American Idol - Weekly Wilson - Blog of Author Connie C. Wilson

american-idol-judges22 I can make this short and sweet, or long and drawn-out.

I am selecting short and sweet, which is not normally my style.

On the Wednesday, February 25, 2009, episode of “American Idol” two clear front-runners emerged. Actually, one of them, Adam Lambert from Hollywood, has been out front for the entire competition.

The other, Allison Iraheto, a 16-year-old nearly inarticulate redhead from Los Angeles, blew the socks off the other female competitors. While Allison was not that interesting in her interview segment, the judges heaped praise on her rendition of “Alone” by Heart, saying things like, “You just blew it out of the box. So now we’ve got real singing going on tonight” from Randy Jackson. Or, from Kara, “You don’t even know how good you are.” Paula said, “I think you can sing the telephone book. Congratulations, you did an incredible job.” Simon weighed in with “The competition just started right now.” Clad in a black sparkly strapless dress with a gray belt, the teen-ager reminded of Kelly Clarkson or Pink or any number of other singers who can belt it out, and her remark, tellingly, was, “I don’t even remember what happened.

So, who will the third member of the trio to “get through” be? I don’t know, but I would guess it will be either Megan Joy Corkrey (the girl with one tattooed arm), a 23-year-old Utah native; Matt Giraud, the talented 23-year-old piano bar Kalamazoo, Michigan native, who sang a Coldplay song from Viva La Vida, this year’s album of the year at the Grammies; or Kris Allen, also 23, from Conway, Arkansas, who sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”

The third winner will be the one who (m) the audience voters “like” best. Megan is very likeable, much like Brooke White on another season of “American Idol.” She has a daughter, Ryder, who is 8 years old, and the judges reacted well to Megan’s performance with comments like, “You did everything right” (Paula) to “You look gorgeous, but you oversang at the end.” (I agree with this assessment). Simon pronounced her “relevant, current,” comparing her to Duffy or Amy Winehouse, but said, “I just wish the vocals were a little bit better.” Kara DioGuardi called her “a package artist’ with a smoky jazz quality. If I were a betting woman, I’d bet on Megan Joy Corkrey, save for one factor.
Most of those voting seem to be teen-aged girls. Kris Allen is a very cute 23-year-old Conway, Arkansas boy and did a credible job with his song. Normally, he hides behind a guitar, but, this night, in a totally nondescript outfit consisting of a tee shirt and hair that seemed noticeably darker than when he auditioned previously, he received remarks like,” You showed confidence and personality. It’s very easy to forget someone like you.” Randy said, “Nice jump off, baby.” Only Kara felt that “This was just the wrong song…completely wrong.” Paula said, I’m gonna’ disagree (with Kara) completely. You nailed it.”

So, the vote is split on Kris Allen’s performance this night, but I wonder if teen-aged girls would rather vote for a cute boy than a cute girl?

I could go through the rest of the contestants and parse their performances, but suffice it to say that my original pronouncement that Jasmine Murray (age 17) looked a lot better than she was capable of singing turned out to be true with her rendition of “Love Song” by Sarah Morellis. Jeanine Vailes (age 28) sang a Maroon5 song while wearing short hot pants. It was off-key and the song is pretty monotonous, anyway. That remark summed up a lot of the selections, but not all. Jesse Langseth, age 26, from Minneapolis, Minnesota sang “Bette Davis Eyes” and did “okay” but Randy nailed it when he commented on the “five-note range” that this song and several others have, compared to Adam Lambert’s high notes on the Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Kai Kalama, singing “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” had pitch issues and his performance was panned as “corny, old-fashioned. Nothing distinct. Nothing original. Nothing memorable” (Simon) to Randy’s “Too safe.’ [His hair looked like the Arab guy from “Lost” had been electrocuted in a rainstorm; it was wild and out-of-control, but his singing was neither.]

I really must comment on the Jerry Lewis/Richard Simmons-like split personality of Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle. He sang, “I’m not going” from “Dreamgirls” while wearing white tails, Bermuda shorts, dark socks and tennis shoes. Ryan Seacrest commented, “That is the first time a contestant has gone to second base with our logo,” a reference to Norman/Nick’s shtick, where he hugged the “American Idol” logo and screeched his way through to the end of a very off-key, albeit humorous, performance. Nick/Norman belongs in a revamp of a Jerry Lewis comedy, not in a singing competition. Simon said it best when he commented, “I pray you do not go through to the next round.” Everyone agreed that Norman/Nick’s performance was funny, but, unless we are going to go the Sanjaya Hairdo-of-the-Night route, being funny usually doesn’t get you through to the twelve best singers in the competition. Comments: “Most atrocious horrific comedy. That was funny. At least we remember you. You wear the same shirt, like Simon, every week. You’re fun. You’re memorable.” He was compared to Olivia Newton-John, although I think Jerry Lewis and Richard Simmons are closer. If all of America is dying to laugh at someone for a few more weeks, then Norman/Nick can keep shrieking his way along, but it is quite obvious that he isn’t that great a singer. He could give lessons on how to become less inhibited.

Matt Breitzke, age 28, from Bixby, Oklahoma: “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. Breathy. Weird shirt with embroidery. Sweating bullets. No dancing ability whatsoever. Comments: “Boring. Didn’t suit you. An uncomfortable performance. I really like you, but I absolutely hated that song.” (Simon) It didn’t show you to be the great Matt we saw in Hollywood (Randy). “Not edgy enough. Fell really flat.” (Kara) Not going to be a welder joining the oil rig guy (Michael Sarver), from the looks of it.

Mishavonna Hensen, age 18, from Irvine, California sang “Drops of Jupiter,” another song that was bad, in that it showed little or no range. She wore an odd balloon-skirted outfit and Simon commented, “You act like a 50-year-old.”

I would point out that “American Idol” seems to “save the best for last.” They did last week, with Danny Gokey, and they did this week, with Adam Lambert. Lambert is a pro. He struts around like the spirit of Elvis has inhabited his soul. Some comments: “I don’t’ even have words. You’re in a league of your own.” (Paula) “Brilliant at times, but excruciatingly bad at times. Love it or hate it.” (Simon) “I loved it! One of the most current,” said Randy, citing “My Chemical Romance ” and Robert Tyler and the vampire from “Twilight” as some of the groups or individuals that Adam’s singing summons. Randy said, “Dude, it was the bomb!” Kara commented on the range that Adam showed, which was, indeed, a pleasant change from a night of mostly monotone songs.

Stay tuned for tomorrow night’s (February 26, Thursday, 2009) results.

I can make this short and sweet, or long and drawn-out.

I am selecting short and sweet, which is not normally my style.

On the Wednesday, February 25, 2009, episode of “American Idol” two clear front-runners emerged. Actually, one of them, Adam Lambert from Hollywood, has been out front for the entire competition.

The other, Allison Iraheto, a 16-year-old nearly inarticulate redhead from Los Angeles, blew the socks off the other female competitors. While Allison was not that interesting in her interview segment, the judges heaped praise on her rendition of “Alone” by Heart, saying things like, “You just blew it out of the box. So now we’ve got real singing going on tonight” from Randy Jackson. Or, from Kara, “You don’t even know how good you are.” Paula said, “I think you can sing the telephone book. Congratulations, you did an incredible job.” Simon weighed in with “The competition just started right now.” Clad in a black sparkly strapless dress with a gray belt, the teen-ager reminded of Kelly Clarkson or Pink or any number of other singers who can belt it out, and her remark, tellingly, was, “I don’t even remember what happened.

So, who will the third member of the trio to “get through” be? I don’t know, but I would guess it will be either Megan Joy Corkrey (the girl with one tattooed arm), a 23-year-old Utah native; Matt Giraud, the talented 23-year-old piano bar Kalamazoo, Michigan native, who sang a Coldplay song from Viva La Vida, this year’s album of the year at the Grammies; or Kris Allen, also 23, from Conway, Arkansas, who sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”

The third winner will be the one who (m) the audience voters “like” best. Megan is very likeable, much like Brooke White on another season of “American Idol.” She has a daughter, Ryder, who is 8 years old, and the judges reacted well to Megan’s performance with comments like, “You did everything right” (Paula) to “You look gorgeous, but you oversang at the end.” (I agree with this assessment). Simon pronounced her “relevant, current,” comparing her to Duffy or Amy Winehouse, but said, “I just wish the vocals were a little bit better.” Kara DioGuardi called her “a package artist’ with a smoky jazz quality. If I were a betting woman, I’d bet on Megan Joy Corkrey, save for one factor.
Most of those voting seem to be teen-aged girls. Kris Allen is a very cute 23-year-old Conway, Arkansas boy and did a credible job with his song. Normally, he hides behind a guitar, but, this night, in a totally nondescript outfit consisting of a tee shirt and hair that seemed noticeably darker than when he auditioned previously, he received remarks like,” You showed confidence and personality. It’s very easy to forget someone like you.” Randy said, “Nice jump off, baby.” Only Kara felt that “This was just the wrong song…completely wrong.” Paula said, I’m gonna’ disagree (with Kara) completely. You nailed it.”

So, the vote is split on Kris Allen’s performance this night, but I wonder if teen-aged girls would rather vote for a cute boy than a cute girl?

I could go through the rest of the contestants and parse their performances, but suffice it to say that my original pronouncement that Jasmine Murray (age 17) looked a lot better than she was capable of singing turned out to be true with her rendition of “Love Song” by Sarah Morellis. Jeanine Vailes (age 28) sang a Maroon5 song while wearing short hot pants. It was off-key and the song is pretty monotonous, anyway. That remark summed up a lot of the selections, but not all. Jesse Langseth, age 26, from Minneapolis, Minnesota sang “Bette Davis Eyes” and did “okay” but Randy nailed it when he commented on the “five-note range” that this song and several others have, compared to Adam Lambert’s high notes on the Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Kai Kalama, singing “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” had pitch issues and his performance was panned as “corny, old-fashioned. Nothing distinct. Nothing original. Nothing memorable” (Simon) to Randy’s “Too safe.’ [His hair looked like the Arab guy from “Lost” had been electrocuted in a rainstorm; it was wild and out-of-control, but his singing was neither.]

I really must comment on the Jerry Lewis/Richard Simmons-like split personality of Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle. He sang, “I’m not going” from “Dreamgirls” while wearing white tails, Bermuda shorts, dark socks and tennis shoes. Ryan Seacrest commented, “That is the first time a contestant has gone to second base with our logo,” a reference to Norman/Nick’s shtick, where he hugged the “American Idol” logo and screeched his way through to the end of a very off-key, albeit humorous, performance. Nick/Norman belongs in a revamp of a Jerry Lewis comedy, not in a singing competition. Simon said it best when he commented, “I pray you do not go through to the next round.” Everyone agreed that Norman/Nick’s performance was funny, but, unless we are going to go the Sanjaya Hairdo-of-the-Night route, being funny usually doesn’t get you through to the twelve best singers in the competition. Comments: “Most atrocious horrific comedy. That was funny. At least we remember you. You wear the same shirt, like Simon, every week. You’re fun. You’re memorable.” He was compared to Olivia Newton-John, although I think Jerry Lewis and Richard Simmons are closer. If all of America is dying to laugh at someone for a few more weeks, then Norman/Nick can keep shrieking his way along, but it is quite obvious that he isn’t that great a singer. He could give lessons on how to become less inhibited.

Matt Breitzke, age 28, from Bixby, Oklahoma: “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. Breathy. Weird shirt with embroidery. Sweating bullets. No dancing ability whatsoever. Comments: “Boring. Didn’t suit you. An uncomfortable performance. I really like you, but I absolutely hated that song.” (Simon) It didn’t show you to be the great Matt we saw in Hollywood (Randy). “Not edgy enough. Fell really flat.” (Kara) Not going to be a welder joining the oil rig guy (Michael Sarver), from the looks of it.

Mishavonna Hensen, age 18, from Irvine, California sang “Drops of Jupiter,” another song that was bad, in that it showed little or no range. She wore an odd balloon-skirted outfit and Simon commented, “You act like a 50-year-old.”

I would point out that “American Idol” seems to “save the best for last.” They did last week, with Danny Gokey, and they did this week, with Adam Lambert. Lambert is a pro. He struts around like the spirit of Elvis has inhabited his soul. Some comments: “I don’t’ even have words. You’re in a league of your own.” (Paula) “Brilliant at times, but excruciatingly bad at times. Love it or hate it.” (Simon) “I loved it! One of the most current,” said Randy, citing “My Chemical Romance ” and Robert Tyler and the vampire from “Twilight” as some of the groups or individuals that Adam’s singing summons. Randy said, “Dude, it was the bomb!” Kara commented on the range that Adam showed, which was, indeed, a pleasant change from a night of mostly monotone songs.

Stay tuned for tomorrow night’s results.

“American Idol” Loses Bikini Girl, but 75 Contestants Remain

By Connie Wilson

On February 5, 2009

In Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

The first night of Hell Week for “American Idol” contestants.

The first group I heard that seemed to really have it all together called themselves “White Chocolate” and consisted of India Morrison from Kansas City, Missouri and three guys: Justin Williams of Mesa, Arizona, Kris Allen of Conway, Arizona, and Matt Giraud of Kalamazoo, Michigan, all of whom were excellent. It was a Michael Jackson acappella scat-style tribute that was on key (Justin Williams actually is a voice teacher) and impressed the judges, setting the standard for the rest of group night. The bar was set high.

Maryhn Azoff, Austin Sisneros (Riverton, Utah), J.B. Ahfua, Taylorsville, Utah, Shelby Swartwood of Bountiful, Utah and Julissa Veloz of Orlando, Florida had the bad luck to be declared “an absolute mess.” The girls were done; the boys were put through.

Comments like, “I’m done with worrying about the group. I’ve got to worry about me,” came from Nancy Wilson, who seemed rather harsh in her desire to excel and turned out to not have “mad” vocal skills, after all. Her frustration was easy to empathize with, however, as her team began to fall apart.

Alex Wagner-Trugman of Studio City, California, and Ann Marie Boskovich of Nashville made it through; Ryan Pinkston (Boston, Massachusetts)—who, to be fair, had a very good voice— and Emily Wynn-Hughes of Los Angeles, California did not make the cut. Ryan sounded pretty good, of the four performing “Don’t Stop Thinkin’ About Tomorrow” (Bill Clinton’s campaign song), but the group wandered off-key and never found its way back to the true melody. Ryan did not take his rejection well, saying he felt “manipulated and assaulted” and declaring that he “saw an evil in her eyes” in reference to Paula Abdul. Personally, I was surprised that Emily made it through last night’s (February 3^rd) performance. She left tearfully, but not in a hostile way. After all, they cut David Osmond, too, so no one should feel that bad.

The group that sang “Some Kind of Wonderful” is another good one to watch: Jeremy Michael Sarver (the cowboy from the Jasper, Texas oilfields), Adam Lambert (the San Francisco standout), Matt Breitzke of Bixby, Oklahoma and Jesse Langseth (Minneapolis, Minnesota). “I loved it. “It was a hot performance.” “You’re an incredible singer.” “That was a terrific performance.” All good news for the “Some Kind of Wonderful” foursome.

Danny Gokey, the widower from Milwaukee, excelled, as he sang lead vocals, backed by Taylor Haifunu from Hurricane, Utah, Jamar Rogers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a blonde girl whose name I did not catch. (The Rainbow Coalition).

Rose Flack (blonde) didn’t make it and left saying, “I hated my group so much.” There were excuses from scoliosis in heels from Bikini Girl to “work ethic” issues. Lauren and Katrina got cut. Jasmine did survive her Diva experience, but just barely.

Simon, who said he needed a crateful of Advil, hurled “Horrible,” “useless” and other similar insults at the contestants. As Ryan Seacrest said, “Only the strong survive (d).” Tatiana Del Toro was pretty annoying as she flitted from group to group and attempted to scat her way to the next round. Her group triumphed and all went through as a group. As Seacrest said, “It’s all about Tatiana.” I thought I was watching a bad parody of Sally Fields’ acceptance speech for Norma Rae when she broke into tears and said, “You love me. You really love me,” a sensitive breakdown from which it has taken her years to recover.

“Team Compromise” did some praying, but, as one survivor of the group said, “Nathaniel was so intense that “it’s been very distracting.” Nathaniel Marshall was hilarious. Nancy Wilson of Miami, Florida, who had been trying to get the group to do her bidding all night during rehearsals, was lackluster. Blonde Kristin McNamara of Napa Valley, California will be around in future rounds and showed she had the chops to make it a long way in the competition.

I had a hard time deciding whether Bikini Girl, Tatiana the Terrible Hysteric, or Nathaniel, the Nervous Nelly was the most entertaining this night. [“I tried to make those girls get along. I don’t know what to do.”] A true drama queen, I did I not find it hard to believe that Nathaniel might not know much about controlling women who were at odds, as his team-mates Nancy and Kristin were on “Mercy” by Duffy. Seventy-five move on and try to make it in to the top thirty-six.

“American Idol” Cuts Field to 104 Contestants

By Connie Wilson

On February 3, 2009

In Pop Culture, Reviews

“We’ve seen drama before, but never like this.” The speaker? Ryan Seacrest. The event? Tuesday, February 3rd’s episode of “American Idol.” Nothing like a little hyperbole to get things rocking and rolling on the television show that has become our national obsession, which continues tomorrow night with group auditions.

The evening’s auditions put some truly outstanding singers through to the next round, such as Stephen Fowler of Beachwood and Jorge Nunez of Puerto Rico and David Osmond (son of Wayne Osmond, one of the Osmond Brothers until multiple sclerosis cut short his career). M.S. also threatens to cut short the career of his son, David, but, for the moment, David is looking and sounding like a star.

We, the audience, didn’t get to see and hear all of the talent…yet. For example, Adam Lambert, a standout from the San Francisco try-outs, was on for about 2 seconds as the program ended. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing quite a bit more of the handsome Lambert. If he can sing, that would be nice, too.

There were some funny moments on tonight’s show. Case in point: rocker Jackie Tohn of Silver Lake, California tells the camera that an attractive blonde girl standing near her is “my best friend for life” and then says, “What’s your name again?” while high-fiving Deanna, her new BFF.

There is footage of Ryan Seacrest makng out with the candidate dubbed “bikini girl: (real name, Katrina Darrell of Chino, California). Bikini Girl made it through, despite seemingly alienating both female judges and so did the kitschy Norman Gentle/Nick Mitchell, whose Richard Simmons-like schtick made him “ridiculous” and “hilarious,” according to Judges Randy (“You are hilarious.”) and Simon (“It’s just ridiculous.”) Norman/Nick’s schtick also led to an unintentionally hilarious gaffe from Paula Abdul, who said, “It would be very interesting to hear you sing a song all stripped down.” (No, Paula, I don’t think the at-home viewers are up to the task of watching candidate # 95437 “stripped down.” It’s bad enough as it is. Randy’s pronouncement that Norman/Nick “has skills” has not yet been put to the test. I’m inclined to agree with Simon, whose opinion was, “It’s just ridiculous.”

One individual who struck Simon as fairly “annoying” (#70090) was Von Smith of Greenwood, Missouri. Simon declared Von’s audition to be “indulgent nonsense, a horrible song, a horrible performance.” You almost wanted to say, “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?” when he got done trashing the contestant, who was then put through. (I doubt that he will last long if he doesn’t tone it down.) Von took it all with what seemed like humility, declaring “it is very humbling. I’ll have to work really hard because I really want this.” I feel that this is akin to saying to the leopard, “Lose the spots.” Von can sing, but he was annoying this night.

A few candidates were less-than-thrilled with the auditioning experience. Contestant # 34070 is seen and heard on camera saying, “I screwed myself over. I picked the wrong damn song.” The North Highlands, California fleet manager (age 29), Jeeno Valenzuela, having been cut, said, “I need to catch the first flight out of here and get to Sacramento and get back to work. I’m done with this.”

Erika Wesley of Oregon—who, I felt, got somewhat shortchanged when co-contestant Emily Wynn Hughes was passed on and she was not, although Emily had arguably done a better job…showed a great deal of determination and maturity in asking the judges to hear her out one last time. She was pulling out all the stops (“It’s my husband’s birthday.”) but it was all for naught. The judges were having none of it, and Erika was gone, for this year, anyway. She left In a mature way, which was nice for a change.

Emily, meanwhile, a tattooed pop rocker, sailed through on the strength of a song she did only so-so on, which she picked at the last minute, dumping the original song choice, “I put a spell on you.” The song title may explain why Emily is through and Erika, who was arguably better, is not. (Better luck next year, Erika!)

Contestant #36762, Jeremy Michael Sarver of Jasper, Texas, a good old country boy from the oil fields, made it through. I was not blown away by his audition, but the panel seemed to be.

We didn’t get to know enough about all of the contestants. Candidates like Scott McIntrye and Frankie Jordan (a new mom) and Alexis Grace, Brent Keece Smith, Anne Marie Boskoeicz were mere mentions, while Jamar Rogers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 26-year-old bartender, sang a Mamas and a Papas song that had the ironic lyric, “I’d be safe and warm, if I was in L.A.” Jamar is the main cheering squad for his Milwaukee friend Danny Gokey (age 28), who is a recent widower and sang a Seal song (“Kiss from a Rose”). For me, personally, neither one seemed to be the very best singers of those that were showcased, but we will only know by staying tuned for “American Idol.”

David Cook Bests David Archuleta in Surprise American Idol Final

By Connie Wilson

On May 22, 2008

In Music, Television

The vote is in for “American Idol” and the outcome is as surprising as the 2000 Presidential election (and, if you believe Archuleta’s voice coach, who is on the Internet saying “the fix is in,” possibly was just as legitimate.)

My good friend Pamela, an astute observer of the “American Idol” season, has very cogently argued that David Cook would win for some very good reasons. David Cook has the maturity that goes with his age advantage and, therefore, often seems more poised during interview opportunities. There is also the matter of David Archuleta’s meddling father, which finally culminated in the senior Archuleta being banned from the backstage area(s) of the show completely. (He cost the show money when he insisted that his son insert lyrics from a second song into the song David was to sing, even though he had been specifically warned not to do so.)

David Archuleta seemed to have the Big Mo, i.e., Momentum, working in his favor. However, having said that, David Cook took a big chance on the final night of competition with his Collective Soul choice, and, although Simon proclaimed the night a “Knockout” for David Archuleta, Cowell reneged on that comment on Results Night on Wednesday, apologizing to David Cook and admitting that, in rewatching the show, he might have been disrespectful to David Cook and have misspoken. (Earlier in the day, Cowell had predicted a win for Cook over Archuleta.)

Cowell (unlike my firm conviction that David Archuleta’s young fans would bring him home the win) had vacillated. I never vacillated in my belief that the younger of the two contestants had the best pipes, and I still feel that way. Having said that, I can understand why the show might prefer the older, more seasoned contestant with the gritty distinctive sound of a Daughtry. He’s not in high school and they don’t have to worry about meddling parents or tutors for the lad.

Having given my reasons for understanding the choice the show claims was made nationally, I’d like to recap the action of the night.

Opening: The final 12, all clad in white outfits, came out and sang “Get Ready ‘Cause Here I Come” with contestants from the show “So You Think You Can Dance” providing some dance moves. Up tempo. Interesting. Great to see the Final Twelve again.

Then, the Davids dueted on “Hero” by Chad Krueger. Truly enjoyable. David Archuleta sang harmony; David Cook sang melody.

Next up was a humorous bit advertising Mike Myers’ new film “The Love Guru.” The film also has a cameo by Stephen Colbert and Jessica Biel co-stars, but Myers was tonight’s big draw, constantly using MariskaHargitay as a greeting and mocking the Maharishi of the Beatles years. As Guru Piti, he suggested a shave for David Cook and gave out loopy advice to David Archuleta like “Make a boom boom in your pull-ups,” which seemed to have the younger David on the verge of outright laughter throughout the bit.

Syesha and Seal sang “I Have Been Waiting for You” while Ryan Seacrest said, “Your results are coming up in a …..well, nevermind,” as the show dragged on for a full two hours before winding down.

Jason Castro sang “Alleluia.” Two Escape Hybrid cars were gifted to the two finalists (keys handed to the happy contestants onstage.) All six of the final female contestants sang Donna Summer songs and Donna Summer herself descended the steps and sang with Syesha Mercado, the last girl standing. (“She Works Hard for Her Money,” “Hot Stuff”).

Carly Smithson and Michael Johns sang “The Letter”, while Jimmy Kimmel asked, “How much should I tip Sanjaya,” implying that Sanjaya was parking cars outside the Nokia Theater. (Shot of Sanjaya in the audience, laughing at the joke at his expense.)

Michael Johns and the other male contestants sang a medley of Bryan Adams songs, followed by Bryan Adams, himself, singing songs such as “Summer of ’69.”
David Cook sang “Sharp Dressed Man” with Z. Z. Topp, a great combination.

Brooke White sang “Teach the Children Well” with Graham Nash.

Ads using the Tom Cruise version of “Old Time Rock and Roll” from “Risky Business” utilized both of the Davids, recapping the famous scene where Cruise sang in his boxers in his living room. (Here, David Cook seemed to do a better job of recapping Cruise’s dance moves.)

The Jonas Brothers came out and sang a song. One Republic performed “Apologize” and David Archuleta joined the pianist/lead vocalist to good effect.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr., did a humorous skit with Gladys Knight that purported to show her early days of selecting the Pips. At one point, Jack Black ended up being depantsed. (Some may not know it, but Robert Downey, Jr., has an album of his own and was once asked to open for “Duran, Duran” on tour.)

Carrie Underwood sang “Last Name” and looked lovely in white.

George Michael emerged after a medley of his songs was sung (Michael Johns was particularly good here) and sang.

The judges commented, Paula burbling, “You two are truly amazing. It’s the start of the destinies of your careers.”

The vote was announced as having been 12 million votes more for David Cook than for David Archuleta, with something like 56 million for the winner and 44 million for the second place finisher.

I hesitate to use the term “loser.” If this season is anything like the other seasons, the “winner” will do less well than the “loser” overall (Taylor Hicks, anyone?). Daughtry only finished fourth, but is a bigger star than that year’s winner. Clay Aiken has a career on Broadway, while this is the first time most of us have seen Reuben Stoddard since his win over Aiken.

For my money, Archuleta “won” the final night’s competition, but the competition was not just decided on the basis of one night’s performing. Archuleta has an amazing voice and a great future, if Dad doesn’t get in the way. David Cook will now be promoted by the label that signs and promotes all “American Idol” winners and he is an interesting, innovative, poised performer. Neither is a dud, and both should do well.

Either way, it is going to be fun to watch both their careers unfold (And, for the record, I still don’t believe that George W. Bush won over Al Gore in Florida either, if anyone out there cares.)

David Archuleta Knocks Out David Cook on Final “American Idol”

By Connie Wilson

On May 20, 2008

In Movies, Television

David Archuleta nailed it tonight on “American Idol.” I’ve had an article up on my blog (www.weeklywilson.com) for days, now, saying that David Archuleta would become the next American Idol, but his superior, stellar performance tonight practically guarantees that outcome.

“Idol” used the boxing analogy to intrigue viewers, almost to the point of cheesiness, but that gimmick couldn’t detract from the wonderful performances of the two Davids, especially Archuleta.

The two finalists sang three rounds. Clive Davis picked the first round of songs. Davis selected “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” for David Cook to sing at the beginning of the competition, and it was arguably Cook’s best performance of the night. The U2 song fit his style and distinctively gritty vocal quality, and he made the most of it, although the sliding up to the final note that Judge Randy Jackson praised seemed unnecessary, to me, and detracted from the overall quality of Cook’s presentation.

David Archuleta’s first song was “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” an Elton John song, selected by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He sang it so well that, even though the judges had pronounced David Cook’s performance just prior as “phenomenal,” they said that David Archuleta’s singing was “beautiful, beautiful, stunning performance” (Paula Abdul) and “One of the best performances of this season.molten hot.” (Randy Jackson). Simon said that Round One had gone to Archuleta, and that pattern continued throughout Rounds Two and Three.

Round Two was a round given over to new songs composed especially for the night. David Archuleta’s song was just better than David Cook’s, as all the judges agreed. Archuleta’s lyrics, speaking of “staring through windows at my own reflection” was just a better song than “Reach Out for Something More”, which Cook tried.

The final round allowed the singers to either pick a brand-new song or one they had sung earlier in the season. Cook tried a new song from Collective Soul, but it paled by comparison to David Archuleta’s revisiting of “Imagine,” which he was, quite simply, brilliant on.

So, as I said on this blog and others days ago, this year’s American Idol will be David Archuleta.

Teddy Bear of Talent Will Take the Top Prize

By Connie Wilson

On May 18, 2008

In Music, Television

Nobody was surprised when Syesha Mercado went home, and nobody should be surprised when David Archuleta bests David Cook on Wednesday on “American Idol.”

Jason Castro, “the Loopster” Departs “American Idol” on May 7th

By Connie Wilson

On May 7, 2008

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

$Jason Castro, AKA \$

I’ve taken to calling Jason Castro “the loopster.” His loopy answers and attitude perhaps coincide well with his comment that “I’m a fun guy. I hope I can convey that to the American public.” After that video clip on the Wednesday night show, Jason is seen saying, “These are terrible answers.” He proves that his answers were, indeed, terrible, by saying (of the song from Andrew Lloyd Webber week), “I didn’t know a cat was singing it. Oh, boy!” Maybe a good idea to look into the origin of the song you are singing, from the musical “Cats!” which might have provided the Loopster with his first clue.

Earlier on May 7^th‘s “American Idol,” the four contestants remaining (David Archuleta, David Cook, Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro) were flown to Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel to see “Love,” the Beatles extravaganza on a private jet. Jason is shown reclining on a bed in the back of the private plane saying something about how it is so cool. (spelled “kewl,” in the Loopster’s case).

A large portion of the show was taken up with callers, ranging from 24-year-old Emily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who asked David Cook out on a date when the “American Idol” tour hits her town (David said, “We’ll see.” My mom always said that when she meant no.) to 45-year-old Marla who told Simon Cowell he was “sexy and intriguing” and should be “the next James Bond.”

The performing group for the night was “Maroon Five,” and the soloist who returned to “American Idol” from a previous year’s competition was Bo Bice, who announced that he and his wife are having (or have?) a new son.

The Loopster got in a few good lines before departing. As Ryan Seacrest introduced him as having sung “most of Tambourine Man,” he said, “Somebody told me I shot the Tambourine Man,” (a reference to the two songs he selected on Rock & Roll Week, “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.”)

Jason seemed genuinely glad to be leaving and left with the comment that he thought “My inexperience has just been coming through” and “Dreams do come true, so dream big.”

David Archuleta Emerges as Frontrunner After May 6th “Idol”

By Connie Wilson

On May 7, 2008

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

David Archuleta Emerges As Clear Front-Runner After May 6^th “Idol”

Not that this will surprise anyone, but David Archuleta has to be considered the front-runner after all three judges praised his vocal prowess and he blew away the competition with his renditions of “Love Me Tender” and “Stand By Me” during Rock & Roll Hall of Fame week. The big loser: the dreadlocked Jason Castro, who forgot the words to Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” looked as awful as usual, and earned, from Simon this succinct review: “Jason, I’d pack your suitcase.” (Ouch!)

Most of us have been saying, “Jason, pack your suitcase for weeks now, so the Castro kid is beginning to remind a bit of that lesser talent, Sanjia Malakar, who consistently made it through after inferior performances. His gimmick: his hair. I’d think about a haircut, were I Jason, but, failing that, at least get Bob Marley’s music right. Simon summed up his performance of Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” as “utterly atrocious” and something that was more like the open auditions days, not the final four. The ending of the “Mr. Tambourine Man” song sounded horrible, the guitar Jason clutched seem to really be just a prop, and from his breathy opening to his weak close, Jason was outclasses. The lyric he sang that applies? “If I am guilty, I will pay.” He was definitely guilty of all the above, and I have a feeling he will pay.

Most improved of the four remaining performers, as was the case last week, was Syesha Mercado, who came out and did “Proud Mary” proud, followed by Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna’ Come.” Randy reduced Syesha to tears by brusquely criticizing her red-hot vocals, and Ryan Seacrest got a laugh by saying, “Well, Randy. Thanks for the buzz kill.” When Randy attempted to explain his overly harsh criticism of one of the night’s outstanding performers and two of the night’s most consistently good performances (2^nd only to David Archuleta’s), Seacrest cut him off, saying, “We’re running out of time. ‘Hell’s Kitchen”s gonna start.”

David Cook performed his first song, Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” to criticism from Randy (“Just an OK choice”) that was echoed by the others, and, later, said he agreed with the judges and would wipe the memory of his first song away by performing more strongly on his second song, which, unfortunately, was a Who song that, aside from it use on “C.S.I.” episodes, is not that big a crowd-pleaser and ended with the words “Teenage waste” or “Teen waste,” hardly an uplifting image.

For me, there was no stronger performer for the evening than the other David (Archuleta), followed by Syesha, David Cook and…last and certainly least, Jason Castro, who has overstayed his welcome and should have been gone long before Carly Smithson, Michael Johns and/or Brooke White.

Lament for the Lovely Brooke White

By Connie Wilson

On May 1, 2008

In Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Oh, woe to all the “Idol” fans

Who cheered for poor Brooke White

She’s voted off.

She’s gone for good.

It just was not her night.

It really was a sad departure;

Tears did freely flow.

But when all was said and done,

It was time for her to go.

You can forget your words on one occasion,

Maybe even twice,

But when you do it three times running

You’re gone,— although you’re “nice.”

So good luck, Brooke.

Your hair did shine,

Your smile was great as well.

But lousing up those lyrics, Girl,

It made them sound like hell.

The Davids Stay On Top on April 29th’s “American Idol”

By Connie Wilson

On April 30, 2008

In Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

$The \"American Idols\" Davids, Cook & Archuleta$ Jason Castro and Brooke White Struggle with their Selections…

Jason Castro drew the short stick, apparently, on April 29^th‘s “American Idol” show featuring songs written by Neil Diamond and had to sing first. Since Jason always seems as though the next word out of his mouth is going to be “duh,” he performed “just OK” according to Randy, and his renditions of “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “September Morn” were proclaimed to be “definitely not the best,” “safe,” and “you struggled through both songs”(Simon). To me, Jason’s performance this week seemed to be more of the same: light, insipid, wimpy, and inferior to either of the other boys remaining or, on this night, one of the two worst performers. His fan club may feel differently.

Up second was David Cook, who, as usual, sang unknown songs, specifically “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Know Is You.” He did a good job and the judges seemed pleased. One of them even went so far as to say that he/she was “looking at the American Idol,” but that seems a bit premature. As for me, I’d like to hear a song I might recognize, but David was his usual confident self, and, in that regard, he should sail on.

Third came Brooke White, who sang “I’m a Believer” (which Simon pronounced “a nightmare”) and “I Am, I Said,” which brought faint praise from Simon when he said it was “a million times better than the first song.” Paula said, “Nice job,” and Brooke also accompanied herself (piano, guitar). Paula commented, “Everyone loves who you are,” which, while true, is not necessarily supposed to be what wins the competition. Brooke, for my money, was one of the two weakest performers of the night, but the “lovability” factor may keep her in as the last female standing, when Syesha did a superior job, vocally and in every other regard…although Simon “dissed” her efforts.

Fourth up was David Archuleta, who sang “Sweet Caroline” and “America.” The latter choice of songs was the smartest since the C&W songstress sang Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ditty. David, clad in a black-and-white horizontally striped shirt that kept me thinking of the “Peanuts” comic strip, turned in another thoroughly professional performance, and the audience reaction was far and away the most enthusiastic, keeping him firmly in first place, in my mind.

Last…but not least on this night…was Syesha, who sang “Hello” and did a very nice job, with her hair down, barefoot and going up for a great last note. Syesha is doing something down and long with her hair that is a vast improvement, and her dress was lovely. She sang and looked the best of the girls, but her fan club seems smaller than the less-vocally-talented Brooke White (Brooke’s range, which is not great, really showed up on her song selections this night, while Syesha hit some high notes and was a real diva.

So, predictions? Let me just say that, in order of, “Who was best on April 29^th?” I would praise the Davids (Archuleta and Cook, in that order) as Numbers One and Two, and finish up with Syesha in third place, Jason in fourth, and Brooke in last place, vocally, but it is quite apparent that the best singer also has to be the Most Popular, and, if that is the case, I fear that Syesha has begun displaying her personality too late in the game to overcome her earlier lackluster presentations.

As far as justice…of which there has been little this season…either Jason or Brooke should leave the group on Wednesday when the numbers drop from five to four, but the popularity polls seem to favor the Davids, Jason and Brooke, not necessarily in that order, so talent may well not be rewarded as the competition loses yet another contestant on Wednesday, April 30^th.