The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite |  |
- Idol Gives Back Online Auction
- David Cook’s Trip to Ethiopia
- Anthony Fedorov in One Time Only Cinderella Show
- Next Week’s Mentor
- Add the Season 9 Contestants as Friends
- ‘Idol’ results show minute-by-minute: Big Mike learns a little humility
- Ann Powers: Really, America?
- Siobhan’s dress, Tim’s hair, the didgeridoo… Your ‘Idol’ burning questions, answered!
- Season 9’s first results show shocker — for real
| Idol Gives Back Online Auction Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:10 PM PDT Beginning today, Idol Gives Back is partnering with auction management agency Vonality to launch an online auction in which American Idol fans from around the country will be able to bid on a unique selection of donated items and once-in-a-lifetime experiences at www.idolgivesback.org.Net proceeds will benefit the Idol Gives Back Foundation and the auction will run from Wednesday, April 7 to 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, April 20. Idol Gives Back, airing Wednesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX, will raise awareness and funds to benefit charities including Childrens Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Childrens U.S. Programs, and the United Nations Foundation. Viewers can help support Idol Gives Back and its beneficiaries by bidding on the auction items before the show airs. Items featured in the online auction include:
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| Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:10 PM PDT Season 7s American Idol, David Cook, recently returned from a trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the United Nations Foundation for Idol Gives Back, which airs April 21st. While he was in Ethiopia, David joined an English class during a visit to Biruh Tesfa school, and he will raise awareness about the importance of girls education during the Idol Gives Back show. Elizabeth Gore, Executive Director ofglobal partnershipsand Nothing But Nets for the United Nations Foundation, kicked off the call by saying, Adolescent girls are a huge priority to this organization and to the U.N., and the fact that 70% of the worlds out-of-school youth, and thats about 130 million people, are girls shocks all of us every day. But we think that, thanks to Idol Gives Back and the viewers that are going to hopefully donate on the 21st, that they can actually help these girls solve global problems. In addition to spending time in a Biruh Tesfa classroom, David got the chance to get to know two girls in particular. One was a seven-year-old girl named Magnus. Both of Magnuss parents have passed away, and she has been at the school for seven monthsShe is one of the most vibrant, joyous girls that I think Ive ever met. The girls at the school genuinely want to learn. They want to have that education. They want to have that opportunity, and thats inspiring to see a seven-year-old girl want to build a better future for herself. I remember being seven years old, and I didnt have that foresight. These girls are wise beyond … read more
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| Anthony Fedorov in One Time Only Cinderella Show Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:10 PM PDT Season 4s Anthony Fedorov will star in Show Hopes Spring Celebration of Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella In Concert. This one day only charity event will take place on May 14th at 7pm at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN. Anthony will be accompanied by a star-studded cast including Bebe Winans, Jodi Benson, Heather Headley, Alli Mauzey, Jake Speck, and Steven Curtis Chapman. The stars are teaming up with the Nashville Symphony to present the classical musical to help Show Hope raise awareness and funds to care for orphans in distress. The show is also being held to commemorate the life of Maria Chapman, daughter of 5-time Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman. For ticket info, visit nashvillesymphony.com. Anthony is no stranger to the stage. He has starred in the Off-Broadway show The Fantasticks, and he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Season 3 runner-up Diana DeGarmo. View photos of Anthony as Joseph.
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| Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT On Tuesday, April 13th, the Season 9 finalists will take on songs with special guest mentor Adam Lambert! The Season 8 runner-up is one of the most popular Idol finalists ever, and his swagger, looks, and amazing voice won over fans of all ages. Adam will be a fitting mentor since he knows first-hand what the Season 9 finalists are going through he was in their shoes just one year ago. Since appearing on American Idol, Adam released his debut album, For Your Entertainment, and has appeared on numerous talk shows to perform. View a photo of Adam on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Hes performed shows all over the U.S. and the world, and on Wednesdays results show, Adam will perform Whataya Want From Me on the Idol stage that launched his career. Cant wait until Tuesday to get your Adam fix? View photos of him in the Adam Lambert photo gallery.
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| Add the Season 9 Contestants as Friends Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT Did you know you can add the Season 9 Contestants and Judges as your MyIdol friends? Log in to MyIdol with your username and password. Then, click on the contestants’ names below to make each contestant your friend. Aaron Kelly You can also go to the individual <a href="… read more
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| ‘Idol’ results show minute-by-minute: Big Mike learns a little humility Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT
There's no doubt this season of "American Idol" has been unpredictable, but Michael Lynche's near-ouster truly came out of left field, at least for the studio audience on results night. We casually strolled into the "Idol"-dome on Wednesday, firm in our conviction that someone whose name starts with "A" was going home that night. Any other scenario was simply unimaginable at that point, which is why season 9's first real shocker did indeed leave us winded. Here's our minute-by-minute breakdown of how the night went down… 5:52 p.m. The evening gets off to a mellow start. Eight minutes until showtime is generally when the show loads in the night's celebrities. No Nadya Suleman appearance like the previous night (her eldest kids looked to be Crystal fans), instead, "The Blind Side" star Quinton Aaron takes a bow. 5:54 Katie Stevens' mom is handing out homemade Katie signs to anyone who wants one, 5:55 Stage manager Debbie Williams, with an assist from Corey the warmup guy, does a sign clearance check. Lots of Casey supporters in the house, as evidenced by posters that read "Cougars 4 Casey" and "L.L.C.J." or "Ladies Love Casey James." Also some Siobhan Magnus supporters and fans of Andrew Garcia. Few mentions of Aaron or Big Mike, surprisingly. 5:58 Kara DioGuardi is the first judge to make an entrance, holding her hands to her ears in an "I can't hear you" gesture. Randy follows making the peace sign. 5:59 The Top 9 are marched on stage and fellow female "Idol" worshipers behold Crystal, Siobhan and Katie's matching garb. Meanwhile, Ellen DeGeneres enters the studio to deafening screams. In case there was any doubt, that's the biggest star in the room. Simon's applause seconds later wasn't nearly as loud, though you could spot those ice cap veneers from half a mile away. 6:00 The judges and Ryan Seacrest exchange their Wednesday pleasatries as another Top 9 teary video kicks into gear, this time to the apt tune of "The End." For everyone in the room, the excitement is palpable. 6:02 With the Top 9 safely tucked away backstage, Ryan introduces the judges and explains the new "Idol Gives Back" initiative, auctioning off nifty items like a recording session courtesy of Simon Cowell, singing lessons by Kara, VIP status at "Ellen" and more. 6:05 It's group number time, which means the eyes are rolling — maybe even a little further back than usual since it's a medley (After all, usually the only thing worse than a group number is a medley group number). Fortunately, the Top 9 don't really offend with their three-minute performance, in which they run through what seems like a dozen songs. But the place really got hopping once they made their way to "All You Need is Love." Taking the sentiment to heart, Crystal looks adoringly at her girls, Katie and Siobhan, in a tender moment that the cameras didn't catch. 6:08 Casey and Lee shake hands to symbolize a triumphant end to a whole lot of awkward choreography. The rest of the "Idol" boys take their seats on the couches, while the girls head backstage to change. 6:09 Time for a break and Corey is back at the microphone, urging the audience to "react accordingly" as the bottom three is revealed and other verdicts are made. It's a good thing, he explained, or some of those Casey cougars may have gotten the wrong idea. 6:12 Another Wednesday, another Ford commercial, this one devoid of the usual zaniness that goes hand-in-hand with these all-day shoots. Still, it elicits chuckles from most of the contestants. Straight-faced Aaron Kelly is a tough nut to crack, though. 6:13 "What's the vibe tonight?" Ryan asks as the lights come down for the first reveal. With nine contestants to process, a three-group split is inevitable. 6:14 Siobhan starts the middle of the stage group as she looks longingly to the couch. She's joined soon enough by Crystal and Katie, wearing a shirt adorned with the lyrics to "Let It Be." 6:15 Katie slinks her way to center stage, where Crystal fully embraces her Mamasox role and grabs onto the girls. 6:16 With all three declared safe, friends and family jump out of their seats while the girls can finally breathe. 6:17 Another commercial break and Ryan goes over to properly (and professionally) congratulate the girls with a handshake. The trio has now relocated to the top row of the couch where they look absolutely giddy as their hairdos get ever-so-slight touch-ups. 6:19 Jason Derulo's band takes "Idol" stage while the contestants settle in for a front row seat. Seacrest, also wanting to take in the sounds, sits with the girls at the top tier. 6:22 Of course, Kara sings along to the guy she signed. In fact, she can barely keep herself glued to the seat, and her excitement even spills over to Simon, who's bopping his head to Derulo's "In My Head." Now just imagine what would happen if Paula were there — strapping R&B star with Michael Jackson-like moves? Look out. 6:24 We count eight dancers on the stage, which is more than enough to freak out Lee DeWyze. Andrew Garcia, meanwhile, is just trying not to get singed by the pyro display. 6:26 The break is all about Derulo as he heads over to the "Idol" hopefuls for a quick hello and the judges come on stage to say goodbye. Aaron looks surprisingly cheery considering it was he who many thought was going home. Andrew and Big Mike, on the other hand, wear a look of concern as David Archuleta's piano is wheeled on stage. Maybe they were trying to "Imagine" being somewhere else at that very moment. 6:29 Archie gets situated at the piano and looks a little nervous, but still gives a quick wave to the audience.
6:32 Casey's mouth is agape in awe of all that is Archuleta. He's also the first to give the Season 7 runner-up a standing ovation. 6:35 Time to dim the lights as David meanders offstage, giving the hopefuls two thumbs up. 6:36 Casey gives Lee a quick tug at the hand as his buddy is sent to the far side of the stage. 6:37 Big Mike is sent to start his own group on stage left. Still, he looks unfazed, confident for sure and perhaps even somewhat cocky. 6:38 Casey casually strolls to Lee's side of the stage for his verdict. 6:39 Aaron is composed but clearly nervous at his assignment to Big Mike's group and not Casey's, who Simon himself said was the "best of the night." 6:40 Tim Urban looks confused as he's told to join Casey and Lee on stage right. Not the case for Andrew, who must have prepared for a bottom three showing simply based on the judges' comments, whether warranted or not. 6:41 Casey, Lee and Tim are declared safe, but Lee looks completely bewildered. 6:42 Aaron is sent back to safety and millions of tweenage girls rejoice. On the stage, bro hugs abound as the little guy is sent back to the couch. 6:43 Another break allows Ryan the opportunity to dole out sympathy hugs to Andrew and Big Mike, while Casey, clearly parched from the nerve-wracking moment, chugs a bottle of water like it's nobody's business. The judges run out for their second-to-last break. 6:47 The audience sits still for the Rihanna performance, which was taped earlier in the day and left some looking downright confused (especially when RiRi pulls out a flying V electric guitar she's seemingly incapable of playing). For his part, Mike is wearing a stoic face. 6:49 Lee and Casey are huddled in their own conversation off to the side, while Tim, smiley as ever, gleefully points out friends in the audience. Basically, Tim being Tim, which he's really good at in comparison to, er, Tim! 6:51 One final break and it's judgment time. Ryan holds the verdict in his hand, by way of a giant index card with the "Idol" logo on the front, but offers no clues verbal or otherwise. 6:54 In an effort to relieve some of the tension, an adorable little kid from the crowd tells Corey he wants Big Mike to win, after which Mike proceeds to lift him by the ankle with nary the lift of a finger. 6:56 However, on this night, the spotlight was on Mike and, for once, not in a good way. The season's first shocker is the very moment Ryan Seacrest tells Andrew he's safe, forcing Mike to sing for a second chance. 6:57 Fortunately for Mike, he has Kara in his corner because she is all fired up about the save as he wails Maxwell's version of "A Woman's Work" (the Kate Bush original will never be rivaled, but it's a valiant effort on all fronts) with the same passion of his original performance but the confidence of having worked that stage several times over.
6:59 With the good news that he'll be back next week, Mike is paralyzed for a moment and it takes a rush of fellow hopefuls to snap him out of it. Or maybe that was Mike being dramatic again — was Simon's message not clear enough? No matter, a reenergized Mike stands to be far more powerful than one who's becoming complacent in his potential front-runner status, even if that means taking out a second contestant in one episode. 7:00 In a scene that would look familiar to fans of "Saturday Night Live," "Idol's" final minutes are a mess of contestants, judges, "Idol" staff, friends, family and sometimes random hangers-on falling all over each other and the stage. Wednesday night, the finale was brief but exultant, and no one looked happier than Kara, otherwise known as head cheerleader for the Lynche Mob. On our way out, we ran into David Archuleta and spoke a bit about his performance (a special request by Simon Fuller himself) and this year's crop of contestants. More of that interview coming up shortly, but tell us in the meantime: Is season 9 connecting with you? Are any of these contestants comparable to Archie or next week's mentor, Adam Lambert? – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photos: From top, Season 9 contestants, from left, Tim Urban,
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| Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT
You, readers, already know that I'm less than thrilled about the lack of diversity among this year's finalists — and while I am talking about race, I'll also mention gender (an all-male Top 5 is still not unthinkable), musical range (with the exception of wild card Siobhan, everyone in this group gives virtually the same performance every week) and performance style (there's stiff, stiffer and Michael, the only one who consistently seems excited to engage with the audience). But I'm not advocating for quotas. I just have one thing to point out. Big Mike certainly has his flaws — he's hammy, he waves his hands around too much, and he's taken to using his Luther Vandross-like upper range too aggressively, putting aside the delicacy and bounce that made him interesting at the season's start. But aside from Crystal Bowersox, his voice is the most pitch-perfect, richest and most versatile instrument on board this year. Close your eyes next time he sings, and you'll hear it. He's leagues beyond Siobhan Magnus, who's smart and determined but can't sustain in her middle or lower range; or Lee DeWyze, who has a nice grainy timbre but constantly goes off pitch on the big notes. All that is an aside, however, to the main thing I feel must be said this week. Of the remaining Idol hopefuls, three — Crystal, Lee and Casey – directly borrow their vocal approach from the classic African American stylebook. Casey is a blues dude, Lee is a shouter and Crystal is a soul mama. Andrew made his first impression on the judges by mashing up acoustic indie pop and contemporary urban sounds, and despite Simon's insistence that she's a country artist, Katie can't stop herself from reaching for those R&B flourishes. American music is African American music, goes the cliche. And today in pop, African Americans not only mostly dominate commercially beyond the tween set, they're also often the most adventurous artists. Just rewind the three guest turns on the "Idol" results show. David Archuleta was lovely but repeated himself with his version of John Lennon's "Imagine." Then there were the chart-toppers: Jason DeRulo, whose biggest hit rides on a risky sample from art chanteuse Imogen Heap, and Rihanna, who strapped on her black guitar and called herself a rock star. All the judges' yammering on about being "current" makes no sense when "Idol" viewers vote off the one African American singer left this season. American pop thrives on the cross-currents of identity; otherwise it stagnates. I'd be happy if Crystal or Casey took home the big prize this year; I could even, maybe, live with Lee. (It could happen. Don't talk to me about Tim.) But if our Idol is one of those kids who owes so much to African American tradition, and who'll be entering a pop arena full of African American innovators, then it would be nice if the one African American who stood beside them had survived long enough to be more than a distant memory. – Ann Powers Photo: Michael Lynche performing Tuesday night. Credit: Michael Becker/Fox
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| Siobhan’s dress, Tim’s hair, the didgeridoo… Your ‘Idol’ burning questions, answered! Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT
What was up with Siobhan's outfit? Maybe sporting white knee-high Doc Martens, half a can-can girl's petticoat and a gray leather vest sounds downright crazy to you, but it was exactly the outfit Siobhan Magnus had in mind for her rendition of "Across the Universe." In fact, you could call it fate. "Before we went shopping with the stylist this week, I said to her, 'I wish I could just go home and get some of my vintage princess dresses because I collect them,' " Siobhan said after Tuesday's performance show. "And we went to American Vintage and one of the first things I saw was this dress. I have the exact same vintage dress at home in yellow, and that was the one i was thinking of. And I found it in the color I needed it in. And the Beatles were playing on the radio in the store!" Was Andrew offended when Simon called him corny? Not at all. The Moreno Valley resident, who sang "Can't Buy Me Love," insisted he was out to have a good time, nothing more, nothing less. "I was just having fun out there, and Simon didn't see that inside of me," Andrew defended. "Because he don't hang out with me. He's not that privileged!" For the record, Tim Urban added, "None of us think [Andrew] is corny." Did Tim Urban consider doing a reggae version of "All My Loving"? Lord help us, but yes! "I actually found a reggae version of my song," he said. "It was the very bottom on iTunes, and I thought, "Wow, that would be funny if I did that again! I decided to laugh at it but not go that direction." Whew.
Was Michael Lynche's "Jesus Walks"-esque version of "Eleanor Rigby" inspired by David Cook's performance in season 7? Indeed it was, at least partly, Big Mike revealed. "I always do my research on [a song], and one of the most viewed was the [version] that David Cook did a couple years ago," he said. "He was really very original on it, and so I felt like the song lent itself to let me do my own thing without crushing the song. He did it and killed it. It was just complete rock. They loved that, so I was, like, 'I'm just gonna do what I feel from the song.' " Did Aaron Kelly check out David Archuleta's previous version of "Long and Winding Road?" Apparently not, and some might contend he should have, just to gain some perspective. "I didn't really go back," says Aaron of his song choice. "I've heard a couple different versions that were sightly different than the original where they slowed it down a lot…. I do agree with Simon, the only thing is, I did not want to change the arrangement because you don't want to [do that] and then have people hate you."
Was Casey James floored by Simon's favorable review of his performance? Pretty much. "It's always nice to get compliments," said Casey after the show, "especially if you put your heart and soul into something and they accept it and feel the same way you feel…. I'm always the first person to pick the songs because they just jump out at me, and when I saw "Jealous Guy," I immediately knew that I wanted just guitar and a cello." Simon's comments, he said, were " probably as good as it gets. Coming from me, a judge, a person in the crowd or anyone." But ever the perfectionist, he casually whispered that his dress rehearsal "was better." What does Katie make of the division among the "Idol" judges when it comes to her ideal sound? "You know what? The fact that they're battling over me at all is kind of mind-blowing," said Katie. "But I definitely think I lean more with Kara's [pop R&B direction], but I'm open for anything. I could try country." Guys like Lee and Big Mike, however, took issue with the judges' indecisiveness. "If they don't know what she's supposed to be doing, how could they dog her for singing whatever she wants," asked Lee, rhetorically. "The judges are great and I love their commentary but…" Big Mike concurred, adding, "Katie can sing what she wants. She's young and doesn't have to fit in anybody's box." Was Siobhan surprised at how emotional she got on stage? "It's always tricky," she explained. "You don't wanna look like a goober and you don't wanna go [cry] on stage, but some things are just really hard to say without getting emotional… it's impossible not to be. It's, like, the most overwhelming thing you could imagine. I'm a very honest person. I just say what's on my mind and I said what I did because I meant it." As for whether she did a complete 180 from last week's squealer, Siobhan had this to say: "It's always important for me to prove a point. I'm very stubborn and strong-willed, and if someone's gonna come at me and say, 'We're getting sick of the note,' it was obvious that I was being challenged. I'm not one to back down and act like I'm not capable of doing something different. I would want to stand up and prove that I'll take that on and do it my way. I had a really hard time picking a song this week almost because of that… but what stood out to me was how simple it was. Just me and the keyboard, and that was what made it special to me — its simplicity. It was a step in a different direction." Was Tim expecting the Beatles hair comparison? Absolutely. "I realized that regardless of what I'd done with my hair, unless I cut it all off, they were going to reference me having hair like The Beatles," he said. "It really didn't matter. I could've had it shaggy long and crazy and it wouldn't have made a difference. We did this with my hair for the top 10 photo shoot and I thought it looked kind of cool. I wasn't thinking about the Beatles comparison so much, but I knew I'd get it." Was Lee regretting the bagpipes by show's end? To the contrary, they were his idea! "I'm confident in what I did," said Lee. "I definitely wouldn't have had them up there if I didn't think it would be cool. I enjoyed it and I wanted to change the song but not ruin it, so I figured, instead of taking away form the originality of it, I'd add my own twist on it. It's hard to ruin a Beatles song, so why not a bagpipe? I think any song done right can have a bagpipe on it." – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: (Top) Siobhan Magnus gets ready to take the stage on Lennon-McCartney night. (Bottom) Crystal Bowersox performs
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| Season 9’s first results show shocker — for real Posted: 08 Apr 2010 04:09 PM PDT
Odd since many "American Idol" viewers found Tuesday's So how did a longtime favorite like Michael Lynche wind up in the Find out your results after the jump… In a truly surprising tally, Big Mike Lynche was indeed the lowest vote-getter and had to sing for the save. His choice: Maxwell's version of "A Woman's What do you think, Idol Trackers? Did America and the judges get it – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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which explains the clusters of CT for KT supporters dotting the studio. No fair? Or more like who cares? 
6:31 The sway-bots kick into gear almost the second David launches into John Lennon's "Imagine," which was one of his defining moments while competing on "Idol." 
6:58 After he sings his last note, the room begins a chant for the judges to save Mike, and for the first time, you can see the emotion, stress, fear and nerves in his face. When you're this close to going home, it's a humbling moment that, in a way, he needed. 
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