I've moved...

For obvious reasons, just IDOLing along... on AOL journals, has been discontinued.

However, if you're interested in following my observations, please visit my American Idol blog at Blogspot, which has been a mirror blog to this one since last season.  Everything's the same, except for the link.  And there's nothing to join to leave comments, if you wish.  I'm lining up great media, just like always.  I hope you'll venture over.  Remember, season five begins Jan. 17!  And rumors are already starting to fly. Season Six (can you believe it?) starts in January, 2007!!

Here's how to get there:

The Woes and Prose of an American Idol Junkie

it's the best! and the worst...

It's billed as a flashback to everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Mary Roach.

It's the Best and Worst of American Idol, seasons 1-4, and it's scheduled to be released November 22.

Included are retrospectives from each season, including audition footage from each seasons' final two, some never-before-seen footage and some of the greatest performances from the past four seasons, including those from Kelly, Tamyra, Clay and Bo.

It's available, at just under $25, for pre-order at amazon.com.

 

 

memphis morphs into north carolina...

American Idol has added two new cities to its list of season five audition locations, replacing the Memphis location which was cancelled due to Katrina.

On Monday, Oct. 3, hopefuls can line up in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.  And on Monday, Oct. 10, the show will ride into Las Vegas, where auditions will be held in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

All of the other audition sites have been completed.

And as a note to my friend Kathi:  North Carolina is very CLOSE to YOU!  (I'll send you a just IDOLing along... t-shirt to wear if you want!!)

 

fitting end to season four...

Season four has officially concluded, as the top ten gang ended its summer tour with a benefit concert for Red Cross hurricane relief efforts, netting $280,000 during its Sunday performance.

Donna, from Foxes On Idol, was there for both shows.  And she's talking all about both of them here.

In other news, season three's George Huff, a native of New Orleans, will be a guest on Dr. Phil today (Tuesday).  George and the TV doc met up with each other when they were both touring the devastated city.

Check your local listings.

sunday in syracuse...

Bo Bice will be on hand with the rest of the Idol finalists for a special Sunday performance, their last of this tour's, to benefit the American Red Cross.  Bo, of course, has been off the tour since undergoing emergency surgery August 18 in Las Vegas.

And he will debut a song, We Can't Change This World, that he wrote in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Tickets are still available.

katrina knocks out memphis...

While most of us are fixated on the disaster and relief efforts in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, we might tend to forget that many states in the surrounding areas are also absorbing the brunt of the storm called Katrina, sending in help and welcoming those who've been left homeless.

And the storm has hit American Idol.  Auditions for season five, scheduled for Monday in Memphis, have been cancelled.  They will not be rescheduled, but a new audition city will be added to this season's roster.  Possibly they could fulfill the promise they made, then backed out of, to Alaska last year.

Denver will go as planned on Sept. 11 and Chicago is still on for Sept. 16.

no more bo...

The American Idol tour will continue without runner-up Bo Bice, who is recuperating from emergency intestinal surgery in Las Vegas.

Reports indicate he will have a successful, but lengthy, recovery from an intestinal blockage, the symptoms of which have plagued him since the top two finale in May.

idol banter...

Paula is staying.  Idol finds no proof of any affair.  At least not with Corey Clark.

Trenyce is talking.  She's honest.  She loves her fans, but not the show. 


Idols are charting.  They're everywhere!

And the tour keeps chugging along.

good news constantine fans...

Bo and Carrie may still have their respective singles on the charts, but it will be Constantine Maroulis who will reprise his season performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody on the upcoming CD, Killer Queen:  A Tribute to Queen.

And, it has been selected to be the premiere single from the CD, which is set for release August 9.

Constantine will record the song he so memorably performed on Idol, backed by the Las Vegas cast of We Will Rock You.  It will be one of two renditions of Rhapsody, the other recorded by the Flaming Lips.

Here is the entire track listing:

"We Are the Champions" (Gavin DeGraw)
"Good Old Fashioned Loverboy" (Jason Mraz)
"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Flaming Lips)
"Stone Cold Crazy" (Eleven featuring Josh Homme)
"Death on Two Legs" (Rooney)
"Play the Game" (Jon Brion)
"Tie Your Mother Down" (Shinedown)
"Under Pressure" (Joss Stone)
"Sleepin' on the Sidewalk" (Los Lobos)
"Bicycle Race" (Be Your Own Pet)
"'39" (Ingram Hill)
"Who Wants To Live Forever" (Breaking Benjamin)
"Killer Queen" (Sum 41)
"Fat Bottomed Girls" (Antigone Rising)
"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Constantine Maroulis with Las Vegas cast of "We Will Rock You")

Amazon.com has the CD available for pre-order.

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?