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

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.

“The Devil’s Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier”: A Review

By Connie Wilson

On March 10, 2012

In Books, Reviews

Jason V. Brock.

The Devil’s Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier (Cycatrix Press), edited by Jason V. Brock and William F. Nolan, available in a limited-edition (52) deluxe hardcover version, signed and lettered editions and in 500 trade hardcovers is a treat on so many levels.

There are the stories, of course, from the likes of William F. Nolan, Melanie Tem, Jerry E. Airth, J. Brundage, James Robert Smith, Norman Corwin, Steve Rasnic Tem, Richard Christian Matheson, Earl Hamner, Jr., Sunni K. Brock, Nancy Kilpatrick, Paul J. Salamoff, Marc Scott Zicree, W.H. Pugmire and Maryanne K. Snyder, Richard Selzer, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Paul G. Bens, Jr. But there are also at least thirty fascinating illustrations to accompany the stories (not counting the headshots of the authors’ themselves).

Joe Hill.

With a Foreword by S.T. Joshi and a cover by award-winning artist Vincent Chong of the U.K., whose work has been used by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Stephen King and Joe Hill, this short story collection has a little something for everyone, beginning with Ramsey Campbell’s story “The Moons.” [One nice touch in the anthology is the paragraph that accompanies each story, so that we learn what inspired it, from the author’s point-of-view.]

Campbell, often referred to as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer,” tells us that he and his wife Jenny had gone to a nature reserve at Freshfield near Liverpool for a Sunday walk when the ranger at the gate mentioned that several youngsters were missing somewhere in the area. This inspired Ramsey to write a most intriguing story focusing on exactly that topic, but with the sinister Edgar Allan Poe-like mounting horror that readers have come to expect from this President of the British Fantasy Society and Society of Fantastic Films.

Jason V. Brock follows Campbell’s story with his own, “Object Lesson, “ which, for me, was one of the most powerful in the collection. Jason and I shared space within the anthology Butcher Knives & Body Counts, edited by Vince Liaguno, and we share a memory of the loss of a loved one, in this case, our fathers. The story is very touching. Jason relates that he wrote the first draft when only twelve. It took me immediately back to my father’s hospital room at the Mayo Clinic over Labor Day, when the oncologist told me to “take him home and make him comfortable,” as my father was days from dying from terminal liver cancer. A multi-talented writer, illustrator, filmmaker and musician, Jason’s wife, Sunni Brock, also shares a story with us in this anthology, one entitled “Dying to Forget.”

Dan O’Bannon’s “Invocation” is adapted from some of the now-deceased writer’s older works, found in boxes by Jason, Sunni and the author’s widow. Diane O’Bannon says, “The Brocks and I enjoyed reading it, and we hope you will, too.” Considering that O’Bannon was the screenwriter behind “Alien” and “Total Recall,” among others, this short piece stands as tribute to the man who passed away in late 2009.

John Shirley’s contribution, “Gunboat Whores,” has Wyatt Earp on a boat with ladies of the evening. Shirley shares that this is part of a novel and the product of a good deal of research that showed that young Wyatt Earp did, indeed, work on a gunboat similar to the one in the story.

William F. Nolan & Connie Wilson.

Follow Shirley’s story with William F. Nolan’s poetic turn on “Dread Voyage,” inspired by the epic “Aeneid.” Nolan is well known for all forms of fiction, including receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers’ Association in 2010. If you studied the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey,” as I did while a literature major at the University of Iowa, you’ll like this one, delving into Greek mythology and portraying Circe, daughter of the Sun who lived on the isle of Aeaea.

Original artwork from "The Devil's Coattails."

After Bill Nolan’s epic poem came one of my favorite stories in the entire anthology, “Best Friends.” Written by Melanie Tem. “Best Friends” is a ghost story…or is it? This short story deals with the undeniable pain that the loss of a long-time friend leaves. Not loss through death; loss while still living. “After all those years and all that work, I’d finally come to terms with the impossible and the outrageous and the unbearable and the then bone-deep truth that Michelle wasn’t my friend any more. My life had finally settled into its new architecture without her, the way a body can sometimes but not always do after terrible surgery. It only hurt when I pressed it, or breathed too deeply. Now, here she is again, and everything hurts.” Melanie nails this emotion so well, so tellingly. She describes “the long slow death of our friendship’ and its demise, saying, “I disciplined myself not to wish her ill.” When Melanie shares the fact that, “I used to torture myself by wondering if Michelle was keeping up with my life, too,” you nod your head in agreement if you’ve ever lost a friend to time, not death. When she says she is “determined not to let her interfere with my life again,” the reader applauds the author’s determination. But we know that, even more than the loss of her husband (because she shares this thought), the loss of a close female friend of many years can be even worse. At some point, this story of a friend who betrays you, a friend lost, a woman grieving for her lost female friend, becomes a ghost story. When it does, you will marvel at how well Melanie Tem has captured the inevitable pain that accompanies the loss of a decades-long friendship and has taken that pain to another level here. Bravo!

Jerry E. Airth, in “Night Food” makes you never want to encounter mosquitoes again. That may seem like short shrift, but you need to read this story, so I don’t have to think about it again (she said, shivering).

J. Brundage’s “Too Good to Be Human,” she shares, was originally written for a sophomore-level Creative Writing class. The story is part sci-fi, part horror and all weird. Even the author says, “Some of my classmates didn’t quite know what to make of such an odd story.” It’s definitely original! I loved it.

James Robert Smith’s “On the First Day,” following on the heels of the Brundage piece, ups the weird ante. But isn’t that we came for? Isn’t that what we want? Seven days trapped inside, waiting for…what? It’s not surprising that James Robert Smith’s novel “The Flock” was optioned by Don (“Transformers”) Murphy and John (“West Wing”) Wells via Warner Brothers. It’s that spooky. Smith calls it “a paranoid fantasy.” I call it riveting.

Norman Corwin follows with “Barrels Ready,” a short story that this 101-year-old author related as “a fond reminiscence of an event in my early days as a reporter.” Mr. Corwin passed away in October, 2011, but he worked productively till the end of his life and was nominated for an Oscar for his adaptation of “Lust for Life.”

Steve Rasnic Tem’s “Cattiwampus” is a piece filled with down-home dialogue. A past recipient of a Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards, he relates a story descended from an old Appalachian folk tale. (I related more to Melanie’s story of a lost female friendship, but there’s much to like here, too.)

Original Artwork: "The Devil's Coattails."

Richard Christian Matheson gives us perhaps the shortest piece, “Interrogation.” This piece proves that the element of surprise is not just useful for humor. A surprising reversal of expectations works in horror, as well. Matheson spans so many genres (novel, short stories, screenplays, musician) that this quirky piece is not unusual for a writer who has been a drummer for over thirty years and who also has worked with the UCLA Parapsychology Labs, investigating haunted houses and paranormal phenomenon.

“The Woods Colt” by Earl Hamner, Jr., explores the age-old longing of a boy for the approval and love of his father. “Nothing he had ever accomplished had been enough to earn his father’s approval…’Why does no one love me?’ he would ask himself. He reasoned that there was something wrong with him, that maybe he was not deserving of love, and so he remained distant from friends, an outsider, an alien.” Inspired by a house in disrepair, Earl Hamner, creator of “The Waltons,” reworks the age-old father-son dynamic to good effect here.

“Invisible” by Nancy Kilpatrick uses her experience(s) as a waitress in “Invisible.” Ghosts also abound in this story, but the waitress motif co-exists beautifully with the ghost theme.

Paul J. Salamoff follows Kilpatrick with a poem entitled “Can You Imagine…” It’s dedicated to the author’s children and muses about all the changes we’ve seen in technology since his children, Samantha and Ethan, were born. “The past was quite different, a bit out of sync, and from time to time you might pause to think.”

The works of Rod Serling inspired Rod Serling’s “After Twilight” by Marc Scott Zicree. It is a screenplay, dated “Spring, 2007.” (“Knife Through the Veil”) Playing around with the idea of Serling as a main character in something he called “Twilight Man,” he thought of combining the world of “Mad Men” with Serling’s world. A student of Serling’s who researched with off-the-record tape recordings Serling made when he taught at Sherwood Oaks College in California, there is much explanation of why “Knife Through the Veil” never made it to your television screens. And it’s a pity it didn’t.

“The Hidden Realm” by W.H. Pugmire & Maryanne K. Snyder write stories together and this one is a beauty. It is entirely apropos that their first published tale was the lead story in an issue of “Weird Tales” (“The House of Idiot Children”) and that their third will be published in S. T. Joshi’s “Weird Fiction Review.”

“Crimean Vespers” by Richard Selzer is set in 1895. It features a rather lengthy epilogue that describes his affection for Anton Chekhov and how Selzer, a surgeon and writer from Troy, New York, makes use of information from his medical career to flesh out his stories (no pun intended.) Selzer wanted to try to cement his spiritual kinship with Chekhov in writing “Crimean Vespers.” The story reminded me of classic Poe or Nathaniel Hawthorne, but Chekhov it is, because the author told me so.

Original artwork: "The Devil's Coattails."

“And Dream of Phaedian Fancies” by the prolific Gary A. Braunbeck is an interesting attempt to tell a story from different points of view, almost like “Seven Samurai.” It is also a script to accompany a film’s final cut. Braunbeck has the ability to describe things so clearly that you feel you are there experiencing them with him, the mark of the multiple Stoker-award-winning author he is. (6 Stokers, 3 Shocklines “Shocker” Awards, an International Horror Guild Award and a World Fantasy Award nomination). A bouquet of flowers lying on the steps of a porch sets off the story. One character (Gene) says, “What the hell good does any physical item do for the person who’s now dead?” A very creative, different format. Braunbeck, the author of “Coffin County” and “Far, Dark Fields” delivers as only he can in this short piece.

“If You Love Me” by Paul G. Bens, Jr. is that most horrible of things: a horror story that could, conceivably, be true. No paranormal beasts or ghosts from beyond. Just a simple story of love. “If you love me, you won’t die first,” says one gay lover to another. As Bens notes, so insightfully, “It is a powerful aphrodisiac to find so blatantly in another what is lacking in oneself, and, eventually, life moves on and you have to find your own way.” But negotiating the world of AIDS forces decisions on this gay couple that should never be faced by anyone.

Along the way, as you read the stories, enjoy the wonderful artwork, the insightful author comments, and find your own favorite stories. It’s a wonderful companion piece to The Bleeding Edge: Dark Barriers, Dark Frontiers. For me, Melanie Tems and Jason Brock touched me, probably because the themes of their stories had just resonated in my own life, but all were well-written, well-edited and beautifully illustrated.

Super Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 Versus Super Tuesday, 2008

By Connie Wilson

On March 7, 2012

In Politics

Mitt Romney in Davenport, IA.

Super Tuesday, 2012, is over. In a few ways, it was like Super Tuesday, 2008. There were more ways, however, in which it bore little resemblance to four years ago. For one thing, the enthusiasm in 2008 was at fever pitch. The Republican race is more like warmed-over left-overs. There are fewer contests this time, (none on the Democratic side), and the “winner-take-all” formula that helped McCain win the 1,144 votes needed for the Republican nomination has been changed in many states.

Romney Can’t Seal the Deal

The failure of Mitt Romney to decisively put away the states on the ballot on March 6, 2012, means that, much like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in 2008, this campaign will slog on to a far-off finish line. There aren’t too many big electoral vote states having contests until April.

Kansas is next on March 10. On March 13, Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii vote. Super Tuesday was Mitt Romney’s chance to pull away from the pack, especially upstart former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. He failed to do so. Now, Romney’s gearing up for a big campaign in Illinois on March 20.

Mitt carried Ohio, a must-win state, by only about 12,000 votes. This slim victory margin caused more concern than celebration. No Republican has ever won the nomination without taking Ohio. Romney also won Massachusetts, Vermont, Idaho and Virginia. (In Virginia, however, only Romney and Ron Paul were on the ballot.)

Newt Gingrich in Davenport, IA.

Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich carried his home state of Georgia, vowing (like Edwards before him) to fight on (although Edwards quit after Nevada) and Santorum racked up wins in North Dakota, Tennessee and Oklahoma. [Alaska—which seemed to be trending towards Romney—-was still out as of this writing.] Totals: 386 for Romney; 156 for Santorum; 85 for Gingrich; and 40 for Paul.

Romney/Santorum vs. Clinton/Obama in 2008

A CNN commentator said, “It was a slog. It took forever. His (Romney’s) negatives are shooting up because of all the negative campaign ads.” All agreed that Romney’s fundamental problem is that he cannot coalesce the Republican base. Said Donna Brazile on CNN, “I feel that is very weak.”

Compare Romney’s failure to win the hearts and minds of voters with the miracle in the cornfields of the Iowa caucuses that set Barack Obama on the path to the White House. With his first win in Iowa in 2008, there was talk of Obama’s “momentum in the Heartland.” This was especially sweet for Obama because, as described in the book Game Change, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Hillary Clinton decided to “double down” on Iowa.

She poured millions of additional dollars into the campaign. It was a political gamble with a huge upside, if she won. The downside was that Hillary burned through a lot of her campaign cash. If Hillary didn’t win in Iowa, a huge deficit faced her campaign in New Hampshire and beyond. Funding can hurt the lesser candidates (Paul, Gingrich), but Romney’s inability to close the deal may also hurt him. Santorum’s strong showings have swelled his war chest to $9 million.

Women Voters

Rick Santorum in Des Moines on Iowa caucus night.

One way in which 2008 and 2012 mirrored one another is that women voters went to the victor. Barack Obama took women voters away from Hillary Clinton in Iowa, but she came back in New Hampshire with her teary moment, won them back, and scored a victory there. Exit polls showed that this time women went for Romney over Santorum, 42% to 38% in Ohio.

Conclusion

Any way you analyze the results, Texas Governor Rick Perry was correct. He said, “This wasn’t a super night for anyone.” From now on, money woes could well plague those who did the least well.

Rush Limbaugh Goes Too Far in Sandra Fluke Fiasco

By Connie Wilson

On March 4, 2012

In Editorial, News, Politics

Rush Limbaugh & Sandra Fluke.

The big news on Saturday, March 3, 2012, was Rush Limbaugh’s belated apology to third year law student Sandra Fluke. Ms. Fluke was barred from testifying at the Senate’s health care hearings on women’s access to contraception. [Republican Darrell Issa of California called her “unqualified.”]

A panel of all-male others (including a male Catholic priest) were allowed to testify. This exclusion of Ms. Fluke prompted the Democrats to hold a forum where Ms. Fluke was allowed to tell her story of a friend whose struggle to secure birth control pills from Georgetown University (a Catholic institution) to prevent cysts took so long that medical complications cost her an ovary.

The attacks on Sandra Fluke started on the first day of Women’s History Month. Rush Limbaugh insulted and demeaned Ms. Fluke on his show for three full days. He called her “a slut” and “a prostitute” on day one. He moved on in the next two days to suggest that, if birth control pills were provided to female students, they should be required to post sexual videos online.

It is not the first controversy for Rush Limbaugh, whose antics provoked Senator Al Franken’s book Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot, in which he proved that Limbaugh did little fact-checking, preferring to broadcast inaccurate information if it would shock his audiences. Rush has mocked Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease and called Michelle Obama fat. He laughed at the Japanese earthquake disaster and made the outrageous statement soon after the 2008 presidential election, “I hope Obama fails.”

Limbaugh is not the only commentator who intends to provoke outrage. Bill O’Reilly often stirs things up. Bill Maher was taken to task for making fun of white men, (in the sexting scandal that involved Brett Favre.) Maher, on September 17, 2001, took on 9/11 saying, “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.” That remark cost Maher his ABC program, “Politically Incorrect.”

Perhaps the radio commentator most closely paralleling Limbaugh’s current brouhaha, however, is Don Imus, who was fired by CBS radio when he called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hoes.” Despite repeated apologies and a two-week suspension, Imus was fired.

CBS said, “In our meeting with concerned groups, there has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people..That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision.” The fact that Imus scorned “women of color trying to make their way in this society” did not escape comment by CBS, but the rest of the CBS remarks apply equally to Sandra Fluke.

On Facebook, Carbonite’s CEO, David Friend, said that Limbaugh had overstepped “any reasonable bounds of decency” and added, “No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady.” Carbonite canceled all current and future advertising on Limbaugh’s show.

Most apropos of all Imus comments, however, came from then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, back on April 11 of 2007: “…there’s nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude…It was a degrading comment. What we’ve been seeing around this country is this constant ratcheting up of a coarsening of the culture that all of us have to think about…Insults, humor that degrades women, humor that is based in racism and racial stereotypes isn’t fun. And the notion that somehow it’s cute or amusing, or a useful diversion, I think, is something that all of us have to recognize is just not the case. We all have First Amendment rights. And I am a Constitutional lawyer and strongly believe in free speech, but as a culture, we really have to do some soul-searching to think about what kind of toxic information we are feeding our kids.”

That was before Barack Obama became President Obama. President Barack Obama called Sandra Fluke to tell her that her parents should be proud of her (something Limbaugh had ridiculed on the air, saying, “Can you imagine, if you’re her parents, how proud you’d be?”)

Limbaugh’s defense?

In an apology on March 4 (after three days of attacks on Ms. Fluke) in which Limbaugh went totally off-topic ( “Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?”) Limbaugh said: “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choice.”

What Limbaugh doesn’t understand is that it’s not just his word choice, nor his insincerity in apologizing after three days of attacks. Rush Limbaugh insulted every female of child-bearing age in America with disregard for the truth and honesty of Ms. Fluke’s message. He insulted the mothers of America—all of us, regardless of age. It’s not Limbaugh’s word choice. It’s everything and everyone he ridicules, whether it is Michael J. Fox’s debilitating Parkinson’s disease or Michelle Obama’s weight (when a good long look in the mirror should tell him that mocking others’ weight is a bad idea.) It’s the lack of common human decency and mutual human respect.

Advertisers are defecting in droves from Limbaugh’s show. Perhaps, our long national nightmare will soon be over and Rush Limbaugh will be fired, as unlikely as that seems? As Bill Maher said, on September 18, 2006, after his own ill-timed remarks cost him his TV show, “And so, to anybody who gets fired like I did, my advice would be you never know—it could be a good thing. It really could.”

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.

The Color of Evil by Connie Corcoran-Wilson

By Connie Wilson

On February 23, 2012

In Uncategorized

“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.