Hello,
Here's a quick review of Big Band/ Rat Pack week. Jamie Foxx was the mentor, what? He was an okay mentor, but that is it. I hated the whole cool dude act he put on. What was that terrible performance he attempted Wednesday night? That was a terrible song, thank goodness for the DVR so that I could fast forward through it. Other than Natalie Cole's swinging rendition of "Something's Gotta Give" the results show performances were extremely weak. Taylor Hicks needs to fade into obscurity now, that was a very boring song.
1) Kris Allen sang "The Way You Look Tonight". I'm thinking about changing his name from Mr. Vanilla to Mr. Wussy Mustache. His performance was wimpy and his singing of that song was very weak. Can we have a double elimination next week? It would be cool to get rid of him and the Gokester in the same week. Grade D+. Buy: are you kidding me? No!
2) Allison Iraheta sang "Someone To Watch Over Me". That wasn't her best performance but it was still extremely solid. That is a great song. The judges loved her, except for Simon being a little lukewarm of her. Allison just turned 17 on Monday. Happy Birthday Allison. Let's hope that is not the only thing you are going to celebrate this year:) Grade B! Buy? I already did.
3) Matt Giraud sang "My Funny Valentine" and I thought he did a pretty solid performance of that song. The judges were mixed on him. Unfortunately he didn't have a big enough voting bloc to advance. Best of luck in your future career Matt. Grade B. Buy? maybe.
4) Danny Gokey sang "Come Rain, Come Shine" and it was okay. What was up with the weird gyrations though? The judges tripped over themselves showing him love. I'm realizing he could win the whole thing. That would be so unfortunate. That would give "AI" another Taylor Hicks like "winner". Grade: C-. Buy? I have proudly not bought one of Danny Gokey's performance and I'm certainly not going to start with that song.
5) Adam Lambert sang "Feeling Good", I thought that might have been the best performance of the night. He made up for that terrible "If I Can't Have You" on Disco night. Lambert is sort of a freak and I'll never be a big fan. However if he wins "AI" he would make a much more interesting CD than Danny Gokey or Kris Allen. I'd at least want to check it out. One more thing Adam, keep that tongue in your mouth when you sing. Grade: B. Buy? No. Although I did buy his excellent rocking track of "Born To Be Wild".
The result's show review. That was one of the most boring "AI" shows ever. I can sum it up with the following: filler and really bad performances. The show starts off with 13 minutes of filler. That includes Ryan plugging the "AI" tour for the four millionth time (I have kept track). Also we had to suffer through that lame food fight. That was so obvious it was scripted.
Then they started doing the results. Ryan asked Danny a question. He jabbered for several seconds without saying anything intelligent. He can replace Randy Jackson or Paula Abdul when they quit "AI". He certainly couldn't do a worse job. Then Allison and Danny were safe. That made for a very shocking bottom three: Adam, Kris and Matt.
It's then time for the only good performance of the night, Natalie Cole. She was great and is still looking fantastic. Natalie Cole sang at 8:24. Then there was more filler before Taylor Hicks took the stage and sang "7 Mile Breakdown". Boring! Hicks continues to prove winning "AI" is no guarantee of being a big-time star. He wasn't very convincing playing the guitar. It's pretty amazing looking back at Season 5 of "American Idol". He beat out Daughtry, Katherine McPhee and Kellie Pickler. All three are much bigger stars than him, except maybe for Katherine. She looks a lot better on my computer desktop than him.
Kris is safe joining Danny and Allison in safety. More filler then Kanye West Jr., Jamie Foxx, attempted to sing at 8:42. I call him Kanye Jr. because his song reminded me of Kanye West's song. Foxx's "performance" continued the lame performances of rappers on "Idol" this year. In fact Foxx's performance was so bad that I'm calling it filler. It has become time to limit technology with music. Tech-
nology makes music worse as much as it helps make it better. (Thank goodness next week is rock week and we'll have the reunited No Doubt and Daughtry performing.)
Adam is safe, that will scare his fans into voting for him a lot next week. Matt is going home, leaving with another solid performance of "My Funny Valentine"
As I've already mentioned next week is rock week. Guns N' Roses former fantastic guitarist Slash will be taking on the mentor role. Let's hope he can be a great mentor, the mentors have sort of been lame this season. This should be a great week for Allison and Adam and I think a bad week for Danny and Kris. Allison has to do really well or she might be going home. Danny and Adam have big voting blocs behind them so I think they'll be safe for one more week.
Thanks for reading, themusicaddict
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Random "AI" Notes +
Hello,
Due to time constraints, I'm writing a quick review of last week's Disco themed "AI" performances. I already reviewed Lil Rounds woeful performance of "I'm Every Woman". I'm also going to include their % of votes in the predicting of who might be sent home in ew.com/Predictify Predict Who's Going Home contest. Here's the rest:
2) Kris Allen sang Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money". Yawn! Only 1% of the people voting in that contest predict he's going home. I can't believe it, why is he so popular? The judges love him. Kris please shave I don't know what statement you were trying to send with that wimpy mustache. Grade: D+. Buy: No!
3) Danny Gokey was not good singing Earth, Wind and Fire's "September". 20% of those predicting thinks he's going home. Let's hope they are right. What was up with the wimpy facial hair theme this week anyway? Danny shave please. Simon said Gokey had "no star power", that's the truth. Grade: C. Buy: No.
4) Allison Iraheta sang Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff", giving it a rock twist. She has that amazing voice and she was looking good this past Tuesday. The judges seemed to be conflicted in how they felt about the performance. I'm not conflicted, it was another very good performance. Whether she wins "AI" or not I think she has a chance to go far in music. Grade: B-. Buy?: Probably.
5) Adam Lambert absolutely destroyed Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You". 3% of those predicting think he's going home this week. The judges fawned over him as usual with Paula being in tears. Please! Paula is predicting he and Danny Gokey will be in the finals. I'd have to cheer for Adam in that instance, please no. Grade D-. Buy? Hell no!
6) Matt Giraud sang a very good version of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". With Anoop, Matt becomes the punching bag. 65% of predictors are predicting he's going home this week. The song got too repetitive by the end of the song, other than that it was great. The judges were mixed in their critiques. Grade: B. Buy? possibly.
7) Anoop Desai got the pimp spot and it didn't help survive for another week. He drastically reworked the Donna Summer classic, "Dim All The Lights". His was a slow, boring arrangement of that song. He also continued the night's wimpy hair theme. Again the judges were mixed on his performance. Grade: F. Buy? No.
Wednesday night's results show was a complete disaster. It was probably one of the worst "AI" episodes ever. Paula did the choreography for the group performance as they danced to and sung a medley of disco songs. The Idols looked like they had fun performing but please do not let Danny dance anymore. He dances like a white boy. As usual I was thankful for my DVR as I fast forwarded through the Ford music video.
Lil was then sent home. Yeah! Then there was that atrocious three song medley by three old disco singers. Freda had the arms but couldn't sing. Thelma Houston had some serious cleavage action going and time has a been a lot nicer to her than Freda. Then Danny Gokey in 30 years came and horribly performed "Get Down Tonight". That was KC of KC and the Sunshine Band. Each time he sang "make a little love tonight" the collective libido of America dropped considerably. That performance actually would be a very effective birth control method. That three song medley was the definition of "train wreck".
Then everyone you would predict would be safe is safe. The bottom three is Lil (who already was eliminated), Anoop and Allison. What the hell is Allison doing in the bottom three yet again? I keep on waiting for Danny Gokey to be in the bottom three. Those of you voting for him, please stop.
Then we had the terrible David Archuleta sing his new song, "Touch My Hand". That was horrible. Ryan called him the "adorable David Archuleta" which is the kind of thing you say about a kid. That is appropriate then. He has that dorky grin and lame personality. How did he come in second last season? He's going on tour soon opening for Disney star Demi Lovato. Nuff said.
Then we find out Allison is safe which means Anoop is going home. Anoop sings that horrible arrangement of "Dim All The Lights" as he heads off into the sunset.
Miscellaneous news: The Kings of Leon were the latest Rolling Stone cover boys. The next cover subject should be revealed this Wednesday morning at rollingstone.com. After six years of eagerly waiting there finally is a release date for the new Dan Brown book. Dan Brown is the author of the fantastic "The Davinci Code". The name of his new book is "The Lost Symbol" and it will be released September 15th. It seems to be similarly themed as "The Davinci Code". Robert Langdon, the hero in "Davinci Code", also returns in this book. I had mentioned that Rhapsody only now has two Black Label Society CD's available. I did a little more research. Four of those "missing" CD's are listed under Zakk Wylde. So on Rhapsody use his name as a search term if you want more Black Label Society than the two CD's that are listed.
"The Celebrity Apprentice" has sort of been rocky the last couple of weeks with a lot of drama. We're down to either our final 4 or 5 contestants, depending on whether Joan Rivers comes back. They final 4 or 5 are the non-listening Clint Black, the hilarious Joan Rivers, the gorgeous Brande Roderick, the female version of Piers Morgan, Annie Duke and the seemingly very cool Jesse James. Melissa Rivers was "fired" last night after being ganged up on by Brande and Annie. Melissa spent last night's episode whining about Brande and Annie. She was right but that didn't help her. What Brande doesn't realize is that Annie is playing her perfectly as well. Annie is all about the game and is not caring about hurting people's feelings. She's also very smart and a master manipulator. She's isn't quite as loathsome as Piers, but pretty close.
Two things semi-related to my new job at Verizon Wireless, which will be noted moving forward as VZW. I'm currently reading "The Cell" by Stephen King. It's a very good book and very hard to put down. There are a lot of similar story elements to King's "Dark Tower" series.
Last but not least VZW and Apple are in "high level discussions" about bringing the iPhone to the VZW network. That would be a merging of two great brands. While the Blackberry Storm looks very cool, the cell phone I would prefer is the iPhone. Apple products have a very high level of quality. You pay more but you get what you pay for. We'll see where those "high level discussions" lead. If everything gets agreed up on, the iPhone could be on the Verizon network as soon as next year.
Other "Idol" news: Slash is using his twitter account to announce that "AI" has asked him to be the mentor for rock week. Also the two newest ew.com "Idolatry" episodes are available for your entertainment. They had a new "Idolatry" this past Saturday and two new "Idolatry" episodes available today. One of today's episode is a viewer defending terrible judge Kara D. It should be interesting to be their reasoning, I think Kara has been a complete disaster.
Have a great week, themusicaddict
Due to time constraints, I'm writing a quick review of last week's Disco themed "AI" performances. I already reviewed Lil Rounds woeful performance of "I'm Every Woman". I'm also going to include their % of votes in the predicting of who might be sent home in ew.com/Predictify Predict Who's Going Home contest. Here's the rest:
2) Kris Allen sang Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money". Yawn! Only 1% of the people voting in that contest predict he's going home. I can't believe it, why is he so popular? The judges love him. Kris please shave I don't know what statement you were trying to send with that wimpy mustache. Grade: D+. Buy: No!
3) Danny Gokey was not good singing Earth, Wind and Fire's "September". 20% of those predicting thinks he's going home. Let's hope they are right. What was up with the wimpy facial hair theme this week anyway? Danny shave please. Simon said Gokey had "no star power", that's the truth. Grade: C. Buy: No.
4) Allison Iraheta sang Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff", giving it a rock twist. She has that amazing voice and she was looking good this past Tuesday. The judges seemed to be conflicted in how they felt about the performance. I'm not conflicted, it was another very good performance. Whether she wins "AI" or not I think she has a chance to go far in music. Grade: B-. Buy?: Probably.
5) Adam Lambert absolutely destroyed Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You". 3% of those predicting think he's going home this week. The judges fawned over him as usual with Paula being in tears. Please! Paula is predicting he and Danny Gokey will be in the finals. I'd have to cheer for Adam in that instance, please no. Grade D-. Buy? Hell no!
6) Matt Giraud sang a very good version of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". With Anoop, Matt becomes the punching bag. 65% of predictors are predicting he's going home this week. The song got too repetitive by the end of the song, other than that it was great. The judges were mixed in their critiques. Grade: B. Buy? possibly.
7) Anoop Desai got the pimp spot and it didn't help survive for another week. He drastically reworked the Donna Summer classic, "Dim All The Lights". His was a slow, boring arrangement of that song. He also continued the night's wimpy hair theme. Again the judges were mixed on his performance. Grade: F. Buy? No.
Wednesday night's results show was a complete disaster. It was probably one of the worst "AI" episodes ever. Paula did the choreography for the group performance as they danced to and sung a medley of disco songs. The Idols looked like they had fun performing but please do not let Danny dance anymore. He dances like a white boy. As usual I was thankful for my DVR as I fast forwarded through the Ford music video.
Lil was then sent home. Yeah! Then there was that atrocious three song medley by three old disco singers. Freda had the arms but couldn't sing. Thelma Houston had some serious cleavage action going and time has a been a lot nicer to her than Freda. Then Danny Gokey in 30 years came and horribly performed "Get Down Tonight". That was KC of KC and the Sunshine Band. Each time he sang "make a little love tonight" the collective libido of America dropped considerably. That performance actually would be a very effective birth control method. That three song medley was the definition of "train wreck".
Then everyone you would predict would be safe is safe. The bottom three is Lil (who already was eliminated), Anoop and Allison. What the hell is Allison doing in the bottom three yet again? I keep on waiting for Danny Gokey to be in the bottom three. Those of you voting for him, please stop.
Then we had the terrible David Archuleta sing his new song, "Touch My Hand". That was horrible. Ryan called him the "adorable David Archuleta" which is the kind of thing you say about a kid. That is appropriate then. He has that dorky grin and lame personality. How did he come in second last season? He's going on tour soon opening for Disney star Demi Lovato. Nuff said.
Then we find out Allison is safe which means Anoop is going home. Anoop sings that horrible arrangement of "Dim All The Lights" as he heads off into the sunset.
Miscellaneous news: The Kings of Leon were the latest Rolling Stone cover boys. The next cover subject should be revealed this Wednesday morning at rollingstone.com. After six years of eagerly waiting there finally is a release date for the new Dan Brown book. Dan Brown is the author of the fantastic "The Davinci Code". The name of his new book is "The Lost Symbol" and it will be released September 15th. It seems to be similarly themed as "The Davinci Code". Robert Langdon, the hero in "Davinci Code", also returns in this book. I had mentioned that Rhapsody only now has two Black Label Society CD's available. I did a little more research. Four of those "missing" CD's are listed under Zakk Wylde. So on Rhapsody use his name as a search term if you want more Black Label Society than the two CD's that are listed.
"The Celebrity Apprentice" has sort of been rocky the last couple of weeks with a lot of drama. We're down to either our final 4 or 5 contestants, depending on whether Joan Rivers comes back. They final 4 or 5 are the non-listening Clint Black, the hilarious Joan Rivers, the gorgeous Brande Roderick, the female version of Piers Morgan, Annie Duke and the seemingly very cool Jesse James. Melissa Rivers was "fired" last night after being ganged up on by Brande and Annie. Melissa spent last night's episode whining about Brande and Annie. She was right but that didn't help her. What Brande doesn't realize is that Annie is playing her perfectly as well. Annie is all about the game and is not caring about hurting people's feelings. She's also very smart and a master manipulator. She's isn't quite as loathsome as Piers, but pretty close.
Two things semi-related to my new job at Verizon Wireless, which will be noted moving forward as VZW. I'm currently reading "The Cell" by Stephen King. It's a very good book and very hard to put down. There are a lot of similar story elements to King's "Dark Tower" series.
Last but not least VZW and Apple are in "high level discussions" about bringing the iPhone to the VZW network. That would be a merging of two great brands. While the Blackberry Storm looks very cool, the cell phone I would prefer is the iPhone. Apple products have a very high level of quality. You pay more but you get what you pay for. We'll see where those "high level discussions" lead. If everything gets agreed up on, the iPhone could be on the Verizon network as soon as next year.
Other "Idol" news: Slash is using his twitter account to announce that "AI" has asked him to be the mentor for rock week. Also the two newest ew.com "Idolatry" episodes are available for your entertainment. They had a new "Idolatry" this past Saturday and two new "Idolatry" episodes available today. One of today's episode is a viewer defending terrible judge Kara D. It should be interesting to be their reasoning, I think Kara has been a complete disaster.
Have a great week, themusicaddict
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Top 5 for "AI" 4/26/09
Hello,
Here's my Top 5 following Disco week. By the way the rest of my review of this past week's show should be coming soon. Let's hope this is the last Disco week ever. While I was writing my list I was thinking how did Lil last so long? She survived longer than Megan Corkrey, Alexis Grace, Mishavonna Henson and other superior singers. Now its time to get rid of Danny Gokey. Off the list from last week are Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai.
5) Adam Lambert (LW: 1) After a fantastic performance the previous week, he resumed roller coaster ride with a terrible performance. He changed Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" to be a completely different song. It's the kind of different that's not good. His "Born To Be Wild" was fantastic, followed by the lame "If I Can't Have You". I'm listening to the original of that song now and it's not as good as I remember, but it's far superior to Lambert's horrible cover. I don't get why that performance received so much praise. I've accepted that he's probably going to win.
4) Kris Allen (LW: 5) Another performance that was over hyped. A very lame remake of Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For The Money". I'm not sure what his fans see in him, because he bores me to tears. He's this year's David Archuletta and that ain't a good thing. His performance was a lot better than David Archuleta's song the next night though.
3) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) He made a big move in my list not because of how good he is, but because he wasn't as bad as Kris and Adam. He sang Earth, Wind and Fire's "September". The original of that song is an amazing song. Gokey's remaking of it is not so amazing. The best thing I can say about Gokey's performance is that it's forgettable.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 4) After a very solid "Stayin' Alive" Matt survived another week. He wasn't even in the bottom three. He's like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps on going and going. He's the ultimate "Idol" survivor, very similar to Syesha Mercado last year. Is he going to win? No! He does have a very good chance of making the final 4. I'm hoping that Gokey goes home this week.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 2) Iraheta resumes her rightful spot on themusicaddict's ratings. She significantly changed the song around and didn't earn praise from the judges. Not that you ever expect much from the judges. I liked how Iraheta added the rock twist to Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". That would be the only performance I'd want to buy from this past week. She's got it all: showmanship, a great voice and a strong sense of who she is.
"American Idol" is now down to five contestants. I'm predicting Adam's going to win. In descending order I'm predicting 2nd: Kris Allen, 3rd: Allison Iraheta 4th: Matt Giraud and 5th: Danny Gokey. (fingers crossed) That's not how I want it to be, but I think that is how it's going to work out.
This week's theme is songs made famous by members of The Rat Pack. Obviously there won't be any mentors. I predict all the contestants will do well, except for maybe Danny Gokey. But I don't think he does very well any week.
Have a good Sunday, themusicaddict
Here's my Top 5 following Disco week. By the way the rest of my review of this past week's show should be coming soon. Let's hope this is the last Disco week ever. While I was writing my list I was thinking how did Lil last so long? She survived longer than Megan Corkrey, Alexis Grace, Mishavonna Henson and other superior singers. Now its time to get rid of Danny Gokey. Off the list from last week are Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai.
5) Adam Lambert (LW: 1) After a fantastic performance the previous week, he resumed roller coaster ride with a terrible performance. He changed Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" to be a completely different song. It's the kind of different that's not good. His "Born To Be Wild" was fantastic, followed by the lame "If I Can't Have You". I'm listening to the original of that song now and it's not as good as I remember, but it's far superior to Lambert's horrible cover. I don't get why that performance received so much praise. I've accepted that he's probably going to win.
4) Kris Allen (LW: 5) Another performance that was over hyped. A very lame remake of Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For The Money". I'm not sure what his fans see in him, because he bores me to tears. He's this year's David Archuletta and that ain't a good thing. His performance was a lot better than David Archuleta's song the next night though.
3) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) He made a big move in my list not because of how good he is, but because he wasn't as bad as Kris and Adam. He sang Earth, Wind and Fire's "September". The original of that song is an amazing song. Gokey's remaking of it is not so amazing. The best thing I can say about Gokey's performance is that it's forgettable.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 4) After a very solid "Stayin' Alive" Matt survived another week. He wasn't even in the bottom three. He's like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps on going and going. He's the ultimate "Idol" survivor, very similar to Syesha Mercado last year. Is he going to win? No! He does have a very good chance of making the final 4. I'm hoping that Gokey goes home this week.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 2) Iraheta resumes her rightful spot on themusicaddict's ratings. She significantly changed the song around and didn't earn praise from the judges. Not that you ever expect much from the judges. I liked how Iraheta added the rock twist to Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". That would be the only performance I'd want to buy from this past week. She's got it all: showmanship, a great voice and a strong sense of who she is.
"American Idol" is now down to five contestants. I'm predicting Adam's going to win. In descending order I'm predicting 2nd: Kris Allen, 3rd: Allison Iraheta 4th: Matt Giraud and 5th: Danny Gokey. (fingers crossed) That's not how I want it to be, but I think that is how it's going to work out.
This week's theme is songs made famous by members of The Rat Pack. Obviously there won't be any mentors. I predict all the contestants will do well, except for maybe Danny Gokey. But I don't think he does very well any week.
Have a good Sunday, themusicaddict
Friday, April 24, 2009
"AI" Week 8 April 21st and 22nd
Hello,
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've written. While I have a few minutes now I thought I would write a quick blog. Not only have I started a new job with Verizon Wireless but also my wife has been working her butt off to set me up with a new computer. She's moved all my files to a new computer, which has been a very frustrating process. She's worked three days on this project and slowly but surely my computer is getting to optimum efficiency.
I drive about 50 minutes each way to get to work. So after a lunch hour there I'm gone for 11 hours 5 days a week. While I'm not working 55 hours a week, it feels like it as I'm gone that long. Plus I have all my other usual responsibilities, you know like a blog. Don't get me wrong though I'm very grateful for this job.
Here's the start of my review of this past week's of "AI". I've got to say thank goodness Lil Rounds is gone. I was so tired of her. Also David Archuleta's performance was terrible Wednesday night. Why is he still popular? Another bad thing was that three song Disco medley, it's the definition of "train wreck". Wednesday night's show should have been titled "Finale". Lil was booted, it's the final death knell for Disco and Archuleta hastened his inevitable decline into obscurity.
This week's theme was Disco and there was no mentor. So that they could get through the show quicker there was no video vignettes before the performances. I liked this much faster paced show. Now if the "AI" producers could only do the same thing for the results show.
1) Lil Rounds sang "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Kahn. In the 80's it was also covered by the amazing Whitney Houston. Lil set herself to be compared to two legendary singers and did not fare well. It was yet another mediocre performance and she also wore an ugly outfit. She kept on singing the same thing over and over again. The judges did not like her performance. Simon correctly predicted this is the "last week we're going to see you". Lil said she had "fun" and then disagreed with the judges again. Lil I'm glad you had fun because no one else did.
Happy Birthday Hank!
I have to go to bed in a few minutes so that's it for now. If I'm not back tomorrow I will for sure be back on Sunday with my new Top "AI" Whatever. themusicaddict
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've written. While I have a few minutes now I thought I would write a quick blog. Not only have I started a new job with Verizon Wireless but also my wife has been working her butt off to set me up with a new computer. She's moved all my files to a new computer, which has been a very frustrating process. She's worked three days on this project and slowly but surely my computer is getting to optimum efficiency.
I drive about 50 minutes each way to get to work. So after a lunch hour there I'm gone for 11 hours 5 days a week. While I'm not working 55 hours a week, it feels like it as I'm gone that long. Plus I have all my other usual responsibilities, you know like a blog. Don't get me wrong though I'm very grateful for this job.
Here's the start of my review of this past week's of "AI". I've got to say thank goodness Lil Rounds is gone. I was so tired of her. Also David Archuleta's performance was terrible Wednesday night. Why is he still popular? Another bad thing was that three song Disco medley, it's the definition of "train wreck". Wednesday night's show should have been titled "Finale". Lil was booted, it's the final death knell for Disco and Archuleta hastened his inevitable decline into obscurity.
This week's theme was Disco and there was no mentor. So that they could get through the show quicker there was no video vignettes before the performances. I liked this much faster paced show. Now if the "AI" producers could only do the same thing for the results show.
1) Lil Rounds sang "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Kahn. In the 80's it was also covered by the amazing Whitney Houston. Lil set herself to be compared to two legendary singers and did not fare well. It was yet another mediocre performance and she also wore an ugly outfit. She kept on singing the same thing over and over again. The judges did not like her performance. Simon correctly predicted this is the "last week we're going to see you". Lil said she had "fun" and then disagreed with the judges again. Lil I'm glad you had fun because no one else did.
Happy Birthday Hank!
I have to go to bed in a few minutes so that's it for now. If I'm not back tomorrow I will for sure be back on Sunday with my new Top "AI" Whatever. themusicaddict
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hello,
I'm thinking about in 24 hours from now I'll be starting my new job. I'll be working at Verizon Wireless starting tomorrow morning. I'm both very excited and nervous about the opportunity. I'm hoping to turn this into a career. This job will be a bit of a challenge for me as I don't know a lot about cell phones, as I haven't had one for about 3.5 years. My brother told me I could have his Blackberry, he got himself an iPhone. So this should be a very interesting experience. I won't be writing too much about it but I'll update about that job once-in-a-while.
Other news: I have decided not to finish "King Dork" as it didn't grab me by the collar. I've already taken it back to the library. I've read over half of Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go" and it's okay and interesting. For me though it hasn't knocked my socks off. On Saturday I went to the library and checked out 3 new books. One of those books is Richard Price's "Clockers". This is a book that has grabbed me by the collar and won't let go. This will probably be the next book I finish. I previously had started reading his "Freedomland" but couldn't get through it. I'm also thinking about reading Stephen King's "The Cell" since I start working for a cell phone company tomorrow. Also that book references Verizon's classic line, "Can you hear me now?"
I love to read and I read novels, a lot of articles on the net and I subscribe to 10 different magazines. Of the 10 magazines I subscribe to my three favorites are Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and Esquire magazine. All three magazines have great writers and write about things I love. The other 7 magazines I subscribe to (in order of when I think of them) Fortune, Time, Newsweek, ESPN Magazine, Spin, Entertainment Weekly and Wired. I used to subscribe to Paste and Vanity Fair but had to give them up because we don't have the money. I also used to subscribe to Blender and George but both have gone out of business. Through the mycokerewards.com program I can renew my subscriptions to Wired, EW and Esquire for free.
In music I continue listening to Black Label Society on Rhapsody. I signed into Rhapsody today and noticed they only have two of BLS's CDs available. On Friday when I signed in they had 8 of their CD's available to listen to. I'm not sure what happened there. Black Label Society's most recent CD "Shot To Hell" is fairly good and it has some great songs on it. Some of my favorites are "New Religion", "The Last Goodbye", "Sick Of It All" and "Give Yourself To Me". The other BLS CD Rhapsody has available is "Sonic Brew". Some of my favorite songs on that CD are "The Beginning... At Last", "No More Tears" and "Better Half". I think it's funny that BLS leader Zakk Wylde helps Ozzy Osbourne with his CD's, Osbourne also has a song titled "No More Tears". I will continue listening to their music until at least the May 5th concert. Thanks to my brother for buying me a ticket to the concert. I think it's going to be rawk!
That's about all for right now. My apologies for writing such a boring blog. My blog posts are going to be less as I acclimate to a new job. Have a great day. themusicaddict
I'm thinking about in 24 hours from now I'll be starting my new job. I'll be working at Verizon Wireless starting tomorrow morning. I'm both very excited and nervous about the opportunity. I'm hoping to turn this into a career. This job will be a bit of a challenge for me as I don't know a lot about cell phones, as I haven't had one for about 3.5 years. My brother told me I could have his Blackberry, he got himself an iPhone. So this should be a very interesting experience. I won't be writing too much about it but I'll update about that job once-in-a-while.
Other news: I have decided not to finish "King Dork" as it didn't grab me by the collar. I've already taken it back to the library. I've read over half of Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go" and it's okay and interesting. For me though it hasn't knocked my socks off. On Saturday I went to the library and checked out 3 new books. One of those books is Richard Price's "Clockers". This is a book that has grabbed me by the collar and won't let go. This will probably be the next book I finish. I previously had started reading his "Freedomland" but couldn't get through it. I'm also thinking about reading Stephen King's "The Cell" since I start working for a cell phone company tomorrow. Also that book references Verizon's classic line, "Can you hear me now?"
I love to read and I read novels, a lot of articles on the net and I subscribe to 10 different magazines. Of the 10 magazines I subscribe to my three favorites are Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and Esquire magazine. All three magazines have great writers and write about things I love. The other 7 magazines I subscribe to (in order of when I think of them) Fortune, Time, Newsweek, ESPN Magazine, Spin, Entertainment Weekly and Wired. I used to subscribe to Paste and Vanity Fair but had to give them up because we don't have the money. I also used to subscribe to Blender and George but both have gone out of business. Through the mycokerewards.com program I can renew my subscriptions to Wired, EW and Esquire for free.
In music I continue listening to Black Label Society on Rhapsody. I signed into Rhapsody today and noticed they only have two of BLS's CDs available. On Friday when I signed in they had 8 of their CD's available to listen to. I'm not sure what happened there. Black Label Society's most recent CD "Shot To Hell" is fairly good and it has some great songs on it. Some of my favorites are "New Religion", "The Last Goodbye", "Sick Of It All" and "Give Yourself To Me". The other BLS CD Rhapsody has available is "Sonic Brew". Some of my favorite songs on that CD are "The Beginning... At Last", "No More Tears" and "Better Half". I think it's funny that BLS leader Zakk Wylde helps Ozzy Osbourne with his CD's, Osbourne also has a song titled "No More Tears". I will continue listening to their music until at least the May 5th concert. Thanks to my brother for buying me a ticket to the concert. I think it's going to be rawk!
That's about all for right now. My apologies for writing such a boring blog. My blog posts are going to be less as I acclimate to a new job. Have a great day. themusicaddict
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Top 7 "AI" April 19th, 2009, Susan Boyle Pt. 3
Hello,
The Susan Boyle express train rolls on. As of last night the youtube.com video of her singing on "Britain's Got Talent" has 27 million hits. You'd have to be living under a rock to miss out on her. Recently she was on "Larry King Live" and sang "My Heart Will Go On". The Susan Boyle express may be losing a bit of steam as she sounded a bit rough. To be fair it looked like they didn't give her much of a chance to prepare. The newly discovered recording of her singing "Cry Me A River" is breathtakingly beautiful. She soon might be overexposed though, a backlash has already began. I think she needs to hide for a couple of weeks or until it's her next turn on "Britain's Got Talent". It's hard to believe it has only been one week since she first burst on the scene. I'm still a big fan.
Here's my "American Idol" Top 7. Disco rating, on a scale between 1 to 10 how I think they will do with this week's theme. 10 is the best one can do.
7) Lil Rounds (LW: 3) Let's be honest, she has got to go. Until she gets a personality makeover I'd be glad never to see her again. Her trying to add a gospel element to "The Rose" was a spectacular disaster. Also whatever you do we don't want to hear your opinions on anything. I have never seen talking back to the judges work, even if you are right. Disco rating = 4.
6) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) I also am very ready for him to go. As my Mom said "If he wins what kind of artist is he going to be"? I actually don't want to know the answer to that question. My Mom is absolutely right, what kind of CD would he make? I don't even think it would be as good as the nearly unlistenable David Archuleta. (BTW: Nice work David, opening for Demi Lovato. I'm not sure that is going to help your career. Do you realize very few adults know who Demi Lovato is? My 8 year old daughter had to explain to my family who she is.) Disco rating = 2.
5) Kris Allen (LW: 6) I don't dislike him, I just don't like him as an artist. I think he's being hyped beyond his ability. I've been waiting for a breakout performance and it just has never happened. I thought he really had his chance with "Ain't No Sunshine" but it was only so so. Disco rating = 2.
4) Matt Giraud (LW: 2) I'm so glad the judges saved him. I think they made the right decision. Now Matt all you need to do is to pick great songs each week and nail the vocals. No more Coldplay or The Fray. Disco rating = 2.
3) Anoop Desai (LW: 5) He has shown that he can nail ballads ("True Colors", "You Were Always On My Mind"). He hasn't been so successful on uptempo songs though. If he picks the right song this could be a good week for him. Disco rating = 4.5.
2) Allison Iraheta (LW: 1) After being #1 for two weeks Allison fell to 2. Not due to anything she did, but Adam was just so good last week. Although Allison please don't pick such a sappy song as "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" again. That's more appropriate for a high school prom than to show what kind of artist you will be. I think Allison should sing "Last Dance" by Donna Summer. I think that could work for her. Disco rating = 3.
1) Adam Lambert (LW: 4) Adam rockets to the top on the strength of that fantastic "Born To Be Wild" If he has another spectacular performance Tuesday, he could turn this competition into a rout. The disco theme is going to be right up his alley. That in spite of his of "Play That Funky Music White Boy" was only mediocre. His strength is that he picks great songs for him almost every week. I'm still hoping Allison wins, although there are a lot worse people than Adam Lambert who might win. Disco rating: 7.
I'll be back tomorrow with my next blog entry. Starting Tuesday I work 5 days in a row at my new job with Verizon Wireless. My blogs will be a little more infrequent then. I'm both excited and nervous about my new job. I hope things are going well for you in this tough economic climate. themusicaddict
The Susan Boyle express train rolls on. As of last night the youtube.com video of her singing on "Britain's Got Talent" has 27 million hits. You'd have to be living under a rock to miss out on her. Recently she was on "Larry King Live" and sang "My Heart Will Go On". The Susan Boyle express may be losing a bit of steam as she sounded a bit rough. To be fair it looked like they didn't give her much of a chance to prepare. The newly discovered recording of her singing "Cry Me A River" is breathtakingly beautiful. She soon might be overexposed though, a backlash has already began. I think she needs to hide for a couple of weeks or until it's her next turn on "Britain's Got Talent". It's hard to believe it has only been one week since she first burst on the scene. I'm still a big fan.
Here's my "American Idol" Top 7. Disco rating, on a scale between 1 to 10 how I think they will do with this week's theme. 10 is the best one can do.
7) Lil Rounds (LW: 3) Let's be honest, she has got to go. Until she gets a personality makeover I'd be glad never to see her again. Her trying to add a gospel element to "The Rose" was a spectacular disaster. Also whatever you do we don't want to hear your opinions on anything. I have never seen talking back to the judges work, even if you are right. Disco rating = 4.
6) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) I also am very ready for him to go. As my Mom said "If he wins what kind of artist is he going to be"? I actually don't want to know the answer to that question. My Mom is absolutely right, what kind of CD would he make? I don't even think it would be as good as the nearly unlistenable David Archuleta. (BTW: Nice work David, opening for Demi Lovato. I'm not sure that is going to help your career. Do you realize very few adults know who Demi Lovato is? My 8 year old daughter had to explain to my family who she is.) Disco rating = 2.
5) Kris Allen (LW: 6) I don't dislike him, I just don't like him as an artist. I think he's being hyped beyond his ability. I've been waiting for a breakout performance and it just has never happened. I thought he really had his chance with "Ain't No Sunshine" but it was only so so. Disco rating = 2.
4) Matt Giraud (LW: 2) I'm so glad the judges saved him. I think they made the right decision. Now Matt all you need to do is to pick great songs each week and nail the vocals. No more Coldplay or The Fray. Disco rating = 2.
3) Anoop Desai (LW: 5) He has shown that he can nail ballads ("True Colors", "You Were Always On My Mind"). He hasn't been so successful on uptempo songs though. If he picks the right song this could be a good week for him. Disco rating = 4.5.
2) Allison Iraheta (LW: 1) After being #1 for two weeks Allison fell to 2. Not due to anything she did, but Adam was just so good last week. Although Allison please don't pick such a sappy song as "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" again. That's more appropriate for a high school prom than to show what kind of artist you will be. I think Allison should sing "Last Dance" by Donna Summer. I think that could work for her. Disco rating = 3.
1) Adam Lambert (LW: 4) Adam rockets to the top on the strength of that fantastic "Born To Be Wild" If he has another spectacular performance Tuesday, he could turn this competition into a rout. The disco theme is going to be right up his alley. That in spite of his of "Play That Funky Music White Boy" was only mediocre. His strength is that he picks great songs for him almost every week. I'm still hoping Allison wins, although there are a lot worse people than Adam Lambert who might win. Disco rating: 7.
I'll be back tomorrow with my next blog entry. Starting Tuesday I work 5 days in a row at my new job with Verizon Wireless. My blogs will be a little more infrequent then. I'm both excited and nervous about my new job. I hope things are going well for you in this tough economic climate. themusicaddict
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Susan Boyle's legend grows.
Hello,
There's been another song discovered that's sung by Susan Doyle. This is from a charity album she sang on 10 years ago. She sings the classic, "Cry Me A River". This is what the angels sounds like when they sing. Listen to that voice, what a great singer. This is even better than her "I Dreamed A Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent". Why didn't someone discover her earlier? I was getting nervous that she might be a flash in a pan or even be a hoax. This seems to confirm she has genuine talent.
There's news reports that Piers Morgan has offered to take Susan Doyle on a romantic date. Piers, you arrogant jerk, can you be any more condescending? Are you trying to attach your name to someone with talent? Why would Susan want to go out with you anyway? I don't look forward to seeing him on "Celebrity Apprentice" tomorrow.
Here's the voice of an angel:
Let's get Susan off "Britain's Got Talent" and get her straight to a recording studio. I look forward to her first CD.
This week on "American Idol" the theme is disco night. Disco is the latin word for "train wreck". I don't have any problem with disco music itself, it's just that it's not the easiest music to sing. This will be a make or break week for many of the contestants. There are reports that they are going to eliminate the only two judges judging each contestant idea. The producers plan on cutting "other stuff" to get the show finished in the time allotted. What will we do without all the unneeded filler?
This week there will be two people eliminated. Without a doubt Lil has got to go. I expect disco week to highlight her glaring weaknesses. I don't ever want to experience her singing or skank attitude again. I also don't think this theme is going to do Danny Gokey any favors. My dream for this week is that those two get sent home. That would give us a solid final 5 of Allison, Adam, Kris, Anoop and Matt Giraud. I'm sure Adam is going to win, but I'm hoping Allison wins. I just love her voice so much.
Not only should contestants get eliminated but Kara and Randy have to go as well. Kara has been a train wreck this season and only has detracted from the show. Randy continues to say a lot without saying anything. In eight seasons has he made a good critique yet. His whole, "you can sing the phone book" or "for me, for you" or "that's a hot lava bomb" has got to end. I wish I could be the Donald Trump of this show and I would say "Kara and Randy you're fired".
According to mjsbigblog.com: joining the cast of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here" will be Sanjaya. He of "American Idol" infany. He was the David Archuletta and Danny Gokey of Season 6. If that wasn't such a trusted "AI" site I would call that a hoax. I love in this modern world where appearing on a reality show makes one a "celebrity". According to that same post Speidi will be appearing on the same show. I don't keep up much with TV so I had to read the article to find out who that was. I'm very proud of myself I didn't know that. "I'm a Celebrity" makes it's debut June 1st, so make plans to miss it now.
Here are some things to add to your calender though. The "Star Trek" prequel is out May 8th. It looks like there's going to be some kind of time travel storyline.
On May 21st, 2009 the "Terminator" series continues with "Terminator Salvation". The song on this clip is Nine Inch Nails "The Day The Whole World Went Away". It's very appropriate for this preview.
If these two movies are as cool as they appear to be it will be a great Sci Fi summer.
Tomorrow I'll be unveiling my new Top 7 for "American Idol".
themusicaddict
There's been another song discovered that's sung by Susan Doyle. This is from a charity album she sang on 10 years ago. She sings the classic, "Cry Me A River". This is what the angels sounds like when they sing. Listen to that voice, what a great singer. This is even better than her "I Dreamed A Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent". Why didn't someone discover her earlier? I was getting nervous that she might be a flash in a pan or even be a hoax. This seems to confirm she has genuine talent.
There's news reports that Piers Morgan has offered to take Susan Doyle on a romantic date. Piers, you arrogant jerk, can you be any more condescending? Are you trying to attach your name to someone with talent? Why would Susan want to go out with you anyway? I don't look forward to seeing him on "Celebrity Apprentice" tomorrow.
Here's the voice of an angel:
Let's get Susan off "Britain's Got Talent" and get her straight to a recording studio. I look forward to her first CD.
This week on "American Idol" the theme is disco night. Disco is the latin word for "train wreck". I don't have any problem with disco music itself, it's just that it's not the easiest music to sing. This will be a make or break week for many of the contestants. There are reports that they are going to eliminate the only two judges judging each contestant idea. The producers plan on cutting "other stuff" to get the show finished in the time allotted. What will we do without all the unneeded filler?
This week there will be two people eliminated. Without a doubt Lil has got to go. I expect disco week to highlight her glaring weaknesses. I don't ever want to experience her singing or skank attitude again. I also don't think this theme is going to do Danny Gokey any favors. My dream for this week is that those two get sent home. That would give us a solid final 5 of Allison, Adam, Kris, Anoop and Matt Giraud. I'm sure Adam is going to win, but I'm hoping Allison wins. I just love her voice so much.
Not only should contestants get eliminated but Kara and Randy have to go as well. Kara has been a train wreck this season and only has detracted from the show. Randy continues to say a lot without saying anything. In eight seasons has he made a good critique yet. His whole, "you can sing the phone book" or "for me, for you" or "that's a hot lava bomb" has got to end. I wish I could be the Donald Trump of this show and I would say "Kara and Randy you're fired".
According to mjsbigblog.com: joining the cast of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here" will be Sanjaya. He of "American Idol" infany. He was the David Archuletta and Danny Gokey of Season 6. If that wasn't such a trusted "AI" site I would call that a hoax. I love in this modern world where appearing on a reality show makes one a "celebrity". According to that same post Speidi will be appearing on the same show. I don't keep up much with TV so I had to read the article to find out who that was. I'm very proud of myself I didn't know that. "I'm a Celebrity" makes it's debut June 1st, so make plans to miss it now.
Here are some things to add to your calender though. The "Star Trek" prequel is out May 8th. It looks like there's going to be some kind of time travel storyline.
On May 21st, 2009 the "Terminator" series continues with "Terminator Salvation". The song on this clip is Nine Inch Nails "The Day The Whole World Went Away". It's very appropriate for this preview.
If these two movies are as cool as they appear to be it will be a great Sci Fi summer.
Tomorrow I'll be unveiling my new Top 7 for "American Idol".
themusicaddict
Thursday, April 16, 2009
"AI" Finals Week 6, April 14th and 15th Part 2
Hello,
Welcome to my 200th blog post. To those of you who read this on a regular basis I thank you very much. I have fun writing this blog and expressing my opinions. There have been so many times I have thought I wish I could express my feelings. Then I realize I have a blog and I can.
I'm still on a high about Susan Doyle and her breakout performance on "Britain's Got Talent". I don't know how far she's going to go into that competition, but she already has made a worldwide impact. She appeared on CBS "Early Show" this morning and sang "I Dreamed A Dream" again. If you didn't see this you can watch it on-line. It's at CBS' official website. I'm sure it's already on youtube.com also. I think she captures all that these sort of competitions should be about, not that they turn out that way often enough.
Before I start my review I have a trivia question for you. What do Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, George Huff and John Stevens all have in common? Answer later in this blog.
Here's my review for last night's results of "AI". Remember my new "AI" rankings will be out Sunday, look for some dramatic changes.
First Ryan hyped the upcoming 50 city "AI" tour starting July 5th in Portland, Oregon. Initially I thought to myself I might go see that concert. Then I realized I'd have to listen to Danny Gokey, Mr. Vanilla, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre. I'd have to replace all four of those with Alexis Grace and then I might want to go. Also there would have to be no lame group performances, the ultimate in cheese. I can't wait for Allison's first CD. The concert I'd want to see is Alexis Grace, Megan Joy and Allison Iraheta.
Then the Top 7 performed Michael Sembello's "Maniac". Matt Giraud sounded fantastic on that, he should have sang that Tuesday night instead.
Ryan then asked pimping questions of Allison (hey maybe the producers are realizing how good she is) and Adam. We then saw Zac Efron in the studio, did you notice that was the only time they showed him? I think he headed out as soon as his cameo was over. Then turn down the lights and its time for results. Allison and Adam were safe, it was obvious both were safe. Allison stood up first, the first person up is always safe. Thank goodness the best singer left in the competition is safe. Then one of the producer's favorites stood up, Adam Lambert. There's absolutely no drama in him being safe. Unfortunately even after a stellar performance last night, Anoop is in the bottom three for the third straight week. My bottom three would have been Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud with Lil going home.
Then Jennifer Hudson took the stage and tore into a song from her debut CD, "If This Isn't Love". I love how "Idol" is taking credit for J Hud's success. Here's the answer to the trivia question: those people mentioned above all finished higher than J. Hud on Season 3 of "AI". George Huff was 5th that season, why isn't "Idol" taking credit for his success. Did you know George Huff has a new CD out? Do you care? Which is your favorite George Huff hit song? What's that, he doesn't have any?
Judson must not have had many pimp spots or friendly lighting. I'd be okay if she had finished second behind Fantasia as Fantasia is an incredible singer. She also has actually done something post-"Idol". How did Jennifer Hudson only come in 7th place? Presumably that's why the judges sham, uh I mean judges save was created. I'm not sure they would have used the save even if they had one back then. I didn't watch Season 3 of "AI".
Then Ryan has Mr. Vanilla and Lil stand up, you know which one of these two is bottom 3. Even though Ryan just mentioned it I can't remember what Mr. Vanilla sang. He's just completely forgettable to me. Then Ryan has Matt and Danny stand up, of these two it's obvious Matt is in the bottom 3. Although it's time for Danny Gokey to be in the bottom three. So the bottom 3 is Anoop, Lil and Matt. Ryan asks Kara for her opinion and she says it's the right bottom three. Kara continues to be wrong. There should be no save for Kara when she gets fired after this season. How about we do it now? The bottom three should have been Danny, Lil and Matt based on last night's performances. Ryan sends Anoop back to the couches of safety.
Miley Cyrus then sang "The Climb", she still is Billy Ray's biggest hit. Is it just my ears or was that sort of a janky vocal. I liked the song okay. I kept on wondering where is George Huff and his big new hit? Again what season was Miley Ray on "American Idol"?
The bottom two are Matt and Lil. Seriously who is still voting for her. She started out with so much promise and unfortunately has been a huge disappointment. Matt then sings for his life as the judges pretend to deliberate. The judges save is perhaps the biggest travesty in "Idol" history. I'm sure the Producers ok'd the judges to save Matt but not Lil. Again Kara and Paula danced while they were "deliberating". After some genuine tension Matt is saved, I'm so glad they saved Matt Giraud. Is he going to win? No, but he definitely should have been saved. I sort of got emotional about it, which really surprised me.
Simon then said he had "two pieces of bad news".
1) Two people are going home next week. (Please, please be Danny and Lil.)
2) Next week is disco week. Which Village People song will Adam Lambert sing?
Here's hoping Danny, who will be a train wreck, and Lil will be going home next week. I think Kris Allen and Allison will really struggle with disco next week. I think Adam will be the best and Matt and Anoop will either be great or terrible. Disco week could really shake up the competition. Will they have a big reflecting ball in the middle of the stage?
After another week of picks in the Predictify/ ew.com contest themusicaddict is 2024th of 11,101 contestants.
If I have something that really inspires me, I'll be back tomorrow. If not I'll be back with a mostly non-"Idol" blog Saturday. Tomorrow is my last day at my current job. Yeah! I then start working at Verizon Wireless Tuesday with a three day weekend in between. I'm looking forward to that! :)
Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
Welcome to my 200th blog post. To those of you who read this on a regular basis I thank you very much. I have fun writing this blog and expressing my opinions. There have been so many times I have thought I wish I could express my feelings. Then I realize I have a blog and I can.
I'm still on a high about Susan Doyle and her breakout performance on "Britain's Got Talent". I don't know how far she's going to go into that competition, but she already has made a worldwide impact. She appeared on CBS "Early Show" this morning and sang "I Dreamed A Dream" again. If you didn't see this you can watch it on-line. It's at CBS' official website. I'm sure it's already on youtube.com also. I think she captures all that these sort of competitions should be about, not that they turn out that way often enough.
Before I start my review I have a trivia question for you. What do Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, George Huff and John Stevens all have in common? Answer later in this blog.
Here's my review for last night's results of "AI". Remember my new "AI" rankings will be out Sunday, look for some dramatic changes.
First Ryan hyped the upcoming 50 city "AI" tour starting July 5th in Portland, Oregon. Initially I thought to myself I might go see that concert. Then I realized I'd have to listen to Danny Gokey, Mr. Vanilla, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre. I'd have to replace all four of those with Alexis Grace and then I might want to go. Also there would have to be no lame group performances, the ultimate in cheese. I can't wait for Allison's first CD. The concert I'd want to see is Alexis Grace, Megan Joy and Allison Iraheta.
Then the Top 7 performed Michael Sembello's "Maniac". Matt Giraud sounded fantastic on that, he should have sang that Tuesday night instead.
Ryan then asked pimping questions of Allison (hey maybe the producers are realizing how good she is) and Adam. We then saw Zac Efron in the studio, did you notice that was the only time they showed him? I think he headed out as soon as his cameo was over. Then turn down the lights and its time for results. Allison and Adam were safe, it was obvious both were safe. Allison stood up first, the first person up is always safe. Thank goodness the best singer left in the competition is safe. Then one of the producer's favorites stood up, Adam Lambert. There's absolutely no drama in him being safe. Unfortunately even after a stellar performance last night, Anoop is in the bottom three for the third straight week. My bottom three would have been Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud with Lil going home.
Then Jennifer Hudson took the stage and tore into a song from her debut CD, "If This Isn't Love". I love how "Idol" is taking credit for J Hud's success. Here's the answer to the trivia question: those people mentioned above all finished higher than J. Hud on Season 3 of "AI". George Huff was 5th that season, why isn't "Idol" taking credit for his success. Did you know George Huff has a new CD out? Do you care? Which is your favorite George Huff hit song? What's that, he doesn't have any?
Judson must not have had many pimp spots or friendly lighting. I'd be okay if she had finished second behind Fantasia as Fantasia is an incredible singer. She also has actually done something post-"Idol". How did Jennifer Hudson only come in 7th place? Presumably that's why the judges sham, uh I mean judges save was created. I'm not sure they would have used the save even if they had one back then. I didn't watch Season 3 of "AI".
Then Ryan has Mr. Vanilla and Lil stand up, you know which one of these two is bottom 3. Even though Ryan just mentioned it I can't remember what Mr. Vanilla sang. He's just completely forgettable to me. Then Ryan has Matt and Danny stand up, of these two it's obvious Matt is in the bottom 3. Although it's time for Danny Gokey to be in the bottom three. So the bottom 3 is Anoop, Lil and Matt. Ryan asks Kara for her opinion and she says it's the right bottom three. Kara continues to be wrong. There should be no save for Kara when she gets fired after this season. How about we do it now? The bottom three should have been Danny, Lil and Matt based on last night's performances. Ryan sends Anoop back to the couches of safety.
Miley Cyrus then sang "The Climb", she still is Billy Ray's biggest hit. Is it just my ears or was that sort of a janky vocal. I liked the song okay. I kept on wondering where is George Huff and his big new hit? Again what season was Miley Ray on "American Idol"?
The bottom two are Matt and Lil. Seriously who is still voting for her. She started out with so much promise and unfortunately has been a huge disappointment. Matt then sings for his life as the judges pretend to deliberate. The judges save is perhaps the biggest travesty in "Idol" history. I'm sure the Producers ok'd the judges to save Matt but not Lil. Again Kara and Paula danced while they were "deliberating". After some genuine tension Matt is saved, I'm so glad they saved Matt Giraud. Is he going to win? No, but he definitely should have been saved. I sort of got emotional about it, which really surprised me.
Simon then said he had "two pieces of bad news".
1) Two people are going home next week. (Please, please be Danny and Lil.)
2) Next week is disco week. Which Village People song will Adam Lambert sing?
Here's hoping Danny, who will be a train wreck, and Lil will be going home next week. I think Kris Allen and Allison will really struggle with disco next week. I think Adam will be the best and Matt and Anoop will either be great or terrible. Disco week could really shake up the competition. Will they have a big reflecting ball in the middle of the stage?
After another week of picks in the Predictify/ ew.com contest themusicaddict is 2024th of 11,101 contestants.
If I have something that really inspires me, I'll be back tomorrow. If not I'll be back with a mostly non-"Idol" blog Saturday. Tomorrow is my last day at my current job. Yeah! I then start working at Verizon Wireless Tuesday with a three day weekend in between. I'm looking forward to that! :)
Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
"AI" Finals Week 6, April 14th and 15th Part 1
Hello,
Tonight's theme was "Music at the Movies" with mentor Quentin Tarantino. I thought he was an okay mentor. The band is on the stage, as they should be every week. Ryan introduces the lame judges. They also are only allowing two judges critiquing each performance due to running over last week. They still ran over this week. I think we should make that a permanent idea and get rid of Kara and Randy effective now.
1) Allison Iraheta sang “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. This song is from one of the worst movies of all-time "Armageddon". Her choosing this song was a huge disappointment. Why did she pick this overplayed, sappy song? The thing that saved it for me is her voice is so great. When she has the right song she is fantastic, unfortunately this wasn't the right song. With the right song she was amazing with "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". Simon was absolutely right when he said she's the last hope for a female winner. He praised and praised her. After his positive critique Allison looked like she was in shock. The crowd gave her a nice ovation. She should definitely be in the final three. Grade B. (Because of her fantastic voice.) Buy? No! But I'll enjoy her "I Can't Make You Love Me" over and over again.
2) Anoop Desai sang “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams. This is from "Robin Hood". When I heard he was singing this song, I thought we were in for a disaster. However I was completely wrong and very glad to be wrong. Quentin told him to rough it up and he was absolutely right. I absolutely loved the arrangement. Anoop may be around for two or three more weeks. Both Randy and Kara liked it. Grade: A. Buy: Definitely.
3) Adam Lambert sang “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf. This is from the classic counterculture movie "Easy Rider". I pretty much liked everything about this performance. I liked the electronic twists he added. The band had a fantastic time playing it. Not to get too Paulay, but the joy of his performance was infectious. (Again Paula ate Chinese before tonight's show, and her fortune read "Fortune rewards the brave." Puke!) I'm not sure what Simon was talking about. Grade: A. Buy: As soon as I can.
4) Matt Giraud sang “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams. This is from "Don Juan Demarco". I thought he did a really good performance. I really liked his performance and the arrangement of the song. As usual I disagreed with Randy and what the hell was Kara saying. Is she getting dumber and dumber or is it just my imagination? Kara one season and done.
5) Danny Gokey sang “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. "Endless Love" can you say Brooke Shields!
I have never seen this movie nor do I intend to. I just have this on my blog because Brooke is a babe. Also this is how this song should sound. Lionel Richie and Diana Ross singing one of the classics of the 80's. I'm so ready for Danny Gokey to move to the bottom three. Grade: Lionel and Diana, A. Grade for Danny: C+. Buy? Why buy it when I have the classic original?
6) Kris Allen sang “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. This is from one of the very most disappointing movies ever "Once". I'm just not a big fan. His performance of this song was too slow. Tonight he was the second worst performance, only behind Lil. Check out ew.com and Michael Slezak's review of last night's show. He has the entire transcript of Randy's critique. It was a pathetic critique. It's time for him and Kara to ride off into the sunset and back into anonymity.
7) Lil Rounds sang “The Rose” by Bette Midler. This is from a movie I've never seen "The Rose". First of all, thanks Lil for not singing "My Heart Will Go On". Oh "The Rose" could have been so good and that's how she started. She sounded great when she was singing with restraint. She was also looking a lot better than the past. This is a song you need to sing with a lot of vulnerability. She didn't and the gospel part she added didn't work. It only detracted from the song. It's never looks good when she, or anyone, argues with the judges. My DVR cut off during their disagreement. Lil it's time for you to go.
One more note, next week is disco theme. Boy talk about a week made for Adam Lambert.
I'm not sure when I'll be back. themusicaddict
Tonight's theme was "Music at the Movies" with mentor Quentin Tarantino. I thought he was an okay mentor. The band is on the stage, as they should be every week. Ryan introduces the lame judges. They also are only allowing two judges critiquing each performance due to running over last week. They still ran over this week. I think we should make that a permanent idea and get rid of Kara and Randy effective now.
1) Allison Iraheta sang “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. This song is from one of the worst movies of all-time "Armageddon". Her choosing this song was a huge disappointment. Why did she pick this overplayed, sappy song? The thing that saved it for me is her voice is so great. When she has the right song she is fantastic, unfortunately this wasn't the right song. With the right song she was amazing with "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". Simon was absolutely right when he said she's the last hope for a female winner. He praised and praised her. After his positive critique Allison looked like she was in shock. The crowd gave her a nice ovation. She should definitely be in the final three. Grade B. (Because of her fantastic voice.) Buy? No! But I'll enjoy her "I Can't Make You Love Me" over and over again.
2) Anoop Desai sang “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams. This is from "Robin Hood". When I heard he was singing this song, I thought we were in for a disaster. However I was completely wrong and very glad to be wrong. Quentin told him to rough it up and he was absolutely right. I absolutely loved the arrangement. Anoop may be around for two or three more weeks. Both Randy and Kara liked it. Grade: A. Buy: Definitely.
3) Adam Lambert sang “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf. This is from the classic counterculture movie "Easy Rider". I pretty much liked everything about this performance. I liked the electronic twists he added. The band had a fantastic time playing it. Not to get too Paulay, but the joy of his performance was infectious. (Again Paula ate Chinese before tonight's show, and her fortune read "Fortune rewards the brave." Puke!) I'm not sure what Simon was talking about. Grade: A. Buy: As soon as I can.
4) Matt Giraud sang “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams. This is from "Don Juan Demarco". I thought he did a really good performance. I really liked his performance and the arrangement of the song. As usual I disagreed with Randy and what the hell was Kara saying. Is she getting dumber and dumber or is it just my imagination? Kara one season and done.
5) Danny Gokey sang “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. "Endless Love" can you say Brooke Shields!
I have never seen this movie nor do I intend to. I just have this on my blog because Brooke is a babe. Also this is how this song should sound. Lionel Richie and Diana Ross singing one of the classics of the 80's. I'm so ready for Danny Gokey to move to the bottom three. Grade: Lionel and Diana, A. Grade for Danny: C+. Buy? Why buy it when I have the classic original?
6) Kris Allen sang “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. This is from one of the very most disappointing movies ever "Once". I'm just not a big fan. His performance of this song was too slow. Tonight he was the second worst performance, only behind Lil. Check out ew.com and Michael Slezak's review of last night's show. He has the entire transcript of Randy's critique. It was a pathetic critique. It's time for him and Kara to ride off into the sunset and back into anonymity.
7) Lil Rounds sang “The Rose” by Bette Midler. This is from a movie I've never seen "The Rose". First of all, thanks Lil for not singing "My Heart Will Go On". Oh "The Rose" could have been so good and that's how she started. She sounded great when she was singing with restraint. She was also looking a lot better than the past. This is a song you need to sing with a lot of vulnerability. She didn't and the gospel part she added didn't work. It only detracted from the song. It's never looks good when she, or anyone, argues with the judges. My DVR cut off during their disagreement. Lil it's time for you to go.
One more note, next week is disco theme. Boy talk about a week made for Adam Lambert.
I'm not sure when I'll be back. themusicaddict
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Susan Boyle
Hello,
I'm sure you've already seen the video of the 47 year old Susan Doyle on "Britain's Got Talent" If you haven't and you love music, you must check it out. (Thanks to ew.com for bringing it to my attention.) Doyle is 47 years old and hardly looks like a music star. She took the stage and most of the audience and all of the judges had incredulous looks on their faces. Simon Cowell, who is one of the judges was mocking her with sarcastic questions. She said she was going to sing the gorgeous ballad "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables. She signaled she was ready to sing and everyone was prepared to laugh at her. The music started playing and when she launched into that first note the surprised looks on Simon Cowell's and the female judges faces were priceless. The gorgeous female judge's name is Amanda.
I'm enjoying listening to this now. Doyl is so non-showbiz she starts leaving the stage before the judges render their verdict. Doyle gets three big yeses. This is why I love music so much. The magic of a great song and a great voice. This is also what happens when no matter what age you are why you should never give up on your dreams. Hopefully I'm not being patronizing but Susan you are a huge inspiration to me.
Susan Boyle thank you for reminding us of so many great things. Unfortunately the video can't be embedded within this blog. Instead go to the top of this page and type "Susan Boyle" in the search box and it will take you to the video. Be sure to watch the 7:07 video.
Yesterday my wife added the search feature to my blog. She's the tech savy person in our marriage. Thanks to her. I'll be back with my blog tomorrow reviewing "AI". Tonight's theme is "Idol" at the movies. I don't think we'll see anyone as spectacular as Susan Boyle though. Thanks again Susan.
Also Mom have a fantastic birthday!
themusicaddict
I'm sure you've already seen the video of the 47 year old Susan Doyle on "Britain's Got Talent" If you haven't and you love music, you must check it out. (Thanks to ew.com for bringing it to my attention.) Doyle is 47 years old and hardly looks like a music star. She took the stage and most of the audience and all of the judges had incredulous looks on their faces. Simon Cowell, who is one of the judges was mocking her with sarcastic questions. She said she was going to sing the gorgeous ballad "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables. She signaled she was ready to sing and everyone was prepared to laugh at her. The music started playing and when she launched into that first note the surprised looks on Simon Cowell's and the female judges faces were priceless. The gorgeous female judge's name is Amanda.
I'm enjoying listening to this now. Doyl is so non-showbiz she starts leaving the stage before the judges render their verdict. Doyle gets three big yeses. This is why I love music so much. The magic of a great song and a great voice. This is also what happens when no matter what age you are why you should never give up on your dreams. Hopefully I'm not being patronizing but Susan you are a huge inspiration to me.
Susan Boyle thank you for reminding us of so many great things. Unfortunately the video can't be embedded within this blog. Instead go to the top of this page and type "Susan Boyle" in the search box and it will take you to the video. Be sure to watch the 7:07 video.
Yesterday my wife added the search feature to my blog. She's the tech savy person in our marriage. Thanks to her. I'll be back with my blog tomorrow reviewing "AI". Tonight's theme is "Idol" at the movies. I don't think we'll see anyone as spectacular as Susan Boyle though. Thanks again Susan.
Also Mom have a fantastic birthday!
themusicaddict
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hello,
There's not much going on today. Lil Wayne is on the cover of the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine. He says he's going to try rock now, why is he making such a terrible threat? Does anyone care? Wednesday morning rollingstone.com will have a previes of their next cover. Hopefully it will be someone more relevant (who wouldn't be) and someone more interesting. I'm just hoping its not Piers Morgan.
This past Friday I finished the 3000+ pages of "The Dark Tower", Stephen King's sprawling fiction about Roland the Gunslinger. What a terrific series of books but it peaked with the middle books. I think "Wolves of The Calla" was the best of the series. Overall I liked the series but initially I didn't like the ending. However the more I thought about it the more I liked the ending. I'm sure King left the ending like it is so he could write one more in the series if he so chooses. I would definitely recommend to both King fans and non-King fans to read these very good books.
I was sort of glad to be done with the series because there are so many other great books to read. This past weekend I started two books, so far neither one of them have grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me in. I started reading "King Dork" by Frank Portman and its "aight" as Randy Jackson would say. I also started reading Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go". I have to admit I mainly started reading this as Keira Knightley has agreed to be in the movie version of this book. So far it's the best of the two books. I'm not completely sold on either book so far though. I also am thinking about reading "The Cell" by Stephen King. It seems appropriate since King references Verizon Wireless at the start of the book.
What is going on with "Celebrity Apprentice"? I was only able to watch part of the show last night. (I had priorities, a new "Cold Case" was on last night and I wasn't smart enough to get my DVR to work.) I missed Brian McKnight getting fired but I won't miss him. Why was Melissa Rivers so whiny last night? I like Annie Duke, she is damn smart. The biggest disappointment of the show for me is that the surprise guest is Piers Morgan. I know he doesn't have anything better to do but why bring back that arrogant lump of crap? He's one of the worst contestants on any reality show ever. Why is he famous? Is he blackmailing the Donald to extend his already too long 15 minutes of fame? Piers go away.
Have a great week, themusictvbookaddict
There's not much going on today. Lil Wayne is on the cover of the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine. He says he's going to try rock now, why is he making such a terrible threat? Does anyone care? Wednesday morning rollingstone.com will have a previes of their next cover. Hopefully it will be someone more relevant (who wouldn't be) and someone more interesting. I'm just hoping its not Piers Morgan.
This past Friday I finished the 3000+ pages of "The Dark Tower", Stephen King's sprawling fiction about Roland the Gunslinger. What a terrific series of books but it peaked with the middle books. I think "Wolves of The Calla" was the best of the series. Overall I liked the series but initially I didn't like the ending. However the more I thought about it the more I liked the ending. I'm sure King left the ending like it is so he could write one more in the series if he so chooses. I would definitely recommend to both King fans and non-King fans to read these very good books.
I was sort of glad to be done with the series because there are so many other great books to read. This past weekend I started two books, so far neither one of them have grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me in. I started reading "King Dork" by Frank Portman and its "aight" as Randy Jackson would say. I also started reading Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go". I have to admit I mainly started reading this as Keira Knightley has agreed to be in the movie version of this book. So far it's the best of the two books. I'm not completely sold on either book so far though. I also am thinking about reading "The Cell" by Stephen King. It seems appropriate since King references Verizon Wireless at the start of the book.
What is going on with "Celebrity Apprentice"? I was only able to watch part of the show last night. (I had priorities, a new "Cold Case" was on last night and I wasn't smart enough to get my DVR to work.) I missed Brian McKnight getting fired but I won't miss him. Why was Melissa Rivers so whiny last night? I like Annie Duke, she is damn smart. The biggest disappointment of the show for me is that the surprise guest is Piers Morgan. I know he doesn't have anything better to do but why bring back that arrogant lump of crap? He's one of the worst contestants on any reality show ever. Why is he famous? Is he blackmailing the Donald to extend his already too long 15 minutes of fame? Piers go away.
Have a great week, themusictvbookaddict
Sunday, April 12, 2009
April 12th, "AI" Top 8
Hello,
Here is my Top 8 following the week with the theme of Songs From The Year You Were Born. Both Scott MacIntyre and the should still be in the competition Alexis Grace have been dropped due to being eliminated from the show. I'm a big fan of Alexis Grace and keep it here as I'll pass on updates as I have them.
8) Megan Joy (LW: 4) Okay she has been eliminated from "Idol" as well. I kept her on the list because she still performed last week and also because it's my blog. Megan performed "Walkin' After Midnight" on the Regis and Kelly show. She also has a 3 part interview on ew.com's Idolatry. I can't wait to buy her CD when it comes out.
7) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) What can I say, I just don't understand the whole Danny Gokey phenomenon. He's not overwhelmingly talented, he's both very boring and has very little originality. What kind of artist is he going to be? Will anyone remember him if he ever releases a CD? Other than his most ardent fans, will anyone else care?
6) Kris Allen (LW: 5) See above.
5) Anoop Desai (LW: 8) Please "AI" no more apologies from Anoop to Kara DioGuardia over things that don't need to be apologized for. Another solid performance from Anoop in singing Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". I like him but I think he'll be gone this week or next week.
4) Adam Lambert (LW: 9) Unlike Danny and Mr. Vanilla I get why people like Adam. I think he's going to win this year and I'm very disappointed by that. His first CD is either going to be brilliant or terrible. Either way I still probably won't buy it. I see his screeching "Satisfaction" when I think of Mr. Lambert. I know a lot of people like him, but he's just not my cup of tea.
3) Lil Rounds (LW: 7) Although she is this high in my Top 8, I don't think she has done very well in the finals. I liked her "What's Love Got To Do With It" but I might be the only one. There are two things working against her. Those things are she received too much early hype and she has failed to make a connection with the audience. She has been a gigantic disappointment and I think her and Anoop are the next two contestants who will be going home.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 2) His "Part Time Lover" started out well but went downhill as the song continued. He has had some pretty solid performances. His "So Small" and "Let's Get It On" were two of the highlights of the season. He's just too inconsistent. Along with two of the best performances of the season, he also has two of the worst performances this season. His Coldplay and The Fray songs were very weak.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 1) My favorite remaining contestant. Along with Alexis Grace and Megan Joy I can't wait for her debut CD. She by far had the best performance of the night Tuesday. Her "I Can't Make You Love Me" is an instant "Idol" classic. The fragile, adult like attitude way she sang that song was amazing. I'm definitely going to buy that song when I can. Another thing I like about her, she gives solid performances week in and week out. She's consistently good every week. She isn't getting hyped by the judges or producers either. I would love to see her win, although that is highly unlikely.
A little over a year ago I was out of work and my sister-in-law suggested that I should write a blog. I had also thought about doing that, but it was her suggestion that got me going. One year ago today I wrote my first themusicaddict blog. That first blog I wrote about Axl Rose finally handing in the tapes for "Chinese Democracy". While I'm still not a great writer I'm a lot better than I was last year at this time and hope to be even better on my blog's second birthday.
A personal note we had a great family moment yesterday, my daughter Madison was baptized. Yesterday was a very good day and mrsmusicaddict and myself are very proud of her and her decision. Good job Madison!
Have a great Easter. Remember Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. themusicaddict
Here is my Top 8 following the week with the theme of Songs From The Year You Were Born. Both Scott MacIntyre and the should still be in the competition Alexis Grace have been dropped due to being eliminated from the show. I'm a big fan of Alexis Grace and keep it here as I'll pass on updates as I have them.
8) Megan Joy (LW: 4) Okay she has been eliminated from "Idol" as well. I kept her on the list because she still performed last week and also because it's my blog. Megan performed "Walkin' After Midnight" on the Regis and Kelly show. She also has a 3 part interview on ew.com's Idolatry. I can't wait to buy her CD when it comes out.
7) Danny Gokey (LW: 6) What can I say, I just don't understand the whole Danny Gokey phenomenon. He's not overwhelmingly talented, he's both very boring and has very little originality. What kind of artist is he going to be? Will anyone remember him if he ever releases a CD? Other than his most ardent fans, will anyone else care?
6) Kris Allen (LW: 5) See above.
5) Anoop Desai (LW: 8) Please "AI" no more apologies from Anoop to Kara DioGuardia over things that don't need to be apologized for. Another solid performance from Anoop in singing Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". I like him but I think he'll be gone this week or next week.
4) Adam Lambert (LW: 9) Unlike Danny and Mr. Vanilla I get why people like Adam. I think he's going to win this year and I'm very disappointed by that. His first CD is either going to be brilliant or terrible. Either way I still probably won't buy it. I see his screeching "Satisfaction" when I think of Mr. Lambert. I know a lot of people like him, but he's just not my cup of tea.
3) Lil Rounds (LW: 7) Although she is this high in my Top 8, I don't think she has done very well in the finals. I liked her "What's Love Got To Do With It" but I might be the only one. There are two things working against her. Those things are she received too much early hype and she has failed to make a connection with the audience. She has been a gigantic disappointment and I think her and Anoop are the next two contestants who will be going home.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 2) His "Part Time Lover" started out well but went downhill as the song continued. He has had some pretty solid performances. His "So Small" and "Let's Get It On" were two of the highlights of the season. He's just too inconsistent. Along with two of the best performances of the season, he also has two of the worst performances this season. His Coldplay and The Fray songs were very weak.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 1) My favorite remaining contestant. Along with Alexis Grace and Megan Joy I can't wait for her debut CD. She by far had the best performance of the night Tuesday. Her "I Can't Make You Love Me" is an instant "Idol" classic. The fragile, adult like attitude way she sang that song was amazing. I'm definitely going to buy that song when I can. Another thing I like about her, she gives solid performances week in and week out. She's consistently good every week. She isn't getting hyped by the judges or producers either. I would love to see her win, although that is highly unlikely.
A little over a year ago I was out of work and my sister-in-law suggested that I should write a blog. I had also thought about doing that, but it was her suggestion that got me going. One year ago today I wrote my first themusicaddict blog. That first blog I wrote about Axl Rose finally handing in the tapes for "Chinese Democracy". While I'm still not a great writer I'm a lot better than I was last year at this time and hope to be even better on my blog's second birthday.
A personal note we had a great family moment yesterday, my daughter Madison was baptized. Yesterday was a very good day and mrsmusicaddict and myself are very proud of her and her decision. Good job Madison!
Have a great Easter. Remember Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. themusicaddict
Thursday, April 9, 2009
"AI" Finals Week 5, April 7th and 8th part 2
Hello,
5) Scott MacIntyre (1985)sang “The Search is Over” by Survivor. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. He played electric guitar instead of the piano. He really rocked out that song, turning it into a power ballad. I really like his version. The judges didn't really like his performance. This is another case of me disagreeing with the judges. Grade: B. Buy: Yes I will.
6)Allison Iraheta (1992) sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. She is by far my favorite remaining contestant. When I got home after work Tuesday this was the only performance I watched that night. Kara was absolutely right about her singing "adult content" and made it "truly believeable". That was one of her few and accurate critiques of the season. Another sensational performance by Miss Iraheta. One can really feel the power and emotion as she's singing this song. It's tenfold when she sings "I feel the power, but you won't". How old is she again? Grade: A++. Buy? No doubt about it.
7) Matt Giraud (1985) sang “Part Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder. After that wierd little beginning I thought he was pretty good at the start of this song, but then went downhill. Overall an okay performance. Due to yet another terrible directing job the judges were running out of time. The judges had to shorten their critiques. Hey wait a minute that's not a bad idea, especially when Paula goes off on one of her nonsensical ramblings. Grade C+. Buy? No.
8) Adam Lambert sang “Mad World” by Tears for Fears (via Gary Jules). I thought Lambert's version of this song was pretty good. Simon is the only judge who spoke again due to time constraints. He then gave Adam a standing ovation. I think Adam Lambert is probably going to win this season. I don't know if he'll make a good record but he'll make an interesting record. I don't like his look or his singing style. Grade: B. Buy? No but I will buy Gary Jules version.
Concerning next week's theme this is from a Fox press release:
"Next week the Top 7 contestants take the stage Tuesday, April 14 to perform songs of the cinema under the guidance of director Quentin Tarantino in an “Idols at the Movies”-themed performance show.
Tune in the following night Wednesday, April 15 to find out if the judges use their save or if America sends another finalist home. Also, Season Three finalist Jennifer Hudson returns to the IDOL stage to perform her new single, “If This Isn’t Love,” and Miley Cyrus will sing “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
The following is from mjsbigblog:
"Quentin Tarantino was a guest judge for Season 3’s Top 8 movie theme. He’s a total American Idol geek, so this should be a lot of fun. I just got done watching American Idol Extra and Jillian Reynolds just announced that next week’s theme will be: Songs from the Movies."
Quentin Tarantino as a mentor, really? Keep Lil Rounds away from Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". If she attempts to sing that song, she's going to sink like the Titantic. This will be another interesting week.
If this blog feels rushed, it's because it is. I have very little time today. I have to go out to Verizon Wireless this morning to fill out some paperwork. I then am working 8+ hours at my soon to be ending job.
Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
5) Scott MacIntyre (1985)sang “The Search is Over” by Survivor. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. He played electric guitar instead of the piano. He really rocked out that song, turning it into a power ballad. I really like his version. The judges didn't really like his performance. This is another case of me disagreeing with the judges. Grade: B. Buy: Yes I will.
6)Allison Iraheta (1992) sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. She is by far my favorite remaining contestant. When I got home after work Tuesday this was the only performance I watched that night. Kara was absolutely right about her singing "adult content" and made it "truly believeable". That was one of her few and accurate critiques of the season. Another sensational performance by Miss Iraheta. One can really feel the power and emotion as she's singing this song. It's tenfold when she sings "I feel the power, but you won't". How old is she again? Grade: A++. Buy? No doubt about it.
7) Matt Giraud (1985) sang “Part Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder. After that wierd little beginning I thought he was pretty good at the start of this song, but then went downhill. Overall an okay performance. Due to yet another terrible directing job the judges were running out of time. The judges had to shorten their critiques. Hey wait a minute that's not a bad idea, especially when Paula goes off on one of her nonsensical ramblings. Grade C+. Buy? No.
8) Adam Lambert sang “Mad World” by Tears for Fears (via Gary Jules). I thought Lambert's version of this song was pretty good. Simon is the only judge who spoke again due to time constraints. He then gave Adam a standing ovation. I think Adam Lambert is probably going to win this season. I don't know if he'll make a good record but he'll make an interesting record. I don't like his look or his singing style. Grade: B. Buy? No but I will buy Gary Jules version.
Concerning next week's theme this is from a Fox press release:
"Next week the Top 7 contestants take the stage Tuesday, April 14 to perform songs of the cinema under the guidance of director Quentin Tarantino in an “Idols at the Movies”-themed performance show.
Tune in the following night Wednesday, April 15 to find out if the judges use their save or if America sends another finalist home. Also, Season Three finalist Jennifer Hudson returns to the IDOL stage to perform her new single, “If This Isn’t Love,” and Miley Cyrus will sing “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
The following is from mjsbigblog:
"Quentin Tarantino was a guest judge for Season 3’s Top 8 movie theme. He’s a total American Idol geek, so this should be a lot of fun. I just got done watching American Idol Extra and Jillian Reynolds just announced that next week’s theme will be: Songs from the Movies."
Quentin Tarantino as a mentor, really? Keep Lil Rounds away from Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". If she attempts to sing that song, she's going to sink like the Titantic. This will be another interesting week.
If this blog feels rushed, it's because it is. I have very little time today. I have to go out to Verizon Wireless this morning to fill out some paperwork. I then am working 8+ hours at my soon to be ending job.
Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
"Ai" Finals Week 5, April 7th and 8th Part 1 (maybe)
Hello,
I'm so very grateful for my job with Verizon Wireless. However they have been keeping me very busy. I've worked on Verizon Wireless things on four of 5 days this week in order to remain qualified for that job. Is it worth it, definitely! I have 6 more shifts at my current job and its been a struggle to make it through those. I'll be making what I make in 8 hours at Verizon what I would have made in 13 hours at my current job. Also benefits start day one at Verizon, whereas the benefits have been too expensive for us to afford at my current job. With that, a full-time job, family and housecleaning responsibilities I've had very little time for my blog.
This morning, Thursday, I was finally able to watch Tuesday's night "AI". I'm hoping to be able to watch the results show tonight. Due to my limited time here is a quick review. Tonight's theme is Songs From The Year You Were Born. These are the final 8 contestants. Birth year in parenthesis. As always I copied and pasted info from mjsbigblog.com.
1) Danny Gokey (1980) sang “Stand by Me” as performed by Mickey Gilley. This arrangement is extremely boring. Why change such a classic song? It would have to be a genius arrangement to compare favorably to the original. This wasn't a genius arrangement. The judges continue to heap praise on him, I still have no idea why the judges love him so much. Grade: D. Buy? No! Danny Gokey has got to go.
2) Kris Allen (1985) sang “All She Wants to Do is Dance” by Don Henley. Another terrible and janky arrangement. Before you perform again Kris, you need to shave that wimpy mustache. He also sang in the midst of the swaybots which didn't add anything to his performance. Like Gokey I just don't think he's going to have any longevity once this show is over. For me he'll always be Mr. Vanilla. Grade C-. Buy? No.
3) Lil Rounds (1984) sang “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner. A contestant who I absolutely loved at the beginning of this season. Since then she has been declining every week. Even though the judges lambasted her, I actually thought she did pretty good this week. She has got to get rid of that lame dance though. This was also the performance where Paula rambled on and nobody knew what she was saying. Simon thankfully said, "I think what Paula was trying to say...." Thanks Simon! Paula and Randy have the amazing ability to talk a lot without saying anything. Grade: B Buy? No.
4) Anoop Desai sang “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. First: I want to say this is such a great song. Lauper was one of the best singers of the 80's. I'm not sure why she has been forgotten. "True Colors" was just one of the many of her great songs. Anoop sang this song very well. They also gave him a chance to give a shout out to the National Champion Tar Heels. Why did "AI" make him give a half apology to Kara? Kara is the one who should apologize, for being such a terrible judge. Please "AI" do not bring her back next year! Again Simon was on the dot with the judges being "horrible to you, you can be horrible back". I don't think Simon likes Kara either. The judges gave Anoop his proper level of praise. I find myself disagreeing with the judges more than agreeing with them. I don't think Anoop is getting enough love in this competition. Grade: B+. Buy No!
I will be busy the rest of today, all of tomorrow and most of Saturday. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
I'm so very grateful for my job with Verizon Wireless. However they have been keeping me very busy. I've worked on Verizon Wireless things on four of 5 days this week in order to remain qualified for that job. Is it worth it, definitely! I have 6 more shifts at my current job and its been a struggle to make it through those. I'll be making what I make in 8 hours at Verizon what I would have made in 13 hours at my current job. Also benefits start day one at Verizon, whereas the benefits have been too expensive for us to afford at my current job. With that, a full-time job, family and housecleaning responsibilities I've had very little time for my blog.
This morning, Thursday, I was finally able to watch Tuesday's night "AI". I'm hoping to be able to watch the results show tonight. Due to my limited time here is a quick review. Tonight's theme is Songs From The Year You Were Born. These are the final 8 contestants. Birth year in parenthesis. As always I copied and pasted info from mjsbigblog.com.
1) Danny Gokey (1980) sang “Stand by Me” as performed by Mickey Gilley. This arrangement is extremely boring. Why change such a classic song? It would have to be a genius arrangement to compare favorably to the original. This wasn't a genius arrangement. The judges continue to heap praise on him, I still have no idea why the judges love him so much. Grade: D. Buy? No! Danny Gokey has got to go.
2) Kris Allen (1985) sang “All She Wants to Do is Dance” by Don Henley. Another terrible and janky arrangement. Before you perform again Kris, you need to shave that wimpy mustache. He also sang in the midst of the swaybots which didn't add anything to his performance. Like Gokey I just don't think he's going to have any longevity once this show is over. For me he'll always be Mr. Vanilla. Grade C-. Buy? No.
3) Lil Rounds (1984) sang “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner. A contestant who I absolutely loved at the beginning of this season. Since then she has been declining every week. Even though the judges lambasted her, I actually thought she did pretty good this week. She has got to get rid of that lame dance though. This was also the performance where Paula rambled on and nobody knew what she was saying. Simon thankfully said, "I think what Paula was trying to say...." Thanks Simon! Paula and Randy have the amazing ability to talk a lot without saying anything. Grade: B Buy? No.
4) Anoop Desai sang “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. First: I want to say this is such a great song. Lauper was one of the best singers of the 80's. I'm not sure why she has been forgotten. "True Colors" was just one of the many of her great songs. Anoop sang this song very well. They also gave him a chance to give a shout out to the National Champion Tar Heels. Why did "AI" make him give a half apology to Kara? Kara is the one who should apologize, for being such a terrible judge. Please "AI" do not bring her back next year! Again Simon was on the dot with the judges being "horrible to you, you can be horrible back". I don't think Simon likes Kara either. The judges gave Anoop his proper level of praise. I find myself disagreeing with the judges more than agreeing with them. I don't think Anoop is getting enough love in this competition. Grade: B+. Buy No!
I will be busy the rest of today, all of tomorrow and most of Saturday. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Have a great weekend, themusicaddict
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
New Job!, First Impressions of Black Label Society
Hello,
I have good news on my job hunt. After a long, nervous weekend Verizon Wireless called and offered me a job this past Monday. I accepted eagerly as this is a much better job than the one I currently have. I'll be working in the West Valley City Call Center and my new job starts on April 21st.That's a Tuesday and I'll be in classroom training for 7 weeks. I'm pretty excited about that. In order to get the job though I've been busy. I've had to take a urine test, fax in some forms and do some things for a background investigation. Along with all the Verizon stuff I've had all my other responsibilities. I'm also still working a 40 hour job. That has left me with too little time to write a blog. However it's all worth it, I have a job with a future now. Thanks Verizon Wireless!
The last few days I have begun my education of Black Label Society. First of all I looked to see if I had any Black Label Society songs on my iTunes. I have a lot of songs and it's hard to remember exactly what I have on there. I have one Black Label Society song, it's a cover of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time Of Dying". It's from a Led Zeppelin tribute CD. Obviously that's not enough music to gain a true knowledge of their music. I used 220 of mycokerewards.com points to get a free, unlimited month membership to Rhapsody. I've been listening to all 9 Black Label Society CD's they have available on Rhapsody. (By the way Verizon Wireless has Rhapsody as it's music player on its phone. More details coming soon.)
My initial impressions of Black Label Society is that they are a pretty good band. They rock on one song and then on the next song they have a power ballad. They move back and forth between those two extremes. They also have an interesting cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale". Once I get more familiar with their music I think I'll enjoy seeing them in concert very much. I have a little less than 4 weeks to familiarize myself with their music. Right now my favorite song of theirs is "Love Is Thicker Than Water".
The other two bands on the bill are Dope and Cycle of Pain. I'm not sure which one is the opening act. I couldn't find any music from Cycle of Pain on Rhapsody. I did find some music from Dope. They have 6 CD's available on Rhapsody. They like to make covers of songs. They have their own version of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" and it's okay. I really like their version of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell". Other than those highlights they aren't the most original band ever. Also their excessive use of the the F bomb grows old quickly. I find as I get older the less I want to hear that word. It's a word I've used a few times in my life, but not a word I really want to say or hear again.
Yesterday I was only suppose to work from 4:00 to 9:00, but I had to cover for someone and stay later. By the time I got home it was too late to watch "AI" so I don't know much about last night's show. The only thing I've seen so far is Allison Iraheta's "I Can't Make You Love Me". I think she did fantastic singing that song, unfortunately that song has been extremely overplayed. Next time Allison please pick a song that's a lot less played. That being said I'm fairly certain she'll remain #1 on my weekly "AI" rankings . Although I also have read good things about the song that Adam Lambert sang. Hopefully I can watch that tomorrow and have at least a quick blog about it tomorrow also.
Other news: you can go to Green Day's official website and hear a snippet of their new song, "Know Your Enemy". Their new CD comes out on May 15th. Also Lil Wayne is the most recent Rolling Stone cover. He apparently is going to try and do rock music now. I can honestly say that excites me 0%.
Have a great day, themusicaddict
I have good news on my job hunt. After a long, nervous weekend Verizon Wireless called and offered me a job this past Monday. I accepted eagerly as this is a much better job than the one I currently have. I'll be working in the West Valley City Call Center and my new job starts on April 21st.That's a Tuesday and I'll be in classroom training for 7 weeks. I'm pretty excited about that. In order to get the job though I've been busy. I've had to take a urine test, fax in some forms and do some things for a background investigation. Along with all the Verizon stuff I've had all my other responsibilities. I'm also still working a 40 hour job. That has left me with too little time to write a blog. However it's all worth it, I have a job with a future now. Thanks Verizon Wireless!
The last few days I have begun my education of Black Label Society. First of all I looked to see if I had any Black Label Society songs on my iTunes. I have a lot of songs and it's hard to remember exactly what I have on there. I have one Black Label Society song, it's a cover of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time Of Dying". It's from a Led Zeppelin tribute CD. Obviously that's not enough music to gain a true knowledge of their music. I used 220 of mycokerewards.com points to get a free, unlimited month membership to Rhapsody. I've been listening to all 9 Black Label Society CD's they have available on Rhapsody. (By the way Verizon Wireless has Rhapsody as it's music player on its phone. More details coming soon.)
My initial impressions of Black Label Society is that they are a pretty good band. They rock on one song and then on the next song they have a power ballad. They move back and forth between those two extremes. They also have an interesting cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale". Once I get more familiar with their music I think I'll enjoy seeing them in concert very much. I have a little less than 4 weeks to familiarize myself with their music. Right now my favorite song of theirs is "Love Is Thicker Than Water".
The other two bands on the bill are Dope and Cycle of Pain. I'm not sure which one is the opening act. I couldn't find any music from Cycle of Pain on Rhapsody. I did find some music from Dope. They have 6 CD's available on Rhapsody. They like to make covers of songs. They have their own version of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" and it's okay. I really like their version of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell". Other than those highlights they aren't the most original band ever. Also their excessive use of the the F bomb grows old quickly. I find as I get older the less I want to hear that word. It's a word I've used a few times in my life, but not a word I really want to say or hear again.
Yesterday I was only suppose to work from 4:00 to 9:00, but I had to cover for someone and stay later. By the time I got home it was too late to watch "AI" so I don't know much about last night's show. The only thing I've seen so far is Allison Iraheta's "I Can't Make You Love Me". I think she did fantastic singing that song, unfortunately that song has been extremely overplayed. Next time Allison please pick a song that's a lot less played. That being said I'm fairly certain she'll remain #1 on my weekly "AI" rankings . Although I also have read good things about the song that Adam Lambert sang. Hopefully I can watch that tomorrow and have at least a quick blog about it tomorrow also.
Other news: you can go to Green Day's official website and hear a snippet of their new song, "Know Your Enemy". Their new CD comes out on May 15th. Also Lil Wayne is the most recent Rolling Stone cover. He apparently is going to try and do rock music now. I can honestly say that excites me 0%.
Have a great day, themusicaddict
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 5th "AI" Top Ten
Hello,
This week "American Idol" went from 9 to 8 contestants, unfortunately Megan Joy was voted off. Removed from last week's list is Michael Sarver.
10) Scott MacIntyre (LW:7) I'm predicting he's going home this week on the ew.com/ predictify contest. It's time for him to head home. I like him but he's out of his element.
9) Adam Lambert (LW: 11) He sang "Play That Funky Noise" this past week. He sang it okay but why sing that song? What was he trying to do? Whatever it was I wasn't very impressed.
8) Anoop Desai (LW: 7). I was expecting more from him at the beginning of the season, but now I think he's about to go home. His "My Prerogative" in Hollywood week was his peak. He's been very mediocre since.
7) Lil Rounds (LW: 5) The shine continues to come off Rounds. She still sings okay but her song selection has become boring. She also has a janky attitude, she acts surprised when it seems she might be eliminated from the show. I think she's going to be eliminated sooner than she expects. I don't think many people will miss her either. She also has peaked and has been pretty mediocre recently.
6) Danny Gokey (LW: 10) His "What's Hurt The Most" didn't hurt the most of his performances. Although it still wasn't great. I've yet come to understand why people like him so much. He's dorky, he's on okay singer but has no charisma whatsoever. When he was talking about making an emotional connection with an audience and how that takes the song to another level I wanted to vomit. Danny you are not as good as you think you are.
5) Kris Allen (LW: 9) He gave an okay performance of "Ain't No Sunshine", but the judges were over enthusiastic. Why must they hype above average performances? Why?
I think he could have a nice career as long as he picks good songs.
4) Megan Joy (LW: 1) Yes, I know she is eliminated. She can become a superstar in the music business. However she must, must have someone help her pick better songs than that boring Bob Marley song she sang last week. She could really stand out in the marketplace because she has such an unique voice and is absolutely gorgeous. I was trying to think of someone to compare her to and I couldn't think of anyone. That's truly unique. SHE MUST PICK THE RIGHT SONGS THOUGH!
3) Alexis Grace (LW: 4) I know she has been eliminated for almost three weeks now but I'm still in disbelief. Her awesome cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" is still rocking my iPod. I think that was one of the best performances of this season. She's not even going on the tour. Absurd.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 3) He went up mainly because of Megan's too early departure. He has been one of the best performers over the last several weeks. Other than the Coldplay and The Fray song choices he has been outstanding at picking songs.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 2) Why has she been in the bottom three two of the last three weeks? Is she too talented? Does she sing too well? Is she too unique? Why is she a unique singer like Adam Lambert but doesn't get the same amount of love? Isn't 19 Entertainment smart enough to market a truly unique talent like Iraheta?
Have a good day, themusicaddict
One final note, my brother called me yesterday and asked me if I wanted to go to see Black Label Society in concert. He's going with some of his work friends. I eagerly accepted as going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do. However I don't know a lot about Black Label Society. I was able to listen to 5 of their songs on their myspace music page yesterday. They seem to be pretty cool and have a good rocking sound. Both my brother and son used the same phrase to describe their music "old school". I'm feeling a sense of excitement to discovering the music of Black Label Society and the other two bands performing with them. Those bands are Dope and Cycle of Pain. I'll be renewing my rhapsody membership soon. That concert is one month from today. So you'll be reading more about those bands soon.
This week "American Idol" went from 9 to 8 contestants, unfortunately Megan Joy was voted off. Removed from last week's list is Michael Sarver.
10) Scott MacIntyre (LW:7) I'm predicting he's going home this week on the ew.com/ predictify contest. It's time for him to head home. I like him but he's out of his element.
9) Adam Lambert (LW: 11) He sang "Play That Funky Noise" this past week. He sang it okay but why sing that song? What was he trying to do? Whatever it was I wasn't very impressed.
8) Anoop Desai (LW: 7). I was expecting more from him at the beginning of the season, but now I think he's about to go home. His "My Prerogative" in Hollywood week was his peak. He's been very mediocre since.
7) Lil Rounds (LW: 5) The shine continues to come off Rounds. She still sings okay but her song selection has become boring. She also has a janky attitude, she acts surprised when it seems she might be eliminated from the show. I think she's going to be eliminated sooner than she expects. I don't think many people will miss her either. She also has peaked and has been pretty mediocre recently.
6) Danny Gokey (LW: 10) His "What's Hurt The Most" didn't hurt the most of his performances. Although it still wasn't great. I've yet come to understand why people like him so much. He's dorky, he's on okay singer but has no charisma whatsoever. When he was talking about making an emotional connection with an audience and how that takes the song to another level I wanted to vomit. Danny you are not as good as you think you are.
5) Kris Allen (LW: 9) He gave an okay performance of "Ain't No Sunshine", but the judges were over enthusiastic. Why must they hype above average performances? Why?
I think he could have a nice career as long as he picks good songs.
4) Megan Joy (LW: 1) Yes, I know she is eliminated. She can become a superstar in the music business. However she must, must have someone help her pick better songs than that boring Bob Marley song she sang last week. She could really stand out in the marketplace because she has such an unique voice and is absolutely gorgeous. I was trying to think of someone to compare her to and I couldn't think of anyone. That's truly unique. SHE MUST PICK THE RIGHT SONGS THOUGH!
3) Alexis Grace (LW: 4) I know she has been eliminated for almost three weeks now but I'm still in disbelief. Her awesome cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" is still rocking my iPod. I think that was one of the best performances of this season. She's not even going on the tour. Absurd.
2) Matt Giraud (LW: 3) He went up mainly because of Megan's too early departure. He has been one of the best performers over the last several weeks. Other than the Coldplay and The Fray song choices he has been outstanding at picking songs.
1) Allison Iraheta (LW: 2) Why has she been in the bottom three two of the last three weeks? Is she too talented? Does she sing too well? Is she too unique? Why is she a unique singer like Adam Lambert but doesn't get the same amount of love? Isn't 19 Entertainment smart enough to market a truly unique talent like Iraheta?
Have a good day, themusicaddict
One final note, my brother called me yesterday and asked me if I wanted to go to see Black Label Society in concert. He's going with some of his work friends. I eagerly accepted as going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do. However I don't know a lot about Black Label Society. I was able to listen to 5 of their songs on their myspace music page yesterday. They seem to be pretty cool and have a good rocking sound. Both my brother and son used the same phrase to describe their music "old school". I'm feeling a sense of excitement to discovering the music of Black Label Society and the other two bands performing with them. Those bands are Dope and Cycle of Pain. I'll be renewing my rhapsody membership soon. That concert is one month from today. So you'll be reading more about those bands soon.
"AI" Finals Week 4 April 1st, 2009 Results Show
Hello,
On April Fool's Day we went from 9 to 8 contestants. The results shows have been much better this year, a lot less filler. There have been actual singing on results night, no I'm not talking about that lame group number. Although this week's "Don't Stop Believin'" was the best group performance by far this season. There are only one or two good group performances each season.
Kara has been very disappointing this year. She's very lame and I'm hoping she's one and done after this season. We don't need her corporate America viewpoint on "Idol". It's music, it's art there are going to be things that go wrong. That's what makes those things so cool. Her clinical analysis has been nearly worthless. She has been terrible and has produced much nonsense about how inspiring certain people are. Kara said she is "here to help these kids", when is she going to start? Paula is also continuing the hype machine. Alexis Grace is in the house, she should be on the stage still though.
They showed that stupid Ford commercial. Does anyone watch this? Or are they like me and fast forward through it? We also saw a typical Idol week. Yes, there is still some filler in the show. Also we do not want to see Kris' "sexy face".
Then it's time for the first of the results, as Ryan said "building the bottom three". They are in three groups on the stage. In group one is Kris Allen, Matt Giraud and Megan Joy. In Group Two Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta who are in the center of the stage. Then in the final group there's Scott MacIntyre, Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai.
Before the results are announced David Cook takes the stage to sing his new song, "Please Come Back To Me". That song is pretty cool. (That song reminds me lyrically a lot of Diego's "Losing Me", just from a different perspective.) Cook's "Always Be My Baby" from last year is still rockin' my iPod. That was one of the most brilliant covers of a song in "Idol" history. As we head to a Top 3 all male finale, I predict David Cook is going to be 10 times better this year than who wins this year. This year's Idol could be one of the worst "AI" winners ever. Can you imagine what will happen if someone as boring as Danny Gokey or Kris Allen win this year?
Then Seacrest started announcing the results, all the usual suspects are safe. Megan was told she was going to the bottom three. She told Simon, "I love you Simon but I don't really care". Good for you Megan. Simon she doesn't care about your opinion not the show. I thought it was funny as she cawed her way to the bottom three. Later we find out Allison and Anoop are in the bottom three. (Why is Allison in the bottom three? Seriously!)
Lady Gaga then sings "Poker Face". That's an interesting song.
Next Allison goes back to safety. She caws in sympathy with Megan. It's always good when someone rages against the Idol machine. Anoop is then safe. Before Megan starts singing Simon tells her they aren't even going to consider saving her. At least he's honest as that has been the case with all the other going home contestants this season. The producer's save has been one of the biggest shams of this season. I hope like Kara, that stupid rule change is one and done.
So there goes one of the most interesting and intriguing contestants in "AI" history. This continues to shape up as being one of the worst seasons in "AI" history. Next week's theme is songs from the year you were born. In the ew.com/ predictify.com contest themusicaddict is 1943rd of 9749 contestants.
Coming later today will be my new Top 10. themusicaddict
On April Fool's Day we went from 9 to 8 contestants. The results shows have been much better this year, a lot less filler. There have been actual singing on results night, no I'm not talking about that lame group number. Although this week's "Don't Stop Believin'" was the best group performance by far this season. There are only one or two good group performances each season.
Kara has been very disappointing this year. She's very lame and I'm hoping she's one and done after this season. We don't need her corporate America viewpoint on "Idol". It's music, it's art there are going to be things that go wrong. That's what makes those things so cool. Her clinical analysis has been nearly worthless. She has been terrible and has produced much nonsense about how inspiring certain people are. Kara said she is "here to help these kids", when is she going to start? Paula is also continuing the hype machine. Alexis Grace is in the house, she should be on the stage still though.
They showed that stupid Ford commercial. Does anyone watch this? Or are they like me and fast forward through it? We also saw a typical Idol week. Yes, there is still some filler in the show. Also we do not want to see Kris' "sexy face".
Then it's time for the first of the results, as Ryan said "building the bottom three". They are in three groups on the stage. In group one is Kris Allen, Matt Giraud and Megan Joy. In Group Two Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta who are in the center of the stage. Then in the final group there's Scott MacIntyre, Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai.
Before the results are announced David Cook takes the stage to sing his new song, "Please Come Back To Me". That song is pretty cool. (That song reminds me lyrically a lot of Diego's "Losing Me", just from a different perspective.) Cook's "Always Be My Baby" from last year is still rockin' my iPod. That was one of the most brilliant covers of a song in "Idol" history. As we head to a Top 3 all male finale, I predict David Cook is going to be 10 times better this year than who wins this year. This year's Idol could be one of the worst "AI" winners ever. Can you imagine what will happen if someone as boring as Danny Gokey or Kris Allen win this year?
Then Seacrest started announcing the results, all the usual suspects are safe. Megan was told she was going to the bottom three. She told Simon, "I love you Simon but I don't really care". Good for you Megan. Simon she doesn't care about your opinion not the show. I thought it was funny as she cawed her way to the bottom three. Later we find out Allison and Anoop are in the bottom three. (Why is Allison in the bottom three? Seriously!)
Lady Gaga then sings "Poker Face". That's an interesting song.
Next Allison goes back to safety. She caws in sympathy with Megan. It's always good when someone rages against the Idol machine. Anoop is then safe. Before Megan starts singing Simon tells her they aren't even going to consider saving her. At least he's honest as that has been the case with all the other going home contestants this season. The producer's save has been one of the biggest shams of this season. I hope like Kara, that stupid rule change is one and done.
So there goes one of the most interesting and intriguing contestants in "AI" history. This continues to shape up as being one of the worst seasons in "AI" history. Next week's theme is songs from the year you were born. In the ew.com/ predictify.com contest themusicaddict is 1943rd of 9749 contestants.
Coming later today will be my new Top 10. themusicaddict
Friday, April 3, 2009
"AI" Finals Week 4, March 31st and April 1st, 2009 Pt. 2
Hello,
A quick note about Danny Gokey: someone stumbled across my blog using google with the search "danny gokey, pee wee herman". That speaks for itself.
4) Allison Iraheta sang “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. She played guitar for the first time this performance. Thinking about the final 9 contestants, whose CDs would I buy? I would definitely buy CDs by Megan Corkrey and Allison Iraheta. Maybe I would also buy the CDs of Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud. But the other five Idols probably not, unless their CDs are a lot better than they have been on the show. History indicates they are pretty much the same from the show to their post Idol career. "Don't Speak" is an overplayed song, but she sang it well. I love her raspy voice. I'm not sure if this means anything but she had almost 3 minutes of judges comments. The judges comments were actually longer than her performance. As Simon was speaking the audience drowned him out. They should do that more often. Grade B+. Buy? probably.
5) Scott MacIntyre sang “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel. Two words: dreadfully boring. He turned this great song into a borefest. He didn't sound good on the high notes and he was the one that should have gone home. Kara said he was "coming from a honest place". What does that mean? Randy said it one of the best performances of the night. Really? I'm not sure what he was watching but that was probably the worst performance of the night. Grade: F Buy? No!
6) Matt Giraud sang “You Found Me” by The Fray. After two solid performances, this was very boring. Matt I really want to like you, but I can't with songs like this. No more Coldplay! No more The Fray! The judges didn't like his performance either. (Seriously though do people really vote based on what the judges think. Yes, they do but I don't know why. They aren't the four smartest people in the world. None of them, maybe other than Paula, loves music as a fan.) Grade: C Buy? No.
7) Lil Rounds sang “Surrender” by Celine Dion. She seems to have so much potential but she continues to disappoint almost weekly. I used to be a big fan, but not anymore. Also Lil that dress was way too tight and not flattering. Randy really showed off his true judging ability with his critique. Among many stupid things he said "for me, for you" and "check it out". Simon, the best of the four judges by far, was completely accurate when he said Rounds "personality is being sucked out".
Grade: C Buy? Not on your life!
8) Adam Lambert sang “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry. Let the judges hype began. (Gee I wonder if he's one of the producer's favorites?) Paula said "true genius shatters expectations". Singing a 70's disco song very mediocre is "true genius"? Please! She also compared him to Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. WHAT? That would be like comparing themusicaddict to Shakespeare. That's "true genius" nonsense came in loopy Paula's fortune cookie today. Kara "said I cannot wait to see what you do next". Those comments would have only made sense if this show had been on April Fool's Day. Grade: C- Buy? No, no, no.
9) Kris Allen sang “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Bill Withers. This could have been a home run for Kris Allen, but he only had a solid double. Compare Allen's version to Wither's version and you'll understand what I mean. I did like the grit in his voice and he's a lot better than the over hyped Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Kara broke out the word "artistry" again. When can we start voting the judges off? Paula said that could be the "first cut from your album". It could be but not if he wants to sell records. Grade: C+. Buy? No.
After this week's too early expulsion of Megan Joy, we are left with 6 men and 2 women. There goes Megan, one of the most original Idols ever. (Also words echoed by Smokey Robinson.) This is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons in "AI" history. I really think this season is the death knell in the "American Idol" franchise. They'll stretch it out for 2 or 3 more years, but its best days are behind it. Next week's theme is Songs From The Year You Were Born. Four of the 8 remaining Idols were born in 1985, the year I graduated from Woods Cross High School. Go Wildcats! Other than Allison, all the songs will be from the 80's.
I'll be back tomorrow with a review of the results show and my new Top Ten. Go Tar Heels! Have a great weekend! themusicaddict
A quick note about Danny Gokey: someone stumbled across my blog using google with the search "danny gokey, pee wee herman". That speaks for itself.
4) Allison Iraheta sang “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. She played guitar for the first time this performance. Thinking about the final 9 contestants, whose CDs would I buy? I would definitely buy CDs by Megan Corkrey and Allison Iraheta. Maybe I would also buy the CDs of Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud. But the other five Idols probably not, unless their CDs are a lot better than they have been on the show. History indicates they are pretty much the same from the show to their post Idol career. "Don't Speak" is an overplayed song, but she sang it well. I love her raspy voice. I'm not sure if this means anything but she had almost 3 minutes of judges comments. The judges comments were actually longer than her performance. As Simon was speaking the audience drowned him out. They should do that more often. Grade B+. Buy? probably.
5) Scott MacIntyre sang “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel. Two words: dreadfully boring. He turned this great song into a borefest. He didn't sound good on the high notes and he was the one that should have gone home. Kara said he was "coming from a honest place". What does that mean? Randy said it one of the best performances of the night. Really? I'm not sure what he was watching but that was probably the worst performance of the night. Grade: F Buy? No!
6) Matt Giraud sang “You Found Me” by The Fray. After two solid performances, this was very boring. Matt I really want to like you, but I can't with songs like this. No more Coldplay! No more The Fray! The judges didn't like his performance either. (Seriously though do people really vote based on what the judges think. Yes, they do but I don't know why. They aren't the four smartest people in the world. None of them, maybe other than Paula, loves music as a fan.) Grade: C Buy? No.
7) Lil Rounds sang “Surrender” by Celine Dion. She seems to have so much potential but she continues to disappoint almost weekly. I used to be a big fan, but not anymore. Also Lil that dress was way too tight and not flattering. Randy really showed off his true judging ability with his critique. Among many stupid things he said "for me, for you" and "check it out". Simon, the best of the four judges by far, was completely accurate when he said Rounds "personality is being sucked out".
Grade: C Buy? Not on your life!
8) Adam Lambert sang “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry. Let the judges hype began. (Gee I wonder if he's one of the producer's favorites?) Paula said "true genius shatters expectations". Singing a 70's disco song very mediocre is "true genius"? Please! She also compared him to Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. WHAT? That would be like comparing themusicaddict to Shakespeare. That's "true genius" nonsense came in loopy Paula's fortune cookie today. Kara "said I cannot wait to see what you do next". Those comments would have only made sense if this show had been on April Fool's Day. Grade: C- Buy? No, no, no.
9) Kris Allen sang “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Bill Withers. This could have been a home run for Kris Allen, but he only had a solid double. Compare Allen's version to Wither's version and you'll understand what I mean. I did like the grit in his voice and he's a lot better than the over hyped Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Kara broke out the word "artistry" again. When can we start voting the judges off? Paula said that could be the "first cut from your album". It could be but not if he wants to sell records. Grade: C+. Buy? No.
After this week's too early expulsion of Megan Joy, we are left with 6 men and 2 women. There goes Megan, one of the most original Idols ever. (Also words echoed by Smokey Robinson.) This is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons in "AI" history. I really think this season is the death knell in the "American Idol" franchise. They'll stretch it out for 2 or 3 more years, but its best days are behind it. Next week's theme is Songs From The Year You Were Born. Four of the 8 remaining Idols were born in 1985, the year I graduated from Woods Cross High School. Go Wildcats! Other than Allison, all the songs will be from the 80's.
I'll be back tomorrow with a review of the results show and my new Top Ten. Go Tar Heels! Have a great weekend! themusicaddict
"AI" Finals Week 4, March 31st and April 1st, 2009 Pt. 1
Hello,
First a quick personal note. For the last 7 months I've been working a miserable, low paying job. I'm only making $8 a hour with a job that has no future. The other day we were told that "because of the economy, there would be no more raises". I've been looking for a real job even before I started working at my current job. On Wednesday I had a phone interview with Verizon Wireless. I was able to move to the next round of their hiring process. Yesterday I went out to their local facility. I passed the 7 online assessments and then moved to the next stage. I had an one to one interview with a Verizon Wireless supervisor. I felt that it went okay. I don't interview very well. Anyway one of their HR people talked to me and said they would let me know early next week whether I have a job. That job would make life so much better for my family. Things would still be difficult for us, but at least there's a future with Verizon Wireless.
I was very busy yesterday including being at Verizon for about 3 hours yesterday. I also watched both "AI" episodes and it was my middle son's birthday. (Happy late birthday big boy.) The result is I didn't have time to write a blog yesterday. I also don't have time to write a full review today. Here's part 1 and I hope to have the second and last part tomorrow. Sunday will be my new top 10 list, there are some very dramatic changes from last week.
Thanks as always to mjsbigblog.com for this info that I can copy and paste.
The kids visit Ryan’s studio. Why? I guess Ryan isn't getting enough exposure.
1) Anoop Desai sang “Caught Up” by Usher. I liked it, it was upbeat and fun. The judges didn't really like it. When it was Kara's turn to speak, she said something about "up in your range" and then my mind turned off. I'm so sick of Kara, it's time for her to go. She sucks and adds absolutely nothing to the show. Grade: C. Buy? No.
2) Megan Joy sang “Turn Your Lights Down Low” by Lauryn Hill/Bob Marley. This was her worst performance "by a country mile" as Simon would say. I was very disappointed by it. The idea of her singing a Bob Marley song in theory is pretty cool. There are about 25 better Bob Marley songs though. How about singing "Iron Lion Zion", "Get Up, Stand Up", "No Woman, No Cry", "I Shot The Sheriff" or "Buffalo Soldier"? Any of those would have been considerably better. Her performance was so bad that she probably replaced Scott MacIntyre going home. Grade: D-. Buy? No.
3) Danny Gokey sang “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts. Ryan had a pre-interview with him. It's obvious he's a producer's favorite although I have no idea why. themusicaddict passes along his condolences for the death of Danny's grandfather. Thanks to you and the producers being a lot more sensitive about that than the way the death of your wife was handled. Kara actually said, "you moved everyone in this room emotionally". Puke! (That's reason 6 million and four why Kara needs to go.) Also the judges let him bask in the applause. Puke! Usually the reason something is over hyped is because it's not very good. That appears to be the case here. I thought his performance was "aight" (as Randy would say). Grade C-. Buy? No why would I when I already have Rascal Flatts' superior version.
Part 2 hopefully tomorrow.
* Allison Iraheta - “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt - VIDEO - iTunes
* Scott MacIntyre- “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel - VIDEO - iTunes
* Matt Giraud - “You Found Me” by The Fray - VIDEO - iTunes
* Lil Rounds - “Surrender” by Celine Dion - VIDEO - iTunes
* Adam Lambert - “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry - VIDEO - iTunes
* Kris Allen - “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Bill Withers - VIDEO - iTunes
First a quick personal note. For the last 7 months I've been working a miserable, low paying job. I'm only making $8 a hour with a job that has no future. The other day we were told that "because of the economy, there would be no more raises". I've been looking for a real job even before I started working at my current job. On Wednesday I had a phone interview with Verizon Wireless. I was able to move to the next round of their hiring process. Yesterday I went out to their local facility. I passed the 7 online assessments and then moved to the next stage. I had an one to one interview with a Verizon Wireless supervisor. I felt that it went okay. I don't interview very well. Anyway one of their HR people talked to me and said they would let me know early next week whether I have a job. That job would make life so much better for my family. Things would still be difficult for us, but at least there's a future with Verizon Wireless.
I was very busy yesterday including being at Verizon for about 3 hours yesterday. I also watched both "AI" episodes and it was my middle son's birthday. (Happy late birthday big boy.) The result is I didn't have time to write a blog yesterday. I also don't have time to write a full review today. Here's part 1 and I hope to have the second and last part tomorrow. Sunday will be my new top 10 list, there are some very dramatic changes from last week.
Thanks as always to mjsbigblog.com for this info that I can copy and paste.
The kids visit Ryan’s studio. Why? I guess Ryan isn't getting enough exposure.
1) Anoop Desai sang “Caught Up” by Usher. I liked it, it was upbeat and fun. The judges didn't really like it. When it was Kara's turn to speak, she said something about "up in your range" and then my mind turned off. I'm so sick of Kara, it's time for her to go. She sucks and adds absolutely nothing to the show. Grade: C. Buy? No.
2) Megan Joy sang “Turn Your Lights Down Low” by Lauryn Hill/Bob Marley. This was her worst performance "by a country mile" as Simon would say. I was very disappointed by it. The idea of her singing a Bob Marley song in theory is pretty cool. There are about 25 better Bob Marley songs though. How about singing "Iron Lion Zion", "Get Up, Stand Up", "No Woman, No Cry", "I Shot The Sheriff" or "Buffalo Soldier"? Any of those would have been considerably better. Her performance was so bad that she probably replaced Scott MacIntyre going home. Grade: D-. Buy? No.
3) Danny Gokey sang “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts. Ryan had a pre-interview with him. It's obvious he's a producer's favorite although I have no idea why. themusicaddict passes along his condolences for the death of Danny's grandfather. Thanks to you and the producers being a lot more sensitive about that than the way the death of your wife was handled. Kara actually said, "you moved everyone in this room emotionally". Puke! (That's reason 6 million and four why Kara needs to go.) Also the judges let him bask in the applause. Puke! Usually the reason something is over hyped is because it's not very good. That appears to be the case here. I thought his performance was "aight" (as Randy would say). Grade C-. Buy? No why would I when I already have Rascal Flatts' superior version.
Part 2 hopefully tomorrow.
* Allison Iraheta - “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt - VIDEO - iTunes
* Scott MacIntyre- “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel - VIDEO - iTunes
* Matt Giraud - “You Found Me” by The Fray - VIDEO - iTunes
* Lil Rounds - “Surrender” by Celine Dion - VIDEO - iTunes
* Adam Lambert - “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry - VIDEO - iTunes
* Kris Allen - “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Bill Withers - VIDEO - iTunes
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