We’ll do it again tomorrow night in Miami…

Come one, come all! The Live Blogging experiment continues tomorrow night at 8pm EST/7pm CST/5pm PST. Just click here and join the fun! I make lots of irreverent comments, take polls, show videos, and everyone can add their own POV to the proceedings. What better way to watch IDOL than with others!

See you there — carry on!

J

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Time to “ramp up” this blog…updated again!

Happy New Year!

I know I have been away far too long from my AI friends and fans so I guess this is as good a time as any to start cranking up the creative wheels again and get this blog back on a regular schedule. Speaking of schedules, I’m sure most of you saw that FOX has released the broadcast schedule for season 7 of Idol and I was VERY glad to see the Hollywood rounds getting two episodes again instead of last season’s disappointing one. Now in case you’re one of the three people who haven’t seen the press release, I’ll post it here so you can reference it throughout the season:

 

 

2008 American Idol Season 7 Schedule

Tuesday, January 15	Auditions (Philly)
Wednesday, January 16	Auditions (Dallas)
Tuesday, January 22	Auditions (San Diego)
Wednesday, January 23	Auditions (Charleston)
Tuesday, January 29	Auditions (Omaha)
Wednesday, January 30	Auditions  (Miami)
Tuesday, February 5	Auditions  (Atlanta)
Wednesday, February 6	Auditions (Could be “Best of the Worst” – I hate those!)
Tuesday, February 12	Hollywood Part 1
Wednesday, February 13	Hollywood Part 2 – Top 24 Revealed
Tuesday, February 19	Top 12 Males
Wednesday, February 20	Top 12 Females
Thursday, February 21	Top 24 Elimination
Tuesday, February 26	Top 10 Males
Wednesday, February 27	Top 10 Females
Thursday, February 28	Top 20 Elimination
Tuesday, March 4	Top 8 Males
Wednesday, March 5	Top 8 Females
Thursday, March 6	Top 16 Elimination – Top 12 established
Tuesday, March 11	Top 12 Perform
Wednesday, March 12	Top 12 Elimination
Tuesday, March 18	Top 11 Perform
Wednesday, March 19	Top 11 Elimination
Tuesday, March 25	Top 10 Perform
Wednesday, March 26	Top 10 Elimination
Tuesday, April 1	Top 9 Perform
Wednesday, April 2	Top 9 Elimination
Tuesday, April 8	Top 8 Perform
Wednesday, April 9	Idol Gives Back 2
Thursday, April 10	Top 8 Elimination
Tuesday, April 15	Top 7 Perform
Wednesday, April 16	Top 7 Elimination
Tuesday, April 22	Top 6 Perform
Wednesday, April 23	Top 6 Elimination
Tuesday, April 29	Top 5 Perform
Wednesday, April 30	Top 5 Elimination
Tuesday, May 6	Top 4 Perform
Wednesday, May 7	Top 4 Elimination
Tuesday, May 13	Top 3 Perform
Wednesday, May 14	Top 3 Elimination
Tuesday, May 20	Final 2 Perform
Wednesday, May 21	Season Finale & Winner

 

Other than another installment of Idol Gives Back, which I have mixed feelings about, it should be another interesting year of bad auditions, questionable judging and America getting it wrong at least ten times, if not more. Has Idol become predictable? In a way, yes — but it still manages to provide enough angst and raw emotions from both contestants and viewers to keep it the main topic of water cooler conversation from January to May. Couple that with the lack of any viable competition due to the writers’ strike and it should top the Nielsen’s easily again this year. There will, however, be some changes and additions and I am looking forward to them. From what we already know:

 

****Less focus on guest mentors and more on the contestants themselves in an effort to get to know them better. I would hate to see the producers do away with mentors altogether (especially the music god himself, Barry Manilow, who is due for another visit this year) because some of them, like Barry, really do care about the kids and want to see them do their best. However, last year’s over-emphasis, I believe, did take away from getting to see the contestants as regular folks just like us and allowed one very charismatic individual to get more attention for his non-singing antics than he deserved. Let’s hope the producers have learned a lesson from this.

 

****Allowing the contestants to show other sides of their musical abilities is certainly a welcome addition. Most of the other big Idol franchises already allow this and I believe it does help show how musically well rounded an individual is or isn’t. As a musician myself, I think it takes a lot more than a pretty voice to make it BIG in music or to achieve longevity in this field. Building on skills and gifts, as well as the occasional reinvention of the artists, helps to keep their creativity alive and, hopefully, keeps them out of becoming boring or trite to the listening and buying public. Since most Idol contestants haven’t traditionally had much experience or “dues paying” prior to being on the show (there are exceptions, obviously), they seem to lack the staying power of others who have taken awhile to “make it.” However, the public seems to think that if a musician isn’t ALWAYS in the news or on TV or on the radio that they have somehow “failed” at making a career of music – which is not necessarily true. Being able to judge a contestant’s full musical potential may begin to tip the scales away from those with just great voices and towards the “total musical package” types – something that may not be a bad thing. I guess we’ll have to see what the producers put forward this year for us to judge (and it had better be better than last year…).

 

 

If you’re like me, with the holidays now a fond memory and the writers’ strike making TV more of a vast wasteland, you’re just as anxious for Idol to get going. It’s only a little longer, folks… get those TiVOs and DVRs primed and ready… we’re almost there and I’M READY! Are you?

 

Carry on!

J

 

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This looks about right…

This looks about right, gang, but I’m not surprised our sweet Melissa placed at 5th overall and that an under-rated Diana De Garmo ended up last. The top four were dead on IMHO but I would have thought that Daughtry’s numbers would have been a little closer to Clay, given his ability for radio airplay. Then, again, those Clayfans know how to “stand by their man” on any given day!

You can read all of the article and the hilarious comments here.

What say you all? On the money or all washed up? Let the discussion begin!

Carry on!

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Best Amercian Idol video this year!

I about lost my hot chocolate over this GREAT video by Grey Blackwell found on the Raleigh News and Observer website. I just HAD to share this with y’all so ENJOY!

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AI’s Top 10 Sexiest Contestants!?

Ok, gang,

are we ready for celebtv.com’s Top 10 of the sexiest contestants on American Idol EVHA? Well, get a load of this list:

 

#10	Taylor Hicks (Season 5) Really?
#9	Clay Aiken (Season 2) Nice to see he made the list but I would have scored him a little higher
#8	Bo Bice (Season 4)
#7	Ace Young (Season 5)
#6	Carrie Underwood (Season 4)
#5	Blake Lewis (Season 6)
#4	Chris Daughtry (Season 5)
#3	Nadia Turner (Season 4)
#2	Ryan Starr (Season 1)

 

And…the #1 sexiest Idol is…Katherine McPhee (Season 5)!!??

 

Uh…I’m not so sure who conducted this poll but I beg to differ on quite a few of the placements, including #1.

 

Now, among the missing on this list are:

Constantine Maroulis	Season 4 – Now this was the one trying to bring sexy back that year.
Anthony Federov	Season 4
Tamara Gray	Season 1
Justin Guarini	Season 1 – How could they leave the original “hairboy” off this list?
Matthew Metzger	Season 3 – This guy was so hot he landed on a daytime soap!

 

And what about the original Idol KELLY CLARKSON??? She seems to be doing all right for herself in this area — have you seen her videos?

 

Well, I guess that beauty and sexy are in the eyes of the beholder. But, isn’t this a SINGING COMPETITION first and foremost????? More on that later…

 

Carry on!

J

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