the group still has a shot during the WildCard round?

Umm-kay…first things first. Stephen Fowler and Stevie Wright have about as much of a chance of being a WildCard as Ricky Braddy (above photo) does being straight. That said, anything is possible and Sanjaya is living proof. There is a very good reason why Sanjaya hasn’t put out one album and that’s because he can’t sing.

Fortunately for us, there are WildCard hopefuls, pros included, who can.

Anoop Desai will obviously be a strong candidate to make it into the WildCard round, because he lost out on the opportunity to make the Top 12 by only 20,000 votes. Not having Anoop Dog in the WildCard would be not only surprising, but also irritating. Anoop obviously deserves a shot at winning American Idol 8 and there are those out there who still believe he can.

Another one who will likely be selected based on her notoriety is Tatiana Del Toro (second photo), whose nauseating laugh made me want to kill myself. I know other Americans feel the same, but the truth is we’ll probably hear from her again. I wished I had a gun. And in case you didn’t know, Del Toro is also an accomplished actress. Oh, God, no.

The judges may have been down on Ann Marie Boskovich and Jackie Tohn (third photo), but to me they are just as much of a threat as Alexis Grace, the only girl from group one selected for the Top 12. Both Boskovich and Tohn have labored in the musical hells of Nashville and Hollywood, finding that Idol may actually be their ticket to a music career. Tohn may have looked like an 80’s hooker last night, but if she makes it on as a WildCard, watch out. She’s got the musical chops; you just didn’t see them last night. So what if they’re pros already, you know? LOL

Ricky Braddy would be another logical choice for the WildCard round, since he is already developing a massive following from his dance, which is a hit on YouTube. Braddy can also sing and if it weren’t for the fact that America hardly knew him at all before he hit the stage this week, Braddy might have given Sarver a run for his money, too.

And don’t count out Casey Carlson (bottom photo), the eminently likeable brunette from Minnesota who probably raised the blood pressures of about half of America’s hard working men. Even though she’s ticketed for a career in something other than music, the chance for people to see Carlson butchering another song in anything is cause for celebration. Look for a potential country album from her, though.

Speaking of country, another country pro who might make it on the WildCard round is Brent Keith (Smith), a singer who is already a country artist; he’s just one who fell on some hard times after getting a tour sponsored by Wal-Mart. Heh. The problem for him is he told America what he did was just a business. Oof! Hopefully that comment didn’t kill his chances for a comeback.

Well, the new bizarre voting process on American Idol 8 has officially begun and nine people got kicked to the curb. For now. In the first three rounds three singers out of 12 will be chosen for the Top 12 — and then it’s anyone’s guess what happens in the WildCard round, which will take place during the fourth week of the competition. In that round another three singers will be chosen, comprising your Top 12, America.

What we do know, however, is that the first three singers have been chosen from the first group and they are (in order) Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver and Danny Gokey.

First things first. Grace is a good singer, uses the vibrato too often, but got the Kelly Clarkson tag from Simon during last night’s performance, which guaranteed her a spot in the Top 12. If it were any other year that tag would have earned Grace a ticket home. But Clarkson is about as hot as the sun right now and so voters had no choice but to vote the tiny mother from Memphis in.

America then selected Michael Sarver, the oil roughneck from Texas for the Top 12. While I don’t disagree with the choice, I do think the better singer was left out (and it wasn’t Anoop Desai; it was Brent Keith but that’s what a bad song choice will do). Speaking of Anoop Dog, the d-oh-double-gee lost out on his Top 12 spot to Sarver by a measly 20,000 votes.

Expect to see both Brent Keith and Anoop Dog in the WildCard round. The other possibility is Ricky Braddy.

And it was great to see Danny Gokey get the final spot in the Top 12, even though it did cause me to have to watch Tatiana Del Toro throw a hissy fit and bawl for several minutes on national TV. Seriously, I could have gone without watching that!

Unfortunately, you’ll probably see Tatiana and her dumb large ass back at the WildCard, too. Ann Marie Boskovich is also a WildCard possibility.

So now that the judges have whittled through the first group and America has voted, what do you think of Grace, Sarver and Gokey? And which of the other singers has a legitimate shot at the WildCard?