Well, last week, American Idol revealed the top ten finalists for season 12 and I pretty much predicted all of them. What I didn’t predict is that the producers held on to their promise of no “wild card” contestants. While the next-closest vote getters (i.e.: the 6th place girl and guy) will have a sing off this week to join the tour, it looks like our top ten is just that~ a top ten. And it’s a pretty good one. All five women are strong contenders and should hopefully help the “season of the girls” to the first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2006. As for the guys, I really don’t think any of them can win, but a couple could go pretty far…. So, just who has the buzz going into the first week of the finals? Check out my all new unscientific yet surely correct American Idol Buzz Rankings below.
American Idol Season 12 Top Ten Buzz Rankings~
1. Candice: this big voiced diva has simply slayed it every week and she remains the best hope of a R&B Idol winner since Fantasia. She also is very good with her strong song choices and reinterpreting them while still being true to the original melodies. Her voice is incredible and she has great confidence. My only question is~ will being to “R&B” actually hurt her in the end? 2. Kree: this country blues girl has an amazing voice, quiet confidence and wonderful artistry. her unassuming personality is also very pleasing and she exhibits great humility. She could go the country, rock or pop route in the end and I have a feeling her vocal adaptability will help her go far in the game (much like one Kelly Clarkson in the first season). 3. Angie: you may wonder why she is not at the top of the list after all the producer and judges pimping plus some great performances. The reason is two-fold. First, her great performances plant her squarely at the piano on very similar yet great songs and second, she may end up skewing a little “too Christian” much like last season’s Colton Dixon who she covered last week. I don’t know if that’s type of artist she wants to be because she has the looks, talent, voice and personality to go all the way. We’ll see how she presents herself in the weeks ahead but arguably she’s the smart money choice as the season 12 winner. (But hey, I’m not always betting on smart money) 4. Amber: I think this beautiful girl has incredible untapped potential and could be the true dark horse to win. She has a great voice with a big range, is young, fun and relatable. Now, if she can just expand her song choices beyond Whitney and trust in her performances, she will be a true threat. 5. Burnell: he’s got the voice, the backstory (Katrina survivor! Weight loss!), and an infectious personality which will all help him in his quest to stop the ladies this season. If he does, he’d be the first African-American male winner since Ruben Studdard in season 2!!! … Now Burnell, please be smart about your song choices as you continue. More John Legend type songs, less female diva songs. Those will be sung by all your competitors anyway. 6. Paul: yes, he’s my favorite guy in the competition and yes, he’s had some shaky performances. However, he’s still incredibly likable, humble and possesses a very good voice. He’s also the only cute white guy in the race which will help him. And yes, it is time for a male-Carrie Underwood in the country pop world. So, as long as he believes in himself, relaxes and lets out true emotion in his performances, he could make the top five or more. 7. Devin: while I think he has easily the best male voice among the finalists, his personality hasn’t really popped yet. We know he has a beautiful vocal instrument and can shift seamlessly between English and Spanish. But what else can he do? 8. Janelle: the country girl we all thought would be assured a spot in the finals had a shaky road the last few weeks. However, her 3 season journey to get here, her lovely voice and affable demeanor have pushed her through. Now, if she can just pick the right song, stay away from the Carrie catalog, and nail a few performances, she could crack the top five. 9. Lazaro: ok, he is undeniably the most popular male in the race right now with a good story (He’s cute. He’s Cuban. He stutters and was bullied but has overcome!) However, he doesn’t seem like a true “artist” yet. He’s just singing well and doing songs that have been covered numerous times on Idol before. So, he needs to define who he wants to be as a pop star, embrace his special qualities, harness his confidence and really show us he’s a contender. Or else, he may be the front-runner who quickly becomes an also-ran (sniff sniff I miss you Pia!) 10. Curtis: let’s see how to I put this nicely? … Um, he has a really good voice… Yeah, that’s about it… This guy is obnoxious, arrogant, and entitled. We’ve seen his shtick many times before and done better, but with humility and grace (hello Joshua Ledet!)… I don’t think this worship leader has a prayer of winning in the competition.
And there you have it. The ladies have most of the buzz, but a few boys could be a surprise buzz kill. I can’t wait to see how they all hold up tomorrow night when they tackle the songs of former American Idol winners (both their post-Idol catalogs and any song they sang on the show). We’ll probably see a lot of Kelly, Carrie and Fantasia. But you Taylor Hicks and Lee Dewyze lovers (who?) are certainly going to be left wanting…. Now, tell me who your favorites are in the comments below and watch American Idol tomorrow night on Fox.
Grammy winner John Mayer and newly crowned American Idol winner Phillip Phillips share a lot in common. Both are attractive, guitar strumming, raspy voiced white guys, and now they’re both making waves on the Billboard Charts... Mayer lands his third # 1 album with his latest, Born and Raised, which sells 219,000 copies. Phillip’s compilation album from season 11 of American Idol debuts at # 11 while the combo-album from the season finale episode, American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP, featuring his competition (and the girl who should’ve won) Jessica Sanchez also debuts at # 21. Sanchez’s season competition album debuts way down at #126. Two other Idol contenders also hit the charts as season 10′s third place finisher Haley Reinhart barrels in at # 17 while season 8 champ Kris Allen disappoints with a # 27 debut for his sophomore album. He may have won that season but he has been upstaged time and again by that season’s runner-up Adam Lambert who hit # 1 with his sophomore album, Trespassing, last week…. For more on all these albums and the Billboard 200, head here and check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
4. Apocalyptic Love- Slash (debut)
5. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 10)
6. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 9)
7. The Hurt & the Healer- Mercy Me (debut)
8. Once Upon Another Time EP- Sara Bareilles (debut)
9. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 6)
10. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
And other American Idol contenders on the BB200 (along with Carrie Underwood above) ….
11. Journey to the Finale- Phillip Phillips (debut)
12. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (lw~ 1)
17. Listen Up! – Haley Reinhart (debut)
21. American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP- Phillip Phillps & Jessica Sanchez (debut)
27. Thank You Camellia- Kris Allen (debut)
33, Stronger- Kelly Clarkson * a former # 2 album that just passed 800,000 copies
73. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery * a former # 1 album that has sold over 1 million copies
126. Journey to the Finale- Jessica Sanchez (debut)
Back on the Hot 100 SinglesChart, Philips also makes an auspicious debut as his coronation single “Home” hits the top ten debuting at # 10. This makes him the first Idol winner to hit the Hot 100 top ten with their coronation single since season 7′s David Cook. He also becomes the 13th Idol alum to hit the top ten on this chart following Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook,David Archuleta, and Adam Lambert…. Perhaps, I may have to eat my words about Phillips but I am still very skeptical that he will ever have any real pop hits with his upcoming debut album. That said, he’s off to a nice start. We’ll see how things turn out…. Holding onto # 1 is Gotye while Carly Rae Jepsen fights hard in the runner-up spot. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here.
Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks at # 1, the longest chart topper of 2012
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 6)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (debut)
And here’s the lead off single from Mayer’s new album, “Shadow Days”
Tonight, American Idol really gets down to business as the Top 12 boys (well, 13 because apparently there’s going to be a surprise wild card pick) perform live for the first time. Tomorrow, the top 12 girls sing and Thursday we will have our first results show. This is when the show really gets good if you ask me, and the talent looks very strong this year. My early favorites are Jessica Sanchez and Creighton Fraker. For more on all of this year’s contenders, head to mjsbigbloghere.… Now, looking back at the best American Idol contestants of all time, my favorites are in order:
1. Kelly Clarkson
2. Carrie Underwood
3. Adam Lambert
4. Jennifer Hudson
5. Carly Smithson
Each of them has had great success, (Ok, Carly is just the lead singer of the Evanescence left over band We Are the Fallen, but hey she’s had a top 40 album with them!) and won or been nominated for big awards. With that said, Billboard is counting down the most successful Idol alumni according to sales, radio airplay, download track sales, and streaming plays etc which make up their charts. (Remember this is only for domestic tracking, so the worldwide success of Lambert, Clarkson, and David Arhculeta doesn’t count here). And I’ve got the list for you below. For all the stats, head to Billboard here. Take a look and let me know who your faves are as well.
Billboard’s Top 24 American Idols of All Time:
24. Crystal Bowersox (2nd place, season 9)
23. Kimberley Locke (3rd place, season 2)
22. Lauren Alaina (2nd place, season 10)
21. Blake Lewis (2nd place, season 6)
20. Bucky Covington (8th place, season 5)
19. Katharine McPhee (2nd place, season 5…. but hey she’s a TV and movie star now. Hello, I love Smash!)
18. Bo Bice (2nd place, season 4)
17. Taylor Hicks (winner, season 5)
16. Josh Gracin (4th place, season 2)
15. Scotty McCreery (winner, season 10)
14. Kellie Pickler (6th place, season 5)
13. Elliott Yamin (3rd place, season 5)
12. Kris Allen (winner, season 8)
11. David Archuleta (2nd place, season 7)
10. Jennifer Hudson (7th place, season 3…. but um, she has an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, BET, Image Awards, the list goes on and on…. So there!)
9. Adam lambert (2nd place, season 8)
8. Ruben Studdard (winner, season 2)
7. David Cook (winner, season 7)
6. Fantasia (winner, season 3)
5. Clay Aiken (2nd place, season 2)
4. Jordin Sparks (winner, season 6… and soon to be seen in Sparkle, her film debut starring the late great Whitney Houston)
3. Chris Daughtry (4th place, season 5)
2. Carrie Underwood (winner, season 4)
1. Kelly Clarkson (winner, season 1)
And just because she’s amazing, please enjoy Kelly’s current # 1 smash “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Season 5 of American Idol has to be considered its zenith. The show had its highest ratings, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were on their way to superstar status, and the top ten finalists were arguably the best top ten they’ve had to date. While the season is also dubious for having arguably the worst winner in the history of the show in Taylor Hicks (however, season 9′s Lee Dewyze is fighting him for that title), eight of the top ten finalists grabbed record deals. And one of them, the one I thought should’ve won the whole season, Elliott Yamin, is about to release his third album. His beautiful new single, “3 Words” has hit written all over it and it just surfaced on the web. Take a listen below and for more on Elliott and his new album, head here.
Elliott Yamin “3 Words”
(And yes, that was season 5 So You Think You Can Dance finalist Kayla in the video in case you were wondering).
As for those singers who grabbed deals from season 5… here’s a quick rundown on their careers to date…
Mandisa: the Christian diva landed in 9th place and has released 3 hit gospel/Christian albums to date. She’s also received 2 Grammy nominations. Bucky Covington: the country singer finished in 8th has had several top 40 country hits and is readying his third album for release later this year. Ace Young: that season’s stud landed in 7th and grabbed a Grammy nominations for co-writing Daughtry‘s “It’s Not Over”. He has since released a solo album and he’s also become fixture on the Broadway stage appearing in hits like Hair. Kellie Pickler: the country cutie wound up in 6th but has had massive success in her field with a platinum debut album and a gold follow-up. Her third record featuring the hot new country hit, “100 Proof” hit stores just two days ago. Chris Daughtry: in what was arguably the biggest shocker elimination in the show’s history (except for maybe Pia last year), Chris was sent packing in fourth. He did get the last laugh though with his debut album, Daughtry, amassing 5 big hit singles, over 4 million in sales and 4 Grammy nominations. The followup, Leave this Town, went platinum and landed 3 more hits. His latest album, released in November, is almost gold and their current single “Crawling Back to You” is top ten on the Hot AC charts. Elliott Yamin: you heard his new single above, but this third place finisher has also had a mega smash from his first album “Wait for You”. His debut album went gold and the follow-up featured the hit “Fight for Love”. His new record is due in the spring. Katharine McPhee: while she’s released 3 albums, including her debut which sold 375,000 copies featuring the hit “Over It”, this second place finisher is more known for her acting these days. She appeared in the films The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D and is now the star of the midseason NBC musical drama Smash. (I’ve seen it and it’s brilliant and Katharine’s career is about to explode.) Taylor Hicks: I couldn’t stand him but middle America loved him and he won that season. His debut also sold over 800,000 copies despite no hit songs. Since then he has been dropped form his label and records independently now release several more albums.
This year American Idol not only survived the departure of Simon Cowell and followed its worse season to date (um, Lee who?), but the show actually flourished. The new judging panel was warmly received with J Lo being the standout in my opinion, the show grabbed 10 Emmy nominations and most importantly, the contestants were diverse, talented and worth rooting for. In fact, this was probably the strongest year since season 5 which landed record deals for 9 of the top ten finalists (Mandisa, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, Paris Bennett, Constantine Maroulis, Elliott Yamin, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, and Katharine McPhee). Four of this year’s singers all have deals: Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart, runner-up Lauren Alaina and winner Scotty McCreeryand now we have the first three videos from these finalists. Alas, we’ll have to wait for Haley’s whose album will probably hit very late this year or early 2012. And don’t forget that rumours are running rampant that fourth place finisher James Durbin is about to announce a record deal any moment… But let’s get back to the three singers who are making news this week as we take a look at Pia, Lauren and Scotty’s debut videos below.
Pia Toscano~ “This Time“: why on Earth she went out 9th is beyond me because she’s not only the best singer from the season, but she’s gorgeous and in her first video has a ridiculous amount of star quality. Perhaps this vid will finally launch her into the stratosphere. The single recently hit the top 30 on iTunes and is continuing to climb the pop airplay charts. Hooray for Pia!
Lauren Alaina “Like My Mother Does”: what this video does (along with Pia’s) best is make you like the song even better. That’s a good thing because the song is struggling to hit top 40 on the country charts. I think this lovely clip featuring Lauren’s home movies and a special appearance by her mother will help push the track into the top 30 soon. (And like just like Pia, the camera clearly loves Lauren)
Scotty McCreery~ “I Love You This Big”: ok, I was never the biggest Scotty fan and this video is all kinds of generic and boring. However, I’m sure his fans who have helped propel this saccharine track into the country top 20 will approve, especially the tween girls.
Watch for the debut albums from these three this fall with Scotty’s currently slated to drop Oct. 4th, Lauren’s on Oct. 11th, and Pia’s rumored to hit in November.
Now, the question is will any of them have the massive success of the likes of Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry or Carrie Underwood. Well, if they want to, they should take a look at the stunning Underwood in her new video with Brad Paisley for their current country top 5 smash “Remind Me” because she truly embodies a star here. It’s like Brad’s not even in the video. Check it out below. And you can grab all of these singles at iTunes and all digital retailers right now.
Ok, American Idol season 10 just wrapped up and you’d think I’d be done complaining about Scotty beating Lauren. Well, I’m still upset about that and of course Pia not being in the final two. But, that’s not what this post is about… Today I want to talk about Lauren and Scotty’s coronation singles and how they compare to the top two contestants from every season. Both of this year’s songs are at the top of the iTunes charts. Scotty was at # 1 and Lauren at # 2 at the time of this posting by the way, so it looks like we may have our first hit finale song since David Cook in season 7… However, just how good are those songs? Well, take a look at my rankings of all the finale songs below and find out! And here’s to a great, albeit frustrating season of Idol!
Ranking the American Idol Coronations Songs (seasons 1- 10) 1. “A Moment Like This”- Kelly Clarkson: it’s the original and it’s simply the best (just like Kelly!) It was also a # 1 hit and remains a radio staple.
2. “Time of Your Life”- David Cook: it’s the best-selling finale song to date and it works outside of Idol. In fact, it’s a wedding fave and they used it at the Olympics!
3. “I Believe”- Fantasia: Arguably the best sung finale single and to this day Fantasia kills it.
4. “Like My Mother Does”- Lauren Alaina: talk about a perfect fit. This song is lovely and a great choice for Lauren’s lush vocals and palpable emotions.
5. “This is the Night”- Clay Aiken: a perfect Clay ballad and another ideal inspirational Idol winner song. Oh wait, he was the runner-up…
6. “Inside Your Heaven”- Carrie Underwood: Idol’s country superstar took this track that sounds like a whole lot of nonsense and turned it into a multiformat hit. 7. “Flying Without Wings”- Ruben Studdard: his update on the boyband track holds up surprisingly well. 8. “Up to the Mountain”- Crystal Bowersox: while not as incredible as Kelly’s version of this song from Idol Gives Back, Crystal still gave a wonderful performance on this Patti Griffin classic. 9. “In this Moment”- David Archuleta: it’s surprisingly catchy slice of AC pop 10. “This is My Now”- Jordin Sparks: despite some of the worst lyrics of all these winning songs, Jordin’s vocals are pure and full of conviction. 11. “Inside Your Heaven”- Bo Bice: no, the song doesn’t fit him at all, but his pipes sound good on it. 12. “No Boundaries”- Adam Lambert: if only they had let “Mad World” be his final two single. Instead we get this Kara DioGuardi cheesefest. At least Adam sings the crap out of it. 13. “Dreams”- Diana DeGarmo: ok, I don’t have much affinity for this song now, but I remember liking it a good deal back at the end of season 3 14. “No Boundaries”- Kris Allen: wow, this song is kinda annoying, yet it sticks in your head and Kris gave it his all. 15. “ I Love You This Big”-Scotty McCreery: it puts the “b” in boring, but he sings it well. 16. “Beautiful Day”- Lee Dewyze: karaoke at best… 17. “Before Your Love”- Justin Guarini: Justin had no chance when you compare this one to Kelly’s amazing version… 18. “My Destiny”- Katherine McPhee: I love me some Kat and she will be amazing on the new NBC show Smash, but this song is totally forgettable despite her lovely vocals. 19. “This is My Now”- Blake Lewis: let’s just say beat-boxer Blake should not be singing ballads… 20. “Do I Make You Proud?- Taylor Hicks : a treacly pandering disastrous cheesy mess
Last night, Fozzy Bear left the building on American Idol… Oh, I’m sorry, I mean Crazy Abrams… oops I did it again, I mean Casey Abrams…. Now, now, don’t get mad at me for the nicknames because he fit them to a tee. However, I do have to admit, despite my gripes about his growling annoying performances, Casey was a great musician and has some seriously talented chops… as a musician. Sure, he can sing well and when he’s in a jazzy bluesy place, he’s often golden. Unfortunately, that doesn’t play well on the Idol stage and neither did his strange forays into scatting rock (“Hi-De-Ho”) or deranged grunge (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”). So, I bid Casey a fond farewell and I wouldn’t worry about his future. He has a great career ahead in the jazz world and luckily we have avoided another Taylor Hicks disaster on Idol… So, who else was in danger last night? We actually don’t know because sneaky Ryan with the new hairdo and snarky attitude (back from season 9 after a welcome respite) only mentioned the result for each contestant, not a bottom 2 or 3 singers. So, I can only guess that it was Jacob and… Haley? Lauren? Scotty? Yeah, I’m not too sure… So, I’m gonna go ahead and play another guessing game right now and give you my latest completely unscientific and possibly wonky American Idol Power Rankings going into the top Five.
My Top 5 American Idol 2011 Top 5 Power Rankings: 1. James: giving what I consider the best male vocal of the entire season this week, James continues to roll over the competition. He’s shown versatility (whether I liked it or not~ ahem “Heavy Metal”), showmanship, and great pipes. He also seems to be the Idol who’s enjoying the experience the most and the one who could be ready to go out on his own tour right out of the gate. This week he holds tight to the top spot and now seems like a very good lock for the finals. (last week~ 1) 2. Lauren: she’s never been in the bottom 3 and I doubt she was this week. She has an incredible voice and gained a little confidence this week. She also literally crushed Scotty in their duet demolishing his vocals and overpowering his usually strong charisma. She still needs to have a breakout performance to push her into the stratosphere and with only a few weeks left, this week is the time to do it. (lw~ 3) 3. Haley: I gotta say I’m very proud of Haley. The girl with Mariah Carey hair circa 1990 and a powerful set of pipes has grown on me for the past few weeks and I’m kind of rooting for her like a little schoolgirl. She’s clearly the one singer continuing to build a fan base and the dark horse to land in the finals. It would also be a nice slap in the face to the judges for constantly giving her negative or conflicting advice when they just praise the crap out of most everybody else. And, week to week, I’m now excited to see what she might do next. (lw~ 4) 4. Scotty: oh how the golden boy has fallen. Now, I wouldn’t say he’s in jeopardy of leaving next week, but he’s certainly on shaky ground compared to the previous months of the competition. I doubt he’s winning over any new fans with his blah and rote performances. He does have the South and the tweens firmly in his pocket on the other hand. I just want him to do something new and emote in a song. I’m sorry this week was a forced insincere and snoozy performance followed by his first bad vocal in the duet. I’m sure this likable lad can come back blazing. He just better do it asap as James has stolen his thunder as the man to beat lately. (lw~ 2) 5. Jacob: dressed like the Eddie Murphy’sNutty Professor headin’ to church, Jacob was super entertaining on Wed night and clearly he did enough to stick around another week. The question is, just how much longer can he hang on. He’s the most polarizing person left in the competition and his vocal antics are an acquired taste. He does seem to have been humbled a bit and the attitude has dissipated. So, he’s on the right path, but is it a short one? (lw~ 6)
And then there were five… Can you believe I have Haley above Scotty? Am I smoking whatever Steven Tyler has for breakfast? Are you on board with these rankings? And how do you think they’ll do next week when they tackle the theme “Songs from Then and Now” (which is translated as songs from the 60′s and today)… Let me know your thoughts below.
And before you go, please enjoy the lady who should’ve won it all last year~ Crystal Bowersox~ as she performed “Ridin’ with the Radio” live on the results show last night.
Last week, American Idol finally narrowed it down to the top 24 contestants, and I for one, am pretty impressed with most of them. Not only has this season been the best in years (hello, J. Lo and Steven Tyler are simply awesome), but it seems like this is the best batch of talent since at least season 5. Hopefully, they will hold up well with the live shows and this week’s semi-finals. After the guys perform on Tuesday and the girls on Wednesday, the top 10 finalists will be announced. Also, if rumours are to be believed (and I believe this one), the judges will each be picking a “wild card” contestant to make it a top 13. I love it! So, with all of that weighing in the balance, I’m here to give America and the judges some insight. This is my first big Idol post of the season and I’m ready to rank the contenders. Take a look at my first IDOL POWER LIST of 2011 and watch their performances this week to see if they hold up to my rankings.
The American Idol Power List for the Top 24 going into the Semi-finals…
1. Lauren Alaina: she’s all but been hailed the next Kelly Clarkson by Exec. Producer Nigel Lythgoe and they’ve certainly shoved her down our throats with tons of airtime. But goshdarnit, she really is that good. She’s fun, she’s young (16), cute and has a set of killer pipes. 2. Jacob Lusk: All hail the voice of the season. This emotional and excitable 23 yr old from Compton, CA took us to church each time he sang and he could end up being the first male African-American winner since Ruuuuuuben. 3. Julie Zorilla: this gorgeous 19-year-old who escaped violence in Columbia as a child has shown a divine flair for fashion AND singing. She just needs to connect to her material a little more and we could be seeing our first Latina American Idol. 4. Robbie Rozen: this adorable and incredibly talented 16-year-old is bound to grab the Archuleta vote, but I think he could cross over to all ages judging from his genre spanning auditions. He’s definitely one to watch. 5. Casey Abrams: he’s the musician’s musician and rockin’ bluesy singer who has tons of talent and got lots of airtime. He’s an individual and seems like an audience favorite… but then so was that mess Taylor Hicks (oh wait, no matter how much, I couldn’t stand him, he still won… drat!) 6. Ashton Jones: Is she this season’s Tamyra or Syesha? Well, she’s a gorgeous girl with a great voice and star quality. However, will she be overshadowed in the end? 7. Stefano Langoe: he’s the guy who survived that horrific car crash and oozes energy and personality for days. He’s also cute and has a great voice. Dang, he can sing high too! 8. Brett Loewenstern: he seems bound to be divisive to audiences, but he’s completely original and has a great quality in his unique voice and song interpretation…. And he’s totally here to tell you “it gets better”. 9. Tim Halperin: he’s the looker who really stepped up in Vegas with his duet with Zorilla. He’s also a skilled pianist and could be a dark horse. 10. Karen Rodriguez: she’s the Latina who worshiped J Lo and wowed on each audition. She’s like Gloria Estefan with a better voice! 11. James Durbin: he’s the one who can wail like Adam Lambert who has a baby, a girlfriend and overcomes his Tourette’s thru song. However, he also seems to wail as opposed to emote in his performances and he came off a bit unlikable at times during the group episodes. 12 .Paul McDonald: he’s the guy with the great gravelly Joe Cocker voice with cool style and his own original material. 13. Pia Toscano: all we really know is she can sing great and she’s gorgeous, but hey, that’s a great start 14. Lauren Turner: she’s the big haired belter who could be the next Anne Wilson .. or the next Gina Glockson depending on song choice and if her personality pops or poops. 15. Kendra Chantelle: she’s the beautiful blonde who has had little air time, but did show her strong pipes and potential in snippets, especially in her duet in Vegas week with McDonald. 16. Thia Megia: she’s the 15-year-old Filipina with the sexy big husky voice, but she is also pretty devoid of personality so far… 17. Rachel Zevita: she’s the NYer who almost made it in season 6. She has a strong voice, but for some reason, I’m afraid she could become really annoying and grating. Loved that she sang Lady Gaga’s “Speechless” in her final audition, but a little worried that she may just be Gaga-lite. 18. Scotty McCreery: he’s the 16-year-old country boy with the super low voice. He’s likable but is he a one-trick pony? (ahem, cut up “Baby lock them doors, turn out the lights…”) 19. Naima Adedapo: she’s the mama who cleaned toilets at a musical festival who has serious style and a good back story, but I’ve yet to be wowed by her talent… 20. Jovany Barreto: he’s the hunk with the 8 pack, the high tenor and a penchant for Spanglish songs… but is it me or does he seem like just a prettier wannabe Jon Secada? 21. Jordan Dorsey: the attractive vocal teacher from Louisiana who got the “villain edit” during Hollywood week has a lot of bad mojo to erase. Luckily, he has talent and looks. We’ll see if his ego doesn’t destroy his more positive attributes… 22. Ta-Tynisa Wilson: the pretty girl who was shown messing up in Hollywood several times made up for it in her final “hanger” audition with Toni Braxton’s “Un-break My Heart”, but is it too little too late? 23. Clint Jun Gamboa: the bespectacled karaoke singer has a big bold voice and can seriously sing. However, he too got a “villain” edit in the Hwood rounds and let’s be honest, he’s kinda really annoying so far. 24. Haley Reinhart: so far, I pick her as the girl who’s voice is going to bug the crap out of me as long as she’s in the competition. That whole “affected” thing is so 2010… and um, doesn’t get you far on the Idol stage (hello~ 90 % of the female contestants from last season).
Season 6 American Idolwinner Jordin Sparksalready has a platinum debut album, 4 top ten pop hits (“Tattoo” “One Step at a Time” “No Air” “Battlefield”), and a Grammy nomination (“No Air”) to her credit. Now she can add Broadway diva to her resume as she prepares to join the Broadway cast of In the Heights (currently starring High School Musical alum Corbin Bleu).Sparks joins a long listof former Idols to head to the Great White Way including Diana Degarmo and Ace Young (currently in the Hair revival), Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, and recent Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages).She’ll be doing a limited run in the show from Aug 19 to November 14. This Tony Award winning show details the intersecting lives of the multicultural residents of the New York ‘burb Washington Heights. There is also a film version currently in pre-production starring original star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Until she hits the boards in late summer, Sparks is still out on tour promoting her second disc, Battlefield. For all your Jordin news, clickhere. For more on Jordin’s stint in the Heights, click here.
And here’s some Jordin musical goodness for you~
Jordin Sparks “Battlefield”
And here’s the original cast of In the Heights doing “96,000″ on the Tony Awards:
With Siobhan Magnus’s departure on American Idollast night, it meant the folks at “Vote for the Worst” had to quickly brainstorm for a new contender to champion as their choice for the worst of the still remaining Idol contestants. Apparently Big Mike’s faux bravado, chest pumping antics, irritable arrogance and supersized Velveeta cheesiness was just the recipe they were looking for. While I would’ve suggested teen elf Aaron or boring hair model Casey, VFTW took their own path ignoring the fact that Mike, while obnoxious, can sang! Oh well. We’ll see if it has an impact because after choosing to promote Siobhan just last week, she’s already going home. I bet the folks at VFTW are wondering where a Taylor Hicks is when you need one. For more on VFTW, click here.
And here’s a dubious performance of Big Mike’s for your, um, enjoyment.
Well, last week, American Idol revealed the top ten finalists for season 12 and I pretty much predicted all of them. What I didn’t predict is that the producers held on to their promise of no “wild card” contestants. While the next-closest vote getters (i.e.: the 6th place girl and guy) will have a sing off this week to join the tour, it looks like our top ten is just that~ a top ten. And it’s a pretty good one. All five women are strong contenders and should hopefully help the “season of the girls” to the first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2006. As for the guys, I really don’t think any of them can win, but a couple could go pretty far…. So, just who has the buzz going into the first week of the finals? Check out my all new unscientific yet surely correct American Idol Buzz Rankings below.
