The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite |  |
- Queen Latifah to Emcee Additional Idol Gives Back Celebration
- Queen Latifah to Emcee Additional Idol Gives Back Celebration
- Song List for Elvis Week
- Song List for Elvis Week
- Two ‘Idol’ hopefuls deprived of hope — and Adam Lambert sings!
- Two ‘Idol’ hopefuls deprived of hope — and Adam Lambert sings!
- ‘Idol’s’ Top 9 share their favorite Adam Lambert moments
- ‘Idol’s’ Top 9 share their favorite Adam Lambert moments
- Did Crystal visit a Vegas wedding chapel? What was up with Ryan’s wacky antics? Your burning ‘Idol’ questions answered!
- Did Crystal visit a Vegas wedding chapel? What was up with Ryan’s wacky antics? Your burning ‘Idol’ questions answered!
- Guest blogger Kimberley Locke to Season 9: Sing like a star and look like one, too!
- Guest blogger Kimberley Locke to Season 9: Sing like a star and look like one, too!
- ‘Idol’ alumni give back at L.A. food bank
- ‘Idol’ alumni give back at L.A. food bank
- Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick Wednesday night’s 2 biggest losers
- Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick Wednesday night’s 2 biggest losers
- Adam Lambert on his ‘Idol’ return, mentoring the Top 9 and Elvis
- Adam Lambert on his ‘Idol’ return, mentoring the Top 9 and Elvis
- Ann Powers: Adam Lambert and Elvis give the Idols a little kick
- Ann Powers: Adam Lambert and Elvis give the Idols a little kick
| Queen Latifah to Emcee Additional Idol Gives Back Celebration Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT While Ryan Seacrest hosts Idol Gives Back from the American Idol stage in Los Angeles, Queen Latifah will join the celebration as emcee live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, an additional venue sponsored by ExxonMobil, Wednesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX. This year, Idol Gives Back will feature performances and appearances by some of Hollywoods biggest stars, including Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox and Jeff Beck. Tickets are currently on sale for the Idol Gives Back celebration at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Net proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Idol Gives Back Foundation. Queen Latifah is a musician; a television and film actress; a label president; as well as an author and entrepreneur. Blessed with style and substance, she has blossomed into a one-woman entertainment conglomerate. Heralded by the press and the industry as a force to be reckoned with, Latifah has quite simply done it all and shows no sign of slowing down. She has had amazing success in Hollywood in recent years, and became the first hip hop artist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She earned rave reviews, an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her portrayal as Mama Morton in Chicago. No stranger to … read more
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| Queen Latifah to Emcee Additional Idol Gives Back Celebration Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT While Ryan Seacrest hosts Idol Gives Back from the American Idol stage in Los Angeles, Queen Latifah will join the celebration as emcee live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, an additional venue sponsored by ExxonMobil, Wednesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX. This year, Idol Gives Back will feature performances and appearances by some of Hollywoods biggest stars, including Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox and Jeff Beck. Tickets are currently on sale for the Idol Gives Back celebration at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Net proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Idol Gives Back Foundation. Queen Latifah is a musician; a television and film actress; a label president; as well as an author and entrepreneur. Blessed with style and substance, she has blossomed into a one-woman entertainment conglomerate. Heralded by the press and the industry as a force to be reckoned with, Latifah has quite simply done it all and shows no sign of slowing down. She has had amazing success in Hollywood in recent years, and became the first hip hop artist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She earned rave reviews, an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her portrayal as Mama Morton in Chicago. No stranger to … read more
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| Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT On Tuesday night, all Top 9 Idols returned for another week of performances. This time, they tackled songs by The King, Elvis Presley. And who better to mentor them than Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert?! He is one of the most popular Idol finalists ever, and his swagger and looks made some of his fans compare him to Elvis. Adam was also a fitting mentor because he knows first-hand what the Season 9 finalists are going through he was in their shoes just one year ago. Here are the Elvis Presley songs the Top 9 performed: Crystal Bowersox Saved
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| Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT On Tuesday night, all Top 9 Idols returned for another week of performances. This time, they tackled songs by The King, Elvis Presley. And who better to mentor them than Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert?! He is one of the most popular Idol finalists ever, and his swagger and looks made some of his fans compare him to Elvis. Adam was also a fitting mentor because he knows first-hand what the Season 9 finalists are going through he was in their shoes just one year ago. Here are the Elvis Presley songs the Top 9 performed: Crystal Bowersox Saved
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| Two ‘Idol’ hopefuls deprived of hope — and Adam Lambert sings! Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT
Despite Lambert's best efforts at boosting the energy on In an oddly paced double-elimination round that seemed both And the non-winners were …
Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. No real surprise there, After breezing through the lowlights from And then time passed and people sang and commercials As the audience shivered and sighed following Lambert's electric Could the judges have saved Michael only to have him go home And it's down to the final seven: Crystal, Siobhan, Lee, What do you think? Do you think the 34 million – Amy Reiter Photo: The last of the Top 9: (Clockwise from left) Tim Urban, Crystal Bowersox, Andrew Garcia,
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| Two ‘Idol’ hopefuls deprived of hope — and Adam Lambert sings! Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT
Despite Lambert's best efforts at boosting the energy on In an oddly paced double-elimination round that seemed both And the non-winners were …
Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. No real surprise there, After breezing through the lowlights from And then time passed and people sang and commercials As the audience shivered and sighed following Lambert's electric Could the judges have saved Michael only to have him go home And it's down to the final seven: Crystal, Siobhan, Lee, What do you think? Do you think the 34 million – Amy Reiter Photo: The last of the Top 9: (Clockwise from left) Tim Urban, Crystal Bowersox, Andrew Garcia,
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| ‘Idol’s’ Top 9 share their favorite Adam Lambert moments Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT
After Tuesday's performance show, we asked most of season 9's Top 9 (Tim Urban eluded the question somehow) for their favorite Adam Lambert moment, be it from last year's "American Idol," his career since or their Vegas experience with the season 8 runner-up as their mentor. Read on for some major Adam adoration… Siobhan Magnus: "Just meeting him was incredible; his presence is really big and he's just so positive and genuinely kind. He said he would figuratively be throwing glitter at me, and I felt it up there." Lee DeWyze: "Last season, he was amazing. There's too many Crystal Bowersox: "Having Katie Stevens: "I loved when Adam sang 'Feeling Good' last year. Casey James: "He was a great mentor, he had a Andrew Garcia: "My favorite is when he mentored me; he knows what we went through, because he's been through the same thing. He's really on our level. When he was a contestant, he was never scared, he had all this confidence. He's a really cool guy." – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Adam Lambert mentors the Top 9
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| ‘Idol’s’ Top 9 share their favorite Adam Lambert moments Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT
After Tuesday's performance show, we asked most of season 9's Top 9 (Tim Urban eluded the question somehow) for their favorite Adam Lambert moment, be it from last year's "American Idol," his career since or their Vegas experience with the season 8 runner-up as their mentor. Read on for some major Adam adoration… Siobhan Magnus: "Just meeting him was incredible; his presence is really big and he's just so positive and genuinely kind. He said he would figuratively be throwing glitter at me, and I felt it up there." Lee DeWyze: "Last season, he was amazing. There's too many Crystal Bowersox: "Having Katie Stevens: "I loved when Adam sang 'Feeling Good' last year. Casey James: "He was a great mentor, he had a Andrew Garcia: "My favorite is when he mentored me; he knows what we went through, because he's been through the same thing. He's really on our level. When he was a contestant, he was never scared, he had all this confidence. He's a really cool guy." – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Adam Lambert mentors the Top 9
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| Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT And we're back with another round of "Idol" burning questions — the Elvis edition. What was up with Ryan's erratic behavior? Did Crystal get married in Vegas? Who was Aaron Kelly imagining when he got up in Kara's face? Read on for our post-performance breakdown with the top 9…
Were the lightning bolts adorning Siobhan Magnus' outfit her way of saying she meant business? Indeed, Siobhan took much of her wardrobe inspiration from the King himself. "It's kind of like an Elvis homage," she said of the TCB-inspired add-ons. " It was my idea, but I worked it out with ["Idol" stylist] Soyan and had this whole outfit custom-made. It started with just a regular pencil skirt, a top and a raincoat, which was all hacked to pieces. Then she made these sick lightning bolts and sewed them all over. And the shoes were black this morning, with no decoration. … Anything you dream of, they can make it come to life." As for the hair? "I made a joke in dress rehearsal when I found out I'd be sitting next to [Adam Lambert]," laughed Siobhan. "I said, 'I don't think there will be enough room for our hair in the frame Was Big Mike humbled by last week's save? It certainly looked that way. From Monday's rehearsals, where he mostly sat alone strumming his acoustic guitar, to Tuesday's post-show huddle, a mellower Michael Lynche took stock of his near elimination, while also looking forward. "I'm not thinking about last week," he said. "I'm thinking about the present, but I don't take anything for granted. … It is what it is." But when it came to singing a powerful tune such as Elvis' gospel-tinged "In the Ghetto," it was all about the words. "It let the lyrics do the walking," said Mike, who also revealed that he was "having a really tough time finding a song this week … especially after last week." Is Lee DeWyze as grumpy as the contestants and judges make him out to be? Hardly.
What was Aaron Kelly thinking when he sang directly to judge Kara DioGuardi? According to Mike, Aaron had Selena Gomez on the brain! Of course, such a crush declaration was enough to turn little Aaron beet-red, so Lee jumped to his defense. "Aaron doesn't focus on that stuff because he's got the music to take care of, right Aaron?" Lee asked rhetorically. As for the little man himself, he said he chose Elvis' iconic "Blue Suede Shoes" because "I wanted to do something fun and up-tempo, and also put a little country twist to it. And for that, 'Blue Suede Shoes' was perfect. … I had a ball." What does Katie Stevens make of the Katharine McPhee comparisons? "I'm honored because Katherine McPhee is incredible," Katie said. "I watched her, and I loved her on the show. … She is phenomenal! So to be compared to her, that's great.Is the invasive backstage cam gone for good? Don't get your hopes up. Casey James revealed that what aired "didn't show anything, but they still followed us with the cameras." Maybe Thursday we'll peek at some of that footage. It's doubtful Casey would pay any mind to it anyway — he flat-out refuses to listen to most comments about the performances or watch the judges hand down their critiques. "It gets in your head whether you want it to or not," Casey said, and that applies to compliments as well as disses. Casey elaborated: "For instance, if somebody changes up the song, and [the judges] didn't like it for that, and you changed up your song, you're gonna get nervous. So I just don't want to listen to it, because it has nothing to do with my performance." Because "Idol's" parent company has a controlling interest in Elvis Presley Enterprises, did the contestants have their pick of any song from the Elvis library? Absolutely not. In fact, said Siobhan, "the pool is not as big as some might think. So when they say, 'Why on Earth would you pick that song?' it's not like you're picking from everything there ever was; you're picking from a list." With that in mind, how does one choose between an iconic classic such as "Hound Dog" or "Suspicious Minds" to something more obscure, such as "In the Ghetto?" "You don't want to take on something that is so famous and loved, if you don't feel that there's a way to make it new and fresh without butchering it. If you take something more obscure and make it your own, sometimes it's risky but it can be more interesting." Big Mike concurred: "We only have a minute and a half, so for somebody to hear [a song] for the first time, it's gonna be brand new to them, and most people don't like things the first time they hear it, so it's a very delicate balance to make something original while still staying true and giving reverence to it." – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Upper photo: Ryan Seacrest high-fives the mosh pit at the start of the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup Middle photo: Siobhan Magnus performs on the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup Bottom photo: Crystal Bowersox rocks her custom pants on the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup
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| Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT And we're back with another round of "Idol" burning questions — the Elvis edition. What was up with Ryan's erratic behavior? Did Crystal get married in Vegas? Who was Aaron Kelly imagining when he got up in Kara's face? Read on for our post-performance breakdown with the top 9…
Were the lightning bolts adorning Siobhan Magnus' outfit her way of saying she meant business? Indeed, Siobhan took much of her wardrobe inspiration from the King himself. "It's kind of like an Elvis homage," she said of the TCB-inspired add-ons. " It was my idea, but I worked it out with ["Idol" stylist] Soyan and had this whole outfit custom-made. It started with just a regular pencil skirt, a top and a raincoat, which was all hacked to pieces. Then she made these sick lightning bolts and sewed them all over. And the shoes were black this morning, with no decoration. … Anything you dream of, they can make it come to life." As for the hair? "I made a joke in dress rehearsal when I found out I'd be sitting next to [Adam Lambert]," laughed Siobhan. "I said, 'I don't think there will be enough room for our hair in the frame Was Big Mike humbled by last week's save? It certainly looked that way. From Monday's rehearsals, where he mostly sat alone strumming his acoustic guitar, to Tuesday's post-show huddle, a mellower Michael Lynche took stock of his near elimination, while also looking forward. "I'm not thinking about last week," he said. "I'm thinking about the present, but I don't take anything for granted. … It is what it is." But when it came to singing a powerful tune such as Elvis' gospel-tinged "In the Ghetto," it was all about the words. "It let the lyrics do the walking," said Mike, who also revealed that he was "having a really tough time finding a song this week … especially after last week." Is Lee DeWyze as grumpy as the contestants and judges make him out to be? Hardly.
What was Aaron Kelly thinking when he sang directly to judge Kara DioGuardi? According to Mike, Aaron had Selena Gomez on the brain! Of course, such a crush declaration was enough to turn little Aaron beet-red, so Lee jumped to his defense. "Aaron doesn't focus on that stuff because he's got the music to take care of, right Aaron?" Lee asked rhetorically. As for the little man himself, he said he chose Elvis' iconic "Blue Suede Shoes" because "I wanted to do something fun and up-tempo, and also put a little country twist to it. And for that, 'Blue Suede Shoes' was perfect. … I had a ball." What does Katie Stevens make of the Katharine McPhee comparisons? "I'm honored because Katherine McPhee is incredible," Katie said. "I watched her, and I loved her on the show. … She is phenomenal! So to be compared to her, that's great.Is the invasive backstage cam gone for good? Don't get your hopes up. Casey James revealed that what aired "didn't show anything, but they still followed us with the cameras." Maybe Thursday we'll peek at some of that footage. It's doubtful Casey would pay any mind to it anyway — he flat-out refuses to listen to most comments about the performances or watch the judges hand down their critiques. "It gets in your head whether you want it to or not," Casey said, and that applies to compliments as well as disses. Casey elaborated: "For instance, if somebody changes up the song, and [the judges] didn't like it for that, and you changed up your song, you're gonna get nervous. So I just don't want to listen to it, because it has nothing to do with my performance." Because "Idol's" parent company has a controlling interest in Elvis Presley Enterprises, did the contestants have their pick of any song from the Elvis library? Absolutely not. In fact, said Siobhan, "the pool is not as big as some might think. So when they say, 'Why on Earth would you pick that song?' it's not like you're picking from everything there ever was; you're picking from a list." With that in mind, how does one choose between an iconic classic such as "Hound Dog" or "Suspicious Minds" to something more obscure, such as "In the Ghetto?" "You don't want to take on something that is so famous and loved, if you don't feel that there's a way to make it new and fresh without butchering it. If you take something more obscure and make it your own, sometimes it's risky but it can be more interesting." Big Mike concurred: "We only have a minute and a half, so for somebody to hear [a song] for the first time, it's gonna be brand new to them, and most people don't like things the first time they hear it, so it's a very delicate balance to make something original while still staying true and giving reverence to it." – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Upper photo: Ryan Seacrest high-fives the mosh pit at the start of the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup Middle photo: Siobhan Magnus performs on the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup Bottom photo: Crystal Bowersox rocks her custom pants on the April 13 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup
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| Guest blogger Kimberley Locke to Season 9: Sing like a star and look like one, too! Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
Season 2's third place finisher Kimberley Locke has hardly stopped moving since that fateful moment in 2003 when she, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard shared the stage along with some 20 millions votes. Right out the gate, Kimberley showed she meant business and signed with Curb Records. Her debut album, "One Love," is among the most successful of the "Idol" alumni. After six years on the label, she signed with Randy Jackson's Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment in 2009. The "Idol" judge produced her debut single, "Strobelight" (out now, check Kimberley's website for details) and is currently mixing her new album. "Working with Randy was easy as pie," she says. "It was like we'd been doing it together for years." Something else Kimberley has perfected over many years is the art of "Idol" analysis, which is why we asked her to, er, pipe in on Elvis week. Read on for Kimberley's assessment as this week's guest blogger… No point in sugarcoating: I was disappointed with Tuesday's show. I don't know if it was because of the Elvis theme, which I thought was great in the beginning, but once they got into it, maybe not so much. It didn't seem like they had fun with it. It feels like they're all holding back and scared. I don't know how many of them have actually ever performed on a stage before. If you haven't had a lot of practice being on stage and your first one is "American Idol," you're in for a big shocker. Something else that's difficult is that Elvis songs are so familiar, especially among parents who know exactly what they were doing when they heard that song, who they were with, etc. They love singing along to those songs, so how can you mess with something that was already great 40 years ago? My only point of reference is when I was on Season 2 and we took it so seriously. Maybe we were just a bunch of show-dogs, but we went for the guttural power notes. We were trying to sing your face off. When we left a stage, we left a lung out there. That's kind of what you have to do and that's what I feel like they're not doing. One of Adam's quotes tonight which I loved last night was, give us something to look at, listen to and feel — I think that's the best advice that any mentor could ever give a singer, especially the ones on "American Idol." Look, we're not all Adam Lambert. Let's face it, he is a showman to the Nth degree, he has an amazing voice and he knows how to work a stage and give you a show. We're not all like that, but Big Mike makes me sit at the edge of the couch and he engages me, like I'm watching him and it's not all about running around the stage. There's a time and a place for that. Sometimes a showman is in connecting through the camera and feeling the song and making it believable. And when I heard Big Mike sing "In the Ghetto," I felt it. In fact I think I'm going to go back and feel it again. He and Lee were in my top 3. So let's start with Crystal Bowersox. I love Crystal, let me just say that. She comes out and gives a solid performance every week, but I feel like she's one-dimensional; is that a bad thing? Sometimes one-dimensional works. But I think for this show, she needs more. Put a dress on or some stilettos, and that would be her secret weapon. Cause that's her thing — she comes out every week in her jeans, but wow us. Come out in a gown and play your guitar. Make us say, "Is she really wearing a gown?" Because unfortunately in this business it really is about the surprise factor, shock factor. I like her voice. She and I vocally are similar. She's got that raspy powerful voice, and she can just sing a song. That's not the problem. The problem is the other stuff, coming outside of her box a little. Andrew Garcia: At this point, I'm so sad because when he sang "Straight Up," I told everybody, 'He's gonna win.' Now I have to eat those words. I wonder if he's ever performed competitively because he strikes me as a guy who sits around the house and writes his music and just kills it. And his friends come over and they're like, "Whoa, this is amazing!" But now he's on "American Idol" and he has to play by the rules of the game; he doesn't really know how to do that. He's never been told what to sing. As for his version of "Hound Dog," that is one of the most recognizable songs in the Elvis catalog. If you're going to do that song, you better come out with some blue suede shoes. Literally. Adam Lambert would've killed it. Why? He would've given us a show. He's not scared to dance, he'd be all over the stage, and really into it. But Andrew, he's really not like that. He's really laid back. Why he would pick that song, of all the Elvis songs? I don't know. Remember the performance he did in the beginning? He lost some of his confidence. I want him to get it back. He's taken all the blows — round one, round two, man's down, round three — he's bleeding. I want him to get it back because he has it. I still think it's anybody's game. Siobhan has knocked our socks off a couple of times and so has Big Mike; but that's only two. And one of the underdogs, one of the less likely people has got to come up and blow our socks off, and I'm waiting for it. I want it to be Andrew so bad. I think Andrew can save himself with one performance. With two people going home he's not in a good place, but there are others who seem like they should be gone. One being Turban, Tim. He's there because he's cute, but I didn't really care for his song. I don't think he's vocally that great. Yes, he's gotten better, but not that much better. When Big Mike sat at the end of the stage, I thought it was genius; he only played acoustic and there was no other music. He just did it raw; not everybody can do that. I don't believe Turban when he sings. I don't believe him one bit. If he wins this thing, he has God's favor, and that's a beautiful thing, and he better take it and run with it because the stars are aligned for him. Sometimes it's your time and maybe this is his. Because from Day 1 they wanted him gone; now they say from zero to hero. I was relying on Simon to say something bad about that performance and he didn't do it. I guess they may be loving him now and will pick him off the fence post next week with a BB gun. They're setting him up for the big kill. Or maybe he actually has a chance of winning. Katie Stevens: I like her but she needs to relax and loosen up – maybe watch herself sing in the mirror? I actually liked her song choice. It really showed off her voice, but she's 17 and she still has a lot of growing to do. Which is a beautiful thing because if she sounds like that now, give her a few years and she'll be blowing our faces off. She had a bad week last week, so tonight she came out with a lot of attitude, really trying to prove a point; when I was sitting here watching her, she came off as stiff. But I love her song choice, and she takes the advice of judges really well and she does something with it each week, and I think that's what the judges are looking for — who can take the criticism and do something with it. I loved Lee DeWyze's performance and whoever told him to smile, bravo! He's so cute. I actually interviewed him on the carpet for E! but he just didn't seem to relax, like he was overwhelmed at everything that's been thrown at him. I loved when he cued the band at the end of the song because that's true musicianship. I think Lee did great tonight. Hopefully next week he does even better and he puts that smile on, because he's very handsome. If he taps into his confidence or figures out that he's really good and we love him, he could win it. He's got this great thing about his voice that we love, and he just needs to own it. I like Aaron Kelly's voice. I think he's what "Idol" is all about, raw talent getting better every week, but "Blue Suede Shoes" — another mistake if you're not coming out in blue suede shoes and running all over the stage doing it the way Elvis did it. It was a little karaoke, but it's an Elvis song, how much can you change it? But he didn't make it his own, he came out and gave you his vocal performance, and his vocals are always spot on. He's really good but it'll be interesting to see what he does next week. And here's the thing: Maybe that's the only Elvis song he knew. There's a disconnect with the kids, they don't know the music — he didn't wanna sing some of the lyrics. I love Siobhan, she's one of my top 3 favorites, but they made her over too soon. They gave her a makeover before the top 10, and an important part of the show is evolution and evolving. They've already done her hair and they've already given her great outfits, now where has she got to go? There's seven more weeks. The makeover extends your life on "Idol" and all that stuff has to be calculated. Tonight the dress she was wearing looked like somebody made that for her. Can't you save that for top 5 when she needs that extra ammo? She's weird, they've said it a thousand times and what I loved about her tonight is that she stood up for herself — and by doing that she stood up for me. This season there's a lot of mixed signals sent to the contestants about what to do, what not to do and how to do it. They'll lift you up one week and shoot you down the next, and I think she kind of got shot off the fence post. I tune in every week to see what she's going to do; she's the female Adam Lambert. She's got the vocals and can sing circles around any of the contestants this season. I didn't like the song this week, but her vocals were spot on. She has great pitch and a great quality to her voice. Casey James: Normally they save the best for last, but I was shocked. I'm just going to be honest: A lot of these guys are still there because they look good, and Casey's a looker. When he gets off the show, he will have a career, because the ladies love him. But I just didn't think his performance tonight was great. When he came out in a plaid shirt and jeans, I said, these kids, they don't get dressed up. They just come out in their T-shirts and shorts and do their thing. Wouldn't it be nice to see him in a nice suit, like really slick? Come out and wow us. It just doesn't seem important to them to come out and wow us. Maybe they know they're going to have careers anyway, so they're like, whatever, get it over with. But put a little something into it. I do like Casey — I think that his genre is country; he plays a hell of a guitar and he's pretty confident, but this performance just didn't do it. In the contestants' defense, covering Elvis is not an easy task. My bottom 3: For next week, my No. 1 suggestion is to focus on looking like a star when you go on the stage. No. 2 is to make whatever song that you pick your own. At this stage of the game, it's the top 9 and it's really getting down to the nitty-gritty. Go for the power notes, think big, blow them away, win yourself some new votes. Two people are going home and viewers will be looking for new people to vote for. It's a critical time; those people are not gonna stop voting, they're just going to move their votes to somebody else. So win the votes of the people who get voted off. And have more fun. I don't know how much they're enjoying this. Some of them walk on stage and you can just see it their faces: I can't wait until this is over with. They should just go out on stage and pretend that they're not going to be judged, and just have fun. Like they're out drinking with their friends and doing karaoke. – Kimberley Locke Follow @KimberleyLocke and @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| Guest blogger Kimberley Locke to Season 9: Sing like a star and look like one, too! Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
Season 2's third place finisher Kimberley Locke has hardly stopped moving since that fateful moment in 2003 when she, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard shared the stage along with some 20 millions votes. Right out the gate, Kimberley showed she meant business and signed with Curb Records. Her debut album, "One Love," is among the most successful of the "Idol" alumni. After six years on the label, she signed with Randy Jackson's Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment in 2009. The "Idol" judge produced her debut single, "Strobelight" (out now, check Kimberley's website for details) and is currently mixing her new album. "Working with Randy was easy as pie," she says. "It was like we'd been doing it together for years." Something else Kimberley has perfected over many years is the art of "Idol" analysis, which is why we asked her to, er, pipe in on Elvis week. Read on for Kimberley's assessment as this week's guest blogger… No point in sugarcoating: I was disappointed with Tuesday's show. I don't know if it was because of the Elvis theme, which I thought was great in the beginning, but once they got into it, maybe not so much. It didn't seem like they had fun with it. It feels like they're all holding back and scared. I don't know how many of them have actually ever performed on a stage before. If you haven't had a lot of practice being on stage and your first one is "American Idol," you're in for a big shocker. Something else that's difficult is that Elvis songs are so familiar, especially among parents who know exactly what they were doing when they heard that song, who they were with, etc. They love singing along to those songs, so how can you mess with something that was already great 40 years ago? My only point of reference is when I was on Season 2 and we took it so seriously. Maybe we were just a bunch of show-dogs, but we went for the guttural power notes. We were trying to sing your face off. When we left a stage, we left a lung out there. That's kind of what you have to do and that's what I feel like they're not doing. One of Adam's quotes tonight which I loved last night was, give us something to look at, listen to and feel — I think that's the best advice that any mentor could ever give a singer, especially the ones on "American Idol." Look, we're not all Adam Lambert. Let's face it, he is a showman to the Nth degree, he has an amazing voice and he knows how to work a stage and give you a show. We're not all like that, but Big Mike makes me sit at the edge of the couch and he engages me, like I'm watching him and it's not all about running around the stage. There's a time and a place for that. Sometimes a showman is in connecting through the camera and feeling the song and making it believable. And when I heard Big Mike sing "In the Ghetto," I felt it. In fact I think I'm going to go back and feel it again. He and Lee were in my top 3. So let's start with Crystal Bowersox. I love Crystal, let me just say that. She comes out and gives a solid performance every week, but I feel like she's one-dimensional; is that a bad thing? Sometimes one-dimensional works. But I think for this show, she needs more. Put a dress on or some stilettos, and that would be her secret weapon. Cause that's her thing — she comes out every week in her jeans, but wow us. Come out in a gown and play your guitar. Make us say, "Is she really wearing a gown?" Because unfortunately in this business it really is about the surprise factor, shock factor. I like her voice. She and I vocally are similar. She's got that raspy powerful voice, and she can just sing a song. That's not the problem. The problem is the other stuff, coming outside of her box a little. Andrew Garcia: At this point, I'm so sad because when he sang "Straight Up," I told everybody, 'He's gonna win.' Now I have to eat those words. I wonder if he's ever performed competitively because he strikes me as a guy who sits around the house and writes his music and just kills it. And his friends come over and they're like, "Whoa, this is amazing!" But now he's on "American Idol" and he has to play by the rules of the game; he doesn't really know how to do that. He's never been told what to sing. As for his version of "Hound Dog," that is one of the most recognizable songs in the Elvis catalog. If you're going to do that song, you better come out with some blue suede shoes. Literally. Adam Lambert would've killed it. Why? He would've given us a show. He's not scared to dance, he'd be all over the stage, and really into it. But Andrew, he's really not like that. He's really laid back. Why he would pick that song, of all the Elvis songs? I don't know. Remember the performance he did in the beginning? He lost some of his confidence. I want him to get it back. He's taken all the blows — round one, round two, man's down, round three — he's bleeding. I want him to get it back because he has it. I still think it's anybody's game. Siobhan has knocked our socks off a couple of times and so has Big Mike; but that's only two. And one of the underdogs, one of the less likely people has got to come up and blow our socks off, and I'm waiting for it. I want it to be Andrew so bad. I think Andrew can save himself with one performance. With two people going home he's not in a good place, but there are others who seem like they should be gone. One being Turban, Tim. He's there because he's cute, but I didn't really care for his song. I don't think he's vocally that great. Yes, he's gotten better, but not that much better. When Big Mike sat at the end of the stage, I thought it was genius; he only played acoustic and there was no other music. He just did it raw; not everybody can do that. I don't believe Turban when he sings. I don't believe him one bit. If he wins this thing, he has God's favor, and that's a beautiful thing, and he better take it and run with it because the stars are aligned for him. Sometimes it's your time and maybe this is his. Because from Day 1 they wanted him gone; now they say from zero to hero. I was relying on Simon to say something bad about that performance and he didn't do it. I guess they may be loving him now and will pick him off the fence post next week with a BB gun. They're setting him up for the big kill. Or maybe he actually has a chance of winning. Katie Stevens: I like her but she needs to relax and loosen up – maybe watch herself sing in the mirror? I actually liked her song choice. It really showed off her voice, but she's 17 and she still has a lot of growing to do. Which is a beautiful thing because if she sounds like that now, give her a few years and she'll be blowing our faces off. She had a bad week last week, so tonight she came out with a lot of attitude, really trying to prove a point; when I was sitting here watching her, she came off as stiff. But I love her song choice, and she takes the advice of judges really well and she does something with it each week, and I think that's what the judges are looking for — who can take the criticism and do something with it. I loved Lee DeWyze's performance and whoever told him to smile, bravo! He's so cute. I actually interviewed him on the carpet for E! but he just didn't seem to relax, like he was overwhelmed at everything that's been thrown at him. I loved when he cued the band at the end of the song because that's true musicianship. I think Lee did great tonight. Hopefully next week he does even better and he puts that smile on, because he's very handsome. If he taps into his confidence or figures out that he's really good and we love him, he could win it. He's got this great thing about his voice that we love, and he just needs to own it. I like Aaron Kelly's voice. I think he's what "Idol" is all about, raw talent getting better every week, but "Blue Suede Shoes" — another mistake if you're not coming out in blue suede shoes and running all over the stage doing it the way Elvis did it. It was a little karaoke, but it's an Elvis song, how much can you change it? But he didn't make it his own, he came out and gave you his vocal performance, and his vocals are always spot on. He's really good but it'll be interesting to see what he does next week. And here's the thing: Maybe that's the only Elvis song he knew. There's a disconnect with the kids, they don't know the music — he didn't wanna sing some of the lyrics. I love Siobhan, she's one of my top 3 favorites, but they made her over too soon. They gave her a makeover before the top 10, and an important part of the show is evolution and evolving. They've already done her hair and they've already given her great outfits, now where has she got to go? There's seven more weeks. The makeover extends your life on "Idol" and all that stuff has to be calculated. Tonight the dress she was wearing looked like somebody made that for her. Can't you save that for top 5 when she needs that extra ammo? She's weird, they've said it a thousand times and what I loved about her tonight is that she stood up for herself — and by doing that she stood up for me. This season there's a lot of mixed signals sent to the contestants about what to do, what not to do and how to do it. They'll lift you up one week and shoot you down the next, and I think she kind of got shot off the fence post. I tune in every week to see what she's going to do; she's the female Adam Lambert. She's got the vocals and can sing circles around any of the contestants this season. I didn't like the song this week, but her vocals were spot on. She has great pitch and a great quality to her voice. Casey James: Normally they save the best for last, but I was shocked. I'm just going to be honest: A lot of these guys are still there because they look good, and Casey's a looker. When he gets off the show, he will have a career, because the ladies love him. But I just didn't think his performance tonight was great. When he came out in a plaid shirt and jeans, I said, these kids, they don't get dressed up. They just come out in their T-shirts and shorts and do their thing. Wouldn't it be nice to see him in a nice suit, like really slick? Come out and wow us. It just doesn't seem important to them to come out and wow us. Maybe they know they're going to have careers anyway, so they're like, whatever, get it over with. But put a little something into it. I do like Casey — I think that his genre is country; he plays a hell of a guitar and he's pretty confident, but this performance just didn't do it. In the contestants' defense, covering Elvis is not an easy task. My bottom 3: For next week, my No. 1 suggestion is to focus on looking like a star when you go on the stage. No. 2 is to make whatever song that you pick your own. At this stage of the game, it's the top 9 and it's really getting down to the nitty-gritty. Go for the power notes, think big, blow them away, win yourself some new votes. Two people are going home and viewers will be looking for new people to vote for. It's a critical time; those people are not gonna stop voting, they're just going to move their votes to somebody else. So win the votes of the people who get voted off. And have more fun. I don't know how much they're enjoying this. Some of them walk on stage and you can just see it their faces: I can't wait until this is over with. They should just go out on stage and pretend that they're not going to be judged, and just have fun. Like they're out drinking with their friends and doing karaoke. – Kimberley Locke Follow @KimberleyLocke and @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| ‘Idol’ alumni give back at L.A. food bank Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT Ten former "American Idol" finalists, including Season 5's Elliott Yamin, Season 2's Kimberley Locke, Season 6's Brandon Rogers, Season 3's Latoya London and Season 9's Didi Benami, came together in downtown L.A. on Tuesday to help fill backpacks with food for needy children in the area (Season 7's Michael Johns also was expected but didn't make it because he was sick). The effort, organized by Feeding America and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, is part of next week's "Idol Gives Back" charity special (airing April 21), which will be broadcast out of two venues: the "Idol" studio, where Ryan Seacrest will host, and the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Queen Latifah will handle MC duties and many of the performances will be staged (tickets for the Pasadena show can be bought at Ticketmaster). For many of the volunteers, it won't be the first time they've lent a hand to "Idol Gives Back," which has generated more than $140 million since its first airing in 2007. Elliott has traveled to Angola twice now (most recently in February with judge Kara DioGuardi), but for those whose seasons didn't host the charity show, like Kimberley Locke's, they were even more thrilled to be involved. " 'Idol' already gives us all careers For their part, Elliott, Brandon and Didi couldn't agree more. Check out a couple of our assembly-line video interviews below, and also find out what Didi's been up to since her elimination and who Elliott's and Brandon's picks are for the final two … – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Top photo: (left to right) Latoya London, Amy Adams, Kevin Covais, Chikezie, Kimberley Locke, David Hernandez, Mikalah Gordon, Brandon Rogers, Didi Benami and Elliott Yamin. Credit: Shirley Halperin Bottom photo: Elliott Yamin and Brandon Rogers. Credit: Shirley Halperin
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| ‘Idol’ alumni give back at L.A. food bank Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT Ten former "American Idol" finalists, including Season 5's Elliott Yamin, Season 2's Kimberley Locke, Season 6's Brandon Rogers, Season 3's Latoya London and Season 9's Didi Benami, came together in downtown L.A. on Tuesday to help fill backpacks with food for needy children in the area (Season 7's Michael Johns also was expected but didn't make it because he was sick). The effort, organized by Feeding America and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, is part of next week's "Idol Gives Back" charity special (airing April 21), which will be broadcast out of two venues: the "Idol" studio, where Ryan Seacrest will host, and the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Queen Latifah will handle MC duties and many of the performances will be staged (tickets for the Pasadena show can be bought at Ticketmaster). For many of the volunteers, it won't be the first time they've lent a hand to "Idol Gives Back," which has generated more than $140 million since its first airing in 2007. Elliott has traveled to Angola twice now (most recently in February with judge Kara DioGuardi), but for those whose seasons didn't host the charity show, like Kimberley Locke's, they were even more thrilled to be involved. " 'Idol' already gives us all careers For their part, Elliott, Brandon and Didi couldn't agree more. Check out a couple of our assembly-line video interviews below, and also find out what Didi's been up to since her elimination and who Elliott's and Brandon's picks are for the final two … – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Top photo: (left to right) Latoya London, Amy Adams, Kevin Covais, Chikezie, Kimberley Locke, David Hernandez, Mikalah Gordon, Brandon Rogers, Didi Benami and Elliott Yamin. Credit: Shirley Halperin Bottom photo: Elliott Yamin and Brandon Rogers. Credit: Shirley Halperin
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| Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick Wednesday night’s 2 biggest losers Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
One choice was unanimous: Our The vote was split on the second competitor likely to be sent home. This time, our panel thinks the youngest contestants are in danger: Once again, Aaron We'll find out at the results at 9 p.m., but in the meantime, see how America's leading "Idol" pundits voted. And join our live chat today at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss. Photo: Andrew Garcia performing Tuesday night. Credit: Michael Becker/Fox.
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| Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick Wednesday night’s 2 biggest losers Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
One choice was unanimous: Our The vote was split on the second competitor likely to be sent home. This time, our panel thinks the youngest contestants are in danger: Once again, Aaron We'll find out at the results at 9 p.m., but in the meantime, see how America's leading "Idol" pundits voted. And join our live chat today at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss. Photo: Andrew Garcia performing Tuesday night. Credit: Michael Becker/Fox.
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| Adam Lambert on his ‘Idol’ return, mentoring the Top 9 and Elvis Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
So how did Adam think it went? Judging from his ear-to-ear post-show grin: fabulously. As for the memories it brought back? "It's nostalgic," he told Idol Tracker on Tuesday night. "When Ryan had me come up [to the stage] with the contestants, I was, like, 'Oh yeah, that's what this feels like — standing next to Ryan, looking at the teleprompter, at the judges, the audience. …' It puts it all into perspective. I am so thankful for 'American Idol,' for putting me on the map, for helping me start my recording career." Adam's last-minute mentoring assignment came as a surprise to some, who contend that a year of post-'Idol' success does not exactly equal the real world struggles that many music artists face. To that end, Adam pleaded humility. "It was a big shock and an honor at the same time," he said. "Obviously, I'm just at the start of my career, so I'm not an established recording artist, but I do know where they are right now. It's fresh in my mind. I was here a year ago. So hopefully, I brought them a sort of insight into the process, and into knowing what it takes to get the judges' reaction, and a positive one, and what it's like to be up there. … It's a tough process, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the audience doesn't see." More of Adam's post-show chat with reporters after the jump… What are the differences between your group and this season? It's a different group this year. I think there's definitely an emphasis on musicianship, there are a lot of people that play and it's definitely geared toward more of a singer-songwriter genre and sound. They're all great singers, they all have great voices, they're very likable. I think our season was a bit more diverse, musically. Who were the standouts to you? Vocally, it would be Michael [Lynche], I think he's probably got my favorite voice. Crystal [Bowersox], then Siobhan [Magnus] and Katie [Stevens] are both really strong singers. It's kind of early to really pick the favorites. What do you make of the Siobhan "Lady Lambert" comparisons? How weird can someone be on "Idol?" How weird do you wanna be? You've gotta trust your own instincts out there as a contestant, no matter what your parents are saying, your friends, family, the judges, the people. … At the end of the day, it's you up there. A lot of people chose not-so-obvious Elvis songs. What are the pros and cons to going with the more obscure album cut? The pro is, you can show yourself as more of an artist because you're not being compared to the original. I think that's always the idea behind doing something obscure. But you run the risk of people not knowing what you're singing, so they're not singing along because it's not familiar. And that's what's difficult: It's a show based on cover music, and that's definitely the transition between going from the show to the recording artist world — because you're not singing other peoples' music, you're singing your own. What do you miss about the show? Having one specific goal every week. I have one and a half minutes to seal my fate every week and it's all gearing up to that. Now, in my life there's like 17 things going on at once. It's a lot more to think about. It's funny, "Idol" at the time was really hard and it's such a challenge and great opportunity to put yourself out there, but now when I look back at it, I go, "Wow, that was easy compared to what I do now." This is a full-time job and I'm so honored to have the opportunity, but it is a job. It's a lot of work. I said: "Get ready guys if you want this. It's your whole life. It's your everything. You have to put your whole heart and soul, all of your time, all of your energy — that takes priority if this is what you want as a career." Why have the last few years been so guy-heavy? The demographic is mostly women voters. Women don't vote for other women? Not as much as the boy they think is cute. Do you miss being in the bubble and not reading every tweet? Oh, we got to see what was on the Internet when we were on the show. We were urged not to. We were told, "Don't look, it will drive you crazy," and there's a fine line with that. Sometimes it can drive you crazy and sometimes you have to tune out what everybody says and thinks. But it's also research — it's a great way to figure out how you're coming off to people. It's all being formulated — the dates are all being confirmed, I have to come up with a concept, the look of it … the theme, the set list, it's all under development. It starts in June. How did you enjoy Vegas? I was in and out and I didn't really get a chance to enjoy it. I mentored and I had a great time doing that, but I flew out the next morning. I spent the rest of the time sleeping. I was supposed to see Muse and [when] I got back to my hotel room and had a little bit to eat, I was just tired. That's another thing about this life, you have to take responsibility and take care of yourself. But I was bummed — I wanted to see Muse. I'm busy working, I don't have time to play. I'm working for my fans to give them stuff! – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Adam Lambert at the April 13 performance show. Credit: Frank Micelotta / Fox
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| Adam Lambert on his ‘Idol’ return, mentoring the Top 9 and Elvis Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
So how did Adam think it went? Judging from his ear-to-ear post-show grin: fabulously. As for the memories it brought back? "It's nostalgic," he told Idol Tracker on Tuesday night. "When Ryan had me come up [to the stage] with the contestants, I was, like, 'Oh yeah, that's what this feels like — standing next to Ryan, looking at the teleprompter, at the judges, the audience. …' It puts it all into perspective. I am so thankful for 'American Idol,' for putting me on the map, for helping me start my recording career." Adam's last-minute mentoring assignment came as a surprise to some, who contend that a year of post-'Idol' success does not exactly equal the real world struggles that many music artists face. To that end, Adam pleaded humility. "It was a big shock and an honor at the same time," he said. "Obviously, I'm just at the start of my career, so I'm not an established recording artist, but I do know where they are right now. It's fresh in my mind. I was here a year ago. So hopefully, I brought them a sort of insight into the process, and into knowing what it takes to get the judges' reaction, and a positive one, and what it's like to be up there. … It's a tough process, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the audience doesn't see." More of Adam's post-show chat with reporters after the jump… What are the differences between your group and this season? It's a different group this year. I think there's definitely an emphasis on musicianship, there are a lot of people that play and it's definitely geared toward more of a singer-songwriter genre and sound. They're all great singers, they all have great voices, they're very likable. I think our season was a bit more diverse, musically. Who were the standouts to you? Vocally, it would be Michael [Lynche], I think he's probably got my favorite voice. Crystal [Bowersox], then Siobhan [Magnus] and Katie [Stevens] are both really strong singers. It's kind of early to really pick the favorites. What do you make of the Siobhan "Lady Lambert" comparisons? How weird can someone be on "Idol?" How weird do you wanna be? You've gotta trust your own instincts out there as a contestant, no matter what your parents are saying, your friends, family, the judges, the people. … At the end of the day, it's you up there. A lot of people chose not-so-obvious Elvis songs. What are the pros and cons to going with the more obscure album cut? The pro is, you can show yourself as more of an artist because you're not being compared to the original. I think that's always the idea behind doing something obscure. But you run the risk of people not knowing what you're singing, so they're not singing along because it's not familiar. And that's what's difficult: It's a show based on cover music, and that's definitely the transition between going from the show to the recording artist world — because you're not singing other peoples' music, you're singing your own. What do you miss about the show? Having one specific goal every week. I have one and a half minutes to seal my fate every week and it's all gearing up to that. Now, in my life there's like 17 things going on at once. It's a lot more to think about. It's funny, "Idol" at the time was really hard and it's such a challenge and great opportunity to put yourself out there, but now when I look back at it, I go, "Wow, that was easy compared to what I do now." This is a full-time job and I'm so honored to have the opportunity, but it is a job. It's a lot of work. I said: "Get ready guys if you want this. It's your whole life. It's your everything. You have to put your whole heart and soul, all of your time, all of your energy — that takes priority if this is what you want as a career." Why have the last few years been so guy-heavy? The demographic is mostly women voters. Women don't vote for other women? Not as much as the boy they think is cute. Do you miss being in the bubble and not reading every tweet? Oh, we got to see what was on the Internet when we were on the show. We were urged not to. We were told, "Don't look, it will drive you crazy," and there's a fine line with that. Sometimes it can drive you crazy and sometimes you have to tune out what everybody says and thinks. But it's also research — it's a great way to figure out how you're coming off to people. It's all being formulated — the dates are all being confirmed, I have to come up with a concept, the look of it … the theme, the set list, it's all under development. It starts in June. How did you enjoy Vegas? I was in and out and I didn't really get a chance to enjoy it. I mentored and I had a great time doing that, but I flew out the next morning. I spent the rest of the time sleeping. I was supposed to see Muse and [when] I got back to my hotel room and had a little bit to eat, I was just tired. That's another thing about this life, you have to take responsibility and take care of yourself. But I was bummed — I wanted to see Muse. I'm busy working, I don't have time to play. I'm working for my fans to give them stuff! – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Adam Lambert at the April 13 performance show. Credit: Frank Micelotta / Fox
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| Ann Powers: Adam Lambert and Elvis give the Idols a little kick Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
Yet none compares with the question haunting the season the way Reese Witherspoon haunted Mark Ruffalo in "Just Like Heaven." Who will replace uber-judge Simon Cowell, that is, if he doesn't sink the ship he's soon to vacate? And now there is an answer. It's so clear that it's Windex. It — he — sat there in the front row on Tuesday night, hair piled extra high in honor of the Elvis theme, a trouper's grin affixed to his face even when the hopefuls he'd mentored ignored his obviously helpful suggestions. Yes, dear readers, I'm saying it: Adam Lambert should replace Simon Cowell as a judge on "American Idol." It may not be what my favorite nouveau-glam pop star wants to do; he'd prefer hit singles and the adoration of millions, or at least as many fans as can cram into Club Nokia. I hope he gets those things, in abundance. But when he's not busy aiming to electrify the Top 40, perhaps he could warm that seat next to Kara. On hand for Elvis week, Adam was the first former Idol to return as a mentor, an honor-cum-duty (remember, he's represented by the show's ancillary organization, 19 Management) that turns out to suit him well. It could have gone to a more established unit-mover like Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. Yet from the minute he stood at that familiar piano, persuading Crystal Bowersox to put down the folkie strum one time and strap on a sequined electric guitar, he filled the role with complete self-assurance, compassion and sincerity, tempered by an ironic edge that could easily translate to the judges' table. And he gave great advice. Sure, much of it was the same from striver to striver — show more emotion, move around, kick everything up a notch – but that's because this year's group remains strangely inert, trapped behind their instruments or within the gestures that worked for them early on. Just being around Adam seemed to loosen the neckties of guys like Lee DeWyze, who loosened up not only in body but in voice, shouting out "A Little Less Conversation" with both grit and accuracy, and meek Aaron Kelly, who actually shimmied during "Blue Suede Shoes. Katie Stevens bellowed her way through the Jimmy Reed blues "Baby What You Want Me to Do," but her usual vapidity gave way to real enjoyment. That tic-like response to Ryan's prodding, "I had fun," actually seemed true for most singers tonight. And why not? Adam showered them with love and good ideas. The material might have helped too. Elvis Presley's vast catalog contains (obligatory trashy-food joke here; we're talking the peanut-butter King, after all) plenty of ribs and Velveeta, and surprisingly, most singers opted for the meaty stuff. From Bowersox's gospel to Andrew Garcia's "Hound Dog" to Casey James' "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" — the first sexy vocal this season, really — the talent favored the Elvis who shook his hips and borrowed from the blues. Only Tim Urban, who turned in a version of the monumental ballad "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" that was as neat and clean as Pat Boone, and the recently redeemed Michael Lynche, who turned in a strangely pious, if vocally lovely, version of "In the Ghetto," favored sentiment over sweat. Nobody really perspired, of course; this is "American Idol," not a juke joint, not even the Vegas where Elvis dropped so many dripping white scarves. But at least most performers honored the Lambert legacy by behaving as if they were present in their bodies and aware that they had an audience to entertain. And they honored the King by mixing a little grease in with the sugar. Which was all the more reason to wonder the mood at the judges' table, and the dubious pronouncements issued from there. Praising Tim for his tepid balladry, the table went on to trash Siobhan Magnus for a take on the Elvis-in-Memphis stunner "Suspicious Minds" that showed both intelligence and emotional investment. Siobhan was aiming for Dusty Springfield or maybe one of her New Wave followers, like Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl. It was a very deliberate and well-defined performances. The judges called it a mess — because they didn't get it. Sad. The same went for Casey, who took Lloyd Price's New Orleans romp "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" at face value as a song about sexual enthrallment — it's right there in the lyric, people, "please don't excite me, baby" — and seriously ripped it up. The judges thought it was … solid. Boring. Simon even said the song, which was in fact the biggest R&B hit of 1952, was forgettable. But then, we're used to "American Idol" and its keepers not understanding the blues, or even real lowdown rock. What's more upsetting is that this season, there seems to be some confusion about talent itself. Adam Lambert does seem to recognize that when he hears it. So let's start the campaign. – Ann Powers Photo credit: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times
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| Ann Powers: Adam Lambert and Elvis give the Idols a little kick Posted: 15 Apr 2010 03:13 AM PDT
Yet none compares with the question haunting the season the way Reese Witherspoon haunted Mark Ruffalo in "Just Like Heaven." Who will replace uber-judge Simon Cowell, that is, if he doesn't sink the ship he's soon to vacate? And now there is an answer. It's so clear that it's Windex. It — he — sat there in the front row on Tuesday night, hair piled extra high in honor of the Elvis theme, a trouper's grin affixed to his face even when the hopefuls he'd mentored ignored his obviously helpful suggestions. Yes, dear readers, I'm saying it: Adam Lambert should replace Simon Cowell as a judge on "American Idol." It may not be what my favorite nouveau-glam pop star wants to do; he'd prefer hit singles and the adoration of millions, or at least as many fans as can cram into Club Nokia. I hope he gets those things, in abundance. But when he's not busy aiming to electrify the Top 40, perhaps he could warm that seat next to Kara. On hand for Elvis week, Adam was the first former Idol to return as a mentor, an honor-cum-duty (remember, he's represented by the show's ancillary organization, 19 Management) that turns out to suit him well. It could have gone to a more established unit-mover like Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. Yet from the minute he stood at that familiar piano, persuading Crystal Bowersox to put down the folkie strum one time and strap on a sequined electric guitar, he filled the role with complete self-assurance, compassion and sincerity, tempered by an ironic edge that could easily translate to the judges' table. And he gave great advice. Sure, much of it was the same from striver to striver — show more emotion, move around, kick everything up a notch – but that's because this year's group remains strangely inert, trapped behind their instruments or within the gestures that worked for them early on. Just being around Adam seemed to loosen the neckties of guys like Lee DeWyze, who loosened up not only in body but in voice, shouting out "A Little Less Conversation" with both grit and accuracy, and meek Aaron Kelly, who actually shimmied during "Blue Suede Shoes. Katie Stevens bellowed her way through the Jimmy Reed blues "Baby What You Want Me to Do," but her usual vapidity gave way to real enjoyment. That tic-like response to Ryan's prodding, "I had fun," actually seemed true for most singers tonight. And why not? Adam showered them with love and good ideas. The material might have helped too. Elvis Presley's vast catalog contains (obligatory trashy-food joke here; we're talking the peanut-butter King, after all) plenty of ribs and Velveeta, and surprisingly, most singers opted for the meaty stuff. From Bowersox's gospel to Andrew Garcia's "Hound Dog" to Casey James' "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" — the first sexy vocal this season, really — the talent favored the Elvis who shook his hips and borrowed from the blues. Only Tim Urban, who turned in a version of the monumental ballad "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" that was as neat and clean as Pat Boone, and the recently redeemed Michael Lynche, who turned in a strangely pious, if vocally lovely, version of "In the Ghetto," favored sentiment over sweat. Nobody really perspired, of course; this is "American Idol," not a juke joint, not even the Vegas where Elvis dropped so many dripping white scarves. But at least most performers honored the Lambert legacy by behaving as if they were present in their bodies and aware that they had an audience to entertain. And they honored the King by mixing a little grease in with the sugar. Which was all the more reason to wonder the mood at the judges' table, and the dubious pronouncements issued from there. Praising Tim for his tepid balladry, the table went on to trash Siobhan Magnus for a take on the Elvis-in-Memphis stunner "Suspicious Minds" that showed both intelligence and emotional investment. Siobhan was aiming for Dusty Springfield or maybe one of her New Wave followers, like Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl. It was a very deliberate and well-defined performances. The judges called it a mess — because they didn't get it. Sad. The same went for Casey, who took Lloyd Price's New Orleans romp "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" at face value as a song about sexual enthrallment — it's right there in the lyric, people, "please don't excite me, baby" — and seriously ripped it up. The judges thought it was … solid. Boring. Simon even said the song, which was in fact the biggest R&B hit of 1952, was forgettable. But then, we're used to "American Idol" and its keepers not understanding the blues, or even real lowdown rock. What's more upsetting is that this season, there seems to be some confusion about talent itself. Adam Lambert does seem to recognize that when he hears it. So let's start the campaign. – Ann Powers Photo credit: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times
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Since Wednesday night is a double-elimination, our "American Idol" experts had to pick two contestants ready to go home after Elvis night. 
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