‘American Idol’: Q&As with the Top 12!
To say the scene last night at the American Idol Top 12 party was hectic would be a little like saying David Archuleta is cute. The dozen finalists hopped along the massive press line ‘ practically every major market Fox affiliate was there ‘ that stretched along the candy-color cubist faà §ade of the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. All 12 contestants gamely answered the tidal wave of questions from journalists who knew this would most likely be their last chance to talk with these kids until they either get the boot or belt out an unspeakably cheesy pop song at the Kodak Theatre finale.
‘American Idol’: The Top 12 have it all. But what they really want is a snack
“You’re one of those little, sarcastic L.A. Times girls too, arent you, ” inquired Constantine Maroulis, after I complimented his recent theatrical achievements. We were at the “American Idol” Top 12 party, and Constantine had convinced himself, for reasons unbeknownst to me, that I had it in for him. “Those that can’t, ya know, write, ” Constantine informed me. I told him that was a peculiar thing to tell a reporter. “It is what it is” he replied. Then, as we parted ways, he added, “You’re very pretty. You’re very nice.”
After Constantine left, this “little, ” “sarcastic, ” “pretty, ” “nice, ” “L.A. Times girl” waited for the Top 12 to arrive. “American Idol” makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy strolled down the red carpet first. According to Mezhgan, most of the contestants love having their makeup done. Rock and roll nurse Amanda Overmyer, however, was more resistant. “I want to start toning her down and giving her different looks, ” fantasized Mezhgan, who even copped to “taking away all [Amanda’s] black liners.”
‘American Idol’ Goes Old School for Top 12 Party
Ah, the life of an American Idol contestant. It seems like just weeks ago that they came together for the Top 24 Party, while Thursday (March 6) night saw another gala as the American Idol field was cut to its Top 12.
While the Top 24 party at The Day After in Hollywood was thrown by the show’s production company and its sponsors, Thursday’s festivities at the Pacific Design Center were a vintage FOX affair. That meant Wolfgang Puck catering — with the BBQ chicken pizza, the tomato confit cones and the tuna tartare cones as stand-outs — and the usual assortment of stars from whichever shows the network is trying to push. That means Mark “Not Marky Mark” Wahlberg was rubbing shoulders with New Amsterdam leading man Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, late night stand-by Spike Feresten (yes, his show is still on) was drinking near Back to You available cast member Josh Gad and the assortment of previous American Idol non-winners in attendance included Justin Guarini, Kim Caldwell, Constantine Maroulis and Gina Glocksen, who looked fantastic.
TV Guide Exclusive! Inside Idol’s Top 12 Party
As the sun set Thursday on Los Angeles, it left behind a streaky pink sky… and only 12 wannabe Idols remaining. While the contestants heard the vote counts and left the stage, TV Guide’s Top 12 party was getting under way at a rooftop venue. Inside the event, cameras queued up, lights were bright, and publicists, crew members and press buzzed about, eyeing congratulatory cupcakes adorned with each singer’s photo.
Feels Like Yesterday — Meeting ‘Idol’s’ Season Seven Top 12
Last night was the …American Idol Top 12 party here in Los Angeles. Standing on the red carpet waiting for the contestants to arrive, I was struck with the realization that it felt like not one day had past since I had been standing on that same carpet last year waiting to meet Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Haley Scarnato and the others.
‘American Idol’ top 12 finals contestants party it up
We now have our top twelve (Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Chikezie, David Archuleta, David Cook, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado) and a very worthy crew this is.
But with the endgame developing, I share these “Idol” thoughts with you this morning, reserving the right to change them at a moment’s notice the minute someone comes up with reasonable counterarguments.
‘American Idol’ top 12 party
Team Snark headed over to the Pacific Design Center last night to party with the “American Idol” top 12. And by “party with” I mean we watched them get treated like rock stars on the red carpet for an hour and a half while we remained behind the velvet ropes like Les Deux rejects.
The recap will be cut into two timelines: shindig time and “Idol” time. Like “Hammer Time, ” but different.
“Idol” Top 12 Say See Ya Later, Losers
TMZ spies say the “Idol” party last night was fueled with emotion, and a little bitterness for good measure.
We’re told booted “Idol” Asia’h Epperson was torn up and overwhelmed, staying only for a few minutes before bolting. Contestants were most upset about Luke Menard getting the ax because they liked him — they really, really liked him, although his singing kinda sucked.
Although no underage contestants were spotted Lohaning it up, Danny Noriega and Ramiele Malubay were pretty wrecked over his elimination. The two BFFs were inseparable.
Our spies say although all the contestants were there, there was no sign of Randy, Paula, Simon or Ryan. Contestants, meet pecking order.
“Idol” loser Danny Noriega stayed true to self
Danny Noriega, the flamboyant California teen controversially voted off TV talent show “American Idol”, on Friday shrugged off his early departure saying he was glad he had remained true to himself.
Noriega, 18, failed to make it to the final 12 contestants on the No. 1 U.S. television show on Thursday night, sparking outrage from devoted fans and an Internet debate that he may have been a victim of homophobia.
Noriega declined to directly address the subject of his sexuality in a conference call with reporters on Friday, saying it was a private matter.
But he said it was important “to be yourself.”
‘Idol’ Banter: Oh, Danny Boy!
Oh, Danny. How I hate to see you go. The crown prince of snap lost out to Chikezie in tonight elimination, and it really hurt to see him fight through tears to get fierce with Marc Almond legacy one more time.
…Tainted Love, indeed! This show needs a little stain on its fingertips. I firmly believe in what Sanjaya Malakar taught us last season: that a trickster among the top 12 helps alleviate the program unbridled sentimentality and massively overstated faith in the triumph of the individual. Even more than Sanjaya, Danny understands that in mainstream pop — in any mainstream — certain people have only two routes to success: they can fight to blend in (hello, David Hernandez) or turn themselves into walking novelties whose flamboyant difference helps everyone else feel open minded as they go about their more conventional lives.
Giggly Archuleta is an unlikely ‹Idol star
MURRAY, Utah – It was no secret that David Archuleta could sing ‘ students and teachers had heard him belt out holiday carols during Spanish class and an opera aria at a school arts festival.
None of that was reason enough to believe the junior at Murray High School would transform from a shy and impish 17-year-old to a fast-rising star on …American Idol.
…He giggles every time you confront him, Archuleta 11th grade English teacher Chantel Thackarey said. …I cant believe how well he doing because he just so painfully shy.
Richie Wants To Release ‘Idol’ ‘Hello’ Cover
Lionel Richie was so knocked out by pop wannabe David Cook’s rock version of “Hello” on Tuesday night’s “American Idol, ” the soul man is planning to release the track as a single.
Richie, who scored a massive hit with the ballad in 1984, was stunned when he watched Cook performing the cover on TV, and now he’s hoping to have another hit with the song.
Fil-Am Malubay Makes It To ‘American Idol’s’ Top 12
Guam – Filipino-American Ramiel Malubay made it as one of the Top 12 of this year’s “American Idol, ” no mean feat for this woman with a small physique but with a great voice.
Malubay started strong in her first performance during the elimination round when she impressed judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell with her rendition of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield. Her next two performances were not as strong with the judges, however.
Still, Malubay got her share of the over 36 million votes cast to select the Top 12.
Jitterbug!
You know, people harsh on Simon Cowell terrible monochromatic wardrobe. And they should. That haircut alone is enough break mirrors. But bad fashion is Randy Jackson game if were going to really break it down. His giant sundial watch notwithstanding, Randy consistently looks like the side of an airbrushed Chevy van in 1979.
On Tuesday show he wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt that has about five different design elements going on at the same time. It a pink right shoulder and an orange moon over the left pectoral and some Chinese alphabet characters spelled out in blackened jewels combined with a necklace and a wristband.
And the face-size watch. Which can stay. Because it fascinating.
The American Idol Top 12: Handicapping the Race
Last night American Idol firmed up its top 12, sending home the tone-challenged Kady Malloy, the everything-challenged Luke Menard, the doomed-by-singing-Whitney Asia’h Epperson, and the unfairly vanquished Danny Noriega. What remains are 12 youngish singers whose home-audience appeal ranges from the utterly grating to the somewhat understandable to the surprisingly charming. After the jump, my odds of who will win, presented in the rough order of how I think the final 12 singers will be sent home from the competition.
Best season in history? The numbers speak
In any event, whether foolhardy bravado, propagandist’s bluster or laughing in the face of peril, the mood at the Pacific Design Center on Thursday night, where a crowd of 200 or so gathered to coronate their newly named Top 12, was indeed brazenly, incautiously jubilant. Although 11 of these 12 are being crowned tonight just so that one by one they can have their final conference with Angel of Death Seacrest in the next three months, the sense in the room, in conversations with executives and barely contained grins was that this year, “Idol” really had gotten it right. After a shaky Season 6, many were able to say with straight faces that this may in fact prove to be the best of all “Idol” seasons.
Ranking American Idol’s Top 12
Well, those first intensive rounds of deadwood-clearing are done, and I’m sorry to see a few of those contestants go (Asia’h Epperson, please come back). But now we’re into the meat of the American Idol season, which means it’s time to start forming emotional connections and then immediately forgetting those connections a couple of weeks after the season finale. This year we’ve got a truly weird roster, stacked with ringers and one-trick ponies and people who might not have made it past the audition rounds during previous seasons. And here they are, ranked from favorite to least. Keep in mind that this is my list and that I’m being entirely subjective; I have demonstrated exactly zero ability to predict what America might like.
American Idol Top 12: Missing One
Man, you finally put your faith and trust in someone to help keep one of the most interesting contestants around, and they fail you. Says something about the far reaching influence of The Website That Must Not Be Named.
I, for one, will miss you, Danny. You may have been underachieving vocally, but you picked interesting songs, took risks, and exchanged (and I dont say this often) witty barbs with loyal Order of the Half-Moose member Simon Cowell. Bona fortuna, little buddy.
Reality Check: ‘Idol’ Voting Right on the Money
While I know that the 36 million people who voted on “American Idol” this week didn’t make their selections solely to please me, I must say that I had the all-too-unfamiliar sensation of feeling that they had.
Once we got through the beginning of the show (a terribly unexciting number about “letting you go” from our favorite beat boxer Blake Lewis, the news that Paula’s new single is somehow number one on iTunes and Simon’s inability to congratulate his fellow judge on such a feat), it was elimination time.
‘American Idol’: Your 12 Finalists
The final 12 will be revealed on “American Idol” tonight, host Ryan Seacrest says. Four people are going home.
According to our Completely Unscientific “American Idol” Poll, this week it’s Luke Menard on the guys’ side and Kady Malloy for the chicks by a landslide. Danny Noriega seems a sure thing, but the second chick is less clear — maybe Kristy Lee Cook, but then she’d never get her best barrel horse back, which would be a shame.
‘American Idol’ Cuts Kady Malloy, Luke Menard, Asia’h Epperson, Danny Noriega
With a taste of the usual drawn-out agony of the final elimination rounds, Thursday night’s “American Idol” took an excruciating 27 minutes to start cutting heads.
First, we had to sit through a tame performance from last year’s runner-up, Blake Lewis, who brought his beatboxing and brohawk back for a run through his new-wave weeper “How Many Words.” Then there was a recap of the boys’ performances, and wannabe rocker David Cook, favorite David Archuleta and the dreadlocked Jason Castro were waved through to the shiny silver stools reserved for finalists.
Sip with the authors at Martha Clara Vineyards
SANJAYA’S BACK. “American Idol” fans take note – sixth season contestant Sanjaya Malakar will appear 2 p.m. Sunday at Borders Books & Music in Glendale (80-16 Cooper Ave., 718-416-1003) to sign copies of “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul.”
Rascal Flatts thrills with country and pop
Former American Idol Kellie Pickler opened the show. Although she wore her red high heels to the stage, she took them off after the second song and went barefoot the rest of the way. She told the crowd she had hit her head before the show and was “feeling a little dizzy.”
“I promise I haven’t been drinking, ” she said.
Review: Urban ensures wait is worth it
Memo to the thousand or so fans who left Friday night’s sold-out concert at the Qwest Center Omaha immediately after the performance of country music’s reigning princess, Carrie Underwood: To quote one of Keith Urban’s big hits, you just might have missed the “Better Half.”
Winner of Gone Country: did it go to Diana DeGarmo?
Well, no, it didnt go to Diana DeGarmo. Or Bobby Brown. Or Maureen McCormick. Or Sisqo. Or Dee Snider. Or Carnie Wilson.
It probably went to the person I thought had the least chance of winning: Julio Iglesias Jr.!!!! Im stupefied John Rich chose him. Personally, I didnt think his song was that bad but it didnt sound country at all to me. Sure, the ladies loved him but heck, he a Latin lover. Does that make him Nashville? No way.
Once Again, Clive Davis Learns the Wrong Lesson From the Kelly Clarkson Affair
First, if you need any more proof that Clive has as little concern for music as he does for his morning cup of coffee, it does not even cross his mind that a singer might be more interested in pursuing a particular artistic vision than in getting a hit, or that ideally you should be able to do the two things simultaneously. Now, look, I understand that Clive’s a businessman. He’s the chairman, after all, and when he’s hearing from the stockholders, they’re not going to ask about compression quality. But if he’s going to represent himself as someone who matters for music, as the boy with the golden ear, then he has to acknowledge that his job is to get between the artist and the moneymen to let the artist do what they want to do. The article invokes the Kelly Clarkson affair, and apparently Davis still thinks that an agressively underpromoted album that he publicly bad-mouthed sold a mere 700k units because the artist co-wrote some of the songs.
