Barry's Reality Check

The Ladies Don't Stand a Chance

2010-04-01T08:54:00.006-05:00

The show started off with this strange Idol/Clash of the Titans thing...and it was just ridiculous. Although I did enjoy the point with the line "release the Cracken" was said and the camera cut to Simon ripping Didi Benami apart on the previous night's show. But it turns out that the kids got to go to a preview of the movie...because they are now part of the "rock star lifestyle." Those were Ryan's words, not mine.

Ruben Studdard is back on Idol this week. And he's got a new single. It's called "Don't Make 'Em Like You No More." It looks like Ruben has lost some weight. Good for him. The song was a mess and he sounded kind of bad. But whatever. He has nothing to prove. We found out that he is now a vegan and works out everyday. AND...what is probably the biggest news ever...he's going on tour this summer with Clay Aiken. HA!!!

I was a little excited when the Ford commercial came on and it wasn't the kids singing to some awful song, but just a promo for the Idol-inspired Fiesta that you can win. But then the actual commercial/video came on...to "Kung Fu Fighting." The video was everything you can possibly imagine with the kids singing that song. Very cheesy.

Usher gets to perform since he was the mentor this week. His first single is "OMG." And it appears Usher has learned a few things from his stint in the Broadway musicale, CHICAGO. Lots of Fosse-esque dancing...very little singing. The song was pretty horrible. The dancing was entertaining. And Will.I.Am is there to help him out...singing, not dancing. You could barely hear the music through the entire song. I'm not sure if it was technical difficulties or it was meant to be done that way. And I'm curious to know if the song lyrics are actually "oh my gosh" or if they weren't allowed to sing "oh my god" on Idol. It made the song sound weird.

Guess who else made his first appearance on Idol? Diddy. But now he's Diddy Dirty Money. Although I'm not sure if that's his real name...or if Dirty Money were the 2 hookers he hired as singer/dancers. I really don't get the appeal of Diddy Daddy Doodie Dirty Money. He just does nothing for me. I will admit that he knows how to put on a shoe. And he was very nice to the Idolettes...and the Idol crew and staff. I liked that.

Let's get rid of someone...

Lee = safe
Casey = safe
Aaron - safe
Siohban - safe
Katie - BOTTOM 3
Didi - BOTTOM 3
Michael = safe
Crystal = safe
Tim = BOTTOM 3
Andrew = safe

HEY!!! I picked the entire bottom 3 this week. WOO HOO!!! Katie is sent back to safety first. That doesn't bode well for Didi. You don't want to be left standing with Tim. He has some kind of power to never be eliminated...always just making it by. And he did it again this week. He is safe...and Didi has to sing for her life. She picked "Rihannon" to sing as her swan song. It was a good choice. It fits her style and voice. But there is no chance the judges are going to save her. They are holding onto that "save" for Crystal or Michael or Casey or Aaron...maybe Siohban (but I don't think Simon likes her). So she sang her best. It was a little shaky, but that's understandable on your last Idol song. She will be fine though. She is so stunning...she needs to focus on TV and movies. And of course, the judges aren't saving her. Roll the montage and the farewell song..."I think I better leave right now."

Next week, the Lennon/McCartney songbook.

Not-So-Soul Food

2010-03-31T13:47:00.010-05:00

It's Soul/R&B week...with guest mentor Usher. Ryan called him the "ultimate showman, with a style and swagger all his own." He's sold 45 million records worldwide and has 5 Grammy's. And he is apparently ranked #1 on the Hot 100 artists of the last decade. His new album, Raymond V. Raymond, is available now. He describes the title as a dichotomy of himself...kind of like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce.

SIOHBAN - "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan

Usher thinks that Siohban actually has got the voice. He wants her to make sure that she doesn't have too much going on with her wardrobe. But he loves her unique vocal ability. I kind of loved her outfit this week...especially the amazing boots and the top with the red lips on it. Her upper register was kind of awful tonight, but she did actually hit her big notes this week. The tone of her voice is really nice too. The performance (and song) was pretty boring this week...not at all interesting.
RANDY - "wasn't your best performance, babe"
ELLEN - "loved you, but not that song"
KARA - "at the end of the day, you're still a great singer"
SIMON - "it was so all over the place"

CASEY - "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave

Usher was really impressed with Casey. He told him that he has an incredible voice...and a great swag and confidence. Casey is rocking the guitar...AGAIN. He seems to be very happy singing this song. But he doesn't really sound all that bluesy on it at all. It's very disjointed and kind of jerky. I'm not into it at all.
RANDY - "this was another hot night for you"
ELLEN - "felt a little generic"
KARA - "you have more range in you"
SIMON - "it was your strongest week so far"

MICHAEL - "Ready for Love" by India.Arie

Usher felt that Michael was giving him to much one on one attention for this song. He wants him to open up so everyone can feel the energy. Michael brought his guitar back this week. It seems a little out of place for him...to me. But he's sitting on a stool with it on the outer stage behind the judges. He has a nice sound going for this song. But the song is pretty boring...as is the performance. Although, I do appreciate that he's toned it down a lot and I can appreciate his voice a lot more. But the whole thing didn't really pull me in. I wasn't compelled to keep listening.
RANDY - "you are in the zone"
ELLEN - "that was beautiful"
KARA - "you did an incredible job"
SIMON - "I can actually take you seriously as an artist now"

DIDI - "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin

Usher thinks that Didi needs to make the whole performance personal, not just break down after she finishes. Why is she wearing that gown? We are not at the Miss America pageant. And this is a really bizarre version of the song. It doesn't work at all for her vocal style. She threw in some crazy theatrics at the end. And the notes were all over the place. But she looks stunning...hair and make-up were flawless.
RANDY - "it never quite caught"
ELLEN - "thought that was way too dramatic"
KARA - "you've lost your way"
SIMON - "it just didn't do it"

TIM - "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker

Usher didn't believe Tim at all the first time he sang the song. He told Tim to make sure he feels the song...and to hold onto that moment and own it. Tim just can't sing. He sounds awful. He is putting nothing into this song. It sounded like a bad show choir soloist. And what's with that stupid look on his face. Is that what he thinks it means to connect to a song? Just awful from start to finish. He had no idea what he was doing up there.
RANDY - "it had nothing"
ELLEN - "OH BOY, WHY?"
KARA - "you took the soul out of the song"
SIMON - "completely inappropriate song, but it doesn't matter what we say, you'll be back next week"

ANDREW - "Forever" by Chris Brown

Usher told Andrew that he has to take this seriously. Usher loves the Chris Brown version of this song, but loves this version of the song even more. Andrew made it back to the acoustics...and he sounds so much better this week. He seems a lot more comfortable on stage this week too. The arrangement is really beautiful with the strings to. He finally found himself again. A great job...one of my favorites of the night.
RANDY - "Andrew is back!"
ELLEN - "really amazing, strong performance"
KARA - "one giant leap in the right direction"
SIMON - "come across very boring as a person"

KATIE - "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin

Usher told Katie that she's needs a little pizazz and attitude for this song. He thinks that she'll score high if she personalizes the song more. Katie decided to go for the Jersey vote by wearing her Snooki Poof this week. I really hate that stupid shorts jumper. It's like Paige left it in the house, so she decided to wear it this time around. I do like her lower register. It has a nice smoky sound to it. Her upper register becomes really nasal and hard to listen to. She really has no idea what she's singing. She just singing words...nothing more. And she's casually meandering around the stage for no real reason. I just don't like her.
RANDY - "one of the best vocal performances of the night"
ELLEN - "you always sound so mature, but I want you to sound young"
KARA - "one of your best vocal performances"
SIMON - "very robotic and quite cold"

LEE - "Treat Her Like a Lady" by The Cornelius Brothers

Usher thinks Lee has an incredible voice. He wants him to own that more. And he warned him that if he doesn't believe, the audience isn't going to believe it either. Lee continues to mumble. Someone needs to give this boy some diction lessons. But he sounds really good vocally. The gruff sound is really working for him on this song. He finally sang with lots of confidence and that made his performance so much more enjoyable. Really good. One of the best of the night.
RANDY - "unbelievable"
ELLEN - "best performance of the night"
KARA - "it was amazing"
SIMON - "this was the night your life may have changed forever"

CRYSTAL - "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight

Usher told Crystal that she has a real shot...and that she's going to be great. She's playing the piano this week instead of the guitar. She seems a little uncomfortable at the piano and it's showing a bit in her vocals. She got up from the piano and her vocals improved. But she seemed to be really concentrating on walking in the stilettos she has chosen to wear. Strange. Her dress is really cute, but it doesn't really work for her. It seems way out of place. She did some weird falsetto notes that were really bad. She finally smiled during her performance...and she looked cute.
RANDY - "another great performance by you"
ELLEN - "you are in it to win it"
KARA - "so many things about you that I love"
SIMON - "do not let the process suck the identity out of you"

AARON - "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers

Usher wants Aaron to personalize the moment and take control of the song. He thinks that if Aaron tells the story of the song, he could win. Aaron sounds a little off vocally, just under the notes throughout. And he got a little too performy and dramatic during the "big" moment. I wasn't thrilled with it at all. He didn't really connect to the song...he just sang it and acted it out.
RANDY - "just alright for me"
ELLEN - "really good job"
KARA - "I liked it, didn't love it"
SIMON - "wasn't as good as last week, but you'll be back next week"

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

While Siohban had her worst week yet, I still don't think that she'll be in the bottom (and she still remains my favorite this season). Casey was close to the bottom group for me this week too, but he should be fine too. So here are my choices...

Didi Benami - because it was just all kinds wrong
Tim Urban - because he should have gone home twice now
Katie Stevens - because I hate her

Going home this week...PLEASE let it be Tim Urban. I can't listen to him anymore. I don't know why people are voting for him (maybe it's the Vote For The Worst people that are keeping him around). But I really just want him gone.

Diva-less Idol Tour

2010-03-25T09:09:00.006-05:00

The show started off with a montage that I didn't watch...and went right into the dreaded group number. This week, they sang Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." And Ryan made the audience stand up...that's one way to make it look like they care about this performance. This was one of the worst displays of lip-synching ever. So many of them just didn't even try. Lee Dewyze looked like he had fallen asleep during the song, except that he continued to snap along. Didi Benami just started laughing at one point rather that pretend to sing. Siohban Magnus sang the wrong words. And let's talk about poor Crystal Bowersox for a moment. That dress was ridiculous and something that she would never wear. And her dancing skills are so horrible...just clomping around on stage and you can see her counting in her head. The whole things was so laughably awful.

We went right into the Ford commercial, done to the tune of "Our Time Now." I don't know this song at all. The kids are playing in a fountain full of balls like children. They did look like they were having fun in the video. And they left Andrew in the fountain and drove away. Could this be a little foreshadowing for Andrew to go home tonight?

Miley Cyrus gets to perform since she was the mentor this week. She's singing her new single, "When I Look at You." She sounded awful. It was a horrible song...and a really bad performance. He dress choice was odd...but at least it was pretty. The whole thing was so hard to watch. And then she just started throwing her hair all around for no real reason. After that, Miley should be the one voted off.

Joe Jonas and Demi Covato get to sing a duet. The song is called "Make a Wave." UGH...this song could be the song that the producers force the Idol winner to sing at the finale. It was so treacly bad. Just a mess. The vocals are everywhere and it's almost like they aren't even singing together. But the little girls in the audience are going insane for it. The whole thing just got worse and worse as it went on. So bad.

Let's eliminate someone...

Siohban is safe.
Lee is safe.
Casey is safe.
Tim is in the Bottom 3...again this week.
Paige is in the Bottom 3...again this week.
Aaron is safe.
Didi is safe.
Michael is safe.
Crystal is safe.
Katie is in the Bottom 3...where she belongs.
Andrew is safe...somehow.

Katie is sent back to safety first. I really wanted Ryan to ask if the judges thought Katie should be there after watching the show again to see if they changed their opinion of her performance. But he didn't. Because they just raved about her and it was really one of the worst performances of the night.

Tim is sent back next and gets to go on tour. I'm a little surprised by this because the tour is going to be 6 boys and 4 girls...and Idol doesn't like the tour to be lop-sided like that.

But Paige really was horrible this week...and has been for the past 4 weeks. She's supposed to "sing for her life" in case the judges want to use their save on her. But Simon tells her that there is no chance she's going to be saved before she even sings. He instead tells her that she needs to go home and find the person that they saw during the initial auditions because she has lost herself. She does get to sing again, but through the credits. She's singing "Alright Now." And this is probably the best that I've heard her sing (I didn't start watching until the Top 24). But she sounded much better than she has. I don't know why she didn't sing like this during the competition. She may have lasted longer. It wasn't perfect, but I think it's because she's leaving and she's a little emotional. Then she blamed being sent home on her health issues and bad song choices.

Next week is R&B/Soul Week...with Usher.

Hitting the Billboard

2010-03-24T16:51:00.011-05:00

The Idolettes has to pick at song that has at some point hit the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 list...this gives them the opportunity to pick some literally thousands of songs. And as our special mentor to help the kids along this week...MILEY CYRUS. Ummmm...they do not that she's only 17, right? Granted she acts (and sometimes looks) like a 40 year old woman. But really? Did you know that Miley is Hannah Montana? It's true. Did you also know that she's sold over 15 million albums world-wide? Also true. She let us know that she's not going to tell them that they are bad, but she just wants to make them comfortable on the stage. Also, she admitted that she doesn't really watch The Idol, but watched some tapes of the contestants so she knew what she was getting into. Little fact...the only thing she actually watches on TV is RuPaul's Drag Race...and that makes me like her a little more. That being said...she actually made a decent mentor. Everything she said was pretty accurate.

LEE DEWYZE - "The Letter" by The Boxtops
Miley thinks that Lee has an amazing voice, but no stage presence...she also encouraged him to give the audience some notes that they aren't expecting. And he did just that...they were pretty much all in tune which I wasn't expecting. He made it a pretty funky version, which was kind of fun. He still doesn't seem like he's even into being there. He just shows up...sings (sometimes well, sometimes not)...then goes back to the house. Nothing more.
RANDY - "you knocked it out of the park"
ELLEN - "that was fantastic"
KARA - "you've raised the bar for yourself"
SIMON - "you were doing something quite corny"

PAIGE MILES - "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
Miley thinks Paige is really beautiful (that's means she doesn't think she's very talented)...and thinks that she will be great if she really watches her pitch. Clearly Paige wasn't watching her pitch because the whole things was just a mess. I'm not sure any of it was in tune. I can't tell if she's nervous or really just can't sing. She's trying way too hard on this and it's not paying off. She really only seems to have any confidence when she's belting. It was vocally horrible...and visually uninteresting...JUST BAD!!!
RANDY - "that was honestly terrible"
ELLEN - "you look stunning"
KARA - "it was the worst vocal I have heard from you...and possibly from the season"
SIMON - "it was just all over the place"

TIM URBAN - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
Miley wants Tim to really push it to the limits...and then told him that he's got it. I'm not sure what he's got, but it's not talent. He really played it up to the audience this week...which could really work to his advantage. And then he slid across the stage...very cheesy. He sang the song better than he's sung any other song on the show, but it was a really easy song to do. And he didn't do anything to change it up. He's just not good enough.
RANDY - "it was like bad karaoke"
ELLEN - "felt like an audition for High School Musical 6 or 7"
KARA - "you acted you have already made it...and you haven't"
SIMON - "you have no chance of winning right now"

AARON KELLY - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
Miley made an awful when he told her what he was singing...but said that she made it because she didn't know he could sing so well. Aaron admitted that he has a crush on Miley. AWWW...so cute!!! Then Miley called him great. The performance was a little boring. But he actually sounded really good...especially since he has laryngitis or tonsillitis...or both. And he's adorable. I liked his little country twang to the song...and that he didn't try to pretend to be a rock star on it. It worked for him.
RANDY - "you are really talented"
ELLEN - "you are so good"
KARA - "good attempt due to the circumstances"
SIMON - "there is not chance that you will be going home this week"

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX - "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
Miley wants Crystal to showcase her higher vocals more...and then signed Crystal's guitar. She made an odd song choice, I think. But it is a great song. And her last chorus bits made me what to jump up and grab my tambourine...which is a good thing. She looked weird in that dress...and with her dreads pulled back into a strange bun. However, there's not denying that her vocals are amazing. I just wish she'd put her guitar down for one week.
RANDY - "that's the way you do it"
ELLEN - "I wish you would enjoy this whole thing more"
KARA - "I'd like you to lost the guitar"
SIMON - "I wouldn't change a thing"

MICHAEL LYNCHE - "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge (or maybe Michael Bolton)
Miley thinks Michael's voice is absolutely amazing...and has nothing bad to say about him. He sang the song fine. I hated his falsetto at the end...but I almost always hate boys singing falsetto. The whole things was a bit overly dramatic. There was really nothing special about it...except that it was way over-indulgent.
RANDY - "I loved it"
ELLEN - "this woman loves that man"
KARA - "a bit boring and loungy"
SIMON - "it was almost too much"

ANDREW GARCIA - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
Miley wants Andrew to put down the guitar because it's blocking him...and wants him to learn the words. The whole performance was bizarre. He's really not singing again. It's just a that rhythmic speaking that he did last week. And his dancing was dreadful. The flashed to Miley in the audience and she didn't seem to be enjoying it. It was really just awful.
RANDY - "it wasn't good, man"
ELLEN - "not a great song choice"
KARA - "you're really confused up there"
SIMON - "you sucked the soul out of that song"

KATIE STEVENS - "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Miley wants Katie to really show who she is on stage...and thinks the song is a great choice. She started out really bad...almost like she got lost and just stopped after each line. It's just melodically unpleasant. And the chorus sounds so nasally flat. I think it was a really bad song choice for her. She clearly can't sing pop tunes. Bad stuff. Of course, I don't really like her. I'm not sure what the judges saw...based on these comments.
RANDY - "I'm liking that you're listening to us"
ELLEN - "your best performance yet"
KARA - "this is where you belong"
SIMON - "it was a good performance"

CASEY JAMES - "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
Miley thinks that Casey rocks!!! But she wants him to make eye contact with some people in the audience to make it more personal. This is probably the right song for him to sing. He sounds decent on it. He still isn't a very good performer though...he does nothing on the stage. And he relies on that guitar way too much...maybe because he doesn't know how to work the stage. I'm still not sold on him at all. And the performance could have been done just as well by any old cover band.
RANDY - "I believed it"
ELLEN - "best vocal of the night"
KARA - "you're just ready to make an album"
SIMON - "like watching and listening to an 80's cover band"

DIDI BENAMI - "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt
Miley loves Didi's vibrato and thinks it will serve the song well...and she doesn't want Didi's nerves to take over. Didi looks gorgeous!!! And she sounds good too. I think the song is perfect for her voice. She knows how to work the stage too. It might be a little too much acting the song out, but I don't mind it. She's just so good...she did just about everything right. It was entertaining and engaging. But apparently I was watching something that the judges weren't.
RANDY - "you never quite hit the pitch right"
ELLEN - "I didn't get that song choice"
KARA - "felt like you were playing a character and not being yourself"
SIMON - "it was the bad part of a musical"

SIOHBAN MAGNUS - "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
Miley thinks Siohban's voice has a swagger to it...and loves that she's so different and doesn't pretend to be anything else. She brought out some more crazy hair this week. But her outfit it super cute. She really owns the stage when she's out there. So comfortable. Vocally amazing...but I could live without the screams every week, especially if there falter and don't offer anything extra to the song. She's still my favorite this year.
RANDY - "I thought it was great"
ELLEN - "you're just so good"
KARA - "you express yourself every time you perform"
SIMON - "you need to start pushing yourself and making yourself relevant"

There were really 5 performances that I didn't love (or even like) this week. But there's only room for 3 in the bottom. So here are my picks.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

Paige Miles
Tim Urban
Andrew Garcia

Any of them could be going home. But Paige should be safe because they need to keep the boy/girl ratio even for the tour. So it will be one of the boys. And I would have to say that it should be Andrew Garcia this week. So he is my pick to go home.

Tune in tonight to see if I'm right.

1 Down

2010-03-17T21:25:00.006-05:00

They have decided to allow the judges to "save" one person again this season...if they all think it's unanimous. UGH!!! Why? There job is over.

David Cook is back and singing "Jumpin' Jack Flash." He doesn't even get to sing one of his own songs. But maybe this means there's no group number...that would be amazing. I still like David Cook. He's good. His forehead is looking really big...since they took his bangs away. He's working on a new record that he's very excited about. And he'll be going to Africa for Idol Gives Back this year.

The Ford commercials continue to be awful. They did some kind of crazy paintball theme. It sucked. Casey didn't participate because he got the flu that day. He did however make it to his Ford consultation to design his own custom Ford Fiesta. And you can win one by going to the Idol website.

Orianthi is there to sing her hit single, "According To You." She is pretty amazing...singing and playing that guitar. And I really like this song. It's catchy and fun. She's using lots of wind too...I love that!!! She just showed those Idolettes how it's supposed to be done. Way to go, girl.

Ke$ha is there to sing her new single, "Blah Blah Blah," featuring 303. How is this woman famous...and who gave her a recording contract? She is just so bad. This song is ridiculous. And she kind of stole the whole Lady Gaga eye covering thing. And now she's stolen the Indian (Native American)from the Village People's headdress. And now there's ropes lassoing her. She really has no idea what she's doing up there at all. She should be embarrassed...and Idol should be embarrassed for having her there to sing that mess. But she made all the contestants look really talented.

We went through all the contestants to get to the Bottom 3...and here they are.

Paige Mills
Tim Urban
Lacey Brown

I only picked one of them. But Paige would have been one of the ladies that I would have put there. I don't think she was at her worst this week, but she hasn't been good in the past weeks.

Tim Urban is sent back to safety first...for some reason.

Paige Mills follows.

Lacey Brown has to sing one last time in order to be "saved" by the judges. I like that they let her pick what song they want to sing rather than sing the song that they are possibly being eliminated for singing. She picked "The Story," which she sang last week, I think. She was kind of nervous and it showed.

And they are not saving her. So the montage roles...Will Young sings ("I think I better leave right now")...and they all hug her center stage. It's sad. She wasn't going to win this thing, but she certainly shouldn't have been sent home first. I liked her odd voice and spunky personality.

Rollin' With The Stones

2010-03-17T18:40:00.011-05:00

OK, they weren't actually rollin' with The Stones, because The Stones weren't there. But they did sing songs by The Rolling Stones.

MICHAEL LYNCHE - "Miss You"
He was a little too cocky this week, coming off all that praise from last week. I still hate when boys sing falsetto...because most of them just do it badly. And he was no exception. Not good. The whole song kind of sucked. And those dance moves were ridiculous. I wasn't into it at all. I thought it was kind of horrible from start to finish.
RANDY - "dog, you slayed it"
ELLEN - "good, good, good"
KARA - "you were being hot on stage"
SIMON - "kind of corny and a tiny bit desperate"

DIDI BENAMI - "Playin' With Fire"
She looks really good on camera...and knows exactly where that camera it. Good stuff. I think the song is a bit of a dirge, but I'm pretty sure that's what she is going for with it. I was compelled to watch her, but it was all just a bit too slow for me. However, she sang well enough...and there's something that I like about her.
RANDY - "you were on fire tonight"
ELLEN - "sounded great"
KARA - "two steps in the right direction"
SIMON - "solid, not brilliant, performance"

CASEY JAMES - "It's All Over Now"
He is not a great performer. And it kind of seems like he's hiding behind his guitar tonight. He's playing it fine...and he actually sounds good too. But it's just not very compelling to watch at all. The whole thing was a little too simple. He makes a good bluesy, country rocker. And he has nice hair. But he's nothing special.
RANDY - "you are back"
ELLEN - "fantastic"
KARA - "tonight you were a rock star"
SIMON - "you've got to push yourself more"

LACEY BROWN - "Ruby Tuesday"
This whole thing was a big snoozefest...so boring. And a really bizarre take on the song. She kind of sucked all the shiny happiness out of it. But her voice is good...and unique. There's really something likable about her. She had some really rough notes during the song as well.
RANDY - "I was pleasantly surprised"
ELLEN - "tiny bit sleepy at times"
KARA - "didn't hit the notes right"
SIMON - "stop over thinking it"

ANDREW GARCIA - "Give Me Shelter" or maybe "Just A Shot Away"
I do not like this. It's rough and clunky. And his vocals are just bad. There were points where it didn't even seem like he was singing...it was more speaking rhythmically. And his big note faded out of tune in a very bad way. I didn't think it was good at all.
RANDY - "pitchy everywhere"
ELLEN - "your best performance yet"
KARA - "the connection with the song bothered me the most"
SIMON - "something didn't quite connect with the song"

KATIE STEVENS - "Wild Horses"
I hated her dress...let's just get that out of the way first. And it looked like she had wings on her hips when she was sitting on the stool. AWFUL!!! But she got the "star" back-lighting for this one. And she spits...alot...when she sings. The whole thing reminded me of a bad Miss America performance. Too cheesy. And she has no idea what she singing...EVER. I still don't like her. Something really puts me off with her.
RANDY - "you sang that really well"
ELLEN - "sounded so good once you got into it"
KARA - "you are never technically perfect"
SIMON - "you gave it 100%"

TIM URBAN - "Under My Thumb"
Things I hate about Tim Urban: his hair, his voice and his smarmy smirk of a smile. BLECH!!! And I can't really figure out why he's still in this thing. He did a weird, reggae version of the song that was just awkward and strange. Oh yeah...and it was dull too. Nothing exciting about it at all. Just bad...like Jason Castro bad.
RANDY - "didn't get that at all"
ELLEN - "you didn't wow me"
KARA - "you made it your own"
SIMON - "it didn't work"

SIOHBAN MAGNUS - "Paint It Black"
I love her whole outfit...the old prom dress with combat boots. AMAZING!!! I wasn't thrilled with her hair...it was a bit too big. But she truly has an amazing voice. She cracked a little during her big set of screams, but it's not going to hold her back. America might hold her back for being a completely bizarre young lady, but they cannot dispute her singing abilities. And I loved all the drama that she brought to the song. GENIUS!!! She's still my favorite this season.
RANDY - "that was hot"
ELLEN - "you just stand out"
KARA - "best interpretation tonight"
SIMON - "you were the stand-out performance"

LEE DEWYZE - "Beast Of Burden"
He mumbles way too much when he sings and I don't like that. And he has a gruffness to his voice that I usually like, but it's not working for him. His version of this song is really boring too. It's way too plain...and he's putting no energy into it. And his nasal sound bothers me. I'm not a fan.
RANDY - "thought it was dope"
ELLEN - "expecting a tiny bit more from you"
KARA - "tremendous growth"
SIMON - "stop thinking that people are better than you"

PAIGE MILES - "Honky Tonk Woman"
She sounds a lot better than she has over the past few weeks. But the song seems off somehow. And her breath support was way off...we later learned that she's suffering from laryngitis (as so many of the contestants do along the way). I hated her shorts jumper...it did nothing for her body. And she was just trying throw those big notes into the song to get them out there because she's been so bad lately...another desperate attempt to get votes.
RANDY - "you did alright with it"
ELLEN - "you have such great star quality"
KARA - "the young Paige is back"
SIMON - "song was a bit generic"

AARON KELLY - "Angie"
His hair was a mess...but I didn't enjoy that it looked exactly like Ellen's. HA! He really needs to work his country voice more because that's where he shines. And he has to stop that awkward swaying. I think he sounded really good on this song...but I thought the song was really boring. I just didn't want to listen to it anymore. It seemed to go on forever.
RANDY - "thought it was hot"
ELLEN - "beautiful"
KARA - "really great"
SIMON - "one of your strongest performances to date"

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX - "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
You can't argue that she doesn't have an amazing voice...because she really does. However, this performance is just boring. And I wasn't impressed at all. It was pretty lack-luster throughout the whole song. Nothing special added to it. Just bland. It was interesting to see that the judges complained to everyone else who stood at the mike with their guitars and sang, but didn't mention that to her at all. Why? Because she's one of their favorites to win.
RANDY - "you are always great"
ELLEN - "you added a little personality tonight"
KARA - "easy to watch"
SIMON - "you've got to kill it every time"

It should be no surprise that I think there will be 3 boys in the bottom group this week...but which boys will it be there. There were actually 4 guys that I didn't enjoy..and 2 girls. But both of those girls were better than those guys...and it's the 2 girls that I haven't really liked at all during the competition.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

Michael Lynche - he got the worst performance spot of the night by going first
Andrew Garcia - is just not good enough
Tim Urban - shouldn't have been there to begin with

My other boy choice was Lee Dewyze. I'm still not a fan of his, but I thought he performed better than the other boys listed above.

And my prediction to go home this week...ANDREW GARCIA. It probably should be Tim Urban, but the little girls all think he's cute. And I don't think Andrew has much of a fan base anymore. So good-bye to you.

Idol's Top 12 Revealed

2010-03-11T22:53:00.007-05:00

The night starts out with this week's group number. They are tackling Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet." I really love this song. Just not when they are singing it. It's just so bad. Bad choreography...bad "singing"...bad lip-synching. It was just really cheesy and not in a good way.

We are filling up the 12 empty stools this time. But first let's talk about our guest performers...Scott McIntyre and Matt Girard. You might be asking yourself who these 2 guys are. Well, they were in last year's top 12. Why are they back and singing together? I have no idea. But they are doing Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." And they have dueling pianos. They probably did this on the Idol Tour last year too. It's a big mess. But apparently Scott has put out on an album that available on iTunes and his website. And Matt has a #1 song...it's a duet with someone on the jazz charts.

Let's fill some seats...

Didi Benami - SAFE
Siobhan Magnus - SAFE
Paige Miles - SAFE (UGH)
Katelyn Epperly - GONE

That's a shame because I liked her. She wasn't great and probably had no chance to win. But she was much more enjoyable than Paige (especially these last 2 weeks). But she sings her farewell song.

Casey James - SAFE
Lee Dewyze - SAFE
Tim Urban - SAFE (remember, he wasn't even supposed to be there)
Todrick Hall - GONE

He was one of my picks to go home...he was also one of my picks during the first week of the top 24. I was never a fan, so I'm not sad to see him go. Maybe he can join Fantasia back in THE COLOR PURPLE tour.

Crystal Bowersox - SAFE (duh)
Michael Lynche - SAFE (duh)
Lacey Brown - SAFE
Aaron Kelly - SAFE (there's our minor)
Andrew Garcia - SAFE (that's a mistake)
Katie Stevens - SAFE (that's an even bigger mistake)
Alex Lambert - GONE
Lilly Scott - GONE

Alex first. I'm sad he's gone. I really liked his voice...and his mullet. He was better than more than just a couple of the other guys that made it (Tim Urban, Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia...I even liked him more than Casey James). But that's just me. And we all know that I don't vote.

Poor Lilly. This is just about the biggest mistake of this season. She should not have been sent home. She is an amazing talent...and I think she got totally screwed. But again, I don't vote. Maybe I should. I hope someone picks her up because I think she could put out some interesting music.

So we have a Top 12. It's not thrilling...but it's what we're stuck with for the next 11 weeks. Up next week...The Rolling Stones music. EEK!!!

Race to the Top 12

2010-03-10T15:40:00.009-05:00

It's their last chance to make it into the Top 12 this week.

The ladies were back up first this week...and a much more tolerable than the boys. So let's just get right to it.

My favorite this week was Crystal Bowersox. She's been in my top picks every week, but this time she took the top spot away from Siobhan Magnus (who is still my favorite). In fact, Siobhan was a close 2nd for me this week. But Crystal knocked this one out of the park. I have been waiting for her to sing a Tracy Chapman song because that's who she reminds me of. In fact, right before they announced what she was singing I told Marty that she has the sound of Ms. Chapman. And the judges just rave about her every week. I think she's pretty amazing too. But I don't think she's who the Idol folks really want to win. Why? Because she just isn't mainstream enough...and all they care about is making money. So while I love her...it will be hard for her to win this thing.

What 2 ladies will be leaving us this week? In my opinion, it's pretty obvious. However, my track record really isn't stellar this season when picking who gets the boot. But the 2 worst singers this week were Katie Stevens (who I've been trying to get rid of since the Top 24 started singing) and Paige Miles (who the judges have touted as the best singing of the season).

Katie Stevens sang Kelly Clarkson's "Breakway." And it was just bad. So lifeless. She has no connection to this song...or any song she sings. Sure, her voice isn't bad. But it just isn't good enough. And she has no stage presence or personality. Just dull.

Paige Miles sang the classic "Smile." This could be her downfall. It was just bad in every way. She sounded bad. Her voice wavered the entire time. She claimed it was an emotional song for her to sing...but I'm not sure why. It should be a joyous song. And she did not emote joy or happiness at all. And she never even smiled while singing it. She just looked miserable. And it was painful to watch and listen to.

Those are my choices. However...if Katie Stevens doesn't make it to the Top 12 will be a bit of a surprise. Because America likes to have at least one high schooler in the Top 12 every season. They still have a chance to get that with a boy this season though. Also, if Paige Miles goes home, there will be no African American female left in the competition and it would be the first time there wasn't a lady of color in the Top 12. In fact, if she leaves it will be a completely white group of ladies. So race and age could be a major factor in this week's ladie's elimination. Hopefully, America will vote based on the singing and not the age or color of the contestants...but that rarely happens.

The boys continue to pick the most boring songs...and have very little personality.

This week there was a clear stand-out amongst the boys...and that would be Michael Lynche once again. He gave a truly great performance of "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell. I could have lived without the falsetto at the beginning and ending. But the rest of his vocal performance was pretty spectacular. His performance was a bit over the top, but the judges didn't seem to call him on that. Probably because they need a boy to push and Michael seems to be it.

Picking who will be leaving is tough once again. There were 4 performances that I really didn't care for this time...Tim Urban (who the judges kind of praised this week), Andrew Garcia (who seemed to make a desperate attempt to reclaim his brilliance on a Paula Abdul song by singing a Christina Aguilera song this time), Aaron Kelly (who has a good country voice, but picked a song that just a little too big for his voice...and he sounded a little nervous) and Todrick Hall (who the judges liked as well).

So here's why I think these 2 guys will be gone (or should be gone at least).

Andrew Garcia tried to rework Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." It sounded like a good idea since he transformed Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" so well during Hollywood week. But it didn't really work for this song. It just came off really awkward and clumsy. I like the sound of his voice though. It was just a weird arrangement...and a song that he probably shouldn't have tried to sing. It just made it hard to listen to.

Todrick Hall took on Queen's "Somebody to Love." The judges praised his singing on this one. But I thought it was just a big mess...that he managed to end really well on. And I actually enjoyed his falsetto at the beginning. Once he started singing in his chest voice, it turned kind of ugly. And for being such a "performer," he seemed very stiff clomping around the stage. I'm sure he didn't want to do too much dancing so that he can be taken more seriously as a singer. But I stick with me assessment of the whole thing being a mess.

There's my 4 picks this week: Katie Stevens, Paige Miles, Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall. We'll see how I do at the elimination. I'm probably completely wrong as American voters and I rarely agree.

50/50 This Time

2010-03-05T19:11:00.005-05:00

I got a little better this week. I picked 2 of the 4 people heading home. And I don't agree with the other 2 people that got sent home at all.

Not that I ever watch the show live anymore, but last night I was actually out in the world. I was watching former Idolette, Constantine Maroulis, in ROCK OF AGES. I never had any desire to see this show because it just seemed like it would be a waste of time for me. But then I saw their performance on the Tony Award broadcast last year...and I admit that I was a bit intrigued. So I finally bought a discounted ticket. And I got exactly what I expected from the show. It was ridiculous, but in a very fun way. And you really can't dispute that the music is pretty amazing...since it's all the songs that people my age grew up with. So if you love the 80's, rock stars and strippers...you should see this. You will have a great night out.

This week, the group number was the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling." These group numbers just seem to get worse every season...and every week for that matter. Some of the Idolettes didn't even pretend to lip-synch on this one. They just didn't even bother. So ridiculous.

They brought back Danny Gokey to sing for us because he has a CD out (I saw it at Target today for under $8). I watched about 30 seconds of his performance before I hit the FFWD button. I still don't like him.

The first elimination comes down to Todrick Hall and John Park. I didn't pick either of these boys to go home this week...but I don't really like that Todrick (I think his name is stupid too). Randy thought that both of them had lost themselves along the way and that they haven't seen the guys that they saw in their first auditions (as if Randy can remember back that far). So of course, John Park is eliminated first. He sang his song again...but as usual, I didn't listen to it.

Continuing with the boys, it comes down to Andrew Garcia and Jermaine Sellers (who I picked to leave this week...and last week). Ellen doesn't want to say who she thinks will be sent home, so she just says that she likes both of them. But in the end, Jermaine is out of there. And he sings...but I don't listen (or care).

The first girl elimination is up next. And it's down to Didi Benami (one of my picks this week) and Michelle Delacor. Kara loves Michelle, but after watching a tape of the show thinks that Michelle was sharp and will probably be out of there. And she is right...Michelle is sent home. I will say that she did what the judges asked her to do...and she got sent home for it. Way to go!!! I didn't listen to her sing again.

Our last elimination of the night comes down to Haeley Vaughn (my pick) and Lacey Brown. Simon thinks that everyone knows who's going home so he won't even say who he thinks will be leaving. And with that, Haeley gets the boot. She sang her song (which I didn't watch) after the montage (which I watched only to listen to the exit song again).

I'll be back next week for the last round of elimination...and finally we will have a Top 12 and those wonderful themes that they come up with each week.

Boring Boys & Gifted Girls

2010-03-04T13:57:00.004-05:00

The boys went first this week because Crystal Bowersox was rushed to the hospital.

The boys continue to be not so talented this year. And the theme for them this week as really boring songs/performances.

My favorite of the night was Michale Lynche, or Big Mike as Ryan calls him. He sang first...and sang a song that I didn't recognize. I'm calling it "This Is A Man's World" because it seemed to be a recurring line throughout the song. He sang it very well. He embellished the mid-section a little too much, but at least it was on pitch. And he worked the mike, the camera and the stage well. Good for him.

I also didn't hate Alex Lambert and Lee Dewayze. Both were fine in their own way.

Up for elimination this week are Casey Jones, Todrick Hall, Jermaine Sellers, Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban. OK...I know that we aren't getting rid of that many guys, but they all could be in trouble.

Here are my picks to leave...

Tim Urban...I hate his hair. He sounded a little better this week, but it still wasn't very good. And the song was so boring. I was just uninterested.

Jermaine Sellers...there is just something I don't like about him. His song was really breathy. And his melody changes were weird. I just can't get into him at all.

The ladies were once again much better than the guys.

My favorite once again was Siobhan Magnus. She sang Aretha's "Think" and was pretty fantastic. She also really enjoys singing. And she's a big goof-ball. She was a little awkward on stage. But her voice made up for it. AMAZING!!!

I also really like Crystal and Lilly Scott this week. Both were really good

There were some that I didn't enjoy all that much...they include: Haeley Vaughn, Katie Stevens, Didi Benami and Paige Miles. Paige will be fine because she has a strong voice, but she was just not so good with Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away." And unfortunately, Katie Stevens should be OK this week too. I'm not sure why I don't like her, but I just don't. I think he has an adequate voice, but again, there's just something about her that turns me way off. However, she did just enough to carry her onto next week...because 2 others were worse than her.

The ladies going home this week are...

Haeley Vaughn...singing Hannah Montana's "The Climb" was just wrong. It's a shame because I think her voice is interesting. She made some odd choices with the song. And it just wasn't very good.

Didi Benami...sang "Lean on Me" this time. It was a bizarre arrangement and her vocal changes did not work. I'm calling her Brooke White lite. She's very similar to Brooke, but not quite as good. And it makes her seem a lot less original. Her voice was fine. It was just a bad song.

There you have it. We'll see how my predictions stand up after the elimination show tonight.

1 Out of 4...I Kind of Suck

2010-02-25T23:09:00.007-05:00

The night starts off with a group number. WHAT? Does this always happen during the countdown to the top 12...I don't think so. Well, they are singing "American Boy." And there's way too many people in this. Good thing they are lip-synching. They made this very fun song into a crappy piece of elevator music. So bland...in fact I wrote that twice in my notes...that's how bland it was. I did not enjoy it.

The first elimination comes down to Katie ("Feelin' Good") and Janell ("What About Love"). Randy doesn't know which one will be going home because it's too close to tell. But in the end, it's Janell Wheeler. She sings again, but I don't listen to it. Her first performance proved that she has a nice voice. But it wasn't strong enough for this song. That was her downfall. She was certainly better than a few others that are up there...but what can you do?

Allison Iraheta came back to sing her new single "Scars" for us. She hasn't changed much. She's still rockin' out. But what is up with the fins on the back of that dress? CRAZY!!! I still love her. And I kind of like this song too. It's not my favorite on her album, but it's good. She really seems older than she really is though.

Next group of girls are up...and it comes down to Ashley ("Happy") and Didi ("The Way I Am"). Ellen wants them both to know that whoever leaves not to think of it as the end, but to think of it just as a new beginning. So diplomatic. But in the end, Ashley is done for. And she's one that I picked to go home this week. She sings and I can't bear to listen to it. Her previous performance was bad enough. She desperately wanted to be a pop singer...but she kind of came off like a really bad Alicia Keyes impersonator. I didn't like anything about it.

Time for a boy to leave us...and in the first group it comes down to Tim ("Apologize") and Joe ("You and I Both"). Kara thinks that America got it right that one of these guys should be going, but doesn't say which one. But tonight, it's Joe. He sings again...and I don't listen again. Based on his previous performance, I didn't think he was that bad. I thought his voice was pleasant, but not great. And in comparison to the other guys, he certainly wasn't the worst of them. But America voted, not me.

Kris Allen chatted with Ryan about his recent trip to Haiti to help out. He's singing "Let It Be" for us...with video footage from his trip. And I think you can download this song on iTunes and 100% of the proceeds will go to Haitian relief efforts. The song was fine, but nothing special. It didn't make me want to download it. And he makes some crazy faces when he sings.

Our last group of boys are up...and it comes down to Tyler ("American Woman") and Alex ("Wonderful World"). Simon thinks that Tyler will be going home based on the vocals from the last performance. And it is...Tyler is out. He sings out the show and gets cut off. His previous performance was kind of awkward. He wants to the be this 1970's sex god and it was just kind of laughable. He may think that he's the reincarnated Jim Morrison with that hair and swagger, but really he may just be crazy.

So I only got 1 right this week. Oh well. There's really too many at this point anyway...and any of those boys really could have gone home.

I loved the new montage song. I don't know it. But it's kind of amazing..."Leave Right Now" by Will Young. It has the most amazing line, "I think I better leave right now." So appropriate.

Lots of Guitars and a Harmonica

2010-02-25T17:27:00.007-05:00

This season, I'm going to recap the top 24 in one post only. And I'm only going to tell you my favorites of the night...and who I think will be going home.

LADIES FIRST...

My favorite of the night was Siobhan Magnus. The 19 year old, glass blowing apprentice from Cape Cod, MA sang Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." I thought she was pretty pretty amazing. She started with this deep, smoky, sexy voice and then showed that she can hit the note that that particular song demands. She has a nice fullness to her voice. And a great stage presence. I hope she's not too bizarre for America.

I also really liked...
Lilly Scott, 20, from Denver, CO...sang The Beatles' "Fixin' a Hole"
Michelle Delamor, 22, from Miami, FL...sang Alicia Keyes' "Fallen"
Chystal Bowersox, 24, from Elliston, OH...sang Alanis Morrisette's "Hand in my Pocket"

Who I didn't like...
Ashley Rodriguez, 22, from Chelsea, MA...sang Leona Lewis' "Happy"
Haeley Vaughn, 16, from Fort Collins, CO...sang The Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
Lacey Brown, 24, from Amarillo, TX...sang Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide"
Kate Stevens, 17, from Middlebury, CT...sang Michael Buble's "Feelin' Good"

I think that of those 4 ladies, that Ashley Rodriguez has no chance of making it past this round. And Lacey Brown will probably be the other lady to leave us. I kind of hope that it will be Kate Stevens because there was just something I didn't like about her...and she tried to dress and look like Rachel from GLEE.

BOYS BOYS BOYS...

MY favorite of the night was hard to pick because the boys really suck this year. I think I liked Andrew Garcia the best though. He's 24 years old from Moreno Valley, CA. He sang Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down." But he's much more known for doing Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during Hollywood Week. Sadly, this wasn't as good. But he's got a nice voice...and he's kind of interesting.

Others that weren't horrendous...
Aaron Kelly, 16, Sonetown, PA...sang Rascal Flatts' "Here Comes Goodbye"
Casey James, 27, Fort Worth, TX...sang Bryan Adams' "Heaven"

So many bad ones to chose from it seems impossible to choose...
Todrick Hall, 24, Arlington, TX....obliterated Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone"
Jermaine Sellers, 27, Joliet, IL...bleated Oleta Adams' "Get Here"
Tim Urban, 20, Duncanville, TX...desecrated One Republic's "Apologize" with his falsetto
Tyler Grady, 20, Nazareth, PA...tried to rock The Guess Who's "American Woman"
Alex Lambert, 19, North Richland Hills, TX...stumbled through James Morrison's "Wonderful World.

I'm hoping that Todrick Hill is gone because he really destroyed a great song...and his name is stupid. I'm also hoping that Jermaine Sellers goes away because he thinks he a whole lot better than he really is...and he over-sang most of the song. Tim Urban was really bad too...and he wasn't supposed to be there to begin with...but I'd rather hear him sing over those other two guys.

MY PICKS TO GO HOME...
Ashley Rodriguez

Lacey Brown

Todrick Hall

Jermaine Sellers

It's really a shame they divide them up between boys and girls because there are so many girls that are better than so many boys this year. But they won't get the chance because it has to be divided up equally. So unfair!!!

America(n Idol) Hates Talent

2009-05-07T08:58:00.007-05:00

I'm not even going to attempt to recap the elimination show this week. It was all bad...Paula Abdul's song, No Doubt's performance, Daughtry's new song, Ford video, group number with Slash...ALL BAD!!!

And then they eliminated Allison. I'm done. This is my last Idol post for the season (and possibly forever). I'm not watching any more. I just can't take it.

So farewell Allison. I know that you will be a star...and bigger than any of the 3 remaining contestants. So just be glad that you are gone.

PEACE!

I LOVE ROCK 'N ROLL

2009-05-06T11:18:00.014-05:00

It's rock 'n roll week...and thankfully Allison is still here for it. But who can we get to mentor the kids in the school of rock? Hmmm...let's see. I know, Slash...you know, from Guns 'n Roses. Yeah. That's good. Oh...and did you know that he has a solo album coming out. Now it all makes sense. The show started off with recap of last week's devastating bottom 3...you know, the one where Adam was in the bottom 2. Just to remind us what happened. And the set fell down during rehearsals...luckily no one was injured. But the contestants didn't get a full rehearsal in. Oh well. Idol has also decided to make the contestants sing some duets tonight...rather than make them all learn 2 songs (as they have done in the past). So that should be interesting.

ADAM LAMBERT - "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin
SLASH - "don't improvise so much in the high register"
I'm not sure, but I think Slash told Adam to stop screeching so much. Hmmm...that's interesting. I'm sure Adam won't take the advice, since that's all he usually does. I know that this will surprise most of you out there, but I'm not a big Zeppelin fan...go figure. But Adam must be very happy this week because he gets to wear his full costume on the stage...clothes, make-up, hair...we got the whole package this week. And boy is he screeching up a storm...but it really works for him on this song. He really did exactly what he needed to on this song. And it didn't seem as over the top as his usual performances do because it's what fits the song. He should learn to use it only where it's appropriate.
RANDY - "you're a rock star tonight"
KARA - "you're a rock god"
PAULA - "perfect"
SIMON - "nobody can top that now" (I'm sure someone has "topped" that plenty of times)

ALLISON IRAHETA - "Cry, Baby" by Janis Joplin
SLASH - "bring it full on"
This week Allison went with Adam to get her hair done (it was a girl's day out). And she got some purple highlights/extensions put in her hair...which look really good on her. She looks amazing in those pants. So hot!!! And her vocals were spot on...they might be a little too similar to Janis (which means the judges will criticize her from being unoriginal). But she knows how to command your attention when she's on that stage. DAMN! So good. And did it all in amazing heels.
RANDY - "I didn't love this"
KARA - "you become larger than life on stage"
PAULA - "you did a great job"
SIMON - "confident"

DUET #1 - KRIS & DANNY - "Renegade" by Styx
Their harmonies at the beginning of this song were actually quite beautiful. They sounded really nice together. But when they each broke off into the solos, it was kind of a nightmare. Clearly neither of these guys are ever going to be rock stars...and they know it.

But it just sounded bad. However, there is no way that either of them would have been able to sing with Allison or Adam in a rock duet. It would have just been a bigger mess than it was.
RANDY - "harmonies were the best"
KARA - "pitchy moments"
PAULA - "powerful and compelling"
SIMON - "Danny, you were better than Kris"

KRIS ALLEN - "Come Together" by The Beatles
SLASH - "make it a little more animated on stage"
Slash was talking about Kris' performance of the song...and hopefully Kris will listen to him. He doesn't usually do much on stage as a performer, but always sings well. He's playing his guitar again, but it works for this song...and kind of prevents him from having to be "animated" like Slash told him to be. His voice is so clear and pleasing to listen to. It's really nice. And he got the audience into by making the clap along which is very smart. The whole things wasn't bad...but it wasn't great either. A nice vocal...and an adequate performance. Certainly not "rock music" but it worked for him.
RANDY - "I enjoyed it"
KARA - "not a great performance"
PAULA - "you need to have a little more energy"
SIMON - "like eating ice for lunch, not very satisfying"

DANNY GOKEY - "Dream On" by Aerosmith
SLASH - "it could go either way"
I don't get this guy. And why would he choose this song? It's completely wrong from him. His ascending note was probably the worst thing I have ever heard. And the start of the song was actually really boring. He tried to screech like Adam Lambert...and it just did not work. So bad. The entire end of the song was awful. Not a single note on pitch. What a mess!!! He tried way too hard to pull that off...and just failed.
RANDY - "it's not what you do"
KARA - "took it a little too far"
PAULA - "wasn't my favorite"
SIMON - "it was like watching a horror movie"

DUET #2 - ADAM & ALLISON - "Slow Ride" by Foghat
OH MY GOD!!! I hope you all got to see Adam's pants for the duet. They were pretty amazing! Complete rocker gear. I'm not gonna lie...I kind of loved it.

Allison looks amazing too, but I always enjoy what she's wearing. They sound so fantastic together. I really hope the 2 of them make it to the finals (we all know that Adam will be there, I just hope that Allison is there too). And they had a lot of fun together.

It completely showed that they are both enjoying themselves. Such a good time...and the song completely worked for both of them.
RANDY - "that was the bomb, baby"
KARA - "pushing each other to be better"
PAULA - "totally in sync with each other"
SIMON - "Adam may have given Allison another chance to stay in the competition"

BARRY'S BOTTOM 2...

Kris Allen
Danny Gokey

They will probably throw Allison down there because they don't want Danny to drop. But he really deserves to be there. In fact, he deserves to go home after his performance (and all of his other performances). Sadly, it will most likely be Kris Allen going home this week. Although, they like to send home someone who is a front-runner during the top 4 week. So you never know. Don't forget about Tamyra Gray (Season 1), LaToya London (Season 3) and of course, Chris Daughtry (Season 5).

Tune in tonight to see. Idol also welcomes back their resident rocker, Chris Daughtry...and he was kicked off the same week when he was on the show.

And a special performance by the reunited No Doubt. Good times.

Slash will probably perform too since he was the mentor and is pushing an album now too.

Eliminated...Again

2009-04-30T08:46:00.013-05:00

I went to a show last night, so I didn't get to watch the elimination show until this morning. However, a certain young lady that I work with, named Katherine Holden Rumph (aka K-Hol), spoiled the results for me via a text message. It didn't really ruin my night though...I just wanted to make her think that I was going to say nasty things about her in my blog. Instead, I'll share this amazing picture of her.

Since I mentioned that I went to see a show last night, let me tell you this about it. IT'S AMAZING!!! If you are in the NYC area, you need to go see Next to Normal on Broadway. I saw it at 2econd Stage the first time around...and the production is so much better. Truly a great cast, lead by the brilliant Alice Ripley. It's fantastic. So go see it.

They have stopped pretending that the Ford commercials are actually commercials. They are now called "videos." This week's video is to the tune, "Energy." The kids are all running around in black and white on barren land. But the Ford drives around the set and leaves color all over the place...and makes trees and grass grow (because that's what cars do). And in the end...it's all in color. How nice.

This week's group number is a mash-up of "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "I Got Rhythm." OK, it wasn't really a mash-up...they just sang both songs. I think they sang live on the show. But they can't seem to snap at the same time (so much for having rhythm). Adam got to do some wails during these songs, which seemed completely inappropriate. Overall, it was just another American Idol group number. Nothing special.

All the kids were pulled center stage this week. And one by one, they were placed to either the left or right side of the stage by Ryan. This usually happens when there are 7 people left, but they didn't do it then so they are adding it now.
MATT - right
DANNY - left
ALLISON - left
KRIS - right
ADAM - has to chose which group he feels that he belongs to. And being the cocky asshole that he is, he chose the Danny/Allison group. To which Ryan tells him that he picked wrong...and he is in fact in the bottom 3. WHAT? Who let that happen? And really, why is there a bottom 3 when there are only 5 contestants. But you'll have to wait to see who gets send back to safety...and ultimately who goes home.

Natalie Cole has joined the show tonight. She's got another standards album out, so she's singing a song from it. It's called "Something's Gotta Give." She still looks pretty good for an old lady. And she pretty much sounds the same. And she sings standards pretty well. I've never really noticed it before, but she's got a huge mouth...and it's all teeth. Then end of the song was really kind of bad. Her notes were all over the place in her upper register. Not a good way to end.

Taylor Hicks has also come back to sing us a song. And he brought his guitar to play too. He still singing those rockabilly blues that he loves. Oh, he also brought a harmonica to play. He's very talented. Sadly, singing isn't one of those talents. He's shouting a lot, but the judges certainly aren't going to critique him about because no one really cares that he's even there. His back-up singers were good...at least they could sing.

Mini-break. Back to the elimination. Kris Allen is sent back to safety. What? Adam is in the bottom 2? Maybe that's why they chose to have a bottom 3 this week. It just made for more drama. But you'll still have to wait for the elimination.

Jamie Foxx is here to sing for us. He's singing his new single. And it's bad. He tried to get the audience to sing by holding out the microphone, but no one knew the words. He tried this again later in the song...and still, no one sang along. The song is just awful. It really wasn't him singing at all. It was just tricked out the by sound guy through the microphone. You couldn't actually hear his voice at all in it. And he seems kind of awkward on the stage...and can't dance either. What a waste of time.

Finally, time to send someone home. Of course, Adam is safe. So Matt Giraud is going home (for the second time). His montage plays...the Carrie Underwood track begins...and then he sings (but I didn't bother to listen because I didn't like it the first time around).

Next week...ROCK 'N ROLL!!! Go Allison!

House of Cool Cats...and One Sassy Broad

2009-04-29T08:34:00.017-05:00

This week the kids will be singing standards from the Rat Pack era...which isn't really how they marketed the show, but this is American Idol and you can't take everything literally. And there's a mystery mentor this week. OOOH...the excitement it too much to handle. Who will it be? Clearly not any member of the Rat Pack. Maybe Michael Buble...Robbie Williams...or someone else who sings standards really well. Nope...it's Jamie Foxx. HUH? Call me crazy, but I just don't get that. PLEASE...DO NOT LET HIM SING ON THE ELIMINATION SHOW!!!

KRIS ALLEN - "THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT"
Jamie Foxx - "you're my #1"
Kris decided to go a little edgy tonight with some really messy hair. And he still hasn't washed off his dirt moustache yet. It bothers me so much. I realize they are trying to make him not so "sweet and innocent" looking, but that was all part of his charm. His biggest problem...they put him up first in the "spot of death." His voice is really nice. I say that every week. He's just very easy to listen to. But this song is kind of boring. And the falsetto at the tempo change was just wrong. He needed to really work the camera more on this song in order to pull off the whole performance. I still like him, but I wasn't completely sold on this one.
Randy - "this is your best performance to date"
Kara - "you have set the technical standard tonight"
Paula - "your quiet confidence make you a contemporary crooner"
Simon - "thought it was a little wet"

ALLISON IRAHETA - "SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME"
Jamie Foxx - "she is leaps and bounds ahead of her time"
She had a birthday this week, so she's now 17 years old. AWWW!!! Her vocal was really great on this song. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but she took charge of the song and just belted it out. And she is just absolutely mesmerizing on the stage. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She really took the audience on a journey with her...and it was an amazing trip. She truly is a star. She doesn't seem to have much of a fan-base anymore, so there probably is no chance of her actually winning. But she will outlast every person on that stage in the long-run. SO AMAZING!!!
Randy - "that was the bomb"
Kara - "you are not a one-trick pony"
Paula - "both alluring and tender"
Simon - "I have a horrible feeling you could be in trouble"

MATT GIRAUD - "MY FUNNY VALENTINE"
Jamie Foxx - "change the key to the song and sing full voice"
He wore another hat this week to hide his forehead growth. Maybe he had it removed finally and is wearing a hat instead of a big Band-Aid. His falsetto is so ridiculous. I hate it every week. Just grates my nerves so much. And his lower register sounds really weird...and fake. It's almost like he can't naturally sing there. It's really off. And he couldn't follow Jamie's advice completely either. He lowered the key...but he could not stay away from all the runs (because that's all he knows how to do). And they didn't work at all. His last note was actually really good...until he decided to force the falsetto on the end of it and then added a couple runs too. Just bad.
Randy - "a little bit pitchy"
Kara - "you weren't emotionally connected to the song"
Paula - "pure, original and really impressive"
Simon - "the only believable, authentic performance"

DANNY GOKEY - "COME RAIN OR COME SHINE"
Jamie Foxx - "Danny is almost there"
The whole performance was very schmaltzy and cheesy. I still don't like his voice, but this song was a good choice for him this week. He almost won me over with his vocals until he went a little crazy at the final chorus. He just started shouting (but the judges never call him out on it). It was a controlled shouting (and growling), but that's still what it was. I almost enjoyed him for the first time...but he lost me at the ending.
Randy - "you can sing"
Kara - "you had swag tonight"
Paula - "stellar, stellar performance"
Simon - "that was outstanding"

ADAM LAMBERT - "FEELIN' GOOD"
Jamie Foxx - "he's gonna knock every body's head off"
In case you didn't know, Adam is a DRAMA QUEEN. He loves to put on a show. And Idol is helping him out...lighting, reverb, staging. They are pushing him to win this thing as hard as they can. I really love this song...but I do NOT love him singing it. He did some more of his signature screeching and it just turns me off. I don't get his appeal (all the time). But he is by far the front-runner this year and no one seems to be able to touch him. I don't even think that he's "Broadway" material anymore. I think he has crossed the line to Vegas performer.
Randy - "a little too Broadway for me"
Kara - "confusing ans shocking and sleazy and superb"
Paula - "you make me feel better than good"
Simon - "best entrance on the stairs all season"

First of all, I have to disagree with Simon on the stairs comment. Last week, the stage opened up and Allison was lounging on the stairs while she sang and they rolled her out center stage. AMAZING!!! All Adam did was strut down the stairs...nothing more than that. And it's very clear that Simon want Kris and Allison gone. And his comment about Matt was truly only to justify the fact that he saved him 2 weeks ago. It's ridiculous.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 2...
Kris Allen
Matt Giraud

And who should go home? It should be a total no-brainer this week...MATT. Get rid of him. He doesn't belong there. He should have never had a 2nd chance. DONE!!! With that said, it will probably be Allison, maybe Kris.

Disco Beats by Bunny

2009-04-24T14:47:00.011-05:00

For those of you in the NYC area...amfAR is hosting a launch party at SPLASH (located at 50 West 17th Street) on Sunday, April 26th, starting at 7:00 p.m. Lady Bunny will be spinning the disco classics. There is no cover...and the drinks are 2-for-1...and lots of gay dancing.

SO BRING ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

The party is to launch amfAR's HONORING WITH PRIDE event, taking place on June 11th. There will amazing discounts offered on event tickets at the party...so don't miss out. You'll basically be getting 2-for-1 admission on all ticket levels. AMAZING!!!

amfAR will be honoring the following people at the event on June 11th:

Lady Bunny

Patricia Field

Cleve Jones

Featured performer:

Deborah Harry

Special performances by:

Ari Gold

Colton Ford

Hosted by:

Alan Cumming

Special appearances by:

Flotilla DeBarge

Cheyenne Jackson

Christian Siriano

Music by:

DJ Billy Beyond

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ONLY AVAILABLE AT THE LAUNCH PARTY AT SPLASH!!!

Their Last Dance

2009-04-23T09:37:00.011-05:00

Idol used "green power" for the elimination episode this week, because it was Earth Day. I'm not exactly sure what they did that was "green" but they like to think they are doing something special for the world. And since there doesn't seem to be an Idol Gives Back this season, why not save the environment for one day of the year.

The contestants got a real choreographer this week to teach them the dance routine they would be performing during the group number. SURPRISE...IT'S PAULA ABDUL!!! She worked them hard because she claims to be a drill sergeant when it comes to dancing. But really she just talked to the camera. Matt even had time to download one of his performances as a ring-tone while just sitting around waiting for Paula to finish talking to the camera. At the end of the group number, they gave her a giant bouquet of flowers...and she wore the shortest dress possible to show off her cooch.

I'm combining the group number and the Ford commercial, because there's really not much you can say about either of them. The song was bad. They really focused more on the dancing this week. They all wore sunglasses...and "disco" shirts. And they brought back the lip synch for it...probably because the dancing was so hard for them. The commercial was dumb. It was to the tune of "I'm Good, I'm Gone." I'm not sure that's even a real song, that's how bad it was. They premise is that they all have jobs that they hate. Then at the end they all walk into a cafe that is having an open mic night. The end.

Let's get right to the elimination. Lil Rounds is sent to the center of the stage...and immediately sent home. WOW...that was quick. She sang her song again. Everyone is saying that she sang it really well, but I didn't watch it because I just didn't care. She's going home to her husband and 3 kids now...but she'll be back for the tour.

It's now time for the DISCO SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!

It's starting off with Freda Payne. You might be asking yourself, who is that? I know that I was. But she sang the song "Band of Gold." And that's exactly what she's singing for us. And she was awful. I'm not sure when she performed last, but she has apparently forgotten how to perform well. And she's completely out of breath...maybe because her dress was so tight.

Next up is Thelma Houston...now that's a name I recognize. She's belting out her classic, "Don't Leave Me This Way." I'm not sure why she chose that dress though. It's a little short for a lady her age...and it's canary yellow! But she still sounds good...and much better than Freda Payne. She has some big old boobies and she's not afraid to put them front and center and shake them around. Very sassy!!!

Our final performance in the spectacular is KC (from KC and the Sunshine Band). He's doing their big hit, "Get Down Tonight." And he's brought along some hoochie dancers because that's what this song needs. Oh wait, two of the dancers are actually his back-up singers. He's very old. But he still sounds the same. But after the song was over, the camera pulled in for a close-up on him and he just licked his lips. It was kind of gross and disturbing.

Back to the elimination...let's find out who rounds out the bottom 3 this week. Lil is already gone, so that's one...let's see who else America doesn't like.

KRIS...is safe.
ADAM...is safe.
DANNY...is safe.
ANOOP...is a bottom, I mean in the bottom.
ALLISON...is also in the bottom.
MATT...is safe.

Why do people hate Allison so much? She had one of the best performances of the night...and now she's in the bottom. It would actually serve the judges for saving Matt last week if Allison went home. But I really don't want her to go...since I really want her to win.

Before we find out who's going home, let's bring back Idol's biggest disco sensation, David Archuleta. OK, that's really true. But why would you bring him back during disco week. His voice sounded really weird. It didn't sound like him at all. And then I just stopped watching it...I couldn't be bothered.

So who's going home? Allison or Anoop? Well, it's Anoop "Dawg" Desai. He's out of here. He sang his song again and I didn't listen to it because I didn't really like it the first time around.

They did a combined montage for the Anoop and Lil while Carrie Underwood played. End of show. Done!

I Love the Nightlife

2009-04-22T10:16:00.013-05:00

We're heading back to the 70's this week with disco. Disco week is always a disaster on American Idol...and that usually excites me. This week had it's share of bad moments, but it wasn't nearly the train-wreck that I expected. In fact, a couple of the performances were actually quite amazing. Three people chose Donna Summer songs (so it could have just been Donna Summer Week)...and Simon was surprised that Adam didn't sing Donna Summer. And since Donna was available, there was no mentor this week to eat up time...so all the judges got to comment on the performances (and it still came in on time). So on with the show...

LIL ROUNDS - "I'M EVERY WOMAN" by CHAKA KHAN
Well, Idol is really trying to drop Lil this week. She's been consistently off for the several weeks and now they are putting her first, which is historically the kiss of death. It's interesting that the back-up singers are singing more of the song than Lil on this one. Lil is just giving us a bunch of "ooh's," "ahhh's," "whoa's" and various other nonsense noises. The vocals were all over the place. And the whole thing was just a big fat mess. She did manage to recycle one of her wigs this week...way to be green (in a conserving way...the wig wasn't actually green).
RANDY - "it sounded so wild"
KARA - "not really worth the wait"
PAULA - "you didn't quite hit the boiling point"
SIMON - "you look so sad"

KRIS ALLEN - "SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY" by DONNA SUMMER
He brought his guitar back this week, because that clearly scream DISCO!!! And he needs to shave off that moustache growth...it looks like dirt. Get rid of it. The arrangement was perfect for him. It suited his voice...which sounded amazing on the song. So clear and smooth. It was really great. At the end, it seemed like he was going to go for the falsetto note but he pulled it back and took to the low note. It was gorgeous. AMAZING!!!
KARA - "so impressed with you"
PAULA - "you found the perfect fit"
SIMON - "it was original, it was thought-out, it was great"
RANDY - "you are ready for the big time"

DANNY GOKEY - "SEPTEMBER" by EARTH, WIND AND FIRE
The song started out completely awful. Just shouting growls. So bad. And then we get to see that he brought back the glasses this week (which Allison was wearing before the break...HA HA HA). I really hated everything about the performance. It was loud. It sounded bad. It was harsh. It was very white-boy awkward. Just not good anywhere. And I still hate his voice. It reminds me of Michael McDonald too much.
RANDY - "you worked it out"
KARA - "your pitch is so right"
PAULA - "you have one of the sexiest voices ever"
SIMON - "I didn't get star power from that"

ALLISON IRAHETA - "HOT STUFF" by DONNA SUMMER
So Allison is announced and the stage parts. There is Allison laying on the staircase singing. Then the staircase is rolled out to the center of the stage. AMAZING!!! I watched it 3 times. So great. And she looks hot. The shoes are fierce...and the chain-mail dress is flawless. This girl has it all going for her on the show (except a fan base). JUST WOW!!! She took a classic song and just rocked the crap out of it. And that last note just blew everyone else away in the competition. SO GREAT!!!
RANDY - "you're one of the best singers in this competition"
KARA - "from a singing perspective, it was a 9 or a 10"
PAULA - "you hit it off the charts"
SIMON - "that was a brilliant performance"

ADAM LAMBERT - "IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU" by YVONNE ELLIMAN
OK, I had to look up who sang that song...but it's from Saturday Night Fever. Clearly Adam is going to be doing a ballad this week because he's dressed in his suit and his hair is combed and he's not wearing any make-up. He did manage to sneak in a bizarre snake ring that covered his entire finger. Vocally it was beautiful...until he started the "signature" screeching. But his words were all slurred together. And because the song was so slow, it got a little dull and boring. He is certainly the one to beat this year, but I'm really not convinced. He has moments that are truly over and beyond everyone else in the competition...but he also had moments where I just can't stand listening to him sing. And this song had both of those elements in it. So I'm kind of indifferent about the whole performance.
RANDY - "you are ready right now"
KARA - "you're brilliant"
PAULA - "I felt your pain, I felt your vulnerability"
SIMON - "the vocals were immaculate"

MATT GIRAUD - "STAYIN' ALIVE" by THE BEE GEES
This is Matt's 2nd chance (since he was "saved" last week) and he's chosen a selection from Saturday Night Fever for us to enjoy. UGH...it's a mess already. The vocals were all over the place. And he is just moving all around the stage. But it was nice that the back-up ladies got to move out from behind their mikes this week. His falsetto is awful (every week). The arrangement was horrible. But it looks like he's having fun.
RANDY - "you can really sing"
KARA - "it was still a good performance"
PAULA - "you save your own life tonight"
SIMON - "a bit desperate"

ANOOP DESAI - "DIM ALL THE LIGHTS" by DONNA SUMMER
His voice sounds really good on this song. He turned it into a very sappy ballad because that's what he does. Then the song picked up and he kind of lost me. It just seemed really weird for some reason. And the last note was way off. I will say this...he didn't make any weird faces when he was singing this song. So at least he improved on that. There is just something about him that I don't like...and I can't really pinpoint what it is. I certainly wouldn't buy anything that he put out.
RANDY - "nice, baby nice"
KARA - "you're really hitting your stride"
PAULA - "you hit that magical voice"
SIMON - "mediocre at best"

BARRY'S BOTTOM THREE...
Lil Rounds (clearly)
Matt Giraud (they should have just let him go last week)
Danny Gokey (OK, it will be Anoop...but he was better than Danny)

And since we get to send 2 people home this week...it should definitely be Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud. They were clearly the worst. So good riddance to you both...see you on the tour.

I didn't tune in long enough to see who will be performing on the elimination show. It will be someone from Idol past...and someone else. Maybe Donna Summer will show up again. And if they stick to disco, they should bring back Tamyra Gray because she's the only one who actually sang disco (in the style of disco) well.

Hugh Jackman = Twitter Humanitarian

2009-04-17T14:37:00.007-05:00

If you haven't heard, Hugh Jackman is donating $100,000 to a charity. And he wants your help to chose that charity. And it's all being done through Twitter.

Most of you know that I work for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, so I'm trying to get everyone I know to "nominate" amfAR for the donation. So if you have a Twitter account (it's free, so you can just create one JOIN HERE), you need to follow RealHughJackman, and then you can "tweet" him. So send him a "tweet" to @RealHughJackman stating why you think he should donate his $100,000 to amfAR in 140 characters or less!

I just joined the Twitter revolution, so feel free to find me on there (bhbrown13) as well. Below is what I "tweeted" to nominate amfAR. Feel free to use the same language...or come up with your own creative way. amfAR has established a memorial fund for Natasha Richardson that was launched on the Bravo A-List Awards this past week. So that's the platform that I went with.

@RealHughJackman "The Natasha Richardson Memorial Fund for the Cure for AIDS" through amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. www.amfar.org

It's just that simple. So help us out!!!

The Judges Take Control

2009-04-16T08:49:00.017-05:00

The show starts off with a ridiculous opening with Quentin Tarantino and the Idolettes. It was a lot of money wasted with very little outcome. The we wasted some time with the judges. Well, we do have an entire hour to fill.

But let's get right to the Ford commercials this week. They did not do a movie theme. Instead they sang to "Freeze Frame" by the J. Giles Band. And the whole concept was that they were all cover shots from magazines. Well, all except for Matt. He had to drive the car. The whole thing was kind of dumb and uninspired.

The group number is from a movie. They are singing "Maniac" from the 80's classic, Flashdance. Allison seemed to stumble on the lyrics a bit, but she covered it pretty well. Then Anoop stumbled on the steps. Adam got a little haircut to keep the hair out of his eyes. And I was very disappointed that they didn't do the "Maniac" dance...or much choreography at all. This was their chance to make them dance a little...the blind guy is gone.

The kids were treated to a premier of the new Zac Efron film, 17 Again after the show last week. So the cameras followed them there. And Zac has joined the studio audience...and he looks really dirty. he should take off that hat and wash his hair (and probably his body too). There was supposed to be some sort of "breaking news" about Zac on the Fox news after Idol, but I didn't wait for it. Is he gay? Did he break up with Vanessa Hudgens? Does he not shower? What is it?

Jennifer Hudson is in the house...but before we talk to her, let's watch the video of her performance of "If This Isn't Love." I'm a little surprised that they didn't make her sing "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)" from Dreamgirls since it was movie week. But I guess the fact that she's won an Oscar for a movie is enough to qualify for a movie week performance. I don't care for this song (or most of her album). But she looks really good. I like the long wig. Something seems to be wrong with her earpiece though. She keeps playing with it. I guess it's not staying in her ear. She really is a GREAT singer.

Miley Cyrus gets to perform too. Why? Because she has taken over the world...and she has a movie now too. She's singing "The Climb." I like smoke on the stage. There's a lot of twang in her voice. Is that how she always sounds? I thought she was one of those pseudo-rockers. Her dress is kind of gorgeous...if not a little too much for Idol. She could really use some diction lessons too...I can't understand much of what she's singing. And her voice is just awful...it's not even decent. Apparently there is a lot going on in the studio when she records stuff. And now she's shaking out her hair. That's a shame, because it looked really good. Now it's just everywhere. How is she so popular? And when did she meet Ruben Studdard?

Let's get on with the elimination results...

Allison is safe (THANKFULLY).
Adam is safe (as always).
Anoop is not...he's in the bottom 3 (as always).
Kris is safe (WOO HOO).
Lil is not...she's back in the bottom 3 (where she belongs).
Matt is not...he's rounding out the bottom 3 (as I predicted).
Danny is safe (because that's what the script said).

Kara thinks that this is the right bottom 3...and I agree (because those are all the people I picked). Paula thinks they are each there because they each had little flaws in their performances. Anoop is the first sent back to safety. Then we go to Simon (as we do every week) to find out if they will save either Matt or Lil. Simon says that there is one they would consider saving...and that it would be a surprise to that person. Clearly that person is Matt. And then Ryan sends Lil back to safety...America has voted off Matt. But he's got his chance to sing...and the judges can save him (PLEASE, DON'T!!!). He sings again. I really hate his voice. And he told us earlier that he would sing the song straight if he had the chance to do it again...which was clearly a lie because he's singing it the exact same way he sang it the night before (just without being able to play the piano). The judges deliberate...and even though Simon states that he has no chance of winning, he has been saved. UGH!!! So he (and his forehead growth) will be back next week...probably for the last time.

Next week 2 people go home. I hope that it's one of the "chosen" ones because that will show the judges that they have just wasted their veto. It would make the season a lot more exciting if that happened. And to make matters worse, it's Disco Week...which is always a disaster.

NO...that's not me, but I kind of wish it was. Until next week...

Popcorn, Raisinets...and Idol?

2009-04-15T10:08:00.019-05:00

It was movie night on Idol this week...with guest mentor(?), Quentin Tarantino. He knows lots about making movies, but does he really know anything about music? Probably not. But they like to bring him on the show for some reason. So that's what we get this week. And because time was a HUGE factor last week, there will only be comments from 2 of the judges for each performance this time around. On with the show...

ALLISON IRAHETA is up first this week...or as I like to call it, the Spot of Death. usually this is the place that gets no votes because the audience has completely forgotten about you by the time the show ends. And Allison hasn't really latched on to any sort of fan base yet, so it could really be her downfall this week. She's singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith from Armageddon. Someone seems to sing this song every year...and someone sang it recently on Any Dream Will Do (the search for the next Joseph from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on BBC America). Quentin thinks that she will "belt it out and do a good job." Those were kind of uninspired words from him. The song seems really slow...and kind of boring. But it picked up at the verse. She can really sing. But the ending got to be a bit of a mess. I still like her...but that wasn't great.
PAULA - "you are one remarkable, talented lady"
SIMON - "you're getting stronger each week"

ANOOP DESAI is next. He picked "Everything I Do, I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Quentin wants him to "rough it up." Well, Anoop tried to be rough and gruff on the very first note...and that's where it ended. He can't seem to get past his fake boy band sound. And tonight it sounds even more fake than usual. And I really wish he would stop making those faces when he sings. I'm sure that he thinks he's emoting the song, but it just looks like he's in pain most of the time. And the sweat on his upper lip is really distracting on those close-up shots of him. He seems very awkward on stage too.
RANDY - "you are rockin' the house"
KARA - "you have found your place"

ADAM LAMBERT has chosen to sing "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf from Easy Rider. Quentin is a big fan of Adam's because he likes to see what Adam will come up with each week...and Quentin said this about Adam's rehearsal..."I enjoyed the taste." That's really dirty...and made me throw up in my mouth just a bit. Adam must be very comfortable on the stage this week because they are letting him wear his make-up and nail polish again. I don't think this song fits his voice at all (not that many do). It's way over the top, which is what he likes to give us. I don't like the screeching that he does. And I kind of wish that he would blow out his voice one week and just not be able to sing at all. But the judges will praise him because that's what they do best.
PAULA - "you're one of the bravest contestants ever"
SIMON - "I don't think that performance will be as popular as last week"

MATT GIRAUD is singing Bryan Adam's "Have You Really Loved a Woman" from Don Juan DeMarco. Quentin told him to "do the gravelly thing, do the soulful thing, but don't lose the lyrics." We'll see if Matt listens to him. He's back at the piano this week, because that's usually what works for him. And he really needs to have that growth on his forehead checked out...and probably removed. I can't look at it anymore. His falsetto is still bad. I'm not sure if this the "gravelly" voice he was supposed to be using, but it certainly doesn't have anything to it. The arrangement was bizarre too. The first part was OK, but he lost it midway through and never got back.
RANDY - "you fell down in more places and just lost it"
KARA - "you took away some of the core melodies that make that song great"

DANNY GOKEY is up next. He picked "Endless Love" by Lionel Ritchie (and Diana Ross, even though Ryan only mentioned Lionel) from Endless Love. Quentin's only suggestion was to use "no hand gestures." HA...fat chance!!! Danny is sporting a lovely throw-back to Don Johnson with his powder blue Miami Vice jacket...pushed up to the elbow of course. And he's not wearing any glasses!!! Uh oh...this may be the end of him. People don't handle change well. He hits some really awful notes right from the start. It was just painful to listen to it. And he can't stop using his hand (he only used one, so I guess he listened to Quentin 1/2 way). I am still not a fan of his at all. I don't like the sound of his voice. And he shouts a lot of things that the judges never call him out on.
PAULA - "your magic is the tambour of your voice"
SIMON - "kind of a bit bored, and slightly disappointed"

KRIS ALLEN picked "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hasnard and Marketa Irglova from Once. You may recall that this won the Oscar two years ago. Quentin likes that Kris picked a song "that means something to him." Kris opted to not play an instrument this week...thankfully. But this must be the most boring song ever in Idol history. It's very pretty...but I just want to fall asleep to it. He sang it really well and it showed that he has an amazing voice. There was a little too much falsetto in the song...and that is not his strong suit at all.
RANDY - "never quite caught on"
KARA - "one of your best moments"

LIL ROUNDS is up last (maybe they were hoping she would get cut off like Adam did last week for those who don't watch the show live). She picked "The Rose" by Bette Midler from The Rose. Quentin wants Lil to "commit to the opening section even more." Lil bought herself another wig for the show. And I'm not sure what they were talking about in the interview, but the opening of the song was not sung "straight." If it were, it might have been beautiful. But she added some strange runs and weird melody choices to it. Then she took it to church (that's hip-speak for gospel). She handled that a little better, but it was still missing something. And that last note was horrible. The whole thing wasn't very exciting...and bordering on really boring. I don't understand her at all.
PAULA - "the road is long"
SIMON - "you are not the artist we met 7 or 8 weeks ago"

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai
Lil Rounds

I would say that Lil Rounds should be packing her bags this week. But I don't think that Anoop has any fans either. So I'm going to say that Anoop will be going home this week.

Don't miss the reveal show guests...

Miley Cyrus

and

Jennifer Hudson (I heard she taped her performance about a month ago for this episode...I love "live" television.)

And I just have to finally mention GLEE. It's airing on Fox on Tuesday, May 19th. I'm so excited for this show. I love seeing the commercials for it...it just makes me very happy...and a little weepy. WOO HOO!!!

WATCH THE EXTENDED PROMO!!!

Thank You Easter Bunny...BOCK BOCK!!!

2009-04-13T11:40:00.011-05:00

It was that time of year again in NYC...the 2009 Easter Bonnet Parade. That's when the coolest kids in town put on their bonnets and march up 5th Avenue in all their finery. This year, I got a group of 11 of my friends together to pull off my vision of "The Calendar Girls." And they did not disappoint me at all. We had an amazing day...getting out photos taken by loads of people. Sadly, there was no bonnet competition this year at the Tavern on the Green (which we would have clearly won), but that didn't spoil our wonderful time...it just got us to brunch (and cocktails) a little sooner than we planned.

This year's team consisted of Marty Marr, Ron Wittman, Niki T, Sue Doster, Audrey Luce, Bobby G, Winnie McCroy, Julie Blutstein, Daryl Richardson, Renee Richardson and Marije Klep (oh yeah, I was there too). Give it up for these amazing bonnet-eers. WOO HOO!!! I cannot thank them enough for bringing my vision to life.

And now, here they are...

MISS JANUARY...DARYL RICHARDSON

Daryl went with a snow globe atop his head, with an amazing winter wonderland scene inside. Pure brilliance!!!

MISS FEBRUARY...BOBBY G (aka Robert Giannasca)

Bobby G's theme was a combination of 2 holidays...Groundhog Day meets Valentine's Day. Looks fantastic!!!

MISS MARCH...RENEE RICHARDSON

Renee was a last minute addition to the team...and we couldn't have asked for a better participant. Her bonnet is all about St. Patrick's Day...even though she's not really Irish. Whimsically fun!!!

MISS APRIL...WINNIE McCROY

Winnie took Easter by the ears with her traditional take on the Easter bonnet. Classic!!!

MISS MAY...JULIE BLUTSTEIN

Julie's May brought us some great colors with all the "May" flowers in the garden. Spectacular!!!

MISS JUNE...BARRY BROWN

I went for the wedding theme in June...and of course I had to give a little nod to same-sex marriage on the front of my bonnet. But I kept it "PC" with an opposite-sex couple on the back.

MISS JULY...NIKI T (aka Niki Thomas)

Niki went all out with her 4th of July theme...red, white and blue explosions. She's quite the little firecracker herself, so the theme fit her. Explosive!!!

MISS AUGUST...SUE DOSTER

Sue had one of the toughest months because there's not much to base a theme off of from the month. But she took her beach to new levels...including gluing sand to the top of her bonnet...and making Adirondack chairs from foam. Genius!!!

MISS SEPTEMBER...MARTY MARR

Marty's back to school theme was over the top and fun...just like him. Every time you looked at the bonnet, you saw something new. Perfect!!!

MISS OCTOBER...MARIJE KLEP

Marije's bonnet was inflatable...yes, inflatable. She worked the Halloween theme with all kinds of greatness. Superb!!!

MISS NOVEMBER...AUDREY LUCE

Audrey's take on Thanksgiving was sheer craftsmanship. She fashioned an amazing cornucopia upon her hat. It was the heaviest of the bunch, but she wore it without issue. Pure beauty!!!

MISS DECEMBER...RON WITTMAN

Ron didn't take the easy way out by just going garishly Christmas. He made an amazing scene within a house...that Santa has just visited. The details to his house and scene were meticulous. Extraordinary!!!

For lots more photos from the official parade, our own parade through Central Park and brunch at the Amsterdam Ale House, just click the link. CALENDAR GIRLS Photos

His Seach Is Finally Over

2009-04-09T11:17:00.009-05:00

The show started with a tribute to the year that Simon Cowell was born. We later find out that it's 1959. But a clip of Frankie Avalon (from 1959) starts playing. He's singing "Venus" on some television program. Then the curtains part and he's on the Idol stage singing. Why? Because we have a full hour to fill on "Reveal Night." No other reason.

The group song for BIRTH YEAR WEEK is a song from the year that American Idol was born. That's lame. But they are singing Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (which was written by the one and only, Paula Abdul). It start with some weird dance thing by Lil Rounds...it made no sense. All the boys get to sing back-up on this one. Allison gets to sing first. Then Matt? I guess he gets to be a girl this week since we only have 2 left and they have to even out the numbers somehow...and he usually sings higher than Allison anyway. I think they might be singing live...because this sounds awful. Everyone seems to be way off. And the choreography was toned way down...they are just kind of wandering around the stage in formation. It's odd. Lil decided it was a good idea to deconstruct a disco ball and wear it as her shirt too.

We got to go behind the scenes of the Ford commercial this week. The kids are all excited about it, except for Kris who confessed that he's not a actor and Anoop who didn't want to wear glitter. LAME!!! The theme this week is a magic show...to Britney Spear's "Circus." The behind the scenes clips were better than the actual commercial. It's very clear that some of these are natural performers...and some are not.

I'm leaving the elimination segment to the end, because it was all split up last night...and I'd rather just do it all at once.

FLO RIDA is in da house. Why? Because he's got the #1 song in America right now with "Right Round" from his album R.O.O.T.S. That stands for something, but I wasn't paying enough attention to write it down. I'm not sure this song/performance is very "family friendly" for the Idol crowd. I mean he's talking about his head spinning "right round" because someone is going down on him. WHAT? How does that jive with Idol's approved television rating. Plus, he's got a gaggle of hoochie dancers shaking everything they got. And the poor soloist didn't even get any credit for singing her heart out.

ELIMINATION TIME...
Adam Lambert...is safe (as he always will be).
Kris Allen...is safe (because he's cute).
Anoop Desai...is in the bottom 3 (because he's brown).
Danny Gokey...is safe (because he has to join Adam in the finale).
Matt Giraud...is safe (and I'm not sure why).
Scott MacIntyre...is in the bottom 3 (where he belongs...not because he's blind).
Allison Iraheta...is safe (because she should probably win the whole thing).
Lil Rounds...is in the bottom 3 (because she's black).

Ryan asked Simon if there's anyone in the bottom group that might be "saved" by the judges this week...as he does every week. Simon told us that there a couple people that they would think about saving, and one in particular (most likely Lil Rounds). But that doesn't matter now. Why?

Because Kellie Pickler is here to sing for us. She has a 2nd album, entitled Kellie Pickler. She looks kind of old...the years have not been gentle to her. But her shoes are kind of amazing...I'd like to steal them from her. This song is one giant piece of crap. It's just so bad. And she hasn't bothered to learn how to sing yet. Apparently that song was written with her "little sister," Taylor Swift...and they are going on tour together. Really? Why would Taylor Swift do that? But they song is bad..her singing is bad...and everything about her performance was bad.

Let's send someone back to safety...and send someone home. This week's safety dance is done by Lil Rounds. So now the judges don't really have to worry about using their veto. Next we find out that Anoop is safe...and Scott is going home. But wait, first he has to sing for his life...then the judges will send him home, maybe. He doesn't get his guitar tonight. And he actually sounds much better on the song, with the minor exception of his horrible falsetto notes that he will never reach in this lifetime. But overall, he sang it really well.

Simon tells Scott that 2 judges think he should stay and 2 think he should leave. And since the decision has to be unanimous, I guess that means he's leaving. But they decide to "deliberate" some more. Probably because there's still time to fill in this hour-long episode. Ryan demands their decision, and Simon just tells Scott that his Idol career is over. I mean, really. You clearly were never going to use your veto on Scott when Lil Rounds is in danger of being eliminated next week.

The montage begins and the Carrie Underwood ballad plays.

But there's still time, so Paula decides to make a statement. She tells Scott that he has been the "biggest inspiration to the world in Idol history because of his commitment and talent." Awwww...that's sweet.

I Don't Know Nothing 'Bout Birthin' No Idols

2009-04-08T09:39:00.015-05:00

I like it when the performance shows are only an hour long. But usually they are rushing through them to get everything in on time. That did not happen last night. The show went over by almost 10 minutes. And if you recorded the show and didn't watch it live, you missed the entire last performance. If they hadn't shown the baby photos of the judges and Ryan, maybe we would have come in on time. But since the judges didn't get to come out on stage this week, we had to add something else to give them the attention they require. The theme was SONGS FROM THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN. No...not from the year YOU were born...from the year that the contestants were born.

DANNY - 1980 - "Stand By Me" by Mickey Gilley (not originally)
He gets to go first because he's the oldest one. Every year someone cheats with song selection. Clearly, the producers let him pick this cover because it would suit him well. Although it's sounding pretty bad. I will admit that I don't like his voice, but this is just kind of painful. And his teeth are really bad (not as bad as Elliot Yamin), but still a little funky. And now he's shouting again. But the judges never call him out on it like they do for the ones they don't like as much. He opted to wear some new frameless glasses and they aren't nearly as horrible as the ones he usually wears. I'm sure the judges will love this performance, but I did not.
RANDY - "you made me love it"
KARA - "you killed it"
PAULA - "WOW"
SIMON - "overall, great"

KRIS - 1985 - "All She Want to Do Is Dance" by Don Henley
He's playing the guitar this week...and he's standing on that weird pedestal in the mosh pit. That didn't work for Matt last week, we'll see if it does anything for him. NOPE! This is just a bizarre song choice for him. And the arrangement is ever more strange. Not good at all. I can't even enjoy his voice, which is usually quite lovely. I just didn't get it at all.
KARA - "felt like jazz/funk homework"
PAULA - "you have to be one of the most likable contestants"
SIMON - "indulgent, boring, forgettable"
RANDY - "I lost you"

LIL - 1984 - "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
WHY? WHY? WHY? I don't understand why she picked this song. And she's even mimicking Tina's moves from the video. Not smart at all. And she can barely walk around the stage in those shoes. It's very sad. And then she went a little insane by trying to riff and run everything. It just sounds awful. I don't get what her thinking was at all.
PAULA - "you look very, very hot tonight"
SIMON - "we're not looking for a 2nd or 3rd rate Tina Turner impression"
RANDY - "you're mad talented, but it's just not clicking"
KARA - "you have to find your power down there"

ANOOP - 1986 - "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper
I like his stripey sweater...but I hate that tie with it (and the shirt color). And I don't like the changes that he made to this amazing song. I still don't like the weird faces he makes when he sings. They don't seem natural at all. His mouth always turns down into this reverse Joker smile. It's very distracting to me. And the falsetto was miserable.
RANDY - "very nice vocal"
KARA - "you controlled the song"
PAULA - "that was magical"
SIMON - "you're like a singing yo-yo"

SCOTT - 1985 - "The Search Is Over" by Survivor
He opted for the guitar at the microphone stand this week...no piano. That could be a mistake. He actually sounds kind of good on this song. OH WAIT...the verse just started and it turned into a huge mess. He can't control his voice at all. It's all over the place. And that screeching falsetto attempt was miserable. I don't know what that was. I have to say that it's very hard for me to watch him sing at the microphone like that because his eyes can't focus on anything...so they are just staring straight out...and it makes me feel a little creeped out.
KARA - "you had good moments, you had some off moments"
PAULA - "you have a wonderful sense of humor"
SIMON - "go back to the piano next week"
RANDY - "is was all just OK"

ALLISON - 1992 - "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt
FINALLY...someone listened to me. I thought Allison should have sung a Bonnie Raitt song during the Opry week (but maybe she's not part of the Opry, which just doesn't make any sense to me). She looks so much better this week, even though that cape thing that attached to the skirt is a bit odd...it's still a millions times better than last week's ensemble. And she is truly an amazing girl. She's got such stage presence that you can't help but watch her. And her vocals are always right on. It's just brilliant. And she makes you feel the songs that she sings. Still my favorite!!!
PAULA - "that's a gift you can't put a price on"
SIMON - "that was very, very good"
RANDY - "you're one of the best of the night"
KARA - "that is true talent"

MATT - 1985 - "Part Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder
This guy really wants to be Justin Timberlake so badly...it's a little sad. And I hate his voice. Something about it just turns me off. The whole thing was very cheesy. He did some more of that falsetto/screeching in the song too. Why is that so popular this year? I don't get it. AWFUL!!! I hated everything about this performance. And who would buy this record? Anyone? The judges should really go after him with their "cabaret/cruise ship/wedding" critiques.
RANDY - "vocally one of the best"
KARA - "incredible on every level"
PAULA - "standing O"
SIMON - "well done"

And this is the one you possibly missed...

ADAM - 1982 - "Mad World" by Tears for Fears
I am really going back and forth on this kid. I think he's done a lot of bad things, but he has some moments that are just pure genius. First of all, I don't know this song at all. But it's not so bad when he sings it. There's a little too much of the falsetto for my liking, but it's not grating my nerves like the other boys. The song was full of drama, which is what he likes to do. But the whole thing was kind of interesting and enjoyable. But that last note was ridiculously bad.
SIMON - "I was to give you a standing ovation"
No other judges comments because we are out of time.

It's very hard for me to pick a bottom 3 this week. I really only enjoyed 2 (almost 3) performances. So here's what I have come up with.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

Lil Rounds
Scott MacIntyre
Danny Gokey/Kris Allen/Matt Giraud

OK, that's cheating, but none of them are going home anyway. It should be Scott MacIntyre that gets the boot this week.

TONIGHT? A performance by The Great Pickle, Kellie Pickler!!!

Yeah...that's kind of what I think of your singing too, Kellie.

They Turned the Lights Off on Her

2009-04-02T14:34:00.010-05:00

Ryan started the show by saying someone "may" have to sing for the life. What does that mean? Is this a non-elimination episode? Was there a voting issue again? I don't get it. Then he asked Simon who should be worried. Simon picked Matt, Megan and Anoop...the same people that I picked. I feel justified in my opinions now.

Instead of watching this week's Ford commercial during a commercial break, we get to watch it during the show. They are really trying to fill up this hour. They are singing "Mixed Up" but I don't know this song. If you've ever seen UGLY BETTY, it was basically what happened to Betty at the beginning of the show with all kinds of faces scrolling around until her face fills the screen. Picture that for an entire minute...with the ending being that they all got put back together with some Ford vehicle in the center of them.

Time for the group number..."Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. I must admit that I do love this song. It just makes me want to get up and jump around. Scott is back at the keyboard because he can't do the choreography...and it's safer for everyone involved. Allison and Kris got to start off the song...and they should have just sung the whole thing as a duet. It would have sounded really good. However, I really wish they would be allowed to sing live. The lip-syncing is getting really annoying...and really obvious. Why even pretend? Just play the track and let them sit on the stage and listen to it. And why do they all need microphones? To hide the mouths so you can't see when they aren't singing the right words? I don't get it. The song wasn't nearly as exciting as it could have been. But Adam must have done something right this week because they gave him his make-up and nail polish back for the show.

Ryan divided the groups up into 3's on the stage.

GROUP 1...Megan, Matt, Kris
GROUP 2...Adam, Lil, Allison
GROUP 3...Scott, Danny, Anoop.

It's safe to guess that one person will be picked from each group, because there is no way that any of those entire groups could be the bottom 3 this week.

But before we start narrowing it down, let's hear from David Cook. In case you don't know who that is, he won last year. He's singing his latest single, "Come Back to Me." He's still a really good singer. And he looks good on stage. I don't like the brooch on his jacket. And the song is kind of nice...very typical of Idol. But I still like him. Then 2 blond girls presented him with his platinum album...and he cried a little bit. Very sweet. And we got a sneak peek at the video for the song...he was walking backwards in it a lot.

Let's find out who's in the bottom this week...dim the lights...and start the timpani.
KRIS...is safe.
MATT...is safe.
MEGAN...is clearly in the bottom.
LIL...is safe (dammit, that was Allison's only hope of not being the bottom).
ALLISON...is in the bottom.
ADAM...is safe.
DANNY...is safe.
SCOTT...is blind (and safe).
ANOOP...is in the bottom.

MEGAN...ALLISON...ANOOP...who will go home?

We'll find out after Lady GaGa sings us a song. She's singing her #1 hit, "Pokerface." I hate this song. But there's smoke all over the stage, so this could be good. Plus, she's playing a Lucite piano filled with clear balls and a couple starfish. Why? Who really knows? It's Lady GaGa after all. And she's clearly insane. But man does she know how to perform on the stage. The song is still crappy...but you can't help but enjoy her because she is so entertaining. She did not have her signature sunglasses on during the performance...but she had this weird leather zipper over one eye instead. CRAZY!!! I'm waiting for the day when Lady GaGa decides to tell the world that she's really a man.

Ryan asked Simon if there is anyone in the bottom 3 that they would consider saving. And Simon says that there is one person. Clearly that person should be Allison...but who really knows? Maybe he really likes Anoop.

Allison is sent back to safety first. So it's down to Anoop and Megan. Anoop is safe...and Megan is going home. Simon simply states that they aren't even going to consider saving her based on her performance. So that's that. She sings...the montage rolls to that horrible "Home Sweet Home" cover byCarrie Underwood...and Megan leaves us.

Next week...the Idolettes will sing songs from the year they were born. That's always a good time!

Don't Sing Songs Just Because You Like Them

2009-04-01T16:14:00.015-05:00

The Idolettes get to pick any song they want to sing...as long as it happens to be a "popular" download on iTunes. I say "popular," because some of the choices are anything but "popular." But they got to sing them anyway. And they got to take a trip to visit Ryan Seacrest as he was broadcasting/taping AT40 (that's American Top 40 for the old-timers out there).

DISCLAIMER: I'm not sure what the judges were listening to last night. But I disagreed with them on almost every performance last night. I know that things sound differently live, but I can't believe that it was true for every person last night. I don't get it.

ANOOP - "Caught Up" by Usher
What is up with that jacket? The stupid chain over the arm. And it's not even connected to anything. It's just looped over his shoulder and tucked under his armpit. Ridiculous!!! I really hate the faces that he makes when he sings. He just looks dumb. And his voice sounds kind of fake during this song. It's very high-school talent show. I didn't like it at all. And his "dance moves" seems very over-rehearsed...not at all spontaneous. It was boring...ordinary...and unoriginal.
RANDY - "not the right song for you"
KARA - "played it safe"
PAULA - "created some signature hit...or stabs"
SIMON - "complete and utter mess"

MEGAN - "Turn Your Lights Down Low" by Bob Marley and Lauren Hill (not at the same time, I think)
She's so weird...and that makes her interesting to me. Her braids randomly over her head are stupid. And the song is awful. Not just because she isn't singing it well. It's just a bad song. She was much better than last week, but that's not saying a whole lot. It was just a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad song.
KARA - "I think you're in trouble"
PAULA - "dig really deep to an area that's not comfortable"
SIMON - "nobody's going to like that song"
RANDY - "like watching paint dry"

DANNY - "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flats
I like a song that starts with a violin solo. It's nice. I still hate his glasses. And I still hate his voice. It just doesn't sound pleasing to me. He really needs to learn some control. When he starts to be "powerful," it just turns into a big mess. And some of those notes were just too far off pitch. I didn't like it.
PAULA - "you keep me wanting more"
SIMON - "your best performance of the series"
RANDY - "you brought it crazy with the vocals"
KARA - "you moved everyone in this room emotionally"

ALLISON - "Don't Speak" by No Doubt
She playing the guitar this week. Who knew she could do that? But what is up with her whole look? The crazy Pebbles hair? The wacky Pepto Bismol prom dress? The sassy white shoes? It's just nonsense. The songs seems really slow...and she seems uncomfortable with the speed of it. She's even rushing a little bit ahead of it. But this girl can totally sing. The whole performance was boring though. She really needed to rock it out more during the chorus. It was merely passable.
RANDY - "I did not get the ensemble"
KARA - "not your best, but good"
PAULA - "I'm glad you brought your axe out"
SIMON - "you shouted the song"

SCOTT - "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel
This song is kind of predictable for him...but he should do OK with it. Who gave this guy a make-over? His hair is really high. It looks weird. The song was a really big snooze-fest. And he made some really weird changes to the song. The arrangement was bizarre. I thought it was just bad.
KARA - "you made some smart decisions"
PAULA - I think it paid off for you"
SIMON - "that is what you do"
RANDY - "one of the best of the night"

MATT - "You Found Me" by The Fray
He's back at the piano...but this week it's a keyboard...and it's in the middle of the audience. That's weird. He sounds really off on this song. He is definitely not a rock star. He's really forcing the gruff sound...and it just sounds bad. His vibrato is ridiculous. If you don't have it naturally, don't try to force it. Then he finished the song with some screeching falsetto. That was probably his worst...and so far, the worst of the night.
PAULA - "you're aborting the things we love about you"
SIMON - "this was just uncomfortable"
RANDY - "you got more chops than that song"
KARA - "I believe you don't deserve to go home"

LIL - "I Surrender" by Celine Dion
She got another wig at the store this week. But really? Celine Dion? It's never a good thing. But I like her dress. It doesn't really fit her all that well, but that just because of her strange body shape. She sounds really nice on this. I like it when she doesn't try to go all ghetto in her riffing. She has a really good voice when she just sings a song straight. And she performed the key change flawlessly. This might be my favorite song from her this season. And she just seemed to sing it effortlessly. I like that.
RANDY - "young it up a bit"
KARA - "I was really surprised"
PAULA - "I don't want to see an adult-contemporary Lil Rounds"
SIMON - "quite similar to a wedding performance"

ADAM - "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherries
It seems that Idol has taken away his make-up permanently...and his crazy clothes. The arrangement of this song is really strange. And now he's just screeching. But the judges won't say anything about it because he had already been deemed the winner. The song was just ridiculous. Very self-indulgent. He did give a shout out to the band...which is always nice. I'm sad to say, his brilliant performance last week might have been a complete fluke.
PAULA - "true genius shatters barriers"
SIMON - "it was original"
RANDY - "you worked it out"
KARA - "it was like Studio 57 up in here" (I don't know what that means)

KRIS - "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
No guitar for him this week...but there's a keyboard. He really doesn't like to be out on the stage by himself. He has a really lovely voice. It's very easy to listen to. And the string quartet on the stage was a nice touch. I don't like the changes that he made to the song. They seem very awkward. I still like him on the show, but I didn't really like this performance. And to top it all off, he ended with a really bad falsetto note...and made a horrible face while singing it.
RANDY - "you are so in the zone"
KARA - "that is artistry"
PAULA - "that could be the 1st cut from your album"
SIMON - "very clever, very cool"

If you want to see a really good version of this song, watch this from Season 1...

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...
Anoop Desai
Megan Joy
Matt Giraud

And going home this week...should be MATT GIRAUD, based on this week's performance. But I think the judges will save him if he does get the boot.

He Begged...No One Listened

2009-03-27T09:25:00.012-05:00

The show started off, as always, with a bunch of nonsense. And naturally, I just fast-forwarded through it. I really love my DVR. I stopped about 7 minutes into the show when the group number started. The Idolettes are doing a "Motown" medley tonight. And it starts off with a little girl group, since there are only 3 girls left. I know that you have probably heard the rumors that the group numbers are being lip-synched. And maybe you didn't believe those rumors. But let me tell you....there is no doubt that they are true. It's like they just stopped trying to pretend. You might as well just play the track and not force them to dance and lip-synch along. Just Move Those Lips It was just wrong. Then a couple boys come out to the stage and sing some mini-duets with 2 of the ladies. Finally everyone takes the stage. They "sing" some more...and end up in a big triangle on the stage with Lil Rounds front and center. They are probably focusing on her because it's Motown week...and she is the last woman of color standing (not that they started with too many).

This week's Ford commercial was to "Pocketful of Sunshine." They are all carrying around poster board pieces to a puzzle...including our resident blind boy, Scott. Really? He has to put a puzzle together. Once all the "pieces" are in place, it's a beautiful piece of artwork with a road going down the middle of it. I'm sure we all knew where this was heading. The Idolettes celebrate the fact that they laid all their pieces in the proper place and jumped into the 2 Ford vehicles...which they proceeded to drive into the picture.

Idol has been gotten into the habit of bringing back one of their winners each week this season. This time, it was Ruben's turn...because it's Motown week after all. He's singing a song called "Together." Ruben is still fat. And he still sweats...a lot. And he needs a stylist. I never thought I would ever miss those tacky 205 shirts that he wore every week on the show. But this jacket looks awful on him. But he's singing his song well. This is exactly the kind of crappy R&B stuff he should be singing. After the performances of past Idols, Ryan usually talks to them. But Ruben is so out of breath and unable to speak, Ryan simply goes up to him and wipes some of the sweat off of his head. Ryan is a dirty boy!!!

First half of the elimination...
Adam...is safe.
Matt...is in the BOTTOM 3.
Kris...is safe.
It's down to Michael and Lil. Secretly I would have loved to see Lil in the bottom this week, simply because it's Motown week and she should have been a lot better. But that's not meant to be.
Lil...is safe.
Michael...is in the BOTTOM 3.

Next up is the performance from our mentor this week, Smokey Robinson. And he's brought along a special guest, Joss Stone. Why? I'm not sure. They are singing "You're the One for Me." It was really boring...and I couldn't watch it. And honestly, Smokey Robinson scares me a little with his freaky face.

Next half of the elimination...
Allison...is safe.
Anoop...is safe.
Danny...is safe.
It's down to Megan Joy and Scott...either one could end up in the bottom this week (I actually picked both of them).
Megan Joy...is safe.
Scott...is in the BOTTOM 3.

Ryan escorted Scott to the center of the stage to join the other 2. Then he asked Randy what he thought of the group. Randy didn't think Matt belonged there (I didn't either, but I'm not sad that he's there because I don't like him). Ryan gets right to it and sends Scott back to the couches. Well, he leads him back to the couches.

We get another performance tonight...because there's lots of extra time. Stevie Wonder takes the stage and sings a medley for us. Scott MacIntyre probably wet his pants...as I'm sure Stevie must be one of his biggest heroes. Allison and Megan can't seem to snap on the beat...or at the same time. It seems like they have never heard this song before in their lives. Anoop might be a little drunk...or at least that's how he dances. But he seems to be really enjoying Stevie's performance. And he knows the songs, unlike Allison and Megan. Stevie Wonder really is an amazing musician. I'm not sure why he's appearing on Idol. OK, back to Allison and Megan who are just giggling like little schoolgirls...and not really paying attention to anything but themselves. Maybe they're drunk too. Stevie shouted out "I love you, Barack Obama." That was weird. Then he shouted, "I love you, American Idol." That was even more bizarre. Then he started playing the harmonica. End of medley.

Back to the elimination. Ryan decides to ask Simon if the judges plan to use their "save" on either remaining contestant. Simon simply states that they reason they are in the bottom group is because America doesn't like them. Fair enough. But he promises that the judges will make their final decision based on the performance of the person who is kicked out.

Next we find out that Michael Sarver is going home. No real surprise this week. Ryan tells Michael that he must "sing for his life." And for those of you watched RuPaul's Drag Race, it was very similar to RuPaul's signature statement, "It's time to lip-synch for you life"...which kind of works for Idol now too. He sings his song...and sings it much better than he did the night before. Ryan asks the judges if that was good enough...and Simon tells him that they haven't even deliberated. Then he just says, "You're going home." End of story. Because they had so many performers, my DVR cut off before they could even show Michael's montage to that Carrie Underwood song. Oh well.

Dee-triot...Rock City

2009-03-26T10:36:00.014-05:00

The Idolettes took a trip to Detroit to visit the birthplace of Motown...and some museum like office. Lil Rounds had an emotional breakdown while she was there. And Michael Sarver didn't get to go because the producers didn't buy him a ticket because he was supposed to go home last week. OK, that's not true. He was advised to not go by the Idol doctors.

I hate that the judges get to walk out on stage this year. I fast-forward through it every show because it bothers me so much. But I stopped to watch it when I saw Paula Abdul's dress. It was amazing in the most ridiculous way. Oh, Paula...it's good to have the crazy you back.

I've also started writing down quotes from the judges this week...it's the first time I actually have listened to what they have said. So I decided to also write down a quote from this week's mentor, Smokey Robinson.

MATT GIRAUD - "Let's Get It On"
Smokey says, " Matt did more than justice to it."
I hate his falsetto. OK, I hate most falsettos. But you already know that if you read my blog at all. He started off by playing the piano, because that's what he does. But he got up from the piano at the verse and he began to dance around the stage. I think he sounds really off. I'm not enjoying it. But again, I'm not a fan of his vocal stylings...we have heard him compared to Justin Timberlake and Robin Cooke (both of whom I dislike very much). He kind of pulled the song together about 2/3 of the way through. But I still don't like him.
RANDY - "You worked it out, baby."
KARA - "A solid performance."
PAULA - "It's like wearing a pair of worn-in jeans."
SIMON - "You are one of the front-runners in the competition."

KRIS ALLEN - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
Smokey says, "Blew me away."
I absolutely love the shirt that he's wearing...and I want to run out and buy one. It's just way too cool. Maybe a little too cool for him to be wearing. He has a really nice sound to his voice. It's all very natural. He's a decent performer. But there is really something missing. He's very vanilla. But that last note of his was AMAZING!!! He made some nice changes to the song that really worked for him.
KARA - "You did everything right."
PAULA - "That last note was like a high A or something."
SIMON " You've got to be conceited."
RANDY - "You've hit your zone."

SCOTT MacINTYRE - "You Can't Hurry Love"
Smokey says, "I enjoy you all the time."
I'm sorry, but I think he's wearing pink jeans. Really? I know you're blind, but someone should be dressing you. And pink jeans are not the way to go. The back-up singers have moved upstage to surround the piano (the one that Scott always plays every week). He sounds really bad on this song. It's not working at all. He made some interesting changes to the song, but overall it just sounds weird. Smokey kind of said it all with his quote...he's a pleasure to watch. But that's just not good enough.
PAULA - "When you feel it, the audience feels it."
SIMON - "It was a bit cheap."
RANDY - "Very hotel kind of performance."
KARA - "The execution was not perfect."

MEGAN JOY - "For Once in My Life"
Smokey says, "It's refreshing."
Well, Smokey must have been talking about the gum that he was chewing, because this rendition of the song was anything but refreshing. First of all, that dress is a disaster. It's just hideous. But her hair and make-up are phenomenal. And she sounds bad. It was just all over the place. She finally found the right key when she made it to the outer stage behind the judges. I find her extremely entertaining, but the vocal on that was just awful. It saddens me. What saddens me even more is that Paula and Simon aren't even paying attention. Paula is squeezing Simon's cheeks. It's very rude...and I wish Megan Joy would have called them out on it.
RANDY - "A train wreck."
KARA - "It was all over the place."
PAULA - "The camera loves you."
SIMON - "You could be in serious trouble."

ANOOP DESAI - "Ooh Baby, Baby"
Smokey says, "Sensual, sentimental."
Anoop is sitting on the stage, mugging to the camera...and it's working for him. I don't like his jacket...it's way too short for him. And you know that I really hate falsetto (especially boys doing falsetto), but he's handling it nicely. He doesn't really transition well from his chest voice to his head voice...but that's really the biggest problem with this performance. OH WAIT! The biggest problem is that he makes really weird faces when he's trying to emote. PLEASE...NO MORE CLOSE-UPS OF THAT!!! And don't breath so heavily into the microphone...that's just bad. Sadly, Anoop is a balladeer...and that seems to be all he can do.
KARA - "You did a pretty good job."
PAULA - "It was sweet and tender."
SIMON - "You're up there."
RANDY - "Turn it up next week."

MICHAEL SARVER - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
Smokey says, "Pound it a little more."
Poor, Michael. He can't hit the falsetto notes that the other boys hit. It's very sad. But at least he realized that he couldn't hit and didn't try again. It made the song sound weird, but at least he's not screeching. He's trying really hard to make his voice sound gritty and it's not working. And then he started shouting a lot of the song. It was just bad all around...A BIG FAT MESS.
PAULA - "I'm sorry, Michael."
SIMON - "I couldn't wait for it to end."
RANDY - "The song was a little too big for you."
KARA - "What can you do that's different?"

LIL ROUNDS - "Heat Wave"
Smokey says, "You did that the way you do everything."
I have a questions, How does she not fall over with that huge ass? It should just pull her backwards to the floor. It's bizarre to look at...especially from a profile view when she's wearing jeans. Now, I have to say that someone does this song every year (usually the resident black girl)...and they put the same flames up every year...and it's always a mess. This year is no exception. Probably her worst performance ever...and it just happened to be during Motown week when she should be shining. But she bought a wig for the occasion. She sounds very harsh...and it's making her sound really bad...and REALLY loud. And then she went and missed the really big notes. Not good for you.
RANDY - "A little bit tortured."
KARA - "It was just screaming at parts."
PAULA - "I heard a classic song sung for the first time."
SIMON - "You can't do it with a song like that."

ADAM LAMBERT - "Tracks of My Tears"
Smokey says, "You kept it tender...and sweet...and soft."
Adam got himself a make-over. His hair looks good...he's not wearing eye make-up...he's wearing a silver suit. He looks good. And this performance could actually win him the competition. It was just done so well. It was subdued and controlled and beautiful. AND...it was completely sung falsetto (which you know I hate). But we got to see that he actually has a great voice. His ending was a bit over the top...that's my only criticism. And he's the only one that Smokey Robinson gave a standing ovation too.
KARA - "You showed such artistry on the stage."
PAULA - "You are exciting."
SIMON - "The best performance of the night."
RANDY - "Unbelievably hot."

DANNY GOKEY - "Get Ready"
Smokey says, "He's gonna do wonderful."
Danny didn't wear his stupid glasses during his time with Smokey...and that made me very happy. But he's wearing them for his performance. And the first thing that happens, Danny doesn't take Smokey's advice. FOR SHAME!!! And no one called him out on it. I still don't like his voice. And I don't like the way he was pronouncing the word "READY." He was saying "REA - TAY." Not every time, but certainly enough for me to pick up on it. It was stupid. The song was just a bunch of bad shouting...and even worse dancing.
PAULA - "First class performance."
SIMON - "Clumsy and amateurish."
RANDY - "I love the energy."
KARA - "Good, not great."

ALLISON IRAHETA - "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"
Smokey says, "She sang it her way...and that's a good thing."
She looks great!!! And I love her voice. She is still my favorite on the show. Truly amazing. Everything she does with this song is right. It's refreshing to see someone on this show that really loves to perform. She is going to be a HUGE star. And that last note was chilling!!! She rocked the house. And it was the only performance to rival Adam Lambert tonight.
RANDY - "One of the dopest singers."
KARA - "That is from God."
PAULA - "You are awesome."
SIMON - "One of your best performances."

This week is a little tough. There could actually be a bottom 5 this week, so I'm just going to go with my gut.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...

Scott MacIntyre
Megan Joy
Michael Sarver

My other choices would be Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey (so don't be surprised if either of them end up in the bottom).

My pick to go home...MICHAEL SARVER. He's done.

TEAM amfAR - Walk with Us

2009-03-24T10:58:00.013-05:00

April is just around the corner...and that means it will soon be May. And that means it's time again for the NYC AIDS WALK!!! I am once again walking with some amazing people from The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)...which is where I work if you didn't know. We are in the process of assembling our team this year...and have already started raising funds. So you will get the annual plea for donations. Help out if you can...and walk if you are available. We always have a great time. And after the walk, you can stroll down to the 9th Avenue Food Fair...which is truly amazing. The walk is Sunday, May 17th this year.

TEAM AMFAR'S PAGE

JOIN OUR TEAM

GENERAL TEAM DONATION

DONATE TO ME!!!

I'm trying to raise $500 this year. Thanks to some generous donations, I have already raised $100. So help me out!!!

If you don't want to donate online, there is a link at the bottom of each donation page to print out a form that you can mail in with your donation.

You can also give donations directly to me...and I will make sure they are submitted for you.

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

We Have a Tour

2009-03-19T09:38:00.008-05:00

One will be eliminated tonight...maybe (the judges still have their veto). But let's start things off with the group number. It's to some song named TROUBLE (I don't know it...it's country). The boys all started off around the piano, with resident handicap, Scott, playing the piano. The girls finally get to join the boys (about 1/2 way through the song). But they are out on the outer stage behind the judges. You can't really hear the girls...the boys are much louder (probably because there are twice as many of them). The song was just awful. They got to do a little bit of show choir choreography because the blind guy is still at the piano. Then he joins them at the very end in a line on the stage...I didn't notice who led him out there this time.

This week's commercial is to the tune of HERE IT GOES AGAIN. Is this an actual song? Or did someone write it for this commercial? Either way, it sucks. They Idolettes are having a water balloon fight. That's kind of fun...and a little hot. Maybe next week, there will be a pillow fight in their undies. The Ford in this commercial is all dirty. But the water from the balloons cleans it right up. Oh, that's nice. Then 4 of the Idolettes drive off in it. So dumb!

Let's start eliminating people...

Danny is SAFE, as he will always be.
Lil is SAFE, for a couple more weeks.
Anoop is SAFE, because he's the new Sanjaya.
Allison and Michael are asked to stand up and Ryan asks Paula which of them deserves to be in the bottom this week. Paula can't make up her mind...and Simon just keeps whispering for her to just answer the question. But she never does. So Ryan tells us...
Allison is in the BOTTOM 3........WHAT?????
Michael is also in the BOTTOM 3...as he should be.

Then they brought out Brad Paisley to sing, because they have an hour to fill. I didn't listen to his song...because I don't know his music and I still hate country music. But he's very pretty.

Back to the elimination...

Scott is SAFE, and will get to dance around blind on tour.
Megan Joy is SAFE...HOORAY!
Matt is SAFE, so he and Scott can do dueling pianos on tour.
Kris is SAFE, because he's cute.
It's down to Alexis and Adam. REALLY? It should be quite clear that Adam should be in the bottom group (and go home). But Ryan asks Randy who he thinks should be sent across the stage. Randy has a tough time deciding...and picks Allison. Well, that's a safe pick since she's already in the bottom group. But he actually meant Alexis. It's nice that he doesn't even know who's still in the competition.
Alexis is in the BOTTOM 3...for no real reason.
Adam is, therefore, SAFE...because he makes for good television.

So there's our BOTTOM 3 this week...
ALLISON
MICHAEL
ALEXIS
Only one of them really belongs there. As usual, Ryan sends one of the back immediately. And this week, it's Allison (at least there's some justice in this show). So that leaves us with Michael and Alexis.

But first, let's here Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis sing a duet that they have never sung live together. It's called I TOLD YOU SO. What is up with Carrie's hair? It's just awful. And what's up with Randy Travis' hair too? Are his bangs really curled? The song is very old school country. And it's really dull. So boring. Randy Travis forgot that he's supposed to move his hand when he's pretending to play the guitar. They really sound awful together. Not a good mix of voices. I guess that's why they wanted to emphasize that they had never performed this live together. And why do they have those GRAND OLE OPRY microphone stand covers on. That's weird.

We are told by Simon that the judges would probably save one of the bottom 2 this week. Clearly that person would be Alexis. And they get the chance to use their veto, because Alexis is going home...Michael is somehow safe this week. But the judges won't make their decision until after Alexis sings...which she does. And she gave it her all. The song was actually perfect for her to sing to the judges because it seemed like she was pleading with them to not "take this chance away from her" rather than pleading with Jolene to not "take her man." After the performance, Simon revealed that it was "good, but not good enough." So she is not saved. They really should have saved her for no other reason but to even out the number of boys and girls on the tour. Without her, there are 7 boys and 3 girls going on tour...and that is a BUG mistake.

This is the version of RING OF FIRE that Adam sang...but this was done by Dilana on ROCKSTAR: SUPERNOVA a couple years ago. DILANA'S VERSION Here is Adam's take on it. CRAZY!!! ADAM'S VERSION

There's no show next Tuesday because the President will be on...so the shows are on Wednesday and Thursday instead. Until then...

A Grand Night for Singing?

2009-03-18T15:33:00.016-05:00

It's Grand Old Opry week on Idol...which means we will get a lot of country songs by people who aren't country singers. And Randy Travis in on hand to mentor the kids.

Michael is up first...and he's singing AIN'T GOIN' DOWN 'TIL THE SUN COMES UP (which of course I don't know because I really hate country music). We are told that it's a very wordy song...and it is. I don't like him. The song is awful. But the guy playing the harmonica on the stage is pretty fantastic. And the back-up singers carried him through some of words of the song. Plus, he's in the "kiss of death" position of going first. Just bad!

Allison is up next...singing BLAME IT ON YOUR HEART (don't know this one either). But she really is amazing. There isn't much bad you can say about her. She takes control over every song that she sings. It's pretty remarkable. And she looks great on the stage...and on camera. She even knows how to work the audience. So why is she on this show? She should already be a superstar.

Kris is singing TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE (I don't know it, but the title sounds dirty). He went without the guitar this week (probably because I complained about people using their instruments as a crutch last week). I like his voice a lot. But I do not like his falsetto (well, I don't really like falsetto on most boys...with the exception of Mika and Jake Spears). You can look them up if you don't know who they are. The song was a complete bore...it was starting to put me to sleep (then he hit those dreadful falsetto notes). And there was a bit of reverb throughout his song...just a little echo. I couldn't tell if that was intentional or not. And the last note was way off!!!

Lil (still the most stupid name) is doing INDEPENDENCE DAY (which I've actually heard of). No...it's not the theme to the movie. It's about being a battered woman...maybe she's really singing from the heart this week. I actually like her singing like this. I am not a fan of her ghetto, Mary J. Blige style. But I'm liking this (because it's not that). She has a nice sound to her voice. It's very clear. I started to hate it when she began doing all the runs and riffs at the end of the song. But her final note was flawless.

Adam, oh Adam...why? He's singing RING OF FIRE (which I'm sure he's had more than once in his life). But he's doing a version straight out of Bollywood (well, it worked for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE). It was bizarre...to say the least. It was so crazy that I was at a loss of what to say about it. But that didn't last to long. It was awful...horrible...beyond ridiculous. I just don't get what people see in him...at all. And the crazy faces that he made. UGH...I can't deal with it all. Insane. However, I'm tempted to download it on iTunes...just to have. And I can't wait for some DJ out there to make a remix of it...that will be a good time.

Scott gets to follow whatever that was...and he's singing WILD ANGELS (which I do not know...by the way, I did know the song that Adam sang). He's behind the piano again, buy hey...he's blind. Give him a break. Although a sick part of me would really enjoy seeing him fall down some stairs at some point. But Scott is not a bad singer...he's not great either. He hit some really off notes during the song too. He is just so darn happy to be on Idol, and that makes me happy to listen to him sing. I still enjoy him. And he's an amazing piano player.

Alexis is back in another sexy dress...and she's singing JOLENE (and of course, I know this one). I thought it was an interesting choice for her voice. And I really enjoyed the bluesy-ness that she added to it. I thought it really worked for her. She missed a lot of notes though. It wasn't great. But she's got star potential. And she's really sexy!!!

Danny brought out his stupid glasses again this week...and he's singing JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL (by Carrie Underwood...everyone should know this one). Why did he pick this song? It makes no sense to me. He sounds really out of breath (or nervous) during the verse. And it was just bad. Then he got to the chorus and just started shouting. I hated all of it...and I don't like him.

Anoop is back to redeem himself with YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND (I know this one too). He was so much better. His voice was lovely...and he kept it very simple (for the most part). He really didn't need to add any of the vocal tricks at the end, because it would have been so much better without them. And when he did those tricks, he made the most painful faces. But overall, it was very nice. He may have won me over at last.

Megan Joy is a nut...and she's singing I GO WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT. I thought this was a very smart choice of songs for her. And I love her dress...it was so interesting. And where did those boobs come from...they are enormous!!! I really like her. I hope they keep her around for awhile...even though she has no chance of winning. She's just fun to watch. And I like her voice. She hit some really bad notes...mainly the high ones. But she's very enjoyable.

Matt gets the glory spot of going last...and he's singing SO SMALL (also by Carrie Underwood). He's playing the piano, because that's what he does. I hate his voice...still. And I hate what he tries to do with his voice. I think he sounds really bad. His falsetto is miserable. I really didn't like. And the song wasn't very good either.

BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...
MICHAEL
ADAM
DANNY

And Michael should be going home. But they will probably get rid of Scott (so they won't have to worry about him going on the tour...and still won't have to feel guilty about kicking him off the first week).

2 For The Price of 1

2009-03-12T11:28:00.015-05:00

I was not aware that we would be getting rid of 2 people on Idol this week. I guess that's what I get for not watching the full episodes. But I guess that's what happens when you pick 13 people instead of 12.

There's also a new twist. The judges are being given more power than they deserve this year. They will be able to veto an American vote of any contestant that is eliminated...up until the top 5. So that means when America finally realizes that Adam Lambert can sing, the judges can give him a "free pass" and he gets to come back. The judges only get to do this once...for one contestant...and it has to be a unanimous decision (which means, Simon has to agree to it). The week that they decide to use their veto, no one will be eliminated. BUT...2 people will go home the following week (because there's a schedule that must be kept). I'm not on board with this idea at all.

We got to take a tour of the Idol mansion...and it's kind of ridiculous. There's a basketball court and bowling alley in the house. They have an amazing pool and hot tub outside. There's a steam room that Adam Lambert will try to pick up boys in. And about 100 bedrooms...and yet the contestants still have to room together.

The group number is a medley of Michael Jackson songs. I was very disappointed that they didn't do THRILLER. That would have made watching the show worth while. Someone had to lead the blind guy around the whole time...it was different people depending on who was standing next to him. They actually don't sound bad together as a group...which a welcome change. And the choreography seems to be toned way down (probably because of the blind guy). So they all can pretty much do it because it's basic show choir moves. Then resident frat boy, Danny Gokey, tried to bust out some white-boy dance moves that were completely stupid.

Our first Idol commercial of the season was to Queen's WE WILL ROCK YOU. I think they use this song every year in a commercial. The video was stupid and pointless. Their images were projected on some very tall buildings (some people were on the building by themselves...but others had to share space with fellow contestants). The Ford just drove around the "city" while we watched them sing on the building. They they all gathered around the car on the street at the end. DUMB!

Let's start the elimination...
MICHAEL SARVA is SAFE (he was one of my picks for the bottom 3)
ALLISON IRAHETA is SAFE (clearly)
JASMINE MURRAY is SENT TO THE CENTER OF THE STAGE (never a good sign)
MATT GIRAUD is SAFE (they keep calling him MATT G, as if there's another Matt on the show...and it's making me think I have someone's name wrong)
KRIS ALLEN is SAFE (duh)
MEGAN JOY CORKREY is also SENT TO THE CENTER OF THE STAGE (she's silly)

We are told that one of those 2 ladies is going home...maybe...the judges might "save" her from elimination. But with these 2 choices, that's not going to happen. It's Jasmine Murray. She sings her Michael Jackson song again...and then they judges send her away. That made her start to cry (at least they didn't do that before they made her sing again. But it really kind of sucks to find out that America didn't want you...and neither do the judges. But her montage starts to roll...and there isn't much since this is the first week.

Kanye West is there to perform for some reason...I guess Michael Jackson wasn't available. I started to listen to it and it was just bad. So I hit the fast-forward button. I don't really like him anyway.

Back to the elimination...
SCOTT MacINTYRE is SAFE (I like to remind people that he's blind)
ALEXIS GRACE is SAFE (I like girls with pink hair)
DANNY GOKEY is SAFE (and will be every week)
ANOOP DESAI is SENT TO THE CENTER OF THE STAGE
ADAM LAMBERT is SAFE (somehow)
JORGE NUNEZ is SENT TO THE CENTER OF THE STAGE
LIL ROUNDS is SAFE (because they already have 2 people there)

One of these 2 boys will be sent home. It's hard to say which will go, because they both were really bad.

Before we find out, let's listen to Kelly Clarkson sing. But before we do that, let's have some wacky banter between Kelly and Ryan. HA HA HA! He's so funny. In case you were wondering, her hit single, MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU, is not written about anyone in her life. She is not in a relationship. What you might not know is that I wrote that song for Mr. Erik Jensen and I just gave it to Kelly Clarkson as a follow up to her mega-hit, SINCE YOU BEEN GONE. Now go out and spread that rumor. Kelly Clarkson really sounds great live. It makes me want to go to one of her concerts. She is a BIG girl (which I don't mind because I'm a pretty big girl myself)...but they really know how to touch up her album photos. And I'm not keen on her hair...it looks kind of dirty. But I still love her. And her new album is quite amazing!!!

But Anoop is safe...and Jorge has to sing for us again. Then the judges tell him that they are not saving him. So he's out of here. The montage rolls.

Ryan let us know that this year's farewell song is called HOME SWEET HOME by Carrie Underwood...which is available on iTunes. But really, who cares about that song when you have this picture of her...silver hot pants, leg-warmers and stilletto heels. AMAZING!!!

Until next week...

Who's Bad? Who's Not?

2009-03-11T14:39:00.020-05:00

Idol brought out the big guns for the real start of the competition this year. They are going to be singing Michael Jackson songs. This may thrill you to death, but it really just scared me. But I don't work for the show...so no one asked me. My thoughts this...if you can't recreate a MJ song like David Cook did with BILLIE JEAN, than just don't try...sing it as it's written. But just in case you would be interested, you can buy any of the Idolette's version of the MJ songs on iTunes...but I'm really not sure why you would want to do that.

I am really not into the show this year. So I totally skipped over the judges portion of the show. I just don't care what they have to say (although Paula is usually a treat). But they are only going to praise the people that they want to win no matter what they sound like...so who really cares. Maybe I'll start watching it fully once it's only a hour show...which won't be for several weeks.

Also...I hated that every contestant got a back-story segment this week. I really don't care about their lives. I just want to hear them sing. I don't want anyone to get extra votes because they are blind, their wife is dead or they have 3 kids and lived in an extended stay hotel because a tornado blew all their stuff into the streets of Memphis. You can say horrible things about me for this, but that's how I feel.

I would also like Idol to stop letting the contestants play instruments. I don't like it. It's not fair to those who can't play an instrument. And I like to watch the awkward people try to perform onstage by themselves without the crutch of an instrument to get them through it.

One more thing before I start...all of the boys were basically wearing the same outfit. Jeans, button-down shirt, jacket...or some variation of that. It was stupid. It showed originality in them...with the exception of the uber-gay, Adam. But we'll get to him shortly. Please dress these kids differently. None of the girls wore a formulaic outfit.

LIL ROUNDS - THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL
She's from Memphis...and they are known for having great music and even better bar-be-que. In case you hadn't heard, she has 3 kids. And if you didn't read what I wrote above, they lived in an extended stay hotel (for an unmentioned amount of time) because a tornado hit their home (sad...but I don't really care). She wants everyone out there to know that you should never let go of your dreams...even if you have 3 kids and should be at home raising them. Onto her performance. I still hate her name...and I just can't get past it. And I don't like her top either...it's got a pink strap made completely out of flowers. I'm not sure why she (or the stylist) chose that for her. I will say that baby has got back...her ass is HUGE!!! I thought the song was very uninspired. She just sang it. And when she tried to interject something interesting, it was just a bunch of unnecessary high notes. Still not a fan of hers.

SCOTT MACINTURE - KEEP THE FAITH
Yes, he's still blind. In fact, he also has a visually-impaired sister at home too. But his parents swear there is no history of blindness in the family genes. He plays the piano and the guitar...and maybe more instruments, but that's all I saw in the clip. And his family likes to sing together. Onto his performance. He's playing the piano...and I don't know this song. His sounds is pretty generic. He's not a bad singer...but he's certainly not a great singer. We all know that he's on the show because he's blind. There...I said it so you don't have to. Who's not going to vote for the blind guess...let's be honest. And I will say that watching him sing makes me very happy inside...so maybe I'm no different than the rest of the country.

DANNY GOKEY - PYT (PRETTY YOUNG THING)
Danny comes from a family of music...that's a family of music, not a family of musicians. They just like to sing...EVERYTHING. And this makes me want to go live with them. I had a very dear friend that I worked with in Indiana...and we would sing everything (operatically) to each other at work. Lots of fun. He's also "shocked" that he has made it this far on Idol. No mention of the dead wife this time. Onto his performance. I hated the opening of it. It was just weird. I don't like his glasses either...and I'm sure they are his "trademark" and all the little wannabes are going to run out and buy a pair. But I think they are stupid. He picked a song that allowed the audience to do a little call-back...and that was very smart (you can probably blame the producers for picking that for him). He seems to be the favorite son this year. Everyone on the show wants him to do well. But he's more of a drunk frat boy to me...and that makes me not a big fan. But...one of the better performances of the night.

MICHAEL SARVER - YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Who are you, Michael...and where did you come from? You are not at all what Idol would put on this show. But here you are. In case you missed it, he works on an oil rig. And he grew up without a dad...which is why he's such a good dad. And he's tough...but I guess you have to be in order to work on an oil rig. Onto that performance. Tough is not the word I would use for this. It was a very light and airy boy band sound...but not really in a good way. He was really working for it though...and making lots of odd faces with his over-enunciation of every word. He sounded kind of fake. Be gone with you.

JASMINE MURRAY - I'LL BE THERE
She is the baby of the family...a very close-knit family. And because she's a minor, Mama Murray is there with her in the house. That's really all we learned about her...and I didn't even need to know that. Onto her performance. I was cringing when Ryan announced her song choice because I was certain that she was going to sing the Mariah Carey version (and make David Sechko a very happy boy), but thankfully, she didn't. Sorry, David. Her dress was very cute...and appropriate for a 17 year old wear. The song was very boring. There was nothing special about it. She sang fine. But it wasn't anything special. My favorite moment of the song was when she walked out to the extended stage and stood on her own face that was being projected on it. It made me giggle. But that last note was awful...not a good way to end it.

KRIS ALLEN - REMEMBER THE TIME
He used to sing in church...and probably will again someday. His father is a musician of some sort...I only saw him playing the guitar in the clips. And he's sad that he has to be away from his wife (although she is sitting in the audience). Onto his performance. Another song that I don't know. And...he's playing the guitar. I want to rip it out of his hands right now. But this kid is adorable. The ladies (and some men) are going to love him. And he's got a nice sound to his voice. The whole package works for him. But I didn't like this song. His MAN IN THE MIRROR was so much better...I wish he would have just sung that again. I'm chalking this week up to bad song choice on his behalf...but at least he's talented.

ALLISON IRAHETA - GIVE IN TO ME
She's San Salvadorian. And she started singing at La Curacao (that's a Latin shopping center) at the age of 5. She also knew that she wanted to try out for Idol when she was 9. Onto her performance. Another song that I don't know. her jacket is very cute though. She knows how to work the stage well. She's taking charge of it all. Her sound is amazing. But this song is horrible. I still love her. And she is still my favorite this year. GO ALLISON!!!

ANOOP DESAI - BEAT IT
He is an only child...and very spoiled. And his parents are old. I'm not sure when they had him...or who they bought him from. But something isn't right about this family. But his parents said that he is "living the American dream." That's nice. Onto his performance. He chose BEAT IT. Really? Why would he do that? There is no way this can turn out good. He does like to walk around the stage...a lot. And to slap the hands of audience members. The judges called him a fan favorite...but I still call him Sanjaya Lite.

JORGE NUNEZ - NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE
Jorge was loud, happy and liked to dance as a child. And he came from a very close-knit family. But something broke that family when his grandfather died...but we never got to find out what that was. I guess we have to vote for him in order for the story to continue. That sucks. Onto his performance. OH MY! This is just not good. First of all, he does strange things with his shoulders. They are just way to high on his body. It's bizarre and I don't want to look at him anymore. He sang most of this song in a head voice (go look it up if you don't know what that is)...and it just doesn't sound natural. And he makes faces when he sings too. I really wanted him to do better...but this was just bad. But he has an entire island (and an entire borough on NYC) voting for him. PUERTO RICAN PRIDE!!!

MEGAN JOY CORKREY - ROCKIN' ROBIN
Megan liked the spotlight as a child...or so her mother wants us to believe. But she never got picked for the school musical or any of the solos in choir. That's very sad for her...and makes me want to like her more. She also has a baby, Ryder, who she misses dearly. Onto her performance. What a bizarre song choice...but she's kind of a bizarre girl. So maybe it will work. OK...it really doesn't. It's just very strange. But she's certainly having some fun with it. She seems very nervous...and her voice sounds really different from the last time I heard her sing. She does get points for the most amazing ending...ever in Idol history. It seemed kind of like a "fuck you" to Idol for making her sing that ridiculous song. She literally said "CAW CAW" at the end. It was brilliant. If you have the chance to watch the performance...that alone is worth it.

ADAM LAMBERT - BLACK AND WHITE
Adam moved to LA right after high school graduation...to be gay. OK, they didn't say that, but it's very true. He really moved there to be a star. And American Idol is his "big dream." Onto his performance. He is so gay. I just can't get away from saying it. He is the biggest Broadway performer that Idol has ever had...and yet the judges praise him anyway. The song was a mess! I hate his voice. He's basically just screaming the song. I don't understand why the little girls love him so much. It's crazy! I hated everything about it.

MATT GIRAUD - HUMAN NATURE
He's very energetic. And likes to play ping pong with his dad. Then his dad started crying while talking about their ping pong games. Weird. Then his mom started crying about how thrilled she is that everyone in the world gets to see how talented her boy is. It was all pretty weird. Onto his performance. He's playing the piano (which is what he does to pay the rent). And I didn't hate the song until he started the caterwauling for the last 20 seconds of the song. It really turned me off. He's definitely trying to be the "new" JT (that's Justin Timberlake for those who aren't in the know). I would have rather heard him sing the straight melody. All that extra crap just go in the way of what could have been a very nice performance.

ALEXIS GRACE - DIRTY DIANA
She knows that she is a bluesy artist...because that's where she comes from. Her dad apparently just came down from the mountain when the video cameras arrived to tape him. He was a little scary to me. And we have another mom in the group...I see a trend. Onto her performance. I was very excited to hear her sing...because I am always a fan of the pink-haired girl on Idol...and I haven't heard her sing this season yet. Let me start by saying...SHE'S HOT!!! Amazing look for her...and she can work it. Her voice is not at all what I expected it to be. But I like it. She made some very weird, stiff, jerky movements all around the stage...and I did not like that. But she's good. Still not my favorite, but she could certainly win me over quickly.

It's very hard to pick a bottom 3 out of this group. Most of them have no chance of winning. But 12 of them will be back next week to sing again for us. So here it is...

Michael Sarva
Anoop Desai
Jorge Nunez

And I think that Anoop will be going home. Number 13 wasn't so lucky for him (although he did get one extra week added to his 15 minutes of fame).

Be sure to watch the elimination (or fast-forward through it like me) tonight. I'm expecting an amazing group number...THRILLER!!! And I want the blind guy front and center.

It's Back...

2009-03-06T11:31:00.018-05:00

In case you didn't know, American Idol has returned. OK, it actually returned about 6 weeks ago. But I haven't been watching it. I will admit that I have watched a total of 2 episodes (and not even the full episode of one of those) so far this season. I watched the 2nd set of semi-finalist perform...and then I watched the results show of the 3rd set of finalist. I realize that makes no sense, but that just happens to be the way it is. And now that we have a TOP 13...I'll start watching more regularly...and posting about it.

So get ready America...THIS is American Idol.

And here are your TOP 13...

Adam Lambert...26 years old...Los Angeles, CA
(and American Idol 8's first real scandal)He Kisses Boys
Adam's Q & A

Alexis Grace...21 years old...Memphis, TN
No idea about her...but I do tend to be a sucker for girls with pink hair on Idol.
Alexis' Q & A

Allison Iraheta...16 years old...Los Angeles, CA
I did actually see her sing...and she's my favorite (which means she won't win).
Allison's Q & A

Anoop Desai...21 years old...Chapel Hill, NC
He was the 13th finalist...lucky him...the judges also think he's the most "likable" contestant this year...I think they might have said the same thing about a wee lad named SANJAYA.
Anoop's Q & A

Danny Gokey...28 years old...Milwaukee, WI
He works construction...and, oh yeah, his wife is dead.
Danny's Q & A

Jasmine Murray...16 years old...Straksville, MS
I saw her sing...and I wasn't impressed...but she's one of the judges favorites.
Jasmine's Q & A

Jorge Nunez...20 years old...Carolina, PR
He's the only person to make it from this year's trip to Puerto Rico...and that's all I have to say about that.
Jorge's Q & A

Kris Allen...23 years old...Conway, AR
I saw him sing...and I liked him too...and he's adorable.
Kris' Q & A

Lil Rounds...23 years old...Memphis, TN
First of all, I hate her name...and SHE HAS 3 KIDS...which she left at home to do the show (and the tour).
Lil's Q & A

Matt Giraud...23 years old...Kalamazoo, MI
I saw him and he was bad...but the judges liked him so they made sure we knew that he picked the wrong song.
Matt's Q & A

Megan Joy...22 years old...Sandy, UT
I saw her sing...I liked her...but she's a little odd (which isn't a bad thing...she has a kid too.
Megan's Q & A

Michael Sarver...27 years old...Jasper, TX
No clue about him.
Michael's Q & A

Scott MacIntyre...23 years old...Scottsdale, AZ
He's blind...which will make for some interesting group numbers this year.
Scott's Q & A

So even though I have only seen 2 episodes, I have seen most of the TOP 13 perform...because apparently there were a lot of people in the 2nd group that the judges wanted to be in the finals. There are only 3 people that I haven't heard sing yet. So based on that...I'm still sticking with Allison as my favorite (but watch out for the girl with pink hair...she could steal my heart and devotion during week 1.)

Barry + Bravo = Perfect Match

2008-12-18T10:32:00.030-05:00

Now that the episode has aired, I can fully share my experience on Top Chef. It was a huge thrill for me be on the show, because I love this show. And apparently the show loves me too...because I was all over it. You have to actually watch the episode to see for yourself.

The whole concept was that the chef-testants were creating an appetizer for 250 people at a holiday party. And the organization that I work for, amfAR, was that organization. We are very blessed to have some celebrities on our board that really know how to make things happen for us. So it was some amazing publicity. They each drew a knife to base their appetizer from...and they were all from the 12 Day of Christmas (except for day 4), because there were only 11 chefs left. I'm not sure why they left out the 4 calling birds, but kept in things like 9 ladies dancing and 10 lords a-leaping. But I'm not running the show.

The evening started off with amfAR board member, Natasha Richardson, sharing a little bit about amfAR and the season. It was short and to the point. Natasha was also the guest judge this week. Then they opened up the stations for everyone to try. There was some good stuff...and some not so good stuff.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Radhika
BRAISED DUCK LEG ON TOASTED BRIOCHE WITH PEAR CHUTNEY, TOASTED PISTACHIOS
This was a lot better than I expected. I'm not a fan of duck. But this was cooked really well. And the Indian spices that she added were really fantastic (I love Indian food). It was really well done.

Two Turtle Doves - Carla
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS
It was fine. Nothing special at all. Just a nice little appetizer. But she was very sweet in person. And she's really good on camera too. She could easily have her own television cooking show. But the food was too simple...and very ordinary (again, good for a cooking show).

Three French Hens - Leah
BRAISED GUINEA HEN WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE OVER PUFF PASTRY
So bland. I couldn't even remember what she did. It was so boring and unimaginative. She really took the easy way out. And it so not special at all. It also didn't help that I had just eaten Carla's braised chicken as well. They kind of canceled each other out.

Four Calling Birds - No One

Five Golden Rings - Eugene
POISSON CRU WITH PINEAPPLE RING AND GOLD YUKON POTATO CHIP
This was my big scene. Eugene told this lovely story about a boy moving from island to island in a small boat and the route he took became known as the golden ring. So he based his dish on that...since he had five golden rings. It was a really good idea that didn't pan out so well. The fish stew was really sweet. That's the surprise on my face that you saw. It wasn't horrible. I just wasn't expecting it to be so sweet. Then the pineapple just added more sweetness to it. The chip was a nice contrast.

Six Geese A-Laying - Ariane
DEVILED EGGS (6 WAYS)
Absolutely horrible. At least the one that I ate. First, I must state that I don't like eggs. But I also don't like duck, seafood or pork (but I tried those dishes too). This one was by far the worst that I ate. I had the deviled egg with salmon. It was so salty. I did not enjoy it...and it did not make me start to like eggs. So bad. She was very lucky that she had immunity because she would have ended up in the bottom three. And she would have been my pick to go home. Plus, it really wasn't a challenge to make deviled eggs. How inventive and forward-thinking is that? So dumb.

Seven Swans A-Swimming - Jamie
SEA SCALLOP WITH VICHYSSOISE
Let me start by stating that I really don't like seafood...at all. But this dish was so lovely. It hasn't made me start eating seafood, but it was my favorite dish of the night. It was fresh and cool...and so lemony. Good stuff. Plus, she is my favorite contestant as well this season. I'm a big fan. I liked the dish...even though the judges (and Cheyenne Jackson) did not.

Eight Maids A-Milking - Melissa
GORGONZOLA AND NY STRIP ON CROSTINI, CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE
It took a long time for me to actually get this dish served to me. She was very slow...probably because there were a lot of components to it. But the only thing you could really taste was the cheese. I have no problem with that because I love cheese. But it was really strong. So not bad...flavor-wise.

Nine Ladies Dancing - Fabio
CORN AND ROASTED PEPPER CRAB CAKE WITH CHIPOTLE LIME
Again, I'm not a fan of seafood...especially crab meat. This dish was OK. It was really big. Too much to be called an appetizer. It was a full-size crab cake. And it was pretty dry too. Certainly not something I would ever want to eat again. But Fabio's real talent lies in schmoozing people. He likes to flirt...with boys and girls. And that's probably how he does well in life. The food? Merely adequate.

Ten Lords A-Leaping - Jeff
SEARED CHEESE WITH ROASTED BEET, PEAS, SPICES
Again, this one took forever to get. He had to sear the cheese right there. So it was pretty slow to get. I almost gave up and skipped it. But I do love cheese. The idea was a big stretch to come up with lords a-leaping, but whatever. The food was good. There was just too much going on. Lots and lots of different flavors, so some of them got really lost.

Eleven Pipers Piping - Hosea
SMOKED PORK LOIN WITH CHIPOTLE MASHED POTATOES, BRAISED CABBAGE AND APPLE JUS
I first have to say that there was a mishap in the Top Chef kitchen the night before. Apparently someone left one of the refrigerators open. So some stuff got ruined (Hosea's pork, Radhika's duck and Melissa's cheese). Hosea is the only one who verbally mentioned this at the event. He was a little whiny about it. That turned me off immediately. I don't want to hear your excuses. I just want to hear what you did...and then taste the food myself. His pork loin was good...not great. But the mashed potatoes were truly amazing. It was probably the best thing anyone made. So good. Everyone at the event either loved his dish a lot...or felt sorry for him losing all of his marinated pork because he was the crowd favorite. I didn't vote for him.

Twelve Drummers Drumming - Stefan
CREAMY CHICKEN POT PIE WITH ENGLISH PEAS, WHITE ASPARAGUS
If you had just told me what people were serving ahead of time, I would have picked this as my favorite. I love chicken pot pie. He used chicken legs (drumsticks) for the protein and made it look like a drum. Very creative use of his inspiration. Too bad he didn't seem like he wanted to talk to me at all when I was tasting his dish. I obviously wasn't important enough. It just turned me off. His food was good. But again, it was nothing special. I could have made that at home and it would have been just as good.

Here's what the judges thought:
BEST:
Radhika, Jeff, Stefan and Hosea. They picked Hosea as the winner.

WORST:
Jamie, Melissa and Eugene. They didn't pick a loser this week. In the "spirit" of the holidays and because all the chefs pitched in to help out the people who lost their proteins in the refrigerator incident, they didn't send anyone home. So all in all, it was A VERY SPECIAL TOP CHEF.

However, Tom Collichio, talked to them all and told them that the judges were disappointed with all of their dishes (including the winners). Leah got sassy...and Tom sassed her right back. Then Tom singled out Ariane for making deviled eggs on the show by telling her that there is no way she would win by making deviled eggs (so true). So now they all have to step it...and dance. Oh wait, that's another show.

Don't forget to make your year-end donation to amfAR...it's tax-deductible. WOO HOO!!! DONATE!

You can also find amfAR on Facebook. Become a Fan

OK...I'm amending my post down here, just a bit. Cheyenne Jackson apparently didn't hate the scallop dish. You can see his full quote hear. DAMN THOSE EDITORS!!! FEEDBACK You can also see my friend, Shan Grant, and I chatting in the background during one of the scenes.

Top Chef Hits NYC for the Holidays

2008-12-15T16:55:00.005-05:00

OK...this will be very quick.

There is a chance that you might get to see me on this week's episode of TOP CHEF. I can't guarantee that you'll see, but I was at the taping. And if you've seen the previews for this week's episode, well...I'm on it with my friend, David Sechko, for about 1 second. So be sure to check it out.

TOP CHEF airs on Bravo on Wednesday night...10:00 p.m. EST. So check your local listings. This is what I'll be wearing...

Here are some other people that you might see as well...

A full recap of the evening will follow after the show airs...confidentiality and all that.

Gays Fight Back - Peacefully

2008-11-13T11:07:00.019-05:00

I had the privilege of marching with my most favorite people in the whole world last night in NYC to protest the involvement of the Mormon Church in getting Proposition 8 passed in California. And it was truly amazing!!! The numbers listed vary greatly. ABC reported about 4,000 people...and Fox reported about 1,000 people. I'm not sure how many people there actually were (it was definitely more than 1,000), but we certainly stopped everything in midtown Manhattan. We marched from the Mormon temple on 65th Street down Broadway to Columbus Circle. It was extremely well organized for being planned in just 3 days. And special thanks to David Sechko for making the signs for our group.

Enjoy the photos...

Read what others have to say about it...

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TOWLEROAD
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FOX News
ABC News
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NY1

And be sure to check out the nation-wide protests happening this Saturday, November 15th...JOIN THE IMPACT

SATURDAY NOV 15TH -
10:30AM WEST COAST
11:30AM MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE
12:30PM CENTRAL TIME ZONE
1:30PM EAST COAST
PRINT OUT THE SIGNS - TAKE THEM TO THE PROTEST

Prop 8 Protest: A Call to the LGBTQ Community, Friends, & Family

I’m sure all would agree that with the election of Barack Obama, this week has been one of amazing wins in the world of equality! Still, Tuesday night was a bitter-sweet celebration. We came together to witness the first black man who will become our president, yet watched in sadness as Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California all voted down equal rights for all citizens. Pundits and bloggers alike have put their focus on Proposition 8, trying hard to find an explanation for the anti-gay wins in the face of a huge swell of support for equality elsewhere. Some have blamed the voters, others blame religious groups, and even others blame the LGBTQ community for not being able to mobilize on a larger enough scale. And you know what? There is truth in each argument.

As a community, we have to admit to the fact that we are polarized in various ways. Honestly, I’m not sure what community isn’t and I believe that our polarization is proof to our humanity - we are no different than anyone else, regardless of color, creed, or sexual orientation. Still, our polarization has hindered us from mobilizing as one strong voice. We all come together in the month of June to celebrate Gay Pride, but few of us are even aware of why Gay Pride exists. Gay Pride is a celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Many say that the Gay Rights Movement began in 1969, which means that we are still a young movement and have accomplished a great deal in such a short amount of time. The generation that fought for us in 1969 deserves our gratitude and respect. This is a generation of amazing people who fought for our ability to hold hands in the street, to speak out against hate, to dance to our own “thumpa thump”, witness television shows with a queer cast, and come together in the streets celebrating for an entire month! This is the generation that opened the doors for us to even have a conversation about gay marriage, and this is the generation that deserves our help and our voices now. On June 27th, 1969, this generation came together in protest, jumping from closets, taking to the streets, and mobilizing in ways this country had never seen before! And what happened? The country was forced to respond. The Queer identity was forced onto the front pages and coffee tables of people’s worlds and people had to once and for all accept that we are human too!

Now, almost 40 years later we NEED to come together again. We need to show this nation that we are ONE LOUD VOICE THAT DEMANDS TO BE HEARD! We need to be one organized unit. Our gay pride shouldn’t be something we celebrate one month out of the year. Our gratitude towards the ones who came before us shouldn’t be ignored and wasted away with one party after another. We beg to be given a right that requires responsibility and commitment, yet we, as one strong community, have not proven to this nation that we deserve to be taken seriously! The gay pride parade has become a great party, but it has lost the memory of Stonewall and therefor given the nation another reason to cast us aside as irresponsible. It’s time we come together for debate, for public recognition, and for LOVE! Let’s move as one full unit, on the same day, at the same hour, and let’s show the United States of America that we too are UNITED CITIZENS EQUAL IN MIND, BODY, SPIRIT AND DESERVING OF FULL EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW!

On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetimes, in our parents’ lifetimes, and for many generations before us. WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE! WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need organizers in every major city to work with us and get out the protest! I know you’re all tired from all of the work you’ve done for this great election year, but I’m asking for one more push! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves equal rights, and CAN’T BE DEFEATED!

Send this post to everyone! We have one week and must react to the pro-hate votes cast against us! Let’s help our LGBTQ friends, families, neighbors, and each other to IMPACT this country with a demand for our basic human rights! Join the cause, join the voice, and JOIN THE IMPACT!
November 15th
1:30 PM East Coast
10:30 AM West Coast

Who's That Girl?

2008-10-21T10:35:00.009-05:00

Well...it's Niki Thomas, that's who it is. And she's someone that you should know...or at least help out.

Niki is taking part in Trek amfAR in Asia this winter. And she needs your help. So if you're looking to make that "year-end" donation for tax purposes, this is a great way to do it. HELP HER OUT!!!

Here's some information about the trek...

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is pleased to announce its fourth physical challenge fundraising event, Trek amfAR in Asia. Over a 12-day period, you will hike off the beaten path along an old colonial trade route through Northern Thailand. Seldom visited by Western tourists, the Old Elephant Trail leads you past small villages and national parks, over spectacular mountains, and through lush forests. Trek amfAR in Asia will also offer you a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the AIDS crisis in Asia, particularly in Thailand, from amfAR’s medical experts working on the front lines. Funds raised through the Trek will be used in part to continue amfAR’s support of international AIDS programs in developing countries hardest hit by the epidemic.

For more information, check out amfAR's website. Trek amfAR in Asia

Niki is a wonderful young lady, working in the Events department at amfAR. She is such a team player here. Below are just a smattering of the things she done...

She carried the amfAR sign during last year's NYC AIDS Walk...which means she also walked for the cause, supporting many local AIDS organizations.

She has even sung on amfAR's float in the last 2 Pride Marches.

And at amfAR's holiday party last year.

She also interviewed people for a special video project during Jersey City Pride this past summer.

She also leads the charge every year when amfAR takes part in International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

And she's one of amfAR's very active participants in our Halloween festivities.

And that's just a few reasons why we love having her here!!!

You may have also caught her NYC television debut when she became a local weather girl on the WB11 morning show. Truly amazing!!!

So be sure to support her if you can. No gift is too small. So give what you can!!! GIVE HER YOUR MONEY!!!

Did I mention that it's tax-deductible? BONUS!!!

Barry's Birthday Bash

2008-09-03T10:01:00.012-05:00

I cannot tell you all how much I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday this year. It was an insanely good time. I have an amazing group of friends that I am incredibly fortunate to have.

The evening started off at the Daryl Roth Theater, where we got to see FUERZABRUTA. It's the new show from the creators of DE LA GUARDA.

I loved DE LA GUARDA...so I really wanted to see the new show. It was fantastic. It's very hard to describe because it certainly isn't your typical night of theater. I like to call is a "tribal rave" with some incredible talented, and apparently unbreakable, performers. It's a very raw energy that you really should experience.

The clips below really can't even show what is going on when you're there. And I really like to be dragged up on stage by one of the actors to dance and have a piece of Styrofoam broken over my head. Good times. I highly recommend this show to everyone...but it's especially great to see as a group. You get to dance around and be all kinds of crazy. And if you're really into it...you can dance in the rain at the end (which of course, I did...along with my super cool friends).

It was exactly what I had hoped it would be...and I couldn't have had a better group of kids along for the ride.

fuer • za • bru • ta \ f'where - zah - broo - tah \ brute force

On to dinner and drinks at El Cantinero. I really love Mexican food...and margaritas. So it was pretty much a guaranteed good time. We lost a few folks after the show, but we were joined by a few more folks who didn't go to the show (I like to give my guests options). The food and drinks were lovely...but hanging out with me peeps was the best. Good times all around.

And I like to wear a big hat when they sing "Happy Birthday" to me. I could have lived without the birthday flan though.

So overall, a great success. Thanks to everyone who took part in the festivities. You are all very special to me...and not in the tard way (well, some of you are that too...and you know who you are).

I also have to give a big shout out to one of my most favorite people in the world...Miss Genevieve Williams. Sadly, she lives in DC now, so she couldn't be a part of the party. But I love her dearly and wish she could be closer so that I could see her more often. But she sent me these lovely flowers in her absence...and I will think of her every time I look at them (which is often because they are directly in front of me on my desk).

HUGS AND KISSES TO ALL!!!

Glitter & Be Gay - amfAR at NYC Gay Pride March

2008-06-30T11:43:00.009-05:00

NYC Pride has once again taken over the city. And amfAR was there in full force.

It was an amazing day. Everyone that participated in the March had a great time. We were singing and dancing down 5th Avenue with all that is within us.

This year we took the Pride theme literally...and to the extreme. The theme of Pride this year was 'live. love. be.' So we decided to run with it. Free love...hippies...flower power...and the most positive message we could come up with "live OPENLY. love SAFELY. be HAPPY." And it turned out brilliantly.

The float speaks for itself in the pictures. There's this company out in Jersey that actually builds the float for us. We just supply them with a design/concept...and they work their magic. And presto...the float arrives at the parade looking brilliant. And they really did something special for us this year. So if you ever need a float...check out Bond Parade Floats.

This year we used a DJ...and it couldn't have worked out better for us. I have to give an HUGE shout out to DJ Francisco Guerra. He kept the float jumping throughout the entire march. So amazing!!! This is how fantastic he is. Saturday night, his flight from Maine was cancelled due to weather issues. So he jumped on a plane Sunday morning (I heard that he left his house at 3:15 a.m. to get to the airport). Then he came directly from JFK to the parade with his equipment. After the parade, he flew back to Maine that night. INSANE!!! But his work is greatly appreciated...and I cannot praise him enough. So check out his website...and hire him if you need a DJ. CLICK HERE FOR SOME GREAT MUSIC!!!

We also had a very special guest on the float, Malan Breton. He was part of Project Runway: He is an extremely lovely person. And he was completely wonderful on the float. He kept the beat for us with the tambourine throughout the entire parade.

It did rain on us for maybe 15 - 20 minutes...and it rained hard. But I don't think I have ever had so much fun playing in the rain. We kept our spirits up...in order to keep the spirits up of the crowd. We couldn't really go anywhere since we were part of the parade...but the spectators could have left. But they stuck it out...and that made me very happy.

We also created a little dance to perform at the judging stand. Cross your fingers and hope we win. This is definitely worth checking out.

Check out all of the photos...PICTURES!!!

And all the videos...

HAPPY PRIDE TO ALL!!!

NYC Pride

2008-06-16T09:40:00.010-05:00

The Pride March and PrideFest are just 2 short weeks away. And amfAR needs your help!!!

amfAR's float theme this year is 'LIVE OPENLY LOVE SAFELY BE HAPPY'...which goes along with the Pride theme of 'LIVE LOVE BE.' It's kind of a hippy vibe. Here's what the mock-up of the float will look like.

We have made t-shirts for those who participate. They are very fun…bright colors and daisies. However, hippy costumes are strongly encouraged.

We have lots of stuff to pass out along the parade route…condom cases, stickers and beads.

We have a support vehicle this year to carry all of our stuff, so it won't be taking up room on the float. It will follow behind the float.

We also have a wonderful DJ who has volunteered his services this year…and he will be remixing some classics from the 60's and 70's. His name is DJ Francisco Guerra. Check out his website...and listen to some of his stuff. He recently was one of hundreds of DJs selected to compete for a spot at a pool party at Gay Days 2008 at Disney...and he was one of the winners. He has also played at Bearcelona 2008 and the Southern Maine Pride Pier Dance. In addition to being on the amfAR float at NYC Pride, you can catch him at one of his upcoming events: Lazy Bear Weekend in Guerneville, CA (August 2008), Red Hot Circuit in Fort Lauderdale, FL (September 2008), Bearracuda New Years Eve in San Francisco (December 2008) and Bearcelona in Catalunya, Spain (April 2009). We can not thank him enough for being a part of our float!!!

One of amfAR's goals this year it to present something at the judging stand (on 23rd Street). We are currently working on a "performance piece" for the judging stand this year…it will be simple enough for everyone to participate.

PRIDE MARCH
March route: 5th Av & 52nd St. to Christopher & Greenwich Streets
Sunday, June 29
Noon - End (The March starts at noon. We will meet earlier. We usually finish around 3, but there are no guarantees.)
Moment of Silence: 2:00 pm

amfAR will also be hosting a booth at PrideFest…and the concept is very exciting.

It will be a video booth. We will be asking people some general questions about HIV/AIDS while taping them. These answers will be edited together and placed on amfAR's new website as well as amfAR's YouTube site.

We are working on a "red carpet" theme for the booth to give people their "15 minutes of fame."

There will be a tent, so you won't be standing out in the sun all day.

There will also be items for people to take away from the tables…condom cases, stickers, red ribbons and buttons.

We need people who will be able to draw people into the tent to be interviewed, as well as people to be at the tables.

PRIDEFEST
Location: Hudson Street (between Abingdon Sq. & West 14th Street)
Sunday, June 29
11:00 am - 7:00 pm (set-up will be earlier)

Pride is always a great day…so, please come out and join us!!! You can e-mail me at barry.brown@amfar.org to let me know if you can help out.

We sincerely hope that you can join us. FRIENDS & FAMILY ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO COME!!! Any size, shape, color, age, sexual orientation…everyone is welcome!!! Please invite your friends!!!

Finale Finally

2008-05-23T09:37:00.022-05:00

As always, we start off the show with the numbers. There were 97.5 million votes cast for this year's American Idol finale. That's 23 million more votes than ever before. Way to go America. And just so you get a little sneak peak to the winner, 56% of those went to the new American Idol...and 44% went to the loser. Paula wore a stunning red dress to the event...which seemed to be missing a few buttons to show off her d'ecolletage. Those boobies are not going to stay hidden for long. And Randy Jackson chose to wear red this year as well...someone must have planned it for the 2 of them. Along with Randy's red jacket, he wore an ascot. Really? Is that hip? Simon wore his typical white shirt (opened to the navel) and a black jacket. They are always very classy.

In addition to our judges (who have no purpose even being at the judges table for the finale), we have Mikalah Gordon (with David Cook's peeps in Kansas City) and Matt Rogers (with David Archuleta's posse in Salt Lake City). We won't see much of them after this point. I think they were only given one segment each after the boys each sang their solos (really duets).

The Top 12 are joined by some of the kids from So You Think You Can Dance again. I was very excited. The last time they did this, it was amazing. This time, not so much. They were singing Get Ready. The song was boring. And the dancers didn't get to do too much at all. There were some big flames at the end, which I always love. And poor Amanda Overmyer and David Hernandez had to learn this song/routine even though they won't be touring. What a waste.

Then we get our David/David duet. They sang Hero...some song I don't know. It wasn't the Mariah Carey song (thankfully). Their vocals were weird together because they have completely different sounds. But both sounded good individually. It was when they tried to harmonize that it sounded bad.

They also got a chance to preview The Love Guru. It showed them watching the movie and laughing. They each explained their favorite part of the movie...and then they went to meet the guru (aka Mike Myers). It was a shameful plug for the movie and I can't believe they were forced to do it. So sad.

Syesha Mercado gets to duet with Seal on Waiting for You. Seal was supposed to perform at amfAR's Cannes event, but apparently he pulled out (I'm assuming to be on Idol). But Mary J. Blige filled in for him...which really is a better choice. Anyway, Syesha and Seal sang this duet. The song was completely wrong for Syesha. It was way to low for her voice. And it was the wrong style of song for her. So it just didn't work.

Jason Castro gets to sing too. He's singing the only song that he did really on the show, Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah. He couldn't duet with Jeff because, well, he's dead. He did a nice job with this song once again. He tried to hit a falsetto note near the end (which he missed), but it was still good. I'm not sure why he's singing for us by himself...but there are 2 hours to fill.

The Ford commercial is what it always is at this stage...a mess. It's just a clip show from all the previous commercials. This time is was set to Let the Good Times Roll. And it wasn't any fun at all. But the boys do get their cars. Each one got keys to a Ford Escape Hybrid...awaiting them on the green carpet.

The top 6 ladies are doing a Donna Summer medley. And one can only assume that Donna Summer will be wheeled out on the stage to sing with them. Amanda Overmyer is completely miserable. I don't know why they are making her do this. Some of the dancers came back for this...and Ryan attempted to dance with them (and failed).
Well, they didn't wheel out Donna Summer, but they did have to help her down the stairs. She is not looking so good these days. It may be the dollar store crackhead wig she chose to wear...or it may be that she's just getting old. She sang her new single. And at points, she wasn't even singing. She pulled the mike away from her mouth, but the vocals kept coming out. OOPS! It somehow all morphed into Last Dance and Syesha got a nice little solo part (and got to used the glitter mike that Donna Summer was carrying).

Carly Smithson and Michael Johns get to sing together. Why? No one really knows. But I think it's because neither of them are American. They are singing The Letter. The songs was a mess. Just a bunch of shouting back and forth. Carly looks pregnant again. Why can't someone give her something flattering to wear. Michael's double-breasted jacket looks like it's missing a couple buttons. It was all just weird...and unnecessary.

Jimmy Kimmel was invited back...for no real reason.

The top 6 boys get to sing a Bryan Adams medley...so be ready for Bryan Adams to make an appearance. They sang a couple songs. And the harmonizing was once again horrible. Neither song really worked. But there's Bryan Adams. And I have to admit that he looked kind of hot. He's a gruff old guy now...with a very hip hairdo. He didn't sound the best, but it wasn't horrible. I had no idea that he was still making music. But his song must be new because I had never heard it before. And for some reason, David Cook couldn't stop touching him.

David Cook gets to sing his duet now. With ZZ Top. Really? Who chose that? But they are singing Sharp Dressed Man. It was fine. The audience had no idea who these old men were or why they were on the stage with David Cook. But David did the funky chicken with his legs and they went insane. Suddenly it all made sense to them for some reason.

Brooke White is also doing a duet...with Graham Nash. Finally...a duet that makes sense to me. They are singing Teach You Children Well. It was very nice. It solidifies the fact that Brooke is a modern day folk singer...not the radical type though. Just very happy-hippy-dippy. In case you didn't know, Crosby, Stills and Nash will be touring this year...they should invite Brooke to join them.

There was a commercial that I had to rewind and watch twice to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. It was for the Wii game, Guitar Hero. And it was David Cook in a white shirt and some tiny underpants with his "guitar" lip-synching and dancing to Old Time Rock and Roll a la Tom Cruise in Risky Business. It was amazing. I loved every minute of it. So much that I probably watched it 3 or 4 times.

The Jonas Brothers performed too. I don't know why. But the song was awful. And they were very unappealing. I'm getting old...I just don't understand the music these kids are listening to anymore. It's very sad.

As always, Idol brought back one of the rejects from the auditions. This time it was Renaldo Lapuz. He sang some cracked out song (that he may have made up himself). But Idol spared no expense for this one. They brought in the USC Marching Band and Cheerleaders. What? It was insane. They even had the lyrics pasted on the big screen so that everyone could sing along. Randy and Paula made their way to the stage to sing with him. It was bizarre.

It's time for David Archuleta's duet...with One Republic. They are singing Apologize. I just have to say that I hate falsettos...when done poorly. Which both of these guys did...poorly. Little David really wants to sing like a big, black lady...it's really kind of cute. I didn't enjoy the song though. And it seems a little weird that David Archuleta got this current song while David Cook was made to sing with ZZ Top. During the visit to Salt Lake City, we got to meet his grandparents...and David's father's father bears a striking resemblance to John McCain.

Jordin Sparks finally gets her spot in the show. It wouldn't be a finale without last year's winner. She's singing her next single (I'm assuming), One Step at a Time. It's a good song actually. She started off by skipping down the stairs. OK, maybe she tripped a little, but it looked like skipping. Someone really needs to fire their stylist. They put a big girl in a shiny gold lame dress...that doesn't move at all. It was horrible. She looked much bigger than she is. And to accent her legs a little more, they put her in some really high stilettos that shouldn't really walk around in. It was bad. And at one point in the song, she looked kind of confused...like she wasn't sure what song she was singing. But Blake Lewis it...he was singing along in the audience. Watch for Jordin to appear on an upcoming season of Celebrity Fit Club...it's not far off.

There was another publicity stunt. This time it was a with Gladys Knight...and the fake Pips. The Pips were Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. It was kind of funny at first...the just felt lame. It was all done on video. What would have made it much better would have been to have the video footage...then have the screen raise to have the Gladys and the boys behind it singing. But that's just my opinion.

Carrie Underwood is back on the Idol stage singing her new single, Last Name. It's about a one night stand and she doesn't know his last name. But let's talk about the outfit that she's wearing. A white tuxedo jacket as a dress...with some strange train connecting the sleeves. I will say that her legs look amazing. They are really trying to turn her into Shania Twain. She's having some problems with the heels though. And the lucky members of the Idol most pit got a really good view of her cooch. Oh, the song sucked.

Oh no...now David Archuleta is doing the Guitar Hero commercial too. And it just doesn't work for him. Mainly becuase he's not wearing the tighty-whiteys...he's in boxer shorts. Plus, he sucks at air guitar.

The top 12 are back on stage doing a George Michael medley...which can only mean one thing, George Michael will be joining them on stage very soon. The girls did Faith...and Amanda Overmyer sounded like she was singing with a bunch of marbles in her mouth. It was just a bunch of slurs. The boys then sang Father Figure...and David Hernandez (our favorite Idol stripper) got to do the naked line from the song. HEE HEE!!! Who says Idol doesn't have a sense of humor. Then they introduced George Michael...and left the stage completely. They didn't get to sing with him. I'm assuming it was in George's contract that he be alone on the stage. What a diva. The song was miserably slow. He sang well. But what's with the hair and glasses. He looked like Christopher Walken. Paula's crying...probably because George is still pretty successful and she's stuck on American Idol. The song ended up being really long...and never got exciting.

Final thoughts from the judges...
RANDY - "you dudes brought it down to the wire" and "you're both winners"
PAULA - "you two are truly amazing" and "beginning of the start of your destiny"
SIMON - "both of you are tryers" and "I don't really care who wins"

And the winner of American Idol 7 is...DAVID COOK (by 12 million votes). Yes, it's true...I was right this year.

PS: I LOVE CONFETTI...

...and DAVID COOK!!!

David Squared

2008-05-21T14:56:00.012-05:00

I almost completely missed the last Idol performance show this season. I let my DVR tape the show, so I could just fast-forward all the extra nonsense. But when the DVR kicked in, the entire cable box shut down and rebooted itself. So I wasn't sure I was going to have anything. Then I started to watch what had taped...and there wasn't any sound. But I just turned everything off and then back on...and it was fine.

The show started out with a boxing segment. David Cook was in a red robe and David Archuleta was in blue. A famous boxing announcer (the one who does the Mega Million commercials) was there to introduce them...and he stole Ryan's famous line of "THIS...is American Idol."

Then Ryan showed up and told us that they would each be singing 3 songs...and they would each get 3 call-in numbers...and America would have 4 hours to vote. That doesn't really flow together. Clive Davis will be selecting a song for them. Andrew Lloyd Webber is there for some reason, but I'm not sure why. And some boxing commentator keeps popping on the screen for no real reason. Fun Fact: Neither David has been in the bottom 3 this season. David Archuleta won the coin toss...and chose to go 2nd.

Clive Davis picked U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For for David Cook. It was a great song choice for him. I approve. And he sounds really good. He made some nice, simple changes to the song. But he knew better than to mess with a great song too much. The ending was a bit bizarre. But he went out to the outer stage behind the judges to get the audience going...and it worked for him. He really looks like a star on the stage.
RANDY - "great way to start off this duel of 2007" UH...it's 2008, DAWG!
PAULA - "AMEN AMEN"
SIMON - "phenomenal"

Clive picked Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me for David Archuleta. Say what you want about Clive Davis, he knows what songs to pick for people. This was the perfect choice for Little David's voice. He started out by sitting on the steps. It seemed very choreographed. He's a little awkward on stage. He doesn't really know what to do with his body. He sang the song extremely well. There were a couple of weird notes that he didn't quite reach. And it had too many runs in it for my taste. And then he was just a weepy mess.
RANDY - "flawless"
PAULA - "I got chills up and down my arms" And they are multiplying. Wait? This isn't that show where we pick the leads for GREASE?
SIMON - "best you've done so far"

The 2nd songs will be songs that they have selected for the top 10 finishers of the songwriting competition. We later find out that neither got to actually pick the winning song (or so sayeth Paula, so that could be a total lie). I'm happy that they aren't being forced to sing the same song this year. It cost Blake Lewis the title last year.

But David Cook picked Dream Big by someone named Emily Shackleton. The song was actually pretty catchy. It could easily be a hit. He sung it very well, with the exception of a few odd notes at the beginning. Overall, he did a nice job. He seemed a little uncomfortable on stage during this one. But that could be from singing a completely original song for the first time.
RANDY - "singing your face off"
PAULA - "congratulations"
SIMON - "didn't feel like a winning moment"

David Archuleta picked a song called In This Moment by someone named Ryan Gilmore. The title alone sounds like an American Idol finale song. And in that same fashion, it was very boring. He's wearing a jacket that has some really big anchors on the front...and the back. I don't understand that at all. But the song very typical of what the winner of American Idol would be given to sing. So the world will eat it up. Again, he sang it well. But the song was a big snooze-fest.
RANDY - "you can sing the phonebook" Really? You got nothing else?
PAULA - "you're on fire tonight"
SIMON - "you chose the better song"

For their final numbers, the contestants get to chose any song they want to. Usually this means they will rehash something that they have already sung...and it's usually the song that the judges praised the most during the season.

But David Cook went a different way. He picked a completely new song with Collective Soul's The World I Know. I like the acoustic start to the song. It sounds really good. His vocals were perfect. It may have been the wrong song choice because it's a little too mellow. The audience may have wanted something more to prove that he really is a star...like his Billie Jean, Hello or Eleanor Rigby (my personal favorites by him). But I thought he did a great job with it. And I appreciate that he sang something new. And he showed 3 different styles in his song choices as well. And he's crying now.
RANDY - "very nice job"
PAULA - "you're standing in your truth" What does that mean?
SIMON - "wrong song choice for you"

David Archuleta is doing John Lennon's Imagine once again. He sang this during the semi-finals to much praise...and I admit that I downloaded it as well. he went without the piano this time...instead there was an acoustic guitar accompanying him. I don't think he has any idea what he's singing. He just sings the song. There's really no connection for him. There were a lot of runs in this one too. And that doesn't work for me. This is a great song...and that kind of ruins it for me. But he has lots more tears to offer once he's done.
RANDY - "you are exactly what this show is about"
PAULA - "you were stunning"
SIMON - "we have witnessed a knock-out"

Here's my honest opinion about the 2 Davids:

David Cook is a star. I think he's amazingly talented. And I have loved almost every song that he has sung on the show. He surprised me during the semi-finals and has remained one of my top favorites. I'm not going to deny that I want him to win. He loves music and it shows.

David Archuleta is a great singer. But there's nothing else to him. It's like turning off the light switch when he's not singing. There's just nothing there. When Ryan is interviewing him, he kind of just smiles and nobs and tries to make complete sentences. It may be because he's young...or it may be because his family forced him into the entertainment business as a child and he has no social skills. Whatever the reason, it bothers me. I want him to enjoy life a little more. And I don't want to hear another ballad from him...EVER!!!

With that said, I predict a major upset tonight. David Cook will emerge the victor.

The enormous American Idol signed raised up to reveal an equally enormous Ruben Studdard behind it. He's there to finish off the show for us. And before he even started singing, he was covered in sweat. He sang this season's farewell song live. While we were "celebrating people home" my DVR cut-off. That's a shame.

Want another opinion...then read Jeffrey's Idol Report Card.

TEAM amfAR ROCKS!!!

2008-05-20T08:53:00.024-05:00

On Sunday, May 18th, TEAM amfAR took to the streets of NYC for the annual AIDS Walk. We had a beautiful day to walk. And a great turn-out of people. It was a wonderful team of amfAR staff, friends and family. We had a lot of walking along the route in our stylish t-shirts.

Thanks to everyone who participated (especially my peeps, Ashley Schmidt, Ed Lefferson and David Sechko).

Unfortunately, Marty Marr couldn't be with us for the walk because he had to be at his volleyball tournament for the day, but he still raised money for the team. And Team Fury (his volleyball team) came in 2nd place. WOO HOO!!!

And a very speical thanks to all of you who donated to me personally (Patti Goldsmith, Rachele Rego, Aaron & Jessica Creathorne, Julie Blutstein, Helene Brown, Leslee Warren, Kim Vrabel, Scott Newman, Marty Marr and Karen Currie). You all helped me reach my goal this year. And I truly thank you. You are all stars!!!

Not only did I reach my goal, but Team amfAR has exceeded it's goal of $17,500 in total donations. It was a record-breaking year for us. So everyone deserves a big shout out for that.

In total, there were over 45,000 walkers and the AIDS Walk has raised the most money that they have ever raised: $7,058,497. WOO HOO!!!

If you forgot to donate, it's still not too late. Donations are being accepted until 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 12th. Barry's Donation Page TEAM amfAR Donation Page

And now...enjoy the photos.

And if that's not enough for you. Check out these photos taken by Bobby G (the man who put it all together for us). MORE PICTURES

1 MORE WEEK TO GO!!!

2008-05-16T09:49:00.019-05:00

You're getting both posts together again this time. I watched both episodes back to back this week...via the magic of DVR (which is really the only way to watch this show ever). When you watch it live, you can't get away from the nonsense. With DVR, you can just skip right over it. It's amazing...and necessary.

This week on Idol, it's all about 3's. The same as it always is at this point in the competition. There are 2 contestants...they will sing 3 songs...and they will get 3 call-in numbers for votes. They get 1 song from the judges...1 from the producers...and they get to pick 1 all by themselves. So let it begin.

David Archuleta is told by the Mayor of his town that Paula Abdul has selected And So It Goes by Billy Joel. I'm not sure Paula could have picked a more boring song for him to sing. It was so un-engaging that I just didn't care. It had nothing special to it. It was just David up there singing. Now, he did sing it well...but that's not unusual for him. It just wasn't special...or fun.
RANDY - "you can sing anything" Yes we know...you say that every week to him.
PAULA - "pure and stunning" Just like her gin martini.
SIMON - "No surprises" That's for sure.

Randy Jackson got to pick Syesha Mercado's first song (via a text message). And he chose If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keyes. Very typical selection...way to think outside of the box. I have to start by saying that she is stunning. She truly looked amazing. And the song was done quite nicely. It suited her voice very well. She kept it very true to the song...and they probably won't like that...and will just say that it didn't compare to the original. But she is a great singer.
RANDY - "that's why you're standing at #3" Did I miss the results already?
PAULA - "you look absolutely stunning" That's never a good sign.
SIMON - "you sang that really well" She sure did.

David Cook got his song picked by Simon (via text messaging as well)...and it's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. David truly has a great voice. He can sing just about anything (UGH...that sounded like Randy Jackson). But the song progressed wonderfully. It sounded fantastic...and the control that he showed on it was amazing. I have to admit that I almost started to cry during the song...it was just that good. And I'm a sucker for any piece of music that can make my cold heart melt. By the way, the real reason Simon picked this song is because it's on the Leona Lewis album and he needs to sell them.
RANDY - "I want you to rock" SHUT UP YOU TARD!!!
PAULA - "that's one of my favorite songs" And?
SIMON - "round 1 goes to Cook and Cowell" It sure does.

David Archuleta chose a hip song for himself with Chris Brown's With You. I must admit that I don't know any Chris Brown songs, except for his duet with Jordin Sparks. But any song that has David Archuleta saying "my boo" in it is a complete mistake. It was pretty laughable. And then he messed up the words...AGAIN. But no one ever mentions that because they can't point out the flaws of the next winner. The whole thing was very awkward...especially his dancing efforts. They even put some swirling radioactivity lights on the stage. It just made it even more bizarre. Apparently he can't sing current music...or anything that requires a little soul.
RANDY - "I didn't believe it" Me either.
PAULA - "you did a great job" Now give Paula her drink back.
SIMON - "like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger" I don't get that, but I probably agree with it.

Syesha Mercado picked Fever by Peggy Lee for herself. Not the wisest choice, because the judges don't like old music. She's using a chair as a prop too and that could be her downfall. The judges will call it "Broadway" or "old-fashioned." But we already know that they suck. The techies forget to put a light on her face...she was in the dark for the first verse of the song. I guess someone told them that they had to help get rid of her this week. But she was very sexy. I wasn't thrilled with her vocals, but I think that had more to do with the arrangement of the song. Because she was in tune through the entire song. And at least she enjoyed herself.
RANDY - "sang it amazingly well" YES!
PAULA - "I'm surprised you chose that song" What was she going to sing Straight Up?
SIMON - "you will probably regret that choice tomorrow" Then don't let them pick their own songs.

David Cook picked a song that I don't know from a band that I don't know. It's called Dare You to Move by Switchfoot. He started off really off pitch...and didn't get much better throughout the song. But he finished strong. He brought the guitar back for this one, to prove that he is a true rocker. The choice was pretty predictable, but it is what he does best. Although I thought the first song was much better...stylistically and vocally.
RANDY - "wasn't your best" I concur.
PAULA - "I wanted more" More of her pills maybe.
SIMON - "it was an OK middle round" Eh...I wasn't thrilled.

The producer's picked Longer by Dan Fogelberg for David Archuleta. Yeah...that's current. It was the typical, slow ballad that he succeeds at. But it was a giant snooze-fest. It was very sugary sweet...and turned into complete schmaltz. I did not enjoy it. Again, he sang it very well. But it's a pretty simple song to sing. It was just way too boring to enjoy.
RANDY - "another hot one for me" There was nothing "hot" about that.
PAULA - "lovely" Thank God, her pills are kicking in.
SIMON - "so gooey" You said it.

The producers are really trying to get rid of Syesha Mercado this week. They picked a song called Hit Me Up for her. It could be sung by Beyonce or Rihanna...because it just has that sound to it. If you're not familiar with the song, don't feel stupid. It's from the movie Happy Feet. WHAT? It was completely the wrong song to sing. But they just wanted her to fail. It sounded fine because she's a good singer. It just didn't work because of what the song was. But once again, she looked like she had fun singing it. She's just very happy to be there...and it shows.
RANDY - "just OK for me" For me too.
PAULA - "I don't know if it's going to be good enough to get you into the finals" But that's OK because Randy already told us that you are #3
SIMON - "a little bit forgettable" It was a song from a movie about dancing penguins...maybe you would remember it if she came out dressed like a penguin

And finally, the producers chose I Don't Want To Miss a Thing by Aerosmith for David Cook. I do love a string section in a song...and I love that this one is sitting on the stage with him. But the song was really boring at the beginning. Then he started to rock out...and it got a little better. He had some really bad notes throughout the song. And I just didn't really feel that he loved this song. But he's not the one who picked it.
RANDY - "OK for me" As always.
PAULA - "see you in the finals" Because Syesha's still #3
SIMON - "David Cook wins the night" Because he will make the most money for me.

It's clear that they want Syesha gone...so she will be gone. But I think everyone out there had already predicted that it will be a show-down between the 2 Davids. So that's why it most likely be.

ELIMINATION DAY!!!

The show started off with it's usual group number. They are singing Ain't No Stopping Us Now. This is probably the best dancing the group has ever done this season...although there isn't much to it. And surprisingly David Cook is the best dancer in the group. The boys each got big solo parts...entire verses. Poor Syesha was stuck just singing a couple lines of the chorus. They really hate her on this show. But they actually sounded good as a group this week. But a lot of that was the back-up singers...they sang the most.

The commercial was to the song Heaven. Not the Brian Adams song. I didn't know this Heaven song. But they are visiting a fortune teller and get a glimpse into their future. It all turned out to be an episode of Cribs for each of them. We get to see the big mansion that Syesha lives in...complete with a portrait of herself and lots of gold and platinum records on the wall. David Archuleta has a white grand piano out by this enormous fountain...and his face painted on the bottom of the pool. David Cook was stuck outside with every Ford vehicle every made in the driveway. Then the fortune teller spits out 3 keys for them...and there some Fords waiting for them outside. The commercial was amusing...the song was stupid.

Fantasia has come back home to perform for us all. She's singing Bore Me, which will be on her upcoming album whenever she finishes it. I don't get the outfit. It was a singlet made of black velour...with some rhinestone accents. She's really playing up the ghetto in ghetto-fabulous. And she's been eating a bit so it seems...that's my nice way of saying that she's gotten fatter. And she picked up some hookers off the street and gave them a job as her back-up singers/dancers. The song is complete mess. She was dancing like a maniac...and screeching like a fool. But she is not out to impress anyone. She knows that she's a star already and it don't make no difference what she does. I didn't understand a word she said/screamed throughout the entire song...but I loved every moment of it. It was one of the best things Idol has ever had on it. PURE INSANITY!!! Simon didn't know what to think and was pretty much dumb-founded by the whole thing. Please watch it for yourself!!!

I skipped over all the trips home because I just didn't care.

David Archuleta and David Cook made it to the finals...an that means that Syesha Mercado is heading home. We watched a little montage of her while she sang that Alicia Keyes songs again. And they let her sing the whole 2 minutes of the song that she sang the night before without cutting her off. Poor Ruben Studdard. They didn't play his crappy good-bye song this week.

Next week...THE BATTLE OF THE DAVIDS!!!

And the crowning on the next American Idol.