Friday, December 7, 2012

Kelly & Carrie Get Grammy Noms Again

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood got Grammy nominations yet again.

Kelly Clarkson got the following nominations:
1) Record Of The Year for "Stronger"
2) Song Of The Year for "Stonger"
3) Best Pop Solo Performance for "Stronger"
4) Best Pop Vocal Album for "Stronger"

Carrie Underwood got the following nominations:
1) Best Country Solo Performance for "Blown Away"
2) Best Country Song for "Blown Away"


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Phillip Phillips Debuts At 172K

Hits Daily Double is reporting that Phillip Phillps' debut album has sold 172K in its first week last week. That is a great number these days:

http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/sales/salescht.cgi

It's highly unlikely that Jermaine Paul of The Voice or Melanie Amaro of X Factor will be anywhere near that number. They'll be lucky to get half.

Chris Mann, the pop-opera singer from The Voice, released his debut album on October 30. I can't find any sales numbers for it, which probably means it's DOA.

Scotty McCreery's Christmas album, which was released on October 16, sold 50K last week, putting his total at around 165K.

** Update 12/05/12: HDD shows Phillip getting another 78K for his second week, bringing his total to around 250K. Scotty got another 40K, bringing his total to around 205K.

** Update 12/11/12: HDD shows Phillip getting another 66K for his third week. Soundscan showed his two-week total at 243, bringing his three-week total to around 309K. Scotty got another 43K, bringing his total to around 248K.

**Update 12/15/12: Soundscan shows Phillip at 309K after three weeks, and Scotty at 244K after eight weeks.

**Update 12/19/12: HDD shows Phillip getting another 66K in his fourth week, bringing his total to around 375K. Scotty got another 48K in his 9th week, bringing his total to around 292K.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Why "The Voice" Contestants Fail

I've been asking why is it that contestants from The Voice do poorly after the show compared to contestants from American Idol. I've decided to try to answer the question myself:

1) The "Blind Auditions" of The Voice might be entertaining, but they don't find stars. Back when Simon was on Idol, he always talked about "star quality." How can you judge star quality without seeing the contestant? You can't.

2) The "Battle Rounds" of The Voice are seen by many as a big weakness in the format because a contestant can be eliminated simply because the song favored the other contestant in the battle. Imagine Phillip Phillips vs either Jessica Sanchez or Joshua Ledet with a big song. Phillip would be gone. And that's assuming Phillip could make it past the blind auditions in the first place.

3) The Voice was created by Mark Burnett, a great television producer. With The Voice he has created a fine show for television. But Idol has always been about finding a star.

4) Idol producers are simply better at finding talent to send to the judges than producers of The Voice. For instance, both Phillip Phillips and Lauren Alaina were rejects from America's Got Talent, yet became stars on Idol.

5) Idol draws more contestants to the auditions, so they have a bigger pool of talent to choose from.

6) Idol still gets around 7 million more viewers than The Voice. That's 7 million more potential sales.

7) Many Idol viewers have been with the show from the beginning. They are loyal and supportive, and they don't watch the show like it's just a game show. They know the show is about finding stars. They would buy more albums if only the contestants would put out better albums.

The bottom line is while The Voice might be interesting television, it plays more like a game show, and viewers don't take the artists very seriously after the show.


Saturday, November 17, 2012

Jessica Sanchez's Seventeen Magazine photo shoot:


A very exotic-looking girl.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

An Odd Kara-Siobhan Connection

This Boston.com article says that Kara Dioguardi is a professor for the current semester at the Berklee College of Music:

Click Here To Read The Article

This is kind of funny because Siobhan Magnus once tried to get into Berklee, but was unable to, and ended up in glassblowing. Then, in Season 9, Siobhan and several current and former students of Berklee auditioned for American Idol. Some made it to Hollywood, but only Siobhan made it to the Top 24. Then, during Season 9, judge Kara DioGuardi had no idea what to make of Siobhan, at one point going three weeks in a row with nothing to say about Siobhan. Kara was let go after that season.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Phillip Phillips & Jessica Sanchez News

Phillip Phillips & Jessica Sanchez News.

Here is a sampler on YouTube of Phillip Phillips entire album which is scheduled for release on Nov 19:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP7GuFMXse4

In this Hollywood Reporter article, Jessica Sanchez talks about "Glee" and her upcoming album, which will not be released until next year:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/american-idol-jessica-sanchez-glee-387768

Monday, October 22, 2012

Pia Toscano "Time After Time" Duet

Here is Pia Toscano at a Halloween carnival singing "Time After Time" as a duet with her buddy Jared Lee:



Sunday, October 21, 2012

Jessica Sanchez and apl.de.ap Music Video

Jessica Sanchez teamed up with apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas in the Philippines to record a song called "Jump In" and shoot a music video. Apl.de.ap, like Jessica, is half Filipino. Here is their music video:


** Update Oct 24: Most of the YouTube videos of this have been removed due to a copyright claim by CKX. So I uploaded it with no relevant information in the title, description, or tags. I also added a "posterize" effect.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Jessica Sanchez Joining "Glee"

Jessica Sanchez is indeed joining "Glee" as was rumored earlier in the year. Here are two reports, one from the Hollywood Reporter, and one from TV Line:

Clear Here To Read The THR Article

Click Here To Read The TV Line Article

Friday, October 12, 2012

Haley Reinhart Jazzy @ Carnegie Hall

Haley Reinhart performed jazz at Carnegie Hall with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra on October 8, 2012. Here is a combo YouTube video with the songs "Blues in the Night" and "God Bless the Child:"


The videos were originally uploaded by user HighOnHaley, but the volume was very low, so I boosted the volume.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Stevie Nicks Would Murder Nicki

In this Hollywood Reporter article, Stevie Nicks talks about murdering Nicki Minaj:

Click Here To Read The Article

Females espousing violence. Now that's progress. How about good ol' mud wrestling.

*Followup: Stevie Nicks apologizes for her remarks:

Click Here To Read The Article

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Jessica Sanchez Bench'd

It was announced back July that Jessica Sanchez got an endorsement deal with the Bench clothing line of the Philippines. Apparently they had previously struck a deal with David Archuleta as well. Here are scenes from Jessica's Bench photo shoot which must have been done weeks ago in Los Angeles:


Jessica stayed behind in the Philippines after the Idol concert to promote Bench and pursue other deals, like one with Jollibee, the biggest fast food chain in the Philippines.

We can see why the new manager of Charice, Courtney Blooding, who is white, was asking why Filipinos are supporting Jessica Sanchez when Jessica is American. Total sour grapes.

Click Here To Read The Article

Here is Jessica's Jollibee photo:

Click Here To See The Photo

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Carrie Kiss, Kelly Cover

Some YouTube videos. First Carrie Underwood giving a boy a kiss:


Then Kelly Clarkson covering "Someone Like You:"


I've heard Thia Megia, Katie Stevens and Allison Iraheta cover it as well. Could be more.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Kris Allen Dropped By Label

As expected due to poor sales of his second album, Kris Allen has been dropped by his record label, joining Lee DeWyze and David Cook as the third WGWG winner to be dropped. This MTV article seeks to provide an explanation of why this is happening:

Click Here To Read The Article

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Jessica Sanchez, Idols Arrive In Manila

Jessica Sanchez and the other Idols reach the Philippines:


This story says Jessica will have her name included the Philippine version of the "Walk of Fame:"

Click Here To Read The Article


Friday, September 14, 2012

Simon Cowell Gets Beat Up

Simon Cowell and his X Factor took a beating this week despite bringing on Britney Spears for $15 million and young Demi Lovato. On Wednesday night, X Factor got beat by The Voice 10.5 million to just 7.5 million. X Factor moved up to 9.5 million after The Voice finished. But then on Thursday, X Factor got beat by the America's Got Talent Finale 10.6 million to 8.3 million.

Personally, I am surprised that more people did not tune in to check out Britney and Demi, who weren't bad at all, but Carla Hay of Examiner.com says she predicted all long that hiring Britney was a bad idea:

Click Here To Read The Article

It's too early to write off X Factor. The Voice might overdo it and start annoying people, and AGT is done for the season. On the other hand, I watched some of X Factor Tuesday and quickly got annoyed by it.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Idol Tour Ends In Milwaukee

The Idol Summer Tour ended in Milwaukee on 09/11. Here is Phillip Phillips with one last "Home," joined by the rest of the cast:


But it's not really over as they fly to Manila for a gig on 09/21, where Jessica Sanchez is already a big star.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Taylor & Jessica at National Political Conventions

Idols at the National Political Conventions? How did this happen?

Here is Taylor Hicks singing "Takin' It To The Streets" at the Republican National Convention 08/30/12:


And here is Jessica Sanchez singing "You're All I Need To Get By" at the Democratic National Convention 09/05/12:


Pia Toscano Splits With Interscope

Pia Toscano Splits With Interscope.

In this interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pia Toscano ends what has to be the strangest odyssey ever for an American Idol contestant:

Click Here To Read The Article

Let me recap her adventure as I perceived it.

When Pia was voted off at #9 during Season 10, I claimed that she wasn't really voted off, but was disqualified due to a rules violation. I cited her high ranking on the betting site bodog (now bovada) and on DialIdol. I also noted the unprecedented outrage for a #9 finisher.

Jimmy Iovine wanted to sign Pia right away but was prevented from doing so by American Idol. Despite that, Pia was in the studio recording without a contract for some period of time.

Pia was in position to release her album first, before anyone from Season 10, due to the fact that she had 8 tracks recorded before the start of the Summer Tour.

But the album was never released, even though Pia told us numerous times in interviews that it would be released soon.

I claimed that American Idol was behind the delay because they wanted their Top 4 -- Scotty, Lauren, Haley and James -- to release their albums first. After Haley finally released her album in May 2012, I figured Pia's album would be coming soon.

But now, it's not coming at all. In the interview, Pia says the split was due to a difference of opinion. That is highly unlikely. Many Idols have bickered with their record label (like Crystal Bowersox), but that has never prevented an album from getting done and released. And as I said earlier, she has announced the album release many, many times.

I don't worry about Pia, however. I've never seen an Idol jump right into the Hollywood life as fast and easy as Pia has. She is a paparazzi magnet. We haven't heard the last of Pia Toscano.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Jessica Sanchez "Fairytale" Single

Jessica Sanchez announced in New York that she has been signed by Interscope. Here Yahoo Music's Lyndsey Parker talks about Jessica's new single "Fairytale:"

Click Here To Read The Article

And here is Jessica's "Fairytale" with lryics:


Personally, I don't understand why they couldn't make the music a bit funkier given Jessica's R&B vibe. I know they're looking for radio play, but how about even a more Gwen Stefani edge to it?

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Phillip Phillips' "Home" as Stop-Motion Video

Phillip Phillips' "Home" is very popular because people can relate to it. Here, some girls on YouTube make a music video of it using stop-motion video:


Siobhan "Always Thinking"

Siobhan Magnus sang a number of tunes from her debut album "Moonbaby" at her Melody Tent concert on 08/16/12. Here is her moody "Always Thinking:"


Thanks to user metrowest100 for all the Siobhan videos from her Melody Tent concert.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Siobhan Magnus & Linda Ronstadt?

Many fans of Siobhan Magnus say she reminds them of Linda Ronstadt. If fact, I've been wanting Siobhan to sing "Blue Bayou" just to see how much she would sound like Linda. But the two actually have a song in common, and it's not one you would expect. It's a song called "Poor Wandering One" from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "The Pirates of Penzance." That's right, two rocker girls singing in an operetta.

First up, it's Linda Ronstadt from around 1980. She skips the high note (Eb6) at the end:


Then it's Siobhan Magnus in 2006 at the age of just 16, walloping the high notes, including the Eb6 at the end:



Monday, August 20, 2012

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You Festival

Elise Testone did Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" during the season, and is currently doing it on the Idol Tour as well, but Siobhan Magnus does Led Zeppelin too.

Here is a little Zeppelin "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" Festival starting with Siobhan:



Great White: Click Here To View

Robert Plant & Jimmy Page: Click Here To View

Led Zeppelin: Click Here To View

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Idol Girls Cover Radiohead

I don't know much about Radiohead, but Idol girls Siobhan Magnus and Allison Iraheta sure do. Here they are with their Radiohead covers.

Siobhan Magnus "Fake Plastic Trees" 08/16/2012:


Allison Iraheta "Creep" 08/04/2011:


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Misty Forgets Siobhan Magnus

In this YouTube video from "Misty's Music Vlog," Misty lists her Top 5 female singers of Gen Y. Two are from American Idol -- Jessica Sanchez and Kelly Clarkson. Unfortunately, she forgot about Siobhan Magnus, the most vocally gifted girl in Idol history:


Speaking of Siobhan, here she is at the Melody Tent 08/16/12 singing KISS' "Love Gun," hitting her patented Bb5 in natural voice. Thanks to metrowest100 for the video:


And here is Siobhan singing Pink's "Who Knew:"


Monday, August 6, 2012

Guy Really Knows Jessica's Prince Song

On the Idol Tour, Jessica Sanchez sings Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" which I was surprisingly unfamiliar with. I don't know how Jessica knows it, except that it was covered by Alicia Keys. But in this YouTube video by user kishikcm from Florida, the guy heard in the video certainly knows it. His reactions are hilarious:



Monday, July 30, 2012

Please Kelly, No More "Duets"

In this interview with azcentral.com, Kelly Clarkson says she's up for another season of "Duets:"

Click Here To Read The Article

Let's pray to God that the show gets cancelled before that.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Awful Interviews At Nokia

Here are some awful interviews of the Idols by EOTM at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles before the July 23rd show. Makes you wish for Michael Slezak:


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Speaking of Jesscia & DeAndre ...

Speaking of Jessica Sanchez and DeAndre Brackensick dating, here they are in Sacramento joined by Joshua Ledet doing "Proud Mary." This video, by user augustgrl82, is the best one of this song I've seen so far:


Friday, July 20, 2012

A Far Away View From Portland

YouTube user jordannbrown up in Portland has an interesting view of the Idol Tour. Taken from way back and straight on, even with zoom it's a far away look at the stage.

First the Intro video to the show:


Then a group number combo, "Just The Way You Are / What Makes You Beautiful:"


I've heard that DeAndre Brackensick and Jessica Sanchez are dating. That DeAndre is really sneaky, like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Phillip Phillips "Home" In Denver

Here are some YouTube videos by user 15EllaBella15 of the Idol Tour from Denver, July 14, 2012.

First is Phillip Phillips' "Home," backed up by DeAndre Brackensick and Colton Dixon:


Next is Joshua Ledet's "Runaway Baby," backed up by Erika Van Pelt, DeAndre Brackensick and Elise Testone:


Sunday, July 15, 2012

David Cook Concert In Manila

Here's David Cook doing a concert in Manila July 14, 2012 singing "Always Be My Baby" with local rocker girl Yeng Constantino. Video by user limnelson1:


It's funny how the other David, Archuleta was over there not too long ago, but as an actor in a soap.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Idol Tour Videos Minneapolis

Here are a few Idol Tour videos from YouTube user  ShaileneWoodleyFan17 from the Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 9, 2012.

Skylar Laine & Hollie Cavanagh "Undo It:"


Phillip Phillips "Volcano" w/Jessica Sanchez:


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Branson Group II Group Song

Well, YouTube user noble2525 snuck some low-quality videos of Idol Group II out of the theater in Branson. Here is a group song with Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, Scott Savol, Alexis Grace and Siobhan Magnus:


Hey, better than nothing.

Monday, July 9, 2012

A Better "Home"

I didn't much like Phillip Phillips' "Home," but this version, by 12-year-old brothers, is much better:


I think they call themselves "Sharp Turn Ahead."

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Idol Summer Tour Starts In Detroit

The 2012 Idol Summer Tour has started in Detroit. Here's a group song "What Makes You Beautiful" (without Phillip Phillips) from YouTube user HeadstrongLover707:


And here is a detailed article from Billboard.com which includes the full set list:

Click Here To Read The Article

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Ace Young & Diana DeGarmo Branson Video

Well, it seems someone finally snuck a video out of the Andy Williams Moon River Theater in Branson where the Idols Group II is performing. Just one video of Ace Young & Diana DeGarmo singing "Us Against the World." However, the video, by user GCspFOBpatd81, had horrible audio. So I downloaded it and had a hard time fixing it up. But here it is:


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Jessica Sanchez in "Miss Saigon" Movie?

This article from the Manila Bulletin says that Jessica Sanchez is in the running to play the lead role of Kim in the film adaptation of the Broadway Musical "Miss Saigon." The role of Kim was made famous by Philippine star Lea Salonga over 20 years ago.

The article also says that Charice and Thia Megia were also being considered:

Click Here To Read The Article.

I don't think that Charice should even be considered given she's not very good looking. Thia Megia's voice might be a bit low and kind of jazzy for the role. Even Jessica's voice with her R&B leanings and sometimes wide vibrato is not ideal, but Jessica has shown she can change her voice as needed.

Here's Lea Salonga on a 1989 TV show recreating the "Sun and Moon" song and scene from "Miss Saigon:"


The video was originally uploaded by user mimibarthez, but I downloaded it so I could boost the volume, which was very low.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

More On Branson Group II

Here's a review of Branson Group II by local resident J.C. Wert:

Click Here To Read.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to sneak a video camera into the theater.

And here's a radio interview with Scott Savol, Siobhan Magnus and Alexis Grace, where Siobhan lets loose and vents on Simon Cowell's attitude during Season 9:


What an outburst by Siobhan when the others (including the DJ) were glowing about him. Siobhan would have none of it. But Simon has admitted to being out of it because he was putting X Factor together. I was trashing Kara DioGuardi even more on the blogs. Kara said some of the dumbest things to Siobhan that I've ever heard from a judge.

And here's Ace Young & Diana DeGarmo:


Monday, June 25, 2012

Branson Group II Videos

Well, I asked Branson for YouTube videos of Group II from inside the theater, but they put up these instead.

First the arrival of Group II:


Then Ace & Diana check out the Titanic exhibit at Branson:


Hopefully they'll put up something from inside the theater at some point.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Words From Branson Group II

My apologies for lifting this article from another site. These are words from Branson Group II:

It was only a month ago that Ace Young, live on “American Idol,” asked fellow finalist and “Young and the Restless” star, Diana DeGarmo, to become his wife. Now the two are performing together through July 21 as part of “Finalists Live!” at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson.

The two first met in 2010 in a revival of the musical, “Hair,” so they have performed together before, but they say this is even better because they were able to choose specific material.

“We get to do songs we wrote and we get to do some cover songs we love,” Young said.

That includes some songs from “Hair,” plus a song written by DeGarmo.

The two also enjoy performing with the other Idol finalists: Scott Savol, Siobhan Magnus and Alexis Grace. The show features solo numbers from each, as well as several songs in which all five participate.

Young and DeGarmo said it is fun to sing with such good vocalists.

“Each person really holds their own,” DeGarmo said. “The group numbers are magical.”

This is the second group of Idol finalists to perform this summer at the Branson theater. Like the first group, they will perform for five weeks before a third group finishes up the summer show.

For season four finalist Scott Savol, this performance marks a return to Branson. He performed with a group of Idol finalists in 2008 in “America’s Favorite Finalists” at the Grand Palace. He said he enjoyed his time in Branson and told show organizers he would love to return.

“I love the whole vibe of this town,” Savol said.

He also said coming to Branson gave him the chance to meet his friend, Tony Orlando.

Several of the show’s performers said they are looking forward to seeing more of Branson. Grace, a season eight finalist, said she wants to take her five-year-old daughter to Silver Dollar City. Magnus, a season nine finalist, said she has two younger sisters she is looking forward to taking to several attractions.

Savol, a season four finalist, said the Branson show is going really well.

“It’s a spectacle,” he said. “We’re blessed to be a part of it.”

Grace described the show as “high-energy.”

“It moves fast,” she said. “There’s no dragging, which I hate in a show.”

Grace and Magnus said they had not met any of the other cast members before this show, but that they are performing and getting along like old friends.

“No matter what season we were on, we magically become friends,” Grace said. “I wish we could do more songs together.”

Magnus said that comes from everyone having gone through the American Idol experience.

“People who’ve been on Idol, we share a common understanding,” Magnus said. “We’re the only ones who know what it’s like.”

Friday, June 15, 2012

Siobhan, Ace & Diana Headed For Branson

The "American Idol Finalists LIVE!" show at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri is an interesting concept. They invite three groups of Idol finalists, and each group has a 5-week run where they perform 6 days a week. Tickets go for around $30. The capacity of the theater is around 2000.

The first group has just about completed their run of May 14 - June 16. The group consisted of Lee DeWyze, Blake Lewis, Elliot Yamin, Kimberly Caldwell and Thia Megia.

Coming up for their June 18 - July 21 run is group two consisting of Siobhan Magnus, Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, Alexis Grace and Scott Savol.

Following them from July 23 - August 18 is the third group consisting of Reuben Studdard, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon, Katie Stevens and RJ Helton.

Apparently, the attendance is pretty good. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing hardly any videos coming from the theater. It guess the camera police are pretty strict. This gig is kind of like ending up on a cruise ship without the cruise ship. But it's better than nothing.

Siobhan has sent some tweets:

June 12: We start rehearsals in the morning for the Finalists. Met Ace Young and Diana Degarmo today! Can't wait to sing w/them, Alexis and Scott!

June 13: Rehearsals are going well! Can't wait to do the real performances!

June 13: We open on Monday, it'll be great to slip into some KISS boots and rock out in Branson!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pia & Jessica

Here is Pia Toscano once again dealing with leaving the Staples Center:


And here is Jessica Sanchez singing the National Anthem for Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma, taking the place of the Phillip Phillips:


Monday, June 11, 2012

Pia Toscano Wins Stanley Cup

The L.A. Kings refused to let Pia Toscano go after they lost to the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the NHL Championship Series last Wednesday at Staples Center. After the Kings also lost Game 5 in New Jersey Saturday, they brought Pia back once again to sing for Game 6. And it paid off with the Kings getting their first-ever Stanley Cup win in their 45 years of existence. Here is video of the introduction of the teams followed by Pia's winning Anthem:


One has to wonder why Interscope did not take advantage of Pia's run with the Kings and release her album right now.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Allison Iraheta / Portishead "Glory Box"

I found the two YouTube videos of "Glory Box" to be surprisingly in sync, so I downloaded them and overlayed them. The Allison video is from user Libracats, while the Portishead video is from user bram082:


Saturday, June 9, 2012

Allison Iraheta "Glory Box"

Allison Iraheta singing "Glory Box" at the L.A. Music Academy, June 6, 2012:


And here is the original by Portishead, from a 1997 concert:


Friday, June 8, 2012

Pia Toscano Outside Staples Center

Here is Pia Toscano outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles after singing the National Anthem for Game 4 of NHL championship series between the L.A. Kings and the New Jersey Devils:


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Pia Fails To Close Out Devils

Some people thought the L.A. Kings hockey team might switch from their lucky charm Pia Toscano for the singing of the National Anthem once they returned home from New Jersey after taking a 2-0 lead over the Devils in the NHL championship series for the Stanley Cup. Not so. The Kings stayed with Pia and got a win Sunday to move within one game of the championship. But on Wednesday, June 6, with Pia singing yet again, the Kings failed to close out the Devils, meaning they have to go back to New Jersey for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead. Will they finish off the Devils there, or come back to L.A. for one last chance at home? And will they give Pia one last chance if that happens?

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Chaka Khan Calls Jessica Loss "An Atrocity"

Chaka Khan, in a USA Today article about doing a Whitney Houston tribute at the annual Apollo Spring Gala, called Jessica Sanchez's loss to Phillip Phillips on American Idol "an atrocity:"

Read Here.

Chaka appeared on the American Idol finale with the Top 12 girls.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Juvenile Diabetes Red Carpet

On the red carpet of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's 9th Annual Gala, StarCam caught up with celebrities including Idols Pia Toscano (4:55) and Crystal Bowersox (6:37):


Thursday, May 31, 2012

Jessica's Idol YouTube Views

Phillip Phillips has one of the best first-week sales of a coronation song ever with "Home" selling 278K copies, but then there are those YouTube views on American Idol's YouTube page. As seen here on their page sorted by most popular, Jessica Sanchez is far more popular than Phillip:

Click Here.

As of this writing, Jessica has the top 2 videos, and 7 of the top 10. On that first page, Jessica has 16 of the top 27 contestant videos.

Phillip has just 3 videos with over 2 million views, while Jessica has 7. Phillip has just 6 videos with over 1 million views, while Jessica has 17. Phillip's most popular video has 3.2 million views, while Jessica's most popular has 6 million views.

What does this all mean? It means Jessica has very fervent fans, but they don't have a lot of disposable income.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Melinda Doolittle calls Jessica-Jennifer Duet "Most Amazing"

Season 6's Melinda Doolittle, speaking with Michael Slezak of TVLine.com on the final installment of the season of their "Idology" recap show, called the duet between Jessica Sanchez and Jennifer Holiday of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," sung on the season finale, the "most amazing duet" she'd ever seen on an Idol finale. Melinda said she was "laid out on my living room floor, pounding the floor." Michael said, "That was some wild kingdom sh*." Here is their recap:


And here is the amazing duet:


Is Kris Allen Toast?

Is Kris Allen toast?

According to Hits Daily Double , Kris' second album debuted at just 16.9K, compared to Adam Lambert's 77K and James Durbin's 28K. Kris's first album debuted at 80K, however he had a huge single "Live Like We're Dying" which sold over 1.5 million copies. The second album does not appear to have such a monster single.

Will Kris soon get dropped by his label? If Kris is dropped, he will join David Cook and Lee DeWyze as WGWGs who won then didn't last very long with their record labels. We'll have Cook is from Season 7, Allen from Season 8 and DeWyze from Season 9. This is the pathetic effect of "boyfriend voting" that has afflicted Idol since mass text voting took hold.

HDD is also reporting that Haley Reinhart debuted at 19.1K, which is below James Durbin's 28k. Haley finished #3 and James finished #4 in Season 10. However, Haley's single "Free" has sold over 60K copies, so that makes them about even. But James' album is now over 100K. We'll see if Haley can keep up with him.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Idol Introduces Singles

Idol Introduces Singles

No, not like Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo. We're talking about iTunes singles.

Idol can now sign non-winning contestants to record singles instead of albums.

For instance the #2 finisher can be paid $30K for 4 singles, or $60K if more than 4.

The #3 and lower finishers can be paid $24K for 4 singles.

However, it's unlikely they would sign the #2 finisher to record singles. An album advance for the #2 is $175K. For the #1 it's $300K.

We'll see if they use the singles option on any of the Season 11 contestants.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Season 11 Finale Reactions

Season 11 Finale - Phillip vs Jessica.

132 million votes.

Group number.

Phillip Phillips & John Fogerty perform.

Joshua Ledet performs. With Fantasia.

Top 12 girls perform. With Chaka Khan.

Rihanna performs.

Skylar Laine performs. With Reba McEntire.

Jessica Sanchez performs. Where's the hologram of Whitney?

Top 12 guys perform. With Neil Diamond.

Sing the phone book choir.

Jennifer Lopez performs.

Ace Young proposes to Diana Degarmo. Gets a Yes.

Hollie Cavanagh performs. With Jordin Sparks.

Robin Gibb tribute.

Jessica Sanchez and Jennifer Holiday perform. Wow.

Aerosmith performs.

Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips perform.

And the winner is: Phillip Phillips.

I was one of many who said at Phillip's initial audition that he would win Season 11. A WGWG from Georgia plus a lot talent was too predictable.

It was encouraging to see a diverse Top 3, and to see that Phillip did not win in a landslide.

Jessica at #2 beats Jasmine Trias from Season 3 as the highest finishing Asian or Hispanic girl. Jasmine finished #3.

Season 11 - A DialIdol Nailbiter

Season 11 Final Two - Phillip vs Jessica
A DialIdol Nailbiter

Looking at DialIdol at the beginning of west coast voting, Phillip was ahead of Jessica by 6.3. Over the next four hours, Phillip's lead shrank, and by the end of voting, his lead was only 1.38.

That makes this race the second closest in DialIdol history, second only to Kris vs Adam separated by 1.1.

DialIdol has correctly predicted the winner since Season 5, but it has had a very spotty season this season. Can Jessica's text voting army beat the DialIdol prediction?

Here are the past margins:

Taylor vs Katharine 8.5
Jordin vs Blake 14.7
Cook vs Archuleta 11.8
Kris vs Adam 1.1
Lee vs Crystal 4.4
Scotty vs Lauren 8.1

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Season 11 Top 2 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Phillip Phillips

Details:

*Round 1 (Simon Fuller's Picks):

Jessica Sanchez. This is the one Shannon Magrane couldn't handle. Easy for Jessica.

Phillip Phillips. Downer spin on a lame pick.

Fuller's picks showed no imagination whatsoever.

Jason Derulo performs.

*Round 2 (Redos):

Jessica Sanchez. Fine job.

Phillip Phillips. This one really needed a redo from the original performance, and it's a lot better this time around.

*Round 3 ():

Jessica Sanchez. Okay.

Phillip Phillips. Okay. Very odd.

What a couple of horrible original songs.

*Summary:

It's who do you like.

*Update:

I listened to the studio version of Phillip's "Home" and it really sucks. There's nothing good about it. In some parts he sounds like a howling dog. In others it sounds like the Atlanta Braves war chant. I don't want to hear that again, unless it's for laughs.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Lower Ratings Effect On Idol Voting

Lower Ratings Effect On Idol Voting.

I mentioned early on this season that Idol's lower ratings would have some effect on the voting, but I didn't know what that effect would be.

However, a look at the Top 3s of the prior four seasons is very revealing:

Season 10 -- Scotty, Lauren, Haley -- all white.
Season 9 -- Lee, Crystal, Casey -- all white.
Season 8 -- Kris, Adam, Danny -- all white.
Season 7 -- Cook, Archuleta, Syesha -- mixed.

So you have to go back to Season 7 to find a Top 3 as mixed as Season 11's Phillip, Jessica and Joshua. Why did this happen? I'm not sure, but here are a couple of maybes:

1. The median age of Idol viewers rose to 48, therefore the voting was more mature, and based more on talent.

2. The adults have caught up with the youngsters as far as knowledge of mass text voting apps, leading to a more mature vote.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Season 11 Top 3 Elimination Reactions

Nearly 90 million votes.

Group song.

Joshua Ledet. Recap.

Promos.

Lisa Marie Presley performs.

Jessica Sanchez. Recap.

Adam Lambert performs.

Phillip Phillips. Recap.

Joshua, Jessica, Phillip.

Jessica safe. Suprise.

Phillip safe.

Joshua out.

Surprise? Not really. DialIdol showed essentially a tie between Jessica and Joshua, which left the outcome up to the text voters. It's not surprising that Jessica had more text voters.

Joshua is by far the best raise-the-roof screamer the show has ever seen.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Season 11 Top 3 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Phillip Phillips
3. Joshua Ledet

Details:

*Round 1 (Judges picks):

Joshua Ledet. Nice job.

Jessica Sanchez. Very nice delicates on the high notes.

Phillip Phillips. Terrific. He and the band.

*Round 2 (Contestant picks):

Joshua Ledet. Okay, but a puzzling choice.

Jessica Sanchez. Fine job. At least it wasn't a black-girl song.

Phillip Phillips. Fine job, but not different.

*Round 3 (Jimmy's picks):

Joshua Ledet. Fine job.

Jessica Sanchez. Hey, she did two voices.

Phillip Phillips. That was a chore.

*Summary:

The three are so different, and all did well enough that it really comes down to preference.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Season 11 Top 4 Elimination Reactions

Nearly 70 million votes.

Group number.

Phillip Phillips. No decision.

Hollie Cavanagh. No decision.

David Cook performs. He definitely has a better voice than Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Phillip Phillips and Colton Dixon.

Joshua Ledet. No decision.

Jessica Sanchez. No decision.

Jennifer Lopez performs.

Jessica Sanchez. Top 3.

Joshua Ledet. Top 3.

Phillip vs Hollie.

Phillip Phillips Top 3.
Hollie Cavanagh out.

Hollie's technical style is better suited for Broadway. She should get training from little Kristin Chenoweth. I would love to see Hollie play Eponine in Les Mis.

Jessica Sanchez joins Adam Lambert as a Top 3 from the San Diego area. Jessica also ties Jasmine Trias from Season 3 as the highest finishing Asian girl. I doubt she can get past Joshua or Phillip.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Season 11 Top 4 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Phillip Phillips
3. Joshua Ledet
4. Hollie Cavanagh

Details:

*Round 1 (California):

Phillip Phillips. It was fun. Like a sing-along. Sang it a bit high for him.

Hollie Cavanagh. Low-high problem. Sang it too low in order to reach the high notes later, but they weren't very high.

Joshua Ledet. Mostly uninspiring, suprisingly.

Jessica Sanchez. Very nice, but how does she even know who Etta James is? Steven knows, but he's old. Etta was born 10 years before Steven. Oh, Jessica is 65. I see.

Phillip and Joshua duet. Time filler.

Jessica and Hollie duet. Time filler.

Rock of Ages promo. Time filler.

Group song. Time filler.

*Round 2 (Wish They'd Written):

Phillip Phillips. Very cool.

Hollie Cavanagh. I think her mic is set wrong. It's not coming across very well. Probably doesn't matter.

Joshua Ledet. Great job. Girls like Elise Testone and Juliet Simms can stop singing it now.

Jessica Sanchez. Another black-girl song. That's her. The accompaniment was awful, like a karaoke track. Not her fault, but I couldn't get into it.

*Summary:

Nobody changed places after the first round.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Pia Toscano LA Kings Lucky Charm

Pia Toscano LA Kings Lucky Charm


she one sexy king girl

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Season 11 Top 5 Elimination Reactions

Joshua Ledet. Safe. Quick.

Coldplay performs.

Hollie Cavanagh. Bottom Two.
Phillip Phillips. Safe.

Huge disappointment for those who reveled at the sight of Phillip at the bottom of DialIdol. I warned them that the numbers looked wrong to me. DialIdol has been shaky this season more than any before.

Carrie Underwood performs.

Jessica Sanchez. Safe.
Skylar Laine. Bottom Two.

Skylar was at the top of DialIdol, just as Hollie was last week. This happens because of erroneous busy signals. Even one DialIdol user getting erroneous busy signals can mess up the score. This is happening often this season.

Coldplay performs.

Hollie and Skylar Bottom Two. How sad.

Skylar out.
Hollie safe.

Skylar's fate rode primarily with the country folk. After seeing Scotty and Lauren take Season 10, I was certain Skylar would outlast both Hollie and Jessica. But it seems a lot of country folk didn't buy into her for some reason. I'm not sure why. Maybe she just wasn't better than what they already have.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Season 11 Top 5 Performance Reactions

1. Phillip Phillips
2. Jessica Sanchez
3. Joshua Ledet
4. Hollie Cavanagh
5. Skylar Laine

Details:

*Round 1 (60s):

Hollie Cavanagh. Nice job by the little woman.

Phillip Phillips. Oh yeah, Phillip.

Skylar Laine. Not bad, but it ain't much.

Joshua/Phillip duet. Filler.

Jessica Sanchez. Yeah, baby.

Joshua Ledet. Fine job, but not very interesting.

*Round 2 (British):

Hollie Cavanagh. Very nice job.

Phillip Phillips. Who cares if he can't hit high notes when I'm tripping out.

Girl trio. Filler.

Skylar Laine. Not good. Bad choice.

Jessica Sanchez. Beautiful.

Joshua Ledet. Fine job, but Joshua formulaic.

*Summary:

Nobody changed places after the first round.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Season 11 Top 6 Elimination Reactions

58 million votes.

Queen Extravaganza perform.

TMZ session.

Jessica Sanchez. Top 3.
Elise Testone. Bottom 3.

Bushy Casey Abrams visits.

Stefano Langone performs.

Hollie Cavanagh. Bottom 3.
Joshua Ledet. Top 3.

Katy Perry performs.

Skylar Laine. Bottom 3.
Phillip Phillips. Top 3.

Skylar safe.

Elise out.
Hollie safe.

Elise is like a rockfish, a bottom dweller. But a few weeks ago she suddenly toned down her grating rasp, and I actually started to like her. She got what she wanted out of Idol, and that is exposure. Now it will be much easier for her and her band to get good gigs. That's assuming Jimmy doesn't sign her.

*Update: I'm wondering if Jimmy just set Phillip up for an earlier than expected exit. Jimmy was talking about Phillip's illness, his struggles, his lack of energy, and how that left an opening for someone else to be in the finale. Look for Phillip to be "voted off" before the finale to ensure that Idol's embarrassing string of wgwg winners finally ends. But don't think he actually had less votes.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Season 11 Top 6 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Elise Testone
3. Phillip Phillips
4. Joshua Ledet
5. Skylar Laine
6. Hollie Cavanagh

Details:

Group Queen Medley. Time filler.

*Round 1:

Jessica Sanchez. A nice girly version of the song.

Skylar Laine. Good verses, but not enough voice for the big parts.

Joshua Ledet. Mic looks like a hair dryer. Fine job.

Elise Testone. Extra points for the tambourine? Good song for her voice.

Phillip Phillips. Bucky Covington's exit song. Not much you can do with it.

Hollie Cavanagh. Really good on the verses. But didn't take it anywhere.

*Round 2:

Jessica Sanchez. I never liked that song before, until she sang it.

Skylar Laine. Good, but what's there to judge?

Joshua Ledet. Nice job, but his voice is not quite smooth enough for a song like that.

Elise Testone. Interesting. Not bad.

Phillip Phillips. Totally bizarre. Great.

Hollie Cavanagh. Nice job, but you know, it's "The Climb."

*Summary:

Only Phillip moved up after the second round because I like the bizarre stuff.

Monday, April 23, 2012

American Idol's Right to Manipulate Votes

Here I will prove once and for all that American Idol can manipulate the votes any way they want without penalty. This from AmericanIdol.com's FAQ:

"What's being done about power dialing?
The American Idol voting process is administered and carefully monitored by an independent vote management company. The producers, in consultation with this independent vote management company, reserve the right to remove so-called “power dialing votes” (via toll-free, AT&T Text Voting and online) that are identified as having been cast in such a significant block, either by technical enhancements or otherwise, that it could unfairly influence the outcome of the voting."

Their statement is all kinds of silly.

The "independent vote management company" is Telescope. Telescope alone should determine what are unfair votes since it is purely a technical issue. The producers of American Idol have no business being involved in the process. The fact that they are involved in the process opens the door for them to manipulate the votes any way they want.

The definition of "fair" is whatever they want it to be, therefore they can do whatever they want to do. When they "reserve the right," it means they may or may not use it, and they decide how much to use it if they do. They make their own rules. There is no risk of them getting caught cheating because they are involved in determing what are fair voting results in the first place.

This proves once and for all, that American Idol gives itself the right to manipulate the votes any way they want.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Colton Dixon Conspiracy Theory

Colton Dixon voted off at #7 on Season 11.

Conspiracy Theory.

It's hard to come up with a conspiracy theory for Colton Dixon when he was sitting at the bottom of DialIdol. Even though voters have other ways to vote, it's still a dangerous place to be. But I'll offer a theory anyway.

The conspiracy theory is simply based on this: Discord between Colton and American Idol.

There were reports many weeks ago about Idol asking Colton to downplay his Christianity, yet Colton did not hide the fact that he wants to be a Christian artist. Thus there may have been an ongoing struggle behind the scenes between Colton and Idol over song choice.

Colton may have become increasingly agitated with Idol over the issue, which culminated in his "I don't care" proclamation over the judges' critiques.

We also have Jimmy Iovine one day telling us about Colton's solid female voting bloc, then trashing his performance the very next day, as if to set up his ouster.

That's pretty much it. Colton wanted out, so Idol let him go.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Season 11 Top 7B Elimination Reactions

53 million votes.

Group number.

Joshua Ledet. Safe.
Hollie Cavanagh. Bottom Three.

Taylor Hicks announces Vegas gig.

Kris Allen performs.

Elise Testone. Bottom Three.
Skylar Laine. Safe.

Dick Clark tribute.

LMFAO performs.

Jessica Sanchez. Safe.
Phillip Phillips. Safe.
Colton Dixon. Bottom Three. Surprise.

Elise safe. Nine lives indeed.

Colton out?
Hollie safe?

Huh? What happened to his text-voting little girl army? Are they still around? Did they leave?

Colton is at the bottom DialIdol this week, second to the bottom last week, but I figured it didn't matter because of the text votes. Very strange. It just goes to show that being at the bottom of DialIdol is still a dangerous place to be.

This is one to think about for a while.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Season 11 Top 7B Performance Reactions

1. Phillip Phillips
2. Joshua Ledet
3. Jessica Sanchez
4. Skylar Laine
5. Elise Testone
6. Hollie Cavanagh
7. Colton Dixon

Details:

*Round 1:

Hollie Cavanagh. Good song for a belter. Good job.

Colton Dixon. Bad Idea. Not enough meat in his voice for that song.

Elise Testone. Great song for her. It's all about power, which she's got. And no sign of her grating rasp.

Phillip Phillips. That was a Phillip Phillips special right there.

Jessica Sanchez. I feared the song choice, but she handled it just fine.

Skylar Laine. Not a good song choice to compete with the other girls.

Joshua Ledet. Only Fantasia herself could do it better.

*Round 2:

Hollie Cavanagh. Oh my, bad Hollie returns. Sigh.

Colton Dixon. Bad Idea II. What's up with Colton?

Elise Testone. Kinda disjointed. Never caught a groove.

Phillip Phillips. He's just plain kicking butt tonight. Simple as that.

Jessica Sanchez. She just cracked my head somehow. But an odd song choice.

Skylar Laine. Finally, a girl who improved in the second round.

Joshua Ledet. Not bad, but he's sounding a little worn.

*Summary:

Only Skylar moved up in rank after the first round because Hollie and Elise did so poorly.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Season 11 Top 7 Elimination Reactions

Group number.

Hollie Cavanagh. Left side. Our left.
Jessica Sanchez. Right side.

Wonderful, a Nigel game.

James Durbin performs. Odd little mic.

Phillip Phillips. Joins Hollie.
Elise Testone. Joins Jessica.

Meaning Jessica is in the Bottom Three.

Jennifer Hudson performs.

Joshua Ledet. Joins Jessica.
Colton Dixon. Joins Hollie.

Skylar. Safe. Refuses to pick group. Put with Hollie.

Joshua, Elise, Jessica Bottom Three.

Joshua. Safe.

Elise. Safe.

Jessica out. Why bother? Saved by Judges' coup.

Jessica needs to dumb it down and sing songs geared towards an unsophisticated audience.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Season 11 Top 7 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Phillip Phillips
3. Joshua Ledet
4. Colton Dixon
5. Skylar Laine
6. Hollie Cavanagh
7. Elise Testone

Details:

Skylar Laine. I just hate it when a little girl holds a big guitar. It hides her, it's distracting, and it affects her breathing, which is always a problem for her anyway.

Colton Dixon. He doesn't do the falsetto switch nearly as well as DeAndre. Nice otherwise.

Elise, Phillip duet. Time filler.

Jessica Sanchez. I swear she must have black blood. Young Filipinas generally can't sing stuff like that.

Joshua Ledet. Not quite right for his voice, or maybe his mic was not set up quite right. Still good, though.

Colton, Skylar duet. Time filler.

Hollie Cavanagh. Holliepops. Sounds good. But the singing was ponderous, and her elephantine delivery didn't fit the acoustic guitar.

Phillip Phillips. This was good Phillip stuff.

Holle, Jessica, Joshua trio. Time filler.

Elise Testone. Not good. Very unpleasant.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Season 11 Top 8 Elimination Reactions

Jennifer video.

Joshua Ledet. Safe. Duh.
Jessica Sanchez. Safe. Duh.

The Wanted perform.

DeAndre Brackensick. Bottom Three.
Colton Dixon. Safe.

Hollie Cavanagh. Bottom Three. Duh.
Skylar Laine. Safe. Duh.

Kellie Pickler performs.

Elise Testone. Bottom Three.
Phillip Phillips. Safe.

Hollie safe.

Elise safe.

DeAndre Out.

Judges' Save: No.

I can only wonder what DeAndre would be like if he had the kind of early training that Jessica got. He's still young, so he can still improve greatly.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Season 11 Top 8 Performance Reactions

1. DeAndre Brackensick
2. Joshua Ledet
3. Jessica Sanchez
4. Colton Dixon
5. Phillip Phillips
6. Skylar Laine
7. Hollie Cavanagh
8. Elise Testone

Details:

DeAndre Brackensick. It's subtle, but he's good.

Elise Testone. She needs more pace for her rough, limited voice.

Sklyar, Colton duet. Time filler.

Phillip Phillips. Not a good song for his voice either.

Hollie, DeAndre duet. Time filler.

Joshua Ledet. Not much context to his screaming. But still good.

Jessica Sanchez. Not enough song for her to sing. Bebe Chez dumb.

Elise, Phillip duet. Time filler.

Hollie Cavanagh. It messed her up to move. She should have just stood there and belted it out.

Jessica, Joshua duet. Time filler. But a good one.

Colton Dixon. Nice, but Cyndi Lauper does not present much of a vocal challenge.

Skylar Laine. Very nice try for a small voice.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Elise's "Whole Lotta Love" Overrated

Elise Testone's "Whole Lotta Love" performance appears to have become the most overrated performance in Idol history. I will explain, in simple analytical terms, why it is so overrated.

It comes down to this: Degree of Difficulty. Elise is singing the song in the original key. For a guy, it's very high, but for a girl, it's very comfortable. No strain, no danger. All Elise has to do is sing the song in her normal loud, rough voice, and it's done. Easy, like a walk in the park.

Compare that to the vocal mine field Jessica had to navigate through, which she did with skill beyond her years, and there's no way Elise's performance should be rated above Jessica's. No way.

And what about Adam Lambert. Adam creates his rock voice. He adds tension, sneer and extended vocal range. If you watch his performance from Season 8, he's working very hard. No walk in the park for him. So there's no way Elise's pedestrian version should be rated above Adam. No way.

This is why Elise Testone's "Whole Lotta Love" has become a whole lotta overrated.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

THR Idol Hangover - Didi, Siobhan Magnus, Lee DeWyze

The Hollywood Reporter's Idol Hangover Episode 5 with
Didi Benami, Siobhan Magnus, Lee DeWyze:

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Season 11 Top 9 Elimination Reactions

Hollie Cavanagh. Bottom Three. Surprise.
Phillip Phillips. Safe.
Elise Testone. Safe.

I suspected that DialIdol was way off this week, and Hollie in the Bottom Three confirms it. Of course, the geek will say all contestants were yellow, meaning nobody beat the margin of error, and that's true, but it's usually better than that even when all yellow.

Nicki Minaj performs.

Colton Dixon. Safe.
Joshua Ledet. Safe.
Heejun Han. Bottom Three.

Scotty McCreery performs.

Jessica Sanchez. Safe. Now I know.
Deandre Brackensick. Safe. Lucky.
Skylar Laine. Bottom Three. Suprising.

I now believe that DialIdol simply switched the tags of Hollie and Jessica. They had Hollie #1 and Jessica #8, but it was reversed.

Skylar. Safe. Good.

Hollie. Safe. Good.

Heejun out.

Judges' Save: No. That's fine.

Heejun, the first East Asian guy to make the Top 10. His comedy was well appreciated by many. And he sings really good for a Korean.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Season 11 Top 9 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Deandre Brackensick
3. Phillip Phillips
4. Hollie Cavanagh
5. Skylar Laine
6. Joshua Ledet
7. Colton Dixon
8. Heejun Han
9. Elise Testone

Details:

Colton Dixon. So-so song. I guess Tebow would like it.

Skylar Laine. I like Skylar like this. Not going big, staying in her element.

Trio - Colton, Elise, Phillip: Time filler.

Heejun Han. Not bad at all.

Hollie Cavanagh. Camera work was awful, distracting. But she sang pretty well.

Deandre Brackensick. I wish he was a couple of years older, but his upside is crazy. Amazing instrument.

Jessica Sanchez. That was so exotic. OMG.

Trio - Dandre, Heejun, Joshua. Time filler.

Phillip Phillips. He's great, but same-o great. Nothing wrong with that.

Joshua Ledet. Horrible song choice.

Trio - Hollie, Skylar, Jessica. Time Filler.

Elise Testone. Worst version ever. Where's Adam?

Thursday, March 22, 2012

In Defense of Heejun Han

In defense of Heejun Han, let's not forget that it was Idol who gave him all that air time which introduced us to his deadpan comedy in the first place. He didn't twist their arms, they were the ones who unleashed him upon the world. They cannot now be angry that he's still the way he is, when he's been that way all along.

We all know he's not going to be a recording artist anyway, so why not let him use Idol to showcase his comedic talents for possible future roles in sitcoms and such. The music industry is not in great shape anyway, so what's the point in taking it so seriously.

Update: I am now of the opinion that Heejun was Not really in the Bottom Three. Idol just put him there to make him think America did not appreciate his antics, when in fact much of America did. I believe that Elise was in the bottom as usual, and Heejun actually got a lot of votes.

Season 11 Top 10 Elimination Reactions

Group Song.

Hollie Cavanagh. Safe. Lucky.
Skylar Laine. Safe. Fan base.
Elise Testone. Safe. Surprise.

Lana Del Rey performs. Jimmy Iovine's pet.

Joe Perry Happy Birthday to Steven.

Jessica Sanchez. Safe. Duh.
Joshua Ledet. Safe. Fan base.
DeAndre Brackensick. Bottom Three. Trouble.

Haley Reinhart performs.

Colton Dixon. Safe. Duh.
Erika Van Pelt. Bottom Three. Undeserved.
Phillip Phillips. Safe.
Heejun Han. Bottom Three.

DeAndre safe. Lucky.

Heejun safe.

Erika Van Pelt out. Another girl bites the dust.

Judges' Save: No.

I was impressed how Erika started off as a chest-belting monster, but out of nowhere a real singer emerged with deep rich tone. But she never developed a fan base.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Season 11 Top 10 Performance Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Colton Dixon
3. Erika Van Pelt
4. DeAndre Brackensick
5. Elise Testone
6. Heejun Han
7. Hollie Cavanagh
8. Phillip Phillips
9. Joshua Ledet
10. Skylar Laine

Details:

DeAndre Brackensick. Fine. What else can you do with Billy Joel?

Erika Van Pelt. Not bad. I liked the restraint because she can easily overpower the song.

Joshua Ledet. As I feared, he can only sing loud. Mega church man.

Skylar Laine. Not a good song for her voice at all. I was hoping for some country charm, but I think she's trying to compete with the other litte girls and their big voices.

Elise Testone. Good song for her. Her roughing it up is distracting. I wonder if she can not do that all the time.

Phillip Phillips. Drabber than gray. Experiment gone wrong.

Hollie Cavanagh. I hope her outfit wasn't making her miss all those notes.

Heejun Han. Greatest on-stage joke in Idol history. I see where that statement could be misinterpreted.

Jessica Sanchez. Superior. How can she be only 16? Started really young.

Colton Dixon. A little too squeaky. Very bold, not bad.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Season 11 Top 11 Elimination Reactions

Tommy Hilfiger coming soon.

Joshua Ledet. Safe. Duh.
Phillip Phillips. Safe. Duh.
Skylar Laine. Safe.
Elise Testone. Bottom Three. Again.

Demi Lovato performs.

Colton Dixon. Safe. Duh.
Jessica Sanchez. Safe.
Deandre Brackensick. Safe. Lucky.
Shannon Magrane. Bottom Three.

Daughtry performs.

Hollie Cavanagh. Safe. Duh.
Heejun Han. Safe.
Erika Van Pelt. Bottom Three.

All girls in the bottom three.

Elise safe.

Erika safe.

Shannon out. I predicted weeks ago that Shannon would make it. Wrong.

Judges' Save: No.

Heejun becomes the first Asian guy to ever make the tour (as far as I know). Jennifer is the fourth Filipina to make the tour. The only Asian girls to make it have been Filipina.

Update: Regarding Heejun being the first Asian guy to make the tour, technically Anoop Desai (an Indian) is also considered to be Asian. The term Oriental would be better, except that for some reason it is considered to be deragatory. Perhaps East Asian is what is now used.
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