the recovery process begins...

It's Tuesday.

And there's no Idol.

What do we do?

Well, if you're me, you spend time on the computer, looking for new media sources.  And look what I found!

AI Media is a great site that I visit frequently.  In fact, I just finished my Bo Bice collection with the highest quality videos I have found -- high def, widescreen, .avi files.  If you're a Bo fan, check it out.  (You will have to register to have access to the media.)

But better yet -- I have just finished downloading most of season two -- the complete episodes, minus the commercials.  And they have seasons one and three too!  I'll get to those later.

I've downloaded the files.  They're clean, free of viruses or spyware, but they are filled with Ryan.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  And it's interesting to watch the interaction, post Corey claims, between Paula and the bad man.

Hey, a girl's gotta get her Idol fix now, doesn't she...


Oh!  And if you download her media, be sure to click to vote for her site!  Thanks.

 

here she is...

And she's currently number 5 at Barnes and Noble. 

Still waiting for the other cover.

inside your heaven...

Well, it's official!

Carrie's single Inside Your Heaven/Independence Day is available for pre-sale at amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.  It is currently the third overall bestseller at B&N.

And Bo's single Inside Your Heaven/Vehicle is also available for pre-sale at amazon and at Barnes and Noble.  His is the overall bestseller at B&N.

I'll keep an eye out how well each of them sell at amazon.  Since they just hit the "shelves" there, it's too soon for either a ranking or a CD cover.

Stay tuned.

in honor of memorial day...

The Idols, minus Carrie and Bo, sing the National Anthem.

They finally got this group-singing thing right.  Very nicely done.

And if you missed it, here's the video.  There's little doubt who put this together.  Be certain to check out musical director, Anwar.  Maybe Idol should hire him to orchestrate the group numbers from now on.

 

the battle has begun...

Apparently.  But I'm not exactly sure what to make of it.

Seems Barnes and Noble online is offering for pre-sale both Carrie's and Bo's single.  And both of them are versions of Inside Your Heaven, with Carrie performing Independence Day on the flip and Bo performing Vehicle.  Neither of these recordings is currently available at amazon.com, however.

According to B&N, the date of Carrie's release is June 14, as we've been told, with Bo's scheduled for release one week later, June 21.

And even more interesting, Bo's version is currently the top-seller at Barnes and Noble, snatching the #1 spot from, of all artists, Simon Cowell's baby, Il Divo.  Carrie's version is currently coming in at #16.

I'm less curious about the placements than I am about the CDs themselves, considering producers made a point of informing us that Angels Brought Me Here was the planned flip for Carrie and that Bo's flip (or single) would be the not-fit-to-be-performed-by-William-Hung Long, Long Road.  And that neither is available at amazon.  And I'm even more perplexed that they would have Carrie performing Independence Day on the single, when that is her track on the compilation CD.

Guess we'll find out if all of this is accurate, or if somebody at B&N jumped the gun in the offering.

Nevertheless, both are now up for pre-sale at at least one of the major online outlets.

Whip out those credit cards folks, the kids are going head-to-head again.  And possibly lyric-for-lyric.

UPDATE:  After thinking about it, it wouldn't be the first time that producers put on the winner's CD the same track that is on the compilation CD.  They did it with Fantasia last year and Chain of Fools.  But, last year, both Fantasia and Diana's CD contained three tracks.  It is conceivable that Angels (hopefully) and Road (hopefully not) will also be included.

UPDATE #2:  Since writing this entry, Carrie's sales have skyrocketed.  Way to go people!  Of course, I'm going to take full credit.  (Just kidding, Rach.)  She is now at #4.  Gee, that was fast.  I'll keep an eye out.  Just keep checking back. 

16 days and counting...

But don't start camping out at the Wal-Mart just yet.

If you watched Larry King Live last evening on CNN, you may have caught the passing reference to June 14 being the scheduled release date for Carrie Underwood's debut single "Inside Your Heaven" with "Angels Brought Me Here" as the flip side.  (I still think they should reverse those.)

Of course, they didn't specify June 14 of what year exactly.

And, you may have heard Simon (via the telephone), Randy and Paula urge both Bo and Carrie that it is best to hold off in order to release a quality product rather than to release it quickly.  How nice of them to already start making excuses why the CD will, inevitably, be delayed in its release.  It happens every year.

And, as is customary, Bo's single CD will hit the stores soon afterward.  They learned during season two that it's a nice gesture to let the winner of Idol have at least a week alone in the stores before pitting the two top competitors against each other, once again, this time on the charts.

But the most interesting tidbit of information was not explicitly revealed but so very often alluded to and poorly masked.  Bo, it seems, is very "happy", according to Paula.  Things are, according to Bo "in the works," to which Ryan laughingly (and knowingly) called him a "liar." He wasn't giving any specifics, probably because a.) no one wants to usurp Carrie's spotlight and b.) he may be contractually prohibited from releasing any information at this time, but it was quite apparent that, if Clive Davis hasn't already signed him to a deal, which I am virtually certain that he has, then the signing is imminent.

So I don't expect as long a wait for a Bo Bice (quite possibly with Sugar Money which would have not been possible had he won) full-length CD as the Diana DeGarmo fans had to endure for last year's runner-up's debut album.

Sounds like a win/win situation all around.

awwww, poor baby...

Corey is sad.  Corey had his feelings hurt. 

Corey's not man enough to play hardball, apparently.

Poor baby.

He's crying so hard he can't even speak for himself.

"We're reminded once again last night in front of millions of viewers that not only are they not taking it seriously, but they don't feel as though we should take it seriously," Clark's spokesman, Jed Wallace, told AP Radio on Thursday.

"It's simply baffling to me that Fox would actually resurrect this controversy by doing something like that," said Wallace, calling it a "slap in the face."

I've obviously underestimated Corey Clark. 

He's more stupid than I gave him credit for.

My bad.

 

favorite finale moments...

Reviews are mixed on last night's results finale, but, excepting the traditional first hour of glorious nothingness, it was probably the best of the four finales, giving one more spotlight to the twelve finalists who laid their hearts out on that stage for us to either applaud them or crucify them.

There were some memorable moments, sprinkled throughout the two hours, though, and since I'm nearing the end of the Idol blogging season, I'm going to take a moment to remember the moments that made me wipe my eyes, or wipe the spewed beverage off my shirt.

Of course they couldn't resist starting the show off with the cheesy group song, this year doing a Beach Boys retrospective, and, as always, dressing them in Brady Bunch coordinated outfits.  (What is their fascination with yellow and white?)  The vocals were, on the whole, wretched, especially coming out of our least favorite, Lindsey, but there was one spew moment, thanks to our favorite pouter, Constantine, who, it seemed, had more fun than anyone else.  Does the photo look familiar?  What better way to end his love affair with the camera than with a sloppy smooch.

I must say that, for the very first time, I actually enjoyed Matt Rogers, who took to reporting live from Oklahoma like a fish to water.  He was funny, he was spontaneous, he was, gasp, likeable.  Hope someone from either entertainment or sports broadcasting was watching.  He may just get a job.  But no more dual hosts for Idol, please.  One Brian Dunkleman was one too many.  And I swear, if Latoya London had shown just a smidge of the personality she showed last night, we'd be saying her name in the same breath as we say Kelly.

And Carrie and Bo need to record together.  Their rendition of Up Where We Belong, with Carrie's soft voice and Bo's Joe Cocker huskiness, was really quite pleasant.  Shoot, if they can foot the bill for From Kelly to Justin, they can certainly record With Love from Carrie & Bo...

And I don't care what anyone says, bringing back Leandra Jackson, all prettied up and looking so incredibly happy, to finish singing the national anthem, after she so butchered it during the auditions was genius.  Sure she can't sing, but musical superstars have assaulted that song for years.  Leandra's rendition was preferable to a thousand pitch-perfect Diana DeGarmos, because she sang it for me, who butchers it too, but still sings it nonetheless.  And the look of joy on her face as she walked on stage to a standing ovation is what this show is all about.

And the most heartwarming moment?  Revisiting the very special relationship, formed in the audition waiting area, between Adam and Dirk, who I found incredibly adorable back then and just as sweet today.  Only real men sing David Hasselhoff, because he is, after all, a very challenging act to follow.  I literally jumped and applauded when the two friends were introduced in the audience.  And we've been waiting a few hundred years to see David Hasselhoff again.  I s'pose Adam is out.  Guess now it's Dave and Dirk.

The super-medley was terrific, a lesson in real music by real stars.  Constantine (have camera will mug), Jessica (I don't own fitting shirts) and Nadia (I forgot my skirt!) rocked the house with a rollicking Walk This Way, but the real star was our beautiful Vonzell, who, with Billy Preston, sent chills down my spine with the simply elegant With You I'm Born Again.  Talk about hits.  What a great single that would make.  Billy Preston is still so, well, Billy Preston.  Just as George Benson is just so George Benson.  Hope the kids took notes, cause that's how the big boys do it.

Poor Babyface though.  Who did he make angry to deserve both Mikalah (better suited for acting) and Lindsey (better suited for silence)?  They owe him bigtime.

But Sweet Home Alabama was worth the wait.

And so was the CRIMETIME LIVE:  Bad Judgment.  I don't know if I laughed harder at Randy's Corey, Randy's parents, Steve Edwards playing it all so very Primetime Live straight, or Constantine's hysterical camera mug.

And I am quite relieved that Anwar did not, in fact, cut his hair. After that I didn't care who won or wholost.

once upon a time there was a suit...

If the American Idol finale didn't tick off half of the people, it wouldn't be American Idol.  That's why I always question why so many of us love a show that we know will make us mad at one point or another.

Even though I predicted a narrow Bo victory, and I was surprised at last night's outcome, the more I think about it, the less shocked I am that Carrie took the title.  After all, Simon predicted a Carrie win weeks ago, and he's never been wrong yet. 

Oh, of course, people are screaming (again) that the fix was in.  And okay, conspiracy lovers, maybe it was.  Maybe votes (or Botes, as the case may be) didn't really matter.  Perhaps the AI handlers, looking at the Idol suit hanging in the closet, knew that only one of the 12 really could wear it, much like Greg Brady in that Johnny Bravo episode.  And so the competition was manufactured so that Johnny Bravo was the natural and inevitable winner.  If there's anything in the way of proof to that theory, it would be Tuesday night, when producers handed Carrie the perfect song selection and kicked Bo so far out of his comfort zone that his zip code changed.

But I prefer to believe that, knowing what a money machine the Idol franchise is, due in no small part to the interactive nature of the show, that the powers that be wouldn't dare thoroughly tamper (perhaps just tweak) with the vote totals and endanger this pop culture phenomonen.

If that makes me a sap, so be it.  I'll just continue to sap away.

The Carrie people are reveling in their happiness this morning, as they should.  Their girl is going to be all over the television, singing that insipid Heaven song until she's hoarse.  And they're counting the days until the release of her single (which, if history repeats itself, will be continually delayed until sometime in 2008).

The Bo people are rightfully disappointed, angry even, that their rocker, a true Idol original, will be forced into the blond shadow, not even getting so much as a funeral tape to mark his journey into their hearts.  (See, I still think third is better; at least third gets a swan song...)

But I maintain, and I have since season two, that being the runner-up is often the real prize.  Bo will benefit from the media attention his "upset" loss will generate.  But he won't be forced into the suit.  The Idol people proved they really didn't know what to do with a rocker.  They proved that on Tuesday.  And somehow, I can't envision Bo Bice obediently agreeing to jump through the hoops they are going to force Carrie to leap through.  (If you'll recall, Ruben Studdard tried to extradite himself from their claws when he realized Idol was methodically sucking out his brain.)

Carrie has a lot of widespread appeal.  There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of little girls in this country, who, not being able to really identify with any Idol since Kelly, want to be just like her.  (I know this first-hand, as I have to fork over five bucks to a granddaughter who has now switched from BET to CMT, all because she wants to be just like the pretty blonde.)  And what parent doesn't want their daughter to "idolize" a squeaky-clean, genuinely nice, small-town girl?  Carrie fits the bill, the suit, perfectly, while Bo, with his rough exterior and "checkered" past and knowing he really didn't need to win to succeed, would have been certain to tear the seams apart.

Clive Davis is salivating at the thought of a Bo Bice CD -- aside from the even-more-insipid-than-Heaven Long, Long Road that they're threatening us with.  If Davis has the faith in Bo, and in Bo's fans, and produces a CD filled with real music, not the standard Idol fare, it could very well outsell anything Idol forces Carrie into.  (Those Idol CDs are not known for their song quality, after all.)

Hopefully Carrie enjoys the success that an Idol should.  It's a tough playing field out there, as American Idol winners are often not given a high level of industry respect until they've proven they deserve it, as Kelly has.  And poor sales from the debut CD can often send Idols into some mystery closet, where they're not seen for months.

And hopefully Bo will drive the vehicle of Idol controversy/exposure into the nearest recording studio, someone somewhere with ears will realize the planned single is nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen, and allow him the freedom to select something worthy of his effort.  And our money. 

If so, everyone's suit will fit.  And we can live happily ever after.

FINALE: what a show...

Note to AI producers:  rewind and rewatch tonight's finale.  That's called music.

What an entertaining, fast-paced (aside from the endless commercials), fun show.  And, while I must admit I missed seeing the past Idols, the focus placed on this year's class was much more appreciated and refreshing.

And the crowning of Carrie as the new American Idol was both celebratory for her and also a celebration of this group as a whole.

Well done.

I'm working on my list of favorite moments -- although nothing could compare with Dirk finally meeting David Hasselhoff -- but those will have to wait until I rewind the tape and watch it again. 

I admit I'm surprised.  And I'm sure I'll have a lot to say.  Later.

Gosh I hate being an hour behind.

 

behold the power of cheese...

As much as I generally don't love the finale performance shows, I always look forward to the party of the finale results, even though normally they have more layers of Velveeta than my aunt's macaroni and cheese.

Every now and then, cheese is good.

It's two hours of celebration, so there's lots of time to have some fun.  There will be the requisite opening duet, with Carrie and Bo heralding togetherness, friendship and endurance.  (And rainbows, and dreams and puppies...)  There will be the appearances from former Idols.  Kelly will be a no-show, but Ruben and Fantasia should make appearances.  And, of course, we'll get live updates from Alabama and Oklahoma. 

There will be the traditional "lookie who came to see us!" as Ryan pans the audience, looking for luminaries from other FOX shows and some of the Idols from previous seasons, many of whom we saw last night.  I caught Jennifer Hudson and Camile Velasco, George Huff and Jasmine Trias last night.  We will probably get our backstage, in the makeup chair interviews with Carrie and Bo, and all that good stuff that lends to the party atmosphere.

Both will perform individually.  And then they will perform with the class of season 4 in what producers are calling a "super medley."

In past seasons, the kids, dressed nattily last year in yellow and white <gag>, sang and "danced" their way through a retrospective of the theme nights they had endured. 

This year, though, the kids are being given the opportunity to sing with their idols.  It's already been announced that guest musical guests include Rascal Flatts, to back Carrie, Lynyrd Skynyrd to back Bo, plus Kenny G. and George Benson.

Evidentially rehearsal was open yesterday, so reports are leaking about what we'll see, and, if the reports are true, it has the potential to be a lot of fun.

In addition to Carrie and Rascal Flatts and Bo with Skynyrd (who, it's said, will perform Sweet Home Alabama) Vonzell apparently will duet with Billy Preston on With You I'm Born Again.  [That performance alone will be worth the cost of my VHS tape.]  Anwar and Anthony are slated to perform I Believe I Can Fly, to the sax of Kenny G.  Scott and Nikko will perform On Broadway with George Benson and Mikalah and Lindsey are scheduled to perform Everytime I Close My Eyes, with Babyface.  And certain to get the most screams, Constantine, Jessica and Nadia will team with members of Aerosmith on Walk This Way.

Plus, of course, they're planning to flip the bird (figuratively, of course) at the amount of dirty press the show and its people have received this year.

Now, if tradition holds true, we might get a sneak preview of the winner, before it's time for Ryan to open the card.  It is a tradition for each of the final two to sing his or her first CD single.  And the winner always ends the show with the single itself.  Whoever becomes the Idol will record Inside Your Heaven (whether we like it or not...) and the other "original" song as the flip side.  So if either of them sings Heaven prior to the big reveal, it might be a tip that he or she is not going to be the one singing the show off the air.

Remember, tonight the party starts at 8 p.m. on FOX.  Who needs to watch that lost show anyway?

dreams and rainbows and heaven...

I had a dream last night.  I dreamed that I was watching one of the most brilliant installments of American Idol, one in which each performance grabbed me and held me hostage until it was over, and left me in awe of the talent and the beauty I had just witnessed.

Then I woke up.  And I realized that was last week's show. 

And the tape awaiting me in my VCR was from the finale.

Bummer.

Critics everywhere are panning last night's finish to season four.  And they're acting as though it's some big surprise.  Anyone who is surprised that last night, overall, was mediocre at best, hasn't been watching Idol very long.

The finale never lives up to the hype. 

Perhaps the reason is because we, as viewers, have built up the anticipation to a point that even the most wonderful of episodes would be a letdown of sorts.  Perhaps.  But the real reason is the fact that Idol producers have refused, year after year, to spend a decent amount of time and money to find original music that is actually fit to be performed.

Last night was no exception. 

It's pretty clear that, if this is the drivel they intend to dish out to whichever wins this thing, then they have somewhat of an idea where they plan to take either Carrie or Bo.  And it's also clear they know what to do with Carrie, but they have no clue where to take Bo.  There are already screams of manipulation, considering the original songs were far better suited to Carrie.  That was obvious, but I'm not ready to use the "conspiracy" word.  I think they just don't know what to do with a rocker.

what happened???

If I had to rank last night on the list of finales, and I've thought about this, I would rank this one last of the last four years.  When the highlight of watching the show is scanning the audience, looking for a glimpse of Constantine, or wondering who that guy was sitting next to Nadia, and the music is merely the background noise to my crowd scoping, it's a boring show.

Finales are boring though.  But each of the others have had at least one bright, shining moment that made us sit up and take notice.  There was the sheer magic of Kelly.  Then there was a Bridge over Troubled Water that saved the mess of the season two finish.  Then there was Fantasia, turning I Believe into a masterpiece, which showed that even the most deplorable song, put into the right hands, can be beautiful.  But there was no such moment last night, except for the retrospective reel.  Neither of them slapped me into attention.  Bo seemed off the entire night, even showing up late to his third song, and Carrie's volume button got stuck on high.  So I call it a draw.

But because I've learned not to expect brilliance, I was neither surprised, nor even disappointed.  Bored, perhaps, is the better word.

The winner really is a toss-up.  Bo seems to be leading in most of the online polls, although, if those online polls were indicative of voting trends, Scott would have been booted before Jessica, and Constantine would have been on stage rather than in the audience.

The performances on Tuesday make no difference in the voting patterns of the Bice Squad and the CareBears.  But it likely could make all the difference to the displaced Fanzells who might base a decision solely on what they saw and heard on that stage, as opposed to what they've witnessed all season. 

And so, because I think Vonzell fans are more likely to support the rocker Bo over the country girl Carrie, and Simon essentially lit a fire under a voting bloc, telling Bo what a pleasure it's been to have him in the game, kinda like saying goodbye and then telling Carrie she had done enough to win, almost exactly what he told Clay in season two, I predict that Bo will get to sing the last song again tonight. 

But it's nice that, for once, I'm not going to be unhappy either way.  Except that it's all over until January.

 

FINALE: early impressions...

Lots of hoopla.  Lots of flourish.  Lots of people.  Lots of Idols.  How great is it to see the gang all back together.  But someone stole my Anwar and replaced him with some bald guy.  Oh well, I'll deal with that later.  And I loved the retrospective.  Got to see my boy Leroy!

Biggest complaint of the evening?  Judges who criticize the song choices of contestants who try to sing songs they had no say in choosing.  I say when 19E gets some half-decent songwriters, then complain.  Otherwise, no sniping from the judges about how atrocious a house-written song is, and no whining when no one buys it.  Perhaps one day, when they start putting money behind their Idols, maybe those Idols' rookie singles will be met with a bit more respect.

Nonetheless, there's plenty of time to argue management decisions.  Now it's time to quickly jot my initial impressions of tonight's six performances, reserving my right to readjust and realign, and as always, from worst to first.

Bo Bice (Long, Long Road) --  Good Lord, who the hell picked this song?  One of Bo's biggest assets is his connection with both the performance and the audience.  He phoned this one in, and who could blame him?  It was a dreadful song, and his ambivalence toward it was painfully obvious.

Carrie Underwood (Inside Your Heaven) -- Carrie missed more notes in the front part of this song than she hit, and, while Simon was right that it was better than Bo's first outing, the nerves really seemed to show.

Carrie Underwood (Independence Day) -- Simon was right that this performance was a bit strident, but, except for one bad note at the end it was on point, in tune and as well performed as it was the first time.

Bo Bice (Vehicle) -- Bo seemed a bit more reserved with this performance than I remember from the 70s show, but, coming after that dreadful first outing, it was strong, it was fun, it was vintage Bo.  I still don't understand why this wasn't chosen as the compilation CD offering.

This is a TIE:

Bo Bice (Inside Your Heaven) -- The only way I will buy this CD is if his name is on the label.  Bo has that unique ability to take a mundane, somewhat boring song, and flip his Bo switch and transform it into magic.  He did what Carrie just failed to do with the same song,  he made this song magical.

Carrie Underwood (Angels Brought Me Here) -- I knew when I heard this song by Guy Sebastian that Carrie could turn it into something great.  And she did.  If I have one complaint, that is easier in the studio than on a live stage in front of millions in the last performance of season four of American Idol, is that this song is so much more effective less urgently presented.  But it was beautiful.  And I will buy it.

So that's it.  Who will win?  Don't have a clue.  Don't really care, actually.  Both of them are terrific.  They've proven that since January.  All I do know is that, if the rumors surrounding the Wednesday finale reveal are true, it's going to be fun.

See you then.

 

speculation and sneezing...

Bo's song selection for tonight "Long, Long Road" has been a bit more difficult to identify than has Carrie's, as there are a handful of songs either with that exact title or with titles similar.

The only clear hint given by producers is that the song was written and released by one of the songwriters under contract to 19 Entertainment.

The most likely song is one recorded in 2003 by the two-girl British rock/pop group Appleton.  Here's a link to an audio clip, and here are the lyrics:

Time has no delay
As we move to another day
While the world is turning over
Night and day are just a passing phase

And you know, yes you know
It's gonna go when you hear your call
Just reach out, grab a hand
Cos there's nothing wrong with sharing what you feel inside

Cos it's a long long road when you're traveling alone
And you've got nowhere to go
Cos on this long long road all you have to do is call
Sit back, and we'll share the phone

Knotted up inside
Feeling tense, nowhere left to hide
And while the world is turning over
Night and day are just a passing phase

And you know, yes you know
It's gonna go when you hear your call
Just reach out, grab a hand
Cos there's nothing wrong with sharing what you feel inside

Cos it's a long long road when you're traveling alone
And you've got nowhere to go
Cos on this long long road all you have to do is call
Sit back, and we'll share the phone

Share the phone
Share the phone

And you know, yes you know
It's gonna go when you hear your call
Just reach out, grab a hand
Cos there's nothing wrong with sharing what you feel inside

Cos it's a long long road when you're traveling alone
And you've got nowhere to go
Cos on this long long road all you have to do is call
Sit back, and we'll share the phone

Share the phone

I am really hoping this is not the one they've chosen, but if he plays it right, stares right into the camera and implores the millions of smitten fans to pick up "the phone...", perhaps it will work to his benefit.  (And I don't even want to think of the millions of Scott jokes thatmight evolve from it.)

The second possible song comes from Wicked Lester, which, if you're a KISS fan, you'll recognize.  Wicked Lester, and its members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, was the precursor to KISS.  Long, Long Road was written by Stanley and recorded by the group.  There are no audio clips available, but you can find the lyrics here.

Of course neither of these might be correct, but it's always fun to speculate.

And seems both of them are sick.  Carrie, it's said, is suffering from allergies.  Bo is recovering from a cold.

So, instead of American Idol, perhaps tonight to be Infectious Idol.

Where's Jim Verraros when we need him?

sneak a preview...

As has been announced, Carrie will be performing a song called "Angels Brought Me Here."  It will then either become the flip side to her CD Inside Your Heaven if she is named winner tomorrow, or it will become her first single.

Presuming it's the same one, this song is not new to BMG, Clive Davis' label.  It was recorded by Australian Idol Guy Sebastion.  And I finally found a streaming video of Sebastion performing the song.

If Carrie performs this half as well, as there's no reason she shouldn't as it is perfect for her, even I will buy it.  And I've bought a grand total of one Idol CD single.  And that had the word "Bridge" in it.

Take a listen...

 

 

it's the attack of the original songs...

So, we have the song list for tonight.  How generous of Nigel to give us a sneak peek at what we're going to hear.  But, of course, even with the song titles, we still don't know two-thirds of what we're going to hear, because, instead of letting Carrie and Bo perform a couple of familiar tunes, two of the three they'll sing are brand new and customized.

Each of them will reach back into their vaults of proven performances for one reprise.  Bo has selected to pull out Vehicle, and Carrie has chosen Independence Day.  Vehicle is not really any surprise; it received rave reviews as a breath of fresh air in a night of disco disasters.  But one wonders why, of all the songs she has performed this season, Carrie would choose the single currently in the stores as the lead-off song on the compilation CD, when, clearly, the overwhelming fan favorite was her rendition of Alone, which she sang on Billboard #1 night.  (Maybe she's just fearing the creativity of the hair staff, although I adored her big 80s hair!)

But after those familiar tunes, it's the revenge of the original songs!

Each of them will perform a number entitled Inside Your Heaven, written specifically for the crowned Idol's first single.  Undoubtedly it will be the traditional Tonight is the Night I'm Flying Without Wings cause I Believe I'm having A Moment Like This with dreams and rainbows and puppies and cream-colored ponies and crisp apple streudel song.

I'm getting all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.  Or maybe that's nausea.

But, as if one original song written by the crack writing staff (or is that writing staff on crack) of 19 Entertainment weren't enough, each of them will then present us with either the flip side of the winner's CD or the runner-up's simultaneous single.

Carrie's third song will be something called Angels Brought Me Here.  (And if they fly her down to the stage in some sort of Greek tragedy contraption, I'm gonna take a potty break.)

Bo's selection is entitled Long, Long Road.  (Oh, I can just see him approaching the stage from the back of the theatre, adding an actual long walk down the aisle to enhance the symbolism of the lyrics.  Oy.)

I'm still holding out hope for a Tuesdayduet, although I think that's going to wait until Wednesday.  There are so many possibilities out there that would be perfect for these two.  Of course, the easiest would be that awful Donny and Marie song about being a little bit country and rock and roll, but I'm hoping for maybe one of those Jennifer Warnes movie duets -- Up Where We Belong (after all, I've wanted Bo to sing Joe Cocker all season, so this might make up for it) or I've Had the Time of My Life, the one from Dirty Dancing, with Bill Medley.  But I would be okay with one of the few country songs I actually know and like:  You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma. 

Wednesday night, the final twelve, it's been announced, will do a super medley.  (Let's just hope that this year they do NOT dress in Brady Bunch color-coordinated outfits.  Or, if they're going to, Constantine still owes me a burgundy velvet vest with open-collared frilly shirt, so I will count that as payback.)  What they're going to medley is a mystery though, considering the themes (or lack, thereof) of this season.  Perhaps they will blend #1 hits by Gamble and Huff, which were replaced by Leiber and Stoller country songs from musicals of the 1980s.  Or something.

And then, it seems, as if to flip a metaphorical finger at the negative trashy press the show and its people have been given this season, they're planning a scathing skit.  (Gee I wonder which of the kids will play Corey...Anthony in Nadia's hair, perhaps!)

It's been a long season.  But it's still sad to see it end.

By the way, Bo is now at 2-5 odds, while Carrie is at 2-1.

12 hours and counting...

some finale news...

We don't know what they're singing on Tuesday, and we don't know who's gonna get confetti thrown at him or her on Wednesday, but we do know that there will be some musical guests on Wednesday, perhaps idols of the Idols?

Rascal Flatts will be taking the Idol stage Wednesday to back up Carrie in a reprise of their hit Bless the Broken Road, which Carrie performed during "currently on the charts" night.  (I can't help but wonder why one would want to bless the broken road.  I would want to fix it instead.  But that's just me.)

And Inside Edition is reporting that Lynyrd Skynyrd will also be on hand to jam with Bo.  One presumes that Bo will reprise Freebird, which he sang on "sing a song that was on the charts in the year you were born" night.  (But why not go for broke, Bo -- THAT SMELL!!  Sing THAT SMELL!!)

Should be fun.

 

 

just idoling around...

The countdown is continuing to Tuesday night.  And the cute little graphics guy is gonna be busier than ever, with both Carrie and Bo getting three phone numbers each.  And the voting, as last year, will be expanded from two hours to four.

I keep searching for any leaks on song selection, but no luck.  If the producers keep the same format (and considering this has been the season to throw out the traditional framework, so it's anyone's guess) each of them will sing three songs.  Last year Diana and Fantasia each sang the original song (written by Tamyra Gray) which was later turned into Fantasia's single.  Then each of them performed a song she had performed earlier in the competition (Fantasia chose Summertime and Diana selected Enough is Enough).  Then they sang an additional song.  (You may recall that that was when Diana performed Don't Cry Out Loud, which she had performed just the week prior.  That was reportedly a last-minute substitution when the song she had prepared failed to receive clearance in time for the finale.)

However, in season two, Clay and Ruben each were given their own original songs to perform.  (Well, to be precise, Ruben's was a cover of an obscure song that only seven people on the globe had ever heard.)  Then each of them sang two newly-prepared songs. 

My prediction is that the producers will play it closer to the vest from season two, when it was clear that there would be, ultimately, two winners.  They know that this season.  Both Carrie and Bo will release singles, and both will sell handsomely, so I expect each of them to have an original song selected just for them.  (Although, it would be a hoot to watch Bo sing a "Carrie song" and Carrie attempt a "Bo song.")  I hope they each sing two additional songs that are new to the competition, rather than reaching back and retreading an already-done one, but with three new songs, countless Wednesday finale duets and group sings, it is understandable to cut the load a bit by allowing them to perform a tried-and-true number.

_________________

Speaking of Wednesday's finale, it appears certain that the original Idol, Kelly Clarkson, will be a no-show, as she is on tour.  No word yet on Ruben, but Fantasia, the reigning Idol, is scheduled to perform.  Other past Idol names being thrown around as guests (not necessarily on stage) are Diana DeGarmo, Camile Velasco, Jennifer Hudson, Jasmine Trias, George Huff and LaToya London, who, it's rumored, will be reporting from one of the hometown viewing parties.

After all, it's a two-hour party, so there's plenty of time to kill.

_________________

Maybe you've heard that a British newspaper has already reported that Carrie Underwood won American Idol 4.  That story, which appeared over the weekend, has set the Idol internet ablaze with screams of conspiracy theories.  Gee, again?

Yeah right.  Simon Fuller, et.al, decided back in December that Carrie would be this year's champion, carefully cultivated the hoax of a competition, only to spill the beans to a half-witted British reporter from a left-wing British newspaper, thereby setting Idol fans on their ears, and successfully spelling the end to this juggernaut of American pop culture.

Right.

__________________

Corey Clark is at it again.  Seems he gets antsy when his 15 minutes is almost up, so he feels the need to catapult his bad self back into the news.  This time, though, he's not after Paula -- he's after Ryan.

Clark reported told Steppin' Out Magazine that ""There's a rumor going around that [Ryan] was doing some things with Simon [Cowell]."
Ever notice that Corey knows all the rumors, but knows little in the way of facts?

Simon, et.al., were quick to respond, though.

"We've all slept with Ryan and we can confirm that he's not gay," Simon, Paula and Randy replied via e-mail.

Well, that clears that up.

___________________

If you're thinking about laying down a few c-notes on Wednesday's results, here are the current odds:

Bo is the favorite at 5-11. 
Carrie is coming in at 9-5.

I wonder if I can bet Bo to show.

Actually I do have a small wager with the granddaughter, a huge Carrie fan.  I bet her $5 that Carrie would be in the bottom two this week.

She bit!

_____________

Just idoling away...

idol memories...

That hug came about two weeks early, but it might have happened Wednesday night too.

We're down to the last two, and the first male/female finale since season one. 

There will be plenty of time to focus on what's to come with the little bit country girl and the boy who's a little rock and roll.  So today is a good day to reflect on the (long) season we're ending.

Every season has its share of memorable moments.  Some are good; some are not so good.  There are performances from past seasons that we still discuss today.  There are disasters from past seasons, the memories of which still make us cringe.  Bo's two performances and Carrie's rendition of Crying from this past week will rank as three of the finest vocal performances given on the Idol stage.  But they are still fresh in our memories, so I'm looking past those.

But there were several great performances throughout the competition.  What performances stick out in my mind as noteworthy?  I've thought about that since saying farewell to Vonzell.  I made a list.  I took some off.  I remembered others.

So here they are, with videos attached, if you care to relive along with me, the ten most memorable performances of American Idol, season four.

10.  Janay Castine and I Wanna Love You Forever.  I said memorable performances, not best performances.  We didn't know Janay, except for the brouhaha during the Hollywood episodes between her groupmates and the parents.  But when she took the stage in the first semi-final round, it became quite clear to most everyone that Janay, although adorable, had no business on any stage of any kind.  And yet she outlasted Aloha, Sarah, Melinda and Celina, before being taken out of our collective misery in the final cut to the final twelve.  She's gone, but she hasn't been forgotten.

9.  Carrie Underwood and Could've Been. We knew of Carrie, certainly, through her audition and the rather extensive coverage given to her in the Hollywood episodes.  But when she took the stage in the first semi-final girls v. other girls round, and actually made me like a (cough) Tiffany song that I vaguely recalled from two decades ago, I knew she was a shoo-in for the final four.  And, if I remember correctly, I said so at the time.  I know that the performance most remember was either Alone or Crying, but I still remember this one as the one which impressed me the most.

8.  Nadia Turner and You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.  Pretty much any time Nadia took the stage in her too-brief tenure she gave us something to remember, be it a stunning outfit or a rooster on her head.  But when I remember Nadia, all fauxhawks aside, it is this performance, from the first finals episode -- 60s night -- that, in a competition filled with hamburger, she was, indeed, a steak.

7.  Constantine Maroulis and I Think I Love You.  Okay, so this wasn't the finest vocal performance ever, but I will never forget and always be grateful that The Partridge Family was finally recognized on the Idol set.  And to think it was the Greek rocker heartthrob that not only paid respect to David Cassidy, but also to the millions of us early seventies teenyboppers who loved this song.  This was the only moment of this season that I jumped up and down.  And he hadn't even begun to sing yet.

6.  Bo Bice and For the Love of Money.  I really did not think Bo would choose this number, so I picked it as a major fantasy in the pre-Gamble & Huff fantasy idol entry.  So, when he announced that he would fulfill that hope, I could've been knocked over with a feather.  And he didn't just do the song, as it is played each week as the intro to Donald Trump's interview show.  He made it a Bo Bice song, which will always be attached, in Idol terminology, to his name.

5.  Jessica Sierra and Total Eclipse of the Heart.  Jessica had, in some ways, become the also-ran to Carrie and Nadia during the semi-finals and the early part of the finals.  And then she sang this on Billboard #1 night, delivering one of the most beautifully-sung, gut-wrenching performances we had seen to date.  And it took her out of that bottom three she had found herself in the week before.  But it wasn't enough to save her, as she found herself gone the following week.  But whenever I hear this song, I think of her.

4.  Scott Savol and On Broadway.  Scott knew his clock was ticking when he performed this song, and it was possibly the most relaxed performance of his in the entire competition.  He used it as a personal message, delivering much of it directly into Simon's face, much to the delight of Simon, who had told him the week prior to pack his bags.  He sent it as a message to the many critics who screamed foul at Scott remaining the competition while Constantine had been booted the week before.  It was his best performance of the entire season, and it was on his last night.  People everywhere called it "George Benson's On Broadway."  It isn't.  It's a song that belongs to The Drifters.  And to Scott Savol.

3.  Anwar Robinson and What a Wonderful World.  I liked Anwar to this point.  He was attractive, sweet, and a teacher.  When he took the stage in the third semi-final round, in gray slacks, black sweater with his hair pulled back and he delivered this song, like turned into love.  Instantly.  I still pull this video up from time to time to relive the days where I thought Anwar was the best contestant on that show.  Too bad he failed to live up to the promise of that night.  But that night, and that performance, ranks as one of my favorite all-time, all-season American Idol performances.  As do the next two.

2.  Bo Bice and Whipping Post.  I knew Bo was in the competition, of course, with all of the talk of the two "rockers."  But I didn't know Bo until he picked up that mic stand and left me silent, mouth gaping and heart pumping.  In one moment he turned American Idol on its ear, pulling out something that we'd never before seen in this competition.  And it would've been my most memorable moment this season, except it got beat out by a pout.

1.  Constantine Maroulis and Bohemian Rhapsody.  It was such a tough call to decide between my #1 and #2.  At one point I considered a tie, but I have togive the nod to this performance.  I wasn't a fan of Constantine's, going into this night.  I appreciated his variety and his unpredictability, but really didn't give him much credit.  This performance changed all that.  It's a song that's been tried before.  But, he grabbed this icon of a number by its throat, threw caution and everything else to the wind, and turned in a terrific, fearless, magnetic performance, one in which, whenever I hear Freddie Mercury, I will remember Constantine's final notes.

So there you have it.  Those are my memorable moments.  What are yours?


*  NOTE:  If the videos don't play at first, clear media player and click again.  Sometimes it will not load on the first attempt.  But, better yet, right click/save target as to your own computer and keep these performances for yourself.  (It saves my bandwidth that AOL tends to shut off if it's exceeded.)

SIMULBLOG: in my little town...

We're gonna bid farewell to the stage we've come to love or loathe this season and anticipate the trip to the Kodak next week as we bid farewell to season four and anticipate the reign of the next Idol.

Gee.  Was that a pathetic paragraph or what?  Well I guess it's no more or less pathetic than Ryan's scolding, once again, that it's our fault one of the kids is getting pink slip tonight.  They want us to vote.  We vote.  Somebody doesn't get enough votes.  It's our fault for voting.  For the other guy.

Oh cut the crap Ryan.  I got my popcorn, I got my adult beverage.  I'm ready for the slaughter.  Bring on the condemned!  Let's get this show on the road.

We get to see Vonzell's trip home to Florida.  She hits the media circuit, then hits the Wal-Mart.  Ooo.  Prices are falling!  Then she goes postal, back to work, arriving in a limo longer than my block.  Gosh, I've dreamed to going back to an old job in that kind of style.  Wait.  I'd rather have the yacht the city has arranged for her.  I want to live in that city.  And the little boat takes her to a real big park where the population of Rhode Island is waiting to hear her sing and watch her receive the mysterious key that unlocks nothing. 

Obviously there will be no swan song tonight.  They're going to let all three of them repeat one of the performances from the previous evening.  (What a sneaky way to get around the "ran out of time" criticisms.)

Vonz sings Chain of Fools again, and is about a hundred times better than last night.  Isn't that always the case?  The pressure's off, the kids kick butt.

Time for the Ford commercial.  The Mod Squad is running from the paparazzi.  Oh okay, they're driving from them.  Those Ford spots are so much more fun when there are 10 of them running around doing silly things.

Time for Bo to go home to Sweet Home Alabama where he meets up with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rick and Bubba.  Hey!  Diapers are on sale at Wal-Mart.  Bo gets the mysterious useless key and has to wipe his eyes.  Ah Bo.  Don't cry. 

Bo reprises the a cappella In A Dream to about the same crowd reaction as last night.  Personally, that's the kind of performance, like Fantasia's Summertime, that is showstopping once, but, if performed too often can become old.  I hope he locks that one away, with the mysterious key, to be kept as a magical Idol memory.

And speaking of memories, tomorrow is The World's Worst Audition Idol special.  That's another memory that should be locked away somewhere.  With the auditioners.

Time for Carrie to head home.  She gets to tape TV promos and answer strange questions from radio personalities.  Thousands of people are packing the two blocks of her town, just to hear her sing the national anthem and get that mysterious key.  This is the place where the mayor says facsimile!  I liked him.

Aww.  She gets to go home, and, for some bizarre reason, probably idiot Idol producers, she greets the humans before the four-leggers.  That's not the way we do it at my house.

Carrie performs Crying, probably in honor of Bo, and, as per usual, sounds even better than the night before.  Guess when you're not competing for votes, you're able to relax.  Hey Carrie -- next week convince yourself it's Wednesday.

Ryan tells us it's almost time for the hanging.  But we gotta suffer through 3 hours of commercials first.

That cute little Verizon wireless commercial with the teenaged girl make believing she has a phone was cute.  The first 236 times I saw it.

The bottom three is standing on the stage, as Ryan makes them step forward one at a time.  Bo looks relaxed, as does Vonzell.  Carrie looks as though she's about to face the firing squad.

Ryan breaks the news to the Vonz that she's not coming back as a competitor, but presents her with the Most Improved Performer award.  Big group hug ensues, with Ryan horning in. 

We get to see Vonzell's journey and Ryan takes us by surprise with a group sing at the tail end of the show.  Now that's a switch.  What a great song!  United We Stand.  And they give the three of them the full time to complete it.  Vonz graciously kisses and thanks the judges as Bo and Carrie allow her her goodbye moment.

You are terrific Vonzell.

Thanks.

Until next time....

Simulblog out!

shocker!?!...

I want tonight to be the biggest shocker in the history of American Idol.  I do.  That's what I want.

I want a tie.

That way next week we can have a repeat of last night, but without the silly judges picks.  (Speaking of which, I couldn't help but snort at Randy telling Carrie what a great song selection that was.  Geesh.  It was his selection, for heaven's sake.  What else is he gonna say?  "It was the wrong song, dude!"?  And what was up with Simon criticizing Bo's song choice, as if Bo had a say in Satisfaction?)

I have sensed a changing of the "Carrie will win this thing and sell more CDs than any person ever since Thomas Edison invented the phonograph" tide.  But could it have been more obvious last night?  The women, it seemed, couldn't catch a break.  Oh sure, they got their fair share of hyperbole - Vonzell, that was the best vocal in recorded history!  Oh Carrie, why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? - but it seemed at every turn, for Carrie especially, she had to hear the name of Bo during each critique.  "Round one to Bo!" Simon tells her after possibly her best performance this season.  Then, "musta been tough following Bo," they tell her during the second circuit.  I swear I think I'd rather hear them tell me how bad I was rather than how great the other guy was.

Carrie has just been renamed Jan Brady.  It's all about Marcia-Bo.  Bo! Bo! Bo!

Clive knows he and Bo will make beautiful music together.  Randy whips out his dawgpound septer and anoints him Dawgpounder Emeritus.  Simon invites him to play at his wedding.  (And don't you just want to go to one of those weddings Simon attends?)  Paula...well, Paula pants, and stuffs her cellphone back into her purse where it belongs.

Some things just never change with this show. 

So who's going to hit the pavement and start rehearsals for the Brady Bunch group number the final twelve will sing next week?  And who's going to start trying to come up with three more songs to sing -- alone, with or without big band -- for the last time?

Common sense says it's gonna be Vonzell, considering Carrie has never seen the bottom of anything and Bo is the chosen one.  Were the Vonz to leapfrog over Carrie into the finale and throw a five-inch heeled wrench into the master plan, the judges are likely to be merciless in their wrath next week.  And in all fairness, assessing the women, side by side, last night, Vonzell had the weaker outing -- by a note.

But I wouldn't be surprised, much less shocked, if the Fanzells, aided by some errant Anthony and Scott fans and some Bo fans worried about his main competitor for the crown, took to the phone lines like fleas to a dog, and, by some miracle or muscle, outdial the Carebears to oust Miss Oklahoma.  I highly doubt that the Carrie voters, after hearing less than glowing remarks for their girl at the same time watching the lovefest with Bo, are going to relax their efforts to keep Carrie in the game, though.

Which begs the question:  is this really a singing competition?  Or is this an endurance dialing one?

Which brings us to Bo.  Bo was great.  Bo was perfect.  Bo was brave.  Bo was Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!  He's in.  Shoo-in in.  So maybe I'll throw a few votes in for the Vonz.  Or go out for pizza.  Or watch House.  Nothing breeds complacency and confidence like a good performance.  Might it be possible that the Bo fans laid off the phone lines enough to allow both women to sneak past him tonight.  Possible, of course.  But probable? 

Anything can happen.  And sometimes does.  This is why I want a tie.

Should be bottom three:  Vonzell, Carrie, Bo.
(And I will be right.  Mark my words.)

Should be singing over the credits:  Vonzell.
Will be singing two notes before being rudely and abruptly cut off:  Vonzell.

RANT:  Enough with the BS filler on results night.  What we want, and what they deserve is to be able to sing one entire song before the credits roll.  They've given up weeks of their lives to this program, and they are saying goodbye to their friends on the stage and their fans in the audience.  It's not too much to ask that Ryan not preen to the judges and waste valuable swan song time.

 

it's the clive show, starring bo...

I'm sitting here trying to decide if that was the single best episode of American Idol I've ever seen.  If it wasn't, it's pretty darn close.

What a treat to have nine performances without too much loss of blood.  There were the requisite weak spots, but no trainwrecks, no forgotten lyrics, that I could detect, and no clear loser.

That's what a final three should be.

Clive Davis was there to lend his expert "golden ear."  Three things are clear:  he loves Bo, he doesn't love Vonzell, and he needs to find a new phrase to replace "you nailed it."

And my George was in the audience.  That would make even the worst show wonderful.

I haven't had the chance to do whatever the hell I do before deciding anything, and if you've been reading for awhile, you know what that is, so, while reserving the right to realign, here they are, as always, from worst to first.

Vonzell ( I'll Never Love This Way Again) -- Finally someone called her out on the incessant happiness.  I love happy.  I love happy people.  I love the Vonz.  But not every song is a happy song, and to smile and be happy through a song about heartache is wrong.  Just wrong.  Plus she was just under pitch thoughout the entire middle of the song, although she finished well.

Carrie (Man!  I Feel Like a Woman) -- Carrie does not have a strong lower register, and this song forced her to try to use it.  She tried.  She failed.  The song seemed forced, as if she were trying to squeeze what irreverence she could out of her body. 

Bo (Satisfaction) -- I don't know if I'm judging this song on the basis of Bo's first two performances or the fact that I abhor this song, but it just didn't work.  (But it's a Paula pick, so who is surprised?)  He did the best he could with it, but, coming third after his first two performances, it was disappointing.

Carrie (Making Love Out of Nothing At All) -- It's been a long time since I heard Air Supply, and, as I usually do, I ended up humming it all evening but noticed the Air Supply song morphing into another song.  Finally I recognized Total Eclipse of the Heart!  I'm thinking Air Supply and humming Eclipse.  But no matter.  Carrie rushed this song to the point of screaming, and I would have preferred a stand-still performance to the double-butt wiggle ooooo I gotta pee dance that she's perfected this year. 

Vonzell (On the Radio) -- I enjoyed this performance, especially coming after the lackluster opening number.  But I still wonder how she stays upright on those heels.  Perhaps she can release an Homage to Disco album, and send us back 30 years.

Carrie (Crying) -- I don't know what fool arranged this.  The trademark of this song is its end, and to cut it so abruptly, robbing Carrie of the glory notes she could have registered was absurd.  But on the flip side, whoever did arrange it did it in such a way as to help Carrie avoid the lower notes of this song, with which she continually struggles.  She failed to tap into the depth of emotion necessary to completely sell this song, and Simon was right to point that out, but vocally it was top notch.

Vonzell (Chain of Fools) -- It was dangerous to take on the song Fantasia performed so effortlessly perfect last season, but Vonzell put her own spin on it, even though she bubbled throughout a bubble-less song.  Paula was way off to suggest it was the best version ever performed on American Idol, but it was certainly better than most.

Bo (Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me) -- The first thing I thought when I heard this was Clive's edict was Clay.  No one can improve upon Clay's season two rendition of this song.  And to take Bo out of his rock box?  Is that wise?  Not only was it wise, it was brilliant.  So was Bo.  Stunning performance.

Bo (In a Dream) -- I have never heard this before, and the a cappella version, a first for Idol, had me perplexed.  So I let my fingers do the walking, only to discover that the original version is performed in the same way.  What a brave thing to do, strip away the orchestra.  The silence in the audience was deafening.  The lighting was perfect, complete with blank big screen.  This is a performance that will go down as one of the best, most unique, most inspiring performances in the history of this show. 

The quality of the performances certainly outweighed the shortcomings, though.  The judging panel made it quite clear that they want a Bo and Carrie show next week, and, while Vonzell certainly performed well enough to merit a finale appearance, I fear her only finale appearance will be during the group song.

And I did get in a few votes tonight.  What a cute thing!  Dialtheir number, and they talk to you.  They do, not some weird guy just thanking you for voting for contestant 5, or whatever.  And there were no graphic mistakes.  That I could detect.

Whew I'm tired. 

Did I mention that George was there?

clive's picks confirmed...

Clive Davis is apparently going to put the kids through some musical paces this evening.

The judges picks have been confirmed for days.  But ETonline is now reporting that he has chosen the following selections:

For Carrie, the rumors were correct.  She will be singing Roy Orbison's (or kd lang's) Crying.

Vonzell will be handed Dionne Warwick's I'll Never Love This Way Again, a song performed earlier this season by Anwar.  (Uh oh...shades of Jasmine, except it wasn't performed quite as magnificently, so Vonzell really doesn't have a mountain, just a repeat.)

Bo will be kicked out of his rock zone and perform Elton John's (or Clay's if you remember the season two wildcard round) Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

This is gonna be good.

it's final three time...

The final three show is always interesting, partly because, for right or wrong, the last three standing are down to the wire, and the pressure of being one of three usually seems to be considerably more than being one of four.

And, because two of the three songs they will sing are forced upon them, it's always a hoot to see who will crack under the weight.

Of course, the first song each of them will sing tonight is one of their own choosing -- no decades to get stuck in, no genres to constrict them, so it stands to reason all three of them should perform well. 

The second songs, the judges' picks, were announced last Friday in each of their respective hometowns.  Each of the judges seems to have selected his/her pet (no Corey remarks please...) over the course of the competition, so it's interesting that each of them is choosing against that type.  (Although I still believe that the judges choose these songs collectively, with just one judge announcing the selection for one contestant.)

Conventional wisdom would have had Randy selecting for Bo, Paula for Vonzell and Simon for Carrie.  But it was wise of the show to recognize, if it was indeed recognized, that to do so would have created even more of an appearance of favoritism.

Vonzell gets handed On the Radio, courtesy of Simon.  This is an interesting choice, because, if she performs it closely to Donna Summer's original, it will allow the Vonz to show off her ballad skills and her uptempo ones.  Bo will take on The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, thanks to Paula.  She told him last week she wanted him to take more risks.  And this could be one huge one, covering the song Rolling Stone magazine named the number one rock and roll song of all time.  It's either going to pay off handsomely, or it's going to be a disaster.  And Randy isn't making it any easier on Carrie, choosing Shania Twain's Man! I Feel Like a Woman.  Carrie cannot stand at the mic for this song.  Neither can she merely pace back and forth, kicking a mic stand as the sole display of personality.  This is a song that requires selling.  And it will allow her to either prove she's ripe for stage work, or it will show she's not ready.  Or able. 

But what will be most interesting is to see what Clive Davis chooses.  He will, after all, hold these kids' futures in his hands.  And he should test them.  Or, as he did last year with Jasmine, hand them a poisonous song selection that's certain to ensure a dismissal.  There are rumors all over the place what songs he's selected, including Sweet Home Alabama for Bo and The Power of Love for Vonzell.  I'm not totally discounting those as possible choices, but I'm not putting a whole lot of stock in them either.  The only rumor that sounds plausible is that he's selected Crying (Roy Orbison/kd lang) for Carrie.  I can see this as a classic Davis test.  She has the vocal chops to pull off the glory notes at the end, the ones which send chills up the spine.  But to sell this song, she will have to reach into the depths of her emotional core.  She will need to remember the heartache last week as she waved bye-bye to Anthony.  Anything less than a full-fledged emotional performance will corrupt this song and render even the most glorious note empty.  That's a classic Clive Davis challenge.

But, as past seasons have proven, a great final three night does not guarantee a ticket to the finale.  Kim Locke outperformed both Ruben and Clay in season two (remember the disaster of Vincent?), enough to have Simon and the producers fearing a Clay/Kim or Ruben/Kim finale, when they were banking (literally) on a Clay/Ruben finish.  And the producers so feared the dialing power of Hawaii last year, that poor Jasmine got the world's worst song titles, designed to finish her off, handed to her--Mr. Melody, a hideous song that few people had ever heard and All By Myself, with which LaToya London had made herself known already that season. 

It doesn't appear (so far) that any such manipulation is going to befall Vonzell, the one potential spoiler in the finale they're banking on.  But to proceed, Vonzell is not only going to have to hit one out of the park (or hit three, as the case may be), but she's going to have to hope that Carrie strikes out and the legion of Anthony fans out there doesn't automatically run to the Carrie number after the public display of [tearful] affection last week.

But whatever happens, it's going to be fun to watch.

operators are standing by...

Looks as though Idol producers are giving already-taxed graphics people double duty tonight as the final three performers hit the big stage, pandering for votes.

Rather than wait until next Tuesday's finale, like they did last year, additional phone lines will be available this evening to accommodate the flood of votes producers expect as we narrow the field to the last two.

Each contestant will be given two separate numbers, presumably to put to rest the annual complaints of busy signals and unavailable circuits.

Now if the little guy in the graphics booth just remembers whose numbers are which.

sing that funky music...

Carrie, Bo and Vonzell are back in Los Angeles, preparing for Tuesday's final three performances.

If you're new to American Idol this year, the final three show is often called "free choice."  There will be no theme. 

Each of the contestants will sing three songs.  Normally the first is the song of the contestant's choice.  The second song is traditionally the judges' choice -- each judge selects one song for one contestant.  And the third song will be hand-picked by record executive Clive Davis, who will be part of the panel to offer his critique of each performance.  (If you don't know who Clive Davis is, find out here.)  Davis does not give the kids marshmallows.  He plays hardball, which can either sink them (Jasmine) or allow them to knock it out of the park (Diana).

It's always interesting to see what songs are pulled from the different hats.  But some of the suspense was (gratefully) ended Friday when the kids hit the friendly skies and landed in their even-friendlier hometowns.

Simon is choosing for Vonzell, and has selected the Donna Summer hit On The Radio.  Good selection for Vonzell, who has proven that she was born 30 years too late.  Disco suits her style perfectly, and she has, more than once, channeled the queen of disco. 

Randy gets to pick for Carrie.  And they must have pulled out the big checkbook to land the rights to a Shania Twain song, after years of adamant refusals.  Randy's choice?  Man! I Feel Like A Woman.  This will either really allow Carrie to prove that she can sell a song, because it's the perfect vehicle to perform, not just sing.  Or it won't.  But it will be interesting to watch.

Well, that leaves Paula, of course.  Paula has been known to pull some interesting song choices for the most interesting reasons.  Remember, she is the judge who told Clay she chose his song so he could prove once and for all that he was not merely a lounge-type singer.  And then she chose the ultimate lounge singer song, Mack the Knife.  Ah well.  She was in pain.  Or with Corey.  Whatever.

But it seems Paula has selected for Bo one of the ultimate rocker songs, The Rolling Stones' (Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

No word yet on Davis' choices or the kids' own picks, but if I find out, and can verify or personally feel confident in the information, I'll pass it along.

Seems the kids had grand times having days proclaimed for them.  (But, think about it, if there was one day proclaimed in your name, would you really want it to be a Friday the 13th?  If that's a curse, though, it's gonna curse all three of them, which could cause all of us to curse Tuesday.)

Carrie was dodging questions about her relationship with Anthony Fedorov after her tearfest on Wednesday, Vonzell was evading questions about her waterworks display on Tuesday, and Bo wiped his own tears after being cheered by over 300 city employees at City Hall, none of which, apparently, were members of the local police department.

Carrie sang the national anthem and signed autographs at the local high school.  Vonzell sang two of the songs she's performed on the show and got to take over DJ duties at the local radio station.  Bo sang Sweet Home Alabama with Lynyrd Skynyrd and then sang over the loudspeaker at the Wal-Mart.  Gee, when I'm at the Wal-Mart, the only thing I hear is a bunch of people in the ladies underwear section spelling out the word WAL-MART.  Bummer.

Remember Tuesday is the sale date of the CD.  But, if you don't want the entire CD, it will be available for individual song download.  Where?  You guessed it!  Walmart.com!  (And you thought they all just got in their FORDS, drinking their COKES and went to the Wal-Mart for the fun of it.)

It's all about the endorsements!

 

 

[soon to be] available at wal-mart...

Tuesday, May 17 is the release date for the season four compilation album.  I'm not certain if that's good news or bad news, but I'll be buying it, just like I've purchased all of the others.

Here's the song list, and, for the first time possibly, they're all recording songs they've performed during the competition.

Carrie is singing Indepenence Day.  (I would have preferred Alone.  But maybe they're thinking of that as a possible first single flip-side.  It would be a smart move.)

Bo is performing I Don't Want to Be.  (Again, I would have picked Whipping Post, but maybe they have better plans for that one.)

Vonzell is singing Best of my Love.

Anwar's choice is A House Is Not a Home.  (Ouch.  I hate that song.  What was wrong with What a Wonderful World?  Couldn't they get the release?)

Nadia's song is You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.  (No quarrel there.)

Nikko will be singing Part-Time Lover.  (Just knew we'd get at least one Stevie song.)

Constantine's selection is My Funny Valentine.  (Considering he sang this on every talk show after his elimination, that comes as no surprise.  And it's one of his best.)

Jessica will perform Total Eclipse of the Heart.  (Yay!  I miss you Jessica.)

Anthony's song is Everytime You Go Away.  (Yep.  He did that one well.)

Scott's track is Against All Odds.  (See Constantine, above.)

Lindsey will offer Knock On Wood.  (Did they have to include her?  I mean, she's not going on tour or anything...)

Mikalah is singing God Bless the Child.  (See Lindsey, above.)

And the twelve-tet will [again] assault us with When You Tell Me That You Love Me.

There it is.  It can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com. 

But, of course, you can always pick it up at Wal-Mart!  You may see Anwar there.

breaking news...

Attention shoppers.

Vonzell will be at the Wal-Mart.  Repeating, she WILL be at the Wal-Mart.

She is scheduled to be at the Colonial Boulevard Wal-Mart Superstore today from 1-2 p.m.

We return you to your regularly scheduled life.

idol in aisle three...

As Anthony Fedorov is having his shoes scanned and carrying his own luggage back to Philadelphia, the three remaining Idol contestants are relaxing in the comfort of their own private jets, zipping to the old homestead for a few hours of celebrity worship before zapping back to prepare for the last cut before the finale on May 24.

I know you're dying to know what's on their agenda.  So was I.  So I decided to find out.

Of course, they're all headed south, cause that's where all Idols and Idol runners-up come from, which should have been the neon clue yesterday that Anthony was a goner.

Bo will be headed home to Alabama, where he's scheduled to make Friday appearances in both his hometown of Helena and nearby Birmingham.  His first appearance will be on the, ahem, Rick & Bubba Show (this is not a joke), on Y-94.5 FM.  He's then scheduled to pop in at the local FOX morning show before heading to the Wal-Mart (seriously) to sign CDs.  Then they have him scheduled for a procession on his way to the park on Buck Creek, where he will have a meet and greet with his fans.

Carrie is going home to Checotah, Oklahoma, population 12, and is scheduled to have lunch with everybody before leading a parade through town to Pocket Park, where's she scheduled to sing the national anthem.

The Checotah Police Department (?) is ready for crowd control, we are being assured by its dispatcher, because "this is one of those things where we could be totally swamped."  Gee.  Ya think?

Post Pocket Park, she will be the center of attention in, presumably, the center of town, hosting a meet and greet at the People's National Bank hospitality room.  (This is not a joke.)  Then they're gonna rustle her up a limo and take her to the Wal-Mart.  No, really.

I want extra comments as a reward for my self-restraint.

Vonzell's hometown is a bit larger, and she's getting the key to it on what will be known as "Vonzell Solomon Day," in Ft. Myers, Florida.  [I've always wondered what that key unlocks.  Is it a master key?  Does it unlock everything in the city?  Or does it just unlock the bathrooms at Pocket Park?]

Oh, wait.  She's not headed to the Pocket, Vonzell will be arriving, by boat, no less, (this is Florida, after all) to Centennial Park.  No word, as yet, if she'll get to go to the Wal-Mart.  But if I find out, I will break into regularly scheduled blogging.

We can all watch as Vonzell visits home, by checking out www.news-press.com for live coverage. 

Oh, the perks of fame.

SIMULBLOG: i land in the stream...

Next week it's nine songs -- three from each of the remaining contestants.  So three will spend the next week memorizing, practicing, preening and traveling home to be the hometown star.

Which of these four are we spared from next week?

Ryan, looking exceptionally Republican, introduces the less than giddy kids and probably says the most obvious line in Idol history.  "They know who they like," he says, while pointing to the judges.  Well, no kidding, Dick Tracy.

Oh good.  We get to relive the country, soul, death and destruction from the evening before.  And yay!  It's time for the group sing.  Is four a group?  I mean, ten is a group.  Four is like a quartet.  And a quartet is not a group. 

Oh they're stringing out this country salute to Carrie, by forcing them to become little Kenny Rogerses and little Dolly Partons.  It's an Island in the Stream, filled with partner swapping, hand holding and the Bo stage, which, by the way, has become quite a lonely place recently.  Not a bad effort, though.

And it's the FORD spot!  My favorite part!  Squirrelly hair spot!  I'm nauseous.  But I liked the commercial.

With only a quartet (which is not a group) we obviously have a whole group of minutes to waste.  So, what better way to waste them than to do an Idol flashback to the kids' auditions.  Gee was that really five months ago?  Feels like five years.

The Vonz is first.  Oh!  I had forgotten the different colored shoes.  She sang Chain of Fools.  Very colorfully.  Next is Anthony, who sang a song about angels.  Oh, I remember LL Cool J!  He was a great judge, giving out hugs all around. 

We get to see Carrie, fresh from the farm, again.  And then, it's Bo's turn.  His is the one audition no one has ever seen.  And he sang Whipping Post, something we didn't know until tonight.  And they called him Harold.  That's right.  He's Harold. 

Ryan starts the big tease, showing the kids and everyone else, the VIP card which will carry three of them, in private jets, to their hometowns tomorrow so that their mayors can get all dressed up and the homefolk can give them banners, balloons and keys to the city.  Or to the town.  Or the farm.  Whatever.  Then, of course, he waves the single one-way lower class ticket to wherever is furthest from Hollywood.

Time for the execution.  Bo is sent to safety.  Grandmom is jumping out of her bloomers.  Carrie is sent to join him on the couch.  She shows more personality than she ever has on stage, as she jumps triumphantly into Harold's arms. 

That leaves Anthony and the Vonz.  Ryan lets Baby V twist in the wind, in his newly-favorite "I want the loser to think it's you before I kick him in the stomach" act, lets Vonz off the hook and sticks it squarely into Anthony's back.  Then sticks the plane ticket in his pocket.

We see the funeral footage, and we see Carrie checking the camera to cry on cue, the band totally messes up Anthony's swan song, but what does he care?  He ain't competing no more.

Nice run Anthony. 

Until next week.

Simulblog out!

you heard it here first...

Idol final fours have, except for the season of perfection, known as season two, provided a huge tremor in the contest, so much so that we still speak of them today.  Season one, of course, gave us the new verb:  to be Tamyra'd, when Tamyra Gray, who had turned in a spectacular season, was inexplicably dumped in favor of Nikki McKibbin.  Season two was a justified ouster as the singing Marine, Josh Gracin, was the only conceivable reject to leave the perfect trio of Klayben.  Then there was last year, when LaToya London fell victim to the tears of Hawaii.

I have a strong hunch tonight somebody's getting Tamyra'd.

All of the elements are in place, sort of like the atmospheric conditions surrounding my home that are threatening me with a thunderstorm.

First we have the Vonz.  Of those who watched last season, who can forget Jasmine's tears after one of Simon's most severe verbal beatings?  At this stage, the kids are tired, and it was clear that Jasmine had reached the end of her endurance.  But a pretty girl with tears streaming down her face?  Who doesn't want to kiss her and make it better? 

Vonzell's tears were genuine, I fully believe, despite the rumblings of pandering for sympathy.  Her performance was a wreck.  She knew that.  But something else is going on with Vonzell.  The rumors, that are inevitable when Idol keeps its trap shut, are ranging anywhere from homesickness to illness in the family, to death in the family, to death of her dog to her being forced to switch songs on a minute's notice.  But combine tears on a young pretty face, and especially one that has turned in excellence, performance after performance, with a second song that had the potential to wipe out memories of the original, and you've got new voters added to her fanbase, which should, after Simon's blatant pro-anyone-but-Vonz bashing after her second song, vote until their fingers bleed.

Most people are assuming they'll see Vonzell on the line tonight.  I don't think so. 

Then there's Anthony, the poster child for the VFTW this week.  (I refuse to provide a link to these idiots, so why in the hell AOL is promoting this website with a link is beyond me.  It's also insulting, but I digress.)

When the finals began, I expected Anthony to be one of the first of the guys to get the boot.  After all,he deserved it.  His performances in the semis were nothing extraordinary, and he was lucky that there were less vocally talented guys standing alongside.  But Anthony, of all of the contestants, has been the one transformed from geeky kid, known mostly for his childhood and his trach scar, to polished performer.  His performances last night were solid.  They were good.  He went lyric-for-lyric with Carrie and won hands down.  He has the tenacious support of the Bratz crowd, and he may have just picked up some of the idle Scott fans and still-bitter Constantine crowd.

Anthony's only problem, ironically, might be that of all four of them, he was the only one to turn in two good performances.  Disasters bring people out of their homes to help.  Good times keep them inside watching Oprah.  But he was last in the lineup.  No contestant in four seasons, who has gone last in the lineup, has ever been booted the following night.  (The only exception would be, of course, Clay Aiken, who performed the last song of the season two finale and did not win the title.)

That leaves Simon's chosen finalists:  Bo and Carrie.

Bo is safe.  No question.  He has given the American Idol stage a much-needed break from the blah of the pop and the meh of the country.  Many criticise Bo for playing it safe and predictably.  Perhaps.  But he knows his strong suit, and Bo's "safe" performances would be anyone else's challenge of a lifetime.

He's not going anywhere.  He's been on the seal, and his fans remember how it felt to see him there.

What has Carrie done?  While Anthony has risen beyond his expectations, Carrie has fallen from her perch.  Her version of Sin Wagon was not nearly as good as Amy's last year, and, while she did throw herself into the performance more than before, it did seem a little awkward for the word "sin" to come out of Barbie's mouth.  Her second selection?  Wretched. 

Two straight weeks of unmemorable performances might send the less-emotionally-invested to reward Anthony, to give a high-five to Bo or to wipe Vonzell's tears.  Her primary fan base, which has kept her safe thus far, may just have become a little too self-confident that their girl is in no danger. 

I see a Tamyra coming on.

Based on last night's performances alone:
Should be bottom two:   Vonzell and Carrie.

Based on last night, all season, and past seasons:
Will be bottom two:  Anthony and Carrie.

Did anyone else find it ironic that Jasmine Trias was in the audience last night, seated very closely to LaToya London?  I found it both ironic and prophetic.  And I'm either gonna be ingenious or an idiot.

Carrie is going home.

here we go again...

Just when one would presume that the highest-rated show on television, a competition that has endured more than its share of controversy, one in which there are screams of foul and fix and conspiracy, would have hired a gazillion techie and literate people to cross its "t's" and dot its "i's", then proofread again just to be certain.  It has happened again.  Not on the same scale, this time, at least, but nonetheless inexcusable.

Reality TV Magazine is reporting that it's another phone number foul-up.

Four contestants, four numbers.  This is not brain surgery. Each contestant gets a unique phone number.

Last time they screwed up the numbers, it affected six of the eleven.

Last night it was all of them.  Except one.  And, it affected all of the closed captioning.  And it's bound to affect, even more, the confidence in the reliability of the show's voting procedure.

The order of performance was: Carrie, Bo, Vonzell, Anthony.  But during the recap, where Ryan plays good cop to the judges bad cop routine and gives out the numbers, each contestant was given the same phone number:  Carrie's.

Now, obviously, this error is not on the same grand scale as the one earlier this season, and one might wonder why anyone needing closed captioning would be watching a singing show (even though that's a ridiculous argument), this show cannot afford to give its audience any more fodder for attack.

There are already enough grumblings of phone line irregularities (ask any Constantine fan).  There are already those who know that Carrie was annointed Idol long before the crappy auditions began.  So you would think that somewhere this show, which brings in the big bucks, could afford someone with white gloves.

UPDATE:  There will be no do-over, as there shouldn't be.  FOX is acknowledging that there was a closed-captioning problem, but was fixed before the show aired on the west coast, and, the fact that the correct numbers were frequently displayed throughout the broadcast, there is no need to revote.

They shoulda decided that way last time.

early impressions...

It may have been the final four, but it was old home week on American Idol.  Seated in the audience were Mikalah Gordon, Jasmine Trias, John Stevens and LaToya London.  The kids were reprising memorable numbers from seasons past, and two of them decided to pull an anniversary homage to the Clay/Josh identical song trick from two years ago.  There were flip flops with suits, tears, well-wishes, love and kisses and grandmoms poised to totally kick ass.

Whew.

Round one ran the kids through the country wringer.  Round two sent them to Philly to salute the classic duo of Gamble and Huff, who were also among the spectators.

I haven't had the opportunity to listen without watching, which can always highlight flaws a good performance can mask, or to watch them go through their paces again, so, reserving my right of rearrangement, here are my initial impressions, as always from worst to first.

Vonzell  (How Do I Live?) -- This performance was doomed from the second note, and, despite her best efforts, just couldn't recover.  Without question, it was Vonzell's worst performance of the finals.  The tears following, and Paula's comments, were indicative that the least of Vonzell's problems were what happened, though, on that stage.

Carrie  (If You Don't Know Me By Now) -- Simon called it a mess, Randy said it didn't work, and -- the kiss of death -- Paula dissed it too.  Ouch Carrie!  If Vonzell hadn't melted down fifteen minutes prior, you would have earned worst spot.  (But, in all fairness, the arrangement, exactly as Simon said, was what ruined this song.)  How does one make this song unrecognizable? 

Bo.  (Great Day to Be Alive [thanks for the assist!])  There really was nothing technically wrong with this performance, except for the fact that it was so snoozy I slept through it. 

Anthony.  (I'm Already There)  I laughed when Simon, the only person more ignorant of country than I am, described this as both "syrupy" and "gooey."  It's a country song.  It's supposed to be sticky.  Again, nothing technically horrible.  And it allowed me to continue my nap.

Anthony.  (If You Don't Know Me By Now)  No...that's nota typo.  Anthony performed a much improved version of the song Carrie sang two contestants earlier, in the same way Josh sang what Clay sang, ending with two very different versions.  Where Carrie's was unrecognizable, Anthony stayed pretty much close to the original, even attempting to interject heartache at breaking up a happy home.  It was a noble effort.

Carrie  (Sin Wagon) -- What a difference a year makes.  Last year, when Amy Adams put her brand on this song, the producers prohibited her from singing the original lyrics and forced her to change the term "mattress dancing" to "crazy dancing" or other such nonsense.  Carrie got to sing the whole suggestive lyric, and, while not as clearly as was done last year, was energetic and even fun, when she could be heard over the always-too-loud-for-the-opening-singer band.

Vonzell.  (Don't Leave Me This Way)  With her cheering in the audience, the Vonz reprised LaToya's song from the final four one year ago, but, and I never thought I would say this, put Miss London to shame.  She was, evidentially, able to shake off the emotion of the day, put the disaster of her first song behind her, and belted this Thelma Houston song over the fence.  I would actually buy that record.  Just like I would buy...

Bo.  (For the Love of Money)  I cannot believe that my ultimate wish -- that Bo would choose this song -- actually happened.  And, even though I shouldn't be surprised, he was able to turn this very recognizable song (thanks to the Donald) into a new, fresh version that was a pleasure to watch.  But Simon was wrong -- the style is terrific.  It's Bo-riffic.

Final two?  Don't count out a shocker.  It's the final four.  Anything can happen.

And usually does.