Finale News

Finale News

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Taylor Hicks won the “coin toss” Wednesday night.  He’s decided to go second.  Every winner, except for Season 2’s Ruben Studdard has had the “pimp” spot.
  • Each of the Final 2, as in past seasons, will sing three songs on performance night.
  • Two of the songs, will be chosen by Taylor and Katharine from tunes they have already performed on the show, as confirmed in this al.com article.  Thanks a bunch BTW.  The third song will be the “winner’s single”.  Both Taylor and Katharine will record it after the finale.  The winner’s version will be released as their first single.
  • Daniel Powter will guest on Tuesday’s performance show to sing the ubiquitous “Bad Day”.
  • Last year’s winner, Carrie Underwood, will perform her single, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.”

What songs do you think Taylor and Katharine should choose to perform from this season?  For Katharine, my pick would be “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”.  For Taylor, “Living for the City”, “Something” or “You Send Me” Thanks for the reminder lolly!

The contestants reprising two performances?  That could be boring.  A brand new song, picked by the contestants as one of the three songs, would have made the competition more interesting and competitive.

Tidbits from the Rumor Mill

  • On Extra, Nigel Lythgoe said that Chris Daughtry will be performing live, with “live being the operative word.”  Speculation is that either Live or Fuel will be appearing to perform with Chris.  I think Nigel’s hint points to the band Live.
  • According to the Various and Sundry weblog, Meatloaf will be performing with Katharine McPhee in the finale.  Rumor has it they will duet on “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”.  At first glance it seems strange doesn’t it?  But actually, that duet could be all kinds of fun.  It will give Katharine a chance to show off her playful side.
  • Speculation has centered around this song as the Big Finale Song of Suck.  It’s called “Make it Real” and is written by Nick Lachey (the ex Mr. Jessica Simpson) and  Season One’s Tamyra Gray.  Tamyra co-wrote Season 3’s finale song “I Believe”.  There is also speculation that the winner’s tune has more of a “rock” edge and was written with a male winner in mind.  All speculation–I’ll keep you posted.

Audio and Video for purchase at americanidol.com

Well, ahem.  Most of us know where to get these for free.  But anyway.  A little late to the party–americanidol.com is offering performances from this season for download.  Videos are $1.99 and Audio is $.99.

For Your Reading Pleasure

A couple of articles this morning:

The latest from Corey Moss and MTV.com.  Why are guest judges so old?  Moss interviews the usual suspects.  And older guests mean older themes.  From Jacob Clifton, Television Without Pity’s recapper:

“Given the show’s wide appeal across all age groups, the value of their netted demographic is contingent on higher-income, older people staying tuned in, so by focusing too much on contemporary themes, the show would be risking advertisers, ” he said in an e-mail. “Look for an avalanche of classic schmaltz (‘Vincent, ‘ ‘God Bless the Child, ‘ ‘What a Wonderful World’), Soul Patrol patriarchs (Sam Cooke, Joe Cocker) and ’50s kitsch for the majority of the [final] performances.”

Yep.  In order to keep its broad appeal, Idol has to stick to the tried and true. 

And, from La Times.com, Can a Sherman Oaks girl win American Idol?  That’s an interesting question.  Except for Season One’s Justin Guarini, who hailed from the Philadelphia area, prior Final 2 contestants have all hailed from the South.  Three call Birmingham, AL home.  Idol seems to favor contestants from the heartland over West and East coasters.  Are small-town, or (or smaller-citied–I’ve been reminded that Birmingham is a city..) contestants more relatable to the average viewer?  Is the show so popular in the South, that Southern voters propel their fellow Southerners to the top?  I do think Katharine has beat the odds to get where she is.  Contestants from small towns, with humble backgrounds and inspirational stories have resonated with viewers in the past.  Personally, I’m happy to see the winner’s circle open up to different types of contestants. 

Here’s Access Hollywood’s Idol Chatter.  The rumor that George Clooney is offering Katharine McPhee a part in an upcoming film is false, according to the man himself.   And there are rumors that Taylor Hicks isn’t happy with the winner’s single.   I guess it’s not “cutting edge”.   What a surprise!  The AH blogger got the George Clooney rumor wrong, so who knows.  But, if the rumor is true,  I sympathise with Taylor to an extent–it would be great if the winner’s song didn’t suck. But singing crappy coronation songs with confetti flying through the air is basically what he signed up for when he auditioned. eta: I’d also like to add that while Taylor has the right–the duty–to fight for his musical integrity,  I hope he chooses his battles wisely…  thanks to may for posting that article.

Check out clips from American Idol Season 5: Encores CD at Barnes and Noble.