Category: Television Page 13 of 20

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, Fox, 8 pm (ET) Attitude seemed to be the keyword tonight on “American Idol.” Who has it? Who needs to get it? What should it be?

The recent entry of Tommy Hilfiger as an advisor to the contestants on how they should dress produced advice to Phillip Phillips that he should not wear gray and, from celebrity mentor Sean P. Diddy Combs and Jimmy Iovine, that he should put the guitar down and sing without it. Phillip did neither. He not only wore gray-on-gray, but he contributed a version of “Movin’ Out” that was so original I didn’t recognize it as a Billy Joel song (tonight’s theme). Phillip said, “I’m not a guy about image. The music comes first” and was pronounced “brilliant” by one judge.

Jessica Sanchez had another good night, singing “Everybody Has A Dream.” Jennifer Lopez called it her “defining moment” and Randy praised her consistency. There seems to be a bit of a contradiction there, since the judges were quite critical of her song last week, when she attempted an upbeat number from Gloria Estefan. Steven Tyler said, “You’ve gone way past my judging. Thank you for letting me hear you sing, baby.” Randy called her song, “Flawless, perfect, perfection.”

Colton Dixon was another contestant who showed some attitude regarding the comments made about his hair by Tommy Hilfiger. He sang Joel’s “Piano Man” and the judges seemed to like it. [I thought the ending just dropped off in a weird way].

Heejun Han sang “Don’t Go Changing” and seemed to be telling the judges off. It seemed as though Steven Tyler was not taking it well, as he said, “You showed ’em. You told ’em. At some point, you gotta’ take it (the music business) more serious.” Both Randy and Jennifer, while unimpressed with Heejun’s vocals, said it was “enjoyable” and “a breath of fresh air.” Heejun escaped elimination last week; we’ll see how he does this week.

Deandre Brackensick did “Only the Good Die Young.” Randy pointed out that it “wasn’t that great…just okay.”

Erika Van Pelt sang “New York State of Mind” and she displayed her “attitude” by letting the show cut and color her hair into a virtual Liza Minelli flashback. One of the judges compared her new short hair-do to Pat Benatar. I saw Pat Benatar this past summer; her hair looked nothing like this Minelli do.

Joshua Ledet, who had such a great week last week, sang “She’s Got A Way” and admitted that he “didn’t know the song.” It wasn’t Joshua’s best night, considering he is perhaps the most vocally talented male contestant, although Steven Tyler said he “sang the sweat out of that song.” What was more puzzling was Steven Tyler’s admission that he “didn’t know the song.” (Yikes!)

Skylar Laine sang “Shameless.” It wasn’t her best night. She wore HUGE earrings, as did all the girls.

Elise Testone, who sang a song nobody knows called “Vienna” was praised by the judges. Again, not as good a choice of songs as she could have made.

Hollie Cavanagh had an off night in singing “Honesty.” She was off-key at several points. She did look very nice in a white pantsuit with a sparkly silver top.

Who will go home? I’d say one of the girls who sang an obscure song. The most obscure song was that sung by Elise, followed closely by Skylar’s. Skylar should get the country vote, but Erika and her new black haircut might end up in the dumps, as well. I’m betting that Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Colton Dixon, Joshua Ledet and Hollie Cavanagh will be “safe,” but, after that, it’s anybody’s ball game.

Shannon Magrane Is Eliminated from “American Idol” on the Ides of March (March 15th)

By Connie Wilson

On March 16, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Thursday, March 15, 2012, Fox, 8 pm (ET) The singer sent home this week was sixteen-year-old Shannon Magrane. Justice was not done, but it is true that Shannon had a bad week last week and could have justifiably been sent packing on March 8, 2012.

Lowest Vote-Getters

Host Ryan Seacrest called the eleven contestants to the front of the stage in two sets of four and one set of three. The first four (Phil, Elise, Joshua and Skylar) had all done well, but Elise was in the bottom three. Of the second quartet (Deandre, Jessica, Shannon and Colton) Deandre had arguably done the worst job, but it was predictable that a girl, rather than a boy, would be the lowest vote-getter. That girl was Shannon. The final trio consisted of Hollie, Heejun and Erika. Erika—who had done a very good job—was the third contestant said to have garnered the fewest votes.

Entertainment

Demi Lovato sang and Daughtry, the band formed by Season Five contestant Chris Daughtry, sang the single “Outta’ My Head” from their new album “Break the Spell.” It hardly seems possible that six years have gone by since Chris Daughtry was unceremoniously booted from Idol.

Shannon’s Swan Song

Shannon Magrane was given the opportunity to sing her song one more time and she did a wonderful job. The judges chose not to use their one-per-season “save” and Shannon was gone. She can truly leave with her head held high.

Comments

Jimmy Iovine, one of the two celebrity coaches responsible for helping the contestants select so many loser songs this week, was in the audience, dressed in a windbreaker and a baseball cap. He’s a 59-year-old record company executive who once had a romance with Stevie Nicks (although he has been married and divorced and fathered four children with someone else). Why doesn’t Jimmy dress in a slightly more age-and-station appropriate fashion? Does he think dressing like he’s going out to walk the dog makes him look “cool” or younger? We had Tommy Hilfiger announce that he is going to coach the singers on how to make their best and most appropriate appearance, while Jimmy was shown in the audience, looking like he was going to immediately go for a jog after the show (coronary health permitting). Jimmy also criticized the way contestant Hollie Cavanagh was dressed, saying she was dressed “too old.” While I understand Jimmy’s point about the gorgeous gold brocade gown with cut-outs that Hollie wore (she looked great, but she is only eighteen), it seems interesting that Mr. Iovine has such insight into the age-appropriateness of clothing others are wearing, but so little insight into what he is seen wearing on national television. You can argue that he is not a “contestant” but his image is still being beamed into millions of homes. He looks like he is dressed to sweep out the garage. (It doesn’t make you look any younger, Jimmy. It just seems a bit desperate.) At one point, Jimmy was heard saying, to Randy, “Nice jacket,” in reference to one of Randy’s typically fashion-challenged outfits. Maybe Tommy Hilfiger can do something with Randy and Jimmy while he’s working with the contestants? It’s probably not going to work for Steven Tyler, who can fall back on his rock star persona as an excuse for some of his get-ups (an interesting hat, this week). And, while we’re on the subject of Jimmy Iovine, how many 60-year-old men who are NOT from the South still go by “Jimmy”? (Just wondering.)

Contradictions

With so many of this week’s contestants, the judges’ comments were, “It was not the right song for you.” They said this to Jessica Sanchez, Heejun Han (Steven Tyler: “It’s too far out of your range.”) and Deandre Brackensick (“Endless Love”). Yet, when Colton Dixon sang a song that nobody knew (“Broken Heart” by White Lion), judge Randy Jackson said, “Oh, well, the song doesn’t matter. Now we’ll just think of it as a Colton Dixon song.” It also seemed a bit unfair to show Colton hanging out with Chris Daughtry, who reportedly is a fan. Will the other contestants get equal time? Can Joshua Ledet secure a picture with Percy Sledge (whose song he sang) and have that flashed onscreen? This speaks to the unfair way in which Jermaine Jones was squeezed back into the competition, when he had been eliminated earlier, but no similar “extra” female contestant was chosen. Why was that, when there were plenty who were worthy?

Here’s another contradiction. How many times have you heard the judges criticize the contestants for sounding “too much like the original artist”? Yet, when a few contestants on Wednesday night tried to truly make the song original, they were criticized for it. Most notably, Erika Van Pelt, who sang Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” was told (by Steven Tyler), “You’re too busy all over it.”

So, which is it?

Should the contestant try to deliver the song in an original way, or should the contestant just sing the melody, as many were urged to do by the judges on Wednesday night?

Two things are certain: Heejun Han deserved elimination this week more than Shannon Magrane; I think he recognized that fact. Secondly, as Ryan Seacrest put it after Shannon’s Swan Song, “You stood out here fearlessly and gave it your all.” Yes, she did, and it’s too bad that she wasn’t kept in the competition while Heejun Han, who gave a breathy off-pitch performance on Wednesday night, continues.

“American Idol” Results for March 15, 2012: The Ides of March

By Connie Wilson

On March 15, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Fox, Wed., March 15, 2012, 8 pm (ET) “American Idol” contestants had a hit-or-miss night. Most of the misses seemed to hinge on the young performers giving in to the advice of their elders (Jimmy Iovine and Will i.am.) to sing alternate songs. Each performer was to sing a song from the year they were born.

Standouts of the Night

Definitely the standout performer of the night was Joshua Ledet, who has the best male voice. Singing next-to-last, Jennifer Lopez commented that the show had “saved the best for last” as Joshua delivered a soulful rendition of “When A Man Loves A Woman.” Randy Jackson even said that, somewhere, Percy Sledge, who originally sang the song (Ledet sang Michael Bolton’s version), was smiling down. “You gave it up so big God came through your eyes.” Jennifer Lopez went so far as to say it was “the best thing I’ve ever seen on ‘American Idol.’” Steven Tyler spared the hyperbole, but did note that Joshua was in the same class as Jessica Sanchez last week, when she did an incredible job with Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.” With adjectives like “phenomenal” and “incredible” Joshua stood out.

Performers Who Did Well

The final performer of the night, the petite Hollie Cavanagh, who sang Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” did well, as did Phillip Phillips, who survived very recent kidney stone surgery to do his Dave Matthews schtick. Others who should be safe include Skylar Laine, (one of the few Idols who stuck to her guns and sang the song she wanted to sing), Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Sneakin’ Up On You.” Also good this night was Erika Van Pelt. She sang a bluesy version of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” and earned kudos for her performance and appearance from two of the three judges (“You look amazing tonight.”) Shannon Magrane, who sang Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day”, also did well, and the judges seemed to like Colton Dixon’s “Broken Heart” by White Lion. Elise Testone scored with an Al Green song that President Obama crooned recently, and earned praise for making it her own.

Performers Who Did Less Well

Although Jessica Sanchez is arguably the best female vocalist in the competition, her choice of Gloria Estefan’s “Hard to Be Around” did not serve her well. Likewise, Heejun Han faltered with Richard Marx’s “Right There Waiting.” He seemed to be out of breath. Randy called it “pitchy in at least five or six spots.” Deandre Brackensick of the flyaway hair let the judges talk him into “Endless Love.” The judges all agreed it was the wrong song to showcase Deandre’s falsetto. Randy picked Heejun to get the axe.

Unluckiest Idol

The performer who definitely had the worst night was Jermaine Jones. He was kicked off “Idol” for failing to disclose four active arrest warrants. Elsewhere on the Internet, rumors ran rampant that Jermaine had also lied about being abandoned by his father in childhood. From the rehearsal tape, Jermaine’s version of “Somewhere Out There” would have been very good, but it was always odd (and unfair) that he was allowed in as the thirteenth male contestant, when no “extra” girl was allowed into the competition.

Finalists on “American Idol” on 3/1: +10 out of 13

By Connie Wilson

On March 1, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

Jessica Sanchez, one of "American Idol's Finalists announced on March 1st, 2012.

The Finalists were announced for “American Idol’s” eleventh season on March 1st, 2012, and, while my picks were pretty much right on the money for the female contestants, I missed a couple of the boys.

The girls…all of whom were mentioned as strong contenders in my prediction column of yesterday….were Elise Testone, Jessica Sanchez, Erika VanPelt, Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine, and Shannon McGrane.

The male contestants I thought were going to go through and correctly picked were Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Deandre Brackensick and a mention on my part of the likelihood of Colton Dixon. I did not select Jermaine Jones, Heejun Han or Jeremy Rosado, thinking, instead that either Reed Grimm, Aaron Marcellus or Adam Brock were more likely to be Finalists.

Still, 10 out of 13 is not a bad average at close to 80%. (76%)

Now we’ll see which of the contestants can go the distance.

Top Twelve Female Semi-Finalists Perform on Feb. 29, 2012

By Connie Wilson

On March 1, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, Fox, 8 pm (ET) The twelve female contestants on “American Idol” performed tonight. Smart money will be on these six to make it through:

Jessica Sanchez

From the first time she sang, it was apparent that this 16-year-old from San Diego was something special. Even with swollen vocal cords, she delivered a wonderful performance of “Love You, I Do” that caused Randy Jackson to say, “Crazy! Oh, my God! That girl can really sing. One of the best of the last two nights. Unbelievably talented.” Jennifer Lopez praised her saying, “So beyond your years, it’s crazy” and Steven Tyler mentioned her exceptional timing and pitch-perfect voice.

Elise Testone

Elise is twenty-eight and from Charleston, North Carolina. She began at the piano and then sang Adele’s “One and Only,” while attired in a black dress with an irregular hemline. Steven Tyler said, “You blew it out of the water. Nice goin’.” Jennifer declared her to be “One so special and different. Maybe the best singer here. You are one to watch.” Randy Jackson agreed that Elise was, “Definitely a force to be reckoned with” and called her, “One of the best voices.”

Hollie Cavanagh

Hollie is a little slip of a blonde girl from McKinney, Texas. She sang “Reflection.” (“When will my reflection show who I am inside.”) Attired in a short, glittery dress, she really delivered and the only criticism, from Steven Tyler, with which I agree, was that she should have worn her hair down. He called her, “One of my favorites from the start. Just beautiful.” Jennifer said, “If you came back, I thought you could win it.” Randy said, “You’re one of our favorites. I love your vocals. You tried to slay one of the biggest dragons tonight (referencing Christina Aguilera’s version). The parts that worked were genius.”

Skylar Laine, 18, from Brandon, Mississippi; Shannon McGrane, 16, from Tampa, Florida; Jen Hirsh.

These three are less “sure things.” Skylar gave a spirited C&W rendition of “Stay with Me” by Faces and received good feedback as Randy called her a “rockin’ country girl” with comparisons to Reba McIntyre, Kelly Clarkson and Tina Turner. Steven Tyler said, “Keep that up, girl.” With the popularity of country music in the land, Skylar has a good chance.

Shannon McGrane sang “I Left Your World” and looked lovely in a white dress with a sparkly belt and sparkles on the left shoulder of the Grecian-style dress. Jennifer praised her “passion,” Randy said, “Way to bring it.” Steven said, “You started Gospel-ly and then took it upstairs and it went beautiful.”

Jen Hirsh, who sang Adele’s “One and Only,” was praised by Jennifer Lopez as having done “a really good job” and Randy pronounced her, “One of the greatest singers in the competition this year,” but Steven Tyler noticed “a little trouble with the last little thing.”

I thought that Erika Van Pelt, who sang “What About Love?” and Brielle VonHugel (“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”), the contestant with the overbearing stage mother, did as well as Jen Hirsh. The two who should be going home were Baylie Brown, who sang Lone Star’s “Amaze” and Haley Johnsen. Baylie is a beautiful blonde and was wearing a coral dress. She seemed to be trying to get by on her considerable good looks. That did not work. The other contestant who massacred a song was Haley Johnsen, 23, of Beaverton, Oregon, who took on Annie Lenox’s “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This,” eliciting the accurate assessment from Randy Jackson, “It was a bit of a nightmare, instead of a dream. A little train-wrecky for me today.”

Thirteen Men Perform on “American Idol” on Feb. 28, 2012

By Connie Wilson

On February 29, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson: "American Idol" Judges.

Feb. 28, 2012, Tuesday, Fox, 8 pm – The “American Idol” men performed tonight. Only half of the thirteen allowed to sing will be passed through. The thirteenth lucky “Wild Card” performer was Jermaine Jones who sang Luther VanDross’“Dance with My Father.”

Finalists?

The Six Best, for me (in no particular order) were: Reed Grimm, Adam Brock, Joshua Ledet, Aaron Marcellus, Phil Phillips and Deandre Brackensick. Some will have found Colton Dixon’s moody Paramour piece entrancing. For me, he was just all right.

Reed Grimm

It felt as though the performances started on a high note and went downhill. Although I am uncomfortable watching Reed Grimm move, he sings well; his version of Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” was good. Reed’s movements are offputting. He tries to be sexy. He comes off looking as though he has to go to the bathroom. Incorporating the drums at the end of his song, however, earned him great reviews from the judges. (“Very nice choice” from Randy; “Great choice, jazzy and musical good job” from Jennifer and “I loved it, Man. Good for you,” from Steven Tyler.)

Adam Brock

Adam said, “There is a large black woman trapped inside my body.” He proved it by singing “Think!” by Aretha Franklin. Steven Tyler called his version “Brilliant!” Jennifer Lopez said, “You definitely delivered at the end.” Randy referenced Adam’s “throwback vibe” saying, “Job well done!”

Deandre Brackensick

Deandre of the fly-away hair, who is only a senior in high school in San Jose, California, sang an “Earth, Wind and Fire” song and received rave reviews from Jennifer Lopez (“So perfect to me.”), Steven Tyler (“Good choice of songs.”) and Randy Jackson (“One of the most commercial voices we have this year. I’m pullin’ for you. Lovin’ you.”)

Aaron Marcellus

Wearing a hat and stalking the stage, Aaron sang a Jackson Five song, “Never Can Say Goodbye,” hitting an incredible high note at the end.

Joshua Ledet

This Louisiana boy sang “He Pulled Me Through,” a Jennifer Hudson song. Definitely one of the most vocally talented.

Phillip Phillips Last, but definitely not least, the Dave Matthews wannabe did a very different version of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” He was told by the judges, “There is no doubt that you are one of the most special talents that we found on the road.” Steven Tyler praised his performance as, “A really good job.” Randy said, “I love this guy. So unique for ‘American Idol.’”

Stay tuned to find out who America voted the six male “American Idol” finalists.

24 Contestants Are Selected As Semi-Finalists for Eleventh Season of “American Idol” on 2/23/2012

By Connie Wilson

On February 24, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

"American Idol" judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson.

The final twenty-four semi-finalists were selected on “American Idol” on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Las Vegas. Let the games begin! The twelve male semi-finalists will rise to thirteen as a final boy is selected from one of four contenders. A poll taken on my.hsj.org, asking which of the four potential male contestants deserved to be placed back in the competition, favored Johnny Keyser, with 41.1%. David Leathers, Jr., received 29.1% of the votes, Germaine Jones 23.6% and Richie Law—the arrogant cowboy-hatted bossy contestant—got only 6.1% of the vote.

Twelve Female Semi-Finalists
The twelve girls left in the competition are: Jessica Sanchez, Jen Hirsch, Hayley Johnsen, Elise Testone, Chelsea Sorrell, Baylie Brown, Brielle Von Hugel, Erika Van Pelt, Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine, Hollie Day and Shannon McGrane. It is no accident that I placed Jessica Sanchez’ name first in this list.
Twelve Male Semi-Finalists
The twelve male contestants selected, so far, are: Creighton Fraker, Joshua Ledet, Reed Grimm, Heejun Han, Colton Dixon, Phil Phillips, Deandre Braceknsick, Chase Likens, Aaron Marcellus, Jeremy Rosado, Adam Brock and Eben Frankewicz. Eben and Randy Leathers, Jr., were the last two to be notified and each looked like they were among the youngest, although Randy has a two-year advantage on the 15-year-old Eben. Randy was shown with his father, after he was cut, describing himself as “devastated” but saying Eben deserved a spot. I hope the poll mentioned above is wrong and either Randy or Germaine is placed back in the group. For that matter, I thought Neco Starr deserved to go on for the boys, and cutting 29-year-old Wendy Taylor was singled out by www.theclicker.today.msnbc as particularly brutal, since she will not be able to compete again. Wendy of Crosby, TX, sang in the group (with Mathene Treco and Lauren) “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and was quite good.
The two-hour program on Wednesday night dragged on and on as the same “bait-and-switch” tactic for delivering the good news was employed over and over again, reducing many of the stressed-out contestants to tears. I don’t believe I’ve seen so many male contestants in tears before this season. (Steven Tyler even said, “I like to see a grown man cry” when Adam Brock broke down on Thursday night’s program.)However, it is also true that the Korean-American contestant Heejun Han from Pittsburgh cries when he’s happy and cries when he’s sad. So, go figure.
Momma’s Boys
I also don’t remember a season when 26-year-old contestants like Reed Grimm were on their cell phones to Mommy quite so much, or when a gentle giant like Germaine Jones is shown devotedly telling viewers that he calls his mother “My Beautiful” and she calls him “My Handsome.” My only conclusion: this year, they don’t have as many truly tragic backstories of sickness or handicaps overcome.
Of course, the producers could simply be waiting to display all that pathos for the coming programs. (I have never seen such blatant tear-jerking maneuvers as those used by “Dancing with the Stars;” the “dedication” of each night’s dance to this or that cause gets to be a bit much.) Somehow, you expect a 15-year-old, like the very young Eben Frankewicz, to lean heavily on his parental units, but for those pushing thirty, it seems immature. Of course, with contestant Reed Grimm, (who sounds good if you don’t have to look at his weird presentation(s) and slinky-like dancing, what is “normal,” really? I, personally, like Dave Matthews wanna-be Phil Phillips, 21, of Leweesburg, PA, even though his voice may not be the best in the competition. That honor may go to Joshua Ledet from Louisiana, or even young Eben. I would not expect Jeremy Rosado or Deandre Brackensick of the long, wavy locks and the high falsetto to go very far.
“American Idol” vs. “The Voice”
Meanwhile, a flap has broken out on Ellen DeGeneres’ show over Randy Jackson’s supposed comment that “The Voice” was a show on which rejected contestants from “American Idol” go to compete again. Adam Levine did not take kindly to Randy’s off-the-cuff remark, saying, “Shame on Randy Jackson for saying that, because he, out of anybody, should know that if you’re in this business you need second, third, fourth and fifth chances. So, we love and embrace that being part of ‘The Voice.’…It was an irresponsible thing to say that.”
Randy Jackson immediately responded with a semi-apology, trying to clarify what he had meant, saying, “It’s all love. Adam is a friend of mine. He and I and Ryan (Seacrest) have hung out a zillion times. There is no disrespect…I’m just saying the difference in our show is new people. We try to find those.”
Since its 2002 launch, “American Idol” has been a ratings winner and it still beat “The Voice,” which pulled in 16.3 million viewers, 13% less than “American Idol.” “The Voice” is doing well for NBC, however, scoring second only to Sunday night football and attracting an audience that is slightly younger, with an average age of 43, while the average age for “Idol” viewers is 47.

“American Idol” Group Night Aimed to Appeal to New, Older Demographic

By Connie Wilson

On February 19, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

"American Idol" 2012 judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson.

AmIdol2012After many years of faithfully following “American Idol,” this year, for the first time, the group performances have been as polished as those from Hollywood. One-hundred hopefuls out of over 1,000 would-be singers formed groups in Las Vegas for the February 16, 2012, program, but, this time, the contestants sang on a big stage with costumes, props, choreography and bells and whistles that we usually don’t see until Hollywood. The goal: to whittle the troupe down to forty (forty-two fortunate souls were passed on).

Changing Audience

The young singers performed songs from the fifties and sixties. This may well be because the demographic watching the show has become older and more mainstream. Other programs, like “The Voice” and “The X-Factor,” have siphoned off the younger viewers, but “American Idol” is still doing fine with middle America.

Song Selections

Every group performed a professional rendition of a song that those who are older than twenty-one would know and remember. Examples: “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,” “Rockin’ Robin,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” “I Guess It Doesn’t Matter Any More,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “Sealed with a Kiss” and the Elvis anthem “Blue Suede Shoes.”

Standout Performers

There were some standout performers: David Leathers, who looks like an elementary school student, was outstanding. Reed Gramm, 26, from Wisconsin, who kept phoning home to talk to his mother on the last show, continued to please the judges, who were heard to mutter that he was “like Casey (Abrams).” Reed seems to be a crooner in the Michael Buble mold, but he’s better heard than seen.
The villain of the show has already been cast. He’s Richie Law, the cowboy wearing the hat and acting arrogant. Richie teamed with Jermaine Jones, a fine singer with a great voice but a bad lisp when he speaks. Both have deep bass voices like last year’s winner, Scotty McReery.
The camera consistently followed the Asian contestant Heejun Han from Flushing, New York, who has a very sweet tone to his voice, but who locked horns with the cowboy early on. Also in Heejun’s group was Neco Starr, whose lead vocals on “I Only Have Eyes for You” were great and Phil Phillips, who seems to have modeled his style on Dave Matthews.

There are too many good voices this year to start taking odds, but I was particularly impressed with 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez of California, whose group sang “Guess It Doesn’t Matter Any More” and with Joshua Ledet of Lakeview, Louisiana. The weird hair guy whose sister (Skylar) got cut is really starting to creep me out, so the less said about him, the better.

An Interview with Actor John C. Reilly at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival

By Connie Wilson

On October 14, 2011

In Reviews, Television

John C. Reilly

A conversation with actor John C. Reilly is like talking to an old friend. He comes across onscreen in films like “Cyrus” as such a good-hearted, ordinary, normal guy onscreen. After the conversation with Reilly, (which took place on Wednesday, October 12, 2011), the Chicago-born-and-bred DePaul graduate who grew up in the Marquette Park area of Chicago, the impression is that he is just as down-to-earth and nice off-screen as he is onscreen.

When asked what reminds him of Chicago, Reilly says his first impression from way-back-when is the color green, in the schools and neighborhood of his youth. The Marquette Park area was a rough neighborhood (“The old Chicago lumbering into the future”) where the interiors and exteriors of the Irish/Polish neighborhood under “Daley I” were always green in various shades. Reilly said, “Market Park was the only place that physically attacked the Reverend Martin Luther King, before he was assassinated. ..Market Park and Johannesburg had to be two of the most prejudiced places on the planet at that time.”

Reilly, born May 24, 1965, did not grow up a child of great privilege. His Irish father ran an industrial supply linen company and Reilly was one of six children born to his Lithuanian mother. He made his screen debut in Brian DePalma’s “Casualties of War” in 1989 and met his wife, Alison Dickey, an independent film producer whom he married in 1992, on that film. Thanks to the various Chicago programs provided for youth by the city of Chicago, he was able to participate in drama and improv classes beginning at age 8. Music was almost always involved. His later role in the musical “Chicago” would stem from those early experiences and Reilly was even Grammy-nominated for the song “Walk Hard,” which he wrote and performed in the comedy satire “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” In 2002, Reilly, a veteran of 50 films, was in 3 of the films nominated as Best Picture. He was also nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in the musical “Chicago.”

With John C. Reilly at the Chicago Film Festival.

At DePaul, early in his dramatic training, Reilly was cast as the male lead in “The Way of the World,” a Restoration-era comedy by William Congreve. He soon decided, “This is boring. Being the leading man is not all it’s cracked up to be.” His discovery that character actor parts were more interesting “informed a lot of my later parts.”

Asked about whether he felt he was “a spokesman for your generation,” Reilly said, “I never felt like a spokesman of my generation. I try to portray people who have layers of meaning that you can peel back and expose.”

Q: What was the most fun you ever had on a movie set?

A: “’Boogie Nights’ (1997) was the most fun. “The 1997 film where Reilly wrote and performed “Feel the Heat” and portrayed Reed Rothchild predates his partnership in comedies with Will Ferrell. (Of Ferrell, Reilly said, “Will’s America’s Sweetheart…what can I say?” He added that the two have an almost brotherly rapport and are trying to find the time to make a sequel to “Stepbrothers.”

In commenting on “Boogie Nights,” Reilly noted that large chunks of that Paul Thomas Anderson film were improvised. “Paul Anderson and I made 3 great movies together (“Hard Eight” in 1997; “Boogie Nights” in 1997; and “Magnolia” in 1999). “Paul Thomas Anderson has what a great director needs, which is (1) a great photographic eye (2) the ability to be good at motivating groups of people and (3) the ability to be really enthusiastic about the project.”

Actor John C. Reilly at the Chicago 47th International Film Festival.

When asked what actors or actresses he most wanted to work with, Reilly said that he has already worked with some of the best, including Meryl Streep and his current co-star, Tilda Swinton (“We Have to Talk About Kevin”). He suggested that he is more likely to select film projects based on directors with whom he wants to work, citing Terry Gilliam and the Coen Brothers as some on his “would like to work with” list.

Reilly also mentioned that he was recently asked to appear in “Carnage,” which is based on the French play “God of Carnage” that recently ran in Chicago. (The play is a dark comedy about 2 couples who meet to discuss the schoolyard fight that caused one boy to hit the other boy and knock his tooth out.)“I tried not to wet my pants when Roman Polanski called and asked me to do a movie,” said the humble Reilly.

Reilly said, “When I’m reading a script, I ask, is this how people talk?”(in helping him make a decision about whether to do a part.) “All a character can really control is the part he plays. Film is so much a director’s medium. You have to really focus on your part. I’m looking for stuff that’s different from what I’ve done before. You have to be careful what parts you choose. If you aren’t, you might find that you’ve created a big crappy snowball at the end of your life…An actor needs to try his best, show up every day with his best intentions. “

Asked whether there are any movies he is less fond of, Reilly noted, “I’ve seen them all. I’ve returned to the scene of the crime. You don’t put 6 months in and then don’t go see it. You can learn from even the ones you’re disappointed in. “Refusing to name any less-than-stellar roles, Reilly said, “It’s a miracle when one of them works. I’m not gonna’ kick a dog that’s down.”

Q: “How do you receive scripts now?”

After noting that the usual agent-to-actor filter applies, he joked, “They come by carrier pigeon now. If they are too heavy for the carrier pigeon to carry, then I don’t do it.”

Reilly is in an intense new independent film directed by Lynne Ramsay entitled “We Have to Talk About Kevin.” Ramsay, a 1995 graduate of the UK’s Film and Television School, had not done a film for 7 years. Reilly was interested in doing a film with Ramsay, the female British-born director of “Ratcatcher” and “Morvern Callar”), and sought her out. He found that Ramsay, as a director, knew exactly what she was wanted on set and would often call it a wrap after the first take

John C. Reilly’s advice to other would-be actors? “Be there. Be present. Listen and be enthusiastic. Notice what is going on between ‘Action’ and ‘Cut.’”

Colin Quinn in “Long Story Short” in Chicago at the Broadway Playhouse

By Connie Wilson

On August 26, 2011

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Reviews, Television

Chicago, IL, August 25, 2011 Colin Quinn, who spent 5 seasons as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” has brought his one-man show “Long Story Short” to Chicago from the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway and the Bleecker Street Theatre (Off-Broadway), where his one-man show played on August 25, 2011 at the Broadway Playhouse near Water Tower Place. The material involves a history of the world not unlike the one-man show Eddie Izzard used to perform (only not as funny) and is billed as “directed by Jerry Seinfeld,” a plot which has to help ticket sales. (There’s not a lot of Seinfeld-ian moments that show Jerry’s golden touch.) And, as noted by a different New York reviewer, Quinn, although a seasoned performer, seemed a bit uneasy on stage and did not interact well (or at all) with his audience.

Quinn always had a somewhat sarcastic personality on “SNL.” I don’t remember him doing much physical humor. His overview of the world, purporting to show how “the world has changed, but humankind has not” was improved by lighting designer Howell Binkley and production stage manager Daniel J. Kells, (among others.)

In other words, rather than come out onstage and stand there alone with a microphone, no props, and do jokes as most stand-up comics must, Quinn has chosen to perform amongst some prodigious props: a set that consists of an elaborate set of gold steps and pillars and a plasma screen that shows images of various countries and cities throughout history, which the comic then attempts to smoothly craft into a comedy routine. Covering all of history in 75 minutes can’t be easy. At the end of 75 minutes, I felt as though the reason the audience (which was on its feet) got no encore is that Quinn had no more material to share. And what about the material he did share?

Quinn had a few worthwhile one-liners, most of them courtesy of the Greeks. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” is followed up by “An examined life is not that interesting, either.” Timely comments about the stock market and the Greeks invention of theater follow. [To hear Quinn tell it, the Greeks only invented theater so that they could diss their neighbors with impunity; then their kids got hooked on it (television analogy)], which was followed by another classic rip-off: “I know now that I know nothing.” (Sophocles). [There’s no joke there, but that’s fairly representative of much of the show.

Yes, there are some funny throwaway one-liners and nobody knows how tough it is to write 75 minutes of onstage (or offstage) funny better than me (“Laughing through Life” is my latest book-length attempt at humor, and there’s an earlier book as well). So I’ll give him credit for making a good attempt, but I just kept thinking of Eddie Izzard’s brilliant HBO Special and, frankly, Eddie Izzard’s brilliant show is a hard act to follow by a less-talented mere mortal, who seems to be just a regular guy who likes to crack wise a lot and is not wearing attention-getting women’s clothing while delivering his set.

Quinn, a Catholic by birth, referenced going to Confession in a dark booth and likened it to “telling your secrets to a man who might have a poster of Justin Bieber on his wall.” He suggested that, given the Catholic Church’s recent troubles with pedophile priests, “They could lose the kneeling for a couple of years until things calm down.” At this point, Quinn was actually kneeling onstage. This foray into physical humor was atypical. Quinn isn’t really the kind of guy like the late great Richard Pryor or the current Dane Cook who does much physical humor. When he does, it seems rather forced and unnatural. It’s not his forte, and it showed, as when he referenced people who scratch themselves or poke you while you’re talking to them.

During the 75-minute act (no intermission), which began promptly at 7:30 p.m. and ended just as promptly at 9:00 p.m., with no encore, Quinn pretty much hit all of the past and present hot-spots in the world: Greek, Rome, Spain, England, Ireland, Israel (“Shalom means hello and good-bye because the Jews, wherever they go, get chased out immediately.” Made me wonder about Hawaiians, and “Aloha,” which also has that distinction). Holland, the Mayans, the Aztecs, Russia (“experts at perfecting depression”), Sudan, Canada (“Nobody wants to live there. There’s something about Canada that creeps people out. It’s like it’s 8 inches to the left. Even their national anthem is dismissive: “Oh, Canada.”)…Most of the world comes in for some comic jabs.

With lines (re the Australians) like “God bless those alcoholics…There are 6 planets closer to us than Australia is right now” and comparisons of the world today to a bar at 3:30 in the morning (“Iraq is in the parking lot. He says he has a gun. He’s talking shit!”) and ripping off those oh-so-hilarious Greeks time and time again (“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle), Quinn has woven a Cliff’s Notes, or, in this case, a Quinn’s Notes version of history that has its moments.

Just not enough of them.