The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite

Thursday, May 6, 2010 Posted by Television at 1:24 PM

The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite

Link to The Unofficial Danny Gokey Fan Site

Melinda Doolittle’s New Book

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Season 6s third place contestant, Melinda Doolittle, is not just a singernow shes an author too! Today, Melinda released her book, Beyond Me. In addition to talking about her American Idol journey, the Tennessee native also talks about overcoming obstacles, making the best of every situation, facing your fears, dealing with criticism, and giving back. Giving back is something that has been important to Melinda. She was a finalist when American Idol held their first ever Idol Gives Back show. She has since become very involved with Malaria No More, one of the beneficiaries of the Idol Gives Back Foundation. In fact, if you purchase Melindas book from her website, a donation will be made to Malaria No More. You can also still make donations to the Idol Gives Back foundation, here. Melindas Season 6 pal, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, wrote the foreword of the book.

Whats next for Melinda? She will be embarking on her book tour. You can keep track of her whereabouts in the AI-Insiders Weekly Scoop.

Visit Source

Jordin Sparks on Broadway and on Tour

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

American Idol Jordin Sparks has two pieces of big news this week: shell be making her debut on Broadway, and she announced her summer headline tour.

Jordin will be joining the 2008 Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical, In The Heights, as Broadways new Nina Rosario. Her Broadway debut moment will happen on Thursday, August 19, 2010. The 20 year old will play a limited 12 week engagement through Sunday, November 14, 2010.

Its always been one of my dreams to perform on Broadway, Jordin said. This is a brand new experience for me. I look so forward to spending time in New York City and joining this talented cast and my favorite new musical.

On June 2nd, Jordin kicks off The Battlefield Tour, Presented by MIKE AND IKE. Her sophomore album, Battlefield, contains the album title hit single and the bona-fide dance smash, S.O.S (Let The Music Play). In the last three years, Jordin has also toured extensively around the world with artists such as Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, and Britney Spears. MIKE AND IKE Brand Candies is pleased to mark the second year of its exclusive partnership with Jordin Sparks. MIKE AND IKE along with its charitable partner Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF) will once again join Sparks to present a custom branded experience including a tour vehicle, a green screen photo booth where fans get a free virtual photo with Jordin and samples of their favorite MIKE AND IKE fruit flavored candies to take home.

The tour schedule is as follows:

June 2 Philadelphia, PA
… read more
Visit Source

Season 9 Listening Party

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

The American Idol: Season 9 CD will be released on May 11th, but you dont have to wait until then to hear the tracks. Check out the AmericanIdol.com Listening Party to hear the ten tracks on the disc. Pre-order American Idol: Season 9 and get exclusive first access to tickets for the upcoming American Idol Tour featuring this year’s Top 10 contestants! Learn more and pre-order your CD, here.

The track list for American Idol: Season 9 is:
1. Lee Dewyze
“Treat Her Like A Lady”
2. Crystal Bowersox
“Me And Bobby McGee”
3. Siobhan Magnus
“Paint It Black”
4. Aaron Kelly
“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”
5. Casey James
“Jealous Guy”
6. Michael Lynche
“Ready For Love”
7. Tim Urban
“Under My Thumb”
8. Katie Stevens
“Let It Be”
9. <… read more
Visit Source

Song List for Frank Sinatra Week

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

This week, the Top 5 sang hits by Frank Sinatra, and they were backed by guest mentor Harry Connick Jr. who helped them arrange the songs and played the piano. A couple of the finalists gave some of their best performances yet, and a few werent in their comfort zone during Sinatra Week, but at this stage of the competition its still anyones game!

Here is the list of Frank Sinatra songs that the Top 5 performed:

Aaron Kelly Fly Me To The Moon
Casey James Blue Skies
Crystal Bowersox Summer Wind
Michael Lynche The Way You Look Tonight
Lee DeWyze Thats Life

Click on the contestants names above to watch their performance again.

Visit Source

‘Idol’ post-show chat today at 1 p.m. with special guest

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

We're using a new interface this week, but Idol Tracker's weekly chat will go on as scheduled at 1 p.m. PDT. Our guest on this go-round? Season 7's David Hernandez, who'll try and help us make sense of Sinatra night — the highs and the lows. Will Casey's shaky performance be his last? Will we see the final three trifecta of Big Mike, Crystal and Lee materialize or will Aaron Jedi mind trick his way into that slot too? Join us here for a lively discussion of all things "Idol." (Note: Comments won't be moderated until the chat begins at 1 p.m.)

Visit Source

Melissa Etheridge talks ‘Idol,’ Crystal and all those acoustic guitars; hails ‘the return of the troubadour’

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Minchin_BW172409_B14_010_011_FL_WEB

Singer-songwriter, activist, cancer survivor, mother … you can place all kinds of modifiers on the name Melissa Etheridge, but one constant remains: Whether in music or in life, the Kansas-to-L.A. transplant is nothing short of inspiring. Just ask "American Idol" front-runner Crystal Bowersox, who got Etheridge to sign her acoustic guitar — the same one she's been playing all season long –  a few years back in Chicago. Or any number of contestants who've tried to sing her songs — season 5's Kellie Pickler, season 4's Nadia Tuner, season 2's Kimberly Caldwell, and season 1's Nikki McKibbin, among them.

Naturally, we asked the Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer, whose new album, "Fearless Love," is just out, how she felt about the "Idol" treatment, whether she remembers meeting a wide-eyed Crystal and her thoughts on the current season, especially all those acoustic guitars! Read on for the Idol Tracker Q&A …

You met the Top 6 recently. What impression did they leave on you?

Some of them seemed like deer in the headlights. I can't imagine; the
whole thing is insane. Then some of them seem like they have their feet
on the ground and they know that they'll be using the show as a
springboard. You can actually make a career out of it, if you're
willing to do the work.


Pg162528 But you also sent flowers to Crystal Bowersox last month, what inspired you to do that?

I like her. I don't watch television at all, and I keep my kids off the TV all week, but I allow them to record "American Idol." So they were watching it one weekend, and they come running into the
kitchen and said, "Come here." They had stopped it on her guitar and
said, "Is that your signature?" And I said, "Well, yes it is." And they said, "She's really good, you should listen to her." So whenever Crystal would come on, they'd call me in to watch. So I basically just
know her. But I appreciate her as an artist and it makes me feel good
that this is basically a karaoke TV show that's produced a couple of artists — I enjoyed Adam Lambert last year, I don't know what he's doing
this year — but this artist [Crystal] is real, organic, has a style that's
not like everything else being thrown out in the pop world now,
and she's doing well. She's talented and America is
responding to it.

So I watched her and found out that she is quite a fan, and I
met her last week when I was doing "Dancing with the Stars" … I got to pull her aside, we talked in the
corner for a minute, and she said she met me in August 2008 at the Chicago Theater. She knew Bill Ludwig, who knew my drummer. They
came backstage, I met her and she had this picture of me that I
signed.

Do you remember her?

I do now. I'm, like, yeah of course! Even though I met her for only a couple minutes and I didn't put it together at all.

There are so many singer-songwriter types playing acoustic
guitars this season. What does that say about
the show and today's musical climate?

I think it says more about America — that with the artists coming up, our interest never gets too far away from the
music experience of the troubadour, someone who's a mirror to our
society. I think we go through these phases, like we just went
through an '80s phase again — that pop, fast
food type of music — and now it's, like, let's get back to that real,
organic stuff … It makes me think maybe they're ready to listen to me again.

Usher recently reportedly said that talent shows are killing the music business. What do you think about that?

I see these talent shows as just big huge marketing machines. You can't blame the companies for asking, "Do you like this or do you
like that?" Then going, "OK, we'll market that." But I still
think that the real artist — not to say that these
people aren't real –  as you grow, mature and want to translate these emotions and
thoughts to be experienced by the public, that is an art form. Standing up and singing like somebody
else, that's a different type of entertainment, but I think the art form
never goes away. People will always be drawn to it  because it serves
a part of our soul. So I'm not going to complain about the talent shows;
they are what they are, and I also believe that art lives on and
always survives these thin times.

One of your songs was performed on each for the first five seasons of "Idol." Do any stick out in your mind?

Some of them were more painful than others. [Laughs.] When they pick "I'm the Only One," I'm, like, "Kids, that's a hard one to sing!" Even I've gotta save it till
the end of the show. When I see them trying to do it, step up in one
hit, I'm like, "Ow." But Kellie Pickler I think did a great job, Kimberly Caldwell — I loved her "Come to My Window." Some of them have been very
wonderful, others …

If one of your kids wanted to try out for 'Idol,' would would you say?

I'd say no. I wouldn't let them. [Laughs.] Once they're 18, I'd say go do whatever you want to do — good luck. No, they know better than that. They get it — I think "American Idol"
is for people that really believe in that "Idol" dream — that if you get
famous, you have no troubles and you'll reach that "there," and
my kids know that there's no "there." They see my life, they see the work
that goes into it, they have a real appreciation for the art, and
"American Idol" is just entertainment.

More on Melissa Etheridge's new album, which includes the stinging "Miss California," and her time on "Dancing With the Stars" after the jump …

Speaking of entertainment, how was performing on "Dancing With the Stars"?

When my people came to me with it, they said, "Sit
down," and I asked, "Is it 'Dancing With the Stars?' Are you crazy?" I said
no for a long time, and then they kept coming back — 20 million viewers!
No. 1 show! So I agreed because my theme for this album is fearlessness. What am I afraid of? That
people are going to think I'm a different kind of artist? No, I need to be confident of my song and myself, and I said, "All right. Give me my sequins, let's go!"

What's it like to look down on all these super-animated dancers right in front of you?

You have no idea. When I came to rehearsal, they were all there in their skin — they basically don't wear much any day of the week, and they don't have
to, they're beautiful — and I did "Come to My Window." When the
couple came out to do the dance, I was doing it to
track in the rehearsal — I did it live on the show — so I wasn't really
playing and kind of just standing up there for camera blocking,
all this stuff. And he lifts the girl, who doesn't have anything on, up
over his head, and I busted a guitar string just as this happened. It was completely
embarrassing. I thought, "How am I going to get through this?" But it
was beautiful, they were all completely delightful, and it was a
great opportunity.

There's a song on your new album called "Miss California." Can you tell us about it?

Well, I decided I have to go into the
whole Prop. 8 thing, and I wanted to address it in song. Since this album had everything to do with my rock 'n' roll influences, I decided to write a political
song. Remember "American Woman"? When I was a
kid, I thought, "He's singing about a woman," until my dad informed me as I got
a little bit older, "No, he's actually singing about America" — "Don't want your war machines, and your ghetto scenes …" I thought, I want to
sing a song about California like a woman: "Ow, that
hurt, you done me wrong …" So I approached it in that way.

You wrote a blog post shortly after Proposition 8's passage declaring that the government "can forget my taxes." What's the latest on your personal form of protest?

I wrote it literally right afterward, and people took it to mean I wasn't going to pay my taxes, and that's not true. The IRS
doesn't care if I'm gay, they're gonna come throw me in jail. I was
just trying to make a point that it doesn't make any sense that I
would have to pay as much taxes as I do every year and not get all
the benefits or all the rights and the coverage. But I am paying
my taxes.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Top Photo: Melissa Etheridge. Credit: JM James Minchin III

Bottom Photo: Crystal Bowersox poses with
flowers she received from Melissa Etheridge on April 7. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup

Visit Source

Melissa Etheridge talks ‘Idol,’ Crystal and all those acoustic guitars; hails ‘the return of the troubadour’

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Minchin_BW172409_B14_010_011_FL_WEB

Singer-songwriter, activist, cancer survivor, mother … you can place all kinds of modifiers on the name Melissa Etheridge, but one constant remains: Whether in music or in life, the Kansas-to-L.A. transplant is nothing short of inspiring. Just ask "American Idol" front-runner Crystal Bowersox, who got Etheridge to sign her acoustic guitar — the same one she's been playing all season long –  a few years back in Chicago. Or any number of contestants who've tried to sing her songs — season 5's Kellie Pickler, season 4's Nadia Tuner, season 2's Kimberly Caldwell, and season 1's Nikki McKibbin, among them.

Naturally, we asked the Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer, whose new album, "Fearless Love," is just out, how she felt about the "Idol" treatment, whether she remembers meeting a wide-eyed Crystal and her thoughts on the current season, especially all those acoustic guitars! Read on for the Idol Tracker Q&A …

You met the Top 6 recently. What impression did they leave on you?

Some of them seemed like deer in the headlights. I can't imagine; the
whole thing is insane. Then some of them seem like they have their feet
on the ground and they know that they'll be using the show as a
springboard. You can actually make a career out of it, if you're
willing to do the work.


Pg162528 But you also sent flowers to Crystal Bowersox last month, what inspired you to do that?

I like her. I don't watch television at all, and I keep my kids off the TV all week, but I allow them to record "American Idol." So they were watching it one weekend, and they come running into the
kitchen and said, "Come here." They had stopped it on her guitar and
said, "Is that your signature?" And I said, "Well, yes it is." And they said, "She's really good, you should listen to her." So whenever Crystal would come on, they'd call me in to watch. So I basically just
know her. But I appreciate her as an artist and it makes me feel good
that this is basically a karaoke TV show that's produced a couple of artists — I enjoyed Adam Lambert last year, I don't know what he's doing
this year — but this artist [Crystal] is real, organic, has a style that's
not like everything else being thrown out in the pop world now,
and she's doing well. She's talented and America is
responding to it.

So I watched her and found out that she is quite a fan, and I
met her last week when I was doing "Dancing with the Stars" … I got to pull her aside, we talked in the
corner for a minute, and she said she met me in August 2008 at the Chicago Theater. She knew Bill Ludwig, who knew my drummer. They
came backstage, I met her and she had this picture of me that I
signed.

Do you remember her?

I do now. I'm, like, yeah of course! Even though I met her for only a couple minutes and I didn't put it together at all.

There are so many singer-songwriter types playing acoustic
guitars this season. What does that say about
the show and today's musical climate?

I think it says more about America — that with the artists coming up, our interest never gets too far away from the
music experience of the troubadour, someone who's a mirror to our
society. I think we go through these phases, like we just went
through an '80s phase again — that pop, fast
food type of music — and now it's, like, let's get back to that real,
organic stuff … It makes me think maybe they're ready to listen to me again.

Usher recently reportedly said that talent shows are killing the music business. What do you think about that?

I see these talent shows as just big huge marketing machines. You can't blame the companies for asking, "Do you like this or do you
like that?" Then going, "OK, we'll market that." But I still
think that the real artist — not to say that these
people aren't real –  as you grow, mature and want to translate these emotions and
thoughts to be experienced by the public, that is an art form. Standing up and singing like somebody
else, that's a different type of entertainment, but I think the art form
never goes away. People will always be drawn to it  because it serves
a part of our soul. So I'm not going to complain about the talent shows;
they are what they are, and I also believe that art lives on and
always survives these thin times.

One of your songs was performed on each for the first five seasons of "Idol." Do any stick out in your mind?

Some of them were more painful than others. [Laughs.] When they pick "I'm the Only One," I'm, like, "Kids, that's a hard one to sing!" Even I've gotta save it till
the end of the show. When I see them trying to do it, step up in one
hit, I'm like, "Ow." But Kellie Pickler I think did a great job, Kimberly Caldwell — I loved her "Come to My Window." Some of them have been very
wonderful, others …

If one of your kids wanted to try out for 'Idol,' would would you say?

I'd say no. I wouldn't let them. [Laughs.] Once they're 18, I'd say go do whatever you want to do — good luck. No, they know better than that. They get it — I think "American Idol"
is for people that really believe in that "Idol" dream — that if you get
famous, you have no troubles and you'll reach that "there," and
my kids know that there's no "there." They see my life, they see the work
that goes into it, they have a real appreciation for the art, and
"American Idol" is just entertainment.

More on Melissa Etheridge's new album, which includes the stinging "Miss California," and her time on "Dancing With the Stars" after the jump …

Speaking of entertainment, how was performing on "Dancing With the Stars"?

When my people came to me with it, they said, "Sit
down," and I asked, "Is it 'Dancing With the Stars?' Are you crazy?" I said
no for a long time, and then they kept coming back — 20 million viewers!
No. 1 show! So I agreed because my theme for this album is fearlessness. What am I afraid of? That
people are going to think I'm a different kind of artist? No, I need to be confident of my song and myself, and I said, "All right. Give me my sequins, let's go!"

What's it like to look down on all these super-animated dancers right in front of you?

You have no idea. When I came to rehearsal, they were all there in their skin — they basically don't wear much any day of the week, and they don't have
to, they're beautiful — and I did "Come to My Window." When the
couple came out to do the dance, I was doing it to
track in the rehearsal — I did it live on the show — so I wasn't really
playing and kind of just standing up there for camera blocking,
all this stuff. And he lifts the girl, who doesn't have anything on, up
over his head, and I busted a guitar string just as this happened. It was completely
embarrassing. I thought, "How am I going to get through this?" But it
was beautiful, they were all completely delightful, and it was a
great opportunity.

There's a song on your new album called "Miss California." Can you tell us about it?

Well, I decided I have to go into the
whole Prop. 8 thing, and I wanted to address it in song. Since this album had everything to do with my rock 'n' roll influences, I decided to write a political
song. Remember "American Woman"? When I was a
kid, I thought, "He's singing about a woman," until my dad informed me as I got
a little bit older, "No, he's actually singing about America" — "Don't want your war machines, and your ghetto scenes …" I thought, I want to
sing a song about California like a woman: "Ow, that
hurt, you done me wrong …" So I approached it in that way.

You wrote a blog post shortly after Proposition 8's passage declaring that the government "can forget my taxes." What's the latest on your personal form of protest?

I wrote it literally right afterward, and people took it to mean I wasn't going to pay my taxes, and that's not true. The IRS
doesn't care if I'm gay, they're gonna come throw me in jail. I was
just trying to make a point that it doesn't make any sense that I
would have to pay as much taxes as I do every year and not get all
the benefits or all the rights and the coverage. But I am paying
my taxes.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Top Photo: Melissa Etheridge. Credit: JM James Minchin III

Bottom Photo: Crystal Bowersox poses with
flowers she received from Melissa Etheridge on April 7. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup

Visit Source

Anoop Desai’s Debut Album is Out Now

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Season 8s Top 6 finalist, Anoop Desai, released his debut album today. Named All Is Fair, the EP includes his first single, My Name. The album is already climbing the iTunes Pop Charts, even in its first day of release!

After touring the nation with the American Idols LIVE! 2009 tour, Anoop moved to Los Angeles to begin working on All Is Fair. The soulful singer mixed pop, R&B, and Indian influences to create his own sound. Since Anoop put out the album without the support of a major record label, he had complete control over All Is Fair, whether it was writing or release plans. Anoop teamed up with Season 6 finalist Brandon Rogers, who co-wrote three songs on the 8-song EP. Another Season 6 finalist, Chris Richardson, co-wrote a different song on the disc. In the future, Anoop has plans to work with Season 5s Elliott Yamin and Season 6 semi-finalist Jared Cotter.

To celebrate the big accomplishment, Anoop was at the All Is Fair release party at East End Martini Bar in Chapel Hill, NC and today hell perform at his alma matter, University of North Carolina.

Cant get enough of Anoop? Check out the Anoop Desai photo gallery.

Visit Source

‘Idol’s’ Top 5 talk Sinatra night

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Pg178611 "We're all friends here," Big Mike said wearing only his gray boxer-briefs. That's how the Top 5 finalist greeted the media after Tuesday night's show. Perhaps relieved that the stress of performance was behind him, he was clearly looking to let it all hang out. Fortunately, someone encouraged him to throw on a pair of track pants so we could all get down to business: rehashing Sinatra night. Read on for a post-show chat with the last five standing…

There has been such an emphasis on artistry and making the songs yours. How did you feel about Harry Connick Jr. coming in and making the songs his?

Michael Lynche: Totally fine. He didn't make it his as much as he made it simpler for us not to have to worry about that this week. We could be classic instead of having to figure out how to make this contemporary and new and put on an album. We didn't have to think so hard. He did a lot of the work for us.

Lee DeWyze: It was about vocals this week.

Mike: In a singing competition, it was a good week for vocals. 

Casey James: He designed the songs for each one of us, so he did what we would do and he did it way better than I could have done.

Harry Connick also mentioned that it was hard to hear on stage. Was the sound any different than previous weeks?

Casey: I've never had trouble with it before, but I think that's because I'm always stationary. This week I was doing something different, which I've never done. Maybe that's what they go through every week, I don't know. Good job guys! I could hear it in rehearsal.

Mike: Also, it was an all new setup with a band in a full room.

Crystal Bowersox: It's a really big space, and if the levels aren't just right, anything could go wrong.

Pg178580 Aaron Kelly: I agree. It was hard to hear up there, but I think everybody pulled it off great.

Was there more pressure this week because Simon is such a Sinatra fan?

Crystal: We didn't know.

How did you feel about getting glammed up, like Casey and his purple shirt?

Casey: It's lavender, by the way.

Crystal: I felt really glamorous, I don't know. I just do what's appropriate for the genre and the music. I loved my dress. It was my idea to get it.

What were you going for with the look and how would you describe it?

Crystal: Crystal. I was just going for my own thing.

Mike: That's what I wear for breakfast. In my job I always wear a suit and tie. [Laughs]

Lee: I kept it real with my Converse and some jeans. I threw on a nice jacket and a tie, but my jeans and my Converse shall remain for the rest of my time here. It was cool. It puts you in this mood. You're wearing a nice outfit, you got a big band behind you, Harry Connick's doing his thing. … It really helped me get into the feel of the songs, as opposed to standing there with the band up there way high, and here's the song now, sing it. … It felt like you were part of the band. It wasn't like you were singing over them. It was like you were singing with them. I loved it.

Mike: It was very important on a big band week, you've gotta find your spots in the music. That's really what this music's about, it's not necessarily about you, and it's not necessarily about the band, it's how you work together — that's where the success lies.

Pg178595 Not having the guitar, what were you guys considering doing with your hands?

Casey: I was thinking about knitting, actually. I looked into it and there's just not enough time to get anything knitted in just one minute, so I gave up on that, and I just decided to go with the awkward I'm-not-holding-a guitar thing, and it worked out really well.

When was the last time you sang without a guitar?

Casey: I've never done that. Actually, you guys have seen the times that I have done it, when I had to take my shirt off, that was a good one. Oh and the group number, that was awesome, you should've been there for that one. I actually did hold a mic and sing that time, but you wouldn't call it singing. Those are the only times, otherwise I've always had an instrument in my hand.

What was your reaction to Simon's comment about having another booking next week?

Casey: I might not be here next week. It's just a reality. We all have to live with it. I could go, I could've went last week and the week before that, so every week we get is a blessing. Honestly, out of all of us, I absolutely deserve to go home tomorrow, if you're going to base it on this performance. I mean all these guys really killed it. I was really shocked. And what they said was dead on the mark — I am not a guy who's gonna ever go out there and do something like that without my guitar, so I did the best I could.

Did you think it went better in rehearsal?

Casey: It was definitely a lot better.

Crystal, you've talked back to the judges two weeks in a row. What's motivating that?

Crystal: It's called having a conversation. They're people, I'm gonna talk to them like people, I'm not gonna be like, "Oooh, they're judges" and cower in fear. They say something, it's just like having a conversation, not like they're aliens from another planet. I don't know, I really feel strongly that all people are equal, like I'm not gonna put someone up on a pedestal because of their job. I just feel like I can talk to them. They're people.

What did Harry say to you after the show?

Crystal: He told me that the Sinatra girls loved it and that made me feel great. He said he loved it, musically and it was a good arrangement and good vocals. … He said, "That's what it's about, kid, the music."

Did it make it more meaningful to have the mentor be there performing as well?

Crystal: Yeah, he was in the trenches with us. He showed up at our iTunes recording [sessions] to make sure no one had any trouble. He was hands-on and it was great.

What was the funniest thing he did or said?

Aaron: He called me Big Mike. And after the mentoring, he goes, "Alright, so where's the real Aaron Kelly, this is just his stand-in, right?" But he looked totally serious. … He's great at acting where he'll keep it going.

Casey: He commits to every single joke for sure.

Mike: He's got really funny voices, too.

Lee, Siobhan said that you owe her $50…

Lee: Yeah, I owe her 50 bucks, but it's all in good fun.

Pg178523 Did you feel more confident this week?

Lee: I felt just as confident this week as last week. There's always pressure there every time. It's just how you handle it. This week, I was nervous going into it. You hear the genre and you're like, "Oh crap, big band week. Great. What am I gonna do?" and then I heard "That's life." I listened to it, and it got bluesy and stuff, and I went, "That's kind of my style." I love singing it, and I loved the song. I felt really good going up there. …

Are you going to leave here and write, "I can win this" a hundred times like Kara told you to do?

Lee: No, I'm not gonna do that. I appreciate what she was trying to say, but I think throughout this whole competition it's been a question of "Is Lee confident? Are there nerves?" And it's, like, last time I checked, smiling and dancing around the stage has nothing to do with how I sing the song or how I connect with the song. Are they gonna keep saying it? Probably sure, maybe I'll throw a smile in once in a while, but I smile when I'm happy [or] when something's funny. When I'm up there, I'm doing my thing. If they think my confidence is building, then great. I've always been a confident person, but this is a new situation and until you've gone through it, you don't know what it's like to be up there in front of all those people for the first time. Everyone's gonna be a little nervous and handle it a little differently. I'm just being myself now.

It was pretty unanimous Tuesday night: All the judges thought this was your best performance. Is the pressure on?

Lee: It is, and when they say stuff like that, you feel like you've impressed them in whatever way, and how can you outdo that? At this point in the competition, we all know we can sing. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't, and we have to accept that. So for me, it's about arranging the songs and really making them your own. That's what you have to do. So this week, we didn't get to mess with the songs as much or arrange, so next week I'm looking forward to doing that more than anything. I think next week will be different than this week, and if I'm here the week after, it will be different then, too. It's about every week bringing something new to the table, but still keeping true to what you wanna do.

Mike, will wardrobe let you keep your hat?

Mike: I collect hats all the time; hats and wigs alike.

Crystal: He's got a Manny Ramirez one that looks great.

Mike: I've got a bunch. I wear them in the mornings on rehearsals. They're just fun.

Pg178485 Crystal: It keeps a smile on our faces.

Mike: I have a lot of fedoras, and I thought this was the perfect week to pull one out, which was from Target. I get a new one every time I go to Target: $14.99!

Crystal, we got to see your back tattoo in all its glory with that strapless dress. Can you tell us about it?

Crystal: It's a giant sunflower, and there's actually two little tattoos of music notes. I got it about two and a half years ago, and it's a personal thing. I think a lot of people can agree with me, when you get them done, you don't have to tell anybody what it means. The little music note I got when I was 18. It was my first tattoo and it's tiny, because I was chicken. It was really just to spite my mother, and the other I got done in Istanbul, Turkey. Then I went from tiny little music notes to the giant sunflower.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Top photo: Michael Lynche points in the direction of mentor Harry Connick Jr. on "American Idol's" May 4 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Second photo: Aaron Kelly performs on Sinatra night. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Third photo: Casey James does his best guitar-less awkward pose on the May 4 episode of "American Idol." Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Fourth photo: Harry Connick Jr. and Lee DeWyze share a laugh on the "Idol" stage. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Bottom photo: Crystal Bowersox puts her back tattoo on full display as she shares a tender moment with mentor Harry Connick Jr. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Visit Source

‘Idol’s’ Top 5 talk Sinatra night

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Pg178611 "We're all friends here," Big Mike said wearing only his gray boxer-briefs. That's how the Top 5 finalist greeted the media after Tuesday night's show. Perhaps relieved that the stress of performance was behind him, he was clearly looking to let it all hang out. Fortunately, someone encouraged him to throw on a pair of track pants so we could all get down to business: rehashing Sinatra night. Read on for a post-show chat with the last five standing…

There has been such an emphasis on artistry and making the songs yours. How did you feel about Harry Connick Jr. coming in and making the songs his?

Michael Lynche: Totally fine. He didn't make it his as much as he made it simpler for us not to have to worry about that this week. We could be classic instead of having to figure out how to make this contemporary and new and put on an album. We didn't have to think so hard. He did a lot of the work for us.

Lee DeWyze: It was about vocals this week.

Mike: In a singing competition, it was a good week for vocals. 

Casey James: He designed the songs for each one of us, so he did what we would do and he did it way better than I could have done.

Harry Connick also mentioned that it was hard to hear on stage. Was the sound any different than previous weeks?

Casey: I've never had trouble with it before, but I think that's because I'm always stationary. This week I was doing something different, which I've never done. Maybe that's what they go through every week, I don't know. Good job guys! I could hear it in rehearsal.

Mike: Also, it was an all new setup with a band in a full room.

Crystal Bowersox: It's a really big space, and if the levels aren't just right, anything could go wrong.

Pg178580 Aaron Kelly: I agree. It was hard to hear up there, but I think everybody pulled it off great.

Was there more pressure this week because Simon is such a Sinatra fan?

Crystal: We didn't know.

How did you feel about getting glammed up, like Casey and his purple shirt?

Casey: It's lavender, by the way.

Crystal: I felt really glamorous, I don't know. I just do what's appropriate for the genre and the music. I loved my dress. It was my idea to get it.

What were you going for with the look and how would you describe it?

Crystal: Crystal. I was just going for my own thing.

Mike: That's what I wear for breakfast. In my job I always wear a suit and tie. [Laughs]

Lee: I kept it real with my Converse and some jeans. I threw on a nice jacket and a tie, but my jeans and my Converse shall remain for the rest of my time here. It was cool. It puts you in this mood. You're wearing a nice outfit, you got a big band behind you, Harry Connick's doing his thing. … It really helped me get into the feel of the songs, as opposed to standing there with the band up there way high, and here's the song now, sing it. … It felt like you were part of the band. It wasn't like you were singing over them. It was like you were singing with them. I loved it.

Mike: It was very important on a big band week, you've gotta find your spots in the music. That's really what this music's about, it's not necessarily about you, and it's not necessarily about the band, it's how you work together — that's where the success lies.

Pg178595 Not having the guitar, what were you guys considering doing with your hands?

Casey: I was thinking about knitting, actually. I looked into it and there's just not enough time to get anything knitted in just one minute, so I gave up on that, and I just decided to go with the awkward I'm-not-holding-a guitar thing, and it worked out really well.

When was the last time you sang without a guitar?

Casey: I've never done that. Actually, you guys have seen the times that I have done it, when I had to take my shirt off, that was a good one. Oh and the group number, that was awesome, you should've been there for that one. I actually did hold a mic and sing that time, but you wouldn't call it singing. Those are the only times, otherwise I've always had an instrument in my hand.

What was your reaction to Simon's comment about having another booking next week?

Casey: I might not be here next week. It's just a reality. We all have to live with it. I could go, I could've went last week and the week before that, so every week we get is a blessing. Honestly, out of all of us, I absolutely deserve to go home tomorrow, if you're going to base it on this performance. I mean all these guys really killed it. I was really shocked. And what they said was dead on the mark — I am not a guy who's gonna ever go out there and do something like that without my guitar, so I did the best I could.

Did you think it went better in rehearsal?

Casey: It was definitely a lot better.

Crystal, you've talked back to the judges two weeks in a row. What's motivating that?

Crystal: It's called having a conversation. They're people, I'm gonna talk to them like people, I'm not gonna be like, "Oooh, they're judges" and cower in fear. They say something, it's just like having a conversation, not like they're aliens from another planet. I don't know, I really feel strongly that all people are equal, like I'm not gonna put someone up on a pedestal because of their job. I just feel like I can talk to them. They're people.

What did Harry say to you after the show?

Crystal: He told me that the Sinatra girls loved it and that made me feel great. He said he loved it, musically and it was a good arrangement and good vocals. … He said, "That's what it's about, kid, the music."

Did it make it more meaningful to have the mentor be there performing as well?

Crystal: Yeah, he was in the trenches with us. He showed up at our iTunes recording [sessions] to make sure no one had any trouble. He was hands-on and it was great.

What was the funniest thing he did or said?

Aaron: He called me Big Mike. And after the mentoring, he goes, "Alright, so where's the real Aaron Kelly, this is just his stand-in, right?" But he looked totally serious. … He's great at acting where he'll keep it going.

Casey: He commits to every single joke for sure.

Mike: He's got really funny voices, too.

Lee, Siobhan said that you owe her $50…

Lee: Yeah, I owe her 50 bucks, but it's all in good fun.

Pg178523 Did you feel more confident this week?

Lee: I felt just as confident this week as last week. There's always pressure there every time. It's just how you handle it. This week, I was nervous going into it. You hear the genre and you're like, "Oh crap, big band week. Great. What am I gonna do?" and then I heard "That's life." I listened to it, and it got bluesy and stuff, and I went, "That's kind of my style." I love singing it, and I loved the song. I felt really good going up there. …

Are you going to leave here and write, "I can win this" a hundred times like Kara told you to do?

Lee: No, I'm not gonna do that. I appreciate what she was trying to say, but I think throughout this whole competition it's been a question of "Is Lee confident? Are there nerves?" And it's, like, last time I checked, smiling and dancing around the stage has nothing to do with how I sing the song or how I connect with the song. Are they gonna keep saying it? Probably sure, maybe I'll throw a smile in once in a while, but I smile when I'm happy [or] when something's funny. When I'm up there, I'm doing my thing. If they think my confidence is building, then great. I've always been a confident person, but this is a new situation and until you've gone through it, you don't know what it's like to be up there in front of all those people for the first time. Everyone's gonna be a little nervous and handle it a little differently. I'm just being myself now.

It was pretty unanimous Tuesday night: All the judges thought this was your best performance. Is the pressure on?

Lee: It is, and when they say stuff like that, you feel like you've impressed them in whatever way, and how can you outdo that? At this point in the competition, we all know we can sing. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't, and we have to accept that. So for me, it's about arranging the songs and really making them your own. That's what you have to do. So this week, we didn't get to mess with the songs as much or arrange, so next week I'm looking forward to doing that more than anything. I think next week will be different than this week, and if I'm here the week after, it will be different then, too. It's about every week bringing something new to the table, but still keeping true to what you wanna do.

Mike, will wardrobe let you keep your hat?

Mike: I collect hats all the time; hats and wigs alike.

Crystal: He's got a Manny Ramirez one that looks great.

Mike: I've got a bunch. I wear them in the mornings on rehearsals. They're just fun.

Pg178485 Crystal: It keeps a smile on our faces.

Mike: I have a lot of fedoras, and I thought this was the perfect week to pull one out, which was from Target. I get a new one every time I go to Target: $14.99!

Crystal, we got to see your back tattoo in all its glory with that strapless dress. Can you tell us about it?

Crystal: It's a giant sunflower, and there's actually two little tattoos of music notes. I got it about two and a half years ago, and it's a personal thing. I think a lot of people can agree with me, when you get them done, you don't have to tell anybody what it means. The little music note I got when I was 18. It was my first tattoo and it's tiny, because I was chicken. It was really just to spite my mother, and the other I got done in Istanbul, Turkey. Then I went from tiny little music notes to the giant sunflower.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Top photo: Michael Lynche points in the direction of mentor Harry Connick Jr. on "American Idol's" May 4 performance show. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Second photo: Aaron Kelly performs on Sinatra night. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Third photo: Casey James does his best guitar-less awkward pose on the May 4 episode of "American Idol." Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Fourth photo: Harry Connick Jr. and Lee DeWyze share a laugh on the "Idol" stage. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Bottom photo: Crystal Bowersox puts her back tattoo on full display as she shares a tender moment with mentor Harry Connick Jr. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup / Fox

Visit Source

Guest blogger Brooke White explains the Sinatra ’sweet spot,’ offers fifth-place wisdom

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Pg10353Brooke White doesn't have a lot of time to watch "Idol" these days,
what with her recent travels to Europe, gigs at the Hotel Café and
beyond (like her upcoming show with fellow Season 7 finalist Michael Johns in Saratoga, Calif.), as well as long days spent working on songs for her second
album. But at Idol Tracker's request, Brooke made a date with her
television set so she could bring back this report as our guest blogger — coincidentally on the same week in the competition when she was
eliminated. Read on for Brooke's take on Sinatra night and a little fifth-place wisdom…

First and foremost, I thought it was an interesting Tuesday night, but right
off the top, you could tell it was going to be a really challenging
one. There's the whole layout of the stage, and Harry Connick Jr. and
his incredible band, who are doing their thing. The contestants had to
work toward fitting into that thing and finding that swing. Plus, no
instruments, which means less artistic license.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Harry Connick on "Idol." And I've been a fan my whole
life. I had the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack as a kid, and I've had
other albums since. He's so beyond talented. He looked like he may have
been a little nervous at the very beginning – you can't blame him, it's
such a big stage and overwhelming atmosphere – but he was a fantastic
mentor. And I think having him on stage was kind of comforting, because
he was there with you for the rehearsal. He has a very down-to-earth
nature to him that I really liked. He's amazing and a great choice for
mentor, in my mind. Plus, I loved seeing the rehearsal!

And I felt like the judges were pretty good on Tuesday night. There have been
times when I've thought the judges were pretty off-base, but I found
myself agreeing with a lot of what they said, and I thought Ellen had a
good balance of funny and constructive criticism.

At this point in Week 5, blink and it's over. This is getting very
serious, because you're two away from getting to the Top 3 spot,
which means the hometown visit. To me, that looked so amazing and
beautiful — to get to go home and share it with your community. I wish
I could have done that. But the farther you go, something happens to you
where it starts getting not good enough. When you hit that Top 5 mark,
that's when look back on where you started and it seems unfathomable
that you could've made it week after week after week. Emotionally and
mentally, stuff really sets in, and you just have to hold it together
and do your best. Then again, this was the week I got eliminated, but
we had to do two songs.

Going first was always the dreaded spot, and Aaron Kelly had it. He's a
sweet kid and has a really nice voice, but those initial jitters of
just getting out there and setting the tone for the stage, it did not
quite have the charisma. I think the judges ended up saying something
to that effect. He has talent, but just the emotional talent is
lacking. It's an age thing, but it doesn't mean that he can't get it
right. He's got some experience to look ahead to, some marinating to do — that's a good thing.

Casey James I've heard good things about because my mom kind of likes
him. When he started singing, through, the tone of his voice, I felt
like he was not comfortable. I think he was trying to fit himself into
this situation, but it wasn't his thing. When they mentioned the
sustain, like he never holds a note, I can tell that belting out a
tune is not for him. He's not "an 'American Idol' singer," but he did
what he could with the situation. Regardless of whether he was super
comfortable with the song — I'm not sure that he was — I could tell he
was comfortable with himself, and I really like that about him.

As for Crystal Bowersox, I felt like she was quite natural and
understated. I could see that she wasn't belting it out, but I really
appreciate what she said: that it didn't call for it. While you're
standing up there, it's a very unreal feeling, but my natural tendency
was to just want to talk to the judges, have a conversation about it,
like, "OK, those are your thoughts, here are my thoughts." It was never
to get back in their faces or be disrespectful, or not receive
criticism well, but just to let them know kind of what it was like for
me up there. And I felt that from Crystal. She's not trying to be
sassy, she's just saying what she feels, and I know that sometimes
irritates America, from what people have told me, but I don't think
that people should be so harsh on them for saying their thoughts about
what they just had to do. I think it's OK to be real and honest, as long
as you're respectful and don't have a big attitude. 

With Big Mike, as soon as I heard him talk, I could tell he was in his
zone and he's going to do fine. This night was for him. I felt like
there was a beginning, a middle and an end in his arrangement. The song was
dead-on for him, there wasn't a lot of coaxing to get into this zone –
he was in his element and very natural. He commanded it, he was
comfortable, he was just good.

Lee gets the gold star for the night, and I felt that way in the first
two lines of the song. Actually, I felt that way in his package piece
that ran before he went on stage. Here's why he gets the gold star: For
one, he was somehow able to find a sweet spot in his vocal style where
I could completely hear him as an artist. That's the magic, and I would
say it definitely happened for him. Lee's voice was independent of the
night's style but still stood out, regardless of the style.

Siobhan probably would've done excellent this week too — and that's the hard part about the show: People go home too soon.

As far as when to adapt and when to stay true to yourself, they're both
highly important on "American Idol." As an artist in the real world,
you're not going to be asked to sing 20 different styles, although you
might on occasion be asked to do something like what I did couple weeks
ago on "Idol" where I came back to sing an Elvis tune as a duet — that
was one of those situations that called for you to adapt. When you're
able to both adapt and be true to yourself, that's when the stars align
and something magical happens. At that point, you just have to be
grateful that you were able to find that sweet spot because it's either
hard or easy, but there's no middle ground. 

– Brooke White

Follow @realbrookewhite and @IdolTracker on Twiiter

Photo: Brooke White poses on the red carpet at the "American Idol" Season 8 finale in May 2009. Credit: Gregg DeGuire / PictureGroup


Visit Source

Guest blogger Brooke White explains the Sinatra ’sweet spot,’ offers fifth-place wisdom

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Pg10353Brooke White doesn't have a lot of time to watch "Idol" these days,
what with her recent travels to Europe, gigs at the Hotel Café and
beyond (like her upcoming show with fellow Season 7 finalist Michael Johns in Saratoga, Calif.), as well as long days spent working on songs for her second
album. But at Idol Tracker's request, Brooke made a date with her
television set so she could bring back this report as our guest blogger — coincidentally on the same week in the competition when she was
eliminated. Read on for Brooke's take on Sinatra night and a little fifth-place wisdom…

First and foremost, I thought it was an interesting Tuesday night, but right
off the top, you could tell it was going to be a really challenging
one. There's the whole layout of the stage, and Harry Connick Jr. and
his incredible band, who are doing their thing. The contestants had to
work toward fitting into that thing and finding that swing. Plus, no
instruments, which means less artistic license.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Harry Connick on "Idol." And I've been a fan my whole
life. I had the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack as a kid, and I've had
other albums since. He's so beyond talented. He looked like he may have
been a little nervous at the very beginning – you can't blame him, it's
such a big stage and overwhelming atmosphere – but he was a fantastic
mentor. And I think having him on stage was kind of comforting, because
he was there with you for the rehearsal. He has a very down-to-earth
nature to him that I really liked. He's amazing and a great choice for
mentor, in my mind. Plus, I loved seeing the rehearsal!

And I felt like the judges were pretty good on Tuesday night. There have been
times when I've thought the judges were pretty off-base, but I found
myself agreeing with a lot of what they said, and I thought Ellen had a
good balance of funny and constructive criticism.

At this point in Week 5, blink and it's over. This is getting very
serious, because you're two away from getting to the Top 3 spot,
which means the hometown visit. To me, that looked so amazing and
beautiful — to get to go home and share it with your community. I wish
I could have done that. But the farther you go, something happens to you
where it starts getting not good enough. When you hit that Top 5 mark,
that's when look back on where you started and it seems unfathomable
that you could've made it week after week after week. Emotionally and
mentally, stuff really sets in, and you just have to hold it together
and do your best. Then again, this was the week I got eliminated, but
we had to do two songs.

Going first was always the dreaded spot, and Aaron Kelly had it. He's a
sweet kid and has a really nice voice, but those initial jitters of
just getting out there and setting the tone for the stage, it did not
quite have the charisma. I think the judges ended up saying something
to that effect. He has talent, but just the emotional talent is
lacking. It's an age thing, but it doesn't mean that he can't get it
right. He's got some experience to look ahead to, some marinating to do — that's a good thing.

Casey James I've heard good things about because my mom kind of likes
him. When he started singing, through, the tone of his voice, I felt
like he was not comfortable. I think he was trying to fit himself into
this situation, but it wasn't his thing. When they mentioned the
sustain, like he never holds a note, I can tell that belting out a
tune is not for him. He's not "an 'American Idol' singer," but he did
what he could with the situation. Regardless of whether he was super
comfortable with the song — I'm not sure that he was — I could tell he
was comfortable with himself, and I really like that about him.

As for Crystal Bowersox, I felt like she was quite natural and
understated. I could see that she wasn't belting it out, but I really
appreciate what she said: that it didn't call for it. While you're
standing up there, it's a very unreal feeling, but my natural tendency
was to just want to talk to the judges, have a conversation about it,
like, "OK, those are your thoughts, here are my thoughts." It was never
to get back in their faces or be disrespectful, or not receive
criticism well, but just to let them know kind of what it was like for
me up there. And I felt that from Crystal. She's not trying to be
sassy, she's just saying what she feels, and I know that sometimes
irritates America, from what people have told me, but I don't think
that people should be so harsh on them for saying their thoughts about
what they just had to do. I think it's OK to be real and honest, as long
as you're respectful and don't have a big attitude. 

With Big Mike, as soon as I heard him talk, I could tell he was in his
zone and he's going to do fine. This night was for him. I felt like
there was a beginning, a middle and an end in his arrangement. The song was
dead-on for him, there wasn't a lot of coaxing to get into this zone –
he was in his element and very natural. He commanded it, he was
comfortable, he was just good.

Lee gets the gold star for the night, and I felt that way in the first
two lines of the song. Actually, I felt that way in his package piece
that ran before he went on stage. Here's why he gets the gold star: For
one, he was somehow able to find a sweet spot in his vocal style where
I could completely hear him as an artist. That's the magic, and I would
say it definitely happened for him. Lee's voice was independent of the
night's style but still stood out, regardless of the style.

Siobhan probably would've done excellent this week too — and that's the hard part about the show: People go home too soon.

As far as when to adapt and when to stay true to yourself, they're both
highly important on "American Idol." As an artist in the real world,
you're not going to be asked to sing 20 different styles, although you
might on occasion be asked to do something like what I did couple weeks
ago on "Idol" where I came back to sing an Elvis tune as a duet — that
was one of those situations that called for you to adapt. When you're
able to both adapt and be true to yourself, that's when the stars align
and something magical happens. At that point, you just have to be
grateful that you were able to find that sweet spot because it's either
hard or easy, but there's no middle ground. 

– Brooke White

Follow @realbrookewhite and @IdolTracker on Twiiter

Photo: Brooke White poses on the red carpet at the "American Idol" Season 8 finale in May 2009. Credit: Gregg DeGuire / PictureGroup


Visit Source

Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick this week’s biggest loser

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

RAY_6081

Last night was Sinatra night, and although some of the contestants found their swing, others stumbled over Ol' Blue Eyes' songs. Our "American Idol" experts are almost unanimous in their prognosis for who will be voted off Wednesday night.

Nearly all of our pundits predict that Casey James — who performed "Blue Skies" without his beloved guitar — will be on the chopping block this week.

Does he deserve to be sent home? We'll find out Wednesday, but see how America's leading "Idol" experts voted here.

And pop back here to Idol Tracker at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss at our live chat with special guest David Hernandez.

– Joy Press

Photo: Mentor Harry Connick Jr. (center, in black) with (left to right) Lee DeWyze, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Crystal Bowersox and Michael Lynche. Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox

Visit Source

‘Idol’ post-show chat today at 1 p.m. with special guest

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

We're using a new interface this week, but Idol Tracker's weekly chat will go on as scheduled at 1 p.m. PDT. Our guest on this go-round? Season 7's David Hernandez, who'll try and help us make sense of Sinatra night — the highs and the lows. Will Casey's shaky performance be his last? Will we see the final three trifecta of Big Mike, Crystal and Lee materialize or will Aaron Jedi mind trick his way into that slot too? Join us here for a lively discussion of all things "Idol." (Note: Comments won't be moderated until the chat begins at 1 p.m.)

Visit Source

Buzzmeter: ‘Idol’ experts pick this week’s biggest loser

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

RAY_6081

Last night was Sinatra night, and although some of the contestants found their swing, others stumbled over Ol' Blue Eyes' songs. Our "American Idol" experts are almost unanimous in their prognosis for who will be voted off Wednesday night.

Nearly all of our pundits predict that Casey James — who performed "Blue Skies" without his beloved guitar — will be on the chopping block this week.

Does he deserve to be sent home? We'll find out Wednesday, but see how America's leading "Idol" experts voted here.

And pop back here to Idol Tracker at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss at our live chat with special guest David Hernandez.

– Joy Press

Photo: Mentor Harry Connick Jr. (center, in black) with (left to right) Lee DeWyze, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Crystal Bowersox and Michael Lynche. Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox

Visit Source

Ann Powers: Lee finds his swing on Sinatra night

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Lee4_l1xeyonc It's informative to listen to the two versions of "All the Way," the ballad by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen, recorded by the presiding spirits of this week's "American Idol." This week's mentor, Harry Connick Jr., took on the tune last year in a jaunty version that was all hope and sunlight, the musing of a groom watching his bride walk toward the altar. The original 1957 take by Frank Sinatra, the artist the "Idol" hopefuls honored Tuesday night, is something different. Dripping with strings, building to a full-throated, almost Italian climax, the Ol' Blue Eyes version is sentimental. But it also carries a lot of gravitas. Sinatra takes the phrases slowly. He's thinking. Every phrase is a further commitment. He knows what he loses by gaining this girl.

Gravitas. It means personal depth, the kind of seriousness that turns inward before it reaches out. That's a quality rarely seen on "American Idol," which is more about melodrama, big gestures that don't go that deep. When it has surfaced — with David Cook near the end of his run, for example — it signals a leap in development that can often indicate who will become the season's champion.

Connick might have talked about such issues while mentoring the Top Five; his advice was peppered with five-dollar words and references to harmonics and bent notes, a sign that he was taking this gig seriously. (His lively musical arrangements cemented that deal.) But the barroom jazz prince of New Orleans has the sprightly spirit of a musical prodigy, and he steered the hopefuls toward sharper technique and showmanship rather than delving into their psyches. The emotional side he left up to them.

Most didn't follow through nearly as much as anyone would hope at this stage in the "Idol" competition.Was Sinatra just beyond them, the deep-voiced ghost of a lost masculine ideal, one they'd only possibly spotted on "Mad Men"? (Is high schooler Aaron Kelly even allowed to watch such shows?) No one took us into the wee small hours of the morning, where Sinatra cast so many of his greatest blues and ballads. Only a couple of singers could even grasp at the sense of personal power (operative cliche: swagger) that informed Frank's swinging numbers, or the other side of that entitlement — the knowledge that with privilege comes responsibility.

But those are complicated messages to communicate in the tiny slice of performance each prospective "Idol" gets. Instead, most of the Top Five simply tried to swing as best they could, and to complement the sparkle of Connick's arrangements. Aaron Kelly did pretty well, hitting the night's best high notes on "Fly Me to the Moon"; Michael Lynche showed his usual bravado, taking "The Way You Look Tonight" into the bedroom.

Crystal Bowersox, coming into the week as the strongest contender, seemed ready to try something new: Her black lace dress gave her the look of a classy madam, making this critic hopeful for a little bit of the spirit of Divine Miss M., or at least some Maria Muldaur. But Bowersox lost her nerve halfway through "The Summer Wind" and resorted to her signature big notes, which in this context were meaningless.

She was better than Casey James, though, who apparently really does need his guitar to function properly. Off-tune and even more awkward-looking than usual, the Texas troubadour practically pushed himself offstage with this awful turn.

The whole night was enough to make a faithful "Idol" viewer cry out, "One more for the road." Then Lee DeWyze took a seat beside Connick, who was at the keyboards (the mentor had previously noted the Mini-Me-style resemblance between the boy from Illinois and himself), and changed the mood of the whole night.

DeWyze didn't do it with gravitas, exactly. But he did exhibit that crucial moment of growth. His soft spot is for the glum and the shouty, probably due to a youth spent listening to third-rate Nirvana wannabes; artistic development, in his case, would only come from lightening up. Genuinely swinging through "That's Life," wearing a smile that never once seemed forced, DeWyze achieved something rare for this season of nerves and half-starts: He proved himself to be multidimensional. The depth he exhibited also had warmth and complexity. Sinatra would have slapped him on the back.

– Ann Powers

Photo: Lee DeWyze during the Top 5 performances, or Sinatra Night. Credit: Michael Becker / FOX

Visit Source

Ann Powers: Lee finds his swing on Sinatra night

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Lee4_l1xeyonc It's informative to listen to the two versions of "All the Way," the ballad by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen, recorded by the presiding spirits of this week's "American Idol." This week's mentor, Harry Connick Jr., took on the tune last year in a jaunty version that was all hope and sunlight, the musing of a groom watching his bride walk toward the altar. The original 1957 take by Frank Sinatra, the artist the "Idol" hopefuls honored Tuesday night, is something different. Dripping with strings, building to a full-throated, almost Italian climax, the Ol' Blue Eyes version is sentimental. But it also carries a lot of gravitas. Sinatra takes the phrases slowly. He's thinking. Every phrase is a further commitment. He knows what he loses by gaining this girl.

Gravitas. It means personal depth, the kind of seriousness that turns inward before it reaches out. That's a quality rarely seen on "American Idol," which is more about melodrama, big gestures that don't go that deep. When it has surfaced — with David Cook near the end of his run, for example — it signals a leap in development that can often indicate who will become the season's champion.

Connick might have talked about such issues while mentoring the Top Five; his advice was peppered with five-dollar words and references to harmonics and bent notes, a sign that he was taking this gig seriously. (His lively musical arrangements cemented that deal.) But the barroom jazz prince of New Orleans has the sprightly spirit of a musical prodigy, and he steered the hopefuls toward sharper technique and showmanship rather than delving into their psyches. The emotional side he left up to them.

Most didn't follow through nearly as much as anyone would hope at this stage in the "Idol" competition.Was Sinatra just beyond them, the deep-voiced ghost of a lost masculine ideal, one they'd only possibly spotted on "Mad Men"? (Is high schooler Aaron Kelly even allowed to watch such shows?) No one took us into the wee small hours of the morning, where Sinatra cast so many of his greatest blues and ballads. Only a couple of singers could even grasp at the sense of personal power (operative cliche: swagger) that informed Frank's swinging numbers, or the other side of that entitlement — the knowledge that with privilege comes responsibility.

But those are complicated messages to communicate in the tiny slice of performance each prospective "Idol" gets. Instead, most of the Top Five simply tried to swing as best they could, and to complement the sparkle of Connick's arrangements. Aaron Kelly did pretty well, hitting the night's best high notes on "Fly Me to the Moon"; Michael Lynche showed his usual bravado, taking "The Way You Look Tonight" into the bedroom.

Crystal Bowersox, coming into the week as the strongest contender, seemed ready to try something new: Her black lace dress gave her the look of a classy madam, making this critic hopeful for a little bit of the spirit of Divine Miss M., or at least some Maria Muldaur. But Bowersox lost her nerve halfway through "The Summer Wind" and resorted to her signature big notes, which in this context were meaningless.

She was better than Casey James, though, who apparently really does need his guitar to function properly. Off-tune and even more awkward-looking than usual, the Texas troubadour practically pushed himself offstage with this awful turn.

The whole night was enough to make a faithful "Idol" viewer cry out, "One more for the road." Then Lee DeWyze took a seat beside Connick, who was at the keyboards (the mentor had previously noted the Mini-Me-style resemblance between the boy from Illinois and himself), and changed the mood of the whole night.

DeWyze didn't do it with gravitas, exactly. But he did exhibit that crucial moment of growth. His soft spot is for the glum and the shouty, probably due to a youth spent listening to third-rate Nirvana wannabes; artistic development, in his case, would only come from lightening up. Genuinely swinging through "That's Life," wearing a smile that never once seemed forced, DeWyze achieved something rare for this season of nerves and half-starts: He proved himself to be multidimensional. The depth he exhibited also had warmth and complexity. Sinatra would have slapped him on the back.

– Ann Powers

Photo: Lee DeWyze during the Top 5 performances, or Sinatra Night. Credit: Michael Becker / FOX

Visit Source

Siobhan Magnus looks back on her time in ‘La-La Land’

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Siobhan-mic During her "American Idol" run, Siobhan Magnus had a reputation for octave-defying notes and unapologetic retorts. As we got to know the Barnstable, Mass., native, we also learned of her love of horror movies, Hole and Hanson, but there's much more to this sixth-place finisher than meets the eye … or ear, or nose. Yes, Siobhan gives some sensory answers to our "La-La Land"
questionnaire (her first impression of our fair city: "Smells like pee"), along with an illustration fitting of her always imaginative mind, after the jump …  

– Shirley Halperin

Photo credit: Nino Munoz / Fox / PictureGroup

SiobhanLaLa1

Siobhan-LaLa

Visit Source

Siobhan Magnus looks back on her time in ‘La-La Land’

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Siobhan-mic During her "American Idol" run, Siobhan Magnus had a reputation for octave-defying notes and unapologetic retorts. As we got to know the Barnstable, Mass., native, we also learned of her love of horror movies, Hole and Hanson, but there's much more to this sixth-place finisher than meets the eye … or ear, or nose. Yes, Siobhan gives some sensory answers to our "La-La Land"
questionnaire (her first impression of our fair city: "Smells like pee"), along with an illustration fitting of her always imaginative mind, after the jump …  

– Shirley Halperin

Photo credit: Nino Munoz / Fox / PictureGroup

SiobhanLaLa1

Siobhan-LaLa

Visit Source

Daughtry rocks downtown L.A.

Posted: 05 May 2010 07:25 PM PDT

Daughtry2

Over at Pop & Hiss, writer Mikael Wood reviewed Monday night's Daughtry show at downtown L.A.'s Nokia Theatre. The appearance was sold out, and Wood described "many denim-clad mom types filling out the capacity crowd."

Daughtry performed two covers that are staples of their set — Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" — along with a slew of the band's own hits, including "It's Not Over," "Over You" and "Home," on which "American Idol's" season 5 finalist was joined by singer Jason Wade, frontman for Lifehouse, who opened the show.

But Wood says "the band's muscular stomp lacked flavor and character" on songs like "Learn My Lesson" and "Every Time You Turn Around," off Daughtry's most recent album, "Leave This Town." "It was serving up meat and potatoes with a goal of satisfaction, not delectation," he wrote, before adding: "Even in those cuts, Daughtry's impressively nimble vocals were worth hearing."

Any Idol Tracker readers at the show? We'd love to know what you thought of Daughtry's L.A. bow.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photo: Chris Daughtry (right) with guitarist Josh Steely at the Nokia Theatre. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Visit Source

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)