Last week on Glee, Santana (Naya Rivera) was in a funk trying to figure out where her life will take her. Cue a little inspiration from roommates Rachel (Emmy nominee Lea Michelle) and Kurt (Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer) who were helping Kurt’s boss (Emmy and Golden Globe winner and guest star Sarah Jessica Parker) run a benefit gala for the New York ballet. They enlisted Santana’s help and it sparked her childhood dreams of being a ballerina again. The four also performed a brilliant number from the Tony winning classic musical A Chorus Line. They did the signature “At the Ballet” number and it was so good, I had to share it with you again. Check out Glee going to the ballet below and watch this week’s Glee with guest star Kate Hudson as they take on the songs of Stevie Wonder this Thursday on Fox.
Tonight American Idol brought back the incredibly overdone theme of the music of Motown. However, they gave it a tiny twist saying it was music of Motown and any artist from the Motor City (i.e.: Detroit). That’s how we got a Madonna duet to go along with a ton of Stevie Wonder. I have to say the show was pretty good for the most part and I enjoyed Smokey Robinson as a mentor…. However, it became even more painfully clear that one contestant must go home while another rose to the occasion and could land a place in the top three. So just who did what and where do they land on my rankings? Check out my quick wrap rankings for all the performances and my predictions below.
American Idol Rankings 3/27/13~
SOLOS: 1. Amber: with a glorious vocal on Stevie Wonder’s “Lately”, Amber took no prisoners and LET ME HAVE IT! She better be winning some new fans after that one. Simply brilliant. 2. Janelle: with a wonderful re-working of the Supremes’ classic “You Keep Me Hanging On”, Janelle arguably had the “moment” of the night. What on Earth Nicki was complaining about afterwards was beyond me. (Um, seriously Nicki is just annoying now, but that’s a side note.) Janelle’s angst-filled countrified version of the song was great and I may even have to get it on iTunes. 3. Candice: with another great performance, Candice just makes it look too easy. Her take on “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” had a nice contemporary feel and was lush and sexy. Well done! 4. Kree: taking on an Aretha Franklin song I’m only slightly familiar with (“Don’t Play that Song”), Kree did her usual exemplary job. She’s a consummate professional and I think the one who has the best chance to win it all. Another solid performance. 5. Devin: giving the usual best male vocal of the night, Devin did a lovely job on “The Tracks of My Tears”. He even loosened up a little and has some great style. Now if he can just connect emotionally a bit more, he might have a fighting chance in this race. 6. Burnell: um, Burnell’s take on “My Cherie Amour” was way better than I thought it was gonna be, but that’s not saying too much. He does have a great tone, but the whole thing was pretty boring. 7. Angie: I have no idea what the hell that stink bomb Angie just laid on stage was but it was pretty awful. I appreciate that she tried to rock out to “Shop Around” but it did not work at all. It felt forced, was off pitch, a bit desperate and just wrong. However, her hair looked fabulous! 8. Lazaro: um, this take on “For Once in My Life” was easily his best performance since the first week in the top 40. That said, it was still blah and pretty bad. Enough already.
Duos/Trios: 1. Amber/Angie/Candice “I’m Going to Make You Love Me”: um, that was pretty darn flawless~ especially for Candice and Amber. 2. Janelle/Kree “Like A Prayer”: this was just aight for me. Kree did outsing Janelle by a mile, but it was decent overall for both ladies. 3. Burnell/Devin/Lazaro “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch”: for once I agree with crazy Nicki. That was absolutely horrifyingly bad. And look at the boys throwing each other under the bus. Um, sorry it was all Lazaro’s fault and Burnell did no favors to the song either. At least Devin tried to save it and remembered his words, but damn that was terrible.
Bottom 3: Angie, Devin, Lazaro (yes, I’m throwing Angie in there… that may be crazy, but hey will it really be all three guys?) Bottom 2: Devin, Lazaro Going Home: Devin (unfortunately, the pity party-excuse making-annoying contestant and resident Senjaya of the season, Lazaro, will probably make it one more week~ blargh!)
So, did Detroit City rock for you? Or did it just make you roll… your eyes? … All I know is that Amber should finally be safe and Janelle is upping her game. But is it lights out for Devin or will people finally come to their senses and send the unprofessional whiner who can’t find a pitch if you paid him, Lazaro, home instead? Sound off below and tune into the American Idol results show tomorrow night on Fox.
Teen sensation Justin Bieber may have been the big winner at last night’s American Music Awards taking home 3 trophies, but the true victor from the show was P!nk with an astounding performance of her new single “Try”. In fact, pretty much everything from the show was a bit forgettable when compared with P!nk’s gorgeous moving and intense performance. With that said, take a look at my rankings of all the performances below. And can we please stop with all the lip synching? It was an atrocious lip synched mess for like 70% of the “singers” last night! .. As for the winners, a rather annoying Bieber took home Artist of the Year, Male Artist and Pop Album and he really needs to learn how to make an acceptance speech and get a sense of humor. A sense of humor would also help Taylor Swift, a winner for Country female, whose fake humility and incredibly irritating persona is grating on mine and a lot of other people’s nerves (and don’t get me started on that horrible performance)… Other big winners included Nicki Minaj with two awards and one apiece for Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Adele, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Usher, Beyonce and Best New Artist Carly Rae Jepsen… For more on my take on the show and the winners, check out my twitter feed from last night here. (Yes, I live twatted the whole show!)…. And take a gander at all the winners below.
2012 American Music Award Winners:
Artist of the year: Justin Bieber
New artist of the year: Carly Rae Jepsen
Pop/rock female artist: Katy Perry
Pop/rock male artist: Justin Bieber
Pop/rock band, duo or group: Maroon 5
Pop/rock album: Justin Bieber, Believe
Country female artist: Taylor Swift
Country male artist: Luke Bryan
Country band, duo or group: Lady Antebellum
Country album: Carrie Underwood, Blown Away
Rap/hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
Rap/hip-hop album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Soul/R&B female artist: Beyonce
Soul/R&B male artist: Usher
Soul/R&B album: Rihanna, Talk That Talk
Alternative rock artist: Linkin Park
Adult contemporary artist: Adele
Latin artist: Shakira
Contemporary inspirational artist: tobyMac
Electronic dance music artist: David Guetta
Ranking the AMA Performances~
1. P!nk “Try”: this performance was simply stunning as P!nk married lyrical contemporary choreography and gorgeous emotional vocals to perfection in a duo with dancer Colt Prattes. It really defies words. Take a look below. Amazing. Grade: A+ 2. Kelly Clarkson “Miss Independent/Since U Been Gone/Stronger/Catch My Breath”: with arguably the best vocal of the night, Clarkson paid homage to her American Idol roots and gave a flawless and fantastically fun performance. Now, that is how you sing LIVE people! Grade: A 3. Stevie Wonder “Dick Clark Tribute”: there’s a reason he’s a legend people and he proved it again… and he werrrrrked some serious purple to boot! Grade: A- 4. Linkin Park “Burn It Down”: giving you early 2000′s realness and a rocking good time, Linkin Park brought intense energy and precision to their industrial rap rock fusion hit. Grade: A- 5. No Doubt “Looking Hot”: they’ve still go it! Gwen is definitely still hot. Adrian is still crazy and Tony still looks stoned. Grade: B+ 6. Carrie Underwood “Two Black Cadillacs”: despite a little pitchy start, Underwood nailed the rest of her delightfully dark and dramatic single. Grade: B+ 7. Psy with Hammer “Gangnam Style/2 Legit 2 Quit”: there is no escaping the Korean Macarena and you know you loved it when Hammer showed up for a mashup of these dance hits… However, billing Hammer as an “international superstar” was a big much AMA’s… It’s not 1991. I’m just saying…. Grade: B 8. Justin Bieber “As Long As You Love Me”: I don’t know about you but I was shocked at how good and surprisingly authentic this acoustic performance was. It was easily the best thing I’ve ever seen him do. Grade: B 9. The Wanted “I Found You”: the hotter British boy band (sorry One Direction) actually sang live for most of the song and I’m kinda sucker for their rocking Ibiza dance party vibe. Grade: B 10. Christina Aguilera “Lotus/Army of Me/Let There Be Love”: Ok, the lip synched “Lotus” beginning was bad, but the let your freak fly positivity message was great. Plus she can wail like no other. It was just a bit of too much overall though. Grade: B- 11. Pitbull “Don’t Stop the Party: Ptibull is a fantastic performer and this generic but incredibly infectious song got everyone on their feet. However, did you really need to lip synch too Pit? Um, you’re rapping! Automatic point deduction. Grade: C+ 12. Usher “Numb/Cant Stop Wont Stop/Medley”: it was a half sung/half lip synched vogueing laser show with a treadmill! He literally threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Grade: C+ 13. Ke$ha “Die Young”: It was Game of Thrones meets Day of the Dead with a touch of Stomp at a gay circuit party. Oh, and another lip synched, but it was fun. Grade: C 14. Carly Rae Jepsen “This Kiss/Call Me Maybe”: it was fun but forgetful and this girl really needs to learn how to lip synch for her life. Grade: C- 15. Justin Bieber w/Nicki Minaj “Beauty and a Beat”: it was a second-rate wannabe NSYNC number, that was lip synced to boot. And Bieber looked rather tired. He is no JT people! Grade: C- 16. Nicki Minaj “Freedom”: here’s something I never thought I’d say about a Nicki Minaj performance~ that was BORING. Seriously boring and lip synched to boot. I had more fun staring at her Staypuff Marshmellow man meets Mariah Carey Christmas costume outfit. Grade: D+ 17. Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”: this was atrocious! It was a lip synched crapfest that stole from everyone including Madonna (“Vogue” at the VMAs), the Backstreet Boys (the “Everybody” video), Annie Lennox (the “Walking on Broken Glass” video) not to mention Gaga and Rihanna and more. Just belch. And Taylor would you please admit you’re not a country artist for once? That song is total pop meets dub step. Grade: D- 18. Swiss Beatz/douchebag Chris Brown/Ludacris performance: in a word, AWFUL. Grade: F
To end on a positive note, here are my two favorite performances. Enjoy the astounding P!nk and the fabulous Kelly Clarkson.
We lost the woman who many would agree had the best voice in the history of pop music earlier this year with the passing of the iconic Grammy winning Whitney Houston. The singer, actress, producer, and mother to Bobbi Kristina left us far to soon, but she also left a body of work that is simply sensational. And on November 13th, you can celebrate “The Voice” with the release of I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, a new greatest hits collection. This one will include her 11 # 1 Hot 100 chart toppers (including her record-breaking 7 consecutive # 1′s) plus several top ten smashes and two new recordings. The first is a duet version of her hit “I Look to You” with the song’s writer R.Kelly and the second is a never before released single from the 90′s entitled “Never Give Up”. I’m especially excited for the latter song, and you can hear her new duet below…. The album will be released in a single disc version and a deluxe set. Check out the track list for both albums below and celebrate Whitney on November 13th and watch for her the dvd of her final film Sparkle to hit stores at the end of the year.
I WIll Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston
1. You Give Good Love
2. Saving All My Love For You
3. How Will I Know? [Remastered]
4. Greatest Love Of All
5. I Wanna Dance With Somebody [Remastered]
6. Didn’t We Almost Have It All?
7. So Emotional [Remastered]
8. Where Do Broken Hearts Go?
9. I’m Your Baby Tonight
10. All The Man That I Need
11. I Will Always Love You
12. I’m Every Woman
13. I Have Nothing [Remastered]
14. Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
15. I Believe In You And Me [Film Version]
16. My Love Is Your Love
17. I Look To You (With R. Kelly)
18. Never Give Up (Unreleased Song)
Deluxe Version (2nd disc)
1. Love Will Save The Day
2. One Moment In Time [Remastered]
3. It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be (With Aretha Franklin)
4. My Name Is Not Susan
5. I Belong To You
6. Run To You
7. Queen Of The Night [Radio Edit]
8. Count On Me (With CeCe Winans)
9. Step By Step
10. It’s Not Right But It’s Okay
11. I Learned From The Best
12. If I Told You That
13. Heartbreak Hotel (Featuring Kelly Price & Faith Evans)
14. Million Dollar Bill
And here’s her new duet version of “I Look to You” with R. Kelly
* And here’s some interesting tidbits… Hit songs missing from both versions of I Will Always Love You include “Hold Me” (her hit debut duet with Teddy Pendergrass), “Miracle” (a # 9 hit from 1991), her iconic top ten hit version of “The Star Spangled Banner”, “When You Believe” (her Oscar-winning hit duet with Mariah Carey), “We Didn’t Know” (her R&B hit duet with Stevie Wonder),”Why Does It Hurt So Bad?” (her top 30 hit from Waiting to Exhale), “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” (her comeback anthem and the remix was a # 1 dance hit) and no songs from her 2002 album Just Whitney.
Last night’s Billboard Awardsaired on ABC, but there was a whole lot of Fox going on as three previous winners of American Idol stole the show. Those three women Grammy winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood and Grammy nominee Jordin Sparks all gave astounding performances that made everyone else look pretty silly. Kelly did her amazing new single “Dark Side” and it was simply a gorgeous vocal (and she looked wonderful too) while Carrie threw down the gauntlet with a soaring version of her next single “Blown Away”. However, I actually think the best performance of the night belonged to Sparks who tackled the late great Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You” in a special tribute to her. It was beautiful, powerful and emotional and a fitting tribute to this brilliant lost singer who Sparks will costar with in her final film this summer, Sparkle.
There were other performances of course and I will rank them below, but the night was also about awards as Billboard handed out trophies for the biggest hits, albums and artists of the past year. Adele (who was conspicuously absent and thus all of her wins were off camera) was the big winner with 12 awards including Artist and Album of the Year. LMFAO grabbed 6 awards while Coldplay nabbed 4. For more on the awards show which also featured tributes to Stevie Wonder and the recently passed Queen of Disco Donna Summer and all the winners, head to Billboard here. And check out all the winners below.
2012 Billboard Music Award Winners~
ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist: Adele
Top New Artist: Wiz Khalifa
Top Male Artist: Lil Wayne
Top Female Artist: Adele
Top Duo/Group: – LMFAO
Top Billboard 200 Artist: Adele
Top Hot 100 Artist: Adele
Top Digital Songs Artist: – Adele
Top Radio Songs Artist: – Adele
Top Touring Artist – U2
Top Social Artist: – Justin Bieber
Top Streaming Artist: – Rihanna
Top Digital Media Artist – Adele
Top Pop Artist: – Adele
Top R&B Artist: – Chris Brown
Top Rap Artist: – Lil Wayne
Top Country Artist: – Lady Antebellum
Top Rock Artist: – Coldplay
Top Alternative Artist: – Coldplay
Top Latin Artist – Shakira
Top Dance Artist – Lady Gaga
Top Christian Artist – Casting Crowns
ALBUMS AWARDS:
Top Billboard 200 Album: – Adele “21”
Top Pop Album – Adele “21”
Top R&B Album – Beyonce “4”
Top Rap Album: – Lil Wayne “Tha Carter IV”
Top Country Album: – Jason Aldean “My Kinda Party”
Top Rock Album: – Coldplay “Mylo Xyloto”
Top Alternative Album: – Coldplay “Mylo Xyloto”
Top Latin Album: -Romeo Santos “Formula: Vol. 1″
Top Dance Album: – Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
Top Christian Album: – Casting Crowns “Come To The Well”
SONG AWARDS:
Top Hot 100 Song: – LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
Top Digital Song : – LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
Top Radio Song: – Pitbull Feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer “Give Me Everything”
Top Streaming Song (Audio): – Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
Top Streaming Song (Video): – Nicki Minaj “Super Bass”
Top Pop Song: – LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
Top R&B Song: – Kelly Rowland Feat. Lil Wayne “Motivation”
Top Rap Song: – LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
Top Country Song: – Jason Aldean “Dirt Road Anthem”
Top Rock Song: – Foster The People “Pumped Up Kicks”
Top Alternative Song: – Adele “Rolling In The Deep”
Top Latin Song: – Don Omar & Lucenzo “Danza Kuduro”
Top Dance Song: – LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
Top Christian Song: – Laura Story “Blessings”
Ranking the 2012 Billboard Award Performances: ~ the great 1. Jordin Sparks- “I Will Always Love You”: brilliant and heartbreaking
3. Kelly Clarkson- “Dark Side”: all hail Ms. Clarkson!
~the good 4. John Legend- “Greatest Love of All”: lovely 5. CeeLo Green & Goodie Mob- “Fight to Win/Fight for Your Right to Party”: awesome and that one-legged dancer was incredible! ~ the pretty good 6. Usher- “Scream” 7. Stevie Wonder & Alicia Keyes medley 8. The Wanted- “Chasing the Sun/Glad You Came”: um, yes, they’re hot and I think they were on key! 9. Carly Rae Jepsen- “Call Me Maybe”: well, that was surprisingly delightful! 10. Natasha Bedingfield- “Last Dance”: it felt a bit off vocally at times, but it was a nice sentiment to the late Ms. Summer ~ the decent 11. LMFAO- “Party Rock Anthem/Sexy and I Know It”: it was a hot mess, but a really fun one 12. Linkin Park- “Building it Up” ~ the BAD 13. Katy Perry- “Wide Awake”: um, Pink did that at the Grammys a million times better than you girl 14. Justin Bieber- “Boyfriend”: boyfriend sure likes to lip sync for his life! 15. Nelly Furtado- “Big Hoops”: has her voice always been this awful, nasal and annoying? And um, that song kinda sucks. 16. Chris Brown- “Turn Up the Radio: Um, everything he does is awful. He is a hateful talentless lip syncing turd.
After watching tonight’s first live competition show of American Idol season 11, I have to say I am very excited for this year. This is arguably one of the best top 13′s in the show’s history. It’s full of variety, personality and immense talent. In fact, as the boys took on the songs of Stevie Wonder and the girls sang the recently and dearly departed Whitney Houston‘s greatest, practically everyone did a decent job. Several singers soared to new heights (Hollie, Joshua, Skylar), one absolutely destroyed everyone (Jessica) and only one really tanked (that annoying pageant girl)…. So, just who did the best and who will be in danger tonight when the judges eliminate one person? (In a twist, the bottom girl and boy with these least votes will be revealed and the judges will choose who actually goes home). Well, let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions below.
American Idol Rankings 3/7/12: ~ the great ones 1. Jessica: holy crap, she attempted Whitney’s biggest and most iconic # 1 smash “I Will Always Love You” and absolutely nailed it. This girl has skills. She’s also humble and a great performer. She is the one to beat at this point and deservedly so. Love her! 2. Hollie: is Hollie the dark horse for the title? Well if the little girl with the big voice keeps blowing the roof off the joint with huge performances like tonight’s “All The Man That I Need”, she certainly will be a big threat to Jessica. And she’s so darn cute. Plus, she sang this audacious # 1 hit form 1990 with aplomb and I think she’s only going to grow each week. How awesome would a Jessica v. Hollie finale be by the way? 3. Skylar: well, hello country girl! I was worried when I heard Skylar was gonna sing Whitney’s big # 1 ballad “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” from 1988, but she put my fears aside very quickly. And then she surpassed all my expectations with a glorious second half to the song fusing wonderful emotion and fantastic notes. This girl is a big threat too. 4. Erika: my second favorite singer in the competition (after Jessica, but she is rising!) gave us a wonderful interpretation of Whitney’s # 4 hit from 1994 “I Believe in You and Me”. She took the song in a rock direction for the second half and it suited her sexy rasp incredibly well. I just love this girl and I highly recommend you check out the iTunes studio version of Erika’s performance. It is even better than her live one and by far the best of this week’s crop (even Jessica’s!) 5. Joshua: faring the best for the men tonight was Mantasia with a glorious take on Stevie’s “I Wish”. Joshua tore up the stage and took us to the heavens with his gospel meets rock performance. Who knew he could throw down like that? Well done! ~ the good ones 6. Colton: I was kinda shocked at how good Colton was on Stevie’s classic “Lately”. He really made the song his own and performed with true emotion and artistry. The second half was incredible. 7. Deandre: this kid is just plain cool. Hello, he did Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster” as a reggae R&B joint and it not only worked, but was great. He is so unique and has so much potential. I hope America gets him. 8. Phillip: bringing the house down with a rocking version of Wonder’s “Superstition”, Phillips gave another rousing performance that had the audience on its feet. He also impressed me more than he has all season. I’m still not a big fan of this talented guy (all the screaming and yelling and affectation are not my thing), but he is certainly trying to turn me around. Good job. ~ the ok ones 9. Heejun: this funny guy has a lovely voice as he proved yet again on Stevie’s “All is Fair in Love”. However, it was all kinds of boring. But he’s a fan favorite and could get better with different songs. How about something upbeat next time mister? … And one more note, this version paled in comparison to the amazing one Pia Toscano delivered last year… Just sayin’…. 10. Elise: I really like Elise and her sexy growly voice. However, despite some good moments, she was definitely “boxing” with her song tonight as Randy said. Doing Whitney’s # 1 from 1990 “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, Elise never quite got in the rhythm of the track, but she still sang it pretty well. I wish she had chosen 1999′s “My Love is Your Love”. It would’ve been a perfect fit for her voice… Alas, she is in danger tonight… 11. Jeremy: while he sang better than Elise on “Ribbon in the Sky”, he was just soooo boring. This guy is a great guy with a lovely tone to his voice… but he’s just such a lackluster performer (when he’s not singing for his life that is… which he will probably do tonight). 12. Jermaine: this gentle giant delivered a nice but somewhat forgettable version of Stevie’s “Knocks Me off My Feet” which certainly didn’t knock me off my feet or my chair for that matter. His vocals were very good, but wow I think it was more boring than Jeremy! And that’s saying something. ~ the bad 13. Shannon: the pageant singer should’ve summoned some help from her precious Jesus because she plain stunk up the joint with a flat and off-key version of Houston’s # 4 from 1993 “I Have Nothing”. Sure, Shannon hit some notes ok, but overall, she got swallowed up by the big song and had absolutely no stage presence. Plus, she had no emotional connection to the song. She should’ve chose something she might relate to like “How Will I Know” and she wouldn’t be facing elimination like she deserves to on Thursday night.
Predictions~ Bottom 2 guys: Jeremy and Jermaine Bottom 2 girls: Elise and Shannon
Bottom girl & guy: Jermaine & Shannon Going home: Jermaine (unless Jeremy is the lowest male vote getter, then the judges will send him packing).
There are my rankings and predictions. What are yours? Do you think a guy has a chance of surviving another week? I sure don’t… And how great was it to see the judges actually doling out good critiques?And wasn’t Mary J. Blige a wonderful mentor? And how great is Ryan Seacrest’s hair this year? This season is shaping up to be so good!
Before I go, please enjoy Jessica Sanchez just killing it on “I Will Always Love You”
Well, here we go American Idol fans… The show is about to get real good as we move into the serious competition shows. The Top 13 singers have been chosen (10 by America, 3 wild cards by the judges) and I actually really like 11 of them. I actually only despise one of them (Shannon), so that bodes for a strong and interesting competition. This group seems very strong. In fact, it seems like it could end up as one of the strongest years since season 5 (Daughtry, Katharine, Elliott, etc). It will have to fight to keep up with last year’s rebirth as well which saw a country top two that have turned into solid sellers. (Scotty has just passed a million copies sold of his debut album in fact). Last season’s top ten also saw record deals for seven of the finalists (Scotty, Lauren, Pia, Haley, James, Stefano and Casey), so they have their work cut out for them. With that said, just who do I think is in the lead as we head into the first week of competition when the men will sing songs from Stevie Wonder while the ladies will take on the music of the late great Whitney Houston? Just take a look at my first list of completely unscientific but surely accurate American Idol Buzz rankings for season 11.
American Idol Top 13 Buzz Rankings~
1. Jessica Sanchez: this powerhouse vocalist can sing circles around most of her competitors and could be the first woman to win since Jordin Sparks. She is attractive, has incredible range, a great personality and is the whole package. Let’s hope she goes the distance (and yes, she is my favorite too). 2. Phillip Phillips: he’s cute. He has wonderful Southern charm and is a great musician. He also is just the type of winner this show goes for (David Cook, Lee Dewyze, Kris Allen anyone?) as he channels John Mayer and Dave Matthews with his performances. However, I can’t stand his odd growling and phrasing. But, let’s be honest, he is very talented and will have the girl vote all season. 3. Skylar Laine: this fiery redheaded country girl threw down the axe on the competition last week with arguably the most fun and memorable performance of the week. She is fun, smart and could go really far. Besides, the show hasn’t had a female country victor since Carrie and Skylar is a different kind with her Miranda Lambert meets Reba with a touch of Gretchen Wilson vocals. I’m excited to watch her. 4. Colton Dixon: this rocker is this season’s David Cook, just a lot hotter. He will split the girl/mom vote with Phillip but he is far more commercial and accessible if you ask me. He’s current, has a ton of talent and showmanship. He seems a lock to make the top 5 as well. 5. Heejun Hahn: he’s hilarious yes, but he also has a lovely buttery voice. The question is can he move beyond pretty ballads and become a real performer. It’s doubtful. I see a mid pack or possibly shockingly early exit for him unless he can really step up his game. However, he’s incredibly likable and has a lot of goodwill on his side now, so he could surprise. 6. Elise Testone: this Lady Gaga meets Adele and Winehouse belter is a bit of an enigma. She’s one of the older contestants, but she is so unique and has such passion. She slayed her Adele performance which was no small feat. I just wonder how she will hold up in the weeks ahead. She’s also a great musician and could give us some great interpretations in each genre. I’m hopeful for her. 7. Hollie Cavanaugh: this Irish Texan girl has a big ole voice and is sweet as pie. But is she memorable enough to go all the way? If she grows week to week, I say yes. She just needs to have some standout moments to pull ahead of the pack because she has an incredible voice. 8. Joshua Ledet: “Mantasia” as he’s being called can sing the crap out of a song. He’s immensely likable and a wonderfully dynamic performer…. However, is his gospel tinged performance style one note? And he doesn’t seem like he is much of a commercial singer. I wonder how long people will respond to him. But hey, if Jacob (who only possessed half of Joshua’s talent and likability) can make it to 5th, Joshua could go far. 9. Erika Van Pelt: I love this girl. She killed it on her Heart cover and no one has really done that on this show since Carrie Underwood. Why America didn’t vote her in is beyond me. (Maybe because she performed so early that night?). Luckily the judges knew this girl was a keeper. She has great pipes. She knows how to play the game and I have no doubt will be making some great song choices. I really want her to go far. I just hope people pull their heads out and realize how awesome she is. 10. Deandre Brackensick: Mr. Milli Vanilli hair can wail with the best of them. He has a tremendous range and the camera loves him. He just needs to make better song choices and this wild card pick could leap over his competitors. Oh and the girls and gays will probably love him too. 11. Shannon Magrane: I can’t stand this Miss America god-spouting poseur. Sure, she’s pretty and has a decent voice. But nothing about this awkward girl is authentic and she brings no true emotion or artistry to her music. Plus, I don’t need church thrown at me each week and it’s not a pageant. Her annoyingly false perky personality also bugs. I’d put her last but clearly she has some fans since America voted her through. 12. Jeremy Rosado: yes, he kinda made me cry on his wildcard performance of “I Know You Wont” and he has a wonderful voice and tone. But, he’s just not that memorable. He’s clearly a great guy with some talent, but a viable pop star? I don’t see it. I hope he proves me wrong. 13. Jermaine Jones: the gentle giant with the booming baritone/bass voice probably got in on sympathy votes last week. He sings well, but it seems rather one note and may be blah in the end. We will see cuz I do like his voice and he also seems like a wonderful person. I just don’t know if he’s a pop star either…
So, there are my buzz rankings on how I think the contestants stand in the competition right now…. What are my personal rankings you ask. Here ya go…
My Personal Rankings of the Top 13.
1. Jessica
2. Erika
3. Skylar
4. Elise
5. Colton
6. Hollie
7. Deandre
8. Joshua
9. Jeremy
10. Phillip
11. Heejun
12. Jermaine
13. Shannon
Now, how will they all fare this week and do I have a clue of what I’m talking about? … Tune into Idol on Wed night and see.
In a busy week on the BillboardTop 200 Albums chart, Coldplay makes it three in a row with their latest album, Mylo Xyloto. The disc becomes their third consecutive # 1 album debuting with a big 447,000 copies and an easy win over fellow Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson whose Stronger debuts at # 2 with 163,000 copies sold. Clarkson nabs her fifth consecutive top three album. (Interestingly, her lowest charting album was Breakaway, her smash from 2005 that sold over 6.3 million copies in the U.S. but only hit # 3). There were three more debuts in the top ten from Michael Buble, Toby Keith and Tom Waits. For more on the album charts, head to Billboard hereand take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (debut)
2. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson (debut)
3. Christmas- Michael Buble (debut)
4. 21- Adlele (last week~ 1)
5. Clancy’s Tavern- Toby Keith (debut)
6. Bad As Me- Tom Waits (debut)
7. Clear As Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 3)
8. Own the Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 7)
9. Duets II- Tony Bennet (lw~ 5)
10. Come to the Well- Casting Crowns (lw~ 2)
And here’s Coldplay’s latest video “Paradise”. It’s the second consecutive top 15 track from the new album following “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”. Coldplay “Paradise”
Back on the Hot 100 singles chart, Kelly Clarkson makes more noise as the lead off single from Stronger “Mr. Know It All” zooms up from # 19 to # 10 giving her a 9th top ten on this chart. Watch for it to continue to climb in the weeks ahead. However, she’s got some fierce competition at the top as Rihanna nabs her 11th # 1 with “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris. Take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (last week~ 2)
2. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 1)
3. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 4)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~3)
5. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 5)
6. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~ 6)
7. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 7)
8. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 10)
9. “You Make Me Feel…”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~8)
10. “Mr. Know It All”- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 19)
And speaking of that amazing company Rihanna is in. Let’s look at the artists with the most # 1′s on the Hot 100 Singles Chart in Billboard History.
Most # 1′s on the Hot 100~
1. The Beatles (20 #1′s)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. TIE~ Madonna & The Supremes (12)
5. TIE- Whitney Houston & Rihanna (11)
6. TIE- Janet Jackson & Stevie Wonder (10)
Rihanna joins an elite club and the Foo Fighters make a big splash on the pop music charts this week. First on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, veteran rockers the Foo Fighters grab their first # 1 as their latest, Wasting Light, sells 235,000 copies to debut at the summit. It leads four debuts in the top ten followed by Allison Kraus & Union Station, Paul Simon and Mexican rockers Mana. Just outside the top ten at # 11, newcomer Jessie J debuts with her first release Who You Are. Check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums:
1. Wasting Light- Foo Fighters (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
3. Paper Airplane- Allison Krauss & Union Station (debut)
4. So Beautiful or So What- Paul Simon (debut)
5. Drama y Luz- Mana (debut)
6. Femme Fatale- Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
7. Songs For Japan- Various Artists (lw~ 7)
8. Rolling Papers- Wiz Khalifia (lw~ 5)
9. F.A.M.E.- Chris Brown (lw~ 6)
10. Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons (lw~8)
Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Rihanna’s “S & M” hits the top due to the new “Ri Remix” featuring Britney Spears that spurs sales up over 100%. It’s able to dethrone Katy Perry’s “E.T.” but both songs and Lady Gaga’s new one “Judas” which debuts at # 10 could fight for supremacy next week. I hope Adele’s fast rising “Rolling in the Deep” makes a play for the top as well… Check out the new top ten singles below.
Hot 100 Top Ten
1. “S&M” –Rihanna w/Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
2. “E.T.”- Katy Perry w/Kanye West (lw~ 1)
3. “Just Can’t Get Enough”- Black Eyed Peas (lw~3)
4. “Down on Me”- Jeremiah (lw~ 6)
5. “Fuck You”- Cee Lo Green (lw~ 4)
6. “Rolling in the Deep”- Adele (lw~ 10)
7. “Look at Me Now”- Chris Brown w/Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes (lw~ 7)
8. “On the Floor”- Jennifer Lopez w/Pitbull (lw~ 9)
9. “Til the World Ends”- Britney Speras (lw~8)
10. “Judas”- Lady Gaga (debut)
With her latest # 1 Rihanna now totals 10 chart toppers joining an elite list of artists with the most # 1′s. Take a look at the artists with the most # 1′s below and for all your chart needs head to Billboard here.
Artists with the most # 1 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. The Beatles (20 #1′s)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. Madonna (12)
4. The Supremes (12)
6. Whitney Houston (11)
7. Janet Jackson (10)
7. Rihanna (10)
7. Stevie Wonder (10)
Next week on Friday 4/29, Prince William and Kate Middleton will walk down the aisle in what is being called the biggest wedding since Charles and Diana’s nuptials. That’s fitting since those are William’s parents. I don’t know if the hoopla will be quite as big as in 1981 but the media is sure embracing this event like no other in ages… And one likely guest at the wedding will be Grammy winning pop superstar George Michael. He was a good friend of the late Princess Diana and has recorded a special song for the happy couple, a remake of Stevie Wonder’s “You and I”. The gorgeous ballad is available as a gift to them and a free download to us at his website here…He is encouraging people to donate to William and Kate’s charity, The Royal Wedding Charity Fund, after they download the song. Sounds like a good deal to me. So take a listen to his new song below and download away, then give back!
