American Idle

It was announced today that the Top 13 will sing Michael Jackson songs tomorrow night as American Idol 8 rolls on. Well, that’s gonna be interesting. Jacko’s songs aren’t easy to sing, especially his newer ones. But let’s look at who’s gonna shine and who won’t tomorrow night:

Adam Lambert - Lambert should be the easiest one to pick, since he’s all about theatrics and the boy can sing. I could see him choosing something daunting, like “Rock With You,” and making it his own. But I can also see him singing “Thriller,” so it’s hard to say. I’d say “Billie Jean,” but David Cook owned that song. Anyone stupid enough to sing it (and there will be one) could be eliminated.

Anoop Desai - Anoop’s style is perfectly suited for a Jackson song, like “Smooth Criminal.” Or if Lambert doesn’t choose “Thriller” Desai might choose that. Or “Leave Me Alone.”

Danny Gokey - This performance has “Heal The World” written all over it. If not that one, then something that is inspirational. It would be a huge mistake for Gokey to go big.

Lil Rounds - Look for Rounds to make her move on Lambert’s top spot tomorrow night. She will choose something obscure and sing the hell out of it. It could be something like “Butterfly,” a newer song that is one of my faves.

Jasmine Murray - Notice a trend here? You should, because Jackson songs are hard to sing. That said, I think Murray is gonna have a good week.

Jorge Nunez - He has a big enough voice to tackle “Rock With You.” While I think it would be utterly stupid for him to do such a thing per Paula’s warning, he just might. And if he hits it, he could be the next breakout star on the show. I can also see him singing “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

Michael Sarver - The Texan is gonna move up this week, because he has that big voice that Jackson songs are suited for.

Kris Allen - He may not be singing “Man In The Mirror” but I’d bet money he will be. If he falls flat, though, he could be going home early.

Alexis Grace - She has enough soul and voice to pull off one of the trickier songs, but I think she’ll go the Danny Gokey route and choose something safe.  

Scott Macintyre and Matt Giraud - This is a tricky week for Scott and Matt. Neither of their voices are suited to this type of music and with a bad week, Matt could be going home.

Allison Iraheta and Megan Joy Corkrey - I think one of them could be in trouble this week, especially if Anoop Dog or Matt blows the roof off. That would open the door for a shock elimination. Look for something off-the-wall with these two girls.

Stay tuned tomorrow night for the show! Should be the best one yet.

Ricky Braddy came into tonight’s competition with a lot of promise, but his song just fell flat! In fact, it was corny. But Kara said he can “sing his butt off” and has at other times; it just wasn’t gonna be his night. Simon said he sounded good, but a “bit karaoke.” Randy called it self-indulgent. And it was a no for the Top 13 for Braddy.

Unfortunate, because he seemed like a nice guy and had a nice run on the show. I doubt if his star will fade too quickly, though. He has a huge fan base that is passionate about his singing and about him.

So best of luck to Braddy as he begins his career.

Tonight begins what should be the most exciting round of all, the WildCard round. We’ll break each singer down when the fun begins and hopefully have for you their performances, as soon as they’re released. And there is some serious talent in this group, so watch out.

The WildCard round includes the favorites:

Von Smith - Smith just has to do what he does best and that’s sing tonight. Doing that should get him into the Top 12. After his semifinal performance I think it’s a high probability he’ll make it through.

Anoop Desai - Anoop did not impress as well as he should have in the semifinals but he will get another chance tonight. I predict Anoop will have the hit song of the night, making for an electric atmosphere and getting through to the Top 12.

Megan Joy Corkrey - The Sandy, Utah native (above photo) is unique enough that if she has a good performance tonight, she’ll have a good shot at making the Top 12.

Watch for these contestants also:

Jasmine Murray - Her vocals are good enough that if she picks the right song, her age won’t have anything to do with it. Also keep in mind that the ones already selected in the Top  12 are older and so it would make sense to put her through.

Jesse Langseth - Jonny Lang’s sister is another one who hasn’t exactly overwhelmed people, but with this second chance, she will be in a battle with Corkrey to see who makes it through. Both are the eclectic singers of the bunch.

Others who might make it through but it’s remote:

Matt Giraud - Matt is a piano player and we already have one in Scott MacIntyre. Unless, of course, Idol decides to do a dueling pianos type of thing, which would suit Giraud just fine.

Ricky Braddy - That dance is catchy, but there are already too many guys on Idol 8.

Tatiana Del Toro - I don’t know what Idol was thinking by allowing her through to the Wild Card round, but if she does make it through I may just boycott the rest of the show. And I’m not joking. I can’t believe they left out people like Jackie Tohn, Junot Joyner and Brent Keith Smith for this lady.

And finally, there may be a twist to the Top 12. Word has it there may be a 13th added. If so, is that gonna be David Osmond, who went home far too early in the estimation of many? Or will it be Norman Gentle? Interesting times await us tonight.

If what JoesPlace (an ultra-reliable Idol source) is reporting is true, then we’ve already found out who one-third of the WildCard singers will be when American Idol airs tomorrow night. In the above photo taken last night, you are indeed looking at Anoop Desai, Ricky Braddy and Matt Giraud near the Grove in Los Angeles.

And I, for one, couldn’t be happier. I called all three of these guys (pictured above with Kris Allen and Alexis Grace, who are already in the Top 12) after they performed, so it’s nice to see I’m somewhat right in my predictions.

If I’m not right, then that also means that several other blogs with the cojones to print this story have also been wrong, which wouldn’t make sense to me.

So there they are, America: quite possibly the first three contestants of tomorrow night’s WildCard round, which I’m excited about. What do you think about this latest development?  

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?