So now, we are caught up. After a whirlwind session of watching Idol after Idol after Idol, and just engrossing myself in the Hollywood Group Night, its finally time to watch Idol, on the night its on, around the time it came on. Novel idea, eh?
Does anyone else notice the Pepsi Max commercial that comes on Fox 6, with a Pepsi Max can next to the words "Enjoy the Show", right before a show sponsored and lathered in Coke product placement?
THIS IS AMERICAN
IDOL
Okay, so I did fib a bit. Its actually 753p, and the show has been on for about 55 minutes or so. But I'm watching the beginning before the show actually goes off the air, which is a new thing lately.
We see all 100 contestants sitting in an auditorium, awaiting the judges' decision. Earlier that day, they had sung one by one, giving their final musical case for making the Semi Finals. They survived the first line of ten, then Group Night, and now here they are.
Haley Reinhart is up first. Her future hangs in the balance. She's going to be singing a day after barely making it through Group Round. J-Lo had told her she made it through by the skin of her teeth... no pressure. She kills it. The judges are grinning, as Haley is making Steven Tyler nod his head in agreement. Good job. Redemption for Haley.
Here's someone we have never even seen before, in this whole show thus far. Ashthon Jones, singing "I Am Telling You I Am Not Going", and wow of wow is she awesome. Creepy Uncle Steve smiles as he stares at her. She did great.
15 year old Thia Megia is doing "What a Wonderful World", and the chick winning streak continues. I liked Ashthon and Haley better, but Thia's got it. That sweater she is wearing, however, looks like it was sponsored by the Letters S and A(wful).
Of course, they can't all be great. One guy makes the mistake of tossing the band under the bus by blaming them for their missed line or bad notes. And one chick throws up all over "Hey Soul Sister" by completely picking the wrong song. Clint "Jun Bug" Gamboa is up now, and he's the guy who orchestrated the ouster of JC Badaeux in Group Night. He sounds a little loud and screechy for my money on "Georgia on My Mind", and his Harry Potter glasses are a little disturbing, but overall, not bad.
Kendra Chantelle sings "Georgia" as well... gotta be honest, one of my least favorite good songs. Not her performance, just the song in general. Its a good song to be sure, just one of my least favorite songs. Does that make sense? Another chick named Sophi does it too.
Funky Chris Medina is up next, and is doing Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative", while Carson Higgins is doing the same song too--both were in a group together. Funky Chris Medina does it fun on guitar, while Carson has the full band backup. He says, "If its my last day, I'm going out with a bang..."
This particular audition is big because the contestants can play their own instruments, and Julie Zorilla just won me over by doing piano on Sara Bareillis' "Love Song", which is probably my favorite song of the last ten years. A couple of piano players and guitar strummers are shown as well, including Robbie Rosen and Brett Lowenstern.
Casey Abrams comes up now, bringing his... stand up bass. For the first time on Idol, ever, someone is using a stand up bass. And I didn't even recognize "Georgia on My Mind", but his voice + bass = unadulterated awesome. Awesome. My favorite performance so far on this entire season of Idol.
Here's the Ex Girlfriend Chelsee Oaks, who watched her ex boo get cut the night before, and is now watching her friend Jackie bow out of the show. Jackie, who was dating Nick, who got cut in round one, is ill and is forced to quit. Ex Girlfriend Chelsee channels that angst into a somewhat shaky, yet genuine turn on Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You". Well done, ex girlfriend.
Georgia girl Lauren Alaina sang another one of my least favorite songs, this one being good is subjective, "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing", on her first audition in Nashville, and is now singing it as her final shot at the next round. Not a fan of the song, but the performance is swell.
Here's Jacob Lusk, someone who shone last night for the first time so far this season, is doing "God Bless the Child" and is owning it. He sounds feeeee-nominal, and is now a frontrunner. The contestants in the audience are jumping up and down, cheering and going nuts, and the judges give him a standing O. That was awesome. My next favorite performance of the entire show. And when he gets outside to his mom and grandmama, he breaks down in tears. Once again, another great Idol moment.
John Wayne Schulz, cowboy hat on, is up next and is singing "Landslide" by... well, its Fleetwood Mac, but lets be real... The Dixie Chicks have the definitive version of this, for my money. J-Dub Shulz is pretty good though.
Here's Overdramatic Ashley Sullivan singing "Everything" by Mikey Buble. I really would kinda like her to go home. She is a little too much over the top, and I'd like to see her go back to the Waffle House, or wherever she is from. And... right in the middle of the song, she messes up the words and has to start over. And onstage, she begins to fall apart. I'm a little amused. Is that bad? She walks offstage in tears. Seacrest says, "So, Ashley falls apart. Again." You said it, Seacrusty.
Its 630p in the City of Angels, and we got three guys coming up... Stefano Langone is doing another of one of my least favorite good songs, "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder. Jovany Barreto is doing a acapella version of "You Sang to Me" by Marc Antony. And JC Badauex is doing "Time of My Life".
The final two contestants is Deep Voiced Scotty is doing The Lovely Steph Leann's least least least favorite songs that doesn't involve the rap genre... that would be Lee Ann Womack's overplayed, overdone "I Hope You Dance." Her disdain for that song is well documented here on Clouds, so much so that she's threatened to haunt my life forever if I play that at her funeral, even just to be funny. Well, I am looking forward to her seeing this here episode of Idol, and Deep Voiced Scotty decided to do this song, even though he had to learn the words earlier in the day.
And thanks to the subtitles that Fox offers us, we can tell that Deep Voiced Scotty sings the lines, "I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. I said this zone zoo talk and nuts of wonder. Nang da wonger un your jeans your fightin' chance."
Tatynisa Wilson, who we have never, ever seen, bought her ticket out of Idol by singing, "I hope you never lose the wonder of your senses. You get the fuel to eat but always keep your hunger. May you never take advantage of this broken. Then thunn oh oh oohhh. I hope you dance. I hope you dance."
By the way, the lines are actually, "I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty handed. I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance... I hope you daaaaaaance.... I hope you dance..."
Personally, I like the song. I'd take "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" by Lee Ann over "I Hope You Dance", but since the latter is about hope and faith and the former is about a one night stand following a night of drunk desperation, perhaps "I Hope You Dance" is a more inspiring song. Don't know what The Lovely Steph Leann's problem is.
Deep Voiced Scotty says, "I don't think I deserve to go on, to be honest."
So now, the solo auditions are done. And now they wait. The judges go back and forth, picking pictures, using definite, using probables, arguing over the borderlines, and cutting some right out of the gate.
Who is an Idol in the making? And who has sung their last note?
The contestants are split into four groups of 25, into four different rooms. Two rooms move on. Two rooms are done. Dude, I love this stuff.
J-Lo, Randy the Dawg and Creepy Uncle Steve make the rounds now. Room One has Overdramatic Ashley Sullivan... though if I am in a room with her, I'm fearful of a breakdown. Also in this room, red headed Brett Lowenstern and young JC Badeaux. Randy the Dawg tosses out the words we never heard last year--"This is the most talented group we've ever had." Room One moves on to the next round. Robbie Rosen, James Durbin, Casey Abrams and Lauren Alaina all move on.
Room Two hears the cheering of Room One, and they know it might be bad. And if you watch Idol in previous years, you know its bad. Room Two didn't make the cut. All 25 are out. Some sit in stunned silence, some shake their heads like they knew it, and some begin crying.
In Room Three, Ex Girlfriend Chelsee Oaks is one of those who are cut. I will say few memorable faces are in these two rooms, so had we seen the list of names, you could have guessed One and Four were gold.
Room Four is unaware of the news. J-Lo drops the bomb on them and Carson Higgins, Julie Zorillo, Deep Voiced Scotty and others move on, and the two rooms run in the hallway together like a big friendship mesh.
And next week... the Fifty becomes Twenty Four when they enter a The Beatles round. One day to learn their song as 26 more goes home, getting down to our Semi Final Round...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Dude, I Love This Stuff... Hollywood Week Parts I & II
HOLLYWOOD WEEK PART I
Welcome to Hollywood Week! The audition rounds are over! The Hollywood Single Elimination Round is about to begin! Now, even though I've watched three hours of Idol in like, two days, I'll tell ya that I have no idea who is who and what is what. If The Lovely Steph Leann were here, she could help me remember, but she's in Pensacola, so we'll figure it out together, eh?
THIS
IS AMERICAN
IDOL
HOLLYWOOD
So, 327 Golden Tickets were given out, and are converging to Hollywood for the chance to chase their dreams. They cash in the Golden Ticket for a shot onstage, to be told "You are through... to the next round..." or "You are through... and are going home..."
J-Lo and Steven Tyler come into it all smiles, but Randy the Dawg knows better. "You get ONE shot. Bring it."
The come out in lines of 10, they will sing acapella and will get no feedback. They will then be told Yay or Nay. From New Orleans Auditions, Brett Lowenstern is a ball of nerves, but busts out "Let It Be". The rest of the line sings, then out of the first 10, three goes through. Seven go home.
And it begins.
Rachel Zevita, from New York, sails through. Thia Megia gets her second round on. Casey Abrams gets a quick YES.
Ten more walk out. And the Incredibly Annoying Victoria Huggins is up now. In her little video, she's talking about staying a while, and brought ELEVEN suitcases for the long haul. And the other girls are looking at her like she's an idiot. Judgment time comes. And she doesn't make it. Yeah, she's pretty annoying, but ya still kinda go "awwwww" when you see her tearing up while hugging her mom.
We see James Durbin (who, in real time, was seen on a show that was almost a week before this, but in tonight's blogging, I saw fifteen minutes ago) and we see Paris Tassin, who has the little girl with the hearing disability. Paris belts out Celine's Titanic, and James does "Oh Darlin". And here comes Stormi Weathers, or whatever her name is, and sings "Why Don't You Stay". And here is 15 year old Lauren from Georgia, singing, "Unchained Melody". James steps forward upon hearing his name called. Lauren steps forward. Paris steps forward. Those three continue on, while the back seven, including Stormi, are cut.
Funky Chris Medina, with the disabled girlfriend, probably the most dear and affecting Sob Story I've ever seen on Idol, is up now. Maybe I don't know if he should win. Maybe I don't want him to hit the final 24. I dunno. But I want to see him get past this round. Funky Chris Medina steps forward, after singing "You and I Both" from Jason Mraz... and he gets through. I'm sincerely glad. Sincerely.
Montage of nerve wrecked auditions, including lost lyrics, shaky hands, thumping heads, and Hollie Cavanaugh, Robbie Rosen and young JC Badeaux, who does "God Bless the Broken Road" (and gets cheers from the chicks in the audience). Robbie Rosen does something smooth and bluesy, and Hollie manages to get through her little tune too. All three get through.
Steve Baghun, the boring accountant, comes out in the next line of 10, doing Michael Buble. He doesn't make it, along with three more. We see more familiar faces that I barely recognize and won't even remember by midnight tonight that get cut and end up in tears.
One guy is telling us, "Its tough... (through tears)... its really tough... because I have nothing..." See, if you have nothing and are banking all of your life into a show that offers a very slim chance to give you any future, even if you make it to the second round of auditions, then you need a life plan. Just sayin'.
Just heard the words "Glee catches Beiber Fever". Wanna ensure I won't watch Glee this week? Use those words.
Montage of more forgotten lyrics, botched notes and "OMG... I cannot believe I missed that..." The contestants backstage get to watch the contestants onstage, and the pressure is mounting. We now get the chick and the guy who broke up and are auditioning together, and are bunking with Nick and Jackie, who was that lovey dovey couple from a few episodes ago. Rob, the ex, is singing, "I"m So Lonesome I Could Cry". Chelsee, the other ex, is singing something else, and I just noticed that they are in the line with the red headed Brett Lowenstern, the first guy in the first line who sang and got through. Look at y'all, Fox, doing some clever editing.
Nick, the boyfriend, is up now and from the previews, he won't make it, because he begs the judges for another shot. Jackie, the girlfriend is singing much, much better. And Nick steps forward with one other guy. Jackie stays in the back row, name not called. And Jackie makes it, Nick is cut. And like the previews, he begs to sing one more time. Randy the Dawg reiterates, "Like we said, One Shot. Sorry." And what does Nick do? He starts singing in the aisle. Jackie shakes her head and walks away. This is like a Lifetime Movie.
Smashcut to them backstage, both crying. I'm guessing that Nick is upset that Jackie is not more upset, and while she is upset that her boo ain't making it, she moves on. And there some joy in that, right?
From Milwaukee, 17 year old Scotty does the song he did in his original audition, this little country ditty that showed his deep voice. Jackie Wilson, the white country girl, not the 50s soul singer, also does some country, and both make it through.
So, here comes the chick with the stars on her boobies, in the last line for judging. Tiffany Something or Other says, "I am tired of seeing people trying to do what I know I can." The contestants in the audience all look around and look affronted, as they should. Were I the judges, I'd cut her fast. Travis Orlando, from Jersey, is the one who has lived in and out of shelters, and I kinda am rooting for him.
Cut to the judges deciding, J-Lo comments on "What she said makes her not likable".... Travis steps forward. And misses the cut. Tiffany makes the cut. We might have an enemy now.
Out of 327, 168 of them get another shot. And the next show? The Group Round.
HOLLYWOOD PART II
Its Group Round Time! This is one of my favorite parts of the entire Idol process, because this is where we see all the people who are complete strangers, save for the friendships they might have forged in, you know, the last day or two, try to jel and perform together... some will stand proud and emerge as favorites. Others will fall apart, clash and one bad contestant can ruin the dreams for several others in two minutes.
THIS IS
AMERICAN IDOL
The 168 who made it are filed back into the auditorium, are told they must form groups, coordinate the routine and learn their song they chose together... all in one single night. Some contestants were already forming their own groups and had started working on routines to get ahead of the curve, only to be thrown a slick curveball of their own... all groups have to be a mixture of Day One and Day Two auditioners. Which means a scramble of groups who split up, calling out "We need a Day Two Boy!" and "Day One Girl? Anyone?!"
Brutal.
Tiffany Rios, the "I'm tired of seeing people try to do what I know I can do" chick, can't find a group. No one wants her. She says, "I actually can join any group I want, but I want to find the right one," but no one wants her at all. She runs into Deep Voiced Scotty and asks him about his group. He says, "Sing for me?" and she says, "Sing for you? Like you are the prize? You should sing for me..."
The drama continues as groups are swapping, stealing Day One and Day Two contestants from other groups Even one group ends up audition Day Two contestants to join their foursome of Day Ones... Tiffany gets on the mic to find a group, and no one wants to join them. Deep Voiced Scotty can't find anyone to join. And a group called The Sugar Mamas can't find a Day Two. And time is a'wasting.
Remember... they are all fresh off being told they made it. Its late, they are already clashing in groups, and some can't find anyone to join. The night is wearing on, and more time wastes. They all have to be ready the next day, the next morning in fact, to sing for the judges.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Tiffany and her partner can't find a third, and have to get the producers to let them slide on having just two in their group. I forget the name of the chick with her, and I like her, but I'm willing to see this chick fail to have this Tiffany chick bite the dust.
Groups like The Guaps, The Minors, The Hits and more all are desperate to find a place to practice, with some groups being in the mens bathroom, some going to the hallways and still others going to the parking garage.
Ashley Sullivan, who is like 24, but looks like a 42 year old Waffle House waitress who smokes, even up and quits, leaving The Hits down a member. She has a meltdown in front of a producer, and the other girls in her group are being remarkably supportive.
Deep Voiced Scotty joined The Guaps, and it seems like his addition making it a fifth... and then they ousted 15 year old JC Badeaux, who was part of the original group. One guy made the decision, the girls kinda wanted to keep him, and JC is now scrambling while looking for a group, tears in his eyes. That was kinda harsh.
Jordon Dorsey, who was "auditioning" other people to join his group, looks like he's ready to leave that group. He joins up with Four Plus One, while the old group gets in sync without Jordon. 230 in the morning. Overdramatic Ashley tries to rejoin The Hits, but they have been already rehearsing without her.
Brett Lowenstern is a member of The Sugar Mamas are still down a member, and end up finding Day Two kid JC Badeaux... I'm happy this kid found a group. Its 3am and some groups turn in to get some sleep. At 420, other groups continue, like Three's Company, who include exes Rob and Chelsee and Nick-less girlfriend Jackie, and their group is on the verge of a meltdown.
The sun comes up, and the contestants rise after three hours, two hours, one single hour of sleep. And the groups are try to keep rehearsing into the morning. Thirty nine groups are going to do their thing for the judges, and the stage looks menacing. They wait silently in the theater, they are present... but are they ready? Let's find out.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Steven Tyler and J-Lo give them a pep talk, and Randy the Dawg, speaking from experience, yells out "Don't ever... forget the words!!"
Up now, three chicks that I couldn't pick out of a lineup or tell apart, are up first... and they sound fabulous singing "Grenade". That was a great way to start out the Group Auditions. The judges loved it, and looks like they are all going through. Pressure is off.
Four Plus One, which includes Jordon Dorsey, who abandoned his group 4-40, looks like they are up next. 4-40 is talking trash about Jordon and Four Plus One. Might be a gang war brewing. Four Plus One starts their song. Remember, the judges aren't seeing all the drama and who did what, and who's character shone and faltered in the previous night, all they see are the results. As one contestant put it, "The judges don't care if we lost a member and had to start all over, they just want to hear us be good." And all of Four Plus One makes it through.
Now, its 4-40, singing "Forget You" by Cee-Lo. Love this song. I just heard a lyric get mixed up, so that's not good. Lauren, who mixed up the lyric, steps forward, as does everyone else, and they all get through.
They keep showing the good songs and good performances, but you know the bad stuff is coming. And here comes Tiffany Rios and her partner, Jessica Yance, who had to get permission from the producers to just do a duet because they couldn't get anyone to join them. And it warms my heard to hear Tiffany Rios be completely off key during Beyonce's "Irreplaceable". Randy the Dawg even stops them from finishing because they were so awful. And they both get cut. YAY!!!!!
Members of the group Spanglish have to go retrieve one of their members who was still asleep, and leave the judges waiting. Its four Hispanic Americans, by the way. And they all sound terrible. Two of them make it, two of them don't, including the guy who overslept.
Centerstage brings out four chicks who invite Steven Tyler to come sit onstage in a chair. They bust out with "Some Kind of Wonderful", and bringing Steven Tyler onstage was a brilliant move--anyone else that tries it will be met with rejection I'm sure. They leave a room full of contestants wondering "Why didn't we think of that?" And only one of them make it through. Cue the song "Cryin" by Aerosmith.
Its 1145 in the morning, and The Nashville Stars take the stage. They all came from the Nashville auditions, as the five begin to sing. Some are shining through. Some are falling apart right in front of our eyes. One guy, Colton Dixon, makes it though. The other four are done.
More bad notes, more forgotten lines, more off key melodies, more bad dancing, more J-Lo hanging her head, more Randy the Dawg shaking his head, more Steven Tyler wincing.
Paris Tassin, with the disabled daughter, gets cut. More tears from more contestants, including Emily Anne Reed with the cool voice. And Aaron gets cut while his brother Mark advances. More breakdowns in the hallway after the news. Sad.
Dude, I love this stuff.
This Hits take the stage, with Overdramatic Ashley, and begin. Strangely enough, they are singing "Hit 'Em Up Style", and somehow it kinda works. Even Overdramatic Ashley gets it done, though she seems really out of place. Randy the Dawg says they are the best harmonized group so far, and they all go through.
The Minors are getting insight from The Moms--not a new group, but the mothers of the The Minors, and it has to be annoying. Five moms, five opinions. First up, though, The Deep Vs, who are singing "Somebody to Love", and The Deep Vs contain James Durbin with the crazy note. And it didn't go as well as you'd like. Ryan Seacrest even looks around like "whaaa?" J-Lo says it sounded like a bad glee club. James makes it through with one other guy, and three of The Deep Vs go home.
The Moms get to the camera and criticize, then praise their own kids, The Minors, who come up next, also singing "Somebody to Love". And The Minors end up getting it done, and The Moms are quite happy that "they bay-bays did it right..." The judges give The Minors a standing ovation, and they all get through.
And honestly... yeah, they were really good. Really, really good. I wish The Moms would leave, but The Minors were really great.
Its 4p, and outside the theater, the remaining groups continue to practice. Three's Company isn't, however, as poor Rob is passed out on the sidewalk.
Back inside, one guy is singing off a little card in his hand, and Randy the Dawg mutters to J-Lo "He's gone". Another guy in the group looks all over the place while singing, while J-Lo yells, "Look here!" and Hollie Cavanaugh is just all over the place. But Hollie makes it, as does a guy named Corey.
The Night Owls come up, featuring Casey Abrams and Julie Zorrillo choose to sing without music, doing "Get Ready" by Smokey and the Miracles. Julie and Casey make it, the others don't. Here comes Ebony, Ivory and Emory, also singing "Get Ready", also singing acapella. This is the group that contains Naida Adepalodpla. And they all make it through. Steven Tyler says, "Every bit of it was beautiful."
Up next is Four None Blondes and That Guy, which might be the best name of the night. Notably, its the group that has Funky Chris Medina, and all practiced in the ladies room all night. Seeing Carson Higgins, a pasty white surfer dude sing "Forget You", with sass no less, was hilarious. And awesome. Out of the five... four of them make it, including Carson and Funky Chris Medina. The one who didn't make it, Devyn Rush, is upset and is just begging into the camera to get back in the room, and feels like "I don't deserve to go home." But... she is.
The day is waning, as its 6pm. More groups are cut, all featuring people that we've never seen and will forget in about five minutes. But here comes the group that took in JC Badaeux, after he was kicked out of his group in the middle of the night. Sugar Mama and the Babies come out, singing Duffy's "Mercy", a song that JC had never heard of just 12 hours prior. And JC forgets his words, and ends up singing the line "I dont wanna go home" right in the middle of the song."
Randy the Dawg asks what happens, and Sugar Mama and the Babies tells them how JC got kicked out. And in one of the best moments of the whole doggone show, everyone's name is called, including JC, and they all go through. JC starts tearing up on stage. The audience erupts in applause.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Now, its the group that kicked him out. Randy the Dawg drills them about kicking out JC, eliciting boos from the audience. Deep Voiced Scotty pipes up and says, "Its my fault for not standing up for him. He's the best kid in this competition." So the group starts, led by a guy we formerly liked, Clint from LBC, who was instrumental in kicking out JC. But, they all make it through. Deep Voiced Scotty made it, but is tearing up in the hall, saying, "This whole thing with JC... its a bad feeling...."
So far, 38 groups have taken the stage and we've seen 67 contestants be given their walking papers. Last is Three's Company, which you know that Fox has left for performing last to stretch out the drama, and they've succeeded. Girlfriend Jackie and ex Chelsee are confident, while ex Rob is struggling. "Forget You" is their little ditty. Chelsee might just be singing to her ex Rob, while ex Rob can't even get the words out. Jackie even sings a little uncensored lyric, with a bleep. Randy the Dawg just stops them midsong. Ex Rob is going home, while Ex Chelsee and Girlfriend Jackie move on. Good for Chelsee. Time to shed the dead weight, honey.
100 contestants are left. Tomorrow night, its solo night, and half the group will be shed.
Dude. I love this stuff.
Welcome to Hollywood Week! The audition rounds are over! The Hollywood Single Elimination Round is about to begin! Now, even though I've watched three hours of Idol in like, two days, I'll tell ya that I have no idea who is who and what is what. If The Lovely Steph Leann were here, she could help me remember, but she's in Pensacola, so we'll figure it out together, eh?
THIS
IS AMERICAN
IDOL
HOLLYWOOD
So, 327 Golden Tickets were given out, and are converging to Hollywood for the chance to chase their dreams. They cash in the Golden Ticket for a shot onstage, to be told "You are through... to the next round..." or "You are through... and are going home..."
J-Lo and Steven Tyler come into it all smiles, but Randy the Dawg knows better. "You get ONE shot. Bring it."
The come out in lines of 10, they will sing acapella and will get no feedback. They will then be told Yay or Nay. From New Orleans Auditions, Brett Lowenstern is a ball of nerves, but busts out "Let It Be". The rest of the line sings, then out of the first 10, three goes through. Seven go home.
And it begins.
 |
| Casey Abrams |
Ten more walk out. And the Incredibly Annoying Victoria Huggins is up now. In her little video, she's talking about staying a while, and brought ELEVEN suitcases for the long haul. And the other girls are looking at her like she's an idiot. Judgment time comes. And she doesn't make it. Yeah, she's pretty annoying, but ya still kinda go "awwwww" when you see her tearing up while hugging her mom.
We see James Durbin (who, in real time, was seen on a show that was almost a week before this, but in tonight's blogging, I saw fifteen minutes ago) and we see Paris Tassin, who has the little girl with the hearing disability. Paris belts out Celine's Titanic, and James does "Oh Darlin". And here comes Stormi Weathers, or whatever her name is, and sings "Why Don't You Stay". And here is 15 year old Lauren from Georgia, singing, "Unchained Melody". James steps forward upon hearing his name called. Lauren steps forward. Paris steps forward. Those three continue on, while the back seven, including Stormi, are cut.
Funky Chris Medina, with the disabled girlfriend, probably the most dear and affecting Sob Story I've ever seen on Idol, is up now. Maybe I don't know if he should win. Maybe I don't want him to hit the final 24. I dunno. But I want to see him get past this round. Funky Chris Medina steps forward, after singing "You and I Both" from Jason Mraz... and he gets through. I'm sincerely glad. Sincerely.
Montage of nerve wrecked auditions, including lost lyrics, shaky hands, thumping heads, and Hollie Cavanaugh, Robbie Rosen and young JC Badeaux, who does "God Bless the Broken Road" (and gets cheers from the chicks in the audience). Robbie Rosen does something smooth and bluesy, and Hollie manages to get through her little tune too. All three get through.
Steve Baghun, the boring accountant, comes out in the next line of 10, doing Michael Buble. He doesn't make it, along with three more. We see more familiar faces that I barely recognize and won't even remember by midnight tonight that get cut and end up in tears.
One guy is telling us, "Its tough... (through tears)... its really tough... because I have nothing..." See, if you have nothing and are banking all of your life into a show that offers a very slim chance to give you any future, even if you make it to the second round of auditions, then you need a life plan. Just sayin'.
Just heard the words "Glee catches Beiber Fever". Wanna ensure I won't watch Glee this week? Use those words.
Montage of more forgotten lyrics, botched notes and "OMG... I cannot believe I missed that..." The contestants backstage get to watch the contestants onstage, and the pressure is mounting. We now get the chick and the guy who broke up and are auditioning together, and are bunking with Nick and Jackie, who was that lovey dovey couple from a few episodes ago. Rob, the ex, is singing, "I"m So Lonesome I Could Cry". Chelsee, the other ex, is singing something else, and I just noticed that they are in the line with the red headed Brett Lowenstern, the first guy in the first line who sang and got through. Look at y'all, Fox, doing some clever editing.
Nick, the boyfriend, is up now and from the previews, he won't make it, because he begs the judges for another shot. Jackie, the girlfriend is singing much, much better. And Nick steps forward with one other guy. Jackie stays in the back row, name not called. And Jackie makes it, Nick is cut. And like the previews, he begs to sing one more time. Randy the Dawg reiterates, "Like we said, One Shot. Sorry." And what does Nick do? He starts singing in the aisle. Jackie shakes her head and walks away. This is like a Lifetime Movie.
Smashcut to them backstage, both crying. I'm guessing that Nick is upset that Jackie is not more upset, and while she is upset that her boo ain't making it, she moves on. And there some joy in that, right?
From Milwaukee, 17 year old Scotty does the song he did in his original audition, this little country ditty that showed his deep voice. Jackie Wilson, the white country girl, not the 50s soul singer, also does some country, and both make it through.
So, here comes the chick with the stars on her boobies, in the last line for judging. Tiffany Something or Other says, "I am tired of seeing people trying to do what I know I can." The contestants in the audience all look around and look affronted, as they should. Were I the judges, I'd cut her fast. Travis Orlando, from Jersey, is the one who has lived in and out of shelters, and I kinda am rooting for him.
Cut to the judges deciding, J-Lo comments on "What she said makes her not likable".... Travis steps forward. And misses the cut. Tiffany makes the cut. We might have an enemy now.
Out of 327, 168 of them get another shot. And the next show? The Group Round.
HOLLYWOOD PART II
Its Group Round Time! This is one of my favorite parts of the entire Idol process, because this is where we see all the people who are complete strangers, save for the friendships they might have forged in, you know, the last day or two, try to jel and perform together... some will stand proud and emerge as favorites. Others will fall apart, clash and one bad contestant can ruin the dreams for several others in two minutes.
THIS IS
AMERICAN IDOL
The 168 who made it are filed back into the auditorium, are told they must form groups, coordinate the routine and learn their song they chose together... all in one single night. Some contestants were already forming their own groups and had started working on routines to get ahead of the curve, only to be thrown a slick curveball of their own... all groups have to be a mixture of Day One and Day Two auditioners. Which means a scramble of groups who split up, calling out "We need a Day Two Boy!" and "Day One Girl? Anyone?!"
Brutal.
 |
| Tiffany Rios |
The drama continues as groups are swapping, stealing Day One and Day Two contestants from other groups Even one group ends up audition Day Two contestants to join their foursome of Day Ones... Tiffany gets on the mic to find a group, and no one wants to join them. Deep Voiced Scotty can't find anyone to join. And a group called The Sugar Mamas can't find a Day Two. And time is a'wasting.
Remember... they are all fresh off being told they made it. Its late, they are already clashing in groups, and some can't find anyone to join. The night is wearing on, and more time wastes. They all have to be ready the next day, the next morning in fact, to sing for the judges.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Tiffany and her partner can't find a third, and have to get the producers to let them slide on having just two in their group. I forget the name of the chick with her, and I like her, but I'm willing to see this chick fail to have this Tiffany chick bite the dust.
Groups like The Guaps, The Minors, The Hits and more all are desperate to find a place to practice, with some groups being in the mens bathroom, some going to the hallways and still others going to the parking garage.
 |
| Ashley Sullivan |
Deep Voiced Scotty joined The Guaps, and it seems like his addition making it a fifth... and then they ousted 15 year old JC Badeaux, who was part of the original group. One guy made the decision, the girls kinda wanted to keep him, and JC is now scrambling while looking for a group, tears in his eyes. That was kinda harsh.
Jordon Dorsey, who was "auditioning" other people to join his group, looks like he's ready to leave that group. He joins up with Four Plus One, while the old group gets in sync without Jordon. 230 in the morning. Overdramatic Ashley tries to rejoin The Hits, but they have been already rehearsing without her.
Brett Lowenstern is a member of The Sugar Mamas are still down a member, and end up finding Day Two kid JC Badeaux... I'm happy this kid found a group. Its 3am and some groups turn in to get some sleep. At 420, other groups continue, like Three's Company, who include exes Rob and Chelsee and Nick-less girlfriend Jackie, and their group is on the verge of a meltdown.
The sun comes up, and the contestants rise after three hours, two hours, one single hour of sleep. And the groups are try to keep rehearsing into the morning. Thirty nine groups are going to do their thing for the judges, and the stage looks menacing. They wait silently in the theater, they are present... but are they ready? Let's find out.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Steven Tyler and J-Lo give them a pep talk, and Randy the Dawg, speaking from experience, yells out "Don't ever... forget the words!!"
Up now, three chicks that I couldn't pick out of a lineup or tell apart, are up first... and they sound fabulous singing "Grenade". That was a great way to start out the Group Auditions. The judges loved it, and looks like they are all going through. Pressure is off.
Four Plus One, which includes Jordon Dorsey, who abandoned his group 4-40, looks like they are up next. 4-40 is talking trash about Jordon and Four Plus One. Might be a gang war brewing. Four Plus One starts their song. Remember, the judges aren't seeing all the drama and who did what, and who's character shone and faltered in the previous night, all they see are the results. As one contestant put it, "The judges don't care if we lost a member and had to start all over, they just want to hear us be good." And all of Four Plus One makes it through.
Now, its 4-40, singing "Forget You" by Cee-Lo. Love this song. I just heard a lyric get mixed up, so that's not good. Lauren, who mixed up the lyric, steps forward, as does everyone else, and they all get through.
They keep showing the good songs and good performances, but you know the bad stuff is coming. And here comes Tiffany Rios and her partner, Jessica Yance, who had to get permission from the producers to just do a duet because they couldn't get anyone to join them. And it warms my heard to hear Tiffany Rios be completely off key during Beyonce's "Irreplaceable". Randy the Dawg even stops them from finishing because they were so awful. And they both get cut. YAY!!!!!
Members of the group Spanglish have to go retrieve one of their members who was still asleep, and leave the judges waiting. Its four Hispanic Americans, by the way. And they all sound terrible. Two of them make it, two of them don't, including the guy who overslept.
Centerstage brings out four chicks who invite Steven Tyler to come sit onstage in a chair. They bust out with "Some Kind of Wonderful", and bringing Steven Tyler onstage was a brilliant move--anyone else that tries it will be met with rejection I'm sure. They leave a room full of contestants wondering "Why didn't we think of that?" And only one of them make it through. Cue the song "Cryin" by Aerosmith.
Its 1145 in the morning, and The Nashville Stars take the stage. They all came from the Nashville auditions, as the five begin to sing. Some are shining through. Some are falling apart right in front of our eyes. One guy, Colton Dixon, makes it though. The other four are done.
More bad notes, more forgotten lines, more off key melodies, more bad dancing, more J-Lo hanging her head, more Randy the Dawg shaking his head, more Steven Tyler wincing.
Paris Tassin, with the disabled daughter, gets cut. More tears from more contestants, including Emily Anne Reed with the cool voice. And Aaron gets cut while his brother Mark advances. More breakdowns in the hallway after the news. Sad.
Dude, I love this stuff.
This Hits take the stage, with Overdramatic Ashley, and begin. Strangely enough, they are singing "Hit 'Em Up Style", and somehow it kinda works. Even Overdramatic Ashley gets it done, though she seems really out of place. Randy the Dawg says they are the best harmonized group so far, and they all go through.
 |
| James Durbin (L) and Funky Chris Medina (R) |
The Moms get to the camera and criticize, then praise their own kids, The Minors, who come up next, also singing "Somebody to Love". And The Minors end up getting it done, and The Moms are quite happy that "they bay-bays did it right..." The judges give The Minors a standing ovation, and they all get through.
And honestly... yeah, they were really good. Really, really good. I wish The Moms would leave, but The Minors were really great.
Its 4p, and outside the theater, the remaining groups continue to practice. Three's Company isn't, however, as poor Rob is passed out on the sidewalk.
Back inside, one guy is singing off a little card in his hand, and Randy the Dawg mutters to J-Lo "He's gone". Another guy in the group looks all over the place while singing, while J-Lo yells, "Look here!" and Hollie Cavanaugh is just all over the place. But Hollie makes it, as does a guy named Corey.
The Night Owls come up, featuring Casey Abrams and Julie Zorrillo choose to sing without music, doing "Get Ready" by Smokey and the Miracles. Julie and Casey make it, the others don't. Here comes Ebony, Ivory and Emory, also singing "Get Ready", also singing acapella. This is the group that contains Naida Adepalodpla. And they all make it through. Steven Tyler says, "Every bit of it was beautiful."
Up next is Four None Blondes and That Guy, which might be the best name of the night. Notably, its the group that has Funky Chris Medina, and all practiced in the ladies room all night. Seeing Carson Higgins, a pasty white surfer dude sing "Forget You", with sass no less, was hilarious. And awesome. Out of the five... four of them make it, including Carson and Funky Chris Medina. The one who didn't make it, Devyn Rush, is upset and is just begging into the camera to get back in the room, and feels like "I don't deserve to go home." But... she is.
The day is waning, as its 6pm. More groups are cut, all featuring people that we've never seen and will forget in about five minutes. But here comes the group that took in JC Badaeux, after he was kicked out of his group in the middle of the night. Sugar Mama and the Babies come out, singing Duffy's "Mercy", a song that JC had never heard of just 12 hours prior. And JC forgets his words, and ends up singing the line "I dont wanna go home" right in the middle of the song."
Randy the Dawg asks what happens, and Sugar Mama and the Babies tells them how JC got kicked out. And in one of the best moments of the whole doggone show, everyone's name is called, including JC, and they all go through. JC starts tearing up on stage. The audience erupts in applause.
Dude, I love this stuff.
Now, its the group that kicked him out. Randy the Dawg drills them about kicking out JC, eliciting boos from the audience. Deep Voiced Scotty pipes up and says, "Its my fault for not standing up for him. He's the best kid in this competition." So the group starts, led by a guy we formerly liked, Clint from LBC, who was instrumental in kicking out JC. But, they all make it through. Deep Voiced Scotty made it, but is tearing up in the hall, saying, "This whole thing with JC... its a bad feeling...."
 |
| Exes Rob and Chelsee. Rob went home, Chelsee stays, and though she says they will always be friends (all chicks say that), Rob just walks off. Seems like it really is over. |
100 contestants are left. Tomorrow night, its solo night, and half the group will be shed.
Dude. I love this stuff.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Idol Catch-Up Parts I, II & III
(Contains AUSTIN audition from Feb 2nd show, the Los Angeles audition from Feb 3rd show and the San Fran auditions from Feb 9th, and the first show of Hollywood week is forthcoming)
PART I... AUSTIN
Well... aren't we behind?
After spending ten days at The Most Magical Place on Earth, The Lovely Steph Leann and I have missed a total of four episodes of American Idol... so, I'm not going to give you a shot by shot replay, but I will do a recap of each episode as we watch it.
Boy, we do have a lot to talk about, though. We did a ton of stuff at Disney this time around, and I feel compelled to discuss everything from Harry Potter and Butterbeer to the Wild Africa Trek and Dining with a Disney Imagineer. And, of course, we gotta talk about The 100 Coolest Things of 2010...
But, let's get to...
THIS IS (lots of)
AMERICAN IDOL
First show is in Austin, TX, leading off with a guy who shows up with his sister, one he just met, even though they grew up 15 minutes apart. Maybe its just me, but it feels like there is a Greg & Marcia Brady thing between country boy and cute sis. Just sayin'. Then again, after showing of his self-proclaimed "J-Lo booty", he might be gay.
Young Hollie is breaking down when told her version of "At Last" is not gonna cut it. She is given another chance, and being 17, she goes to... "The Climb". By Miley Cyrus. Yikes. And strangely enough, I can tell you she missed the words. However, the rare second chance gives her a YES vote from all three.
Knowing Idol, when shown a serious of tears caused by rejection of contestants, its always fun to hear the next one they feature, be it good or bad. And its bad. Sir Elton John is banging his head on his gay piano during this butchering of "Circle of Life". Then there are comically bad performance to follow.
Meet John Wayne Schulz. SOB STORY! Mom's got breast cancer. J-Dub is singing "Believe" from Brooks & Dunn (natch) and he's pretty good. J-Lo feels his faith, and Steven Tyler loved it too. Randy the Dawg feelz and getz him.
Day Two of Austin gives us... well, just know, the delight of hearing "Hello" by Lionel Richie while watching this creepy teenager fawn all over Ryan Seacrest, and actually crying about it. And Courtney Penry's chances of landing The Crest probably went from -33 to -35 by doing her chicken impersonation, clucking and all.
Still, Clucking Courtney gets 2 YES votes, with Randy the Dawg naying, and heads to Hollywood.
The break return promises Texas Sized Talent, and it delivers with a trio of crazy, note hittin' voices that all take The Golden Ticket out the door. And the talent keeps rolling, one after another.
Now we have a boyfriend/girlfriend combo who are all about each other. He's 19, she's 22, and they are PDA All Da Way. Their goal is "American Idol's First Power Couple". And, of course, they audition together. She throws down on Duffy's "Mercy", which delights the inner creepy uncle of Steven Tyler. She steps off, and BoyToy comes up. He does a little jazzy number and they come back up together.
YES and YES and they both go to Hollywood, while "Here and Now" by Luther plays in the background. Funny, made funnier by the fact she is crying, only made funnier by the fact he's crying.
Janelle Arthur, a country gal from Tenna-say, is doing her best to wow the judges, and it works, getting three YES votes.
Ryan then narrates, "The winning streak had to end at some time..." and it did, starting with a guy in a large armadillo costume. Cue bad costumes, bad notes and bad auditions, with some insults thrown around the room.
And someone has to be the last contestant of the day, and Casey Abrams is it, with a keyboard shaped harmonica in hand. He's going to sing "I Don't Need No Doctor" by Ray Charles. Kinda screamy, kinda scatty, a little finger snappy and... well, he's not half bad. And they all give him a big YES.
Tomorrow night... The Lovely Steph Leann and I take on the 2/3 show, auditions from Los Angeles...
PART II... LOS ANGELES
Aaaaand we're back...
The question as to whether we've seen this one already is answered by the black bars on the bottom and top, scrolling across, telling us what is closed and all about the winter storm and so on. That's the storm we missed cause we were in Walt Disney World. We rule.
But, back on the couch, at the laptop, for show #2 of the 4 we missed... The Lovely Steph Leann is leaving town tomorrow (on business, not magic) so we'll be watching the final two on our own, but right now, we are in Los Angeles!
THIS IS AMERICAN
IDOL
J-Lo with her tight top, Randy the Dawg with his gold shoes and Steven Tyler with his big cigar all enter the judges room, and up first... man I hate when they do this... first is Victoria, who flat out says, "I believe that God brought American Idol to Los Angeles for a purpose... and I am that purpose." Naturally, you know that when she starts singing "Lamb of God", its going to be Hell not Heaven. And it is pure Hell. The Lovely Steph Leann moans from the couch, under her pink Snuggie.
One guy, who proclaims how he's loved J-Lo for years, is singing "She Will Be Loved" straight to J-Lo. Kinda creepy, but good thing he sounds good. He heads to Hollywood, as does the next dude we see after the break. Two more buddies are auditioning together, Daniel and Isaac. Daniel sucks. Let's be honest.
Isaac dropped out of school to be a part of American Idol, but neglected to tell his mama, who sits in the auditorium and says, "I so glad my son go to school and go to this too." And Isaac needs to re-admit. Terrible.
Both elicit a quiet, "...oh dear..." from The Lovely Steph Leann on the couch. Never a good sign.
So, they were doing auditions on MySpace (does that site exist? Maybe it did in the summer of 2010) and a select few were flown out to Los Angeles to audition... including Karen Rodriguez. Dude, I love this chick, though part of it might be her singing "You Give Good Love", a classic Whitney song.
The next chick is a prime example of why I don't go to strip clubs. Because I'm guessing 98% of them look just like this next chick, who looks atrocious. And the ewww factor is high. She's got something like 144 teeth, and she says "ow!" a whole lot. And I'm not sure if I've ever been more relieved that she's terrible and there's not a chance in Ensley she'll become an Idol. Stripper Ho keeps singing after the catcalls to stop, and after Randy the Dawg leaves, she follows him singing.
Stripper Ho then hits the rare Third Song After I'm Told To Stop, which is not seen often. Thankfully, they follow it up with a hot chick who does good.
Crappy & Strange Audition Montage! MSFP is Matthew Scsomething Franksomething Productions... and he calls himself Big Stats. He has a compilation album that features Chanka Khan. And he is everything we hoped that he would be. Big Stats is Big Stink. He begs for a chance, because he "forgot to lubricate up my throat!" and is told a laughing no. He ain't gonna stop til he reach the number one... spot.
MSFP Big Stats was awesome.... here is his webpage. And more crappy auditions!
And now, Mark and Aaron, brothers who look like AC Slater tryouts in the off Broadway Saved By The Bell show. The off, off Broadway.
A little "Lean on Me" duet and looks like they are in.
Finally... a homeless man, or looks like it, from Arkansas. He's got his own subtitles, because none of us speaks Redneck Ebonics. His name pops up and says, "Cooper Robinson" and then under it, says, "Somewhere Deep In Arkansas". He does a frantic, for-show version of "I Feel Good", but somehow doesn't have the charm of William Hung or the humor of "Pants on the Ground".
Alrighty... well, that's LA, its onto San Francisco!
PART III... SAN FRANCISCO
So, our final audition show. Tonight is actually Wednesday, and the 2nd Hollywood Round show is on, and the new Survivor premiered tonight as well... but I'm still playing catch up with the last auditions.
Got my keyboard handy, my fifth of Zax T and ice, and just took my very first Mucinex for my cough that won't quit.
Normally I don't comment on the cold opening, where they show someone who can't sing, or someone walking away who didn't make it... but I can't go by without commenting on the fact we have a blonde in tears, talking to the camera, walking down the sidewalk, wondering how in the world she can go home to Mama and tell her she didn't make it, and then exclaims, "Just because someone farts, the judges should let them finish singing!"
Heeeeeeere we go! THIS IS AMERICAN IIIIIIIIDDDDDOOOOLLLLL!!!!
First up is someone from the Ukraine. She has done her own music videos in her own language, and says, "I've even doon some showah scenes too..." Um... eew.
She can't sing worth poop, but I gotta give her some mad props for busting out Air Supply! Then again, in the Ukraine, Air Supply, big here in 1981, might be just hitting big there right about now. "Next on WUKR, new song from Air Supply... "Make Love Out Of No-Theeng Et Ahl!" Beeg hit!"
Don't forget, San Fran is the home of The Unambiguously Gay Adam Lambert!
Brittany Mazur is doing "Mercy"... Lara Johnston is doing "??"... Matthew Nuss is doing "?@?" All three make it through.
Here comes Stefano Langone, along with a SOB STORY ALERT that almost cost him his life in an accident. "Heard It Through The Grapevine" is his song, and the Golden Ticket is a forgone conclusion. Its rare that they throw a story like this at ya and have him end up being horrific. YES votes flow and he's ticketed out.
The break is over, and here's the new day in San Fran. Clint from The LBC (thats Long Beach, Cali, for all y'all that don't... now ya know... if ya don't know, you better ax somebody! Word.) is a karaoke host, and of course, all of his friends tell him he should audition. Clint from The LBC does "Billionaire" by... by... oh, one of those guys who have one hit that may or may not be remembered in 2015. Surprisingly, Clint from The LBC sounds... well, good. Almost really good. He's in!
Kenneth Barba is only worth mentioning, because his caption says "KENNETH BARBA, 22, CAL, UNEMPLOYED". Awesome. Bad audition montage. And also, here comes a guy who has his own Transformers constume, and actually transforms into a small car. I mean, I don't even know how to explain it... other than he ain't making it, after blowing, "Born To Be Wild".
Creepy Uncle Steven Tyler is in full form, as they show a montage of young chicks getting their Golden Tickets on, concluding with Julie Zorrella, who has a BACKSTORY ALERT! So, her parents built their home in the rain forest. In the Andes. Atop a mountain. No joke. However, being in Colombia (thats South America, not South Carolina) in the 90s kinda led to some bad times, so they all came stateside. She starts singing, and I'm sold. So are the judges.
Ah, here comes a rocker. Dave Combs comes in with the Lynyrd Skynyrd hair, does some The Beatles, and sounds like... well, every other rocker not named Daughtry. Steven Tyler shuts him down and Rocker Dude splits. Now we see Steven Tyler's bitter side, rejecting several contestants outright with things like, "Dude. Did you hit your head on the way in here?"
Chick comes in with a guitar (BACKSTORY!!) and Steven Tyler whispers to no one in particular, "Please be good... please be good..." BACKSTORY turns in SOB STORY ALERT! when she reveals that the weekend before the audition, her house burned to the ground. Emily Anne Reed has a very unusual voice, singing an old standard, "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me". I think her voice is awesome, and I want to hear her sing Etta James... but she was a little off in the melody. Randy the Dawg says YES, Steven Tyler says not yet, and J-Lo says YES.
So, this Emily Anne Reed sounds like Alison Krauss mated with Norah Jones, two artists I love, and they threw in a folksy old voice. I would go check this chick's concert out in a local club or something.
Crying montage.
James Durbin is from Santa Cruz, California. SOB STORY!!! James lost his dad to a drug overdose. He, himself has tourette's and a form of Asburger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism. He's like this year's Unambigiously Gay Adam Lambert, except he's got himself a chick. And now a baby. It's kinda hard not to like this guy.
He sings something that allows him to show off his voice, then transitions into "Dream On". In front of Steven Tyler. That takes some cajones. I feel like if The Lovely Steph Leann were here (she's in Pensacola tonight), she would tell me how hard it was to do what James Durbin just did.
Idol Frontrunner.
And here we are, up to Hollywood Week... I'll shoot through both of the episodes that have come on thusfar (last Thursday and tonight).
PART I... AUSTIN
Well... aren't we behind?
After spending ten days at The Most Magical Place on Earth, The Lovely Steph Leann and I have missed a total of four episodes of American Idol... so, I'm not going to give you a shot by shot replay, but I will do a recap of each episode as we watch it.
Boy, we do have a lot to talk about, though. We did a ton of stuff at Disney this time around, and I feel compelled to discuss everything from Harry Potter and Butterbeer to the Wild Africa Trek and Dining with a Disney Imagineer. And, of course, we gotta talk about The 100 Coolest Things of 2010...
But, let's get to...
THIS IS (lots of)
AMERICAN IDOL
First show is in Austin, TX, leading off with a guy who shows up with his sister, one he just met, even though they grew up 15 minutes apart. Maybe its just me, but it feels like there is a Greg & Marcia Brady thing between country boy and cute sis. Just sayin'. Then again, after showing of his self-proclaimed "J-Lo booty", he might be gay.
Young Hollie is breaking down when told her version of "At Last" is not gonna cut it. She is given another chance, and being 17, she goes to... "The Climb". By Miley Cyrus. Yikes. And strangely enough, I can tell you she missed the words. However, the rare second chance gives her a YES vote from all three.
Knowing Idol, when shown a serious of tears caused by rejection of contestants, its always fun to hear the next one they feature, be it good or bad. And its bad. Sir Elton John is banging his head on his gay piano during this butchering of "Circle of Life". Then there are comically bad performance to follow.
Meet John Wayne Schulz. SOB STORY! Mom's got breast cancer. J-Dub is singing "Believe" from Brooks & Dunn (natch) and he's pretty good. J-Lo feels his faith, and Steven Tyler loved it too. Randy the Dawg feelz and getz him.
Day Two of Austin gives us... well, just know, the delight of hearing "Hello" by Lionel Richie while watching this creepy teenager fawn all over Ryan Seacrest, and actually crying about it. And Courtney Penry's chances of landing The Crest probably went from -33 to -35 by doing her chicken impersonation, clucking and all.
Still, Clucking Courtney gets 2 YES votes, with Randy the Dawg naying, and heads to Hollywood.
The break return promises Texas Sized Talent, and it delivers with a trio of crazy, note hittin' voices that all take The Golden Ticket out the door. And the talent keeps rolling, one after another.
Now we have a boyfriend/girlfriend combo who are all about each other. He's 19, she's 22, and they are PDA All Da Way. Their goal is "American Idol's First Power Couple". And, of course, they audition together. She throws down on Duffy's "Mercy", which delights the inner creepy uncle of Steven Tyler. She steps off, and BoyToy comes up. He does a little jazzy number and they come back up together.
YES and YES and they both go to Hollywood, while "Here and Now" by Luther plays in the background. Funny, made funnier by the fact she is crying, only made funnier by the fact he's crying.
Janelle Arthur, a country gal from Tenna-say, is doing her best to wow the judges, and it works, getting three YES votes.
Ryan then narrates, "The winning streak had to end at some time..." and it did, starting with a guy in a large armadillo costume. Cue bad costumes, bad notes and bad auditions, with some insults thrown around the room.
And someone has to be the last contestant of the day, and Casey Abrams is it, with a keyboard shaped harmonica in hand. He's going to sing "I Don't Need No Doctor" by Ray Charles. Kinda screamy, kinda scatty, a little finger snappy and... well, he's not half bad. And they all give him a big YES.
Tomorrow night... The Lovely Steph Leann and I take on the 2/3 show, auditions from Los Angeles...
PART II... LOS ANGELES
Aaaaand we're back...
The question as to whether we've seen this one already is answered by the black bars on the bottom and top, scrolling across, telling us what is closed and all about the winter storm and so on. That's the storm we missed cause we were in Walt Disney World. We rule.
But, back on the couch, at the laptop, for show #2 of the 4 we missed... The Lovely Steph Leann is leaving town tomorrow (on business, not magic) so we'll be watching the final two on our own, but right now, we are in Los Angeles!
THIS IS AMERICAN
IDOL
J-Lo with her tight top, Randy the Dawg with his gold shoes and Steven Tyler with his big cigar all enter the judges room, and up first... man I hate when they do this... first is Victoria, who flat out says, "I believe that God brought American Idol to Los Angeles for a purpose... and I am that purpose." Naturally, you know that when she starts singing "Lamb of God", its going to be Hell not Heaven. And it is pure Hell. The Lovely Steph Leann moans from the couch, under her pink Snuggie.
One guy, who proclaims how he's loved J-Lo for years, is singing "She Will Be Loved" straight to J-Lo. Kinda creepy, but good thing he sounds good. He heads to Hollywood, as does the next dude we see after the break. Two more buddies are auditioning together, Daniel and Isaac. Daniel sucks. Let's be honest.
Isaac dropped out of school to be a part of American Idol, but neglected to tell his mama, who sits in the auditorium and says, "I so glad my son go to school and go to this too." And Isaac needs to re-admit. Terrible.
Both elicit a quiet, "...oh dear..." from The Lovely Steph Leann on the couch. Never a good sign.
So, they were doing auditions on MySpace (does that site exist? Maybe it did in the summer of 2010) and a select few were flown out to Los Angeles to audition... including Karen Rodriguez. Dude, I love this chick, though part of it might be her singing "You Give Good Love", a classic Whitney song.
The next chick is a prime example of why I don't go to strip clubs. Because I'm guessing 98% of them look just like this next chick, who looks atrocious. And the ewww factor is high. She's got something like 144 teeth, and she says "ow!" a whole lot. And I'm not sure if I've ever been more relieved that she's terrible and there's not a chance in Ensley she'll become an Idol. Stripper Ho keeps singing after the catcalls to stop, and after Randy the Dawg leaves, she follows him singing.
Stripper Ho then hits the rare Third Song After I'm Told To Stop, which is not seen often. Thankfully, they follow it up with a hot chick who does good.
MSFP Big Stats was awesome.... here is his webpage. And more crappy auditions!
And now, Mark and Aaron, brothers who look like AC Slater tryouts in the off Broadway Saved By The Bell show. The off, off Broadway.
A little "Lean on Me" duet and looks like they are in.
Finally... a homeless man, or looks like it, from Arkansas. He's got his own subtitles, because none of us speaks Redneck Ebonics. His name pops up and says, "Cooper Robinson" and then under it, says, "Somewhere Deep In Arkansas". He does a frantic, for-show version of "I Feel Good", but somehow doesn't have the charm of William Hung or the humor of "Pants on the Ground".
Alrighty... well, that's LA, its onto San Francisco!
PART III... SAN FRANCISCO
So, our final audition show. Tonight is actually Wednesday, and the 2nd Hollywood Round show is on, and the new Survivor premiered tonight as well... but I'm still playing catch up with the last auditions.
Got my keyboard handy, my fifth of Zax T and ice, and just took my very first Mucinex for my cough that won't quit.
Normally I don't comment on the cold opening, where they show someone who can't sing, or someone walking away who didn't make it... but I can't go by without commenting on the fact we have a blonde in tears, talking to the camera, walking down the sidewalk, wondering how in the world she can go home to Mama and tell her she didn't make it, and then exclaims, "Just because someone farts, the judges should let them finish singing!"
Heeeeeeere we go! THIS IS AMERICAN IIIIIIIIDDDDDOOOOLLLLL!!!!
First up is someone from the Ukraine. She has done her own music videos in her own language, and says, "I've even doon some showah scenes too..." Um... eew.
She can't sing worth poop, but I gotta give her some mad props for busting out Air Supply! Then again, in the Ukraine, Air Supply, big here in 1981, might be just hitting big there right about now. "Next on WUKR, new song from Air Supply... "Make Love Out Of No-Theeng Et Ahl!" Beeg hit!"
Don't forget, San Fran is the home of The Unambiguously Gay Adam Lambert!
Brittany Mazur is doing "Mercy"... Lara Johnston is doing "??"... Matthew Nuss is doing "?@?" All three make it through.
Here comes Stefano Langone, along with a SOB STORY ALERT that almost cost him his life in an accident. "Heard It Through The Grapevine" is his song, and the Golden Ticket is a forgone conclusion. Its rare that they throw a story like this at ya and have him end up being horrific. YES votes flow and he's ticketed out.
The break is over, and here's the new day in San Fran. Clint from The LBC (thats Long Beach, Cali, for all y'all that don't... now ya know... if ya don't know, you better ax somebody! Word.) is a karaoke host, and of course, all of his friends tell him he should audition. Clint from The LBC does "Billionaire" by... by... oh, one of those guys who have one hit that may or may not be remembered in 2015. Surprisingly, Clint from The LBC sounds... well, good. Almost really good. He's in!
Kenneth Barba is only worth mentioning, because his caption says "KENNETH BARBA, 22, CAL, UNEMPLOYED". Awesome. Bad audition montage. And also, here comes a guy who has his own Transformers constume, and actually transforms into a small car. I mean, I don't even know how to explain it... other than he ain't making it, after blowing, "Born To Be Wild".
Creepy Uncle Steven Tyler is in full form, as they show a montage of young chicks getting their Golden Tickets on, concluding with Julie Zorrella, who has a BACKSTORY ALERT! So, her parents built their home in the rain forest. In the Andes. Atop a mountain. No joke. However, being in Colombia (thats South America, not South Carolina) in the 90s kinda led to some bad times, so they all came stateside. She starts singing, and I'm sold. So are the judges.
Ah, here comes a rocker. Dave Combs comes in with the Lynyrd Skynyrd hair, does some The Beatles, and sounds like... well, every other rocker not named Daughtry. Steven Tyler shuts him down and Rocker Dude splits. Now we see Steven Tyler's bitter side, rejecting several contestants outright with things like, "Dude. Did you hit your head on the way in here?"
Chick comes in with a guitar (BACKSTORY!!) and Steven Tyler whispers to no one in particular, "Please be good... please be good..." BACKSTORY turns in SOB STORY ALERT! when she reveals that the weekend before the audition, her house burned to the ground. Emily Anne Reed has a very unusual voice, singing an old standard, "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me". I think her voice is awesome, and I want to hear her sing Etta James... but she was a little off in the melody. Randy the Dawg says YES, Steven Tyler says not yet, and J-Lo says YES.
So, this Emily Anne Reed sounds like Alison Krauss mated with Norah Jones, two artists I love, and they threw in a folksy old voice. I would go check this chick's concert out in a local club or something.
Crying montage.
James Durbin is from Santa Cruz, California. SOB STORY!!! James lost his dad to a drug overdose. He, himself has tourette's and a form of Asburger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism. He's like this year's Unambigiously Gay Adam Lambert, except he's got himself a chick. And now a baby. It's kinda hard not to like this guy.
He sings something that allows him to show off his voice, then transitions into "Dream On". In front of Steven Tyler. That takes some cajones. I feel like if The Lovely Steph Leann were here (she's in Pensacola tonight), she would tell me how hard it was to do what James Durbin just did.
Idol Frontrunner.
And here we are, up to Hollywood Week... I'll shoot through both of the episodes that have come on thusfar (last Thursday and tonight).
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
The King's Speech
 |
| This is one of the best movie posters I've seen in a while |
In fact, in "The King's Speech", there are two scenes that keep this from being a PG movie and not an R... we'll get to that.
"The King's Speech" stars the president of The Colin Firth Club, Colin Firth himself, and is the story of The Duke of York, who eventually became King George VI in England. Bertie is his real name, and he has an extraordinary problem... a severe stammer that leaves him unable to complete many sentences, let alone give speeches to the thousands that his family reigns over in the early part of the 20th century.
Enter Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, who is a dynamic speech therapist, though the movie doesn't use the cliched "the doctor who has unusual methods that end up working when nothing else conventional would do the job" trick... while Logue's tricks are a little weird, there is nothing to indicate how different he is from others of the same ilk. Rather, the movie then begins to concentrate on the relationship between Bertie, a proud man who through no fault of his own is handed the crown of England, and Logue, who reluctantly takes on Bertie as a patient, though begins to see him not as someone with a stammer, but someone who has such great potential and is letting his hindrance effect his entire life. (run on sentence, anyone?)
About twenty minutes into the movie, I leaned over to The Lovely Steph Leann and whispered, "Colin Firth is going to win an Oscar." Why? Because Colin Firth is brilliant, from every single lip twitch to the emotion it takes to play this role.
By the way, have you ever seen "Howard's End"? Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic in this, and normal too, though if you are doing "Howard's End", I'd just go straight to "Remains of the Day"--HBC is not in it, but its a beautiful film, one that has nothing to do with "The King's Speech", other than the fact there are Brits in it.
Anyway, the movie leads up to an actual speech that Bertie, now the King of England, must give as Britain barrels towards war with Germany in the late 30s. He and Lionel work together to try and pull off what will be the most important speech given in a generation in that country, and I don't want to ruin the climax of the movie.
Now, the Rated R. About halfway through the film, there's a 30 second sequence where Bertie, while struggling in therapy through reading, reels off several curse words, including the F-Bomb about 10 times in a row. Closer to the end, when Bertie, aka King George VI is practicing the big speech, he throws in a few more F-Bombs to get through some parts... and that's it. I wouldn't take a 7 year old Campbell Isaiah to see this film, but I would easily let a 12 year old Camp watch it.
Well, in saying that, that's assuming that a 12 year old would want to see it... as we sat in the theater, I looked around and saw that the median age of the theater--a theater 3/4th full, by the way--was about 55. I thought I saw a few teenagers looking bored at the beginning, but mostly it was full of PawPaw and MeMaws on a Saturday afternoon date.
 |
| Right now, Christian Bale is the front runner for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "The Fighter". And I think he should win it... but if Geoffrey Rush won it for "The King's Speech", I would not complain one bit. |
That notwithstanding, at the end of the movie, I turned to The Lovely Steph Leann and did my customary, "What did you think?" She just sat and stared at the screen, and said aloud, "I thought... I thought that movie was fabulous." Fabulous is a word that is reserved only for The Lovely Steph Leann's I Ching of greatness... Fabulous is only used on things that are so far and away superior, its mind blowing... O'Carr's chicken salad fruit plate is Fabulous. Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" album is Fabulous. Calah Ray is Fabulous. And "The King's Speech", to The Lovely Steph Leann, is in fact, Fabulous.
"The King's Speech" is one of those rare movies that entertains you, makes you feel great at the end, and leaves you with a feeling that you didn't just watch a movie, you experienced a movie. Its almost a perfect movie, which is even more rare.
In a word, its Fabulous.
Monday, January 31, 2011
The 100 Coolest Things of 2010... #100 - 91
If you are reading this on Facebook, you may want to just click over to Clouds In My Coffee, since this post has a ton of videos and photos you might not see on FB...
It took a while to get going, but I knew I'd get there eventually... this blog started in 2005, and at the end of the year, I did The 100 Coolest Things of 2005, all in one single post. Right after 2006 ended, I broke up the list into ten installments, then the next year, did 2007's list, onto 2008's list, then 2009's list, and now here we are, the sixth time I've looked upon the previous year and gave you what I believe to be my favorite things of 2010.
What means "cool", asks you? Just simply, its cool. Its fun. Be it a song, a movie, a TV show... something I really liked. Maybe its a place to eat, one that I visited over and over during the year. And sometimes its a person or a couple or a group... someone who had an impact, someone that I just adore or cherish or love dearly. And its things that I discovered in 2010... thusly, as much as we love Steven and Calah Ray, they won't make this list, because they were in the Top Ten Coolest Things of 2009... and though they continue to be cool, they make way for new things, people and stuff. There is even a few books and movies that came out prior to 2010, but I discovered them (or in one case, "re"discovered them) and thusly, here they are.
Well, let's get going, shall we? Without further ado, here are the 100 Coolest Things of 2010
100... Alabama Wins the National Title
Okay, okay... yes I rib the Tide Nation, because yes, they've won multiple titles, and whether they can legitimately claim 13 national titles (which I think is a stretch) or they actually won their 7th or 8th title (more likely, methinks), the fact remains, that in this modern day and age, winning a national title in college football is a huge, huge thing.
And they did it by beating none other than the college powerhouse known as The University of Texas by a closer-than-the-score-indicates score of 37-21. Their star QB, Colt McCoy, went down early... but I think they would have prevailed anyway. Because the difference in a team like Texas, and Alabama, at least in the 2009 season, is that Texas has a star player--McCoy. Alabama had Ingram... and Jones... and McElroy... and a host of others that, even in the loss of one, would keep the team going. And lest we forget, the game was really, really good.
99... Queen Latifah Gets Her Man
I'll be honest... like The Lovely Steph Leann, I like the movies I like. That means simply, sometimes a stupid movie is something I find hilarious (see "Employee of the Month" or "Deuce Bigalo: Male Gigolo") and supposedly incredible films are snooze-inducing or terrible (see "The English Patient"... or better yet, don't). And sometimes a lame movie is where I find the most enjoyment.
And that brings us to "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah and rapper Common. This was ridiculed in the press, its got a less than 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and let's face it, the movie was badly acted and poorly written. And yet, I found myself enjoying the heck out of it.
Here's part of what I wrote on June 10th, 2010:
Anyway, the final reason I liked this film is simply... its clean. Very, very little language (a few "damns" and I think one "bull****"), no violence at all, other than aggressive play on the basketball court, and as far as sexual situations, there's one single scene where you know Leslie and Scott did the deed, but its the next morning and they are lying in bed looking at each other, completely covered by sheets. I can deem this movie completely Emmy Turnbow Safe. Its a good first date movie.
By no means spend $20 on this film, unless you are in fact on a date. At best, catch a matinee, wait for the $1 theater, or get the DVD or watch it online this summer when it will probably come out. For now, The Lovely Steph Leann will be stocking up on Common CDs.
98... The Miz Claims the Title
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
And one of my favorites is The Miz. If you can believe it, his real name is Michael Mizanin, and he was a cast member of MTV's The Real World: New York in 2001, and then the subsequent Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
What's also interesting is watching the evolution of The Miz in the WWE... he started more of a joke, and looking like it was possible he'd never be more than a jobber or a C-lister. But over the last year, in large part due to a huge push, but also due to his committment and ability, The Miz has hit the big time, and is one of the headliners now.
And this year, he won the WWE Championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank Briefcase, beating a worn down and exhausted Randy Orton, right after Randy Orton has successfully defended the title against Wade Barrett of The Nexus, and after he won, he yelled out of one of my favorite catchphrases...
"I'M THE MIZ.... AAANNNDDD IIIIII'M AWESOOOOOMMMEEEE!!!!""
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
97... Lotso Huggin' Bear Comes Home
The Lovely Steph Leann went out of town on business, which took her to the coast and ended up with her at a Disney Store. And she came back with a random surprise.
How awesome is this?
96... SMU Pays Their Players
To celebrate 30 years, ESPN has been showcasing what they call "30 for 30"... that would be 30 documentaries, each made by a different noted director, each with their own creative control, and each telling a sports story that sometimes is famous--and sometimes is not.
To me, the "30 for 30" has been amazing over the last year, be it the controversial games from The U of Miami in the 80s or the "where were you when" aura of OJ's White Bronco... but in my mind, the best was saved for last. "Pony Exce$$" tells the fabled story of Southern Methodist University Mustangs football which, back in the early 80s, was a national powerhouse, including posting a 45-5-1 record from 1980 to 84.
Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Craig James joined Charles Waggoner to form "The Pony Express", leading SMU to a share of the national title in 1981. All was not on the up-n-up, however, in Mustang land, as it was revealed in 1986 that for a few years previous, players were being paid from an under the table slush fund, allegations that were put on SMU after they were already on probation.
The NCAA had the power to use "the death penalty", which means barring a school from fielding a football team for a determined amount of time. They had never used it... until they used it on Southern Methodist. It devastated the school and the community, and SMU essentially never recovered. In fact, it took over 20 years for the school to reach a bowl game again--a win over Nevada in The Hawai'i Bowl--and it only had a single winning season in that span up until their bowl season.
Another fallout from the decision is the thought that the NCAA will likely never use "the death penalty" again on a school because of the catastrophic effects of the decision.
All of this can be learned in "Pony Exce$$", a fascinating documentary completely worth the two hours it takes to watch it. Look it up, DVR it, and enjoy the step back into college football history.
95... Big Al Makes An Appearance
So The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at The Magic Kingdom late last year, and are enjoying the Magic Hours, that is, late night in the park. We are walking past Liberty Square into Frontierland, and headed to Pirates over in Adventureland, so we take that little cut through to get back there, and also to use the restroom.
We go in our respective bathrooms, and being a boy, I naturally finish first--amazing how much time can be saved by standing. Anyway, I got out first, and who did I immediately spot standing by a tree? Big Al.
No, Roll Tiders, not that elephant from Tuscaloosa. Its actually none other than my favorite Country Bear from the Jamboree of the same name. And in all the trips I've ever been to Disney World, I've never, ever seen Big Al. And in all the trips The Lovely Steph Leann has been to Disney World, which is about a half-dozen more than me, she has never seen Big Al.
I race over and say, "Hey Big Al!" He turns around, waves and gives me a hug. I text The Lovely Steph Leann and say "GET OUT HERE". I try and stall, and ask the friendly Cast Member if she will take my picture with Big Al. Of course she agrees, so I get my picture taken. Finally, I spot The Lovely Steph Leann emerging from The Lovely Ladies Room, and she's looking around for me. I call out, "The Lovely Steph Leann! Over here!" She turns and sees me, does a "there you are" wave with her hands, and starts ambling over.
"Hurry!" I yell at her, and she looks confused... and then she sees Big Al. Her face brightens, she says, "Oh! It's Big Al!" She races over, and we both get our picture with Big Al. He waves, we smile, the camera snaps and Big Al is on his way.
And it left me with a memory that was one of the coolest things of the year.
94... Hurricane Rhett Falls in Love
I gotta be careful where I tread... "The Other Guys" is a funny movie. It's not in my Top Ten of the Year, nor is it the funniest movie I saw in 2010. Its not nearly the best movie I saw, nor is it a movie that I own. But according to Hurricane Rhett, it doesn't get much funnier than Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teaming up as mismatched cops (I know, new concept, right?!) trying to catch some bad guys.
Really, the plot is not all that important... what is important is that this movie has a literally a murder's row of people I love to see in a movie... The Rock, who I have a man crush on... Samuel L. Jackson... Michael Keaton... Rob Riggle... and an incredibly priceless cameo by Derek Jeter.
This was also the film that helped me figure out what it is about Will Ferrell that everyone enjoys... he makes everyone better. He makes everyone funnier than he is. I think back to "Anchorman", and though Ron Burghandy is funny, Brick Tamblin, Champ Kind and Brian Fantana are funnier, feeding off of Ferrell. In "Old School", Frank the Tank is funny, but Bernard and the Frat guys are funnier. And taking "Talladega Nights", yes, Ricky Bobby is great. But Reese Bobby is better, Jean Girard is snarkier and Cal Naughton? Cal is priceless. Oh, and Assistant Susan is smokin' hot. Just sayin.
And in "The Other Guys", Det. Allan Gamble is funny. But feeding off of Ferrell, Det. Hoitz (Wahlberg) is funnier, as are Danson and Highsmith and Rob Riggle's Det. Martin is absolutely hysterical, as is Damon Wayans Jr's Det. Fosse...
What was my point again? Well, whatever. Anyway, The Lovely Steph Leann and I saw this movie with Hurrican Rhett and his wife Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone), and THAT is the best way to see a movie... with friends that like and laugh at the same kind of movie you do. We probably would have enjoyed it well enough, but perhaps not as much as we did with the Barnetts in tow.
So the 94th coolest thing of 2010 is not "The Other Guys", its watching "The Other Guys" with good friends.
93... Jamie Makes a Post
"Happy Harper Stories" is a blog that I check out about once a week or so, written by a young lady who goes to ValleydaleBaptist Church (an sbc fellowship, natch), and its a fun little blog about the Christ-Following life, a Christian family and so on. But one day, she decided to write a little blog called "Biblical Submission and Worship in the Bedroom", and it was excellent.
I've shared this on the blog already, and linked to her blog while I posted by own on a very similar subject, which you can read it--"Sex Love God and Gifts"--by clicking here and can also read the first paragraph of her post.
Just wanted to mention it again before it gets lost in her blog and in mine, like so many excellent posts do in blogs that are updated a few times a week.
92... Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) Goes to Ireland
To clear up a misconception, just because a movie has Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, in it does not make it a good movie. Sometimes she can be in crap, just like anyone else. I watched a movie called "The Last Run" starring Fred Savage, aka Kevin Arnold, and though it said "Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with" as one of the main credits, she was only featured minimally. And, not that this has anything to do with her screen time or lack thereof, the movie was one of the worst films I've ever seen in my entire life. I mean, bad. Like, bad bad. Not so bad its good, but so bad its bad bad.
To be real honest, "Psycho Beach Party" and "Cruel Intentions 2" weren't much better, and perhaps it was "Junebug" that gave her the chance to make better movie choices... either way, like any Hollywood star, even amongst tons of success, there are those "paycheck movies" (see, Cage, Nicolas, post-Leaving Las Vegas), and the movie at #92, "Leap Year", is probably in that catagory for Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with.
"Leap Year" simply tells the story of Anna Brady, a socialite who is itching to be hitching to her boyfriend Jeremy... when he has a "surprise for her", and it turns out to be something like earrings and not a ring-ring, Anna is sad. When Jeremy goes to Ireland, Anna decides that she is going to find him, partaking of an old Irish tradition that states on a Leap Year day, February 29th, a woman may propose to a man.
But on her way to Dublin, she gets derailed in the Irish countryside by bad weather, she meets a guy she can't stand that agrees to take her to Dublin and... well, let's be honest, we aren't watching "Schindler's List" here, we all know where this is going... okay, to be fair, we knew where "Schindler's List" was going to, but thats not my point. My point is, this isn't a movie you over-analyze. I could tell you that Anna ends up dumping Jeremy for the Irish guy at the end, and I would not be spoiling this film for you, because you know this the moment the new guy takes the stage.
I must say, though, another star of this film besides Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, and Matthew Goode is probably none other than the Irish Countryside. The views are spectacular, the scenery is marvelous and the cameras always make sure you see a field blowing in the wind, or the cliffs with the water crashing against them, or so on and so forth.
Its a fun movie that you don't have to think about... you just let yourself have a good time with it, and if you are like me, just stare at Amy Adams when she's onscreen. Cause she's beautiful. And I'm in love with her.
91... RDJ Wears the Suit (again)
There have been been few turnarounds in Hollywood that have been as huge, as monumental and as successful at the career of Robert Downey Junior. He's gone from prison, drug use and a life spiraling into an overdose that was directing him onto a list with Heath Ledger or Brittany Murphy in the gone-too-soon department... into one amazing actor who is finally making some good choices. Okay, okay, "The Soloist" notwithstanding... there's "Sherlock Holmes", there's "Due Date", there's "Tropic Thunder"... and of course, there's Iron Man.
And in 2010, there was Iron Man 2. And I thought it was just splendid, if I do say so myself. Here's what I wrote about it in June after seeing it:
...I was thrilled. The opening sequence, the introduction to The Stark Expo, Whiplash [Mickey Rourke] shows up and lashing his whips, bad accent and hair and all, Sam Rockwell being awesome like he always is, Iron Man fighting, and don't think I didn't notice the similarities between Stark's dad's plans for a futuristic community and Disney's old Epcot plan... in fact, there's a song over the ending credits called "Tomorrow Today", and it was written by the famed Sherman Brothers, the same guys who wrote "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" for the Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World, amongest other great Disney classics.
Speaking of the ending credits, stay til the very end. Its worth it.
And there is our first ten...
Coming up... Bosses go undercover... Helen Mirren gets violent... and later, my night eating Lebenese...
Next: The 90th to 81st Coolest Things of 2010
It took a while to get going, but I knew I'd get there eventually... this blog started in 2005, and at the end of the year, I did The 100 Coolest Things of 2005, all in one single post. Right after 2006 ended, I broke up the list into ten installments, then the next year, did 2007's list, onto 2008's list, then 2009's list, and now here we are, the sixth time I've looked upon the previous year and gave you what I believe to be my favorite things of 2010.
What means "cool", asks you? Just simply, its cool. Its fun. Be it a song, a movie, a TV show... something I really liked. Maybe its a place to eat, one that I visited over and over during the year. And sometimes its a person or a couple or a group... someone who had an impact, someone that I just adore or cherish or love dearly. And its things that I discovered in 2010... thusly, as much as we love Steven and Calah Ray, they won't make this list, because they were in the Top Ten Coolest Things of 2009... and though they continue to be cool, they make way for new things, people and stuff. There is even a few books and movies that came out prior to 2010, but I discovered them (or in one case, "re"discovered them) and thusly, here they are.
Well, let's get going, shall we? Without further ado, here are the 100 Coolest Things of 2010
100... Alabama Wins the National Title
Okay, okay... yes I rib the Tide Nation, because yes, they've won multiple titles, and whether they can legitimately claim 13 national titles (which I think is a stretch) or they actually won their 7th or 8th title (more likely, methinks), the fact remains, that in this modern day and age, winning a national title in college football is a huge, huge thing.
And they did it by beating none other than the college powerhouse known as The University of Texas by a closer-than-the-score-indicates score of 37-21. Their star QB, Colt McCoy, went down early... but I think they would have prevailed anyway. Because the difference in a team like Texas, and Alabama, at least in the 2009 season, is that Texas has a star player--McCoy. Alabama had Ingram... and Jones... and McElroy... and a host of others that, even in the loss of one, would keep the team going. And lest we forget, the game was really, really good.
99... Queen Latifah Gets Her Man
I'll be honest... like The Lovely Steph Leann, I like the movies I like. That means simply, sometimes a stupid movie is something I find hilarious (see "Employee of the Month" or "Deuce Bigalo: Male Gigolo") and supposedly incredible films are snooze-inducing or terrible (see "The English Patient"... or better yet, don't). And sometimes a lame movie is where I find the most enjoyment.
And that brings us to "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah and rapper Common. This was ridiculed in the press, its got a less than 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and let's face it, the movie was badly acted and poorly written. And yet, I found myself enjoying the heck out of it.
Here's part of what I wrote on June 10th, 2010:
Anyway, the final reason I liked this film is simply... its clean. Very, very little language (a few "damns" and I think one "bull****"), no violence at all, other than aggressive play on the basketball court, and as far as sexual situations, there's one single scene where you know Leslie and Scott did the deed, but its the next morning and they are lying in bed looking at each other, completely covered by sheets. I can deem this movie completely Emmy Turnbow Safe. Its a good first date movie.
By no means spend $20 on this film, unless you are in fact on a date. At best, catch a matinee, wait for the $1 theater, or get the DVD or watch it online this summer when it will probably come out. For now, The Lovely Steph Leann will be stocking up on Common CDs.
98... The Miz Claims the Title
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
What's also interesting is watching the evolution of The Miz in the WWE... he started more of a joke, and looking like it was possible he'd never be more than a jobber or a C-lister. But over the last year, in large part due to a huge push, but also due to his committment and ability, The Miz has hit the big time, and is one of the headliners now.
And this year, he won the WWE Championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank Briefcase, beating a worn down and exhausted Randy Orton, right after Randy Orton has successfully defended the title against Wade Barrett of The Nexus, and after he won, he yelled out of one of my favorite catchphrases...
"I'M THE MIZ.... AAANNNDDD IIIIII'M AWESOOOOOMMMEEEE!!!!""
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
97... Lotso Huggin' Bear Comes Home
The Lovely Steph Leann went out of town on business, which took her to the coast and ended up with her at a Disney Store. And she came back with a random surprise.
How awesome is this?
96... SMU Pays Their Players
To celebrate 30 years, ESPN has been showcasing what they call "30 for 30"... that would be 30 documentaries, each made by a different noted director, each with their own creative control, and each telling a sports story that sometimes is famous--and sometimes is not.
To me, the "30 for 30" has been amazing over the last year, be it the controversial games from The U of Miami in the 80s or the "where were you when" aura of OJ's White Bronco... but in my mind, the best was saved for last. "Pony Exce$$" tells the fabled story of Southern Methodist University Mustangs football which, back in the early 80s, was a national powerhouse, including posting a 45-5-1 record from 1980 to 84.
Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Craig James joined Charles Waggoner to form "The Pony Express", leading SMU to a share of the national title in 1981. All was not on the up-n-up, however, in Mustang land, as it was revealed in 1986 that for a few years previous, players were being paid from an under the table slush fund, allegations that were put on SMU after they were already on probation.
The NCAA had the power to use "the death penalty", which means barring a school from fielding a football team for a determined amount of time. They had never used it... until they used it on Southern Methodist. It devastated the school and the community, and SMU essentially never recovered. In fact, it took over 20 years for the school to reach a bowl game again--a win over Nevada in The Hawai'i Bowl--and it only had a single winning season in that span up until their bowl season.
Another fallout from the decision is the thought that the NCAA will likely never use "the death penalty" again on a school because of the catastrophic effects of the decision.
All of this can be learned in "Pony Exce$$", a fascinating documentary completely worth the two hours it takes to watch it. Look it up, DVR it, and enjoy the step back into college football history.
95... Big Al Makes An Appearance
So The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at The Magic Kingdom late last year, and are enjoying the Magic Hours, that is, late night in the park. We are walking past Liberty Square into Frontierland, and headed to Pirates over in Adventureland, so we take that little cut through to get back there, and also to use the restroom.
No, Roll Tiders, not that elephant from Tuscaloosa. Its actually none other than my favorite Country Bear from the Jamboree of the same name. And in all the trips I've ever been to Disney World, I've never, ever seen Big Al. And in all the trips The Lovely Steph Leann has been to Disney World, which is about a half-dozen more than me, she has never seen Big Al.
I race over and say, "Hey Big Al!" He turns around, waves and gives me a hug. I text The Lovely Steph Leann and say "GET OUT HERE". I try and stall, and ask the friendly Cast Member if she will take my picture with Big Al. Of course she agrees, so I get my picture taken. Finally, I spot The Lovely Steph Leann emerging from The Lovely Ladies Room, and she's looking around for me. I call out, "The Lovely Steph Leann! Over here!" She turns and sees me, does a "there you are" wave with her hands, and starts ambling over.
"Hurry!" I yell at her, and she looks confused... and then she sees Big Al. Her face brightens, she says, "Oh! It's Big Al!" She races over, and we both get our picture with Big Al. He waves, we smile, the camera snaps and Big Al is on his way.
And it left me with a memory that was one of the coolest things of the year.
94... Hurricane Rhett Falls in Love
I gotta be careful where I tread... "The Other Guys" is a funny movie. It's not in my Top Ten of the Year, nor is it the funniest movie I saw in 2010. Its not nearly the best movie I saw, nor is it a movie that I own. But according to Hurricane Rhett, it doesn't get much funnier than Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teaming up as mismatched cops (I know, new concept, right?!) trying to catch some bad guys.
Really, the plot is not all that important... what is important is that this movie has a literally a murder's row of people I love to see in a movie... The Rock, who I have a man crush on... Samuel L. Jackson... Michael Keaton... Rob Riggle... and an incredibly priceless cameo by Derek Jeter.
This was also the film that helped me figure out what it is about Will Ferrell that everyone enjoys... he makes everyone better. He makes everyone funnier than he is. I think back to "Anchorman", and though Ron Burghandy is funny, Brick Tamblin, Champ Kind and Brian Fantana are funnier, feeding off of Ferrell. In "Old School", Frank the Tank is funny, but Bernard and the Frat guys are funnier. And taking "Talladega Nights", yes, Ricky Bobby is great. But Reese Bobby is better, Jean Girard is snarkier and Cal Naughton? Cal is priceless. Oh, and Assistant Susan is smokin' hot. Just sayin.
And in "The Other Guys", Det. Allan Gamble is funny. But feeding off of Ferrell, Det. Hoitz (Wahlberg) is funnier, as are Danson and Highsmith and Rob Riggle's Det. Martin is absolutely hysterical, as is Damon Wayans Jr's Det. Fosse...
What was my point again? Well, whatever. Anyway, The Lovely Steph Leann and I saw this movie with Hurrican Rhett and his wife Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone), and THAT is the best way to see a movie... with friends that like and laugh at the same kind of movie you do. We probably would have enjoyed it well enough, but perhaps not as much as we did with the Barnetts in tow.
So the 94th coolest thing of 2010 is not "The Other Guys", its watching "The Other Guys" with good friends.
93... Jamie Makes a Post
"Happy Harper Stories" is a blog that I check out about once a week or so, written by a young lady who goes to Valleydale
I've shared this on the blog already, and linked to her blog while I posted by own on a very similar subject, which you can read it--"Sex Love God and Gifts"--by clicking here and can also read the first paragraph of her post.
Just wanted to mention it again before it gets lost in her blog and in mine, like so many excellent posts do in blogs that are updated a few times a week.
92... Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) Goes to Ireland
To clear up a misconception, just because a movie has Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, in it does not make it a good movie. Sometimes she can be in crap, just like anyone else. I watched a movie called "The Last Run" starring Fred Savage, aka Kevin Arnold, and though it said "Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with" as one of the main credits, she was only featured minimally. And, not that this has anything to do with her screen time or lack thereof, the movie was one of the worst films I've ever seen in my entire life. I mean, bad. Like, bad bad. Not so bad its good, but so bad its bad bad.
To be real honest, "Psycho Beach Party" and "Cruel Intentions 2" weren't much better, and perhaps it was "Junebug" that gave her the chance to make better movie choices... either way, like any Hollywood star, even amongst tons of success, there are those "paycheck movies" (see, Cage, Nicolas, post-Leaving Las Vegas), and the movie at #92, "Leap Year", is probably in that catagory for Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with.
"Leap Year" simply tells the story of Anna Brady, a socialite who is itching to be hitching to her boyfriend Jeremy... when he has a "surprise for her", and it turns out to be something like earrings and not a ring-ring, Anna is sad. When Jeremy goes to Ireland, Anna decides that she is going to find him, partaking of an old Irish tradition that states on a Leap Year day, February 29th, a woman may propose to a man.
But on her way to Dublin, she gets derailed in the Irish countryside by bad weather, she meets a guy she can't stand that agrees to take her to Dublin and... well, let's be honest, we aren't watching "Schindler's List" here, we all know where this is going... okay, to be fair, we knew where "Schindler's List" was going to, but thats not my point. My point is, this isn't a movie you over-analyze. I could tell you that Anna ends up dumping Jeremy for the Irish guy at the end, and I would not be spoiling this film for you, because you know this the moment the new guy takes the stage.
I must say, though, another star of this film besides Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, and Matthew Goode is probably none other than the Irish Countryside. The views are spectacular, the scenery is marvelous and the cameras always make sure you see a field blowing in the wind, or the cliffs with the water crashing against them, or so on and so forth.
Its a fun movie that you don't have to think about... you just let yourself have a good time with it, and if you are like me, just stare at Amy Adams when she's onscreen. Cause she's beautiful. And I'm in love with her.
91... RDJ Wears the Suit (again)
There have been been few turnarounds in Hollywood that have been as huge, as monumental and as successful at the career of Robert Downey Junior. He's gone from prison, drug use and a life spiraling into an overdose that was directing him onto a list with Heath Ledger or Brittany Murphy in the gone-too-soon department... into one amazing actor who is finally making some good choices. Okay, okay, "The Soloist" notwithstanding... there's "Sherlock Holmes", there's "Due Date", there's "Tropic Thunder"... and of course, there's Iron Man.
...I was thrilled. The opening sequence, the introduction to The Stark Expo, Whiplash [Mickey Rourke] shows up and lashing his whips, bad accent and hair and all, Sam Rockwell being awesome like he always is, Iron Man fighting, and don't think I didn't notice the similarities between Stark's dad's plans for a futuristic community and Disney's old Epcot plan... in fact, there's a song over the ending credits called "Tomorrow Today", and it was written by the famed Sherman Brothers, the same guys who wrote "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" for the Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World, amongest other great Disney classics.
Speaking of the ending credits, stay til the very end. Its worth it.
And there is our first ten...
Coming up... Bosses go undercover... Helen Mirren gets violent... and later, my night eating Lebenese...
Next: The 90th to 81st Coolest Things of 2010
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Music City Idol
I don't usually post Idol performances, especially during the audition rounds, because there are too many I'd want to post, and it would be hard to pick... unless they are remarkable. And this one is remarkable... not because of how good he is (he was good, but not the best I've heard) but because of the Sob Story around it. I say "sob story" in jest, because Idol likes to manipulate our "awww" buttons, but this time, it was more than an "awww", it was a tear inducing "wow" that leaves you speechless.
From last night's Milwaukee audition, here's the story of Funky Chris Medina, and his girlfriend...
Of course, we kick off with Darius Thomas from sweet Birmingham, AL, hitting a high note somewhere so high that its still lingering over Lake Michigan. Mariah Carey saw that guy do that note and said, "I wish I had that range." He didn't make it to Hollywood.
So... lets get to tonights show...
THIS
IS AMERICAN
IDOL
In Nashville, 17,000 people gathered together to audition, and the crowd looks like my last birthday party! The legendary Ryman Auditorium is the host arena, and up first is annoyingly annoying Christine McCafferty and she's singing as she comes in.
"What is she..." The Lovely Steph Leann asks, "...what... what is she doing?"
And even better, this chick is doing one of The Lovely Steph Leann's least favorite songs ever, outside of rap music, "I Hope You Dance". I have a feeling Lee Ann Womack is passing out.
Chelsea Oaks and Rob something are here together--and are exes. And they still live together. They sing together. And they used to date...
Say it with me...
AAAAWWKKKWWAARRDDD
Smashcut to outside, where Ryan is talking to the family... including Chelsea's current boyfriend, who says he was not the reason for the breakup, and how Chelsea and Rob (Bolin, by the way) were broken up by the time he entered the picture. Drama.
Rob sings, and he's got a great bluesy voice, despite the fact he looks like Giovanni Ribisi. Chelsee (e, not a on the end) is singing one of my favorites, "The Story" by Brandi Carlile (thats Carlile not Carlisle) and also sounds great. They both get Hollywood tickets.
The Lovely Steph Leann giggles as they play "Need You Now" over the video. Chelsee gets a big hug from Her Boo, while Rob gets a handshake from Seacrusty. Kinda funny. No, really funny.
Steven Tyler's jaw just drops as Big Booby Blondie comes in, and another girl gets a cheer from him as she touches her tongue to her nose. He's kind of like the funny, yet somewhat creepy, yet somewhat cool old uncle.
Now here comes tattoo artist Allen Lewis singing "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd... though he looks like he would be more comfortable beating his wife and his girlfriend (yes and, not or) while doing it. Randy the Dawg kinda pins him as a band guy... J-Lo laughs... Steven Tyler is inspired. We all are, in fact. Allen Lewis tells us that his failure here will make him work harder. I am going to go run a marathon now.
From Beast to Beauty... Miss Teen USA 2009, as a matter of fact. Stormi Henley comes in, dressed in a little Steven Tyler approved dress. Singing something I don't know, she belts it out, and looks sounds hot great. J-Lo says no, Steven Tyler says yes (of course he does) and Randy the Dawg gives his vote... a Yes. I am digging the Stormi weather.
Nashville doesn't seem to be the talent pool we have seen in Milwaukee and New Orleans, as we see a No Montage. Here is Adrienne Beasley, a black chick adopted by two older white people. They show her on a farm, riding with hay trucks, driving a tractor, picking corn, praying with the family. That's fantastic.
The Lovely Steph Leann is happy that not only Adrienne is singing "American Honey" by Lady Antebellum, but also happy that I recognized the song right off the bat. And Adrienne sounds great... she's what chick black country is to Darius Rucker is to dude black country. I'm a fan, and so are the judges, as she gets three YES votes.
On to Break!
Back from Break!
Kameela has been singing since she was a little girl. This is her dream. She wants to sing for the world. Tonight, she's singing "Sweet Thing" by Chaka Khan... and I knew it was coming. It is awful. I mean, really, really awful. It was pretty horrendous. Randy the Dawg tells her it was horrible, Steven Tyler tells her to go home and practice and J-Lo says no way.
Here's someone in a blue outfit, like a reject from The Blue Man Group. Here's a dang fer-ahner. And here's a country boy. All equally terrible. The country boy walks out to no one waiting, and starts crying. The Lovely Steph Leann yells, "Oh, the horror! Its horrible! Ohmigah!!!"
And now Jackie Wilson (no, not the black dude from the 50s that sang "Lonely Teardrops") is singing something fun, and was doing well even in the high note. J-Lo whips around, looking behind her and grimaced. But it works somehow, and she goes onto Hollywood. The Lovely Steph Leann says, "Dear Jackie... don't be sexy. Longer skirt. Longer skirt."
And now, without ado, here is LaToya Moore. She's a recording artist, from Nashville, and she sees herself as a star... people see a glow about her. This is going to be a train wreck... I'm excited. She's even holding a CD with her picture on it. And she brings it into the judges... "This is my album, and I brought you one to share."
"Younique" Moore is her nickname... and she is definately Younique. And it was awful, just like I thought, no, I hoped it would be. And Younique wants to sing another song, and can't believe she wasn't picked for Hollywood... and she leaves singing, stopping at the door. Randy the Dawg says, "Its... still a no."
She is still singing as she walks out, and tells Seacrusty that "They would have liked it better if I sang a little slower".
Paul McDonald sings "Maggie May" and sounds... well, cool. Jimmie Allen sings something else, and sounds... great. Danny Pate sings "Papa was a Rolling Stone" and sounds... rockin'. And they all head to Hollywood.
Matt Dillard, from right outside of Nashville, is 27, and is a foster father of special needs kids. Like, a brood of them. His family has hosted over 700 children in the last 23 years, and wow, talk about being inspired. Watch The Blind Side after this, and I might head to Ensley and find us an orphan.
"You Raise Me Up", one of my least favorite songs, is being sung, and Matt is doing it all kinds of justice. Sounds great. He kinda looks like Daughtry's really odd little brother. Randy the Dawg says yes, reluctantly. J-Lo says no. Steven Tyler says Yes, of course.
Sob Story Alert!! Finally, here is Lauren Alaina, who is 15 years old, and she's been singing all her long life. All fifteen years. And her best friend and cousin Holly is featured, and of course, Holly has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She has had chemo, so it seems like Holly will be okay... and long haired, red headed Holly comes in, healthy.
I am not familiar with the song, but man, it was great. Randy the Dawg said, "Best I've seen today!" and J-Lo tears up. Steven Tyler tells Lauren its okay to cry because "you are going to make 40 million people cry". One-two-three YES! The whole family comes in, and Lauren sings "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" because its her parents song too... Steven Tyler jumps in. Its a warm moment.
Melanie just texted me: "Seen Idol yet? I bet you a 15 year old wins it this year"
I replied: "With 322 of them in the contest, it's a good bet."
Next week... on to Texas!
From last night's Milwaukee audition, here's the story of Funky Chris Medina, and his girlfriend...
Of course, we kick off with Darius Thomas from sweet Birmingham, AL, hitting a high note somewhere so high that its still lingering over Lake Michigan. Mariah Carey saw that guy do that note and said, "I wish I had that range." He didn't make it to Hollywood.
So... lets get to tonights show...
THIS
IS AMERICAN
IDOL
In Nashville, 17,000 people gathered together to audition, and the crowd looks like my last birthday party! The legendary Ryman Auditorium is the host arena, and up first is annoyingly annoying Christine McCafferty and she's singing as she comes in.
"What is she..." The Lovely Steph Leann asks, "...what... what is she doing?"
And even better, this chick is doing one of The Lovely Steph Leann's least favorite songs ever, outside of rap music, "I Hope You Dance". I have a feeling Lee Ann Womack is passing out.
Chelsea Oaks and Rob something are here together--and are exes. And they still live together. They sing together. And they used to date...
Say it with me...
AAAAWWKKKWWAARRDDD
Smashcut to outside, where Ryan is talking to the family... including Chelsea's current boyfriend, who says he was not the reason for the breakup, and how Chelsea and Rob (Bolin, by the way) were broken up by the time he entered the picture. Drama.
Rob sings, and he's got a great bluesy voice, despite the fact he looks like Giovanni Ribisi. Chelsee (e, not a on the end) is singing one of my favorites, "The Story" by Brandi Carlile (thats Carlile not Carlisle) and also sounds great. They both get Hollywood tickets.
The Lovely Steph Leann giggles as they play "Need You Now" over the video. Chelsee gets a big hug from Her Boo, while Rob gets a handshake from Seacrusty. Kinda funny. No, really funny.
Steven Tyler's jaw just drops as Big Booby Blondie comes in, and another girl gets a cheer from him as she touches her tongue to her nose. He's kind of like the funny, yet somewhat creepy, yet somewhat cool old uncle.
Now here comes tattoo artist Allen Lewis singing "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd... though he looks like he would be more comfortable beating his wife and his girlfriend (yes and, not or) while doing it. Randy the Dawg kinda pins him as a band guy... J-Lo laughs... Steven Tyler is inspired. We all are, in fact. Allen Lewis tells us that his failure here will make him work harder. I am going to go run a marathon now.
 |
| Idol forecast? Stormi Skies. |
Nashville doesn't seem to be the talent pool we have seen in Milwaukee and New Orleans, as we see a No Montage. Here is Adrienne Beasley, a black chick adopted by two older white people. They show her on a farm, riding with hay trucks, driving a tractor, picking corn, praying with the family. That's fantastic.
The Lovely Steph Leann is happy that not only Adrienne is singing "American Honey" by Lady Antebellum, but also happy that I recognized the song right off the bat. And Adrienne sounds great... she's what chick black country is to Darius Rucker is to dude black country. I'm a fan, and so are the judges, as she gets three YES votes.
On to Break!
Back from Break!
Kameela has been singing since she was a little girl. This is her dream. She wants to sing for the world. Tonight, she's singing "Sweet Thing" by Chaka Khan... and I knew it was coming. It is awful. I mean, really, really awful. It was pretty horrendous. Randy the Dawg tells her it was horrible, Steven Tyler tells her to go home and practice and J-Lo says no way.
Here's someone in a blue outfit, like a reject from The Blue Man Group. Here's a dang fer-ahner. And here's a country boy. All equally terrible. The country boy walks out to no one waiting, and starts crying. The Lovely Steph Leann yells, "Oh, the horror! Its horrible! Ohmigah!!!"
 |
| This is Jackie Wilson. But not the one that auditioned. Just so you know. |
And now, without ado, here is LaToya Moore. She's a recording artist, from Nashville, and she sees herself as a star... people see a glow about her. This is going to be a train wreck... I'm excited. She's even holding a CD with her picture on it. And she brings it into the judges... "This is my album, and I brought you one to share."
"Younique" Moore is her nickname... and she is definately Younique. And it was awful, just like I thought, no, I hoped it would be. And Younique wants to sing another song, and can't believe she wasn't picked for Hollywood... and she leaves singing, stopping at the door. Randy the Dawg says, "Its... still a no."
She is still singing as she walks out, and tells Seacrusty that "They would have liked it better if I sang a little slower".
Paul McDonald sings "Maggie May" and sounds... well, cool. Jimmie Allen sings something else, and sounds... great. Danny Pate sings "Papa was a Rolling Stone" and sounds... rockin'. And they all head to Hollywood.
Matt Dillard, from right outside of Nashville, is 27, and is a foster father of special needs kids. Like, a brood of them. His family has hosted over 700 children in the last 23 years, and wow, talk about being inspired. Watch The Blind Side after this, and I might head to Ensley and find us an orphan.
"You Raise Me Up", one of my least favorite songs, is being sung, and Matt is doing it all kinds of justice. Sounds great. He kinda looks like Daughtry's really odd little brother. Randy the Dawg says yes, reluctantly. J-Lo says no. Steven Tyler says Yes, of course.
Sob Story Alert!! Finally, here is Lauren Alaina, who is 15 years old, and she's been singing all her long life. All fifteen years. And her best friend and cousin Holly is featured, and of course, Holly has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She has had chemo, so it seems like Holly will be okay... and long haired, red headed Holly comes in, healthy.
I am not familiar with the song, but man, it was great. Randy the Dawg said, "Best I've seen today!" and J-Lo tears up. Steven Tyler tells Lauren its okay to cry because "you are going to make 40 million people cry". One-two-three YES! The whole family comes in, and Lauren sings "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" because its her parents song too... Steven Tyler jumps in. Its a warm moment.
Melanie just texted me: "Seen Idol yet? I bet you a 15 year old wins it this year"
I replied: "With 322 of them in the contest, it's a good bet."
Next week... on to Texas!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Milwaukee's Best Idol
Sitting with Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone), Hurricane Rhett, JustFish and his wifey wife KellFish, the reviews are in... Idol... is pretty good. Okay, JustFish and KellFish didn't really give an opinion, but Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone) and Hurricane Rhett are digging it. And so is The Lovely Steph Leann and so am I.
Tonight, its the third episode of Idol 2.0, with Steven Tyler, J-Lo and Randy the Dawg, and we open up with Steven and Randy doing a little freelance version of "Sweet Emotion", one of my favorite Aerosmith songs. No joke, its a great driving song.
We're coming from Milwaukee, WI, the home of The Widower Danny Gokey... and in fact, we see The Goke himself talking to some of the crowd.
THIS IS
AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!
Scotty from Garner, NC, is up first. He's clean cut, he's dressed to the nines, and he's 16. If Paula Abdul was here, her room keys would be thrown at Scotty's feet. "Your Man" by Josh Turner is his song... and I'm glad he's singing this song, because that's one of those songs that I keep hearing, but didn't know who sang it. I'm going to download it right now.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me, and says, "He's so smooth...."
At the judges request, Scotty from Garner sings "Put Some Drive in Your Country" by Travis Tritt, which makes Steven Tyler say something about getting something, get the matches, &#*$ a duck and see what hatches. What the?
Scotty from Garner heads to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me from under her blanket and says, "I'd listen to him on the radio..."
I just down loaded "Your Man" by Josh Turner.
Joe Repka comes up... and sometimes you can just tell this is going to be a disaster. He's kinda tall, he's kinda frumpy, he's got a fat head, he's got a bad 'stache, he's dressed horribly... this is going to a train wreck of heavy duty proportions. Seacrusty just talks to him like Joe actually has a chance.
And the judges know this is going to be bad too. He says he is 19, but he could pass for 31. And when he says he's going to sing "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, both The Lovely Steph Leann and I groan. And when he actually starts singing, she grimaces, I giggle, Steven Tyler sways and J-Lo hangs her head.
Steven Tyler says, "Do not quit your day job. Brutally honest." The others agree. And Joe jumps into the classic Idol mistake of, "They hated my first song, so I'll sing something without being prompted so they will hear me sing beautifully..." and in all my years of watching Idol, I have never seen this work.
From the previous commercial break, we see a chick saying something original like, "This is my dream", while crying. Well, now we see her and her family in an SUV, and she tells us how she was 5 when Kelly Clarkson won the first Idol (The Lovely Steph Leann whimpers, "We are so old"), and how they came from Colorado, and drove 16 hours to Milwaukee.
Emma Henry, 15, is singing "True Colors" from Cyndi Lauper... personally its one of my least favorite songs ever, but she's not doing as badly as I thought she would. Steven Tyler says he likes her character, J-Lo says she needs to keep working on her quality, and Randy the Dawg says he's not sure that she is ready. J-Lo says no, and she needs to work on it. Steven Tyler says yes.
"I want this so badly, music is my life..." she starts crying, cue the sad music. Randy the Dawg says she's going to be swallowed up in this whole process. She whimpers, and says, "I'm going to work so hard!" Randy the Dawg relents, and Emma Henry shouts for joy as she gets her golden ticket.
My own opinion? She's got talent, and she's pretty good... but she needs to be trained up. She needs more work, and I think she'll be pheeeeenomonal. The Lovely Steph Leann agrees.
Trailer for "The Roommate" comes on. The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I've seen that movie!" When I look at her, bewildered she's seen a movie that hasn't been released yet, she says, "Yeah, I've seen it. Its called 'Single White Female' with Jennifer Jason Leigh!"
And we're back, with a quick montage of people who think they can sing, but cannot sing. ATTENTION IDOLOONIES... DO NOT AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA. DOESN'T MATTER THE SONG, DON'T AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA'S MUSIC. BAD, BAD, BAAAAA IDEA. Thanks.
And now, we hear about SummerFest, a huge music festival in Milwaukee, and we meet Aduba Malukaahaa, or whatever her name is, who works ground crew at SummerFest. And Idol will change her life. Sometimes she cries because her music means so much to her. Her words, not mine.
So Naiuma Arkardapoo is going to sing Donnie Hathaway, and shockingly... she's not bad. Actually, she's pretty good. Here I was all set to make fun of Noxema Alahyoudaoo, and here she goes and does her thing right. And she goes to Hollywood with three yes votes.
I look forward to not being able to spell, type or pronounce Nobooboo Arachanidco's name in the future.
Back from break! We see a somersaulting contestant somersault straight into a cameraman and it was awesome. Here's the montage of bad songs... including a "Jenny from the Block" take.
Jerome Bell, a bar-mitzvah singer, is singing "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. He brings it loud, a little over the top. I'd like to think of Song of Solomon had a soundtrack, this song would be it. Yay God.
The judges dig Jerome's groove, and he's headed to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'd like one single year without that song being used in an audition.
Me: I haven't heard any Mariah or Whitney so far
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'm okay with that too. But no more "Let's Get It On".
Seacrusty discusses the age limit being dropped to 15, partly due to the popularity of 9 year old Justin Bieber. Thia Megea is 15, one of the many 15 year olds who have auditioned.
"Chasing Paper" by Adele is her song. And she's fantastic. She sounds like she's 29 years old, and a veteran. And she kinda sounds like a sista, too, though her look is more Hawaiia'n.... and they all say yes, so Thia is headed to Hollywood.
And every 15 year old that came in walked out with a Golden Ticket. Steven Tyler says, "Thank God for people who can sing..." And we see the teaser for the bad, bad singers to come.
Back from break, we see a guy named Nathaniel who is a Civil War Re-Enactor. Was the Civil War in Wisconsin? Was that a state in the 1860s? No, I'm being serious.... that's a real question... Nate is in full Civil War regalia, and his dad is joining him, looking totally like a hippy. Nate tells us, however, that dad is not a hippy.. "He's not a hippy! Hippies have sex!"
When Nate walks in, J-Lo mutters, "oh no..." And she was right for saying that... because "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is being slaughtered with a Civil War musket. And the judges mock him, though Steven Tyler does it a little more discreetly.
This next guy can barely start, he's so nervous, and he ends up facing the other wall, composing himself. He should have just walked out. Yikes. Neither me or the woman knows the song, but it doesn't matter, because it was gawd-awful.
The next girl? "I am an intern at the White House and I'm in love with this president." I now don't like this chick and will root against her completely. She went to Harvard, so she is probably extremely book smart... but seriously? In love with the President? "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" is her song of choice, and she's not as bad as I want her to be. Molly Swenson is her name, by the way. Or I'll just call her The Idealistic Ignorant Molly. She goes to Hollywood.
After the break, its Day Two!
Back from break, its Day Two!
The bubbly, pretty, toothy Haley Reinhart comes in, telling us this is everything she wants. She auditioned last year, and didn't make it, so now she's back. "Oh Darling" is her song, and I guess she got better, because she sounds great. Steven Tyler loves her. J-Lo loves her. Randy the Dawg loves her. Haley is Hollywood!
And from Chicago, its Tiwan! He's busting out some Sam Cooke, and The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I like him. He needs braces. But I do like him." He sounds good. They all like him, and Tiwan and his Elliott Yamean teeth head to Hollywood.
"It looks like his mouth needs, you know, three more teeth to fill in the spaces," The Lovely Steph Leann adds in.
Steve is a CPA, and is an auditor... "So I really don't have many friends," he says. He adds, "I'm a wedding and funeral singer... weddings tend to be more fun." And he has the humor of an auditor. His voice is not great, but its not bad. Both The Lovely Steph Leann and I are going back and forth on whether we like him or not...
Steven Tyler likes him. Randy the Dawg says yes. J-Lo says yes. And Steve the auditor goes to Hollywood.
And here comes the girl from the teaser, when Seacrusty said, "And the judges have a showdown..." Vernika is singing "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton, and "singing" is a stretch. I just looked around and the glass on the front door of The Cabana just cracked.
J-Lo tells her no, and how its not going to work. Steven Tyler says she won't work for this show. Vernika declares that "half'a dese peoples don't even sing good, I sing better than then half'a dese people. Its cause I ain't skinny." And she walks out, straight past Seacrest and the camera.
We get a few crying chicks, including a few choice words by some, a mama who is protective of her kid (who she then tells to shut up), and a dude who drops his own words.
Back from break, we get Albert Rogers III, who thinks he sounds like Usher, Ruuuuuben Studdard and Luther Vandross. He's going to sing "Stand By Me", and J-Lo starts to giggle. She knows what's coming. And its a disaster. Albert Part III is trying way, way too hard... and he gets a no from the judges.
Scott Dangerfield comes out, a 22 year old student teacher in shorts, a long sleeve button and square glasses. He's going to sing "Dreamin'" by Amos Lee. And right out'ta gate, Scott throws down and does it right. J-Lo says, "You might just be my favorite so far." All the judges say YES enthusiastically. The Lovely Steph Leann says, "I wasn't expecting that... and he kinda has a Jodie Foster look about him."
Back from Break!
And now we see one of the Green Bay Packers biggest fans ever. Or so she says. She loves the Green-n-Gold... her name is Megan Frasier, 20, and yells "Go Pack Go!" to the judges. She's going to sing "Baby" by The Beebs, and its atrocious. The judges all yell, "NO!" at the same time.
Alyson Jados is shown in tears when Steven Tyler came through the crowd early in the day. And now, she goes to meet the judges, Steven Tyler included, who gives her a giggly-inducing hug. She's going to sing "Come Together" and gives it that rocker edge, sort of a Allison Iraheta tone.
She continues with "Dream On", though she admits she can't hit that last note, which Steven Tyler fills in. He then tells her she's very pitchy, J-Lo tells her she's got a good quality, and Randy the Dawg says he doesn't think she's ready. J-Lo says yes. Now, its up to Steven Tyler to determine a yes or no. Of course, he says yes.
And now we get one last guy, which is our Sob Story (always disguised by the phrase, "his incredible journey") of the night. Chris Medina is 26, from Chicago. He's engaged to be married, and she works at a Starbucks! She was recently in an accident, and she has a traumatic brain injury... and in a month or so, she woke up, with severe movement disabilities.
"Break Even" by The Script is his song, and he slows it down to a bluesy kinda of jam. Snapping fingers, he belts it out, and sounds great. The judges ask to meet his girlfriend, and they wheel her in to meet the judges. They shower her with hugs, kisses and love, and its probably one of the most sincere moments I've ever seen on Idol.
You wouldn't see that with Simon.
Milwaukee puts forth 53 contestants to Hollywood, out of the 1000s that showed up... and tomorrow night, its Nashville!
Tonight, its the third episode of Idol 2.0, with Steven Tyler, J-Lo and Randy the Dawg, and we open up with Steven and Randy doing a little freelance version of "Sweet Emotion", one of my favorite Aerosmith songs. No joke, its a great driving song.
We're coming from Milwaukee, WI, the home of The Widower Danny Gokey... and in fact, we see The Goke himself talking to some of the crowd.
THIS IS
AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!
Scotty from Garner, NC, is up first. He's clean cut, he's dressed to the nines, and he's 16. If Paula Abdul was here, her room keys would be thrown at Scotty's feet. "Your Man" by Josh Turner is his song... and I'm glad he's singing this song, because that's one of those songs that I keep hearing, but didn't know who sang it. I'm going to download it right now.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me, and says, "He's so smooth...."
At the judges request, Scotty from Garner sings "Put Some Drive in Your Country" by Travis Tritt, which makes Steven Tyler say something about getting something, get the matches, &#*$ a duck and see what hatches. What the?
Scotty from Garner heads to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me from under her blanket and says, "I'd listen to him on the radio..."
I just down loaded "Your Man" by Josh Turner.
And the judges know this is going to be bad too. He says he is 19, but he could pass for 31. And when he says he's going to sing "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, both The Lovely Steph Leann and I groan. And when he actually starts singing, she grimaces, I giggle, Steven Tyler sways and J-Lo hangs her head.
Steven Tyler says, "Do not quit your day job. Brutally honest." The others agree. And Joe jumps into the classic Idol mistake of, "They hated my first song, so I'll sing something without being prompted so they will hear me sing beautifully..." and in all my years of watching Idol, I have never seen this work.
From the previous commercial break, we see a chick saying something original like, "This is my dream", while crying. Well, now we see her and her family in an SUV, and she tells us how she was 5 when Kelly Clarkson won the first Idol (The Lovely Steph Leann whimpers, "We are so old"), and how they came from Colorado, and drove 16 hours to Milwaukee.
Emma Henry, 15, is singing "True Colors" from Cyndi Lauper... personally its one of my least favorite songs ever, but she's not doing as badly as I thought she would. Steven Tyler says he likes her character, J-Lo says she needs to keep working on her quality, and Randy the Dawg says he's not sure that she is ready. J-Lo says no, and she needs to work on it. Steven Tyler says yes.
"I want this so badly, music is my life..." she starts crying, cue the sad music. Randy the Dawg says she's going to be swallowed up in this whole process. She whimpers, and says, "I'm going to work so hard!" Randy the Dawg relents, and Emma Henry shouts for joy as she gets her golden ticket.
My own opinion? She's got talent, and she's pretty good... but she needs to be trained up. She needs more work, and I think she'll be pheeeeenomonal. The Lovely Steph Leann agrees.
Trailer for "The Roommate" comes on. The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I've seen that movie!" When I look at her, bewildered she's seen a movie that hasn't been released yet, she says, "Yeah, I've seen it. Its called 'Single White Female' with Jennifer Jason Leigh!"
And we're back, with a quick montage of people who think they can sing, but cannot sing. ATTENTION IDOLOONIES... DO NOT AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA. DOESN'T MATTER THE SONG, DON'T AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA'S MUSIC. BAD, BAD, BAAAAA IDEA. Thanks.
And now, we hear about SummerFest, a huge music festival in Milwaukee, and we meet Aduba Malukaahaa, or whatever her name is, who works ground crew at SummerFest. And Idol will change her life. Sometimes she cries because her music means so much to her. Her words, not mine.
So Naiuma Arkardapoo is going to sing Donnie Hathaway, and shockingly... she's not bad. Actually, she's pretty good. Here I was all set to make fun of Noxema Alahyoudaoo, and here she goes and does her thing right. And she goes to Hollywood with three yes votes.
I look forward to not being able to spell, type or pronounce Nobooboo Arachanidco's name in the future.
Back from break! We see a somersaulting contestant somersault straight into a cameraman and it was awesome. Here's the montage of bad songs... including a "Jenny from the Block" take.
Jerome Bell, a bar-mitzvah singer, is singing "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. He brings it loud, a little over the top. I'd like to think of Song of Solomon had a soundtrack, this song would be it. Yay God.
The judges dig Jerome's groove, and he's headed to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'd like one single year without that song being used in an audition.
Me: I haven't heard any Mariah or Whitney so far
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'm okay with that too. But no more "Let's Get It On".
Seacrusty discusses the age limit being dropped to 15, partly due to the popularity of 9 year old Justin Bieber. Thia Megea is 15, one of the many 15 year olds who have auditioned.
"Chasing Paper" by Adele is her song. And she's fantastic. She sounds like she's 29 years old, and a veteran. And she kinda sounds like a sista, too, though her look is more Hawaiia'n.... and they all say yes, so Thia is headed to Hollywood.
And every 15 year old that came in walked out with a Golden Ticket. Steven Tyler says, "Thank God for people who can sing..." And we see the teaser for the bad, bad singers to come.
When Nate walks in, J-Lo mutters, "oh no..." And she was right for saying that... because "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is being slaughtered with a Civil War musket. And the judges mock him, though Steven Tyler does it a little more discreetly.
This next guy can barely start, he's so nervous, and he ends up facing the other wall, composing himself. He should have just walked out. Yikes. Neither me or the woman knows the song, but it doesn't matter, because it was gawd-awful.
The next girl? "I am an intern at the White House and I'm in love with this president." I now don't like this chick and will root against her completely. She went to Harvard, so she is probably extremely book smart... but seriously? In love with the President? "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" is her song of choice, and she's not as bad as I want her to be. Molly Swenson is her name, by the way. Or I'll just call her The Idealistic Ignorant Molly. She goes to Hollywood.
After the break, its Day Two!
Back from break, its Day Two!
The bubbly, pretty, toothy Haley Reinhart comes in, telling us this is everything she wants. She auditioned last year, and didn't make it, so now she's back. "Oh Darling" is her song, and I guess she got better, because she sounds great. Steven Tyler loves her. J-Lo loves her. Randy the Dawg loves her. Haley is Hollywood!
And from Chicago, its Tiwan! He's busting out some Sam Cooke, and The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I like him. He needs braces. But I do like him." He sounds good. They all like him, and Tiwan and his Elliott Yamean teeth head to Hollywood.
"It looks like his mouth needs, you know, three more teeth to fill in the spaces," The Lovely Steph Leann adds in.
Steve is a CPA, and is an auditor... "So I really don't have many friends," he says. He adds, "I'm a wedding and funeral singer... weddings tend to be more fun." And he has the humor of an auditor. His voice is not great, but its not bad. Both The Lovely Steph Leann and I are going back and forth on whether we like him or not...
Steven Tyler likes him. Randy the Dawg says yes. J-Lo says yes. And Steve the auditor goes to Hollywood.
And here comes the girl from the teaser, when Seacrusty said, "And the judges have a showdown..." Vernika is singing "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton, and "singing" is a stretch. I just looked around and the glass on the front door of The Cabana just cracked.
J-Lo tells her no, and how its not going to work. Steven Tyler says she won't work for this show. Vernika declares that "half'a dese peoples don't even sing good, I sing better than then half'a dese people. Its cause I ain't skinny." And she walks out, straight past Seacrest and the camera.
We get a few crying chicks, including a few choice words by some, a mama who is protective of her kid (who she then tells to shut up), and a dude who drops his own words.
Back from break, we get Albert Rogers III, who thinks he sounds like Usher, Ruuuuuben Studdard and Luther Vandross. He's going to sing "Stand By Me", and J-Lo starts to giggle. She knows what's coming. And its a disaster. Albert Part III is trying way, way too hard... and he gets a no from the judges.
Scott Dangerfield comes out, a 22 year old student teacher in shorts, a long sleeve button and square glasses. He's going to sing "Dreamin'" by Amos Lee. And right out'ta gate, Scott throws down and does it right. J-Lo says, "You might just be my favorite so far." All the judges say YES enthusiastically. The Lovely Steph Leann says, "I wasn't expecting that... and he kinda has a Jodie Foster look about him."
Back from Break!
And now we see one of the Green Bay Packers biggest fans ever. Or so she says. She loves the Green-n-Gold... her name is Megan Frasier, 20, and yells "Go Pack Go!" to the judges. She's going to sing "Baby" by The Beebs, and its atrocious. The judges all yell, "NO!" at the same time.
Alyson Jados is shown in tears when Steven Tyler came through the crowd early in the day. And now, she goes to meet the judges, Steven Tyler included, who gives her a giggly-inducing hug. She's going to sing "Come Together" and gives it that rocker edge, sort of a Allison Iraheta tone.
She continues with "Dream On", though she admits she can't hit that last note, which Steven Tyler fills in. He then tells her she's very pitchy, J-Lo tells her she's got a good quality, and Randy the Dawg says he doesn't think she's ready. J-Lo says yes. Now, its up to Steven Tyler to determine a yes or no. Of course, he says yes.
And now we get one last guy, which is our Sob Story (always disguised by the phrase, "his incredible journey") of the night. Chris Medina is 26, from Chicago. He's engaged to be married, and she works at a Starbucks! She was recently in an accident, and she has a traumatic brain injury... and in a month or so, she woke up, with severe movement disabilities.
"Break Even" by The Script is his song, and he slows it down to a bluesy kinda of jam. Snapping fingers, he belts it out, and sounds great. The judges ask to meet his girlfriend, and they wheel her in to meet the judges. They shower her with hugs, kisses and love, and its probably one of the most sincere moments I've ever seen on Idol.
You wouldn't see that with Simon.
Milwaukee puts forth 53 contestants to Hollywood, out of the 1000s that showed up... and tomorrow night, its Nashville!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)