Idol Headlines for 04/09/09

Great Idol in 60 seconds, the Lambert part is hilarious.

Thanks for posting the article about Matt and his Little Brother. I’m a sap, I guess, but it made me all teary-eyed. *sniff*

The write ups about Scott are so touching! What a sweet guy! I was really glad to see him go last night so that he didn’t overstay his time and start getting ugly treatment from the media and idol watchers.

Speaking of sweet, I just read this : And David had to use the washroom. He met a cleaning lady, extended a handshake, asked for her name and said thanks for keeping the school clean for everyone. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s David. No one was around at that time, so he was not putting on some act. The cleaning lady told some staff about it.

^ Is there no end to his graciousness? LOL (Archie)

Archie may not be everyone’s cup of tea musically, but how can you not love his kindness and humility? I have been watching the videos posted here and Archie radiates happiness wherever he goes.

New Archie vlog from Malaysia . . . he seems to be having a great time. Loves the food, people and weather.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6o7vxBc0hI&eurl=http://www.snarkyarchies.com/&feature=player_embedded

I just purchased the studio recording of Adam’s Mad World. It is amazing!!!!!

Archie wearing Malay traditional costume. ADORABLE :wub_tb:

http://sultanmuzaffar.blogspot.com/

DA at the winning school in Mayaysia. I think there was a lot of chaos and pushing which explains the spastic first video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJgeJBX2wDs&eurl=http://fansofdavid.com/?p=19274&feature=player_embedded

This is ALTNOY– Pitch perfect as usual. It is so fun to hear people from other countries sing along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E70WWdmJ9WM&eurl=http://fansofdavid.com/?p=19274&feature=player_embedded

I just purchased the studio recording of Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Mad World. It is amazing!!!!!

Yeah, it really is. It seems a tad slower than the performance show, but just as haunting and lovely.

I just purchased the studio recording of Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Mad World. It is amazing!!!!!

I noticed that Gary Jule’s version is at #11 in the iTunes Top 100. Hallelujah moment anyone?

Adam’s studio recording is haunting in its beauty. Really an amazing vocal performance… Just stellar…

And on iTunes the Mad World version by Gary Jules (the one from which Adam drew his inspiration) is now at #11 and the original by Tears for Fears is at #105. They both received the AI “bump” thanks to Adam’s performance.

Last season, Cook received similar accolades for his acoustic rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” which was very similar to ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell’s version; Cook didn’t mention Cornell until he was called on it publicly.

Does this asshat Chris Harris even read his own articles???

Sure, “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest prefaced Cook’s performance by saying, “With Chris Cornell’s version of ‘Billie Jean,’ here’s David Cook,” but his introduction was barely audible, coming from the pit of screaming fans located just in front of the studio’s stage. And though Cook’s performance was very much a cover of Cornell’s cover, the “Idol” judges absolutely loved it and praised the performance for its “originality.”

The headline in Harris’s article last year asked “Is It Fair For Him To Cover Other Covers?” Is it fair for Harris to misrepresent what Cook did? Cook had no control over either the production values of that broadcast or the judges’ critique of his performance. And neither Cook nor Adam (nor Daughtry before them) ever claimed to have come up with those covers on their own.

The whole “covering covers” issue is certainly worth discussing, but why does this guy keep beating a dead horse? Get the log out of your own eye, Harris. And get your facts straight.

yes Adam’s studio recording of Mad World is beautiful

Thanks amiroamor ! He looks so proud! LOL That is very cool!

Maybe I should listen to Adam’s studio recording..

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND DECENT…do NOT bring back the songwriting contest?

Why?

Four words. Well, six, if you’re doing KaraMath:

“This Is My Now.”

Forehead, meet palm.

P.S. Adam’s studio recording of Mad World is INSANELY good.

Too many capital letters today. I must be cranky. I never sleep well on results nights!

I bought Gary Jules’ version of Mad World today in addition to Adam’s. I think Adam made a stunning song even more beautiful. I thought Cook’s Billie Jean was a marked improvement over Cornell’s, but I bought both, so it was win-win.

And, amazingly, I don’t remember any big kerfuffle when Jason Castro covered Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah or did I miss that? (I own all three versions of that song, LOL!)

MJ, dang girl, you’re getting a lot of press and links these days! Yeah, you go!

I agree, Bootstar, Harris’ article seems a little strange. He’s also quoting MJ for most of the so-called controversy he’s trying to present (create?)

I’m interested in whether MJ feels he fairly presented her comments, their meaning and context?

I noticed that Gary Juleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version is at #11 in the iTunes Top 100.

Awesome. That song is love. Adam’s performance this week was my favorite hands down, but I have the Gary Jule version from the Donnie Darko soundtrack, so I’m not sure I need Adam’s version, which isn’t too far from that. I feel it’s like Jason’s Hallelujah and Somewhere Over the Rainbow performances last year– amazing performances that induced me to purchase the original covers (heh, that sounds like an oxymoron) rather than Jason’s. How’s Adam’s studio recording?

Does this asshat Chris Harris even read his own articles???

Hah, that’s hilarious.

You tube must love me … I’ve listened to Adam’s studio version of Mad World umpteen times and am still counting.

And for all those that say Adam screeches and shrieks…I’m just sorry that they can’t “hear” the beauty of ethereal notes.

Went and listened to Gavin Degraws take on TOMT. It doesn’t sound anything like Adam’s version, other than the pace is slow. Phrasing, musicality, emotion, completely different.

I just bought Adam’s Mad World. Love it. I wish they wouldn’t have run over Tuesday night. This song needed to be critiqued by the judges. There wasn’t enough time left for a full appreciation of it by the judges and the audience reaction.

Adam’s Mad World is definitely worth the buy, imo.

“I find it kind of funny (and I find it kind of sad)” that the media would attempt to create a “Covergate” for Adam after Mad World, of all songs. To me, completely opposite of Cornell’s Billie Jean, the Jules/Andrews’ version of Mad World was popular and widely recognized. At least to my realm of experience, it seems more popular than the original.

Oh well, I give up trying to understand the media where AI is concerned — actually, I should’ve given up after Rushfield’s drivel yesterday (and O’Reilly’s the day before that.) LOL

I love the studio version of Mad World. His voice sounds so soft and haunting. Really beautiful.

Perez twittered about David A. today. lol.

David Archuleta is like a little elf! How can you not love Santa’s Helpers? http://is.gd/rCNT

It links to David’s new vlog. Awwwwww.

I’m in awe of Adam’s “Mad World” studio. He sings it beautifully, with so much emotion. Props to whoever produced the track! It’s not a note-for-note copy of Jules version either…Adam’s has that big glory note in the middle that he included in his live performance, and that nice little way he phrased “nervous” too, among other things!

perez cant help himself lol

^i ´m back from the intend of my friends to tone down my obssesion with ai and Archie…. needless to said they failed big time ;D… love his vlog and the material from Asia… and i love the love he is getting from Perez….

ETA.
I love that Archie always talks about food… lol

I agree, Bootstar, Harrisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ article seems a little strange. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also quoting MJ for most of the so-called controversy heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s trying to present (create?)

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m interested in whether MJ feels he fairly presented her comments, their meaning and context?

The hate mail is already pouring in. I’m not responsible for his take on things. In fact, I just got an email accusing me of slandering David because of things the writer said. LOL. The Cornell quote is not mine! LOL.

Guilt by association!

He misquoted me a little. I didn’t say that Cook sat down with Ryan on his radio show… He must have misheard me. But other than, those were my quotes.

They are completely different artists, but I do see some similarities in their Idol trajectory.

I’m surprised he used so many of my quotes. I assumed he’d talk to some other people.

But for the most part, he fairly represented my comments.

I’m not sure we’re talking “controversy” here. He’s noting the similarities, but using some jacked-up language to give his argument some edge.

Elvis Duran of Z100 put up David’s airport mania video.

http://z100.elvisduran.com/pages/p2article.html?feed=136656&article=5287688

I loved that Archie always talks about foodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ lol

He eats a LOT apparently. lol. He is an 18-year-old guy, after all. Although his healthy food diet on the tour seems to have him at pre-Idol weight.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I find it kind of funny (and I find it kind of sad)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that the media would attempt to create a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Covergateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  for Adam after Mad World, of all songs. To me, completely opposite of Cornellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Billie Jean, the Jules/Andrewsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ version of Mad World was popular and widely recognized. At least to my realm of experience, it seems more popular than the original

I agree. As someone who loves the Tears for Fears version, I am pretty sure a lot of people know the Jules version as it was a big hit in the UK (and quite popular in the US). It’s not like it was obscure or anything.

I actually like Adam’s iTunes version better than the live version as I think I was too distracted by the lighting when I initially watched it as it looked like he was sitting on an invisible chair. I couldn’t get over it.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I find it kind of funny (and I find it kind of sad)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that the media would attempt to create a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Covergateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  for Adam after Mad World, of all songs. To me, completely opposite of Cornellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Billie Jean, the Jules/Andrewsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ version of Mad World was popular and widely recognized. At least to my realm of experience, it seems more popular than the original.

Adam is a front runner. If the media picked on DC and Daughtry before him,, I wonder why they aren’t picking on Adam for doing the same thing? I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just wondering why? Maybe because the judges haven’t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

It’s also not just the Donnie Darko cover. Adam has been performing covers of covers pretty much all the way along.

And the reason why Jason wasn’t called on his arrangement was because I believe it was mentioned that Jason was covering the Buckley version.

Thanks for posting that link to the article updating the situation with Diana’s stalker. This girl just won’t quit. I have no doubt she’d be a great danger to Diana’s life if she had the opportunity. As it is, thousands of miles away she’s managed to create stress and chaos in Diana’s personal and professional life with her harassment and fraudulent behavior.

^^How sad that famous people have to put up with garbage like this.

Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

Bingo!

And the reason why Jason wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t called on his arrangement was because I believe it was mentioned that Jason was covering the Buckley version.

It was. Simon mentioned it himself. I remember being a little stunned because Simon isn’t exactly a musical savant (Paula and Randy sometimes mention the source of the cover, but Simon more typically says things like “I’ve never heard of Heart” and “That song is uncommercial”). Simon said something to the effect that he loved the Buckley version of the song and that Jason had done a great job with it (Buckley’s isn’t the original, but it’s probably the version that gets featured the most in movies and television shows).

This is a humorous blog entry from a student at the school in Malaysia that David paid a visit to….. read the whole tale at the link:

Thursday, April 9, 2009

archuleta in my skool KDU!

OMG i really still cant believe David Archuleta, the 1st runner up of American idol 2008 actually came to my school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
at first i wasn’t really i big fan of him but after he came… MAGICAL…i fell in love with him..
well not really the love but u noe.. celebrity ‘love’ get it? yea so…

http://chainofmemoriesss.blogspot.com/2009/04/archuleta-in-my-skool-kdu.html

Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

Bingo!

The season’s still got a ways to go. I’m still surprised the issue hasn’t come up. Both Daughtry and Cook had to pretty much quit using covers of covers.

T-MOBILE SIDEKICK AND THE RECORDING ACADEMYÂ ® ANNOUNCE FULL LINEUP FOR THE GRAMMYÂ ® CELEBRATION CONCERT TOUR PRESENTED BY T-MOBILE SIDEKICK

May shows will include a Boston appearance on May 4 with two-time GRAMMY winner Kelly Clarkson and GRAMMY nominee Lady GaGa at The House of Blues Boston

KellyClarkson.com

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re talking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“controversyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  here. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s noting the similarities, but using some jacked-up language to give his argument some edge.

No, me either. That’s why I said it was “so called” and put “create?” in parens with a question mark. I don’t think there is or should be a controversy since the show is a cover song show. Your phrasing is a much better description than mine!

And the reason why Jason wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t called on his arrangement was because I believe it was mentioned that Jason was covering the Buckley version.

Well, that didn’t seem to help Cook with Billie Jean!

I seemed to remember reading that Cowell owns some sort of royalty rights to “Hallelujah” too. Did I imagine that? I assume that’s why Cowell seemed so uncharacteristically knowledgable and why covering it could never be controversial. LOL

But I do think your supposition that Adam’s ok covering covers because the judges aren’t pegging him as “the most original contestant we’ve ever had” like stupid Randy said after Cook’s Billie Jean. Obviously, Ryan introduced the song as Cornell’s before David sang it, but it was Randy (and the others to a lesser degree) who left the misimpression that enraged Cornell fans and started the media frenzy that apparently continues to this day. And, well, maybe they got enough mileage out of that non-issue when they used it against Daughtry and Cook. Fewer people are probably apt to buy into it any more.

Anyway, MJ, I figured that he’d jumbled what you’d said (particularly that out of nowhere radio show bit) and/or used his discussion with you for whatever his goal for the article. I thought it would be nice to hear from you if you wanted, since some of that seemed a little odd! Sorry you’re getting hate mail! Yikes!

If the media picked on DC and Daughtry before him,, I wonder why they arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t picking on Adam for doing the same thing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just wondering why? Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

I just hate that David is being drug back into this mess. Didn’t he pay his penance last year? I never liked that he was getting bashed for comments the judges made. He’s more than paid the price for that, and still getting dissed a year later. Maybe that’s what David brought to this year. The judges learned not to praise originality for covers of covers, thus less controversy.

Although, with Billie Jean, no one praised “his” arrangement, they didn’t even call the arrangement original – they called him original and brave. Worded badly enough to pile on, though.

Whew, that was a mini-rant. I’ve wanted to vent about this for a year, now. That felt good.

But as it was said last year, as it was said this year, it’s not Cook’s fault that the freaking show edited out his videos whenever he gave credit to whoever’s cover he borrowed, imitated or got inspired from. (Also, blame Ryan for not being heard about Chris Cornell) After 2 years of that controversy rearing its ugly head, they finally learned not to go overboard — which is why to the detriment of Cook (and Daughtry), Adam isn’t being called on for the third installment of Covergate.

Good thing, I like Adam because this thing doesn’t make me want to give a group hug and sing kumbaya. LOL

Although, with Billie Jean, no one praised à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“hisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  arrangement, they didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even call the arrangement original – they called him original and brave. Worded badly enough to pile on, though.

I always thought DC was praised for being original because he was singing songs in ways that had never been done before on the show, and taking risks that paid off. Even Randy said he was original for the show’s standards, not because he was creating mind-blowing new music.

Adam is a front runner. If the media picked on DC and Daughtry before him,, I wonder why they arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t picking on Adam for doing the same thing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just wondering why? Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

Really? I somehow got the impression that Adam has already been called original by the judges, but maybe I’m getting jumbled because the media is calling him original. But whether or not they said it, I always figured it to mean that Adam’s being unique in his song choices, not that he was rearranging songs himself. He said in his clip that he “found” the Ring of Fire arrangement, and I recognized the version of Mad World right away. I’m well aware he’s not reimagining songs in a completely original way, but I’d still say he’s a pretty original artist– at least with his song choices, and at least by AI standards.

American Idol….Song Choice….You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

I’ve said before and I’ll reiterate again: Since there are virtually hundreds of covers of songs floating out there, how can anyone really be totally original on a song unless the song is written especially for them. Is a contestant supposed to get up and say “This is ____ song, originally by _______, and I chose to cover the cover by _______ but I’ve changed it up slightly to show off my ________.

Geesh!! Now if they introduce the song and say “I re-arranged this song” and someone finds a word for word version that they used then they should be blasted!

perez cant help himself lol

Well, at least that explained his invectives against David Cook.

sma11ie, that’s how I view Adam’s originality too. Maybe that’s another (or the) reason why there’s been no all out Covergate for him. As I think about it, I’m sure the judges have thrown “original” in as an adjective to describe him, but not so much in a way that sounds like they’re talking about the song’s arrangement. And, Randy in particular seems to have learned his lesson from the Cook/Cornell debaucle, as he likes to use “current” for Adam, not “original.” LOL

ETA: Tess, LMAO, yeah that’s the intro they all should use. Then TIVO will miss the last two performances each Tuesday!

Well, at least that explained his invectives against David Cook.

LOL. Perez is a closet hardcore Idol fan! I wonder if he posts here

Really? I somehow got the impression that Adam has already been called original by the judges, but maybe Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m getting jumbled because the media is calling him original. But whether or not they said it, I always figured it to mean that Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s being unique in his song choices, not that he was rearranging songs himself. He said in his clip that he à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“foundà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  the Ring of Fire arrangement, and I recognized the version of Mad World right away. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m well aware heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not reimagining songs in a completely original way, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d still say heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a pretty original artistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ at least with his song choices, and at least by AI standards.

ITA. Whenever they say original they usually mean original in the context of the show IMO. There has never been a contestant quite like Adam before, and everything he does just reinforces that fact… hence he’s “original”.

Is a contestant supposed to get up and say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This is ____ song, originally by _______, and I chose to cover the cover by _______ but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve changed it up slightly to show off my ________.

Geesh!!

:lol_tb:

Great post Tess, the whole thing!

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just wondering why? Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

I think that’s it MJ. I don’t think anyone was too concerned about Cook’s covers of covers, until the whole Cook is the Most Original Idol Evah!!! vibe got started.

With the paltry amount of choices these kids are given and the fact that most of the material is long past its expiration date, I have no problem with the “covers of covers” stuff. I didn’t have a problem with Daughtry’s whole “Livegate” crap, I didn’t have a problem with Cook doing Cornell or whoever the hell. And, I don’t have a problem with Adam seeking out arrangements of older songs that will suit him.

I guess though, at some point in order to show who you really are as an artist, you have to come up with your own creative cover of at least one original song.

Typically, even when that happens, I do not automatically assume that it is only the contestant’s awesome originality and artistry at play here. They often have mentors, a great band director, musicians and vocal coaches to help them along the way. That’s why, whether it’s their own cover, a cover of a cover, or a song they sang totally straight, I tend to base my feelings of the performance on how great they sang it – and disregard all of that other stuff.

Has Adam arranged a song on his own in the competition? I don’t remember. But if he’s going to and it kicks ass, it’s only going to be a one-man show from that time on, I think. And who would have ever thought that the Ghoulish Widower Juggernaut would be derailed?

Adam said on country night that “he found this cool version online” and last week said thanks to the BAND for coming up with a cool arrangement. Adam has not claimed to come up with an original arrangement. The person, performance and voice can be different and I think that’s what the judges compliment now.

I think it was the judges fault with Cook with all the “original artist” praise. The judges were clueless and it wasn’t Cook’s fault. These kids go online to look up songs. Some covers like Mad World are not “covers” to many. Everyone knows they are all singing someone else’s song. You are unique if your voice is unique, or you pick interesting unique songs. The audience gets this is a karaoke contest.

I don’t know why the media should dissect Adam’s performances somehow to make up being fair to Cook. I mean Lil sang her song word for word while others add a little riff here and there….is that original? Should the media inform me? I don’t care what they do. Most of them have done a cover of a cover. Why should Adam be picked on? Gee. Adam is nothing like Cook. Absolutely nothing at all. Never tried to be. Adam is a singer and performer. Cook is a musician and that’s where writing/arranging the songs became more important surrounding him.

If the judges would just take “original” and like synonyms out of their vocabulary when judging, the problem would be solved. Doh!

(Although, it’s a little difficult for me to think they don’t know what they are doing after EIGHT years ….er….with the exception of Paula that is, lol)

If the judges would just take à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“originalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and like synonyms out of their vocabulary when judging, the problem would be solved. Doh!

But Judy, that would only leave Randy with 4 words left in his robotic, wind-up toy, rinse and repeat vocabulary.

I don’t think Adam could ever fill Cook’s shoes.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Adam could ever fill Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s shoes.

Or vice versa. But, Adam did wear those white cowboy boots well this week!! WhoooHooooo~

And the reason why Jason wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t called on his arrangement was because I believe it was mentioned that Jason was covering the Buckley version.

Oh, yeah, I remember that. But I don’t recall it being mentioned until after Jason was done performing. I already owned the Buckley version, and I think I already knew that Simon loved the song (although I didn’t know at the time that he owned the publishing rights to L. Cohen’s original!). But Jason still did a cover of a cover and received huge praise for it. Not that he didn’t deserve it. I just didn’t get how anybody could find fault with Cook, given that Cornell was given credit for the arrangement before David even performed the song. Just really seemed like a double standard to me, although the whole line of argument was stupid to begin with.

Just once I would like to see somebody write an article (mj???) noting how much attention and benefit these “original” and “cover” artists received for their versions of the songs AFTER they have been covered on Idol. I’m sure Cornell benefited greatly from David’s cover, and it looks like Gary Jules will benefit from Adam’s. Certainly Simon made a lot of money (although Cohen surely didn’t) after Jason’s performance, and these kids deserve credit for picking cool songs and doing them justice!

I still prefer Buckley’s version of Hallelujah to anybody else’s I’ve heard (and there are a number of good ones out there), but I thought Cook vastly improved Cornell’s, and I’d argue that Adam actually improved on Jules’s stellar interpretation.

Or vice versa. But, Adam did wear those white cowboy boots well this week!! WhoooHooooo~

And it was duly noted! Love me all my boot-wearing BootStars!!! :wub_tb:

^^^ :laugh_tb: And here I thought I was the only one who thought….”Adam must have went to BootStar!” Duh, me, of course you would have noticed!

Honestly? I think Adam doesn’t get a lot of flack because for the most part, after the dust settled, people pretty much eventually concluded that Covergate was stupid, so it’s not a hot button issue anymore. Original is always referring to original in the context of the show. I don’t think anyone would argue that a formula for succeeding on AI was established, and people who mess with that formula successfully, buck the system as it were, tend to be lauded for their bravery, and rightly so. In that context, of course.

Plus, any type of publicity resulting from a buzzworthy Idol performance is always good for the original artist anyway, and that seems to extend to the artists who come up with these cover arrangements…like the Hawaiian dude who inspired Castro’s uke version of OTR. Not a lot of AI watchers were familiar with him previously, but if I recall, he got a lot of Youtube hits afterwards. And I remember I was shocked at the time that there were so many people who didn’t know about Cornell’s arrangement of BJ before Cookie covered it, and Jeff freakin Buckley’s version Hallelujah, but, apparently that was the case. As for the Donnie Darko movie version of Mad World, again, if Adam introduces people to that awesomeness, it’s all good. Hell, from what I remember, the Eleanor Rigby guys eventually ended up facing backlash for not letting it go. I dunno, maybe this is just me, but the whole thing seems about as topical as someone writing an article about Obama being the first African American president when clearly we’ve all moved on to how he’s dealing with the economy.

(And as I’m writing this when I should be working, Light On comes on the radio, sung by Cook and written by Cornell. Ah, irony.)

Well, at least that explained his invectives against David Cook.

Perez doesn’t seem to like David C. all that much, but it may not just be because he likes David A. Many people do like both. Perez just has a particular type of celebrity that he digs.

From Archuletaphillipines.com

This venue for Achuleta/Cook is huge, but here are the numbers of seats left in each category.

TITANIUM (12,425PHP) – 177 seats are still available

PLATINUM (6,215PHP) – 343 seats are still available

VIP (3,625PHP) – 3625 seats are still available

GOLD (2,075PHP) – 2,085 seats are still available

SILVER (625PHP) – 4712 seats are still available

BRONZE (315PHP) – 7177 seats are still available

This venue for Achuleta/Cook is huge

How huge? There seem to be a lot of seats left. Are the seats so bad in Gold, Silver and Bronze that the Davids will look like little ants?

mac, FOD is saying the venue holds 100,000; the largest concert they’ve ever had there was attended by 70,000. Yikes.

My brain has never quite understood this whole “original “, “inventive” kerfluffle… I may be slow on the uptake, but Idol is at its essence high toned KARAOKE… playing to a much wider audience, and for much higher stakes than what the corner bar down the street serves up on Wednesday night… but still karaoke. These contestants, regardless of the manner in which they tweak or jazz up an arrangement, are singing covers… I wonder…. if these covers were really as original and inventive as the judges seemed to think they were, why have none of the winners or runners up had them released as primary singles /standalone singles off their debut albums? Wouldn’t the music buying public be the best judge then of how truly original or inventive the cover is? I’d tend to trust that more than anything coming out of Randy, Paula or Simon’s mouths on the show….

How huge? There seem to be a lot of seats left. Are the seats so bad in Gold, Silver and Bronze that the Davids will look like little ants?

I looked it up. The Mall of Asia Concert Grounds has the capacity to hold 100,000. So, you know, huuuuuge. I honestly don’t know how much of it they’re opening up–or if they’re just selling however many they can and will close off what isn’t sold. There’s 18,119 seats left, and the prices are a bit steep.

Here’s a picture of that 70K attended concert. Bonus points if you can find the stage.

The fact is, and I say this as somebody who can’t stand the little toad, Blake Lewis is the trailblazer for contestants doing truly original arrangements on this show. He arranged most of his own stuff and didn’t rely on YouTube for ideas like Cook or Adam.
I’m not dissing Cook or Adam because I like DC and I FLOVE Adam but this idea that originalitybegins and ends with Cook isn’t backed up factually. It’s fanwanking. He did some original arrangements but mostly he did very very good versions of other people’s arrangements, no shame in it. He only got the “he’s so original” reputation because the judges were too ignorant of music to know he was performing covers of covers (or they just wanted to keep the audience in the dark).

My brain has never quite understood this whole à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“original à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inventiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  kerfluffleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I may be slow on the uptake, but Idol is at its essence high toned KARAOKEà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ playing to a much wider audience, and for much higher stakes than what the corner bar down the street serves up on Wednesday nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but still karaoke.

I’m with you girl. This whole discussion about covering covers is ridiculous. IMO, the judges often just don’t have anything intelligent to say about things, which is also ridiculous given that they have heard all of the songs during the week.

So how many tickets have actually been sold to the Cook/Archuleta thing so far?

IDK… Going way back in my memory (a dangerous thing to do) to bring up two examples of cover songs that, to me, were/are truly inventive, and creative, and the artists truly “made their own”….

Jimi Hendrix’s All Along The Watchtower, and Aretha Franklin’s Respect… I still have to be reminded that Hendrix covered AATW from Dylan, and Aretha covered her’s from Otis Redding…. It’s pretty hard to better a Dylan-penned and performed song, but Hendrix made this one his own. For Respect, in Otis Redding’s hands (he wrote this song, by the way), it’s a blustery celebration of manhood. In Aretha’s hands, it’s a sexy but defiant declaration of women’s liberation. Needless to say, it’s Aretha’s version we all remember.

My standards may be a little different than most, but until a “cover” song sung by an Idol contestant can match 1/10 of what these two did on these covers…. cannot buy into those labels or “originality” of “inventiveness”.. not saying it couldn’t happen, so I’m still waiting….

“Covergate” is a legitimate issue that needs to be sorted once and for all.

I think the easiest way to do this would be that the contestants should have to declare any “cover veersion” of the song on the day of the show, so that every introduction will include any version reference. If they don’t declare, then I hope they get called out.

Adam’s version was strongly based on Gary Jules, and from what I’ve seen of him on the show, I don’t think he’d ever try to take false credit.

However, I don’t think the judges are necessarily always au fait with all the covers and they can sometimes perceive originality when it’s merely subtle changes of another persons breakthrough arrangement.

Do I honestly think Simon knew the Gary Jules version? No,and I think the perceived originality drove his SO.

He didn’t give him a SO on Tracks of My Tears, which was imo was far better and more original. So I’m not upset by the SO, as I think he’s deserved one, just got one for the wrong song.

But this issue shouldn’t be about Adam, as I believe all of them at some point have been led by anothers arrangement. I think the original arranger deserves the credit and they should have a system in place which ensures that happens.

The only downside of this is when you hate the arrangement…..lol, I’m never listening to anything of Mickey Gilles after Danny’s performance on Tuesday night

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not dissing Cook or Adam because I like DC and I FLOVE Adam but this idea that originalitybegins and ends with Cook isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t backed up factually. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fanwanking.

This. I have always thought Blake Lewis was the one who blazed the trail.

Do I honestly think Simon knew the Gary Jules version? No,and I think the perceived originality drove his SO.

In an interview with Gary Jules, Jules said Simon came up to him some years back and said he loved his version of Mad World. I think Simon loves that song and Adam did it really well, so he gave him a standing O. The song resonates with Simon and Adam’s performance moved him.

Jason fans, he was guest commentator for the first half hour of Idol Tonight last night on the TV Guide Network. YouTube links:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ4eBj8uep0

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqTTrljsONg

You can also find videos of the show, in more parts, without the TV listing scroll.

The fact is, and I say this as somebody who canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stand the little toad, Blake Lewis is the trailblazer for contestants doing truly original arrangements on this show. He arranged most of his own stuff and didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t rely on YouTube for ideas like Cook or Adam.
Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not dissing Cook or Adam because I like DC and I FLOVE Adam but this idea that originalitybegins and ends with Cook isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t backed up factually. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fanwanking. He did some original arrangements but mostly he did very very good versions of other peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s arrangements, no shame in it.

Agree and disagree. I agree that Blake’s contribution to the evolution of AI is criminally ignored by the judges and producers. He seemed to have this crazy little beat machine in his head, and that coupled with his lap top made for some sick covers. And some trainwrecks (Diana Ross….what the hell is that song?) Anyway, I remember I really dug what he did BeeGees night even though he was reemed for it, and when I downloaded You Could Be Dancing I thought he might have a future as a producer. It sounded club ready to me. That said, I don’t think it’s factual or accurate to say Cook mostly sang very good versions of other people’s arrangements. Billie Jean is credited to Cornell, Eleanor Rigby was a mish mash of two other cover versions, and I think his version of Yo Face was very similar to someone else’s, but Little Sparrow, Always Be My Baby, All I Really Need Is You, and The World I Know are all Cook’s arrangements. I also don’t think his cover of Hello sounds like the Incubus version so I buy that it was also his work. That’s a 3:5 ratio in favor of his own arrangements. Not that I don’t think ” the most original Idol ever”, or any blank blank Idol ever stuff for that matter, is ridic, cuz I do, but Cook did contribute something more substantial than cool versions of other people’s arrangements to the fabric of the show.

Do I honestly think Simon knew the Gary Jules version? No,and I think the perceived originality drove his SO.

Gary Jules’ version was Christmas number 1 in the UK in 2003. I’d be surprised if he didn’t know that.

Actually, per a Gary Jules quote taken from an AP article, Simon was very aware of Jules’s version of Mad World:

“……from Cowell, who called Jules the day after his version of “Mad World” hit No. 1 overseas. “Simon said that he loved it,” he remembers. “That he thought it was a beautiful performance. That he thought it was better than the first one, better than the original and that it was very very heartfelt and blah blah blah à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and I was, like, really grateful except I had no idea who he was.” “

MJ linked the article which talks about Simon loving Jules’ version of “Mad World” up there. This one.

Oh Lordy, Covergate rears its ugly head again?! :rolleyes_wp: It’s a show where they sing covers, why should the kids have to worry about making sure the show tells everyone multiple times (so they can hear it) what degree of separation of cover from the original *their* version is?

And THEN, they are supposed to “make the songs their own”, without “copycatting” or “sound-aliking” but at the same time be careful of “ruining a classic” or being “indulgent”. I say: the kids are tired enough as it is.

IMO they should ONLY get called out if they claim it is an all original version of the song and it turns out it is not. And even then that’s placing the burden on them to be aware of every single cover version in existence.

Adam is a front runner. If the media picked on DC and Daughtry before him,, I wonder why they arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t picking on Adam for doing the same thing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just wondering why? Maybe because the judges havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t praised his arrangements and called him original yet.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also not just the Donnie Darko cover. Adam has been performing covers of covers pretty much all the way along.

And the reason why Jason wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t called on his arrangement was because I believe it was mentioned that Jason was covering the Buckley version.

Absolutely. It’s been my impression that the producers became sensitized to the “covers of arrangements” issue after the hoopla about David Cook, and after that they were careful not to praise contestants for their orginality re: arrangements. (don’t know why they didn’t learn their lesson after the Daughtry/Live brouhaha, which would have spared DC some unnecessary flack)

It wasn’t fair to DC either because he attempted to give credit for the arrangements all along but it was cut out. He never pretended about which arrangements were his and which he borrowed (or used parts of) from others, so the media and fan outrage was unjustified, I felt.

Others like Jason and Adam have been spared that outrage due to the producers, ryan, and the judges being more careful when they are praising arrangements to be more accurate.

ETA: Michelle I’m with you, it’s a show of covers and sometimes it becomes a bit nitpicky or “gotcha” with the obsession over covers and arrangements. Basically I think the contestants are all willing and eager to explain, if asked, where the arrangements came from, but they don’t usually have that opportunity (and maybe it would become cumbersome if every single thing had to be explained).

I think the easiest way to do this would be that the contestants should have to declare any à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cover veersionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  of the song on the day of the show, so that every introduction will include any version reference.

I may be simplistic in my thinking.. but why would they need to announce they may be singing a cover of a cover? It’s already understood that they’re gonna be singing covers! :doh_tb: In my mind, doesn’t matter whose arrangement or style they are going to be singing it in…. Isn’t this point moot, unless the whole premise of Idol changes from contestants singing covers to one of them only singing original material?

mac, FOD is saying the venue holds 100,000; the largest concert theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve ever had there was attended by 70,000. Yikes.

Thanks. Yikes is right! I think both Davids might be a tad nervous for that one! The noise levels of the cheering crowds will be deafening I’m sure (maybe we’ll be able to hear them over here) LOL.

This. I have always that Blake Lewis is the one who blazed the trail.

I agree with this to large extent. I’ll always be grateful for Blake because he paved the way for non-traditional AI singers to have success on the show by showing more artistry (tm Kara). I remember Brooke mentioned Blake as her favorite past contestantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ and I really think Blake’s success encouraged her to try out even though she didn’t have a big voice. That said, Blake’s not the only past contestant to blaze the trail. To a certain extent, each season, any contestant who’s had success on the show will impact the path of future contestants.

I was not an avid AI watcher in past seasons, but I’m aware of the fact that Bo was really hailed as a trailblazer his year, and I know a lot of people who did watch who agree. Watching AI Rewind now, his performances don’t seem all that new to me, maybe because there are folks who’ve come after him who have taken what he’s done and taken it to the next level. But at the time, I can see how it was really fresh, new, daring, risky, etc. I know a lot of people say Fantasia’s win paved the way for quirky, unique voices and emotional performances. I hope Brooke paved the way for voices and vibes like her in future seasonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ since they missed out on Jesse Langseth this season by going for Megan.

DC himself has credited Daughtry and Bo Bice repeatedly for paving the way for someone like him to have success on AI. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a new thing to claim that new contestants are benefiting from past contestants who have made an impact. I mean, the show’s been on for 8 years now, so there’s no escaping the comparisons to past contestants who did whatever trick “first” or “better”, so I’m not surprised that DC’s name is brought up with the Adam talk this year. Of course, I think Adam’s way was also paved by the likes of Blake Lewis, Bo Bice, Fantasia, etc. but IMO, DC did his part as well. I dunno, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like DC did his thing last year being somewhat à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“originalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the context of the show, but in a way that was not gimmicky and very palatable to the masses, and gained huge popularity. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get the critics who say DC should be glad that Adam didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t try out last year because timing is key, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure Adam would have been able to push his uniqueness to this level this year, if DC hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t had so much success last year. If Adam came on the season right after Blake Lewisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ epic fail in album sales, maybe America would have been like, ooh, not falling for this gimmicky à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“uniqueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thing again. The fact that DC did his thing and has mainstream success, I think, makes the audience more receptive to a daring performance. Okay, this is getting long and convoluted, but hopefully I made my point in there somewhere =P.

gabam or anyone,

I had heard Jason was supposed to sing on AI a few weeks ago. Does anyone know why he didn’t or when he will sing?

I may be simplistic in my thinking.. but why would they need to announce they may be singing a cover of a cover? Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re already gonna be singing covers!

agree again….. :wallbash_tb: :wallbash_tb:

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not dissing Cook or Adam because I like DC and I FLOVE Adam but this idea that originalitybegins and ends with Cook isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t backed up factually. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fanwanking. He did some original arrangements but mostly he did very very good versions of other peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s arrangements, no shame in it. He only got the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so originalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  reputation because the judges were too ignorant of music to know he was performing covers of covers (or they just wanted to keep the audience in the dark).

Niall I have to disagree slightly in that I do think that DC earned the “original” praise. I think he changed the show because unlike most contestants prior to Season 7, he (and also Jason and Brooke) changed up songs and made them their own more than previously. Now this season the judges keep asking for that, and imitation of originals is less acceptable than ever before. (ETA: I forgot about Blake. He definitely trailblazed in that area.)

Almost every song DC sang was unlike the original hit, and it took ingenuity on his part to seek out little-known arrangements that fit his style better than the originals. In the case of Eleanor Rigby, I think it was, he borrowed from 2 or 3 arrangements and came up with his own take. Chris Cornell’s was the most direct arrangement he used but again I think it showed orginality on his part to even find it. Most of his songs were not other people’s arrangements (can you name which ones were?) so I disagree with that statement and I do not think it was fanwanking. I thought he was very original every week and couldn’t wait to see what he would do next. Almost every song he made distinctively his, with his phrasing and vocal style not just the arrangement. Hello and Always Be My Baby for instance.

I think Constantine was also original, at least with I Think You Love Me, which made me jump out of my seat with shock and awe. LOL. Bo, on the other hand, did most songs exactly like the original, is how I remember it. (Spinning Wheel was exactly like the original for instance.) When DC said that Bo and Daughtry paved the way for him (did I get that right?) I thought he meant because they sang rock, which hardly anyone did, and they had bands.

It’s an interesting topic to try to recall or speculate who we think was original, but “fanwanking”? No I don’t agree with that. I think DC was very authentic and stayed true to himself throughout. Unlike Matt who changes himself up every week to please the judges, as does Anoop and as did Alexis, and as did poor Scott when he stood up there with that guitar Tuesday night, DAvid Cook (and Archie I think too, and Daughtry and Carrie) knew who he was and stayed true to that inner core knowledge. Some of these young inexperienced kids don’t know who they are yet and it’s kind of painful to watch them try to please and contort themselves. Adam knows who he is, and so does Allison. Or so I see it, ymmv.

Imo this covergate discussion is missing the point.
I don’t think it matter, where they get there inspiration to do a song that way, the important thing is that it works.
And it works if the contestant do a good job and the performance comes across as a good representation of the song.

If they got there inspiration from a special arrangement it would be fair to mention it to give their musical colleagues credit.
I also think this boys and girls are not a very strict time table and you can’t expect them to reinvent music.

At itunes Idol gives you in their original artist download category more than one version with some informations about the version, so they give credit.

^^ Good point that they are on a short timetable and I agree that whoever can come up with something distinctive in such a short time, with an approved song, and MAKE IT WORK, deserves all the praise they get. I think most everything can be forgiven if a contestant wows us, and does not bore us. That is what they need to do, and it’s interesting to see who can do that and who cannot.

Even with contestants who do not really move me, like DA, I can still appreciate his talent and skills, and I can see why he would move other people. And Adam, even on the nights when he makes me cringe (or yawn) I can still see why people find him fascinating (and when he’s good, he’s very good).

Whatever, use whatever arrangements or covers they want to, JUST DON’T BORE US. LOL.

I only think it matters when they get given props for originality.

I may be simplistic in my thinking.. but why would they need to announce they may be singing a cover of a cover? Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re already gonna be singing covers!

Covergates are actually kind of interesting. I don’t think that it’s “typical” Idol watchers, judges or producers that are the originators for these flair ups.

Somehow, despite claiming they would never watch a karaoke show, the “true” (read: rabid) fans of other “serious” artists find out that some “poser” on Idol “stole” their favourite artist’s arrangement without giving credit (it appears that in the Chris Cornell case “giving credit” would have required a 5 minute retrospective of his career instead of Ryan just verbally crediting him). This festers on the fanboards and then explodes as a controversy in the press. The press loves a “scandal” especially if it involves a front-runner and making American Idol look like a glorified karaoke show with posers. So, there is a lot of natural synergy between the fanboys (and let’s face it, this seems to be more of a problem with fanboys) and the press on this topic.

Then, the fur starts flying on the Idol boards because the rabid fans are always ready for a good bun fight. Any topic will do.

So, IMO, the reason that credit must be given is to placate and mollify the outside forces. Not due to some forces within the Idol family itself. The “crediting covers” is like the little offering you give so that the gods don’t decide to rain down terror on your house.

I think that Cook’s covergate break-out was particularily nasty and memorable because it was two weeks in a row of “uncredited” (in the minds of the fanboys) arrangement “stealing” and so it resulted in twice as many angry fanboys (and their ire grows logarithmicly) resulting in a Perfect Media Storm.

To Sum Up: Give credit or risk being portrayed in the press as a scum-sucking, short-cutting, elitist hack who steals the bread out of the mouths of the true struggling artists. Hey, it’s not fair, but few things about Idol are.

The only thing I can see that could be called original (as used on the show) is their own natural vocal “sound” and how they bend, mold, perfect, and/or stretch their vocals and/or phrasing. And in that definition, they are all “original.” The only thing they can bring to any performance is their own originality (born with or learned through experience.) Even an exact arrangement sung by someone else will have an element of originality because it’s a different voice singing the same thing and might appeal more (or less.) Um, I think I am going to stop myself right here, as I have a feeling I am about to get really lengthy.

Thanks Kirsten for giving me some background and perspective regarding “covergate”… I have watched Idol since its inception, not so much this season, but until this last year, I never participated in any online blogs about the show, or the contestants… I had my faves, voted for them week after week, bought their CD’s if I liked them enough, but didn’t get into all the internet action… ignorance was bliss :lol_wp: I never overthought anything about the contestants songs, whether they were being “original” or “inventive” in their interpretations… If I liked what I heard, I liked what I heard – based on my opinion of the contestants vocal abilities, or lack thereof, and if I connected with what they were singing… Ahhhh.. the good old days! :wink1_tb:

Great post Kirsten. Absolutely where it starts and how it grows. And, so it goes…

Is the word “originality” as used by the judges linked to a specific song or does it have a much broader connotation? I really think it goes beyond song arrangement since, unless you live under a rock, you know that AI is a glorified kareoke competition. Contestants cover a song…PERIOD. And there are millions of versions of songs out in songdom.

Originality means: the ability to think and act independently, without gimmickry; freshness or novelty, as of an idea, method, or performance. (I’m covering google here, guys…don’t want to take credit for anything).

So, in my humble words, what I’m driving at is that the contestants need to spread their wings. Lil is a prime example of what not to do…good grief her song this week was a very poor imitation (costume, shoes, dance steps, articulation) of the great Tina Turner. Finding a unique version of the song that fits your style is originality, slowing a song down (if it’s always sung fast) is original, singing a song made famous by the opposite gender helps to show originality. Things like intonation, phrasing, pauses, emphasis, changing up the order of a song these are all original qualities. And you can be original even if you sing the song straight up by just changing the genre emphasis and messing slightly with the beat.

And a good mark of originality is finding a song that hasn’t been sung on AI every season, hasn’t been covered by every singer known to man, is slightly obscure but resonates with the viewer from a tiny spark somewhere in their brain.

Ahhh, the origins of original originality…..Ok, my brain is starting to hurt, lol.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦from Cowell, who called Jules the day after his version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mad Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  hit No. 1 overseas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Simon said that he loved it,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  he remembers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“That he thought it was a beautiful performance. That he thought it was better than the first one, better than the original and that it was very very heartfelt and blah blah blah à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and I was, like, really grateful except I had no idea who he was.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“

Now, that’s really interesting. Runs to the grassy knoll….;)

I realize that the mtv article means to parallel the two performers and their trajectory, but I think Cook and Lambert are intrinsically different. First off, going back to season 6, Blake approached performance like a producer/dj. He was more interested in sound production. To me, Cook is a more organic performer. His approach to performing was not focused on dramatic impact but on musical structure and chord progressions from minor to major. I think he was interested in changing tempo. It was all about finding some musical light and shade and paying attention to what was going on instrumentally. Arrangement and intrumentation became an integral part of his AI identity because he’s not a theatrical performer. Adam is a stage singer and performer which translates better as television spectacle. His approach is all about the staging and preparation for the dramatic impact. Musicality may be a secondary priority, but he’s not a musician/singer. He performs every song as dramatic text. I think it’s narrow-minded to expect Adam to be a musical arranger. He’s an interpreter of songs and a good singer. His originality comes from his dramatic leanings.

Kirsten- I like your explanation as usual. The thing that is so maddening about the judges commenting on whether you are original though is the fact that you know the things that went on behind the scenes, such as the producers taking away more original versions like they did DA last year.

My standards may be a little different than most, but until a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“coverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  song sung by an Idol contestant can match 1/10 of what these two did on these coversà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. cannot buy into those labels or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“originalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inventivenessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .. not saying it couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t happen, so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still waitingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

I think it’s important to have some perspective here. We’re talking about young people who are put under extreme pressure, have to pick a song each week (sometimes a song they’ve never heard of) and work on it. They have to come up with these arrangement in one or two days and work on it for less than a week. I respect those who are able to pick a song and transform it under these conditions, and if they come up with something good and that so many people seem to appreciate, they deserve even more praise. It’s really not easy and it is inventive in most cases.
Seems a bit absurd to expect from them the same one would expect from an artist who can work with time and on his own conditions.

I think what happened with DC and his two covergates was that he was singing covers or bands/artists who aren’t really that known, so they or their fans want to use the opportunity to expose the work. I think that’s what happened in those two situations. At the end of the day, it’s press for everyone and I don’t think it hurst anyone.

The thing is this covergate wouldn’t have been a problem at all if the judges were not idiots stamping the “Original!!!!” tag everytime they hear a different version of a song. If they didn’t do that, the fanbases of the artists who did that version before would not cry foul.

Adam is a stage singer and performer which translates better as television spectacle. His approach is all about the staging and preparation for the dramatic impact. Musicality may be a secondary priority, but heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a musician/singer. He performs every song as dramatic text.

You’ve summed up eloquently my lifelong love for frontmen/showmen like Jim Morrison, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Marc Bolan and Peter Gabriel, to a degree… I’m drawn to that “rock as theater” component each of these men brought to the game, and I could see Lambert sliding rather nicely into this niche in rock – there are people like me who have longed to see a return in rock of this glam/ theater element, and with the right material, a killer band to back him up, and good promotion from the label, Lambert could be the heir apparent in this long dormant field of rock showmen…… I like good spectacle at times, so if Lambert can pull it off, I’d pay to see him.

I think what happened with DC and his two covergates was that he was singing covers or bands/artists who arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really that known, so they or their fans want to use the opportunity to expose the work.

Erm.. Chris Cornell, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, The Beatles, Dolly Parton… I’d hazard a guess that these artists are pretty well known…. and granted – I did preface my comment by saying my standards may be different than most… no harm, no foul

Erm.. Chris Cornell, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, The Beatles, Dolly Partonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d hazard a guess that these artists are pretty well knownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. and granted – I did preface my comment by saying my standards may be different than mostà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ no harm, no foul

Sorry, maybe I didn’t make myself clear, but I was talking about the covers David used, the covergates were not about Mariah, The Beatles, Dolly and their fans. It’s about Chris Cornell and that other band who covered Eleanor Rigby who’s name I forgot the second David said it on the show.
Yeah, Chris Cornell may be a bit more famous, but not really by many and I’m pretty sure most of AI’s audience didn’t know who he was and probably still doesn’t.

Oh OK… Everyone and their grandmother has covered something by the Beatles, so I guess I’m still slightly fuzzy about why anyone else who covered Eleanor Rigby would have issue with some other artists “cover”…. Good Lawd, it’s enough to make one’s head hurt! But this is American Idol, and logic need not, and usually doesn’t apply!

Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve summed up eloquently my lifelong love for frontmen/showmen like Jim Morrison, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Marc Bolan and Peter Gabriel, to a degreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m drawn to that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“rock as theaterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  component each of these men brought to the game, and I could see Lambert sliding rather nicely into this niche in rock – there are people like me who have longed to see a return in rock of this glam/ theater element, and with the right material, a killer band to back him up, and good promotion from the label, Lambert could be the heir apparent in this long dormant field of rock showmenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I like good spectacle at times, so if Lambert can pull it off, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d pay to see him.

I had a room mate in college who was nuts about David Bowie. Adam has always reminded me of David B, so I can definitely see where Adam would fit in the music business.

Lil is a prime example of what not to doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦good grief her song this week was a very poor imitation (costume, shoes, dance steps, articulation) of the great Tina Turner.

Which will arise the question if people like Lil even have a chance in future idol seasons?
It seems to much for her and if you have no musical background in some way, you are lost.

Jocelin, I think that is a really good breakdown of the musical approaches that Blake, Cook, and Adam brought to the show. For me, I never got Blake ( my sister loved him), but DC had me enthralled every week. This year I am extremely entertained by Adam and his “theatrics”, both me and my sister were reminded of Freddy Mercury immediately. I haven’t been inspired to vote yet this season, but, put this guy in a finale against Gokey and I’ll vote til my fingers fall off. Now if its him and Allison in the end…I’ll be conflicted.

One of the things that I think link Cook and Adam – and Blake for that matter – together is that before Idol they all sang for their supper. Each one of them relied upon their talent to support themselves. They figured out the primary rule of preforming – keep the audience entertained – well before stepping on the Idol stage. I think that other contestants start out behind the curve without this kind of experience.

I had a room mate in college who was nuts about David Bowie. Adam has always reminded me of him

Adam reminds you of your roommate? (sorry, I couldn’t resist)

^^ hollygo9- I fixed it. Sloppy writing on my part…..

Oh OKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Everyone and their grandmother has covered something by the Beatles, so I guess Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still slightly fuzzy about why anyone else who covered Eleanor Rigby would have issue with some other artists à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“coverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. Good Lawd, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s enough to make oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s head hurt! But this is American Idol, and logic need not, and usually doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t apply!

I think it was pretty well established last season that the reason the uproar over this particular cover was so huge was because that band, whose name I do remember but won’t type, were just a big bunch of douchebags looking to stir up shit for some fame or cash.

They weren’t looking for any royalties or anything, oh no, surely not. But their official press release on the subject ended with the link to their myspace where you could hear and then hopefully download from iTunes, their super fabulous cover.

At least, that’s how it was established in my head.

That’s not to say of course that a band that creates a cover – then sees it on AI and for sale later that night on iTunes wouldn’t have a right to be a little annoyed.

I think that Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s covergate break-out was particularily nasty and memorable because it was two weeks in a row of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“uncreditedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (in the minds of the fanboys) arrangement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“stealingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and so it resulted in twice as many angry fanboys (and their ire grows logarithmicly) resulting in a Perfect Media Storm.

To be completely fair, it wasn’t just “fanboys” who were all up in arms about the arrangement of “Eleanor Rigby” that Cook “borrowed” from. The band itself was posting all over their myspace about it (I have them as a friend… I remember seeing the bulletins and stuff and being all “wtf is the big deal?”). And IIRC, their manager talked to TMZ about it as well.

IMO, it wasn’t so much that they wanted credit for the arrangement. They wanted the recognition so that THEIR version of the song would sell some downloads, too. Which I do understand, especially since they are an indie band on the Seattle underground music scene, so I can’t be all upset with them about it in theory. But the way it was handled on the band’s part left really a bad taste in my mouth.

ETA: Spense, I see we are on the same wavelength regarding “that band.”

Indeed we were Sarah. Great minds

Just Jared has photos of David A.’s appearance on Hannah Montana (airing May 3rd). Gives the plot too. Also mentions the duet he and Miley recorded which I’m anxious to hear. I’m not sure how their voices will… meld.

Students go ga ga over American Idol runner-upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s visit

PETALING JAYA: The real world and cyberspace were caught up in the David Archuleta mania as the runner-up of last yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s American Idol made a surprise appearance at SMK Sri KDU in Kota Damansara.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It was crazy as I did not realise how many kids would be there.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I did not expect them to be that enthusiastic and have that much energy,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  said Archuleta of the big crowd at the school yesterday.

He was mobbed by an equally huge crowd when he landed at KL International Airport on Wednesday.

The students of the school were rewarded with the special visit after having won the Hitz.fm à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Bring Archuleta To Your Schoolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  campaign.

Students were required to answer questions and vote for their schools on the radio stationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s website. The school garnered a whopping 65,700 votes.

more at link

Lots of interesting commentary on the “covers” issue. As far as “Mad World” goes, my kids (teens) didn’t even know that there WAS another version before Donnie Darko. Sorry Tears For Fears.

As far as Adam’s Ring of Fire being this Delana person’s original version. I thought her version sounded an awful lot like the Universal Hall Pass version, and if she ever gave them credit I must have missed it.

And one thing that drives me crazy on AI every freaking season is when Ryan refers to cover versions like they are originals. I mean like when he calls Stars Go Blue a Tim McGraw song instead of a Ryan Adams song, or To Make You Feel My Love a Garth Brooks song when its a Bob Dylan song. This especially makes me insane because I HATE crappy country covers of my favorite songs.

So glad David is having a fun time and everybody luvs him. Wow 65,700 votes! :clap_tb:

Thanks for the articles Soundscene and frogcooke. I been on spring break in Panama City listening to Archie on the beach so I just checked in today.

We been practicing cheer lifts in the sand to my copy of Archie’s “Zero Gravity”. Everyone wants to know where i got the song. lol

Gotta go have some more fun. :jittery_tb:

Lots of interesting commentary on the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“coversà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  issue. As far as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mad Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  goes, my kids (teens) didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know that there WAS another version before Donnie Darko. Sorry Tears For Fears.

Exactly! I’d never heard the Tears For Fears version either (or just forgot about it), and I was in my heyday in 1982!

One of the things that I think link Cook and Adam – and Blake for that matter – together is that before Idol they all sang for their supper. Each one of them relied upon their talent to support themselves. They figured out the primary rule of preforming – keep the audience entertained – well before stepping on the Idol stage. I think that other contestants start out behind the curve without this kind of experience.

Superb point!

And one thing that drives me crazy on AI every freaking season is when Ryan refers to cover versions like they are originals. I mean like when he calls Stars Go Blue a Tim McGraw song instead of a Ryan Adams song, or To Make You Feel My Love a Garth Brooks song when its a Bob Dylan song. This especially makes me insane because I HATE crappy country covers of my favorite songs.

So true! I also hate when Ryan credits Mariah (“Without You”), Whitney (“I Will Always Love You”) and Celine (“I Drove All Night”) for songs that they themselves covered. Where’s all the outrage in the press when that happens? :devil_tb:

I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s narrow-minded to expect Adam to be a musical arranger. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an interpreter of songs and a good singer. His originality comes from his dramatic leanings.

Ah. But he is a songwriter, so he’s not just a singer.

Lots of interesting commentary on the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“coversà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  issue. As far as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mad Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  goes, my kids (teens) didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know that there WAS another version before Donnie Darko. Sorry Tears For Fears.

I’ve never seen Donnie Darko and had no clue about this version. I’m guessing I’m not alone.

I was attempting to make two points when I spoke to that MTV reporter:

1) One difference between Cook and Lambert is that Cook was forced to stop using 2nd hand arrangements early in the game due to controversy, while Adam has continued without public reaction. I found it interesting that Adam hadn’t been challenged yet.

2) Keeping the buzz around Lambert in mind, I would not be surprised if he faced an Eleanor Rigby type situation at some point in the coming weeks–whether it’s a band looking for a chance for publicity, jellus fanboys or reporters seeking a convenient hook. As a front runner, Adam is ripe for controversy.

And if it’s not covergate, it’ll be gay gate or some other gate. I’ll only be surprised if it doesn’t come.

That’s a good point MJ about Cook’s hand being forced earlier in the competition. Although slightly in Adam’s defense, he is at this point now where Cook was after Billie Jean – that is 6 performances in – due to the changed up semis this year. It may just be that it takes about that many performances (and establishing yourself as a frontrunner) to stir up “controversy.” I think Adam will probably get the message now, just like Cook did last year, neither guy strikes me as dim.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve never seen Donnie Darko and had no clue about this version. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m guessing Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not alone.

Oh, MJ. Never seen Donnie Darko? Rent it! Anyway, I have floved the Gary Jules version forever. Before the movie, even. That said, Adam’s version isn’t EXACTLY the same. It has some unexpected vocal twists and turns. But they are vocal, not in the arrangement.

I am not really interested in cover-gate. I think people who are smart enough to find great arrangements should be applauded. To me, that shows musicality. The problem is with the judges, who don’t know enough to figure out someone else did the arrangement and that’s when the shit starts to fly. Jason was lucky that the judges knew it was the Jeff Buckley version and mentioned it. It’s when the judges are stupid and praise a contestant for their “original arrangements” that it sucks for said contestant.

ETA: As for Blake, he really did do his own arrangements when necessary (YGLABN), and kept it simple, when necessary (Imagine). Great instincts.

I agree with the Ace quote above, too. Bo Bice expanded the genres on AI. I don’t think he was original though. Southern rock has been around forever. I found him more compelling than Connie, however. AI Rewind has reminded me of how much Con sucked! LOL.

2) Keeping the buzz around Lambert in mind, I would not be surprised if he faced an Eleanor Rigby type situation at some point in the coming weeksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’whether ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a band looking for a chance for publicity, jellus fanboys or reporters seeking a convenient hook. As a front runner, Adam is ripe for controversy.

IMO that’s why it was best for people to know pretty early on about him being gay, so it wasn’t hidden and suddenly came out on week 3 or 4. I guarantee it though, if needed to make things more even, TMZ and others will come up with something.

2) Keeping the buzz around Lambert in mind, I would not be surprised if he faced an Eleanor Rigby type situation at some point in the coming weeksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’whether ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a band looking for a chance for publicity, jellus fanboys or reporters seeking a convenient hook. As a front runner, Adam is ripe for controversy.

Well, the first Cook covergate (Eleanor Rigby) happened when Cook was not yet a frontrunner (Top 12) and therefore AI was sloppy and edited out the footage of Cook crediting Doxology from the show. Note that by the time Top 11 came around and Cook had obviously moved up in the producer’s eyes, they made sure to include footage in which he credited Whitesnake. (The second Cook covergate (Billie Jean) was mostly because of crappy production values that caused Ryan to not be heard by most viewers and of course Randy’s “most original” comment.) In the case of Adam, he already IS a frontrunner and it is unlikely that TPTB will let their boy get involved in a REAL covergate (as opposed to this stupid MTV article) UNLESS TPTB want one. Therefore, they will make sure he/they credit the original re-arranger if he is not otherwise using a well known cover (like Mad World). Likely Adam will be forced to create new arrangements mainly because people will want to see musical chops beyond just being a good vocalist/interpreter.

One difference between Cook and Lambert is that Cook was forced to stop using 2nd hand arrangements early in the game due to controversy, while Adam has continued without public reaction. I found it interesting that Adam hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t been challenged yet.

Because we’re in a post David-Cook-wins-American-Idol world. I’ve noticed that this season, the majority of the contestants are using alternative arrangements. Prior to season 7, alterna-covers were rare…one or two a season. Last week, Gokey, Kris, Adam and Matt all did alterna-covers.

I seemed to remember reading that Cowell owns some sort of royalty rights to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hallelujahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  too. Did I imagine that? I assume thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why Cowell seemed so uncharacteristically knowledgable and why covering it could never be controversial. LOL

weareallinnocent, you’re right. Simon has good reason to love ANY version of Hallelujah:

http://tinyurl.com/7mbtut

Cowellelujah: Simon rides the waves as he earns  £250,000 a day for doing nothing…. thanks to his Hallelujah rights

Not only is he enjoying the profits of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke’s Hallelujah, his company also owns the rights to the Jeff Buckley’s version and the original by songwriter Leonard Cohen.

He is raking in a whopping  £250,000-a-day from the tracks, according to a report today.

I suspect Simon got royalties from Jason’s version as well.

Because weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re in a post David-Cook-wins-American-Idol world. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve noticed that this season, the majority of the contestants are using alternative arrangements. Prior to season 7, alterna-covers were rareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦one or two a season. Last week, Gokey, Kris, Adam and Matt all did alterna-covers.

Eh, I think we need to step back and not give David Cook too much credit here. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve any credit, ’cause he does. He’s not the first person to do a cover of a cover or do an original arrangement. If it became his strategy, that’s cool. But that strategy will get old, too. I actually prefer when they mix it up.

Eh, I think we need to step back and not give David Cook too much credit here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t deserve any credit, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢cause he does. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the first person to do a cover of a cover or do an original arrangement. If it became his strategy, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s cool. But that strategy will get old, too. I actually prefer when they mix it up.

I think it gets old exactly because of Cook. He did and he won. Now they all try to do it all the time, it’s not as new anymore and what they’re doing Cook already did before, It doesn’t set anyone apart like it did last season.
The contestants will need new strategies, I think.

Has anyone told Simon that the “not a good commercial song” – The Fray‘s You Found Me – is at #9 this week on Billboard’s Hot 100?

I think part of the reason for the lack of Covergate in regards to Adam (besides mentioning it for RoF and using a version of Mad World that I don’t think is that obscure), is that he has only done two out of his six performances? He credited the band for Play That Funky Music and B&W was pretty much the Michael version, just with him displaying his range. I actually think Adam’s vocal displays also give him some leeway since he does a lot that doesn’t fit the originals, which is why B&W sounded slightly different.

Cook had more performances and artists who made a fuss, so that’s where his came from.

Oh, LOL at this commentary from HuffingtonPost: Bill O’Reilly Experiences Idol Induced Gay Panic (VIDEO)

And if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not covergate, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be gay gate or some other gate. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll only be surprised if it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t come.

And then it will be Lackofgategate! :smile1_ee: I see what you mean, though. It became a running joke last year. Covergate, Laceygate, Smuggate, Givebackgate, HospitalGate, Ringergate, F-bombgate…. My personal favorite was Dolphingate, in which some fuzzy video from the Sea World visit made it look as though Cook bitchslapped Castro by the dolphin pool and people were analyzing like five seconds of footage as if it was the Zapruder tape. ANd Paulagate…now that was a good time right there.

^^^ The biggest gate last year–dadchuleta gate–didn’t even involve Cook.

(The second Cook covergate (Billie Jean) was mostly because of crappy production values that caused Ryan to not be heard by most viewers and of course Randy’s “most original” comment.)

I dunno. I thought TPTB tried hard to make it clear where the arrangement came from, but the controversy came anyway. TPTB can’t control everything that happens outside of the AI bubble, although I’m sure they wish they could.

Eh, I think we need to step back and not give David Cook too much credit here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not saying he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t deserve any credit, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢cause he does. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the first person to do a cover of a cover or do an original arrangement. If it became his strategy, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s cool. But that strategy will get old, too.

It get’s old but just because this was never David Cook’s strategy.
His strategy has been to find the interpretation of the song, which fit his style. And that is also something in which is Adam very good, so I get when people see similarities.

“I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s narrow-minded to expect Adam to be a musical arranger. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an interpreter of songs and a good singer. His originality comes from his dramatic leanings.”

Ah. But he is a songwriter, so heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not just a singer.

He is a musician/songwriter? Does he have a catalogue of songs or some songs posted somewhere? Perhaps we will see him break out an instrument some time and show us his arranging skills soon. What instrument does he play?

The Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Place Celebrity Charity Auction Benefitting Books for Kids

The Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Place has teamed up with the Books for Kids Foundation to host a celebrity charity auction. Celebrities such as Paula Abdul, Chace Crawford, Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian and David Archuleta have custom designed The Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Place messenger bags for a good cause.

-CLIP-

The celebrity-designed messenger bags will be auctioned off starting on April 14th, with all proceeds going toward fostering literacy through the Books For Kids Foundation.

more info at link

Daivd Cook was not he first to arrange songs to fit his vocal style his was sort of similar to Chris Daughtry..Rock songs out, throw in a few ballads.The diference David had some diferent arrangements and give him credit it worked.Overall Most original was Blake and the one who played the game was Taylor.(not AI TCO) Adam is more polorizing than David cook is and Adam also has better range. Daivd Cook I find more similarities to Allison than Adam..I could see Allison fitting AI plans more .Adam would do better with a little more freedom.

More David Archuleta for you

Responding to the enthusiastic feedback for our David Archuleta in Malaysia postings, we present you with a video taken at his press conference yesterday. Easy now, girls…

The adorable 18-year-old was dressed in a green baju Melayu and proceded to effectively charm the pants off everyone in the room. Trust us, should you have been in the same space as Archuleta, your cold, bitter heart would’ve melted too.

more at link

heres a video from the press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5rjSbWTOs

He is a musician/songwriter? Does he have a catalogue of songs or some songs posted somewhere? Perhaps we will see him break out an instrument some time and show us his arranging skills soon. What instrument does he play?

As far as I know, Adam doesn’t play an instrument, but I did read he was in Jazz band in High School. Adam uses his computer to compose. “Pop Goes the Camera,” “Kiss and Tell” and “Crawl Thru Fire” are some of his original compositions. He was in a band called Citizen Vien and they wrote their own music. I am positive Adam can read music and his voice is his instrument.

As far as covergate, I think the contestants sing the version they like the best. Most of the songs they have to choose from are old. So of course they want to freshen them up. The older the song, the more covers out there.

And I echo the idea that Blake Lewis was probably the most original on AI in regards to re-arranging music.

As far as any future “gates” I think Adam has had his fair share with his personal life being spread all over the internet and on Bill O’Reilly. So I don’t get the impression that he is being treated gently…by some of the media.

^^^ The biggest gate last yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’dadchuleta gateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even involve Cook.

Yup. Cook had quantity, Archuleta had longevity. LOL And Carly had Previousrecordfloppedgate and Michael had Bitterexbandmembergate. Although Paulagate trumped them all, methinks, for pure knollish entertainment. Dadchuletagate, in my mind, kind of equals Danny’s Pimpingdeadwifegate in the way it reared it’s head early and took a little wind out of the frontrunner sails, and then sorta died down yet kind of hung there in the background like a dark cloud even if it was disproved. Cook’s gates, OTOH, blew up and then mostly blew over when a new one moved in, kind of like Adam’s Disrespectingcountrymusicgate and Burningmanpicturesgate. So, that kind of goes hand in hand with the Danny as Archuleta, Adam as Cook trajectory theory. Although I kinda think there’s another possible pattern emerging now, with Adam as the new improved Blake (You’re so current!) who will win this time and fufill the promise of a male pop star and Allison as the “less likable” :rolleyes_tb: Jordin (only 16!) who will runner up, and Danny is the early frontrunner Melinda who will go out third. And since I’m on the topic of knollish theories, Top 7 I think is when they typically pull the Huff and make someone choose a group, and right now we have three people (Adam, Danny, Kris) who have yet to bottom three. I can see them putting together a grouping of, say, Adam, Allison, and Anoop vs. Lil, Kris, Matt and asking Danny to choose.

Sunchick, you are gatealicious! Thinks for putting it into a perspective.

Just wanted to point out its interesting what DA said in the vid about working/writing on new songs already and working with new people and better defining his sound etc etc.. so it sound like he’s be writing working towards a new album for at least a bit already.

Daivd Cook was not he first to arrange songs to fit his vocal style

Not the first but the one who had the biggest deal made from it. It came to define him to point where he was expected to do it every song, every week. and then he won. Now, it’s looking like it was a blueprint to winning and everyone is trying it.

DA-

David at Charity Event in Winston-Salem, NC May26th

I just called one of my local radio stations to request ALTNOY and the DJ told me that David will be in town for a charity event they are hosting at a Japanese Steakhouse. w00t.gif She also said to stayed tuned to the Murphy in the Morning Show which airs locally from 7-10am on 107.5KZL Winston-Salem for more details to come and how you can bid on seats to sit at his table with him!

found this over at idf.

frog- that David video is gone. I wonder if there is another one somewhere.

Ok, I found it at FOD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5rjSbWTOs&eurl=http://fansofdavid.com/&feature=player_embedded

and a shorter one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnF3K49J_DE&eurl=http://fansofdavid.com/&feature=player_embedded

Now, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s looking like it was a blueprint to winning and everyone is trying it.

I really don’t think so. I think the contestants who excel on AI, whether they win or get into the top 5 are the ones that usually stay true to themselves. Cook always sang what he was comfortable with. Adam sings what he is comfortable with. Blake rearranged songs so he was comfortable with it.

I voted for Cook too, and own his album, downloaded his AI tunes, but I think you can’t compare the too. They are two seperate artists. I really don’t think Adam is copying Cook. And you know, it doesn’t take away from Cook if Adam is successful, as Cook’s success doesn’t take away from Kelly (another fav of mine.)

As another poster said, the difference with Blake, Cook, and Adam and some of the other contestants is that they were earning their living through their music before AI. I’m sure Matt knows a ton of covers of covers as well. Both he and Adam worked in bars singing covers before AI. I guarantee you, to keep their sanity, I’m sure they look for fresher versions.

DC wasn’t the first to use different arrangments to suit his style, but aside from Blake he was maybe the first to do it consistently. I think the only song he didn’t change up and sang totally straight was Music of the Night, which he says he did deliberately to show he could. Most of the time if he didn’t change the arrangement he changed it up through the vocals and phrasing. I think he deserves some credit for that contribution to the ongoing Idol musicology. LOL.

I really agree that the experience helps and the ones without performance experience are at a disadvantage. Experience gave an edge to DC and DA, Bo, Connie, Taylor, Daughtry, Blake, and others. This year the contestants seem less experienced than ever and it hasn’t made for interesting viewing. Of course experience won’t make up for lack of talent, but it does give one an edge in knowing that you have to please the audience and excite them.

This is a fascinating discussion.

I think the contestants who excel on AI, whether they win or get into the top 5 are the ones that usually stay true to themselves. Cook always sang what he was comfortable with. Adam sings what he is comfortable with. Blake rearranged songs so he was comfortable with it.

I think this is the bottom line. This is what sets apart those who are “ready for prime time” as they used to say in the 60s. This year I think we have a shortage of outstanding talent as well as self-knowledge and identity. The contestants seem to be changing things up just for the sake of change, not to align the song with their inner artist. They seem to be changing arrangements in attempts to please the judges and many of them are floundering.

Adam and Allison are exempt from that criticism, though they’ve both had weeks that were stronger than others.

The worst arrangement in history had to be KLC’s “8 Days a Week” but I don’t blame her alone for that, the band had some part in it. Worst. arrangement. ever.

It getà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s old but just because this was never David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s strategy.
His strategy has been to find the interpretation of the song, which fit his style. And that is also something in which is Adam very good, so I get when people see similarities.

anijsch…Exactly! During Andrew Lloyd Webber week, the interpretation that best fit his style was one that didn’t vary much from the original. It’s not really a new strategy but judging by the end results, Cook has been the most successful using it to date.

Personally, I think ALL competitors should use this strategy and pay less attention to the judges oft-times contradictory and confusing advice. Then we wouldn’t be seeing stuff like Lil singing bad karaoke versions of Martina McBride and Tina Turner.

I voted for Cook too, and own his album, downloaded his AI tunes, but I think you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t compare the too. They are two seperate artists. I really donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Adam is copying Cook.

I never meant to imply that they were similar in anyway. I ws referring to the sheer volume of ‘alterna-covers’ we’re getting this season. Way more than any other season. Practically everyone who’s left has tried it at least once. It used to be a rare occurance a la ‘Walk the Line’ and ‘YGLABN’.