Idol Headlines For 7/1/08

Post headlines here as you find them, please. I’m on the road right now, on my way to Phoenix.

I’ll check in later!

Yay MJ!!!!!!! Can’t WAIT for your live BLOG!!!!!

Based on what I read in the LA Times article…these five women (or at least 3 of them) sound so bitter about the fans the boys had! Carly even borderlind disses DCs version of ABMB!!! She and Kristy…and to a lesser degree Syesha need to shut e fuck up with this type of whining!

If Carly does not get that ABMB was not just ” slowing down the song” but reinterpreting it, rearranging it and generally reinventing it and that takes real talent and musicianship, I feel sorry for her. She may sing it but she clearly does not understand music.

Also, if she is so bitter about success of her so called friends on a bubble program idol, how is she going to survive rough and tumble of the realworld music industry.

Carly’s comment about ABMB really annoyed me. That comment shows complete disregard to everything that makes David a true artist. And no, it isn’t the fact that he has a Y chromosome.
It’s amazing to me that the girls are still bitching about the guys having it easier. Someone should seriously point out to them that actual talent may have had something to do with the way this season played out. Oh, and that there were 4 female winners in the first 6 seasons of AI. That too.

Oh, and about DC and KC – I’m happy she makes him happy. I wish we could hear more about his upcoming album, but if it’s relationship news or no news… Then I’d take what I can get.

Thanks for posting headlines so early this morning mj!

I personally do not sing, but I can understand the girls comments regarding Mariah Carey week. I think they were asked about their toughest week so they were responding to that. Carely didn’t sound bitter to me, just stating how she felt that week.

Of course, DC’s ABMB was brilliant and mesmerizing! And I believe he deserved the win!

I thought the video clip was sweet and truly showed their comraderie (sp?).

I can’t wait to read the live blog tonight! Woohoo!!!

Take care on the road and have fun at the show, mj. I can’t wait for your live updates on opening night. Woohoo!

Enjoy the show, MJ! I’m looking forward to your live blog.

Thanks for the link to the LA Times article, MJ. I really loved reading it.

And I disagree that the girls sounded bitter or jealous of the boys. First, they were asked about the disparity of fanmail by the interviewer. What were they going to say–there wasn’t any? It was huge. When you add in the bit about the myspace pages, I interpreted all of that to mean that the only contact they really had with the outside was the fan mail and it made it hard to figure out that they really had tremendous support out in the world until they were out of the show, which would be hard for anyone.

Oh–and re: mariah carey week–I get their point, but I think that only syesha made a good choice that week. She picked a song that really was truly not well known. Despite what Carly says, her song was a huge song in the 70s for Nilsson and also a medium hit for Mariah Carey. A lot of the audience knew the song and knew when she was monkeying around with it to accommodate her own range. David Cook had a similar problem with Neil Diamond week b/c he has the lowest voice of the boys. And he picked songs no one knows and did great with them. BUT hindsight is 20/20.

I’m very excited to read the reports of the concert tonight. I wonder if they’ll sing anything together or if there’ll be any duets at all. Sounds like no–straight sets and that’s it. I wonder if it will start with Chikezie. (If he sings She’s a Woman, that would be an excellent, hoppin’ start!)

SYTYCD spoilers….
There’s no thread for these yet so I’ll just post them here and you can delete them if you would like, MJ.

From TWoP:

Jessica/Will – Jive and Mandy Moore’s “lyrical jazz.”

Thayne/Comfort – Andy’s Broadway and the Smooth Waltz.

Matt/Kortni – Cecily and Olisa hip hop and Mambo.

Courtney/Gev – C & O hip hop and Broadway (from On the Town).

Joshua/Katee – Mia contemporary and a Benji WCS.

Twitch/Kherington – Paso and Mia Contemporary.

Mark/Chelsie – Mandy Moore jazz and a foxtrot.

Jessica/Will went first and Courtney/Gev went last.

My personal opinion: Looks like Joshua/Katee fared the best from a routine selection standpoint.

Have a great time, MJ. I hope to be around tonight for the live blogging! I can’t wait to hear how opening night goes. :clap_tb:

MJ I can’t wait for your reports! Anyone else who is going, chime in as much as possible too!

I think that Carly and Syesha did better than their critiques a lot of times but Kristy and Ramielle need to shut it because they didn’t bring it! Most of them would have fared better in a different year because this year Jason, MJ, and the Davids just had so much charisma and talent.

Thanks for the spoilers kk!

Joshua/Katee – Mia contemporary and a Benji WCS.

Twitch/Kherington – Paso and Mia Contemporary.

I’m looking forward to these dances. Hopefully, Mia doesn’t go too weird on my 2 favorite couples! I expect to see Joshua of the bulging biceps tossing Katee around with ease in the WCS.

And – Comfort & Thayne are dead meat I think. Comfort’s bad form cannot conquer a Smooth Waltz. And – can you even imagine Thayne’s perma-grin in a Broadway routine?

MJ – Travel safely and have a great time tonight. I’ll be here to get the scoop later!

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You have a boy coming to sing any of those songs, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, in that moment, going to sound like he made it himself. If I slowed down on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll Always Be My Baby,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ it would sound exactly the same.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

No, you shrieky hag. That’s like saying that the baseball diamond in your local park and the one in Yankee Stadium are exactly the same.
Funny that they mention all 5 women are there but there are no soundbytes from KLC. I guess the bitterness dissipates after you get signed? /stating the obvious *eyeroll*

“By the Top 3,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  said Mercado, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Now people will like me more. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll get more fans.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ But no, at the most I got like six letters. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s at the most, six letters a week.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Seriously, that’s gotta suck but: :laugh_tb: x eleventy

Well, Carly does often sound like a whiney cry baby. But, Brooke’s comments seem positive to me – so I wouldn’t call all of the girl’s bitter. The exchange that struck me the most was this one:

Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re like sisters!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  proclaimed Malubay at one point, sharing her excitement about hitting the road with the group.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Do you really feel like youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re my sister?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Mercado asked.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oh, my God. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve lived with you since November!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Malubay responded. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You know what it is, our spats are like sibling rivalries. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Gimme back my shirtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ kinda stuff.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Of course, I cannot tell the tone in which Syesha asked that of Rami, but it sure does seem a little rude and obnoxious.

I don’t think that Carly intended to slam ABMB, although I agree that DC did more than just show that song down. Here’s the thing, though: I don’t think that Carly (or Syesha, for that matter) even thought about trying to rearrange a song completely for Mariah Carey week. Instead, I kind of got the sense that they said to themselves, “Well, we’re big-voiced girls, so we should be taking on these songs head-on.” And that didn’t go so well for Carly singing-wise that week. (She wasn’t bad, just wasn’t great.) And it lead to another “copycat” accusation for Syesha.

I can understand that it had to be frustrating for the girls to have watched the guys get so much more attention and support. But it’s a little hard to feel too badly for them when (1) there have been other years where it has all been about the girls, and (2) the girls didn’t have very many truly standout performances. If you look at whatnottosing.com, there were 16 performances this year that received overall ratings from the blogosphere of over 80 out of 100—only 4 were from girls (Ramiele’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me; Brooke’s Let It Be and You’re So Vain; and Carly’s Come Together), and every single one of those was in the Top 12 or earlier. If you’re not getting above 80, it’s probably not a water-cooler moment. (The only performances to exceed 90 points were both by guys—Archie’s initial Imagine and Cook’s Billie Jean.) To put it in perspective, David Cook got more scores above 80 (a total of 5—Hello, Eleanor Rigby, Billie Jean, MoTN, and First Time….) than all of the girls COMBINED.

In the finals, a girl had the highest-rated score for a night only twice—Top 12 (Brooke) and Top 11 (Carly’s Blackbird). In the meantime, the guys had the highest-rated scores 9 times, with David Cook having the highest-rated song in the finals 5 times and Archie having the highest-rated song twice. (MJ won Dolly Parton week and JC won IGB week.) If you consider the men’s and women’s semis in a week together, then the girls can say that they had the best score for 60′s week (Ramiele), but the boys get to add 70′s week (Archie’s Imagine) and 80′s week (Cook’s Hello). So, 11 out of 14 weeks, the performance that most people were most likely to remember as being the best was performed by a guy, and most likely was performed by a David, particularly as the season wore on.

Possible set spoilers for David Archuleta:

“When You Say You Love Me” (re-arranged and updated, according to Team Archuleta), “Apologize”, “Stand By Me” and “Angels”.

I wish I could go back in time and send Syesha a big box of letters that all say: “I don’t like you very much.” Honestly, do these girls not realize that 4 women have won American Idol? It’s not your gender, it’s YOU!

Can’t wait for MJ’s spoilers. I only have 6 weeks left to plan my bathroom breaks!

I think Carly is a big Cook fan so I just think she’s being honest about her issues with Mariah. In the end, what happens on the show seems less important than people think. Kristy Lee getting signed really enforces that. The most buzz she got was for being bad and lasting longer than people expected.

Found this article for Pj and other ACE fans:
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/22735384.html?location_refer=Music:highlightModules:5

I do recall Carly was the one that braught the subject of being hard for the girls this year and the media fallowed . Brooke when asked did not seem bitchy just that the guys did get mail and were talented or just glossed over the question. Generalizing that all the girls as adament about the issue as Carly is not prudent.

Have a great time in Phoenix mj!

Wow if Carly so bitter now I wonder how she’s gonna react seeing the audience reaction and screams the David’s and Jason get every night.

IIRC Michael Slezak told Cookie when he interviewed him Mariah wanted him to eventually release ABMB. Something tells me with a compliment like that from the person who the song belongs to she gets it was a bit more than just slowing it down.

Possible set spoilers for David Archuleta:

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When You Say You Love Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (re-arranged and updated, according to Team Archuleta), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Apologizeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Stand By Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Angelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

WYSYLM I assume is the Josh Groban song? Beautiful song I look forward to hearing Archie’s take on. Wish he would have added something a bit more upbeat though.

Funny that they mention all 5 women are there but there are no soundbytes from KLC. I guess the bitterness dissipates after you get signed? /stating the obvious *eyeroll*

FYI grrr: The article said she was on vocal rest. I predict we will have “Pickler” moments on the tour. Aw gee, no GBTUSA. I can live with that.

Updated SYTYCD Spoilers. I’m confused….Does the show usually start doubling up on routines at this point in the competition??

Mark & Chelsie
- Jazz/Contemporary – by Mandy Moore (To Heart’s Alone)
- Quickstep – by ???

Joshua & Katee
- Contemporary – by Mia Michaels
- West Coast Swing – by Benji

Twitch & Kerrington
- Contemporary – by Mia Michaels
- Paso Doble – by ???

Will & Jessica
- Broadway – by ??? (Andy Blankenbuehler ?)
- Contemporary – by Mandy Moore

Comfort & Thayne
- Broadway – by ??? (Andy Blankenbuehler ?)
- Waltz – by ???

Gev & Courtney
- Hip Hip – by Cecily and Olisa
- Broadway – by ???

Matt & Kourtney
- Hip Hop – by Cecily and Olisa
- Mambo – by Alex da Silva

Thanks prime and kk for the spoilers. The hip hop for Matt will be a make or break moment for him. I hope he was able to dirty it up. I need me mo’ Mattime.

Detailed SYTYCD spoilers from idreamofpeace.

I was SHOCKED that it was 2 dances each – the clips are about 15 seconds and pretty unnecessary. The dances seemed the same length.

Jessica/Will – Danced the jive and Mandy Moore’s “lyrical jazz.” As loqi said, Jessica got totally beat down by the judges EXCEPT Mary and Nigel for the jazz routine. The routine involved using a shirt as a prop and it was actually pretty cool.

Thayne/Comfort – Danced Andy’s Broadway and the Smooth Waltz. Nigel did not think Broadway was good but the others did and they all liked the Waltz.

Matt/Kortni – Danced Cecily and Olisa hip hop and Mambo. None of them liked the hip hop and most of the judges were lukewarm about the mambo. They seemed to like Kortni but ragged on Matt and the chemistry.

Courtney/Gev – Danced C & O hip hop and Broadway (from On the Town). Nigel said it was more funky than hip hop and they all seemed to agree that Courtney was better. They liked the Broadway.

Joshua/Katee – They danced a Mia contemporary and a Benji WCS. Tongue baths all around, but IMO, the WCS was nowhere NEAR as good as Pasha and Sara’s from last year. I really feel like these two could stand there and the judges would cream themselves.

Twitch/Kherington – Danced the Paso and Mia Contemporary. As said before, Twitch was dinged for some of his Paso technique (but was told he heated up halfway through) and the contemporary was beloved by all.

Mark/Chelsie – Danced Mandy Moore jazz and a foxtrot. Well received by all.

Cat Deeley is a doll and when a girl in the audience fainted, she ran to get water for her (while the medics were being sent in).

If you have any questions, I’ll try and get on tomorrow to post more.

ETA: These are not the order the dances went in, but I can’t for the life of me remember except that Jessica/Will started and Courtney and Gev ended.

More SYTYCD spoilers from Loqi.

I’ll give a nutshell review and then post more details.

- I was surprised to find that the couples danced two dances each.
- Mia Michaels choreographed contemporary pieces for Twitch/Kerrington (sp?) and for Joshua/Katee – and the former piece involved a special prop (a bed) and thrown objects. I personally thought it was a little heavy handed. The Joshua/Katee piece looked really good, but I was in the way back and for some reason the large overhead monitor wasn’t working for that dance. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing that one on Wednesday.
- Cecily and Olisa did two hip hop routines that were kind of meekly received – I believe Nigel described the one done by Kourtney/Matt as “hip hop on sleeping pills”. I was standing in the back of the mosh pit (directly in front of the judges) and I turned around to see one of them strongly disagreeing with Nigel. The other C and O routine was done by Courtney and Gev. Courtney actually got points for outdancing Gev – that routine was probably the most “hip hop” of any routines that have been done so far.
- Guest judges were NappyTab.
- Benji choreographed a West Coast Swing number for Joshua and Katee that was well received (but it was towards the end of the night and most of the crowd was pretty lifeless by that point).
- Mark/Chelsea performed a really intense Mandy Moore routine to Heart’s Alone and if I recall correctly, a FOXTROT. Both were great, especially the Mandy Moore.
- Will/Jessica opened up the show with a JIVE piece. Will got a tongue bath, Jessica got blamed for holding him back. Surprise. They also did another contemporary piece (Mandy Moore?) that was great – but I was distracted by shirtless Will.
- Twitch actually got some critiques for his paso doble which was a little shaky to me. His costume was rather dreadful – he wore these huge epaulets that only served to highlight the shortcomings in his stance.
- Comfort/Thayne did a broadway piece to Westside Story (?) that involved a sultry comfort and a waltz with a glorious lift by a new choreographer (the guest person?)

- Both me and the person I went with agreed that Comfort/Thayne and Matt/Kourtney will probably be up for elimination.

CORRECTION: Mark/Cheslie performed a FOXTROT, not a quickstep. Will/Jessica did a JIVE.

Matt/Kortni – Danced Cecily and Olisa hip hop and Mambo. None of them liked the hip hop and most of the judges were lukewarm about the mambo. They seemed to like Kortni but ragged on Matt and the chemistry.

OH SHIT! Shedding Mattears all over myself.

FYI grrr: The article said she was on vocal rest. I predict we will have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Picklerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  moments on the tour. Aw gee, no GBTUSA. I can live with that

lol…how did I miss that? Still, no bitchy written comments either. =P Aww, my S5 show was one of the Pickler-less ones, made for an amusing M&G, though.

I’m excited to see the setlist for the tour. I’m guessing DC’s missing song will end up being “My Hero.” I’d love getting not only a Chris Cornell song (sort of) and a Foo Fighters one as well.

Here is a cute little interview from MyFox Phoenix.

American Idol Tour Starts in Glendale

For all you folks dissing Carly– you misread the meaning of the quote within the context of what she is saying. Her intention is much clearer if you add the words “as Mariah” at the end of the last sentence.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mariah Careyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice is undeniably one of the greatest. How are we supposed to sing her songs and not be critiqued?

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You have a boy coming to sing any of those songs, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, in that moment, going to sound like he made it himself. If I slowed down on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll Always Be My Baby,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ it would sound exactly the same.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

In other words, there was a distinct advantage being a tenor or base and having a male sound, as it made the song sound new, since it was originally done by a woman. If Carly slowed the ABMB down, it wouldn’t have mattered. As a woman, it still would have sounded the same as Mariah even though it was slower.

She wasn’t saying her version would be the same as David Cook’s– she was saying it would have sounded too close to Mariah’s and she would have been criticized in comparison to Mariah.

She wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t saying her version would be the same as David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ she was saying it would have sounded too close to Mariahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and she would have been criticized in comparison to Mariah.

I understood what she meant. I read it too as her saying that as a woman it would seem like she was imitating Mariah as opposed to the men making the songs sound more new, just by being men.

But, I still think that in every one of her interviews she sort of sounds like the Mayor of ExcuseTown. Still, I don’t think that makes her a bad person, and it doesn’t make me dislike her. I’m just thinking she needs to sound more positive in her interviews and lay off the cry baby vibe. Even if a question is negative – the answer can still be framed in a positive way. Carly doesn’t have to keep taking the bait.

But, I still think that in every one of her interviews she sort of sounds like the Mayor of ExcuseTown.

I agree one thousand percent. It’s getting annoying. Women have won this show against dreamy boys before, so no, it’s not just that. Suck it up Carly and go have your career already.

Here is a cute little interview from MyFox Phoenix.

American Idol Tour Starts in Glendale

Lindsey sounded less excited in that video than she reads at david-cook.org. LOL

Her Meeting the Idols Round 4 account and pics are here.

Lindsey sounded less excited in that video than she reads at david-cook.org. LOL

Oh yeah, I’ve seen the pics of her and the idols and they are quite nice. I agree she was quite subdued in the interview and that’s what makes it so cute when you see the thread. LOL

Joshua/Katee – Mia contemporary and a Benji WCS.

Twitch/Kherington – Paso and Mia Contemporary.

Spenser, I thought the exact same thing. I am still excited seeing what Benji will come up. The comments make me want to see Pasha and Saraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dance again. It was one of my favorites from last year.

Carly does sound a bit bitter. Wonder what she thought of the 150 balloons delivered for Jason? I do have a feeling that Brooke did get fan mail.

“Stand By Me’ was probably my favorite David A. moment, singing my favorite song.

MJ, I do envy you! Have a safe trip and a great time!

In case some of you missed these photos before (like I did)…

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ finalists on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Larry King Liveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Cookie has a fan in Grace Slick

Her musical tastes, though classic, are more masculine — Sting, Peter Gabriel, “American Idol” winner David Cook and the Gypsy Kings. Though Slick still has a strong voice, she refuses to sing publicly again.

What a compliment for her to put David’s name amongst those great names.

OOPS – didn’t notice that MJ had opened a SYTYCD spoiler thread. Moved my meaningless speculation to the appropriate spot.

- moved message -

Wow. Another site also posted a quote from the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls saying that he wanted to write with Cook. He’s really getting a lot of support from people in the music industry.

Johnny Resnick wants to write with Cookie? Very cool.

I also thought the exchange between Syesha and Ramielle was a little strange. I felt like Syesha was saying she didn’t feel as close to Ramielle as Ramielle does to her. Or maybe Syesha felt that way towards Ramielle, but didn’t realize that Ramielle felt that way, too. I guess it could be interpreted either way. If Syesha felt the same as Rami she should have told her.

If Carly is bitter about the guys, I wonder what she thought of KLC getting a record deal before her. I think there will be resentment between the girls, if not now, before the tour is over.

I can understand Carly’s POV. But, she still comes across in some instances as a whiner. She simply doesn’t get it. Judges can say what they want, but fans vote for who they like. Without a massive fan connection, you don’t get votes and you don’t get stacks of fan mail. That’s it. Bottom line. If it was all about looks and fangirliness, Justin Guarini and Ace Young would have been listed among past seasons’ winners.

Yes, David Cook may have slowed down/rearranged “ABMB”, but where most of the boys trumped the girls was with their innovation, creativity, and technique. They stood out way more than the ladies did. Not only did David Cook have his standout moments, but we also remember Jason Castro’s “Hallelujah” and “SOTR”, Michael Johns’ “IAWBIAR”, and don’t forget Chikezie’s “She’s a Woman” (among other things).

And, what did Carly sing Mariah night? “Without You”. Why? Because she heard that Simon wanted to hear her sing it. That was her problem. She was all about connecting with the wrong people. Hopefully, in her pursuit of a music career, she can rectify that because her voice is phenomenal.

I haven’t seen any of the spoilers for the concert (haven’t been following it much), but I just heard an incredibly gorgeous song, and I think David Cook could do an amazing job with it — Peter Gabriel’s “Down to Earth” from the WALL-E soundtrack.

Have fun, MJ!

That was her problem. She was all about connecting with the wrong people.

You hit the nail on the head there. Carly should have been less concerned with pleasing Simon and more concerned about gaining fans. And, it’s not like all of the girls were out right away either. Brooke & Syesha both found a way to stick around for a while even with the dreaded “cute boy curse” being inflicted upon them.

I also thought the exchange between Syesha and Ramielle was a little strange. I felt like Syesha was saying she didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel as close to Ramielle as Ramielle does to her. Or maybe Syesha felt that way towards Ramielle, but didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t realize that Ramielle felt that way, too. I guess it could be interpreted either way. If Syesha felt the same as Rami she should have told her.

The problem with the written word is you don’t hear the inflection. I have said to people “you think of me as a friend” or “you think of me as family” meaning – aww, I’m so flattered. Without hearing the tone, I would never venture a guess as to what the person meant.

The problem with the written word is you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear the inflection.

I agree. Ramiele and Syesha have a real “comfortable sibling” thing going on – heavy on sarcasm and joking. They’re probably closer to each other than they are with any of the other girls. I believe they’ve said as much in interviews. It’s kind of like DC joking with Andrew about winning Idol vs winning Madden. It was all in good fun, and no one can deny their closeness.

She wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t saying her version would be the same as David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ she was saying it would have sounded too close to Mariahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and she would have been criticized in comparison to Mariah.

This kinda makes sense, and then it kinda doesn’t. Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you sound like Mariah. Just do your thing, you know? That’s pretty much what David did. At the end of day, it still sounds like Carly is looking for every excuse possible for her failure.

*For all you folks dissing Carlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ you misread the meaning of the quote within the context of what she is saying. Her intention is much clearer if you add the words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“as Mariahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  at the end of the last sentence.*

So is this like adding “in bed” at the end your fortune cookie fortune???

Hey Bax, I’ll add “in bed” to the end of most sentences as long as they’re about David Cook.

ok this carly bashing is getting out of hand…you must realize that she probably said a million nice things about the guys but reporters only write the stuff that will create controversy. And she may make excuses but the questions always lead her to, it’s not like she is saying all of this stuff out of the blue.

and yes the girls did have it harder this year….let’s look at the guys for a second: David C, David A, Jason, Michael, and Chikezie…not a bad looking one in the bunch…in fact i definitely think it is safe to say this is the best looking top 5 guys the show has ever had so how are the girls supposed to compete with the masses of tweens who powervote?

Hey Bax, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll add à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“in bedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to the end of most sentences as long as theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re about David Cook.

:laugh_tb:

How are the girls supposed to compete with the masses of tweens who powervote?

I’m hardly a tween, and I would have power-voted for Carly if she had given me a reason two.

Every reporter can’t get it wrong. She’s gives the same vibe with every interview….

It was all in good fun, and no one can deny their closeness.

I did note that the tone that this was said in would make all the difference. And, I had no idea that Syesha & Rami were close – I guess I didn’t read enough of all of those interviews. The phrasing of it struck me as weird. Plus, I’m inclined to think things Syesha says may be obnoxious because she kind of comes across that way to me.

in fact i definitely think it is safe to say this is the best looking top 5 guys the show has ever had so how are the girls supposed to compete with the masses of tweens who powervote?

I disagree with this theory because all of the powervoters I know are way out of the tween age range. Plus, I don’t think David C, David A or Chikeze are overwhelmingly good looking. Obviously, each of them appeal to some fans in that way, but it’s not like one of them is the next George Clooney or anything. They’re all pretty average looking to me.

On the other hand, I think both Brooke & Syesha are quite beautiful.

and yes the girls did have it harder this year

I respectfully disagree with this. What I personally think, is that the typical vocalist had a harder time this year than those on the show who had more musical creativity and those who could play instruments. I think Brooke, Jason, David C. & David A. accompanying themselves with their various instruments had a much bigger impact than anyone’s looks.

Of course, that theory doesn’t explain Syesha’s 3rd place finish either – but I’m still mystified by that myself.

I believe Carly finished where she finished because she simply didn’t connect as much with the viewing audience. I’m not really sure why that is, but I don’t think it’s because she had some inherent disadvantage as a female. Also – I actually like Carly, so I’m not bashing her.

What I personally think, is that the typical vocalist had a harder time this year than those on the show who had more musical creativity and those who could play instruments.

Nail, head. All that good stuff.

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Do not lecture your fellow posters. Do not tell them what to post or what to do. Man, I hate finger-wagging, so please don’t do that here.

Mishaps so far:

Ok, there was one big one. I missed my flight this morning. lol. But I caught another one, so it’s all good.

No spoilers yet, huh?

Carly needs to learn how to work the press to her advantage cause right now they are making her out to be a whiny bitter contestant.

We’ll see how she does in concert, which I’m going to TONIGHT!!!!!!!

No spoilers MJ…but it’s great you are there and we wait with bated breath for the live blog!!

Good thing you averted a crisis there Mj! I can’t wait to hear what all of you concert-goers have to say about tonight’s show.

Thank goodness the concert is tonight. *Sigh*

Not sure where else to post this (Hi, mj!), so I just have to go yippee here. I was drivin’ in my car today and TOML came on the radio. When it was over, I punched in the next station and it was in the middle of playing there, too!!

Related to that. . .he seems to be on his way to overtaking Jordan (sorry, Jordan!!) on the AC and Hot AC charts. In a few years there will be so many Idols on the charts they will have to change the name of Mediabase to Idolbase. Hee.

And one more thing. Today, I heard TOML differently. I have been loving it ever since I listened to it a few times in a row and got addicted, but today was different. Some time back I read somewhere that David said he recorded that late at night when he was really tired and his voice was going. But he said he thought maybe the “strain” in his voice gave the song a “genuine” feeling. Today I really really heard that. The strain. The rawness. The genuine feeling. It tugged at my heartstrings, zing. And I thought, ya know, if that were a song that somebody else had made famous, and he did his version on the show, I’d have probably been really impressed from the git-go, and I would never have rolled my eyes at it. I would have just marveled how he made me love magic rainbows.

Show tonight! Can’t wait to read mj’s reports!

And yay – For once I get to go home and listen to the live blog cuz I am in AZ too – cannot wait! I can get my work done today

“Related to that. . .he seems to be on his way to overtaking Jordan (sorry, Jordan!!) on the AC and Hot AC charts. In a few years there will be so many Idols on the charts they will have to change the name of Mediabase to Idolbase. Hee.”

in a few days on the Pop chart Jordin should pass Cookie with her new single One Step At A Time.

Cool for Jordan that her new one’s doing so well, yay! It’s kind of funny to watch her, Daughtry and Cook tumble around each other in the charts, and that’s probably only a taste of the years to come.

I confess to feeling thrilled that Grace Slick named DC among her fav male singers. I wuvved her in her prime. Which is also when I was in my prime, lol.

Omg, its almost time!!!!

Happy birthday Fantasia!

I could have happily done without any KC inspired headlines but whatevs.

Seekrit song here we come!

When you see and hear absolute magic, you have a winner.

And this year the one to bring the “magic” to the stage was David Cook

“Magic” is not specific to gender –male or female.

I don’t have a link, but this was on DDB site from Jason. TPTB must not like Jason’s date nights with us. :wallbash_tb:

Jul 1, 2008 4:21 PM
Subject: quick news!
Body: hey guys! i hope you this finds you all well. so were getting ready for the big first show tonight! woohoooo!!!! things are getting crazy! im really exctited and cant wait to see how it goes! now obviously since im going to be busy tonight i was thinkin wed have to do a lunch date. haha and i taped it and everything but some issues have come up with me posting my videos and pics. i guess im under alot more rules than i thought… its complicated. haha but fear not! iill figure it out. i just have to get some things worked out with everybody so we’re all happy! so if i dont make it tonight…please forgive me! ill get a new video up as soon as i can! i cant wait to let yall know how the first show goes!!! ttyl!

jasonnn.

MJ, have a great time tonight!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to hear all about the
other MJ(lol) Enjoy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rock it Michael!!!

yeah DFC, I was just going to post that. I got a bulletin on my space. I found it interesting in one of the pictures he posted you could see David A at the computer at a table on the tour bus. I am sure if jason kept it up we’d probably know a LOT more than we have in the past, which would be fun! But I have a feeling that date nights will be VERY limited in context if we get to have them at all. Damn TPTB.

YAY MJ!! This must be the BEST business write off you’ve ever had!!

Pffft, that JCas news is a bummer!
I love my Cookie vlogs, but JCas is 2nd in my heart.

And I’ll just go ahead and speak for everyone by saying,
“We love you MJ!!” THanks in advance for the live blogging, I cant wait!

Oh god please not a Cookie vs. Jordin chart competiton. Jordin has had it made with airplay since day one and anything they put on the radio for her will sale right to the top anyway. I’m amazed David is doing as well as he is considering so many has viewed TOML as a cheesy winners song.

What an exciting day. Can’t wait to hear news from the kickoff night. Oh, and Happy Birthday Tasia. You can sing any damn thing you want for me. Wearing any color hair in the crayola box and I will be a happy camper.

MrsTrep, yes, damn TPTB. I don’t know what their reasons could be, unless they don’t want Jason stealing the thunder from David and David. I’ll be glad when he’s out from under their thumb and can do what he wants for his fans.

I hope MJ gets to meet all the Idols tonight.

Looking forward to the live blog! Happy BDay Tasia! Bummer about Jasonnn’s dates, can’t believe they’re making him break up with us already.

TPTB – Boo Hoo on you – Ok sign him already if you want to really keep tabs on Jason. Well I guess the statement he made about the rules proves that David C must have his vlogs up only after scrutiny and approval of TPTB.

I personally like Carly the best of the girls, she’s more mature, motherly and I think is a very nice person. She got a lot of bad press before Idol even started and also on the internet. She was like swimming uphill from the start and I also think bad press derailed David Hernandez and maybe to some extent Michael Johns. I always try to keep an open mind but sometimes it’s hard when you are bombarded by so much media. I think most things get distorted if they make a better story.(as with David A’s dad) She’s a great talent and deserves another chance Saying that I am a David Cook fan and am excited for him, hope the stress isn’t affecting his blood pressure too much. These guys have had a stressful year and it seems to double for the winner.

Sad news in Castroville:

Quote:
Jason Castro got David Archuleta to stay out late — way late, like 1 a.m. (All part of the go-kart extravaganza — the venue even stayed open late for the Idols.) And Archieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dad was encouraging him to hang with the guys. “Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s gotten kind of comfortable now,” Castro says of his Idol-mate.

But Castro admits ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perhaps he who is most misunderstood among the group. “Somebody said I was dumb as a bag of rocks,” he says (though he insists he reads very little of his own press, except for the occasional glowing dispatch forwarded over e-mail by his mom). “Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s foolish. They donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know me.” Like, they probably donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know that the former Texas A&M student scored 1340 on his SATs “without even studying.” He says heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like Uh-Huh in The Little Rascals, who said: “Actually, I’ve always had a rather extensive vocabulary, not to mention a phenomenal grasp of grammar and a superlative command of syntax. I simply chose not to employ them.” Or Mark Twain (paraphrased): “Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s better to remain quiet and let people think youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

The Vans-clad Castro is refreshingly candid: “I have no record-label talks. 19 (Entertainment) told me one label showed a little interest but they werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sure it would turn into anything.” No matter. Castro plans to make music 2008-style, with or without a record deal. So heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s writing his typical acoustic-heavy songs — some “happy, beachy,” others meatier — in the meantime, though heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s having a hard time getting work done on tour. “Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re all in cramped quarters. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not really conducive” to the creative process.

Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s looking forward to singing his audition song, Gnarls Barkleyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Crazy, tonight. (It never aired during the show because Idol couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get clearance.) Retooled in the style of Ray LaMontagne, “it fits me really well.”

What heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not so jazzed about: the final group number, (Pride) In the Name of Love. (The group stuff, incidentally, was his parentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ favorite part of the show.) “Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a song I would ever sing. I feel awkward singing it. But ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fun.”

From USA Today.

Has this been reported yet?

***Hinder to David Cook: ‘We’ll write with you’***

“But one band is willing, if not eager, to help: hard rockers Hinder, best known for their 2006 hit power ballad “Lips of an Angel.” “I dig David Cook,” says singer Austin Winkler, a native of Oklahoma City, where Cook has lived for the past few years. “He shows that the world is starving for a little bit of rock-n-roll. Hopefully we can write some tunes for him.”

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/07/hinder.html?xid=rss-feed-americanidol-20080701-Hinder to David Cook: ‘We’ll write with you’

Add another name to the list of people wanting to work with Cookie! I wonder who else wants to work with him that we aren’t hearing in the press?

Hopefully Castro will go the Elliott route and we’ll be all good.

Speaking of Elliott, he’s currently making a tiny run on the AC radio chart with Can You Feel the Love Tonight, from the DisneyMania 6 album, as Richmond (no surprise there, of course) decides it loves the song. Up to 73 from 152 last week. I love his rendition of the song — he brings out words and meaning in it that I hadn’t realized were there.

Morning, noon, or night … Jason Castro. Yummy.

A while back Brian D. (host with Ryan, Season 1) explained the concept of a cast of characters that TPTB script. This was verified by Carmen, Kimberly Locke, Scott, Kellie Pickler, etc. Seeing Jason’s laid back personality, TPTB came up with “dumb as a bag of rocks” concept. Kellie explained that she had eaten calamar prior to the little skit which became a joke.

Sorry Jason felt bad. To me, he is charming not dumb.