I was not going to comment on American Idol until they got past Hollywood week, but tonight saw what I would argue is the best first audition in the history of Hollywood Week. Andrew Garcia took a well-known pop song and changed it into something much more crunchy and edgy. It is because of moments like this that I love this show. Let’s see how long the clip stays up to be viewed:
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– Today started off on a sad note, as I woke to find that R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass passed away yesterday at the age of 59. He has had health issues over the years due to a car accident in the early 80s that left him paralyzed, and while the family has not given the exact cause of death, they have indicated it was related to injuries incurred from the crash.
Teddy was a founding father of the 70s R&B music that I know and love, and while you may not know a lot of his music, you may know his stuff through covers by more contemporary artists. First and foremost, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”, originally a huge hit for Pendergrass while a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, started off as an R&B classic, but became a pop classic in the 80s because of Simply Red taking it to #1. He even appeared on Whitney Houston’s debut, dueting on “Hold Me”, which was released almost a year prior to her breakthrough “You Give Good Love” and got to #46 on the pop chart. I would want Teddy to go out on a high note, so here is his 1988 hit “Joy”, which went to #1 on the R&B chart and #71 on the Hot 100.
– The first two episodes of American Idol have been yawn-worthy, with only a couple of exceptions. When a 62 year-old guy singing about pulling your pants up is the best highlight of a two-hour show, I ain’t watchin’. Wake me when it’s Hollywood Week, mm’kay?
– “Tik Tok” continues its assault on the American public by holding at #1 for a fourth week. While I can acknowledge the catchiness of the track, I am still repelled by the imaging and positioning of Ke$ha, and I don’t care to partake. Maybe that makes me an elitist in some form, but I know folks that can love a Katy Perry song while still despising the artist, so maybe this falls into the same category. My guess is that the comparisons to Lady GaGa will end soon, and she will fade into the abyss. Or maybe that’s my wish.
So Hollywood Week, with all of its drama, wrapped up this week on American Idol, and it’s hard to know where we stand, since it’s been a bit of a cluster this season so far. However, I do think we have some clear answers on certain aspects:
– The formula is CRAZY broken! – No question, the show is about to gasp one last good breath, and then need resuscitation. When so many of your stellar contestants are 16 years old, you have to wonder if you’ve tapped all of the more seasoned talent. It really seems to might like a good idea for Fox to shelve the show next season to allow demand to re-ignite. The fact that they thought this “dramatic” decision episode would tweak things a bit was a bad move, because it only made me more angry, instead of resolving issues. Which leads me to…
– Enough with the emotional manipulation! – What EVER! We get it…people lost spouse, people come from poor families, people experience setbacks in their lives. Okay, fine. Can we spend more time seeing the true talent on the show, without “back story” taking precedent?
– Plants backfire – Joanna Pacitti. I’m not going to say anything more than that. Good luck to her and all, but sheesh, don’t forget the lyrics!
– Talent can shine through – I will, begrudgingly, use Von Smith as an example. Up until Wednesday night, I was extremely opposed to Von going on to the Top 36, based on some of the most bombastic performances ever seen on Idol. Problem was, boy actually can sing, and he apparently took Simon’s criticism to heart the final day of Hollywood Week, performing a much more subdued song in his final audition. Well played, Von…well played.
– Can we just have a little fun without it being CRAZY? – Nick Mitchell has quickly become my sentimental favorite, not because I think he can win, but because he seems like a genuinely funny guy who actually can sing, too. Tatiana, on the other hand, is genuinely unbalanced, and the producers should really be ashamed of themselves for exploiting her in the way that they have. If that’s an act, then she needs an Emmy, an Oscar, AND a Tony, ’cause that insanity is BRILLIANT!
Alright, now that the rants are out of the way, let’s talk about the real talent. I’m ready to pick my predictions for the Top 12. We’ll see if America agrees…
12. Allison Iraheta
11. Von Smith
10. Jackie Tohn
09. Jesse Langseth
08. Anne Marie Boskovich
07. Brent Keith
06. Michael Sarver
05. Anoop Desai
04. Taylor Vaifanua
03. Matt Giraud
02. Lil Rounds
01. Danny Gokey
Night #2 of American Idol auditions, and the prospects in Kansas City were definitely stronger than in Phoenix. These folks have a lot to live up to, since last year’s winner, David Cook, is from the Kansas City area, and they didn’t disappoint. I have three stars next to names on my list, where last night, I didn’t have any. One person who didn’t get a star was Von Smith, who I was impressed with several years ago when I saw a video of him hitting the money note on “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”. Check it out below:
I raved about that performance for a long time, but tonight’s performance was just horrible. So affected, so overwrought, so overreaching. So what. The great performances came from those folks that didn’t look like they should be singing on TV, but who had pure talent. Take Matt Breitzke, who made Michael Sarver from last night’s show look like Justin Timberlake. And yet, there was something in his voice and his delivery of “Ain’t No Sunshine” that made me root for him. Jessica Furney looks like a poor cousin of Kelly Clarkson, but her version of Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” was brilliant. Anoop Desai sang “Thank You” as well as Sarver did last night, and Danny Gokey blew me away with “Heard It Through the Grapevine”.
For my money, Gokey’s got the most potential. He reminds me a lot of Elliott Yamin, and that’s a huge compliment in my book. While Yamin only came in third his season, he sure put Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks to shame in relation to sales. In my mind, the best performance ever on American Idol came from Elliott singing “A Song For You”.
Billboard reported this evening that there will be a press conference tomorrow to formally announce some major changes to the upcoming season of American Idol. To save me some typing, here’s the outline:
— Fewer audition episodes and more Hollywood-round episodes. The shift increases the show’s emphasis on talented performers and shies further away from the crash-and-burn spectacle of less-talented attention-seekers.
— To further emphasize the focus on the most talented singers, the semifinalist rounds will feature the top 36 contestants instead of 24.
— Adding some unpredictability, the “wild card” round will return, which gives eliminated contestants a chance to come back into the competition for one of the top finalist spots.
— The network will not air an “Idol Gives Back” charity telecast next year, but does plan to hold the event in the show’s ninth season. Moving forward, “Gives Back” will become an every-other-year event.
Overall, I think these are all good steps in the right direction. Most impressive to me is the return of the wild card round, because I think that sometimes the judges in the studio may see things in certain performers that we at home just can’t see.
It’s going to be an interesting year. Idol had their most credible final in a long time with the Duel of the Davids, and it’s going to be a very tough act to live up to. Not only are they changing the format, but they’re also adding a fourth judge, which should shake up the chemistry a bit at the judges’ table. You’ll get all of the Idol episode recaps here, along with any news that’s fit to print.
So the American Idol juggernaut is preparing to kick into overdrive, fueled by two high-profile releases and the impending Season 8 premiere in January. Here are some details to hold you over…
– Master Archuleta releases his debut album on Tuesday (Monday in the UK), and I have a feeling it’s going to be a big one. I’ve heard several tracks off of the album on AOL, and it’s REALLY good. “Touch My Hand” is a really catchy pop song, “A Little Too Not Over You” could easily be a single, “Don’t Let Go” has a Jon McLaughlin vibe to it, and “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” has a cool “futuristic blues” vibe to it. [BTW…”Not Over You” was co-written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil of High School Musical fame, not to mention “C’est La Vie” for you 80s buffs.]
There are throwaway tracks that try to ape current trends like “Barriers” and “My Hands”, and “Desperate” could have been cool, but David gets lost in the production. It’s the simple stuff where he really excels, though. “To Be With You” is just David, a piano, and backing vocals by future Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, and it’s gorgeous in its simplicity. “You Can” is a mid-tempo acoustic ballad that looks to be Archie’s true strength. No song on the record proves this more than “Angels”. I am about to spout pure blasphemy here, but David A’s version of this Robbie Williams classic is AS GOOD as the original, but for different reasons. While Robbie’s version has a beautiful darkness that is lush and deep, David’s soars with a purity that gives the song a completely different spin. Debate it all you want, and maybe time won’t be so kind to this new version, but for the moment, I stand by my proclamation.
– Following a week later is David Cook, who anyone who reads this blog should know about by now. Entertainment Weekly has an interview with David where they talk about the new record, the obsessive fans online (don’t look at me like that), the show, and where he goes from here. My favorite quote from the article:
I still feel like that awkward musician; I think I always will. That’s a huge component of me staying kind of humbled and grounded about the whole thing: I get the flimsiness of it. I get that it could all go away. I mean, fame is fleeting….But I’m at peace. I’ve got guys that I’m playing with that I love to death, and I’m playing music that I think we all really get into, and as long as we’ve got that and a place to play, I’m good.
– The monster known as Idol returns on January 13th with the usual month or so of auditions. If you’re looking for a taste, check ’em out here. They’ve also got a little intro vid on new judge Kara DioGuardi for your perusal here. All I can say is, here go my Tuesday and Wednesday nights for the next six months.
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