Saturday Apr 21

First!! Yay!

Good morning, all

Sounds like those of you who went to the Beacon had an awesome time. Recaps, please?? (Specifically, a play-by-play of the a$$ kicking.)

As much as it pains me to admit this, after watching Sanjaya on Leno on Thursday night, I actually don’t mind the kid. As long as he’s not in the competition, I’m ok with him…

Heh, it’s the “Pickler syndrome” setting in db! The hatred starts to fade as soon as they’re away from the show.

Good morning. I am so wired from the Beacon show that I slept maybe 3 hours last nite.

dvls – Over dinner with the MJers, I also likened Sanjaya to Pickler. Same reason. It’s interesting. I hope he can carve out some kind of entertainment career for himself.

Good morning..

I just got around to watching Sanjaya on Leno.. Damn, I like that kid, and agree with Leno…..
He’s a class act.

Sounds like those of you who attended the concert at The Beacon last night enjoyed yourselves..

Also, looking forward to hearing from the participants ALL about who kicked who’s A$$ last night..LOL

I hope he can carve out some kind of entertainment career for himself.
_______________________

I’m hoping the same Metta..

who kicked whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s A$$ last night

Do you even have to ask? *rolls eyes*

Do you even have to ask? *rolls eyes*

Well…Here’s my spectator’s view. Others’ milage may vary. :wink1_tb:

Truth is, much a$$ was kicked all around once Sexygirl retreated from the mayhem. The Beacon shook from the impacts… Smacking into walls, banging off the bars – it was fierce.

It was more amazing than the thrilla in Manilla! And – I may get my a$$ kicked for saying so, but – would you believe it was draw? Oh sure, JJ may have had the edge in strength, but Metta made up for that in speed.

Metta buckled first, but was still on her feet when JJ lost her balance. In the end they simultaneously fell down in an exhausted heap right there in the lobby of the Beacon – each declaring victory, of course. They swore there would be a rematch, but I think the fight was out of ‘em by then – and Taylor’s concert seemed to cool any lingering hostility. Thank goodness for Taylor!

The only disappointment was for the guys taking bets what with there being no clear victory, but what can you do?

I see that Metta is already lying this morning. I’m surprised she could actually see the keyboard to type.

I won’t give a recap, just some observations:

1. There was not one blessed crack, one blessed note out of tune. Taylors vocals were absolutely freakin’ perfect last night.
2. This one is for LBB: Pffffffftttttttt!!!!!! He DID sing JTFTW better than the CD
3. He did not do PIB (not surprised), but he also did not do DMA (interesting)
4. He seems to have stabilized his set list, there were no special songs (disappointed).
5. There were very few tag ons (also disappointed)
6. He only play harp on TR (he was awesome, but very dissappointed.
7. One thing that bothered me, Taylor wore a grey houndstooth jacket. There was a button missing and he replaced it with a red one. I know its petty, but it bothered me. I mean he’s making 7 figures now, can’t he buy a grey freakin’ button???
8. Taylor sweated through his jacket, enough said
9. He is still absolutely freakin’ gorgeous.
10. Overall, I would give the show a solid A. Now, the nicest things dear hubby has ever said about Taylor was that he is a hack. He said yesterday that the dosen’t think he has any musical talent, but that the is a great entertainer. I’ll take that.

Other observations:

1. MaryS, Jersey, Spenser and Sexy are 4 of the most beautiful people I have ever met
2. Metta is very, very ugly
3. I was on line for the bathroom when someone said to their friend “Do you remember when we through our panties on stage at Birmingham?” Ick
4. There was a woman with a denim jacket with little pictures of Taylor pasted all over it
5. There was a woman with a necklace, that she had made, that said Taylor with a guitar hanging off of it
6. A woman next to me, gave me a card she made that said Taylor is the best man, daddy.

And people wonder why Taylor has not time for groupies.

Morning all! I’ll echo what everyone has said about the Beacon so far. It was awesome! All of us MJers had great seats, not that it mattered since we stood the entire time. Taylor sounded great. He sang a ton of originals. I think he sang all of Under The Radar except “West Texas Sky” and “HOTYL”. He seemed to do less tagging than at the Starland Ballroom. Great energy. This is definately the most diverse crowd I’ve seen at a Taylor show. The show wasn’t a sell out but the Orchestra was full, with just scattered seats. The Loge looked full. I couldn’t see the balcony but there were people up there because I could see the first row of the balcony and it was full.

Dinner was a lot of fun. I’m sad I don’t have any more Taylor concerts not only because I won’t see him for awhile, but because I have no more excuses to meet up with the wonderful people I’ve met from this board.

The a$$ kicking was as Mary describes – a draw. At least in my eyes! (You’ll never get me to acknowledge a winner as I don’t want to get my a$$ kicked by either one of them!)

Random comment for Gray Charles (if you are lurking) – I just wanted to say that since I missed out on what transpired at the bitter end, I may have been glib in my reaction to the closing of the blog. I’ve caught up a bit and have a dot more info than I did before. Suffice to say, I am sorry you suffered personal attacks. There’s no excuse for that. Also, it is regrettable that those attacks left you feeling that you want no part in the TH online fan community. I hope that changes over time. Don’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch, and all that. Best wishes to you.

Dave White
“Goodbye, Last Interesting Person”

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid44765.asp

2. Metta is very, very ugly

When one suffers a severe trauma, one’s perceptions can be seriously impaired.

Just persuing yesterday’s thread…

Taylor was in fabulous voice last night at the Beacon. He did the best live version of JTFTW that I’ve heard so far. He sang a lot of originals, and mostly sang the songs straight – not much tagging. There was less banter than at Borgota but more than Sayerville.

The theater was large, not sold out from what I could tell but a very nice size crowd and mostly full from what I could see sitting in the orchestra. It was a very mixed crowd between young and old, male and female, and very enthusisatic.

It’s a beautiful theater. I was finally able to acquire a copy of In Your Time (pre-autograhed – woo-hoo!).

It was my daughter’s first concert other than the poptarts, and she had a great time but wasn’t feeling well at the end and got a little draggy (and cranky). Being eleven can be so trying, you know. :rolleyes_tb: heh. Still I know she had a blast and I’m glad she had a chance to experience full-strength Taylor.

We had a lovely dinner (and the most expensive glasses of wine I’ve ever had – yikes!) with jersey, metta, Sexygirl, SpenserJ and her friend around the corner from the Beacon. It’s wonderful to have a chance to meet face to face with the amazing (and beautiful) people I’ve gotten to know online here at MJs. Wish I’d had more of a chance to talk to JJ (before the “Freak-on at the Beacon”).

I saw Widespread Ted who posted at Gray Charles as “alltheanswers” and got a chance to say hi (and freak him out a little – heh). That was as close to the band as I got this time. We also saw a guy with a VIP badge who looked suspiciously like Gray Charles – well, from the partial photo he posted of himself at GC.

I’m still running on fumes this morning, but have to take my cranky chicklet to her soccer game. I’ll probably remember more details later.

Oh, by the way, I wouldn’t worry about random people who trash Taylor for being on Regis & Kelly or whatever. Who cares? Anyone who takes the time to to do that while professing not to care about him is full of it. Sometimes I think we “obsessed” fans worry to much. JTFTW is what it is. It’s probably a better recorded song than live song, but I have to say – he did a great performance of it last night.

I believe more than ever that Taylor’s true heart is with the jam band scene. He loves the guys (and gal) in his band, loves to showcase their talents, loves be among them. He is really one of them. That may not qualify him as an “Idol” but I prefer Taylor as the traveling musician anyway.

Thanks for the recaps. I almost feel sad that I didn’t go to the concert. The only thing stopping me was the fear that the whole night would be people screaming “I love you Taylor.” Still, it sounds like a great time and I agree with the hubby who said Taylor is a great entertainer. The posts this morning are so hilarious and well written. (I thought Metta looked like Hallie Berry. No pictures?)

My recap.

Had dinner with the Jersey girls and SpenserJ. I love these women to pieces. After dinner, I had JJ’s a$$ for dessert. The wuss brought her hubby to the concert for protection. Didn’t work. You all would have no way of knowing this, but she is talking trash about me from a hospital bed.

We got “Pants-on-Fire” Taylor, last nite. He danced liked he’s never danced before. His vocals were flawless. He was practically levitating with joy. He took us to church on every other song. The harp on Runaround was awe-inspiring. He really and truly connected with us. I don’t mind the absence of tagging or a special NY song. This was, by far, the very best Taylor performance I have ever seen. And I know it sounds corny/fangirly/whatever, but the love in that room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. After the show, at the stage door, Taylor came out with his hand over his heart and thanked us over our cheers. It was a beautiful moment and I will never forget the expression on his face.

ETA – This was the most racialy diverse Tay show I’ve been to. I saw lots of African Americans and Asian Americans. The staff was mostly people of color and the ones I spoke with after the show thought Taylor was fantastic. Sexy and I even caught sight of one of the staffers sneaking up close to the stage and rocking out. She was wearing a homemade Soul Patrol pin! lol

You guys are hilarious and of course I had to come check MJ’s for recaps TH but more than that I was wanting to see how the match up went down, after many months of verbal arrows swishing by …all of which have been quite amusing. It sounds like your meeting didn’t settle anything and that the verbal sparing will continue.

Seriously, thanks for the recaps! it is always hard on us fans that want to be at every concert and can’t be…so we rely on the recaps to get us through.

ETA – This was the most racialy diverse Tay show I’ve been to. I saw lots of African Americans and Asian Americans. The staff was mostly people of color and the ones I spoke with after the show thought Taylor was fantastic. Sexy and I even caught one of the staffers sneaking up close to the stage and rocking out. She even wore a homemade Soul Patrol pin! lol

Was it the ‘cold beer’ lady? I loved her! Hee. She was too cute! I have a picture of her in her Soul Patrol pin standing with us in the lobby(before the fight of the Century).

If I can get it to work, I’ll send MJ the photo of the gang. I don’t know if you lovely ladies want it posted or not, but I’ll let you chime in – and whatever you decide is okay with me.

There was a girl behind me who voted for Elliott last season, but she said she had heard Taylor’s CD because her Mom has it, and liked it enough to come see the show. I told her that Elliott will be playing at the Starland Ballroom, but I realized this morning that he’s also playing in Manhattan at the Bowery Ballroom, which is somewhat more intimate GA club. Depending on when his shows are, I might try to get in to see Elliott too.

MaryS – Yes! It was the “cold beer” lady. LOL She was a hoot, wasn’t she. Send me the photo first. If you caught my good side, I’ll give it the A-ok. lmao!

Mary, it was the “cold beer” lady. She would come down the aisle and was standing right in front of me (my seat was on the aisle). Unlike the security people who kept trying to clear the aisle, she just stood there and kind of danced. She obviously wasn’t there to move people out of the aisles, lol.
I’m ok with the picture being posted – (as long as I look ok!)

ETA: If you’re lurking, Gray – I hope you had a great time last night. Part of our pre-show entertainment (after the “Freak-on at the Beacon”) was playing “find Gray”.

Ricky will be posting spoilers from his myspace page. Look what he posted on his blog!
Did Sanjaya have the lowest number of votes?
Current mood: amused

Did Sanjaya Malakar have the lowest amount of votes last wednesday night? No he did not! It is funny actually because American Idol in their credits even say “they can manipulate everything they do.” Sanjaya was in fact third lowest, and Lakisha was the lowest, followed by Phil inbetween the two. Lastnights result show was as follows.

7. Melinda
6. Jordin
5. Blake
4. Chris
3. Sanjaya
2. Phil
1. Lakisha

how about them apples?

Why would they do this? Idol Gives Back is VERY important — they want quality for this round. It was the perfect time to take out Sanjaya. They would also like a Blake Vs Jordin finale like I said BEFORE all the media attention about them being the chosen F2. putting Blake in B3 gets him more votes next week by rabid fans.

Hmmmm

Sanjaya: I’ll be back
Like some latter-day prophet whose warnings become even more exigent after death, like a painting whose value skyrockets after its maker’s demise, Sanjaya Malakar is poised to burrow his way even deeper into our collective consciousness. The soft-spoken, soft-hearted, soft-haired singer whose American Idol career was mercilessly assassinated Wednesday by an America blinded to the truth by the evil Lord Voldemort’s slave, Simon Cowell, will appear on David Letterman’s Late Show Monday to read the Top Ten.

Aiken: I feel for him
American Idol hero Clay Aiken tells The Insider that with Sanjaya gone, the show is boring: “I rooted for him. I thought it would be great for him to win.”

Great, as in a gift to music? Or great, as in a piece of irony?

Clay shows no mercy. “I haven’t been watching [Idol] at all,” he said, explaining that the Sanjaya phenom was “the excitement for this year.” And now, it’s all over.

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/20070421_Sideshow___Baldwin_leaves_a_nasty_voice_mail.html

Just Don’t Sing, Ok?
AN eye-popping roster of talent – plus one big, glaring no-talent, Sanjaya – will be on hand for tonight’s annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner thrown by the Washington press corps. The guest list includes Hollywood types like Jane Fonda, Teri Hatcher, John Cusack, Sheryl Crow, Dennis Hopper and Morgan Fairchild. Among the politicos expected are Condi Rice, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Henry Kissinger. But the biggest celebrity of them all might be Sanjaya, the weak-voiced but well-coifed teen who was just booted off “American Idol” despite a skewed attempt by Howard Stern and others to manipulate the voting system. The Washington Post reports the 17-year-old flash-in-a-pan will be accompanied by his mother, and is expected to make the scene at the Bloomberg LP after-party before his rapidly evaporating 15 minutes of fame are up.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04212007/gossip/pagesix/just_dont_sing__ok__pagesix_.htm

Marys-nj

did taylor chop the phrase “broken and wounded but the pain is worth it”..or did he sing it like the album????? the chop in the song just don’t match the song.did he go back to singing it straight forward????even if he sung it like his sony video that would be great..i think i know why he does chop those words up..because it’s the height of the song and it might be putting a strain on his vocals..especailly with this tour

MJ – Do you think AI would mess with the vote totals so blatantly?

I think AI wouldn’t mess with it so drastically and I don’t buy Phil being so low at all. I do think they would boot Sanjaya on purpose but they serve the risk of having Kiki be truly awesome next week and overcome any supposed final chosen 2 or 3. So I don’t buy it.

I totally buy it. This isn’t the first time they messed with the vote.

I find it hard to believe they would mess with the vote. Plus Sanjaya was good for the ratings. He was very charming on Leno so maybe he can have a career after all. Elliott’s single has been getting some excellent play recently and I think by next week, he’ll actually have a Top 40 hit. Not bad for someone on an independent label.

I did a google search on Ricky this morning (he’s listed as an actor and I wanted to know if I had seen him in anything) and I found this article about how he managed to correctly spoil the final 24. He’s quite the researcher:

http://blogs.nbcuni.com/AHBlog/2007/02/the_spoiler_king_revealed.php#more;

On his very own independent label.

Very interesting… if AI really messed with the votes that drastically then it just reaffirms my decision to never vote again. I’ve always had some suspicions… I’ll leave it at that. And let me end by saying – Go Elliott!

(I thought Metta looked like Hallie Berry. No pictures?)

There are no pictures because Metta is very, very ugly. She is even uglier now, after her ass kicking.

It was rather fortuitous for them that Sanjaya, who has widely been criticized for being a joke and horrible, was booted the week before their HUGE Emmy bait show.

But, I’m still not sure they would mess with the voting. That would probably be a shark jumping moment. I suppose that Nigel could have had statisticians working all night to figure out exactly which type of votes he could throw out to ensure a Sanjaya boot, but Dial Idol had him on the bottom. Strange that DI was exactly right for the first time this week (maybe Nigel threw out the actual vote totals this week and used DI results….LOL…thy enemy becomes thy savior).

Ricky has been so right in the past, but then maybe Nigel outed his spoiler source and blackmailed them into sending Ricky fake info.

So, I don’t know. I just hope that Sanjaya comes out of this without any scars and with a great little career for himself.

MJ – Do you think AI would mess with the vote totals so blatantly?

None of this info can be corroborated. Let’s just say, I think it would be incredibly stupid for the franchise to mess with the vote totals that way. It’s hard to believe they would do something so risky. If it got out, it could bring down the franchise. In the end, would it have really hurt to have had Sanjaya sing on the Idol Gives Back show? He’s really not THAT awful a singer, you know?

Ricky has been a spot on spoiler in the past. He’s amazing, he networks his way into these circles and gets the goods. He spoiled CI correctly for 3 years in a row. His Top 24 and and song spoilers have been 100% correct. But, those are easy to spoil…in the sense that there are many people who have that information, you just have to find one who is willing to spill.

But the vote totals? How many people know the vote order? probably just a hand full of people. If Ricky networked his way that high on the food chain, that’s just amazing.

My short answer is that I don’t know what to think.

platinumgray, Taylor changes up all his songs live from the studio versions. He does chop the words a little bit in JTFTW and I think it makes a more fluid performance in some ways, actually. It doesn’t bother me although I wish he would sing The Right Place live without the repetitive staccato at the end. It’s a beautiful subtle song and doesn’t need to be changed up, JMO.

Kellie Pickler performs at Grand Ole Opry tonight, her 3rd appearance there:

http://www.gactv.com/gac/shows_goo/episode/0,3037,GAC_26156_50451,00.html

Great American Country channel airtimes:
April 21, 2007 8:00 PM ET
April 22, 2007 12:00 AM ET
April 22, 2007 12:00 PM ET
April 22, 2007 7:00 PM ET
April 24, 2007 9:00 PM ET

Single review: Kelly Clarkson – Never Again

http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/kcneveragain.htm

Sad news. The photos did not turn out. There was something wrong with the settings and they are all blurred. It’s very frustrating. Sorry folks, I wanted to show off my beautiful MJ girls, our friends and our favorite Soul Patrol beer lady.
:glurps_tb:

I jsut went to Paris’s myspace for a listen of her upcoming music – had no idea she would put that much hip in her hop. It’s definitley not my cup of tea music wise but her ordinary love single cracked the top 100 on the Urban chart… guess we’ll see. One thing you can say for the AI5ers – they’ve definitely put out some varied music. I still think that’s part of what made last season so enjoyable for me.

Running out the door, but I just wanted to say that I’m so glad everyone had a great time last night. I really, really wish that I wasn’t in school right now and that I could have taken some time off and gone to one of the NY, Boston, or Chicago shows and met with all you wonderful people. Oh well, there’s always next time

Before I head out for my weekend, I am still amazed at the success of the idols from Season 5. I haven’t listened to Paris yet but so far 6 of the top 10 have released albums. Bucky’s numbers come in next week but all so far hit top 10 if not top 5 on Billboard. The singles are being played on the radio and they’re getting hits. This is absolutely amazing for this cheesy show…and it would be nice if they actually mentioned it. Sorry to say Season 6 will just not match up (maybe Sanjaya and Blake will make it???)

So from AI5 – CDs released:
Kellie – October
Chris – November
Taylor – December
Katharine – January
Elliott – March
Bucky – April
Paris – will be released in May
Ace – probably released in June

The ones released so far seem to have respectable sales and are getting airplay. I think Mandissa has a Christian music cd being released? The only one I’m not sure about is Lisa Tucker… not bad AI5.

I believe Ricky with song choices, i DON’T believe him when it comes to the vote totals, i believe only Nigel and Ken actually know those. He also said a few weeks ago that Melinda and Blake were only seperated by a few thousand votes and that the rest were separated by a few hundred. There’s no way in hell AI wouldn’t mention that. Someone asked him if he was missing a few zeros and he went crazy and said he wasn’t going to spoil anymore.

Loved all the recaps from those who were at the Beacon last night! Loved, loved, loved them! It sounds like a night none of you will EVER forget, and I’m so thrilled that Taylor’s debut at the Beacon got such a spectacular response from the audience! He is some kind of entertainer for sure and generates such enthusiasm and excitement!

Apologies if my post at the end of yesterday’s thread with the link to that SHUT UP! blog offended – I was disappointed in Taylor’s JTFTW on Regis & Kelly yesterday because he mixed it up and didn’t sing it the way he did on Ellen (which was awesome I thought), but I really didn’t agree with or think it was as bad as that blogger wrote. Just disappointed, because I love the song and was so looking forward to seeing Taylor perform it again on TV. My Gosh! He is so handsome and has the warmest, most beautiful smile!

About AI messing with the votes just to get Sanjaya eliminated this week – I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that DI would be that “off” in a different way than they’ve been “off” all those prior weeks. Speaking specifically about Phil mostly. DI has shown him very close to the top almost every week, and yet he was suposedly “in the bottom 3″ three weeks in a row, but this week, when he was at the VERY TOP and supposedly the only one safe (at DI), the AI spoiler says he was actually in the bottom 3. Nuh-uh, not buying it. Lakisha being “declared safe” last week when DI and everyone else had her at very bottom. But it is hard not to be suspicious of TPTB at AI, so who really knows?

Am gone for day – we have bad thunderstorms, hail, wind, etc expected and I need to get out and run errands before it hits.

Thanks again for the great, fun (and funny) recaps about the concert and the continuing feud/a**kicking between the lovely JJ and Metta (alphabetically listed so as not to appear biased towards either)

From http://www.myspace.com/mandisa : “Mandisa’s Single “Only The World” Releases May 22nd!”

Did not see the release date for her album, however.

I think Mandissa has a Christian music cd being released?

Mandisa is signed with EMI (one of the 4 major record labels).

Mandisa’s myspace also lists her concert dates.

ETA: Jadore is faster than me, so I removed redundant info.

Kirsten/jadore,

Her music is going to be Christian music, right? I’m thinking so based on her myspace…
Thanks for the info!

Her music is going to be Christian music, right? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking so based on her myspaceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Yes, she is on EMI’s sub-label Sparrow Music (a Christian label).

Here is a link to her label’s news page (and it lists her CD release date as July 31st):

http://www.sparrowrecords.com/news/news_detail_page.aspx?id=527141&tid=227

It also clarifies that the single will be released to radio on May 11th and for sale on May 22nd.

You are a wealth of info Kirsten!!!

Unless Ricky is friends with the producers, I have a hard time believing he would have access to vote totals. I have an even harder time beleiving they would risk so much to have Sanjaya gone when his presence would hardly have ruined the IGB show. It just isn’t logical.

I wouldn’t put it past them to manimpulate the bottom three, but I don’t think they would send the wrong person home. Why wouldn’t they have just kept Sabrina when she gotten voted off? Didn’t Ricky say she was the original chosen one?

Exactly pj, they could have easily have kept Sabrina on there, i’m still shocked as to how she could have got voted off, i know she was essentially sharing the same voting pool as the other “divas” but she was very very good

Apologies if my post at the end of yesterdayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s thread with the link to that SHUT UP! blog offended – I was disappointed in Taylorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s JTFTW on Regis & Kelly yesterday because he mixed it up and didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing it the way he did on Ellen (which was awesome I thought), but I really didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t agree with or think it was as bad as that blogger wrote. Just disappointed, because I love the song and was so looking forward to seeing Taylor perform it again on TV. My Gosh! He is so handsome and has the warmest, most beautiful smile!

I don’t know what happened yesterday, but I thought he sounded like shit on Regis and Kelly. I was very worried about the concert, I was praying he did not sound that crappy at the Beacon. Let me tell you, and I’m sure everyone else would agree, his vocals were spot on last night. They were absolutely perfect.

Michael Slezak does a review of Daughtry’s new video “Home” (you can also watch it there).

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2007/04/daughtry_gwen_s.html

“And yet, paired with the wistful lyrics about being away from the ones you love and the urge to get back to ‘em (“The miles are getting longer it seems/The closer I get to you”), the images get imbued with emotional relevance.”

Comments are interesting. As if to illustrate Whitney’s point the other day, Michael gives the video a positive review and still manages to have a fan call him an “abnacious pig”

EW also has a Sanjaya photo album: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20007164_20008532_20035956,00.html

And suggestions for song selections:
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20007164_20008532_20035956,00.html

LaKisha Jones: Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”
Phil Stacey: Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” (guaranteed to get him into the top 5!)
Jordin Sparks: Sade’s “Pearls”
Chris Richardson: Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”
Melinda Doolittle: Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin’s “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves”
Blake Lewis: Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”

“It also clarifies that the single will be released to radio on May 11th and for sale on May 22nd.”

Oops, you are correct, and I am sorry for the misinformation in my earlier post. Will stop posting here.

The whole “voting discretion” clause seems to refer to their being allowed to throw out votes that appear to be auto-generated. I don’t think they just toss out votes randomly and have to answer to some kind of auditing authority or whatever. However, when the votes are close, which it appears they were, I think they then can make discretionary decisions. The joke was wearing thin, and with the big show coming next week, I think they may well have decided it was time to get down to serious business here.

I am very dubious about AI messing with the actual vote totals as well. Its possible, but very, very stupid on their part to do so. If it gets out with any sort of proof or reliability it means potentially a huge loss in value of the brand, maybe even the end of the show. And that is a huge amount of money to be gambling just to bump Sanjaya out for a better singer in their Idol gives back show. Its possible, people do stupid things some time, but it seems highly unlikely.

Also, say that they did mess with the vote totals. And there is someone in their camp that is willing to spoil that information. Why in the world would they bother giving that information to Rickey. That is a huge story, and I am sure someone would be willing to compensate you pretty well for it. So not only do we need the idol producers to be really stupid, we need the informant to be kind of on the dim side as well.

Glad to hear Taylor was in good voice at the Beacon last night. I’m seeing him tomorrow in Royal Oak, MI – taking my sister. She’s 53 & this will be the 2nd concert of her life – I took her to see her favorite, Bob Seger, in December. When she saw her first concert & realized what she missed all these years, she told me “You have to take me when Taylor comes!” So I want it to be good!

Well, Leno did tell Sanjaya that he was an honorable person who wanted to get into show business and the two did NOT mix..

I also rewatched the Sanajaya exit video, and Ryan NEVER stated Sanjaya had the lowest number of votes… Just told him he was going home… We have to remember with AI… It’s all in the wording….

I would NOT be surprised to learn that AI decided to send him home eventhough he may NOT have had the lowest votes..

I’m still NOT convinced that Elliott had the lowest number of votes when he went home last year…

Oh.. what a tangle web we can weave, if and when we practice to deceive..

jadore: Oops, you are correct, and I am sorry for the misinformation in my earlier post. Will stop posting here.

No. No. Jadore. I didn’t mean you at all. The Myspace page said that the single was going to be released on May 22nd, but that the news article provided a bit more detail. The single is going to be released on the 22nd, but people can start hearing it a little sooner. That’s the reason I mentioned.

Please keep posting. I didn’t mean what I posted as being anything negative about you at all. Your information is always accurate and timely.

I’m sorry if I gave that impression at all.

Good morning and thanks to all for the recaps of Taylors concert.
Interesting that there is a discussion going on about voting this morning. I just happened to be searching for a certain newspaper in my area last night, and came across some old blog from season five. There was a big discussion going back and forth between this guy who was a big Taylor supporter and others. It was very, very interesting to read. One guy claimed to be an employee of Fox and admitted that some things were set up……..such as the the celebrity request of Taylor and that he knew about it because the mic was set in a certain seat for Taylor to pick up etc etc. But he said that the votes were definitely not fixed, only that the way was made for certain people to be highlighted. (I have no idea if this person even worked for Fox) They had some interesting observations about Kat too.
CALIMARI………….I am taking my sister to Taylors concert too!!! She only knows him by his album and so it will be interesting to see how she feels about his concert.

I actually saw Taylor sing on Regis and Kelly and i didn’t think he sounded that bad at all?

So, the Ricky spoilers thing has become more interesting.

He says the only other time producers messed with voting totals was way back in season one, when Nikki McKibbin supposedly actually made the final two, but they kicked her off because “they wanted a Justin vs. Kelly” finale.

Ricky also says he’s going to try to get contact with Howard Stern and make this public.

*

I’m not sure what to think of this now. I’m inclined to disbelieve, but…

Ryan also didn’t say that one group included people who had gotten the lowest votes. He said one group had the highest number of votes and the other one the lowest. If you add up the votes of the people in a group, it could be true. But it’s a pretty crappy thing to do.

I know there’s all this pimping stuff – it’s all pretty obvious. But selling a bottom 3 on such a technicality is strange. Heck, I’ll even allow that but sending the wrong person home is way too shady.

Is it really that hard to imagine Phil and Chris getting a vote increase and Blake and Sanjaya getting a vote decrease?

radname………..I don’t think Taylor sounded bad on R&K so much as the background again and too much growling. Only MO. That song needs to be done straight.

If there is indeed manipulation going on with AI, then that might back up what some people speculated…… that AI saw that Taylor was going to win and pulled Chris D to get him started on his path early. NOT saying this is true, but the thought was bounced around some at one time.

I HAVE A STORY : about a unknown group no more..kind’ve a look at taylor’s future

anyone heard of Ausgustana??????a place in the greek ailse perhaps????no it’s a singing group who was on cbs morning show..they sound simialiar to SnowPatrol anyway they came out with a album 2 years ago that went no where..so what did they do???give up..no they went on the road singing everywhere2 years later 2 songs off this album became hits and thier album who didn’t get the time of day for 2 years is now gold….it remains me what taylor is going through ..going to place to place starting over again to be heard…just wanted you to know..a group that did not sale hardly any disappeared..only to returned to becaome gold…reminds me of taylor

MJ,

Last nights result show was as follows.

7. Melinda
6. Jordin
5. Blake
4. Chris
3. Sanjaya
2. Phil
1. Lakisha

how about them apples?

OK, let’s say it is granted that the PTB can manipulate the results… here’s a puzzle — given that they CLEARLY wanted Daughtry to win and ended up with someone they did not want to win, WHY DID THEY NOT DO THE SAME THING LAST SEASON ?

^ Great point, LBB.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Taylor sounded bad on R&K so much as the background again and too much growling. Only MO. That song needs to be done straight.

Some people might disagree with me on this — but if people learned to love you for the songs they heard you perform, WHY FIX SOMETHING THAT AIN’T BROKEN ?

JTFTW was perfect the way it sounded in the recorded,what the heck were those vocal changes that I keep hearing on TV ?

Now someone posted that he made JTFTW even better at the Beacon… THIS I WOULD LOOOOVE TO HEAR. Did anyone tape it ?

As for Georgia, where the hell did the magic of the original record go ? I have NEVER, NEVER ever heard Taylor repeat the same magical moment he created in IYT. Nope, not in Rehearsals.com, and not at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta. I’m not sure if he did the same justice to the song in his Atlanta concert because I haven’t heard it but my guess is not.

Just as Track and Swimming records are established once by guys like Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz, they are never repeated by the same person.

JMHO.

Popped in for a quick read, just had to answer this:

OK, letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s say it is granted that the PTB can manipulate the resultsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a puzzle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  given that they CLEARLY wanted Daughtry to win and ended up with someone they did not want to win, WHY DID THEY NOT DO THE SAME THING LAST SEASON ?

BECAUSE IT’S EASY TO MASSAGE A RESULT WHEN THE FANS/MEDIA HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE DOWNFALL OF A PARTICULAR CONTESTANT!

ps. Glad all you Beacon concert goers had a great time, hope JJ and Metta haven’t too many bruises.

For anyone registered at the boogie, Gypsee has posted some terrific pics of last night at the Beacon but also some others of Taylor relaxing and connecting with some kids at, I think, the workshop he went to with Randy Jackson. Look in the Media topic under WireImage Beacon and GrammyU. Thank you Gypsee!

Ryan also didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t say that one group included people who had gotten the lowest votes. He said one group had the highest number of votes and the other one the lowest.

He also told Melinda to “choose the group you think is coming back next week”. I’ve watched it a couple times now and that’s always struck me.

hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a puzzle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  given that they CLEARLY wanted Daughtry to win and ended up with someone they did not want to win, WHY DID THEY NOT DO THE SAME THING LAST SEASON ?

Um, one reason could be that it’s very likely that Taylor was never even close to the bottom, so they never could have legitimately gotten away with it.

What if, the AI producers knew someone was going to win, so figured they may as well let it happen, groom their favorite in the meantime, create bad press and controversy, then trash the winner. Wait, that did happen.

They could have easily gotten rid of Taylor if they wanted to IMO, but they didn’t.

Bingo mad! I always thought that is what happened.

I forgot to post a link to Ricky’s My Space

Possible spoiler from vicki4471 at IDF:

I was held captive listening to a country music station on my husbands sirius satellite radio and Jeff Carson was doing some sort of correspondence about the cmt awards and the upcoming ACM awards. They started the conversation by mentioning Carrie Underwood and her sweep of the CMT awards, Then the talk turned to how Carrie got her start on American idol then moved into mentions of Kellie Pickler and that bucky dropped a record this week as well.They were talking about how American idol has become a phenomenon and how with the likes Of Josh gracin, Carrie, kelly and Bucky American idol has really made ita mark in the country music industry.Jeff carson then mentioned that one of his songs..”I can only imagine” was going to be used in a future episode..some sort of charity event…He said the theme that week was inspirational music and he was very excited to see the contestants take on the song…any time an older song gets a breath of new life breathed into it, especially on a national platform like AI its something to be proud and excited about..

Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sw9RnNRrjU

This sounds like Phil to me. It’s a beautiful song.

calimari…..for some reason, it just warms my heart what you said about your sister. what a sweet experience and i so wish i had a sister myself! yeah, i know they can probaby be pains in the neck sometimes, but try having 2 brothers! i think it touched me because it reminded me of my mother and her sister who were close in age and did so much together. they have both since passed, at young ages (56 and 58), but they would have loved Taylor. i will be smiling thinking of you and her there together, making sweet memories for yourselves. you too, mad!

glad metta and jj both survived. that’s all i will say. have a good weekend everyone.

Why would AI let someone win they don’t want, and then trash them if they control the voting? Why would they not let Chris win, and then he gets great sales and they say just like our past winners, Chris has phenominal sales yadda yadda yadda

Who is this ricky person? Just wondering how he is getting his info…

radname………….you spoke the ultimate question. Why indeed? Someday, I am convinced, we will find out. My question always was, WHY trash the winner so openly and badly? He certainly is no threat to Daughtry for instance, with his huge sales. That alone is the question I crave the answer to.

Radname, if Taylor was close to the top of voting each week, no they could not have “easily” gotten rid of him. It was OBVIOUS he was a popular contestant, and as it got down to the wire, he never bombed on a performance. If he’d ever ended up in the bottom 3, then no doubt, they would have booted him. But I think he was almost ALWAYS in the top 3 vote-getters, and there is no way they could have legitimized a decision to boot him.

And where exactly has AI created negative press and “trashed the winner”? Not mentioning him on the show is not = to trashing him. It’s equal to not mentioning him. Oh wait… things Simon and Nigel have said. Methinks those statements are read into just a leeeettle.

Preston, that’s a great song. I could see Phil doing it… maybe Melinda also. But yeah, probably Phil. Will be a great song for him, if that indeed is his song choice.

On a completely different and unrelated note, I am watching Bridget Jones’ Diary. Such a great movie.

The “I Can Only Imagine” song has a good possibility of being completely boring on a singing show. A LOT of repetition. It might be a better song choice for Chris. I hope it’s not Phil’s, but it probably is…sigh….

I was sorta hoping for What’s Goin On from Phil. Oh well. At least I have never heard “I Can Only Imagine” in an elevator…

Ricky is now saying TPTB want a Blake/Melinda or Jordin finale with Blake winning. There’s a theory going around that he’s saying this stuff because he wants Chris to win (he mentioned this in another post). His vote rankings and his insider info on TPTB are meant to make Blake’s and Jordin’s fanbase complacent so they will vote for Chris instead.

LOL. This is all becoming a little silly, no? Theories upon theories upon theories about people’s motivations. I wish we were back in a time where nobody knew the vote totals or where there was just Edna and DialIdol.

Sarah, first of all awesome movie. Second, I noticed what Ryan said to Melinda as well. Very tricky to navigate through his words and their actual meaning.

I still am trying to figure out what a ricky is… who is he? Oh well…

JJ
Looked at Gypsee’s pics at the BB and even in the closeups I don’t see a red button on his jacket. Thought I did once, but on closer inspection, it was the bottom of the mic. Are you sure it wasn’t that you saw. There are quite a few pictures where the mic is prominent, and that red portion on the bottom sticks out like a sore thumb.

Sarah………amazingly, prominent figures have alot of clout in this world, for good or bad. One only has to read things on the internet to see what effect a wrong word or even a look can do to someone.Look at all the flack Taylor got over the “fizzle” remark. (Simon just had to face this with “the look” he supposedly gave last week) So, at the beginning of a new season, for someone like Simon to do the gum thing, then give an interview in the press saying such strong words as “I couldn’t stand him” about Taylor, followed up by the producer saying he didn’t want Taylor to win, then other negative comments………of course it affects people. It happens in your own neighborhood, school etc.

Lu, Ricky’s the one who spoiled the top 24. He also has song spoilers sometimes (but not for the past few weeks). He also does Survivor spoilers, Canadian Idol spoilers and a few other shows.

klp
Apr 21st, 2007 at 1:23 pm
JJ
Looked at Gypseeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pics at the BB and even in the closeups I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see a red button on his jacket. Thought I did once, but on closer inspection, it was the bottom of the mic. Are you sure it wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t that you saw. There are quite a few pictures where the mic is prominent, and that red portion on the bottom sticks out like a sore thumb.

Yes, JJ was correct. The third button is RED in Tay’s left arm, see http://www.tay-online.com/img/2007tour/042007/31.jpg
There are more pixs on my site

*Sigh* One of the songs on Elliott’s iTunes playlist is John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”. I KNEW I liked Elliott. That is one of my fave John Mayer songs so far.

I got Buckys new cd yesterday. I love his single out, but really love Hometown on his cd. A Bible and a Belt is good too. Bucky did a good job. A good rockin country album with a couple of really good ballads.

The only reason I am not totally convinced that Melinda will win season 6, is that most people think she is a shoo-in. That can backfire as we all know.
klp…….I think you are right about the red button. I can understand how from the audience it might seem like it.
No conspiracy theory here……….only speculation and musing. At the same time, after a certain age, you have learned that things aren’t always as they seem.

Off topic but related to POP music nonetheless.

For those of you who are fans of the two time Grammy rapper, CAM’RON ( his Album COME HOME WITH ME went platinum ), here’s an interesting tidbit I just heard on the news :

http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=35047322

Cam’ron Won’t Help Police Catch Serial Killers

If Cam’ron’s next-door neighbor happened to be a serial killer, you’d probably never know. According to an interview with Anderson Cooper that will air on this Sunday’s 60 Minutes, the platinum- selling artist, whose real name is Cameron Giles, says he would not offer any information to aid police catching a serial killer if he knew of their whereabouts, citing a potential subsequent decline in sales and the upholding of a “code of ethics” as his prominent reasoning.

The interview is part of Cooper’s report on how hip-hop tends to send a message to its listeners to avoid aiding police in solving murders…

LB2:
Lu, Rickyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the one who spoiled the top 24. He also has song spoilers sometimes (but not for the past few weeks). He also does Survivor spoilers, Canadian Idol spoilers and a few other shows.
_________________________________________________________

LB2,
I went to his myspace link that MJ provided. I’m just wondering how this guy knows stuff…

BigTayFan……….LOL, are you sure that wasn’t a reflection off the red band onto the button? I know this topic could go for hours, so I, for one, concede. LOL

If I Could Only Imagine is a beautiful song. I loved Wynonas version and have it. I think Lakisha or Melinda will sing this one.

klpà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.I think you are right about the red button. I can understand how from the audience it might seem like it.

—————
I’m thinking that too or either the boy is color blind, and desperately needs a color coordinated WOMAN in his life to dress him..

I think there’s so many things that TPBP want, and could easily munipulate to go their way and they don’t. Also Taylor could have been outed top 5, he wasn’t in the top 2 of votes that week so..

Looks like Kat Mcphee and Daughtry are possibilities for Grammy Nominations ( AKA early favorites ).

Read all about it here if you don’t already know :

http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2007/04/gwen_maroon_5_a.html

LB, this IS getting silly. Good grief.

Anyway, listening to Blake’s recorded version of “When the Stars Go Blue” right now… absolutely beautiful. His falsetto is gorgeous. My only complaint about the song is that it should be longer!

This dude has a GREAT voice and he’s gonna make a killer album. I have no doubt he’ll be the biggest star out of this season.

To those of you at the Beacon… Did Taylor Hicks say he never expected he would be made a refrigerator magnet ?

Looks like Kat Mcphee and Daughtry are possibilities for Grammy Nominations ( AKA early favorites ).

Read all about it here if you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t already know :

http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2007/04/gwen_maroon_5_a.html

Why in the world would Kat be nominated for Best New Artist? Because of her publicity in every magazine? She certainly hasn’t sold enough albums to be in that category.

Although I can’t stand his singing, I understand why Daughtry would be nominated (big publicity push and high record sales). Kat, on the other hand, please tell me they are joking.

Kat has outsold all of those other people in the category except for Daughtry.

Taylor fans. I have missed this one for some reason. At the Orange Peel in Ashville, N.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS5KI3Hqcyo

Big Tay Fan -

Yep! I see it now. I wasn’t looking on the sleeve – just on the front! Funny that whoever sewed it on only had a red button available. (I doubt it was Taylor sewing a button on his jacket – or even noticing that one was missing!)
(You know, I really have to spend less time reading all things Taylor. I honestly don’t care about his buttons – so why did I even get involved?) LOL

klp……..at least you have lots of company.LOL

To those of you at the Beaconà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Did Taylor Hicks say he never expected he would be made a refrigerator magnet ?

He did, and got a chuckle out of the audience.

I have to agree that JTFTW sounded the best I had ever heard him sing it last night.

I think I may have actually talked to MaryS-NJ briefly, so maybe I did meet an Mjer lol. :smile_wp:

I thought Daughtry was a band…do they pick a band as best new artist?

Kat has outsold all of those other people in the category except for Daughtry.

So? That doesn’t necessarily warrant a “best new artist” nomination. Anyway, every other artist in that category also made a better album than she did, IMO.

And I’d rather Home be nominated for the Record of the Year than INO. But I doubt either one gets nominated, so…

Anyway, listening to Blakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s recorded version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When the Stars Go Blueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  right nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ absolutely beautiful. His falsetto is gorgeous. My only complaint about the song is that it should be longer!
This dude has a GREAT voice and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s gonna make a killer album. I have no doubt heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be the biggest star out of this season.

The longer version can be bought at the AI site for 99cents.

I thought Daughtry was a bandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦do they pick a band as best new artist?

Well, imo, an artist is an artist is an artist. So, yeah, I do believe it could happen.

Also, anyone know if Maroon 5′s new song is available for download yet? I am a shameless Maroon 5 fangirl. I LOVE their sound and style.

Kat has outsold all of those other people in the category except for Daughtry.

298 doesn’t seem enough sales to be nominated for a Grammy.

I think I may have actually talked to MaryS-NJ briefly, so maybe I did meet an Mjer lol.

Oh yes?? I think there must have been quite a few of us – some stealth, some not. :smile2_ee:

Thanks Sammy. That’s the one I’m listening to. I just wish it was longer than 2:48 or whatever. Too short, imo.

Kat has outsold all of those other people in the category except for Daughtry.

If the Grammys are going to hand out awards based on who’s sold the most, then they’ve become a sick joke.

As far as best new artist goes, I could see Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Paolo Nutini DEFINITELY in the category. Maybe Mat Kearney. None of these people have had blockbuster sales, but they’ve had a lot of critical buzz. That’s something that Daughtry and Katharine didn’t get. I don’t know how the voting works, but could Daughtry be hurt in the “Best New Artist” category by the fact that the band that recorded the album is not the band currently together?

Okay, shallow time! This is the dress I just bought for my friend’s wedding: http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product.do?cid=35665&pid=486531

Isn’t there some kind of category for “Best New Entertainer or Live Performer?”

If there is, Taylor should win! I don’t care how his single or cd is doing. As far as being a live performer – he should win hands down.

Pretty dress, Kat! :thumbup_tb:

klp………..no, Taylor will be forced to attend the Grammys and present to Daughtry or Kat. BTW, I wonder why it was Taylor that was a mentor at GrammyU, and not someone else? AND, the big question: Why has he not ever sung PIB on this tour??

If Taylor were to win an award like a Grammy that’s great, but if I’m going to be 100% honest, I don’t think his CD is worthy of one. (Nor do I think Kat’s or Daughtry’s is…all three Sony-major-label artists from season 5 put out pretty rote and formulaic discs.) I’d rather see him win for a sophomore or junior effort that has less influence from the bigwigs than for something that was in all likelihood a compromise between Taylor’s soul sensibilities and Clive’s pop ones.

It saddens me to think that if one of the Idols did win a Grammy, the media would jump right back into the competition: “X won a Grammy, proving that he/she was robbed and Taylor sucks.” Riiiight. (Those people deserve all the poorly-written comments they can get.) Besides, even if Taylor never wins a Grammy, I still like his music. I’m sure Kat, Elliott, and Chris’s fans feel the same about their Idols.

Bobbi–thanks.

Why has he not ever sung PIB on this tour??

Because every time he sings it, Diane Warren collects a royalty fee in the form of a part of his soul.

Heh, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Pickler syndromeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  setting in db! The hatred starts to fade as soon as theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re away from the show.

LOL, that’s it exactly! Thanks for the diagnosis, dlvs.

As for Ricky’s vote totals, I’m inclined to believe that they’re true, only if the margin of votes between the bottom three was so slim that TPTB could “legitimately” throw out votes. Otherwise, TBTB are being extremely stupid: it’s too risky to screw so obviously with the voting, and as much as TPTB want to get rid of a certain contestant, I’d think they’d keep that contestant rather than jeopardize the entire AI juggernaut.

I thought Daughtry was a bandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦do they pick a band as best new artist?

Evanescence won Best New Artist in 2004, and Maroon 5 won in 2005. So, little dà ¢’ž ¢’s CAPtastic band could be nominated. However, I’m not sure if the fact that the current members of the band did not actually record on the CD would pose a problem if the band as a whole was up for nomination.

Taylor fans. I have missed this one for some reason. At the Orange Peel in Ashville, N.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS5KI3Hqcyo

Tehe….I enjoy Taylor the Smart A$$.

ETA:

It saddens me to think that if one of the Idols did win a Grammy, the media would jump right back into the competition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“X won a Grammy, proving that he/she was robbed and Taylor sucks.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Riiiight. (Those people deserve all the poorly-written comments they can get.) Besides, even if Taylor never wins a Grammy, I still like his music. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure Kat, Elliott, and Chrisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans feel the same about their Idols.

Kat, totally agree.

Because every time he sings it, Diane Warren collects a royalty fee in the form of a part of his soul.

Hee :biggrin_wp:

If Daughtry the band gets nominated for a Grammy, we have us a Milli Vanilli situation going on.

If it is simply Chris Daughtry, then that makes sense.

I have no doubt he will get several nominations for Grammy and AM awards, and likely will win them. Not a question in my mind there.

As to McPhee. Haven’t a clue other than money being involved some way.

Taylor will continue to be “punished” for his poor record sales and maybe that’s as it should be, I dunno…… :confused_wp:

Oh I have an idea!!

Let’s play the “who is most likely to get saddled with Diane Warren sap-pap-crap” – that is obligatory on at least one AI alum cd – for the contestants of AI6. This, of course, is provided that at least Blake, Melinda, and Jordin get signed by Song/BMG (the 3 most likely to get signed, IMO).

And, of course, what the song should be about.

Metta and JJ are toooooo cute!

re: the red button — went to the boogie and thre is a red button, on his coat sleeve (4 buttons, 1 red).

Why would AI let someone win they donà ¢Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢t want, and then trash them if they control the voting? Why would they not let Chris win, and then he gets great sales and they say just like our past winners, Chris has phenominal sales yadda yadda yadda

I’m not convinced either way about Sanjaya being claused (or not) but I don’t think they could have claused Taylor because while he may have been “polarizing”, he was the voting front runner for most of the season (a fact acknowledged indirectly by Simon among others – grudgingly), had a fanbase of mostly people who genuinely liked him as a singer/musician/entertainer long before VFTW jumped on board, and if they claused him it would have caused a huge backlash. By the time they might have considered taking action, it was already too late because their favorite was then shockingly booted. I think they were still counting on Chris Daughtry to end up in the finale and pull out a victory and for Taylor to finish somewhere lower in the Top 5 without any vote manipulation.

I suppose they could have claused Katharine T4 week, but if they had, they might have been forced to do it twice to ensure a Chris victory against Taylor.

Sanjaya never had that kind of support from his fanbase that Taylor had. Taylor’s support was both broad and strong, Sanjaya’s was broad but casual.

Kat nominated for a Grammy???? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ~ !

Da Stah Magazine — “Daddy McPhooey Caught in Grammy Bribery Scam due to Bank Overdraft ” –

oh, ‘scuse me.

Kat, cute dress — a little Audrey Hepburn look!

Okay, Ricky has been giving these supposed vote totals all season. If they were real, don’t you think TPTB would have stopped him by now? I’m sure they are aware of his claims. And if they couldn’t stop him, do you think they would risk pulling a stunt like removing Sanjaya knowing that some kid had an inside contact and would reveal the truth?

Maybe someone is playing with Ricky or maybe he has a hidden agenda. I highly doubt that they would remove Sanjaya under the circumstances.

Looked at Gypseeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pics at the BB and even in the closeups I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see a red button on his jacket. Thought I did once, but on closer inspection, it was the bottom of the mic. Are you sure it wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t that you saw. There are quite a few pictures where the mic is prominent, and that red portion on the bottom sticks out like a sore thumb.

I was in the 2nd row, it was a button.

To those of you at the Beaconà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Did Taylor Hicks say he never expected he would be made a refrigerator magnet ?

He said he never expected he would own a refrigerator magnet

Kat, cute dress à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  a little Audrey Hepburn look!

Except that I have breasts and an a$$. But thanks

Kat’s cd actually got a lot of praise from critically aclaimed reviewers/big reviewers. I know it might be hard to believe, but there’s actually people out that that have said Kat’s cd is good, and that she has the ability to be a Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. But if you guys don’t think the Grammys should be based on sales then what are they based on? Best New Artist is a Best New Artist, and Kat has gotten attention from her record.

Ladybug……….why would it be OK to punish any artist whose sales don’t meet expectations when it is up to the fans to buy and the artist has no control over it anyway? If sales are down 17%, and even big stars aren’t selling what is normal……there would be an awful lot of people being punished. It is more like the greed by the companies, gets in the way of the artistry anyway. Someone has to support the lifestyles of the producers and execs. I at least know that part from personal knowledge. That is the greed and lifestyles.

298 doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem enough sales to be nominated for a Grammy.

Grammys are not actually based on sales, like i said, if it was, then everyone in that category besides Daughtry wouldn’t be in it.

radname, you also are toooo cute!

As far as best new artist goes, I could see Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Paolo Nutini DEFINITELY in the category.

Absolutely. Three of the best purchases I’ve made this year. All British, oddly enough.

By the way Kat, pretty dress! Did you buy the open toed shoes too? :clap_tb:

If you look at a group album, you hardly have the exact same people playing on every song. Someone could be playing a tambourine, or timpanis, I don’t see it all getting in the way of Daughtrys chances.

Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s play the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“who is most likely to get saddled with Diane Warren sap-pap-crapà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Easy – it’s gotta be Jordin, no? She’d do the best if forced to do that material. I see Melinda going for something more refined and Blake going for something more experimental.

pj, people are believing Ricky this time because he’s threatening to contact Howard Stern. I am still skeptical though.

Lu, Ricky claims to have an insider source for AI – meaning there is no way for us to verify his vote totals.

I googled grammyU and it has some good information there about the grammy awards and the org.

LB2, I don’t see how going to Howard Stern gives him more credibility. Is he going to offer up his source?

I just don’t get why it’s so hard to believe Kat might be nominated for a Grammy? Gwen Stefani might be as well, and her new CD is shit. There’s about 2 good songs on there. (One is Yummy, featuring Pharrell so you guys might want to check that song out)

Radname, I agree that Grammy’s often go to sucky CDs, so who knows?

There is no way in hell that AI would mess with the vote totals. On the show “the bottom three” is always debatable, but they would never purposely throw out votes to get someone out. Now I’m sure there is a lot of manilpulation that goes along with getting someone off and I’m sure they’ve tried it with some contestants.
If someone was making accusations about AI being rigged there’s no doubt there would be 100′s of people on their asses requesting tons of info. A lotta people wanna bring the show down. Unless it’s a HUGE conspiracy involved all the networks, I think the vote totals are ok.

Oh, and Sarah, I’m with LB2. I see Dianne Warren in Jordin’s future.

Ladybugà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.why would it be OK to punish any artist whose sales donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t meet expectations when it is up to the fans to buy and the artist has no control over it anyway?

I was being sarcastic up there. Sorry.

I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get why ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so hard to believe Kat might be nominated for a Grammy? Gwen Stefani might be as well, and her new CD is shit. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s about 2 good songs on there.

I agree here. Grammy/AMA’s award as many undeserving artists as deserving. Sometimes more.

There are so many factors involved in both selection and in winning and some of them have absolutely nothing to do with talent or good music.

But, bottom line, there is nothing like the cachet of having “Grammy Winning” or even “Grammy Nominated” in front of your name as a recording artist.

Kat, cute dress à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  a little Audrey Hepburn look!

Carolina, Audrey Hepburn came to mind when I looked at the dress too.

I’m jumping on the Jordin gets the Diane Warren song bandwagon.

I think Paolo Nutini CD is terrific…love all the songs.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0kg_KCsi6aw&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qGyErt9JvKI&mode=related&search=

But if you guys donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think the Grammys should be based on sales then what are they based on?

Uhh…how about the quality of the record?

A lot of reviewers liked Kat’s CD and a lot of them didn’t. The same goes for Taylor and Daughtry. If she gets nominated for a Grammy, good for her, but seriously…for an album including formulaic paint-by-numbers songs like “Over It” and “Not Ur Girl?” And for “Open Toes?” But hey, I’m not a voting member.

By the way Kat, pretty dress! Did you buy the open toed shoes too?

Hee, no. I’m still looking for the right pair of shoes to go with it. Maybe now’s the time to splurge on the black lace peep toes I’ve had my eye on…

Besides, the Grammys these days serve only to cater to what’s popular. Awesome blues, jazz, bluegrass, and classical albums/songs are never up for Album or Record of the Year, unless they’re performed by legends like Eric Clapton or Paul Simon. If the Grammys were really about talent and quality, more genre artists would be up for more major awards. But they’re not, because the Grammys aren’t. I don’t think Carrie Underwood deserved her win last year, and I don’t think any of the Idols (including Taylor) would deserve one this year.

Mississippigirl – thanks for your nice comments. I wish my other sister was coming with us, but she didn’t reply to my messages about tix until after I got them at the presale, and I was limited to 4 presale tix, and she would have been #5. I’ve been trying to get her to get an extra ticket & go with us, but she won’t if she can’t sit w/ us. She will wait for Taylor’s next Michigan stop. I do have a brother, but it’s the 3 girls who are close.

I have a few thoughts about the *cough* artistic and/or merit-based Grammys, but for now, here’s another ray of sunshine about the decline of the music industry:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The industry has pinned its hopes for top-line recovery on sales of digital downloads, but we believe this faith is misplaced. Digital sales cannot replace the library renewal and building that sustained the music industry’s top-line surge throughout the 1980s and 1990s as the CD was introducedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ The digital format allows consumers to ‘cherry pick’ the tracks they really want, instead of forcing them to buy whole albums.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ from an Enders Analysis research note, quoted in The Wall Street Journal (4/19a)

Source: Hits Daily Double

Carrie Underwood and Justin Timberlake have been named the sexiest male and female musicians by Victoria’s Secret on the lingerie company’s list of “What Is Sexy?” The list was determined by Victoria’s Secret executives, designers and supermodel spokeswomen, including Heidi Klum and Karolina Kurkova. Others who made the list include soccer player David Beckham (sexiest dad), Jessica Alba (actress), Eric Dane (actor), speed racer Danica Patrick (female athlete), New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (male athlete), Kate Hudson (mom) and Jay-Z and Beyonce (couple).

So Justin Timberlake is the sexiest male musician, despite looking like a fetus with facial hair, huh? Interesting. Carrie certainly is beautiful, but sexy? I find her a bit white bread. I guess I need a man’s opinion on that one. I guess you get to be the sexiest dad by cheating on your wife (David Beckham).

Interesting list.

I know it might be hard to believe, but thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s actually people out that that have said Katà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s cd is good, and that she has the ability to be a Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

Good! She only has about 5 million in sales to go to catch up to them!

Hee, no. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still looking for the right pair of shoes to go with it. Maybe nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the time to splurge on the black lace peep toes Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve had my eye onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

___________________

Kat, if there is no lace on that bow or on that dress, I would not go with black lace shoes..

EDIT.. Sorry about that… It’s the mother in me….Just advice that I would give my own daughters..
I sincerely did NOT mean to overstep my boundaries..

Carrie Underwood is one of the most beautiful women in show business. I’m not surprised at all that people find her sexy. Hell, I would if I swung that way!

And yes, Justin Timberlake IS sexy. I’d do him. Doesn’t mean I necessarily have to like his music though.

Kat, if there is no lace on that bow or on that dress, I would not go with black lace shoes..

The dress has a large black bow. I am actually leaning toward buying a pair of either simple black satin open toed heels or black strappy sandals. I think keeping the shoes plain ol’ black is the way to go.

Unfortunately with it being summer, it’s tough to find black shoes…

emeralgem, don’t worry about it! Lord knows I give my own mother enough fashion advice. And the black lace shoes I were looking at were solid black…not black and white, so they would have worked.

Actually come to think of it, I might have a pair of shoes like that already that could match.

Hey Peeps!! I sure do miss you guys when I’m out of town. I’m posting from the hotel’s business center – so lord knows how much this is costing me!

So, about last night…….

I enjoyed a lovely dinner with some really lovely people. MaryS, MaryS-daughter, Jersey, Metta & Sexygirl are some seriously fun dinner companions. Both Spense-Friend and I had a fabulous time.

I plan to talk Spense-Friend into registering at MJ’s and joining in on the fun. Maybe she’ll post her own recap when we get back to town. She did want me to tell everyone that she had a GREAT time and she loves he MJer’s!

We too loved the ice cold beer lady. So, much in fact that we bought a couple of ice cold beers.

I echo what the others said about the diversity of the crowd. There was a quite a mix. And, there were a lot of men. In fact I saw several groups of men who appeared to not be there with women. So, I guess all of the men at Taylor’s concerts aren’t unwilling husbands being dragged along by their wives.

I cannot even begin to put into words how much fun the actual concert was. What a great night, and what a great crowd. NYC really loves Taylor and it showed. The crowd was on their feet all neet and Taylor and the band really fed off that energy. The whole place felt like it was on fire. Plain and simple, it was a superb concert!

My mission for last night was to get one of Felix’s drum sticks. At the end, I stood by the stage and when he came out I screamed his name. Of course, he promptly came over and gave a drum stick to…… Spense-friend. WTF? Spense-friend is a good woman, and she has handed it over to the woman who should be its rightful owner….. me.

All told – I am happy. We had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the MJ crowd. It was a GREAT night.

PS: Sarah – if you haven’t got it yet – I got an extra IYT CD for you

(And, I can’t spell check on this old piece of crap, so please forgive any typos)

So Justin Timberlake is the sexiest male musician, despite looking like a fetus with facial hair, huh?

Scruffy lookin’ fetus with facial hair. I hate the boy-stubble. I didn’t much like the stubble look on Don Johnson in Miami Vice either, but at least he looked manly. Then again, when JT is clean shaven he looks girly to me so I guess the stubble is supposed to make him look less girly. I like manly men.

I’m SO not one of the cool kids, I guess.

ETA:

Spenser! Great recap!

I’m sorry we didn’t get to say one final goodbye after the show last night, but it was really wonderful getting to meet you face to face, and Spense-friend too! Please do try to lure her into MJ’s community… just don’t warn her that it’s addicting, okay? LOL She might be askeered.

Have fun this weekend visiting your folks!

If you look at a group album, you hardly have the exact same people playing on every song. Someone could be playing a tambourine, or timpanis, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see it all getting in the way of Daughtrys chances.

It has nothing to do with the possibility of ending up on the shortlist – whether or not that’s due to “artistic merit” or popularity – it’s whether or not daughtry (the band) is nominated or Chris Daughtry (the singer) is nominated.

It’s my understanding that besides Chris, the current lineup of daughtry (the band) did not record on the CD. There were studio musicians laying down the instrumentation for the tracks. Yet this CD is being pushed as an album by a collective group of specific individuals calling themselves “daughtry” (the band). Thus, if daughtry (the band) was nominated for Best New Artist, it would seem to be a bit hollow since daughtry (the band) did not record the CD. However, it would make more sense if Chris Daughtry (the singer) was nominated for Best New Artist, yet really weird since he is now the frontman of a band.

I’m sure there are Grammy rules and regulations which would determine the eligibility of daughtry (the band), but I’ve googled and haven’t come up with anything. So, this is nothing but speculation on my part.

ETA:

Others who made the list include soccer player David Beckham (sexiest dad), Jessica Alba (actress), Eric Dane (actor), speed racer Danica Patrick (female athlete), New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (male athlete), Kate Hudson (mom) and Jay-Z and Beyonce (couple).

I went to high school with her cousin. He was an interesting guy to say the least. Anyways, on one memorable day, he decided to moon my friends and I. To this day, I can’t read the name “Jessica Alba” and not think about his unattractive butt. *shudder*

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry we didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get to say one final goodbye after the show last night, but it was really wonderful getting to meet you face to face, and Spense-friend too! Please do try to lure her into MJà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t warn her that ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s addicting, okay? LOL She might be askeered.

Me too Mary! I wanted a hug, but alas I lost Spense-friend and needed to find her. Right now, I have to go, because Spense-friend is upstairs, waiting for me, and very, very hungry.

Amy Winehouse’s song was played on Grays Anatomy on thursday..It was a good song ..

db: Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my understanding that besides Chris, the current lineup of daughtry (the band) did not record on the CD.

This is correct. The band members were cast after the CD was recorded and before the promo tour started.

There is a difference between having studio musicians fill out the sound of the band and the band not even existing when the CD is made.

I could see Chris Daughtry being nominated for performance awards, but not the band. And then of course there are songwriting and producing awards for which they could be nominated.

IMO, there is no need to debate whether or not any song has the quality to qualify for a Grammy….My Humps won a Grammy.

“…The digital format allows consumers to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹cherry pickà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ the tracks they really want, instead of forcing them to buy whole albums.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

The problem with whole albums is that technology makes it too easy to rip and burn the songs you want and trade with your friends. So, no matter what they do, they will have some sales erosion due to file sharing.

One thing they might do if they want people to buy digital “albums” instead of single tracks, maybe they could consider bundling. Offer an album that has 15 songs, and only allow purchase of a bundle not individual song downloads, say $9.99 for any 10 tracks of those 15 that the buyer wants, or a discount on the whole 15. Or, continue to offer video or some other perks for the whole album. That gives consumers some choice.

IMO, there is no need to debate whether or not any song has the quality to qualify for a Grammyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.My Humps won a Grammy.

Then by all means: Open Toes for Record of the Year.

Aight, off to the grocer’s…I’m making frittata with Italian sausage tonight. Back in a few!

Spense, YOU ROCK. I just love you. I haven’t heard from Kerri since she got back from the Birchmere, so I’m thinking she ran off with Taylor.

I need to email you anyway… we still on for next weekend?

Spense – I’m sorry we didn’t get to say goodnight last night. Tell Spense-friend it was great meeting her too!
And I’ll leave the description of leather pants man to you!

There is a difference between having studio musicians fill out the sound of the band and the band not even existing when the CD is made.

Exactly my point, Kirsten – except much more succinctly stated.

I could see Chris Daughtry being nominated for performance awards, but not the band. And then of course there are songwriting and producing awards for which they could be nominated.

Based on the recorded CD, the only performance award which Chris (the singer) would be eligible is Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(“For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only,” says the Grammy website.) I don’t see daughtry (the band) being eligible for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (“For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.”). Last year’s nominees in this category were Coldplay, The Fray, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Raconteurs. These bands were all bands prior to recording their album.

As far as the eligibility of daughty (the band) and Chris Daughtry (the singer) for Best New Artist, I think it’s a toss up (although I have my personal feelings about it). Here are the qualifications:

Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

So, did daughtry (the album) establish the public identity of a band or a singer?? I would think the former, but I would still find it odd for a band to be nominated for an album they didn’t even record.

I could see Chris Daughtry being nominated for performance awards, but not the band. And then of course there are songwriting and producing awards for which they could be nominated.

And if It’s Not Over gets a songwriting Grammy, Chris gets to share it with his BFF Ace.

Kat, my i suggest with the dress a pair of OPEN TOES

I think Justin Timberlake is sexy, i prefer him with less facial hair and more hair on the top of his head, but he’s a great singer, perfomer, and is hilarious

In keeping with the Audrey Hepburn theme (to include bias) — NO OPEN TOES!

emeralgem — Audrey will always be known for her great style!

paris, and lilo both got hacked lol. i love it.

If I was in a band, and my gutarist, say his name is Steve, was with us during the recording of the band but afterwards left us shortly after and a new replacement named Joe came in. Does that mean we shouldn’t get a Grammy?

I think Justin Timberlake is as sexy as a popsicle coated with dust bunnies. Just yuck.

Not wanting to starting fanwars but just want to be honest. Kat being nominated for a Grammy is just as laughable as her video all of a sudden dropping into the number one spot on VH1′s countdown. After four months of being out and not burning up any charts that I can see. At least Carrie Underwood’s new video is climbing the countdown but Kat just dropping into the number one position means that this chick’s got some serious pull behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, I cannot say I’m surprised. I’ve said before every accolade any of the Season Five guys receive, Kat is going to end of receiving it also. Anyone noticed that outside of Gray telling us that Taylor received a gold record for his single Do I Make You Proud, no other mentioning was ever made.. Reality sometimes is what it is.

————————-

Good Afternoon everyone..

I guess I’m the last to post my recap except for Spenser. Who, I hope, is out finishing up her shopping on this beautiful day in NYC..

Well, let’s see. I stood between JJ and Metta both literally and figuratively last night. Much arms were swinging but it seem to come mostly from Metta who, I guess, was very excited because she was not only DANCING HER ASS OFF with Taylor but went toe-to-toe with JJ despite her slight height disadvantage. Moral to the evening, never think you’re at an advantage because you’re taller.

I had a great time last night. I won’t compare the Starland concert to last night because they were at different venues and Taylor’s energy seemed to fit according to the venues he play. I don’t know if he was expecting it or not but last night was DA BOMB.. Everyone stood up and was screaming from the time he came on stage to the time he left. He did the little gaging of noise volume with his hand when he came out on stage..too cute. He even came back out after his encore and teased us with a bit more singing and dance. It was like he did not want to leave the stage.

I did not know what to expect from the audience intially because everyone was seated during Toby’s performances and a few stood to applaude when she was done. I did notice that Taylor did stood more in the center a lot last night than at Starland. He even came to the edge quite a bit. My ego wants to believe it’s because he was witnessing two GORGEOUS African-American women shaking their grove things to his music..LOL Okay, I’ll admit, maybe Taylor just could not take is eyes off of Metta because she was on FIRE.. Which was quite contagious last night. Whatever ASS kicking that took place last night was quickly replaced by tons of women and men dancing in their seats and iles as if it was a party at The Beacon. Oh yes, this is Taylor we’re talking about. It was a party.

As far as the crowd capacity, I would say, it had to have been more than 75% full. A lot of people got out of their seats and went to the stage so the seating numbers ont he ground floor may be a bit off. I personally don’t care because the energy level in that place was enough to bring every ghost from the past to life. The security was a bit tight as far as video camera were concerned. Ouside of that, is was a full-fledge party and Taylor was the guest of honor. As many times as I’ve been to the Beacon, I’ve never noticed a third level until I looked up and saw people all the way up on the third teir standing. I doubt if Taylor walked away from last night not feeling the LOVE from his NYC fans. The fact that there were not a lot of heavy promotion for his show in NY, he did not even mention it on Regis and Kelly that morning, he did DAMN well. Taylor even had a couple of people from the concession stands dancing along with him. Considering this is one of the Mecca for music and entertainment, Taylor can pat himself on the back. He did not disappoint at all last night, IMO.

Some people label him dismissively as just an entertainer, as if it something to be ashamed of but what he does is much harder than just being a recording artist. When someone makes you not mind dropping anywhere from $50 to $80 dollars to see him over and over again his first time out as a commercial artist that, IMO, speaks volumes. I never thought I would say this, but for those who have only seen Taylor once time. My sympathy goes out to you. Do yourselves a favor and make sure you find a way of seeing more than one show the next time around. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Moving right along. Sorry this is getting a bit long..LOL I must say that I should be a little disappointed because after MaryS and I stood outside at the Starland waiting for a chance to see Taylor to get my drumstick signed and after spending most of last night waiting again outside at the Beacon to get another drumstick signed, I came home, open my e-mail and saw that the MAN himself, sent me an invitation to meet with him yesterday.

Yes, I had a M&G sent to me at 12:40 pm yesterday. The one day I was to busy getting things done and preparing myself to meet up with some GREAT women, I did not check my e-mail. Talk about laughing my ass off when I read it. Funny thing was, on my way into the City, for some reason, the M&G ran across my mind. We even spoke a bit about it at dinner..

Oh well, it obviously was not meant to be. Needless to say, I had such a GREAT time with some very special people, including Taylor Hicks, who left his mark on one of the WORLDS most famous stages, The Beacon last night, that it did not even matter.

In closing I will say, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some great and fun people along life’s journey. Know I can add the women from MJ’s blog to the list.. Thank you guys and thank you MJ..

Bye guys.. Off to my neice’s Bridal Shower…Enjoy

radname: If I was in a band, and my gutarist, say his name is Steve, was with us during the recording of the band but afterwards left us shortly after and a new replacement named Joe came in. Does that mean we shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get a Grammy?

No. I think that band would still qualify for a Grammy. Replacing one person out of five or six isn’t the same as the band not existing at all. In my opinion. I don’t know how group Grammies even work, but I imagine that most people would be gracious enough to let “Steve” also accept the Grammy.

If I was in a band, and my gutarist, say his name is Steve, was with us during the recording of the band but afterwards left us shortly after and a new replacement named Joe came in. Does that mean we shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get a Grammy?

Well, there’s one problem with your example: there was no band prior to the recording of the album, and there wasn’t a band recording the album. A group of studio musicians recorded the instrumentation for the album “Daughtry.”

ETA: Fab recap, sexy. Thanks.

Except the band DID exist. Just not in it’s current form.

ETA: I think we all know that the band was in the process of being formed, but due to the desired timing of release of the album and end of the tour, it was not in place before the beginning of recording for the album. Should this exclude the band from Grammy eligibility, or ANY awards eligibility for that matter? Luckily, I’m not the one who makes those decisions. If it does, fine. If it doesn’t, fine. This isn’t the only album Daughtry will make. And if the neither the band nor the album gets nominations this year, I will not be heartbroken.

I think it’s way to early to be thinking about Grammy’s. There’s probably a good chance Chris will have some nominations. As for Kat, who knows… she is a new artist with some buzz around her but ultimately I think she won’t get nominated. It is cool that someone thought she had potential for it. Who knows how well her other singles hold up. It’s only the beginning.

Well, thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s one problem with your example: there was no band prior to the recording of the album, and there wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a band recording the album. A group of studio musicians recorded the instrumentation for the album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Daughtry.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

very true, and weird now that i think of it…

Except the band DID exist. Just not in ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s current form.

Weeeeeell…maybe. But wouldn’t it be a little bit weird to award a Grammy to DAUGHTRY, and to have three of the four guys onstage accepting the award have NOTHING TO DO AT ALL with any part of the record whatsoever? They didn’t write it, they didn’t record it. Basically, they’re Chris’s backup band. The studio musicians who will be sitting at home, watching the Grammys on TV, would be the ones who really deserve the statue.

Except the band DID exist. Just not in ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s current form.

Curious. How do you define this existence? To me, the band was a figment of some label executives fertile imagination when the CD was recorded over the summer months. During the recording period, “Daughtry” was just a solo artist recording with studio musicians. I think that one must have at least three members to be a band. 1 member is a solo artist. 2 is a duo. I think the Grammy organization agrees with me.

The intent was to eventually have a band, but there wasn’t one on the CD. Awards for recorded material is what we are discussing. The current band could certainly qualify for performance awards for what they are currently doing (concert awards, Regis and Kelly awards, etc), but they were not on the CD.

I could see Chris Daughtry receiving performance nominations in solo categories for the CD. And, ASCAP does list him as the performer of some of the songs on the CD (while other songs like “Crashed” are attributed to being performed by “Daughtry”).

I’m not trying to start a war here. I’m not saying that Chris is not worthy of awards. I’m not saying he is crap. I just find it difficult to believe that vapourware will qualify for an award. If Katharine suddenly decided that she wanted to be in the band “McPhee” and formed herself a band, would “McPhee” qualify to win awards for the CD that is currently out? If not, why not?

Go back and read my ETA. There’s no maybe about it. The band was in existence, even if the current players were not yet in their respective roles.

I just think it’s depressing that any Idol’s debut CD could be nomimated, much less win, a Grammy (Carrie U. included). All the debuts are rote and formulaic. This is the best that America’s musicians have to offer? Songs that do nothing more than follow a patented, pre-conceived formula conceptualized to cater to the masses by being as unoffensive as possible?

Pass the vicodin…

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no maybe about it. The band was in existence, even if the current players were not yet in their respective roles.

Just because a woman plans on having kids one day, doesn’t mean she gets to drive by herself in the carpool lane today.

I’ll go back to some places I know of and find a timeline later (I have to be somewhere in an hour and don’t have time to right now)… But I am fairly certain that RCA execs were auditioning members for the band itself over the summer months and into the early fall – ALL during the recording process.

After all, didn’t the band play it’s first gig at the Viper Room sometime in late October? The band was playing, yet the album was just barely finished then… I believe I even remember some rumblings that execs were considering pushing it back a week or two cause they were scared it wouldn’t be ready in time.

Also, although there is no proof of this anywhere, I highly doubt Chris was signed as a solo artist then RCA just randomly decided at a later date to add band members. I think the band has been in the works from the beginning. If that is indeed the case, the band was never just a figment of some exec’s imagination. It was always a constant, just that – as I said – the players were not in place at the time the cd was recorded.

Elliott has a band now too – with a really cute guitar player. I think some of them were musicians that recorded on the cd but I’m not sure. They’re performing with him now and will be touring with him. I’m not trying to start an argument of any kind. I just had an urge to say something about Elliott.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to check in….I know I have been MIA and I am sorry about that. Lots of stuff going on in real life, but I miss my MJ friends

Sarah – I did not run off with Taylor..hehe! I looked for IYT for you and they were not selling it. ASSWIPES! Sorry GF, but I am happy Spense got one for you.

Kirsten, you and I will rarely agree on anything in regards to Chris, so I’m signing out of this conversation now.

Kerri!!!

I’ve missed you, GF… but I understand about life keeping you busy. I almost called yesterday cause I was starting to get worried.

Now, I HAVE to go get ready since I have to leave here in less than an hour. LOL.

Thanks for looking for IYT for me, even if they weren’t selling it.

Kerri!!! I missed ya girl in the chat, hope all is well. So since you’ve been MIA for awhile, I sentence you to one listen of Ice,Ice, Baby and Whomp There It Is. LMAO

Sexygirl, way upthread………….thanks for your take on the Beacon show and we will just accept that neither Metta or JJ got hurt to any degree and that you all had a great time! Thanks. How disappointing about the M&G, but you saw the part of him you wanted to in concert so it might not have been what you expected anyway. (just trying to console you)
I just read an e-mail that alerts me to TH news and dang, the GreenApple Festival that Taylor and the band were part of, has 200 shows going on at 60 different venues in three different cities. Even if he didn’t sell out, being 75% full or so is not bad. I know Norah Jones was at the Garden too. Taylor has three venues in SoCal within four days so if he sells out the two main ones, that will be good too. L.A. has so much going on all the time.

Dee – Now thats effing punishment I miss you too girl!

I will try to chat tonight if I can.

I just had an urge to say something about Elliott.

Yay Elliott!

we will just accept that neither Metta or JJ got hurt

Of course Metta got hurt, where have you been?

He even came to the edge quite a bit. My ego wants to believe ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s because he was witnessing two GORGEOUS African-American women shaking their grove things to his music

He came to the edge because he was too busy looking at the gorgeous, tall blond, with big breasts sitting 2 seats away from you.

LB2 –

I’m proud of my guy… seems to be getting a lot of play today. He’s earning it though. He’s been all over the place at radio stations.

Sorry to drop the ball and run; I got a phone call. (Going to go see Hot Fuzz with some friends this evening. :thumbup_tb: )

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very familiar with the circumstances surrounding the formation of daughtry (the band). However, because we’re talking about the Grammys – awards given out by the Recording Academy for recorded materials – I would think that the the CD itself presents a reifyed moment by which the band or Chris himself will be evaluated. I’m not sure what part – if any – prior intent plays in the judging process.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to start an argument of any kind. I just had an urge to say something about Elliott.

(((lu)))

So I go and buy oven-safe frying pans for my frittata. I get the ones that say oven safe up til 400 degrees. NATURALLY, I get home and open the cookbook, and the damn thing cooks at…425. Ugh. Oh well, I’ll just have to compensate somehow. :-/

Oh well, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll just have to compensate somehow. :-/

Please keep a fire extinguisher handy while trying to compensate.

On Daughtry, I think a Grammy nod would be awesome and the band as it was is a non-issue (they frikkin’ rocked by the way). I think it’d be terrific if Daughtry gets a nod from the voting musicians and artists themselves. (why the hell Ferg snagged a Gram…IDK) Anyway, I think the self-titled CD actually deserves a nod for “best rock male vocal”. Perhaps too early in the game for that, but his vocals absolutely soar…my personal faves are “Crashed” and “What I Want”.

This coming from a Taylor fan…how ironic!! I was a member of the frikkin’ KISS army for landsakes Great E news too! AI-5 lives on….

But Taylor will forever be my guy…I thank y’all for the awesome recaps. So glad to hear Taylor was in fine voice and fed off the energy of the crowd! That band has to be tweaked tight by now…

And in keeping with the spirit of AI-6 :happy_tb:, I really like Phil and Melinda, and am going for them as the top two. Although, as last season proved, winning certainly isn’t everything…:)

ETA: Lu, which website is the best for Elliott news?

Oh and msgirl, if you’re out there…hi! Hope you’re doing well.

Yes, I had a M&G sent to me at 12:40 pm yesterday. The one day I was to busy getting things done and preparing myself to meet up with some GREAT women, I did not check my e-mail.

Oh my God! No f*cking way! *shakes head* That’s just… I don’t know what. Well Sweetie, I feel very honored that we got your undivided attention, but dayum!

Great recap, Sexy “Lives-Up-to-her-Name” Girl! I’m sorry we had to slog home when we did last night. It was wonderful to see you again and I hope we can do it again some time!

Oh and, when you do finally get to meet Taylor, you can beat him upside the head with those drumsticks for not giving you more notice about the M&G!

Hahaha…the fire extinguisher is ALWAYS handy whenever I cook I’m just cooking at a lower setting and checking every 5-10 mins. or so.

ETA: LOL…I just opened the oven to check on the damn thing and the smoke detector went off…because the geniuses in my apartment decided to put the smoke detector IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE OF my kitchen. Argh!

I’m curious about the timeline. Daughtry’s album was released in 2006 and Kat’s in 2007. Would they both qualify in the same year?

Kat: So I go and buy oven-safe frying pans for my frittata. I get the ones that say oven safe up til 400 degrees. NATURALLY, I get home and open the cookbook, and the damn thing cooks atà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦425.

Well, there is probably some safety margin built into those pans. They aren’t going to melt at 400.

Besides, ovens rarely operate at the exact temperature that they say they are (buy a good quality thermometer and you will probably be surprised). Don’t even get me started on your average measuring cups and spoons. If you have more than one set, try dumping the contents of one into the other. A common complaint amongst the more OCD chefs.

But, does it really matter? Is there something magical about an exact temperature or measurement? Add a dash of this and a zip of that and go with it. And we all know that altitude effects boiling points.

It’s from October 2006 to September 2007 are the guidelines. So yes. But in my scenerio how about if my band was only a two person band ala White Stripes/The Black Keys. Then would we still be able to be nominated for a Grammy?

Well, screw that. My friend called and cancelled on me. Bitch.

So I guess I am around for the night. To the chagrin of some, I’m sure. Heh.

And I am burnt crisp, went outside for an hour and came back inside red. Oh I was just watching “The Locusts” on tv, vince vaughns in it, and i must say as a younger man he was quite the looker.

True, there is probably a safety margin built in, but I’m kind of a novice cook, so I always tend to play on the safe side.

The recipe called for sprinking grated parmesan right on top of the frittata, which I think it stupid, because at the rate it’s going, it’s going to practically blacken. AND I’m cooking at a lower temp. Argh.

ETA: LOLà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I just opened the oven to check on the damn thing and the smoke detector went offà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦because the geniuses in my apartment decided to put the smoke detector IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE OF my kitchen. Argh!

I’m sorry, but :lol_tb: .

No worries though; I once managed to catch a piece of toast on fire. And I learned the hard way about not putting aluminum in the microwave. *shrugs*

Right, I’ve got to get ready to leave now…

I once managed to catch a piece of toast on fire.

Okay, I don’t feel so bad now.

I really should get around to putting my oven on the self-clean setting, but I’m terrified that it’s going to blow up.

lg – I get Elliott news from Elliott’s myspace and also spend a lot of time on etrainstation.com.

radname: But in my scenerio how about if my band was only a two person band ala White Stripes/The Black Keys.

As I stated above, the Grammy has a distinction between duos and bands (although, they are commonly grouped together…”Best peformance by a Rock Duo or Group”). I imagine that both you and “Steve” would win the award. I’m sure that duos that have broken up in the past have won awards.

Let’s be careful here, though, lest we end up trying to figure out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Fundamently, it is the Recording Academy and an artist’s peers that will determine who will be nominated/win Grammies. Ken Barnes is a voting member of the Recording Academy and he had some interesting discussion about whether even Carrie should have qualified for Best New Artist of the Year last year (based on her coronation single/AI compilation track being released in the previous year of eligibility).

BTW, Speaking of Ken, here is his track-by-track review of Bucky’s CD: http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/04/buckys_album_tr.html#more

Thanks Lu! Can’t wait to check out the guitarist you spoke of. Bet the tour band he’s assembled will be off da chain Can’t wait til Elliott hits Nashville, looks like it’ll be a while though. It would be great to see him at the Ryman…great acoustics.

Kat: I really should get around to putting my oven on the self-clean setting, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m terrified that ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to blow up.

The first self-cleaning oven my mother had did start a fire. It was exciting as a four year old to have the firement come to our house and do their stuff. My parents didn’t think it was quite as much fun.

The manufacturer paid for the damage.

The first self-cleaning oven my mother had did start a fire.

Aww…thanks for the pep talk! I’ll let them run it themselves when I move out next year. Ha!

lg-

http://www.kanishkaonline.com/

I have a self cleaning oven (or more likely my mom does) and she’s never used it once, so i have no idea why she bought it. She’s always like “you have to turn it up so high” and i’m like so? do it.

Alright Taylor sounded like total shit on Regis and Kelly. He sounded like Kermit the Frog through most of his performance.
With that said, I really think “The Maze” could do very well as a single. It’s a really good song. He should be championing it and pushing it to radio.

Alright, it’s out of the oven and cooling. I hope it’s freakin’ worth it.

Taylor sounded like total shit on Regis and Kelly.

Surprise, surprise, someone who h8tes Taylor’s voice thought he sounded like total shit! SHOCKING!! :lol_tb: But in all seriousness, I just don’t think he does well with JTFTW live on TV. In concert it’s loud and you get a lot of reverb, but on TV? Nah.

Kat – is your cooking creation just for you? Sounds yummy!

Lu – thanks for the link, it’s times like these I curse being on dial-up. Can’t wait to check him out Monday at work. Russell’s cute indeed and verrryy interesting

A native of Bangladesh, guitarist Russell Ali has been taking audiences by storm since joining King Me in October ’99. Russell has earned a great number of accomplishments in his fifteen years of playing guitar and keyboard. Russell has released five albums in his homeland with the extremely successful band Warfaze and most recently won the title of “Best Guitarist in Kansas”. A computer science student able to speak five different languages, Russell adds a new intellectual as well as cultural dimension to King Me. Russell is endorsed by Ibanez guitars.

http://www.kingmenet.com/bios.htm

I still think Taylor sounded fine on R&K, and i still hate the maze and don’t think it would do well on radio at all.

Kat – is your cooking creation just for you? Sounds yummy!

It is! I just bit into it and while the crust is a bit burnt, it’s delicious.

If anyone cares, here is a working timeline I came up with for Daughtry:

May 10, 2006 – Chris is eliminated from AI.
June 5, 2006 – Chris turns down an offer from Fuel to be their new lead singer, saying that he’s going to “do his own thing”
July 10, 2006 – Press release issued announcing that Chris has signed with RCA. Press release specifically says that Chris will form a band and release an album.
August 14, 2006 – According to an interview with Elliott/Kellie/Ace, Chris is recording.
August 26, 2006 – Chris misses a Meet & Greet at the Los Angeles stop of the AI tour due to being in the studio recording. Same goes for other CA stops during that leg of the tour.
Late September – Posts appear on band members’ myspaces alluding to their acceptance into the band.
October 13, 2006 – The band’s first public performance at The Viper Room in LA. They do 5 songs.
November 21, 2006 – Daughtry is released.

I LOVE THE MAZE and think it’s a great radio tune – good hook. Out to have a few drinks with a friend… see you all later!

Sexy – Great recap! That’s a bummer about the meet/greet. If it’s any consolation, the same thing has happened to others. It’s unclear why they cannot give at least one day advance notice. The best thing for folks to do is to go to the box office when you arrive for the show and ask if there’s a meet/greet pass for you. Of course this wouldn’t apply to you (Sexy) since this particular meet/greet was scheduled so early in the day.

He came to the edge because he was too busy looking at the gorgeous, tall blond, with big breasts sitting 2 seats away from you.

He was just checking to see if the paramedics had succeeded in reviving you.

I also like “The Maze” and think it would be a great radio hit. Funny, since I didn’t like it at all at first.

Kat, it’s not true that I hate Taylor. I like his singing and I like some of his songs. I do think he’s kinda a douche bag and find him quite unimpressive, but I don’t think he sucks.
And I don’t even care about all that stuff anymore. At this point, I’m pretty much just looking at things in a unbiased way. Yes, even for Kat. I’m not that into her anymore either. It’s not like I look at his performances and automatically think they suck.
I’ve never hated Taylor. I just like to have a laugh at his expense sometimes cause he’s funny to me.

I heart Afan. I knew you didn’t hate Taylor, but what do I say, yanno?

Anyway, what did you think of Grey’s the other night? Were you freaking out as much as I was?

He sounded like Kermit the Frog through most of his performance.

Dude. You can diss Taylor all you want, but when you start slamming Kermit, you’ve gone TOO far.

I mean come on, we are talking about Kermit. Kermie! Jim Henson’s finest creation. If you are going to hurl insults, use Gonzo.

Don’t be starting no Muppet fan wars here.

Kermits greatest performance pieces:

Rainbow Connection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eubQfKYFOPc
It’s Not Easy Being Green: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiIWMWWVco

BTW, while we are discussing Muppets, this is how I think many fans are when discussing what their Idol should do next:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D59fSobbqc

I thought Taylor sounded like shit on Regis and Kelly. However, I found out later that day that he was just saving it so he could kick ass at the Beacon, just for me. And, damn, did he ever kick ass last night.

Honestly, I think THe Maze is the only song on Taylor’s album that may get some radio play on Top 40 stations. It’s a cool song.

By the way I noticed Taylor finally put some gel on his hair for R&K. He looked good. Maybe he is taking some tips from Blake. Just saying…

Taylor… JMHO>
Blake could be a good hair mentor, you should ask him what products he uses.. Ha, ha… Blake is so cute .. LOve him!

Sarah! Blake has been charting all the songs on I tunes. IMO he has a great recording voice, very smooth and contemporary for radio.

I also think he will sell really really well whether he wins or not. I am eagerly anticipating his album already.
GO TEAM PLAID!

AFan:

I know you don’t hate Taylor. Just having a bit of fun at your expense.

Maybe he is taking some tips from Blake. Just sayingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Taylorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ JMHO>
Blake could be a good hair mentor, you should ask him what products he uses.. Ha, haà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦
_________________________

Message for Taylor… Please.. please don’t

Message for Taylorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Please.. please donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t

If you put that in writing, I’ll sign it, too, em. Please no spiked hair, Taylor.

Ha, ha….
GO TEAM PLAID! Blake is HOT! That is all…

If you put that in writing, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll sign it, too, em. Please no spiked hair, Taylor.

I’ll sign too — I hate Blake’s spiked hair.

maracaibo: check your PM.

Blake is HOT! That is allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

IMHO.. Blake needs colagen on his upper lip..That is, if they can find it..

I think Blake is pretty cute. .

Yep, Blake is hot. And his hair has been looking amazing lately. It looked best when he sang “Love Song” on top 10 week.

Here’s a couple pics for ya:

http://thumbsnap.com/v/fhBXKld5.png

http://thumbsnap.com/v/jOA8dzo2.png

MAD–I know I’m a little late to the blog…but I do agree with you about trashing Taylor. I also do NOT understand it! I still say it is their irresponsibility with the power they (think they) hold. When they do not get their way, they have temper tantrums!

As for the vote manipulating…this came up with the Ruben/Clay fiassco. Apparently, if the votes are a certain percentage apart, they can “choose” the one they want. On finale night, Season 2, Ryan announced the vote difference first as 1400–commercial–then 14,000–commercial–then 140,000. It was really weird. Then AI came out with a statement about phone lines going down in 3 states blah, blah, blah. The whole thing stunk! Would I trust them–not!

For all of you (lucky) folks, so glad your Taylor concert was great! I just think he is awesome, awesome, awesome–in every way!

Blake is Love. That is all. LOL.

I think Blake is pretty cute. .

_________________
I think he is cute too, but he still needs colagen IMO..

Sarah, it was a GREAT episode.

Blake is HOT. And I love his spikey hair, and his not spikey hair and the pics that Sarah posted. And I am not, I repeat not going to go to Team Plaid again just to look at that latest picture.

OK……maybe I will…

Sarah, didn’t know you liked Grey’s. Maybe you should do a little discussion thread over to the side on Team Plaid. LOL

And I am not, I repeat not going to go to Team Plaid again just to look at that latest picture.

That latest picture is… just wow. Very very cute. Ahem.

Yes, I LOVE Grey’s. I am so addicted, it’s ridiculous.

I’ve bought all of Blake’s songs at AI…working up a little Blake album for myself.

Elliott has an opening act going with him on tour…Josh Hoge. He sounds pretty good. He will also sing some backup and maybe “jam” with Elliott a bit.
http://myspace.com/joshhoge

I saw that both Chris Sligh and Sanjaya Malakar were at the white house correspondents dinner tonight. If I heard right , Chris was the guest of cbn and Sanjaya was guest of People magazine.

RE: Gwen Stefani & Maroon 5 may be early Grammy frontrunners

See here : http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2007/04/gwen_maroon_5_a.html

I am not really sure what to say of Maroon 5 … they became big hits because stations received PAYOLAS to play them repeatedly.

See here :

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/03/05/payola-fcc-deal.html

EXCERPT :

U.S. radio listeners could be hearing a lot more indie music in the near future, after the Federal Communications Commission reportedly brokered a deal with four major corporations in the so-called payola scandal.

Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio Inc., Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. have agreed to pay the broadcast regulator a total of $12.5 million US and provide 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime earmarked specifically for independent record labels and local artists, according to the Associated Press.

BTW for those of you Grammy Award buffs out there, consider this page :

http://music.aol.com/feature/grammy/trivia_misses

SCROLL DOWN AND LOOK AT THE SLIDE — GRAMMY AWARDS HITS AND MISSES.

There You will an astounding array of artists they have failed to honor and an equally astounding number they have honored who immediately fizzled.

I love Maroon 5. Wonder why they pay people to play them? They are pretty popular around here at least?