The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite

‘Idol’ results show minute-by-minute recap: The stage is set for a CrystaLee finale!

Posted: 21 May 2010 07:34 AM PDT

Pg188031

You'd think this second-to-last episode of "Idol" would be a teary affair, since not only does it mean the season's coming to a close, but it also signals the end of the Simon Cowell era — at least where the "Idol" studio is concerned. But surprisingly, Stage 36 was anything but on Wednesday night as contestants, judges, crew and audience members brought the party vibe to the usually tense results show, and it's not just because all 12 Idols and three of the four judges serenaded Fox Alternative Entertainment President Mike Darnell for his birthday. More on that and all the off-camera action in our minute-by-minute recap…

5:40 p.m. While it's normally pretty quiet this long before "Idol" goes to air, there's more of a buzz in the studio, not just for the Top 3, but the Top 12 – together on the stage again for the first time since March.

5:42 And now for a different kind of group number: all 12 finalists along with judges Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi come out to center stage. Ryan Seacrest, as he's naturally prone to do, takes charge of hosting duties. "A quick happy birthday to the guy that hired all of us," Ryan tells the studio audience before summoning Mike Darnell to his fit-for-a-network-king cake.

5:43 But before the first slice is cut, Ryan must recap the judges' comments. "Randy said, You've got quite a range," he begins. "Ellen loves the way your jeans fit… Kara uses the same hairdresser and Simon approves of the boots…" All inside jokes that anyone who sees Darnell in the flesh would get in an instant (here's a picture).

5:45 Someone asks, "Where's Simon?" Ryan's reply: "He's painting his shirt on."

5:47 Siobhan Magnus is looking a little blonder, and Didi Benami a bit bouncier than last we saw them both.

5:48 Taking advantage of some time with the judges, Lee DeWyze talks to Ellen while Casey chats with Randy, but it's only a couple minutes later when Lee is asked to exit stage left.

5:50 Siobhan leads the pack of former finalists down to the audience, looking adorable in an orange dress and leg warmers. Big Mike is back and doing his wave thing.

5:52 As the nine non-semifinalists get situated, Corey the warm-up guy launches into a game he often plays with three people plucked out of the crowd: Guess the next lyric. Only problem is, with Siobhan mere feet away, she's yelling out all the answers! Starting with NSync's "Bye Bye Bye," then Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," and so on.

5:53 "Siobhan knows every word to every song and wants to sing everything," taunts Corey with a laugh.

5:55 Kara takes a couple minutes to catch up with Big Mike while the rest of the Idols are shuffled to their assigned seats. Siobhan's got the primo spot, right behind Simon.

5:59 With a minute until airtime comes first glimpse of Simon Cowell's bopping head as he makes the 30-second walk to the judges' table one last time. And like every week in his nine-year tenure, his bum meets the cushion just in the nick of time.

6 While the people at home watch the opening package, Ryan Seacrest takes position and the audience is reminded to greet his announcement with deafening screams.

6:02 The crowd doesn't disappoint and even newcomer Travis Garland gets a healthy round of applause.

6:03 Season 9's last three standing — Crystal, Lee and Casey — walk out on cue, though the audience needs no prompting in getting up on its feet. Little do they know they're in for six minutes of painful chit-chat.

6:05 Simon is staring at the ceiling. Literally — head back, mouth open, clearly a little bored.

6:06 Finally, somebody admits that they actually want to win. Welcome to the contest, Lee DeWyze.

6:07 The diabetic Crystal tells of an improvement in her health and thanks the show for access to care she otherwise wouldn't have (in the form of a nurse who's on call 24-7, or so we hear).

6:09 The first break is a welcome one, but rather than bolt for the door (and a smoke), Simon stays behind and chats with friends in the audience.

6:10 Lacey Brown and Katie Stevens pose for photographers while two stools are moved to center stage. The Top 3 try to make contact with friends in the crowd.

6:11 Randy gives Simon a giant bear hug and shakes him around a bit. It's a really sweet moment.

6:13 The Top 3 settle into the blue couch for the Ford music video but have little reaction to actually watching it. Perhaps, after nine weeks and just as many shoots, they could use a Sonesta, not just a Fiesta.

6:14 As Casey's hometown package plays, he takes a seat at the base of the judges' table.

6:16 While certain parts of the video make him laugh, Casey turns around during the hospital portion so as to shield his eyes.

6:17 Seconds into Casey's visit and upon hearing his own thank you to the doctors who saved his life, you could tell he's trying really hard not to lose it.

6:18 Casey clears his throat and gets ready to talk to Ryan, while on the couches, Crystal and Lee look moved hearing him share his experience.

6:19 Corey is back at the microphone for break No. 2 and he has his sights set on one woman holding a sign that reads "Cougars for Casey Jones." You read that right. And no, she's not a Dead Head. Her name is Bonnie, she's from Redondo Beach and is a chaplain, of all things. Which just goes to show that "Idol" can bring the teenage girl out in anybody.

6:20 Corey continues prodding Barbara: "Progressive, I see that," he cracks, prompting stage manager Debbie Williams to chide him over the PA. "Be respectful to cougars!"

6:22 Seconds away from the end of the break and Simon gets out of his seat to hug Perez Hilton, now seated in the front row and a good 20 pounds lighter so not as easy to recognize.

6:24 Ryan introduces Hilton, who introduces Travis Garland by telling the audience how he discovered the former boy bander. Travis "posted a cover he did of this T.I. and Justin Timberlake song 'Dead and Gone,'" Perez explained. What impressed him about it? "The fact that he was better than Justin Timberlake," said Perez in all seriousness. (He later clarified to Idol Tracker that he was referring only to that specific song.)

6:25 Travis' performance was taped earlier in the afternoon, so Hilton stands while watching it on the giant video screen, with Seacrest by his side. The judges also seem to be paying attention.

6:26 In the studio, a taped performance always comes through crystal clear, but in Travis' case, his percussion accompaniment by Street Drum Corps made the song sound even bigger.

6:28 A commercial break allows Simon the chance to say a proper hello to Perez as the rest of the judges wait in line to do the same. Of course technically, Perez and Kara DioGuardi are co-workers, both employed by the A&R department at Warner Bros. Records — even if it's only part-time.

6:29 As Crystal signs a poster for a fan in the crowd, someone nearby comments, "Casey looks so hot today." You'd think the adoration of millions of females just like this one would carry him through…

6:30 Perez takes a photo with all the judges, then heads toward backstage.

6:31 We're back and Ryan makes first mention of audition cities for this summer (already?) — among them San Francisco, Jersey City, N.J., and Nashville.

6:33 It's time for Crystal's hometown visit to the tune of her very own song, "Holy Toledo," which, if paid for, probably netted her a decent chunk of change (somewhere in the vicinity of $3,000, I'd venture to guess).

6:35 Like Casey, Crystal finds the footage with her dad a little too much to handle, and wipes away tears on more than one occasion.

6:36 But a minute later, she's smiling ear-to-ear while tapping her foot along as if she's sitting on a ragged stool at Papa's Tavern.

6:37 The video transitions to Lee's hometown visit in Chicago and he scoots to the edge of the couch to watch.

6:38 The boy at Lee's elementary school who's plugging his ears to shield them from the piercing screams is not only adorably funny, but smart. Save your hearing, kid! The studio audience loves it, as does Lee, who makes his way to the stool with Ryan.

6:40 If audience applause is any indication, Lee had it in the bag a good 15 minutes before the results were announced. As soon as the video package ends, the crowd simply goes nuts and Lee's dad gives his son a "you the man" point of the finger.

6:42 It's time for another break but Simon sticks around to greet friends and fans with Kara. A few feet away, Siobhan is throwing T-shirts bearing her name to excited audience members raising their hands in hopes of snagging one.

6:45 Realizing there's a second taped performance up next, the judges exit the studio for a Bieber breather.

6:48 This two-song performance of "Smile" and "Baby" was taped well over a month ago, but to several excited women of the cougar persuasion down in the mosh pit, it was as if the Biebs had just made hand-to-hand contact.

6:49 On a personal note, his drumming is very impressive!

6:50 The blue couch is wheeled out for the final time in this last commercial break.

6:52 Crystal takes a last-minute swig from a bottle of water, and with 30 seconds out, all three are positioned and ready for a verdict. A fan screams their love for Lee and he returns the favor with an "I love you too."

6:53 Casey takes a deep breath just before the broadcast resumes. It's time.

6:54 With the red light on and pulsing, Lee looks nervous, Crystal looks calm and Casey looks resigned.

6:55 Lee is first to go through and it's an instant standing ovation for this fan favorite.

6:56 Ryan's next line? "Joining Lee for a shot at the title is… Crystal Bowersox…" But Crystal didn't quite seem to hear him. "So I'm safe?" she asks with a wide-eyed look. Crystal's next move: practically tackling her audition buddy, Lee.

6:57 Ryan hands the microphone to Casey, who in turn looks for a guitar to grab onto. Alas, the show's trusty guitar tech is nowhere to be found — a sad final reminder that this show is and will always be a singing competition (and a popularity contest).

6:58 In a move of exit brilliance, Casey makes his way through a crowd of girls, then to the judges' table, and finally grabs onto a little girl, who turns out to be his niece, and melts the studio's collective heart. He finishes his encore of John Mayer's "Daughters" from the riser, where he stays to hug Randy and the rest of the judges.

6:59 Casey heads back up the stairs for one last goodbye, while stage manager Debbie gives Crystal a supportive tug then leads her to center stage for the show's sign-off and the finale coin toss!

7:00 With Casey on the sidelines, Debbie gathers Lee, Crystal, the judges and Ryan for a coin toss to determine who'll have the choice of going first or second. She explains that it has a picture of both of their faces and that Ryan doesn't actually know how to properly toss a coin.

7:01 Ryan asks band leader Rickey Minor for a drum roll, to which Crystal suggests her favorite, "human drum roll?" then asks, "Is it chocolate and wrapped in foil?" With cameras rolling, it's time.

7:02 Indeed, Ryan's toss is more of a throw, but it lands Crystal's head up. "Are you gonna hate me if I go second?" she asks her competitor. And with a shake of Lee's head, the last slot is Crystal's.

How do you feel about Casey's exit? And did the right two make it to the finish line?

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photos, from top:

Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox moments after they were given the finale news. Credit: Frank
Micelotta / Fox / PictureGroup

From left, Aaron Kelly, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus and Didi Benami at the Wednesday elimination show. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox / PictureGroup

Justin Bieber performs Wednesday. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox / PictureGroup

Casey James performs his goodbye song Wednesday. Credit: Frank Micelotta / Fox / PictureGroup

Visit Source

Melissa Etheridge on Crystal Bowersox: ‘She’s in the heart of America’

Posted: 21 May 2010 07:34 AM PDT

You likely didn't see her on Tuesday night's broadcast, but seated just a few rows back from Crystal Bowersox's boyfriend, Tony, was Melissa Etheridge, Crystal's very own idol (whom she met back in Chicago in 2008), recent text buddy and the singer-songwriter behind "Come to My Window," the 1994 hit she chose for the semifinals round. "It's a song I've always loved and wanted to play," said Crystal following the performance show and confirming that she was, indeed, aware of Etheridge's attendance ahead of time. "She knew I was singing her song, and I think I performed it well."

And what did Etheridge think? "That's a hard song to do in a minute in a half," the Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist told Idol Tracker just before heading backstage to say hello to the Top 3. "Crystal works it, she brings it out in the end, and I love her voice."

No stranger to hearing her songs on "Idol," Etheridge then played the role of judge for a minute, admitting (with a laugh) that she agreed with Randy and "didn't like the arrangement, either." What didn't jibe about it? "I could tell she was trying to pick different parts of [the song] out and get that bridge in that everybody loves," said Etheridge, sheepishly. "But I feel so protective of her now!"

And with Crystal's initiation into the Final 2, that concern should only intensify from here on out, whether or not the single mom from Elliston, Ohio, wins. Said Etheridge: "Whatever happens now, she's got talent, and she's in the heart of America."

So is a duet in store? Perhaps in the future but not on finale night, said Etheridge without elaborating. We, however, have a theory why. More on that later.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Top photo: Crystal Bowersox strikes a pose during her hometown visit May 14. Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox/PictureGroup

Bottom photo: Melissa Etheridge. Credit: JM James Minchin III

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

Visit Source

Nick Mitchell’s send-off ‘Slap’ to Simon Cowell: It’s a ‘hot mess’

Posted: 21 May 2010 07:34 AM PDT

As we near the end of Simon Cowell's "American Idol" run, we can look forward to plenty of tributes, video packages and even a roast or two. Host Ryan Seacrest told Idol Tracker back in April that he's been assigned to compile a video send-off for Simon, and, indeed, we saw the two of them trailed by cameras after Tuesday's performance show, as they walked practically arm-in-arm toward Simon's two-story dressing room.

And now comes word of another goodbye clip, this one helmed by Season 8 Top 24 contender Nick Mitchell and his alter ego, Norman Gentle, who took to New York's Times Square (in a flatbed truck, U2-style) for what he describes as "a hot mess" of a video to accompany the song, "Brit Slap" (listen below). He means that in the best way, of course.

How did "Brit Slap" come about? Honestly, it was a fluke. Through Fred Bronson [a former editor at Billboard magazine], I had a lunch in New York, which led me to some amazing musicians, who asked me if I would want to come to their recording studio in Brooklyn and experiment. I told them I was more of a character performer, but they talked me into trying to do a song that was a perfect fit for Norman Gentle called "Bitchslap!" Then, right after we recorded it, the news came out that Simon is leaving "Idol," so we thought to do two versions, a censored one called "Brit Slap!" and the original "Bitchslap!" So now that were putting out a record, I told them Norman Gentle as a cabaret character was too limiting, so we have to go by the name "Gentle" now, like Chris Daughtry's "Daughtry." In my mind, it is the only way Norman could do it!

What's your favorite lyric in the song?

The song is not really about Simon — the songwriters had it way before I ever met them — but I do love the lyric, "Nothing's ever good enough / You've got it so tough / Broken record, same old song / I'm done!" Deep down, and I truly mean this, I love Simon. I think just as much as he is a musical entrepreneur, he's an amazing comedian. His one-liners are on a Ricky Gervais, Chris Rock level! I really look up to him.

What was the most fun part of the video shoot?

Oh my gosh, what to choose? I loved my four dancer girls from Alvin Ailey Ballet School, called the "Gentle-lettes." I loved performing the song on the Manhattan Bridge in rush-hour traffic, and people just staring at us, like, "What the …?" And I also loved doing the Britney Spears "Womanizer" steam room scene! But the shoot had over 20 dancers and 10 cameras! Life is funny sometimes.

What kind of legacy will Simon Cowell leave?

I honestly love "American Idol" so much, but I really feel it's going to be so hard to replace him. Simon Cowell goes into the unique category of people, very few have achieved it, where they're the complete opposite of everything you were taught growing up, Like, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it." Simon has proved that wrong, and it's made him a billionaire!

If you were to see Simon again, what would you say?

I would give him a hug, and then they would call security. No, I would probably tell him how funny I thought he was on the show, and thank him for giving me and "Norman Gentle" the opportunity to go as far as we did in the competition — because let's be real, he has a lot of power there — and because it changed my life, and now I am getting to do what makes me happiest: entertaining people.

Where do you hope this song/video will end up?

MTV, Logo, VH1, YouTube … but above all, I would love it to end up on Simon's laptop. If you have his e-mail address, I can gift it to him on iTunes.

I'm sure Simon can spring for the $1.99 it costs to download. When will it be available? In time for the finale?

Yes, the video will be out within the next week. It's still in post. I just felt really cool using the word "post."

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Visit Source

The latest on Adam Lambert: New video, ‘Ellen’ performance, rehearsals for Glam Nation

Posted: 21 May 2010 07:34 AM PDT

Last year's runner-up Adam Lambert has been so insanely busy of late, it's been nearly impossible to keep up with him! Between jetting off to Europe to performing at last weekend's Wango Tango concert and headlining his own tour, kicking off June 4, the summer of Adam is almost upon us, and it promises to raise plenty of eyebrows, temperatures and probably blood pressure too.

To that end, we did manage to get our hands on this stunning photo from the video to his latest single, "If I Had You." The all-night shoot went down a week ago in L.A.'s Griffith Park, where Adam was joined by local friends and a few of his dancers for cameo roles. Rocking an Oliver Twisted, "Clockwork Orange"-inspired look, the imagery seemed even zanier than first described by media outlets, like this report by MTV.

Still no word on when the video will air, but "Entertainment Tonight" has a sneak peek that it will show on Thursday night (check local listings). Adam also performed the song on Wednesday's "Ellen" and explained a bit about the meaning behind it. "It's talking about how fame and fortune and all the material
things that come with this lifestyle don't mean anything if you don't
have that love and that connection," he said. "It's an
awesome message to put out into the world." Check out video from that performance below.

On the other end of Adam's world — but very close to home — L.A. Times contributor Mikael Wood has incited a virtual riot over at Pop & Hiss with his two-paragraph mention of Adam's Wango Tango set at Staples Center last weekend, which he contended "came up short." We weren't there, so it's hard to comment, but knowing how fast-paced, frantic and often chaotic multi-artist radio-show bills can be (especially with the likes of Justin Bieber and Usher in headlining slots), we'd surmise that it's by no means an accurate preamble to Adam's upcoming trek. Were you there? What did you think?

And speaking of Glam Nation station, we hear band rehearsals are well underway for the upcoming tour (with Allison Iraheta and Orianthi as openers), and tickets are selling swiftly. As for whether "American Idol" audiences will get to see Adam on the Nokia stage for finale night? According to Adam himself (via Twitter), a performance slot is not happening. "Guess they have plenty of artists booked," he wrote, encouraging fans to tune into Wednesday's "Ellen" and Friday's "Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

Whether he attends Season 9's last showt, Crystal Bowersox has Adam's endorsement. He told MTV he'd lean toward her for the win because he liked "her anti-establishment rebelliousness." Although it must be said, it didn't win "Idol" for Adam …

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photo: Adam Lambert on the set of his "If I Had You" video. Credit: Lisa Rose / Zuma Press

Visit Source