IdolsRising.com

IdolsRising is BACK (FORWARD)

2006-07-22T10:42:00.000-05:00

I have decided to reboot IdolsRising.com -- and just stop all the frill and thrills. Ignore the post below. The new, improved version will just be a plain blog about our favorite American Idols. It is no longer hosted here, so you'll have to CLICK HERE for the new site, hosted by my regular blog, QueerTexan.com. If you've already bookmarked IDOLSRISING.COM, then you will automatically go to the new blog (which is separate from my regular blog). So, this blogger site is closed -- IdolsRising.com will continue over HERE. For webmasters' liking purposes, here's the info: URL: http://queertexan.com/idolsrising Re-directing URL = http://idolsrising.com

A final word . . .

2006-07-13T09:04:00.000-05:00

CLICK THE PIC (or HERE) TO FOLLOW ME TO MY MAIN BLOG!!! Starting at the beginning of this year, I embarked upon a journey to do something new for American Idol fans -- categorize their favorite American Idols according to their success after the show. As season five started, this became more difficult to do with the demands of the secondary purpose, to blog about the current season. Toward the end, a podcast was also started. While this was all great fun, it did kind of take the fun out of this past season since I could no longer watch it just as a fan -- but as a reporter of sorts. Many times during the season, I would sit, pen in hand, and get so engrossed in the show that I would neglect to write names and song titles down -- thank God for TiVo. Anyway, I still intend to blog about American Idol and their success after the show . . . just not as the endeavor I had undergone for this blog. All that I wanted to do here is just too much work for something that's really only important to fans five months out of the year. And so, IdolsRising will no longer be an active blog. My regular blog is called QueerTexan.com, and shortly, this domain will automatically direct to that site as well. I will continue to talk about American Idol there -- but mostly giving my opinion . . . I won't be doing a lot of blog-style reporting. I may continue "ranking" the idols . . . I'm just not sure on that right now. This blog will remain standing for the time being, under its permanent link, idolsrising.blogspot.com. What is QueerTexan.com? Regardless of what it may sound like, it's simply a blog about my outlook on society, politics, religion . . . and a heck of a lot about TV, movies, etc. Why the title? Well, that's cuz that's what I am, pad'nah! Oh, and thanks to all my fans and viewers . . . it was really great fun! Hope you'll check out my more regular blog when I reveal it soon. Thanks again.

Idol Minute #16 (podcast)

2006-07-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

In this edition . . . Taylor Hicks' single smashes 2 Idol winner's records, Jennifer Hudson finds her own voice LISTEN | FEED

Katharine Admits to Bulimia

2006-06-23T13:12:00.000-05:00

Katharine McPhee, Idol 5 runner-up, admitted to fighting bulimia -- right up through the beginning of this past season. Her help came in the form of an eating disorder program and personalized therapy -- something she said saved her life. Katharine's debut single will be released this up-coming week.

Idol Minute (podcast #015)

2006-06-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

LISTEN | FEED In this episode of Idol Minute, we look into Ruben Studdard's lawsuit, Taylor Hick's new title, new job, and new single. Also, we see who that Idol is on Young and the Restless, what's going to happen in Birmingham, who's not going to be in Fantasia's new movie, and who's going to sing at this year's All-Star game. At the end, we briefly recap what's happened on the blog and in Idol news since the last podcast. There's only one way to find out all that and more . . . Click LISTEN or subscribe via iTunes!

Tickets in Grand Prairie!!!

2006-06-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

As you know, it's getting increasingly difficult to find tickets to this summer's American Idol Live! concerts. Well, if you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or within driving distance, you might be in luck. A friend of mine has decided to sell his two tickets to the September 7th concert at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, TX. He just listed them today on ebay, you can click HERE to see the auction or to bid.

Contracts, Contracts; Singles Galore!

2006-06-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

A few days after Idol 5 champ Taylor Hicks was signed, runner-up Katharine McPhee was signed to the same company, sort of. Katharine's album will be a joint venture between RCA Records and 19 Recordings Limited, a venture helmed by one of the show's producers. Legend Clive Davis will produce the album. Chris Daughtry is also rumored to be in talks with RCA Records -- no word yet on a deal. Dates have been released on the upcoming singles for Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" will be released on June 13th, with McPhee's "My Destiny / Somewhere Over the Rainbow" double-single will be released on June 27th.

No Fuel for Daughtry

2006-06-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

Chris Daughtry, Idol 5 finalist, has turned down the offer to headline Fuel, preferring to go solo with offers currently being negotiated with record companies. The offer came nearly immediately after Daughtry covered a hit song by that group during this season's competition.

Five Record Deals?

2006-06-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

Taylor Hicks isn't the only Idol 5 contestant to get a contract -- if things keep going as they seem, this could be the most major American Idol deals in the show's five year history. TMZ reports that Katharine is closing a deal with RCA Records, and that Chris Daughtry and Ace Young are also talking with the label. Elliot hasn't found an interested party yet, but a management team is currently wooing him -- The Firm.

Idol Minute - 1st Post-season! (podcast #014)

2006-06-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

This week, on Idol Minute

Taylor Hicks is performing at Wal-mart's annual shareholders' meeting today.
Taylor signs with Clive Davis' J Records
Katharine McPhee travels with Andrea Bocelli
Katharine and Scientology
Katharine to sing at Tom and Kate's wedding
Mario Vazquez' new video, "Gallery" (Baby Bash remix)
American Idol 6 auditions
Recapping the DialIdol "prediction" rate
IdolsRising's Season Five report card

LISTEN | FEED

Taylor Signs the Dotted Line

2006-05-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

One week from the day Taylor Hicks won the fifth title of American Idol, Clive Davis signed him to J Records. No word yet on how the producers will capture and market Taylor's unique vocal stylings.

Mario Drops Hit Video!

2006-05-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

Mario Vazquez, the Idol 4 contestant that dropped out of the contest before signing into the obligations that go with being in the final twelve (he quit before performing in the final twelve), has just released his new "Gallery" video to Yahoo! Music this Wednesday. Click HERE and click "Gallery" under Music Video to catch the Baby Bash remix featured in the video! "Gallery" is the first single to be released on his soon-to-be released album produced by Clive Davis and J Records. Check out the latest with Mario Vazquez by signing up on his myspace page! graphic (Y!Music)

MEASURING DIAL IDOL’S ACCURACY RATE

2006-05-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

American Idol has not only taken over TV viewing audiences around the world, it has created quite an interest among those in the gambling industry as well. For five months out of the year, it has become increasingly likely that the person taking your bets for the Super Bowl is also now taking bets on who will get kicked off American Idol week after week, and on who will win the competition. Since money is now riding on the weekly outcomes, anyone who seems like that they can accurately predict the evictions and show outcome will be someone paid serious attention to. Well, that someone is James Hellriegel, Jr., and the reason he’s so important to American Idol gamblers is because off an all-important side-effect of a certain phone-dialing program he invented for people who don’t have the patience to sit and manually dial in their support for their favorite contestant during the two-hour window each week. His product: DialIdol. The special side-effect: it sends dialing data back to a database somewhere on Hellriegel’s computer (or server) which crunches the numbers and rates each contestant based on which lines were the busiest. The working theory, and it’s a pretty good one, is that which ever lines are the busiest are for Idol contestants most likely to stay in the game, and those that aren’t probably won’t. And, it works pretty good. Hellriegel’s data-crunching software spits out names and numbers which allows Hellriegel to label certain contestants as potential evictees from the show. These potential evictees rarely stand alone, however: they are usually matched up with one or two others – sometimes a great deal more – if several contestants received little dial-in support, and if all of those contestants are within the statistical “margin-of-error” from each other. Again, this works pretty good, and this is the system that Hellriegel uses to make his claims about 87% accuracy – in the 23 evictions that the viewing public has been able to “dial in” their votes, a member of each week’s pool of potential evictees within that margin of error has left the show 87% of the time. However, having a pool of potential evictees is not the same as predicting the loser, and Hellriegel’s DialIdol.com website kind of suggests that it does (and does nothing to dispel that myth). On the prediction page, it says “Measuring the busy signal accurately predicted 87% of season 5 eliminations” – but, again, this is misleading. An elimination is when someone goes home, and when two or three people are in that pool of possible evictees, those two or three aren’t all going home – just one is. When we first ran the numbers a month or so ago, we found that the one person with the lowest Dial Idol score each week (according to dialidol.com’s own published data) actually went home only 50% of the time. Since our first article, the lowest scorer went home 100% of the time, so we felt it was only fair to DialIdol.com for us to run the numbers again and publish the updated eviction rate. Taking into consideration all 23 evictions, the person with the lowest Dial Idol score left the show 13 times, which means their true “prediction rate” over all is a mere 56.5%. Since this rate seems higher towards the end of the show, it would seem that the fewer contestants that exist, the more accurate the system is. To check that out, I isolated the evictions to the final twelve and discovered that the person with the lowest dialidol score went home only 54.5% of the time (6 out of 11 evictions), so that theory overall doesn’t float. Only when you isolate the final six does it seem to approach the statistic advertised: for the final six contestants, the contestant with the lowest dialidol score was evicted 80% of the time (four out of five evictions). The problem is that when you read any media coverage of DialIdol.com, they give the illusion that the system correctly identifies the one person that will go home that week. It doesn’t, and even Hellriegel himself does nothing to correct that misperception when interviewed (and why should he – he’s probably made a killing with Google Ads this season). While his system is ingenious in narrowing down the field to a handful, rarely is the case when one contestant stands alone in the margin-of-error for eviction: During the final 12 phase of the show, the person with the lowest Dial Idol score stood alone in the “eviction prediction” zone three times. Every other time, there were two possible evictees and sometimes three. In the week with 10 idols performing, there were seven possible evictees. Who got the lowest Dial Idol score that week? Katharine McPhee. Who was evicted? Lisa Tucker (sixth lowest dialidol score that week). The best part of all was because of that “margin-of-error,” DialIdol was able to claim that they picked the loser accurately, and they would have been able to claim the same for any of the other seven “predicted” had left as well. If that site actually pegged the one person who would leave 87% of the time, there would be a lot of Dial Idol gambling millionaires from this season alone, and as far as we know, Mr. Hellriegel himself still has a regular job. His site does narrow down the odds for those wanting to know who’s getting kicked off the show, but . . . again, the person getting the lowest dialidol score (the “kick-off” score) each week only leaves the show 56.5% of the time. Here’s how it’s broken down. The results below were taken directly from DialIdol.com’s own prediction page. Check out http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/Predictions.asp to check the numbers yourself, being careful to check out each week’s score and the color-coded key section at the bottom, particularly noticing that any contestant’s name in red means they are “predicted to be voted off.” Week with 24 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants (two extra contestants due to tied Dial Idol scores): Brenna Gethers (tied for second lowest female) Becky O’Donohoe (tied for second lowest female) Heather Cox (lowest scoring female) Jose Sway Penala (tied for second lowest male) Bucky Covington (tied for second lowest male) Bobby Bennett (lowest scoring male) Evicted Contestants: Stevie Scott Becky O’Donohoe Patrick Hall Bobby Bennett Week with 20 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants: Heather Cox (2nd lowest female) Kinnick Sky (lowest female) Bucky Covington (2nd lowest male) David Radford (lowest male) Evicted Contestants: Brenna Gethers Heather Cox Jose Penala David Radford Week with 16 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants: Lisa Tucker (2nd lowest female) Kinnick Sky (lowest female) Will Makar (2nd lowest male) Gedeon McKinney (lowest male) Evicted Contestants: Ayla Brown Kinnick Sky Will Makar Gedeon McKinney Week with 12 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Lisa Tucker Evicted Contestant: Melissa McGhee Week with 11 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Elliot Yamin Evicted Contestant: Kevin Covais Week with 10 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Katharine McPhee Evicted Contestant: Lisa Tucker Week with 9 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Mandisa Evicted Contestant: Mandisa Week with 8 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Ace Young Evicted Contestant: Bucky Covington Week with 7 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Ace Young Evicted Contestant: Ace Young Week with 6 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Paris Bennett Evicted Contestant: Kellie Pickler Week with 5 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Paris Bennett Evicted Contestant: Paris Bennett Week with 4 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Chris Daughtry Evicted Contestant: Chris Daughtry Week with 3 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Elliot Yamin Evicted Contestant: Elliot Yamin Week with 2 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Katharine McPhee Evicted Contestant: Katharine McPhee

Season Five Report Card

2006-05-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, now I'm going to release my "report card" for all things Idol related this season.

A- to Taylor Hicks for maintaining a certain degree of modesty throughout the competition -- you weren't the best singer this year, and the only thing that separated from the season's best vocalist was attitude. He had one and you didn't. I would have given you an A+, but there was that "Hey, I'm living the American dream!" remark during you're finale. Kind of a Sally Field "You really like me!" quip. There's a lot of people that feel they can accomplish that without having to win the nation's most popular popularity contest.
B+ to Katharine McPhee, well, just for being Katharine McPhee. You got talent, girl, and like Paris Bennett, the only thing that separates you two from true musical stardom today is learning how to use those pipes to really deliver a song. Hint, if you really want to go into acting -- learn how to act, especially if singing's ever a backup plan for you. Great performers act out their songs. You weren't the best female vocalist, but you were the least indulgent among those who knew they had talent, and that's why you lasted so long. I gave you such a high score because of your poise during the final week as judges, talk show hosts, and other assorted interviewers constantly reminded you that you weren't going to win. I thought such behavior on their part was tacky and unprofessional, but you never were.
B+ to Chris Daughtry -- you were the best singer of this year's competition, and you knew it. Maybe that attitude sells records on the rock market, but it doesn't sell on a pop-idol competition. Perhaps you'd of done better on Rock Star - INXS. Oops, I forgot -- you tried out for that show, but didn't make the final cut for airplay. Anyway, great recovery after you lost this show, except for the "fans didn't vote" blame. Blame yourself, smile, get back up and go with what you've got. The high score is because you're already doing that.
B+ to the shows producers on the show overall. It was a more concise season and a more entertaining finale (by far the best), but you didn't get an A for the following reasons: 1) the judges (see below) and 2) the unforgivable results show a few weeks ago that lasted an hour, with nothing more to add than having the bottom three sing before one was evicted and showing extra "home" footage. If you wanted to experiment lengthening the results show, you should have convinced Fox to let you try that five years ago -- now, all we want is the results, and thirty minutes is about all we can take on Wednesday night.
C- to the shows producers on the judges. Hello! I know Simon's the talent, but you've got to rein him in. The show depends on a certain level of suspense, and for him (and Randy) to go on record as saying a guy will win before America gets to vote isn't fair, and it isn't good TV. You also had a chance to dump no talent Randy and drug-rattled Paula, and you missed it. No one tunes in to see them, absolutely no one -- you could have freshened up the panel and saved some cash in the meantime. I'm sure Cyndi Lauper was cheaper, and I'm sure another music producer would have been more than willing to lend his or her skills. If you do get another judge in the future, make sure you get one with more than five phrases to share with the audience. I'm to the point with all three of them where all I want is thumbs up or down -- their repetitious mumblings make you wonder why they were even necessary (and thumbs up on the judge-diminished finale!)
D to Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson for unprofessional behavior as judges. We watch the show to get involved with the contestants and root for our favorites. We don't want your eviction predictions during the show or afterwards, just your opinion on the performances. We don't want your "gender" predictions, we don't want to know who's going to win the competition three weeks before it ends. It has nothing to do with honesty, it has to do with your egos -- let those who pad the Nielsons with their suspension of disbelief enjoy the show without being tainted by your predictions.
D- to Paula Abdul for being Paula Abdul. Sorry, sweetie, but you're incompetent, and you can't blame that on your physical ailment, Simon Cowell's incessant teasing, or the Corey Clark incident. You're a bit wacky and loopy, and often at a loss for words. Sell stuff on QVC, but you're past your effectiveness on this show -- if you ever had any.
F to the local Fox affiliate here in Houston, KRIV Fox 26. During the HDTV version (cable channel 309) of the finale, they started the show over at 8:00pm instead of playing the second hour of the live feed. It took seven to eight minutes for them to realize their mistake, so for those who didn't flip over to the analog channel, they missed Carrie Underwood's second performance and some of the Taylor Hicks/Toni Braxton duet. UNFORGIVABLE for the finale of America's most watched series! UNFORGIVABLE! (Well, technically it can be forgiven if they prove it was the network or the cable company that created the gaff, but they'll do for now.)

To check out my point-by-point dissection of last night's finale, check out the entry/podcast below.

Idol Five Finale (podcast #013)

2006-05-24T23:56:00.000-05:00

All the Stars . . . plus, Taylor and Katharine Tonight more than 200 million people tuned in as titans of the music industry performed new songs and old, plus a few Idol veterans we hadn’t seen or heard from in a while. If you tuned in late, you might have thought you were watching the Grammys or the American Music Awards. In fact, if it wasn’t for the logo at the commercial break, you might have forgot the reason people even bothered to do that tuning in . . . to watch the season finale of American Idol. Last year, on another blog, I had the following to say about last year’s finale, a two-hour colossal episode of self-indulgence:

. . . they chose to bore the living hell out of us with silly skits about the judges, a recap of the “worst performances” . . . and an awfully long parody of the Abdul-Clark “affair.” . . . Part Gong Show, part Native Son Goes to Hollywood, part-SNL rip-off – it made you wonder whether or not you were watching a music show at all. Hint: next time, more music – less BS.

This year, there was no wondering . . . it was all about music, and the assorted “skits” were well-timed, well-written, and for the most part, well out of the way. Tonight, the stage lit up, and Carrie Underwood, last year’s winner, descended from behind the screen, singing “Through the Rain,” joined by Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. The rest of the Final Twelve joined in, hinting that this grand finale was going to be music packed – from beginning to end. Introductions were next – each judge got their own music theme as their remarks and stunts were replayed. Shortly after that, the O’Donohue twins and Tamyra Gray joined us from Birmingham and Los Angeles – Taylor and Katharine’s respective hometowns. And then, the music began again. Paris Bennett stepped out singing “We’re In This Love Together,” and was joined quickly by Al Jarreau, and after singing the song through, the two scatted for a bit, Paris having no trouble at all keeping up with the older crooner. Chris Daughtry sang “Mystery” with the rock band, LIVE – the group whose interpretation of “I Walk the Line” he sang during the competition, getting kudos from the Simon Cowell for originality – but screams of “rip-off” from LIVE fans. The lead singer, Ed Kowalczyk, didn’t seem to mind as the two sang harmonies off of each other. Then there was a cute skit as master chef Wolfgang Puck introduced Kellie Pickler to escargot. Katharine McPhee got a chance to really shine as she covered “It’s All Coming Back to Me” with Meatloaf. The only problem with that performance had nothing to do with Katharine – poor Meatloaf was shaking like a bowl of jelly as he started off the song, was off key and off tempo and could barely keep up as Katharine soared through it effortlessly. It’s time for Meatloaf to be put back in the freezer. That pack o’ meat is definitely past its expiration date. Into the second half-hour, Ryan Seacrest led us into the night’s on-going “Gong-factor” skit, the “Golden Idol Awards.” The first award of the night went to Crazy Dave Hoover, the spastic nut that actually made it to Hollywood, and he got a chance once again to scream and skid all over the stage to a whooping audience. The final six guys started that half hour musically with a medley of Tobacco Road and Don’t Stop Thinkin’ About Tomorrow. After a review of the year’s Ford commercials the finalists participated in, we had another episode of Golden Idols, where Elliot Yamin’s mother was awarded for the Proudest Family Moment. Then, Elliot’s mom introduced her son’s next number, One, and he was joined by Mary J. Blige who overtook him quickly (it seemed she forgot it was a duet), but Elliot still held his own. To start the second hour, Carrie Underwood shared her new single, Don’t Forget to Remember Me, followed by Taylor Hicks reprise of In the Ghetto. Taylor’s surprise guest for the song was Toni Braxton and the two fed off of each other brilliantly – you could tell that Taylor is ready for this gig. The six female finalists got a chance to shine with their own medley which included I’m Every Woman, I Feel Like a Woman, and Natural Woman. Next up was another gong-show edition of the Golden Idol Awards. This time the award was for Best Impersonation, and the award went to a certain Michael Sandeki whose laughable attempt at being “the next Clay Aiken” was shattered by the judges. Of course, it wasn’t his fault he couldn’t sing that day – if you remember, he had to pee. Simon humored him, and when he returned, he was just as awful. Like last year, and like the beginning of every season – American Idol can’t be American Idol unless there’s a good deal of mocking those that can’t sing, but when Michael returned to accept his award, Ryan offered him the chance to sing. Unlike last year’s “loser” reprise, Michael seemed to be either in on the joke, or unable to pass up one last opportunity to convince America that he could sing. And, so the band started up, and he started singing the Elton John/George Michael duet, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” and before he was finished with the first line of the verse, the giant video screen opened, and out came the other member of that dynamic duo – the real, bonafide Clay Aiken, who thankfully took over the song as the not-so-great pretender shook uncontrollably and was eventually seated by Ryan. Clay Aiken’s appearance even surprised the audience which roared with excitement as he entered the stage. This was Clay’s first appearance since the uproar about his personal life (a recently scheduled performance at a Christian function was cancelled by the promoter) and he sang the Elton/George duet with an unyielding confidence that said, “the joke’s on you” to all of his detractors. Our own previous criticisms of Clay had nothing to do with the fact that he might be gay, but that he was pretending to be something else. Heck, if he’s out and proud now, I might even buy that next album. P.S. – loved the new hair! The last quarter of the show was a medley of Burt Bacharach songs, with each featuring a different idol or two for a few seconds. It ended with the screen parting again to reveal Bacharach’s most prolific songstress, Dionne Warwick, who blessed us with Walk on By before being joined with the idols for That’s What Friends Are For. Another quick skit came and went with the Brokenote Cowboys receiving an award and giving us their last-chance audition. Then Ryan teased us about revealing the Idols . . . but, that magic screen parted again . . . revealing none other than Prince, who gained a little controversy himself when there was talk about him snubbing an invitation to appear on the show. He sang two new numbers from his new hit album, 3121, Lolita, and Satisfied. And then, Taylor was crowned the next American Idol, and he sang his new song for us again, Do I Make You Proud. And if I didn’t sound that excited about that last part, or if you feel I spoiled the ending . . . please, if you didn’t know Taylor was going to win, I don’t know what tree you’ve been sleeping under. Everyone knew it tonight – even poor Katharine.

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So, now, I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going to happen to this blog. For starters, I never intended for IdolsRising to become just another American Idol fan blog. In fact, when I started this blog in January, I intended for it’s primary purpose to be a ranking and profiling blog for all American Idol contestants, current and former, ranking them according to their album sales in a Top Ten list. Shortly after my initial profiling of the fifty or so semi-finalists and finalists from the past four seasons, the new season started . . . and it was all I could do to keep up with the show, so everything else just got put to the side. Now that the show’s over, that’s what I’ll go back to doing – keeping up with the careers and successes of your favorite American Idol contestants. Several things I’ll be doing this summer and fall: First, I’ll be moving IdolsRising to it’s own website. This won’t mean anything for you, but I would highly recommend those who have this site bookmarked to make sure your bookmark is for IdolsRising.com and not the site’s idolsrising.blogspot.com address. Again, if your bookmark is for IdolsRising.com, you won’t have to change a thing. Secondly, I’ll be revamping the ranking lists by changing the criteria and creating a better, more dynamic scoring system that not only accounts for total album sales in North America, but takes into account initial singles sales, and the successes of those venturing off into TV, the movies, and Broadway. Besides profiling, IdolsRising will continue to give you updates on the Idol contestants – the successes of their new albums (a lot of Idols have albums coming out this year) and the news and gossip from their new found celebrity lifestyles! As such, the podcast will continue, highlighting the best of the news and updates at least every other week. Our next podcast will be two weeks from Friday night. By the beginning of the next season, IdolsRising.com will be your one-stop site for all information, news and gossip concerning your favorite American Idol. A few words of thanks for the success of IdolsRising.com this season. First of all, thanks to my family here at home for allowing me the time to work on this – it really meant a lot to sacrifice those few hours a week to allow me to create this site about my favorite TV show. Secondly, I’d like to thank all the sites that linked me on their sites, especially early on when no one knew who I was. Particularly, I’d like to thank AOL for linking me on their American Idol page for a couple of weeks in the beginning – the traffic was phenomenal and this would have probably never been the success it was early on without it. Another fansite that drove a lot of traffic my way was Carriefans.com. I don’t think it was an intentional act by that site’s owner, but a participant on their forums linked an article I had written about Carrie, and my hits went through the roof. The most hits I had ever received was during the controversy concerning the O’Donohue twins spread in Maxim – I can’t thank anyone in particular for that, it was purely driven by search engines. The last enormous boost in hits was a couple of weeks ago when Gambling911.com covered my story on DialIdol’s true prediction rate – thanks to them for the mention. A few words of thanks, too, to sirlinksalot.com, taylorhicksblues.blogspot.com, realitytvlinks.com, idol connection, plus everyone else I’m forgetting – your links to my site provided a constant flow of traffic throughout the last five months which kept this blog going through the ebbs and flows. My site was visited 21,000 times over the last five months, and I couldn’t have done it without each of you! So, stay tuned – we aren’t going anywhere! We’re going to keep following Taylor and Katharine wherever they go, plus keep you up to date on Kelly, Carrie and every other American Idol contestant you’ve grown to love . . . or hate. And I forgot to mention this on the podcast version, but THANKS to all my readers and listeners this season! If it weren't for you, this would just be a lot of typing . . . thanks for support. LISTEN | FEED

. . . After the show!

2006-05-24T18:43:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned!!! After the show, I'll post a play-by-play about how the night went, plus revealing my plans for this blog throughout the next year, plus a list of "thank-you's" for everyone who made a difference in the existence of this blog. And of course, there'll be a podcast version of it as well. Seeya after the show!

Taylor, Katharine, Carrie, and Kelly!

2006-05-23T23:02:00.000-05:00

If you were quick with the remote control Tuesday night, you’d of heard two Idols and two wannabees singing their hearts out to filled concert halls and TV audiences around the nation. Of course, they weren’t all singing in the same place, for the same reason, or to the same viewing audience. The two Idols-in-waiting – Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee – brought out their “greatest hits,” plus two original songs, to perhaps one of the largest viewing audiences in TV history as they battled it out for the last time to see who will be the next American Idol. Katharine started the night off with a reprise (in what would be a night of reprises) with the box-drum enhanced “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” leaving most judges scratching their heads. All of them said it was never a favorite of theirs for her voice, but most agreed that she had sang it better than her previous attempt at it. Taylor followed with “Livin’ for the City,” which ended with the entire audience at the Kodak standing on their feet. Simon Cowell declared Taylor the winner of Round One. Round Two – Katharine sat on the floor and sang a nearly flawless version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," an enormous improvement over the previous attempt, and when Taylor followed with “Levon,” Simon declared her the winner of that round. At the end, they both sang the number each will record as their single. Katharine led off with a song entitled "My Destiny. " It seemed a bit low for her voice, but I hoped it would improve and eventually be her “torch song” that explored her range – but that moment never came. The range did improve, but her voice did not. It ended with her getting pitchy and screechy for a while, and it seemed that when the song was finally over, the audience breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t the worst finale performance (still tons better than Justin Guarini’s or Diana DiGarmo’s), but it clearly wasn’t the best – even for the presumed runner-up. Thankfully, it seemed the song was written for her – and that we weren’t going to be tortured with that song again (as the show’s producers have done to us a couple of times before). Taylor had his own song to sing, “Do I Make You Proud,” and not only was it the best single composed for an Idol contestant since “A Moment Like This,” it was by far the best performance of the night. Taylor owned the audience, and when it came time for the judges to speak, Simon summed up the tally, telling Taylor that with that performance, he had won the competition. Just as Idol was ending for the night, Carrie Underwood – last year’s winner – was finishing up a performance of “Jesus, Take the Wheel” at the Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS. Shortly after finishing that number, she was awarded the ACM Award for the Single Record of the Year for that song. Later on that evening, she won again for Top New Female Vocalist – getting two of the four awards she was nominated for. But, the evening wasn’t over. Kelly Clarkson sang a duet with the hit country group Rascal Flatts (“What Hurts the Most”), the group that Carrie sang with during last year’s finale. Tune into Idol Minute late Wednesday night, as we wrap up the results show and this fifth season of American Idol! LISTEN | FEED

Clay Confirmed, plus Carrie and More!

2006-05-23T12:51:00.000-05:00

TMZ.com has confirmed that Clay Aiken, Season 2 runner up, will make his first post-controversy appearance on American Idol's finale on Wednesday night. The AOL subsidary also confirms Carrie Underwood's appearance (not that her's was a rumor), plus scheduled performances of Deon Warwick and Al Jareau.

This Week . . .on Idol Minute (#011)

2006-05-22T22:39:00.000-05:00

Who will be the next American Idol? What do Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken have in common? Where in the world is Carrie Underwood? Who’s peeking at Jennifer Hudson? And, what exactly was it that Tamyra Gray and Nick Lachey were doing together? So, this week ends the fifth season of American Idol, and what a powerful season it has been! We had a final twelve filled with people worthy to win the competition, well, at least ten of them were. A handful had extraordinary talent, and a few that we all thought would drop off in the last half dozen or so lasted up till the very end. It is a season that will go down in Idol history – or at least warrant a few cards in Trivial Pursuit, the American Idol edition. So, onto what’s happening now in the world of American Idol. Instead of restating the fact that Idol predictors have already awarded the crown to Taylor Hicks, we can’t forget that the crown once belonged to Chris Daughtry – a man so favored to win that the rocker claims people just forgot to vote for him. We also mustn’t forget last season – when it was assumed that Bo Bice would walk away with the crown, or in season two when many felt that Claymania would sail a certain red-head to victory. There are favorites, there are front-runners, but there’s always just one winner – and it’s been proven on more than one season of American Idol that one doesn’t necessarily lead to the other. We’ve also learned this season that even predictions can change after a performance. The best can get lazy, the underdog can suddenly become a challenger. It’s a performance competition – and in the race to discern the winner before the season finale, it’s those tricky performances we often forget to wait for. So, yes – Taylor will probably win at this point, but he still has to sing for us Tuesday night, and so does Katharine McPhee. True, it ain’t fifty-fifty, but either one could still win . . . so, let’s just sit back and enjoy the show. So, what will they sing? Rumor has it that the original song that the winner will perform Tuesday night, and go on to record and release as their first single is a rock-song called Make It Real, written by Nick Lachey and Tamyra Gray. Why rock? Well, again, the rumor states this was because it was written for the presumed winner, Chris Daughtry. Another rumor has Taylor Hicks giving songwriters a hard time with the original song – such hard time that they walked out. Don’t know which to believe, but I hope it’s not one that makes Tamyra Gray the American Idol song-writer-in-residence. KFC is making sure Wednesday’s loser doesn’t go home on an empty stomach. The fried chicken kings are promising the runner-up a $10,000 recording contract for commercial work, plus a year’s supply of the good-stuff. Hope you haven’t forgot last year’s winner, Carrie Underwood, recently named one of Teen People’s "25 Hottest Stars Under 25". Though she’s probably one of the two busiest former Idol contestants alive, you’ll get a chance to see her at this year’s finale. She’ll be performing Wednesday night before they crown her successor, and she’ll sing a new track from her album, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.” If you’re one of the few humans alive to miss that performance, you can catch her on her summer tour – tickets just went on sale this past weekend. Don’t look for Carrie in the audience during Tuesday’s performance show – she won’t be there. She’ll be performing at the Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS where she’s up for four awards of her own. This may just be unsubstantiated, but rumor has it that Clay Aiken . . . yes, Clay Aiken may perform, or at least appear, on Wednesday’s finale. If this is true, and considering the source, it’s probably not, it will be his first major appearance since allegations came out this spring concerning his sexuality. Movie critics got a sneak peek at Jennifer Hudson’s new movie, Dreamgirls, at Cannes Film Festival recently. The film, also starring Jamie Foxx and Beyonce’ Knowles, will hit theaters in December. LISTEN | FEED

Three's Company (#010)

2006-05-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

50 million people voted Tuesday night; so, how did the votes split? Who got Daughtry’s votes, and did Katharine’s flubs count against her? Well, if you want to know . . . keep listening. If you’re on the West Coast, and you haven’t heard the results yet – turn this off now if you want to see the season’s biggest surprise with the rest of the Pacific coast. Ryan revealed the show’s greatest surprise – perhaps the greatest in the show’s history (at least since the season two finale) – like someone peeling the layers off of an onion. He asked for the vote percentage of the lowest contestant, and an enormous 33.06% was revealed. He let the number linger, reminding us that the contestant with the lowest vote got nearly a third of the vote. He then called for the second number, and we saw 33.26% hover just above the loser’s percentage. We instantly knew with that second number – it was a statistical three way tie – and that the difference between the winner, the loser, and the person in the middle was a fraction of 1%. He didn’t tell us who was safe, or who got which of the top two numbers, but he jumped to the chase and told us the loser . . . Elliot Yamin. Tonight’s show was an hour long, and each contestant sang a number they recorded on the upcoming American Idol album, and we all got to see footage of them singing in their hometowns to large and enthusiastic crowds. Elliot’s was by far the most emotional, and if there was an award on the show for the person that came the farthest from the least, Elliot would have won it hands down. Clive Davis was presented an award from the three contestants for his work with the finalists; he was given an enormous plaque celebrating the 33 million albums sold from the last four American Idol winners and two runners-up. I’m sure that each of this years’ final three hopes to see his or her name on such an acknowledgment in the future. Next week – the big finale! Not a coincidence, I’m sure, but the Season Five album goes on sale the same day as the last performance night on Tuesday! See you next week! LISTEN | FEED

And then there were three . . . (podcast #009)

2006-05-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the last performance show before the finale, and Elliot, Katharine, and Taylor gave some of their best performances to date. The remaining American Idol 5 contestants first sang songs selected by music mogul Clive Davis, the presumed producer for the winner’s first album. He chose “Open Arms” for Elliot Yamin, and Elliot rose to the challenge, delivering the verse superbly before faltering a little on the chorus. Katharine McPhee was next, and she sang “I Believe I Can Fly,” and for a moment there, I thought she was singing “I Forgot How to Sing.” Her tone and mood were all over the place, and as she started the chorus – she seemed to forget some of the words to one of the most memorable songs of the 1990’s. Her vocals were thin and the performance anti-climatic, and it seemed to spell the end of her time on Idol. Taylor Hicks finished off round one by breaking a record – the first Idol contestant to perform a Bruce Springsteen song ("Dancin' in the Dark") live on the show. Apparently, the Boss doesn’t like the idea, and it took a personal phone call from Clive to get him to cave in. The next round featured judges’ choices, and Elliot sang “What You Won’t Do For Love,” chosen by Paula. The performance was decent, but not earth-shattering like such “funky” songs are supposed to be, and Randy called him on it. Paula Abdul did her perfunctory praise, but acknowledged Randy’s criticisms, and Simon called them both on it, adding, “I thought you sang that pretty good.” Praise from Simon Cowell is always earth-shattering itself, even when his word choice doesn’t befit his accent. Katharine was next, singing the Simon-annointed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Her performance was dead-on – her tone and mood were perfect as she slightly borrowed from the Eva Cassidy classic rendition of the song (making us forget the tortured cover that Tamyra Grey attempted a few years ago on her Idol return). She made it her own, and Simon said it was the “single best performance of the competition.” Only Taylor could top her, and he did so with Randy Jackson’s choice, “You Are So Beautiful.” Simon had to amend his praise of Katharine – telling him it was the “best performance so far.” It was interesting that these two simple, yet well-known songs could evoke such stirring performances out of these Idols, but the performances had yet another round to go: this time, the contestants got to choose. Elliot chose Ray Charles’ “I Believe to My Soul,” receiving mediocre compliments from the judges. Katharine’s “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues” was all over the place, but not nearly as bad as her first number. Taylor rounded off the night with his stirring “Try a Little Tenderness,” which ended with Simon’s blessing, “See you next Tuesday.” Going into tonight’s competition, Elliot was slightly favored to leave. Although his performances were more stable than Katharine’s, none of his three songs matched the brilliance of her one “Rainbow” or of any of the songs sang by Taylor. He could still go, and if he doesn’t, it’ll be Katharine. From the looks of it, Taylor Hicks will be the next American Idol. LISTEN | FEED

The World Reacts (podcast #008)

2006-05-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

From the headline of the TVSquad blog “Noooooooo!” to claims of misvotes or crossed phone-lines preventing the inevitable crowning of Chris Daughtry – American Idol fans, bloggers and reporters were equally shocked last week when he was voted off the show. Here’s more headlines: RealityTVCalender – American Injustice; have the voters gone mad? Access Hollywood – American Idol Outrage. National Ledger – The Voters Wimped Out. Some interesting trains of thought as well from some of the Idol message forums out there. One of the most popular forums is idolforums.com, and many are talking about the msnbc article about misdirected calls – where Chris voters were met with the voice of Katharine McPhee, others are talking about how they think the producers kicked Chris off for one reason or another (there’s the secret record contract the producers supposedly didn’t like) while many are just claiming that the entire voting system is rigged. Several Chris fans on that forum are sporting a signature graphic picturing Chris against a black backdrop, and a candle to the side, with the caption: “May 10th, 2006. The Day Music Died. A Candle Burns Here in Your Honor.” Well, in case you haven’t noticed, leaving the show isn’t tantamount to death, but, apparently, a few people seem to think so. Chris has had a few words to say since he left. In an interview with a several reporters, he said the eviction was a “low blow” and that he was “disappointed.” MTV.com did a Q&A with him, and Chris said he “wasn’t going to pretend to be happy” about the result and that he felt most of his fans felt he was a shoo-in, and so last Tuesday they were voting for number two instead of supporting the obvious talent. In other words, Chris believes it was the fans’ fault that he lost. I think it’s more like my initial assessment last week – many fans have been reporting how they felt he was getting too confident, to assured of himself, and that his performances were likewise becoming predictable. When compared to the improving talent of others, maybe America wanted something else than someone who believed they deserved it. America likes great talent, but they don’t necessarily send their votes and their dollars to people who think they already “own” the vote. Chris Daughtry, whether he excels in the music industry or not, will serve as an example of what not to be – someone who is something other than humble and modest about their talent and chances for winning. Only one AI contestant has ever got away with such brash self-assuredness, and that was Kelly Clarkson – when it was down to her and two others with minimal. Chris had something else – competition, proving that such an attitude is a gambler’s course to take, so I wouldn’t recommend it to any of the next batch of contestants. And, insulting the voters (or blaming them) is never fair. If a participant loses – they lost because they failed to convey to the American viewing public that they deserve to be the next American Idol. Nothing more, and nothing less. Up Tuesday . . . The remaining Idols sing three songs a piece: one chosen by a judge, one by music producer (and eventual album producer of the winner) Clive Davis, and one of their own choosing. So, who’s gonna leave Wednesday night? Well, after last week results, we know it could literally be anyone, but there are still people betting the odds. As of this recording, Taylor Hicks is favored to win the competition (2/7) with Elliot and Katharine fighting it out for runner-up. There weren’t a lot of good solid numbers at the time I recorded this, but as of now, Elliot’s chances (3/1) were slightly worse than Katharine’s (5/2) – but, in reality, either could go home this week. The lesson from last week should be if you have a favorite, don’t count on others to vote them in for you – vote and vote often. Last week, I did get one response from a listener, and I’m always open to constructive criticism. While their overall response was positive, they didn’t like the fact that Wednesday’s podcast revealing the exit by Daughtry was released so quickly – before the show aired on the West Coast. Since Idol Minute’s first priority is to release Idol news as soon as it happens, I won’t delay my post-eviction podcast. Also, I would have to wait until 10:30 to 11:00pm Central Time to do so, and that isn’t convenient for my schedule. But, what I will do is not put the results in the title of the podcast, and will begin each recording Wednesday evening with a “spoiler” warning, so that when people happen by the podcast on iTunes and download the most recent recording, they will have the option to turn it off if they don’t want the results show spoiled for them. Thanks for all the responses – you can email me directly at ketchlives@yahoo.com, leave a response to any posting on the blog at IdolsRising.com, or you can leave a review on the iTunes page. Remember to tune in after the show Tuesday night as I recap that performance, and again after Wednesday’s results show. LISTEN | FEED

Chris Daughty on EXTRA! He gets an offer!

2006-05-11T11:31:00.000-05:00

Alert! This just in from TMZ.com -- Chris Daughtry gets a live-TV job offer for an unnamed band on EXTRA tonight. No details . . . you'll have to watch to find out!

Gallery

2006-05-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard Mario Vazquez's (Season Four) hot new single, Gallery, yet -- you're in luck! It's not at the stores yet, but it's at a Top 40 station near you ready for radio play. Call your local station and DEMAND to hear it -- it's really great, got an opportunity to hear it last night myself. Call 'em up and tell them you want to hear Mario Vazquez singing Gallery. If they won't play it, it's also for sale on iTunes.

Chris Leaves; Taylor Wins American Idol (podcast #007)

2006-05-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, America . . . you saw the results. Chris Daughtry is out of the competition in fourth place. An early favorite, his performances of late grew stale and predictable. Many people saw a man that got a bit cocky in his frontrunner status, and two others bumped up their act considerably. So, Chris lost. Up until this last week, Chris was the front-runner by many oddsmakers and fans alike. His loss tonight may seem like the seat is up for grabs, but it's not. It clearly belongs to Taylor Hicks. Katherine has lost her confidence, and while Elliot has risen enough in talent, charm, and stage presence . . . the stage belongs to Taylor Hicks. I'm eating my own words, but Taylor Hicks is your next American Idol. (addendum) Okay, okay . . . had to make that quick post, but a few more words about tonight's show that kinda supports my prediction. At one point, an actress in the audience requested that Taylor sing Tuesday's number again, and Ryan quickly garnered permission from Nigel . . . and Taylor sung his whole number again. No other contestant was given that opportunity . . . were the producers trying to clue us in on something? Taylor's taken the show over . . . he's won me over, what the hell! LOL! I think what most people admire is his pure honesty on stage -- nothing "showboat" or arrogant about him -- he is who he is, and he's proven that he can do even more. He deserves to walk in the shoes of Ruben, Kelly, Fantasia and Carrie. He's already won it. LISTEN | FEED this week's music: Galveston, by Ezra Thomas (podshow.com/music)

Gambling911 / Dial Idol

2006-05-10T10:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Gambling911 for the link! For all those looking for the article concerning DialIdol's true eviction prediction percentage (50%, btw), scroll down until you see the article entitled "50% - the True Dial Idol Prediction Rate," or click the hyperlink.

Elliot & Taylor Strike Back! (Podcast #006)

2006-05-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the night of rebounds, and no one did it better than Elliot Yamin and Taylor Hicks. Taylor’s first number, Jail House Rock, was a crowd pleaser, though Simon called it a “terrible Elvis impersonation” – probably the worst insult any singer could endure, even though the theme of the night was the music of Elvis Presley. Tommy Motolla was the celebrity coach this week, and he did his craft in Graceland, where the contestants were flown recently. What seemed ironic was that Elliot Yamin seemed to be the worst during practice – and was one of the two best during tonight’s performance show. For his first number, Simon called it the best of the evening “so far,” and Taylor and Chris had already sang ahead of him – with Katharine McPhee doing a rather horrible “Hound Dog / All Shook Up” medley (referred to as “desperate” by Simon). For round two, Elliot shook ‘em up with “A Little Less Conversation,” which led to Paula jumping up and dancing, which in turn led to a crude remark from Ryan Seacrest . . . he wanted to slip her a dollar. Taylor’s second number, “In the Ghetto,” created rave reviews from the judges, with Randy saying it was his best, and the type of music he should put on any resulting album. Simon was enthused enough to infer that his performance secured his place in the “semi-finals,” which probably meant he’d survive this week. Chris Daughtry gave a standard, predictable performance. He’s got the best recording voice so far, although the best performances for the night go to Taylor and Elliot – hand’s down. Katharine was by far the worst – look for her to be evicted on tomorrow night’s show. Elliot, predicted to leave by oddsmakers, should be safe, unless “comeback” performances don’t amount to anything. LISTEN | FEED

Idol Minute (Episode#005)

2006-05-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

Idols in the News . . . Idol 3 winner Fantasia is starring in a Lifetime movie as herself. Entitled “Life is not a Fairy Tale,” the original made-for-cable movie will premier on that network in August. Idol 4 winner and triple-platinum selling artist Carrie Underwood only needed three more credits to graduate from college when she entered the competition in 2004 –recently, she took some time off and finished that degree – she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern State University on Saturday. Idol 5 finalist Kellie Pickler went home to North Carolina to meet her biggest fan – her father who was recently released from prison for a violent assault. Kellie remarked that she felt blessed to have him back in her life. ------------- Everyone wants to know . . . who’s going home! Tuesday night, the remaining four idols wannabe’s sing the music of Elvis Presley and listen to the sound advice of music industry leader Tommy Motolla. So, who’s gonna shine and who’s gonna leave? Well, we won’t know for sure about departures until after Tuesday night’s performance, but that doesn’t stop some from predicting the future! Gambling911.com is predicting that Elliot Yamin will leave, with Chris Daughtry being favored to stay (and presumably to win). Pinnaclesports.com is predicting the same odds for elimination and for the eventual winner, while Dialidol.com reserves it’s predictions until the final tally of votes – when their busy-signal counting software had completed it’s work. Last week, we discovered on the regular blog how DialIdol’s much ballyhooed 80+% prediction is really more like 50%. They say they can predict the loser accurately, but that percentage actually reflects a broad range of potential evictees during any one performance week. For example – if there are ten idols singing one night, and only 3 have heavy persistent busy-signals, then the other seven aren’t getting as many votes and would likewise receive a low Dial Idol score. If those bottom seven had relatively close scores, then they would all stand a chance at eviction, and Dialidol’s predictions consider such multiple “low placers.” So, if the sixth lowest scoring contestant actually got kicked off, Dial Idol claims “accuracy” that week, as if this person had polled the lowest, which they wouldn’t have. This isn’t hypothetical – this is exactly what happened the week with ten contestants this year, and it happens week after week as dialidol’s projections include more than one potential losing contestant – not the ONE person who will leave. LISTEN | FEED

50% - the Real DialIdol Prediction Rate

2006-05-03T22:53:00.000-05:00

A lot of hoop-la is swirling around the media world about DialIdol.com’s predictions for contestant evictions on Fox TV’s American Idol. On its prediction page, it shies away from that claim a bit by saying “measuring the busy signal is 84% accurate through 19 eliminations” but doesn’t really detail “what” it’s accurate about. When you dig into the FAQ page, it says – plain as day – “. . . we predict who will be voted off every week.” But, can it really be true? First, let’s look at the claims. Check any Idol or reality show blog, and they’ll have something about the DialIdol controversy. It even disturbed the show’s producers so much that the site’s creator, James Hellriegel, Jr., got a cease and desist letter from them. So, does DialIdol.com accurately predict the loser each week? No, and they’ll tell you that on the site (hence the 84% figure). So, do they at least predict the loser 84% of the time . . . well, yes and no. Giving a reasonable person’s expectations about what the site predicts based on the site’s claims, the media frenzy around it, etc., one assumes the controversy is because the site picks the one person who will lose each week. If that were an accurate statistic (84%), James Hellriegel Jr. wouldn’t be wasting his time on the internet giving away free software and odds, he’d be playing the numbers himself – and winning hand-over-fist. Why doesn’t he, and why don’t we hear about the DialIdol millionaires created by the people who DO take those figures and play them? Because they don’t exist – and here’s why. The reason James Hellriegel, Jr., can claim 84% accuracy is because his program (and him, by default) doesn’t predict the one loser – it predicts that one among several stand a statistically significant chance of being kicked off the show. In one given week, the program might pick two or three who stand a chance of losing. If one of those few within that margin goes home – then, DialIdol claims victory for that week. Hardly picking “the one” when some weeks have included up to “nine predictions” (week with 20 contestants – four were being evicted), or even the “seven predictions” during the week with 10 Idols remaining . . . when only one was being evicted! And, all of this wonderful data I’m talking about can be found on Dial Idol’s own website (check “predictions,” then go week-by-week). Again, using a reasonable person’s expectation of what “picking the loser” means, let’s take a look at the prediction record of DialIdol.com and see how many of their “lowest scoring” contestants fared and see if that 84% statistic really holds up. Week with 24 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants (two extra contestants due to tied Dial Idol scores): Brenna Gethers (tied for second lowest female) Becky O’Donohoe (tied for second lowest female) Heather Cox Jose Sway Penala (tied for second lowest male) Bucky Covington (tied for second lowest male) Bobby Bennett Evicted Contestants: Stevie Scott Becky O’Donohoe Patrick Hall Bobby Bennett Correct accuracy rate: 50% ( 2 out of 4) Week with 20 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants: Heather Cox Kinnick Sky Bucky Covington David Radford Evicted Contestants: Brenna Gethers Heather Cox Jose Penala David Radford Correct accuracy rate: 50% (2 out of 4) Week with 16 Idols (four evictions) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestants: Lisa Tucker Kinnick Sky Will Makar Gideon McKinney Evicted Contestants: Ayla Brown Kinnick Sky Will Makar Gedeon McKinney Correct accuracy rate: 75% (3 out of 4) Week with 12 Idols (one eviction) Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Lisa Tucker Evicted Contestant: Melissa McGhee Correct accuracy rate: 0% Week with 11 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Elliot Yamin Evicted Contestant: Kevin Covais Correct accuracy rate: 0% Week with 10 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Katharine McPhee Evicted Contestant: Lisa Tucker Correct accuracy rate: 0% Week with 9 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Mandisa Evicted Contestant: Mandisa Correct accuracy rate: 100% Week with 8 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Ace Young Evicted Contestant: Bucky Covington Correct accuracy rate: 0% Week with 7 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Ace Young Evicted Contestant: Ace Young Correct accuracy rate: 100% Week with 6 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Paris Bennett Evicted Contestant: Kellie Pickler Correct accuracy rate: 0% Week with 5 Idols Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant: Paris Bennett Evicted Contestant: Paris Bennett Correct accuracy rate: 100% So far, since America has been voting, there have been 20 eliminations. Dial Idol’s lowest scoring contestant ended up being evicted 10 times, giving Dial Idol a real eviction prediction rating of 50%. We’re not calling James Hellrieger, Jr., a liar – he’s still being technically honest (since his program predicts that any of two-to-nine contestants could statistically get eliminated during one eviction evening) . . . about as honest as the car dealer who gets you to sign the dotted line without reading the fine print. Final word – DialIdol correctly predicts the loser half the time (so far), and that’s sure a lot better than my predictions. However, don’t take these numbers to the bookie unless you’ve got money to burn . . . cause, you’ll lose it. I contend that this article is at LEAST 84% accurate.

Results on Idol Minute (#004)

2006-05-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

(Click "Listen" below to catch this entry as a podcast!) Paris Bennett was voted off tonight, as predicted by many Idol critics, professional oddsmakers, and the controversial call-counter, DialIdol.com. Only the bottom two were named tonight as the show moves away from their “bottom three” showdown, and regardless . . . some of the oddsmakers got that all wrong. Dial Idol predicted that she would be joined by Katharine McPhee, and it put those two in a statistical dead-heat for eviction. Her partner in the bottom two was Elliot Yamin. Of course, even if Dial Idol had got it wrong, being “right” – in their book -- isn’t always on the button. According to their accuracy claim, the evictee need only be within the “statistical margin of error,” not necessarily the person with the lowest DialIdol score – so, according to them, last week’s prediction of a Paris eviction doesn’t count against them since they also put Kellie in that “margin of error.” Good enough for Dial Idol, perhaps, but those “calls” wouldn’t make it at the dog track – unless you were betting to place or show. The remaining Idols will now be flown to Graceland to be tutored by Sony exec Tommy Mottola (who also did a stint a few years ago as Mr. Mariah Carey). LISTEN | FEED

Results

2006-05-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Paris is out. More in a moment.

Could Taylor Really Win?

2006-05-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

Most people would think that after last night's performance, that Taylor Hicks wouldn't be anywhere near the top vote getter. With the exception of the last couple of weeks, that's what's been happening. According to DialIdol.com's website, he most likely got the most votes (his lines were the busiest), a trend the webmaster of that site says has been consistent throughout the season, according to the newspiece CNBC did on the controversy DialIdol.com has created this year. If this trend continues (and is a reality), the Taylor is most likely this season's front runner, and unless the fans of the others start voting -- he could end up winning this season. Evictees tonight -- according to DialIdol.com, Paris Bennett and Katharine McPhee are in a statistical tie to be eliminated.

Alert! West Coast Changes Everything!

2006-05-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

At this moment, there's still one hour left for Pacific Coast voters, but they've already changed the predictions slightly according to Dial Idol.com. Taylor Hicks has gone from a weak first place finish (don't ask me how that happened) to a strong first place finish, and . . . shocker of the night . . . Elliot Yamin now has a slight lead over Chris Daughtry. Also, Katharine's support has weakened, and if Dial Idol's predictions are to be believed, she now has a statistical chance of being eliminated . . . although she's still ahead of Paris. Check out my entry below for my immediate response podcast and blog to tonight's performance.

Idol-Wild

2006-05-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

(this post-performance entry is in both the traditional blog and podcast version) Tonight’s episode of American Idol wasn’t as wild and crazy as the judges made it out to be in the end, but there were some interesting “crazy things.” Taylor landed on his back at the end of his first song, and Ryan joined him as he called out the numbers. Elliot Yamin ran over to Ryan’s chair instead of standing in front of the judges – then quickly corrected himself. Tonight’s performances were another story – and whether it changes the way the votes have been going will be anyone’s guess. The top two performers (and vote-getters) the last two weeks have been Chris and Katharine, and both showed weakness in at least one of their song choices. A strong top-three contender, Taylor Hicks, had another “barroom” performance . . . a bit stupid at this stage of the game. The bottom two – Elliot Yamin and Paris Bennett – had their best nights so far. Chris Daughtry was by far the best of the night with his first song choice, but his second (I Dare You) showed the limits of his voice, and sounded a bit bigger than he could pull off. At the end, he blamed it on exhaustion and over-practicing. Katharine McPhee pulled out the worst female performance of the night with Take a Look at Me Now, then pulled off the best female with You’re Not the One For Me. Elliot started the night off with a decent On Broadway, then wowed the audience and at least two of the judges with his cover of Michael Buble’s I Wanna Go Home." Simon, the lone dissenter in the entire theater, told him that the song choice “concerned” him – that maybe singing a song about “wanting to go home” wasn’t the best idea out there. Paris Bennett gave two solid performances – covering Prince and Mary J. Blige. Even Simon complemented her on her version of Without You. Taylor Hicks bellowed Funky Music, the softened up with Something in the Way She Moves. Order of the final five by performance: Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin, Katharine McPhee, Paris Bennett, Taylor Hicks. Dial Idol’s predictions as of this moment (in order of voter popularity): Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin, Katharine McPhee, , Paris Bennett. Most likely to go home: Dial Idol still claims 84% accuracy, so it’s probably curtains for Paris. However, I’m still not getting the Taylor Hicks mania out there – it’s just beyond comprehension. I respect his music and style, but he isn’t the best singer right now, and it’s hard to believe that he’s the leader of this pack. And, this extra tidbit is NOT in the podcast . . . tonight, we heard Kelly Clarkson for the first time singing on the new Ford commercial. Podcast #003 LISTEN | FEED Copyright (c) 2006. IdolsRising.com. All Rights Reserved.

Idol Minute (Podcast episode #002)

2006-05-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 On this episode of Idol Minute, we discuss . . .

Who's going to win American Idol (according to oddsmakers)
Who's going home on tonight's episode
Dates & times for the season finale (May 23rd & 24th)
Idol Minute in overtime
The official American Idol tour
Ruben Studdard's new album
Kimberley Locke's new album
Josh Gracin's new album

Listen | Feed

Podcast Schedule ("Idol Minute")

2006-05-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

This week, we'll be trying a slightly different format. We're still committed to providing quality commentary on this site in "text" form, but we're experimenting with the audio format as well. Starting this week, we'll "try" to have three podcasts a week: 1) Tuesday pre-show (updating you on Idols in the news and predictions for the week) 2) Tuesday post-show analysis 3) Wednesday post-show analysis Each podcast posting will have an index of topics covered so that you can keep up with interesting Idol news regardless of whether or not you want to listen to the show. For the "podcast" illiterate (I was one a few months ago), you do NOT have to have an iPod to listen to the broadcast. Each show can be instantly "listened" to on the internet by clicking the "listen" link or by downloading it through iTunes. Each show is free -- regardless of how you listen to it. The first time you click "listen," you may be prompted to download "quicktime" or some other free Mp3 player, or to select an existing MP3 player from your computer to play the program. Each podcast is only 3-5 minutes long and makes a great and quick way to keep up with your Idol information. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Idol Minute (Podcast #001)

2006-04-27T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today, we're beginning our first podcast -- a weekly (hopefully) three-minute news roundup of all things American Idol. Included in this podcast . . .

Music for this episode: "stereo loud" by kingfinity (podshow.com/music) Listen | Podcast Feed

Idol Unpredictable

2006-04-27T00:55:00.000-05:00

The fifth season of American Idol is never without it's surprises -- and its surprise tonight was that "there's no such thing as a sure thing." Wagering sites near and far predicted an exit for Paris Bennett, but Bennett pulled off another strong number -- securing her place as Kellie's fans gave up on her faltering performances and fading stage presence. The bettor's weren't off too much -- Paris was still the second worst vote-getter. The oddsmakers also didn't predict that Chris Daughtry would make a "come-back" performance or that Katharine's much-panned performance would now garner an apology from the same judges ("It was much better on the playback . . ."). Chris Daughtry -- now and once again -- is the most popular male vocalist while last week's favorite, Taylor Hicks, is back down in the muddling middle with another perfecting vocalist, Elliot Yamin. Taylor and Yamin aren't the worst performers, but they are the most volatile. They can pull out the best, and quickly sink back into the worst -- proving that Hicks doesn't have what it takes to win this competition. Loser of the week: DialIdol.com -- once the Idol "Prophet," now just a back-alley bookie. Stats from this program were once touted as being so accurate that some sports gambling sites were using it for their odds-making. For the kick-off show this week, DialIdol.com predicted that Taylor and Chris were the top two, and that Paris would be evicted. Well, they were wrong about Paris, and now we know that America has bumped Taylor back to number four . . . three at best. The top two, revised: Katharine McPhee and Chris Daughtry (in either order). One of them will win -- the others will not, and this week proved it.

Idol Shakeup

2006-04-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

Is there a shakeup in the works for American Idol? Well, for starters, Paris Bennett is now favored to be evicted -- and this is all before she even gets to sing tonight, according to Gambling911.com. They're using the DialIdol.com stats -- proving to be the most predictive (83.3%). Betting odds are against her as she has the smallest and least consistent fanbase, especially now that Ace Young is gone. How these betting odds forecast the future is also a bit interesting -- they place Taylor Hicks in a strong first place finish (if you're one to believe that least likely to be evicted predicts the contest winner), ahead of Katharine and ahead of Chris Daughtry. Also, on BetCRIS.com (a site that allows you to bet on the top two finalists) the odds are against Chris again (once the presumed victor) -- they have Taylor and Katharine placing in the top two. Another Gambling911.com article suggests that the odds are in their favor based on hits to their site from fanpages. Hits are greatest from the McPhee and Hicks fansites. Last week, Taylor never needed to leave the couch as others lined up for possible eviction. Was this a hint from producers?

And the Winner is . . . (FINAL PREDICTIONS)

2006-04-22T01:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, time for some serious predictions here. It may be obvious already to most fans, but here's my two cents on the matter anyway. The top two will be Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee. It's still Chris' to lose, but -- like the rocker before him -- rock often fades to the sweet profits of pop, and Katharine may prove to be the most marketable pop-princess to ever emerge from the show. There's nothing wrong with her voice that good editing can't make better, and she's much cuter than Britney OR Christina . . . her voice being better than only the former. All we need is the peroxide. She's a diamond in the rough, but I think there's more than one jeweler ready with a pick. There's a fight now for third -- it's between Kelly and Paris. If one leaves early -- it will belong to the survivor. Neither will place higher. No gold, silver, or bronze for Elliot or Taylor. Career predictions: I believe that this group of finalists will gain more major (successful) recording contracts than the current winner, season two (Clay, Ruben, Kimberley, Joshua). Currently, I believe five current contestants could get successful deals (excluding Elliot), with a possible gospel contract for Mandisa. Season One only produced one success (Kelly Clarkson), along with season three (Fantasia), with season four currently in second (Carrie, Bo). Currently, I'm measuring "success" as having at least one hit single, and selling at least 200,000 albums.

Ace Is Out

2006-04-19T20:34:00.000-05:00

Finally, Ace was evicted, and right on schedule. However, though he was rightly part of the bottom three performers tonight, it was one of his better performances, and it was a little surprising that Tuesday's worst performance (Kellie) didn't warrant a hand-spanking by fans. Apparently, Kellie doesn't even need to sing any more -- her fans will vote anyway. Whether she deserves it or not, she's now in the top 3. I'm also surprised he got less votes than Elliot, but maybe I've underestimated Yamin's fan base in the past. Worse things have happened. Shocker of the night: Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett shared the bottom three with Ace.

Who's to Go? Yamin Vs. Pickler

2006-04-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

People.com and Gambling911.com get in on the odds of who gets the boot. The online version of the popular magazine gives an "on-the-button" review of last night's performance, and wonders if Yamin might go (despite the Pickler fiasco -- she still have fans, remember), while the betting site says odds are extraordinarily going against the Pickler staying in the competition (+1100 odds on elimination). We'll see tonight, after a stirring performance by Rod Stewart.

And Now the Contest Begins!

2006-04-19T00:32:00.000-05:00

Who will be the next American Idol? Now that all of the non-talent has left the show (sorry, Bucky!), all we're left with are contestants who each deserve a shot at the title, and with a few exceptions, they pretty much all deserve it. As a couple of former contestants were musing on American Idol Extra (Fox Reality), this is the most talented group of contestants the show has ever had at this stage of the game. I won't regurgitate the performances, but they all sang classic tunes from music's "golden age," big band, jazz, easy listening, etc. Only one performance really stood out -- and that was Kelly Pickler's -- she absolutely bombed! She started off a little weak, and then by the end of the song, was about a step or two ahead of the band, and she didn't try to recover -- she just sang ahead of the band until her finish. Truly awful, and a lack of showmanship (not to mention - intelligence!) Predictions: Bottom three will be Kelly Pickler, Elliot Yamin, and probably Taylor Hicks. Kelly will be in the bottom simply because she deserved it this week, Elliot because he's slowly becoming the weakest performer, and Taylor -- just because he didn't shine as much tonight. I believe that Ace Young redeemed himself this week with his voters, and Katharine McPhee should be safe as well. Wildcard for the bottom three? Katharine. Last time Cowell deemed her performance "best of the night," she ended up in the bottom. Evicted? I believe it will be Elliot Yamin. Beautiful voice, but no stage presence. Kelly could survive based on past performances.

Idol Link Requests

2006-04-15T01:22:00.000-05:00

As a growing blogger myself (I publish this blog and another, more personal blog), I always appreciate requests from fellow "Idol bloggers" to exchange links. Thanks to those who've requested this and linked me to their sites. Currently, I will not be updating the links on this site, or any other major updates to IdolsRising.com until the current season of American Idol is completed. Blogger.com is a headache, and adding links manually here is a pain in the rear -- to be nice about it. There are better formats, and I will be switching from blogger during the summer or fall of this year as I have already done with my personal blog. Again, my apologies -- I simply do not have time to manually type in links in HTML code at this time, and since blogger doesn't provide an easier way to adjust the settings and templates, I will be upgrading the site at another server in the near future. To my regular visitors and fans -- this means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I have no intention of closing this site, and you'll be able to get right to the site (wherever it's at) by simply typing in Idolsrising.com. The only change is that one day it will be served by Blogger.com, and the next day, there will be a nicer site using an easier server. Thanks again to all my viewers -- this service WILL REMAIN; don't worry about a thing. To my fellow American Idol bloggers -- please forgive what may seem to be rudeness, but I just don't have the time to play games with Blogger. It's been much easier to spend a few bucks (with my other blog) and use an easier service, such as the free software you can get from WordPress. Check it out.

Bucky's Going Bye-Bye

2006-04-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

Finally! No repeat of the last five years, where awful singers come within a heartbeat of the title. No more Nicky McKibbens and Anthony Federov's in third place, no more Scott Savols ahead of Constantine Maroulis or Anwar Robinsons. The worst singer this year has finally been evicted. Bucky Covington is OUT in eighth place. This week, instead of a headlining star performing on results night, American Idol tried a new gimmick called "let's see how we can keep people tuned in for an extra half hour and not give them anything extra in return." The gimmick? They added an extra half hour for no reason what-so-ever, and showed a bunch of sappy videos, then had the final three sing before revealing the results. My take on it? An enormous waste of time. Without a celebrity performance, tonight's show should have only lasted fifteen minutes. For those of you with TiVo's and DVRs -- keep that finger on fast-forward. Tonight's show was a HUGE time-waster. Next week on results night, they'll have Rod Stewart singing the oldies. Methinks they could do better . . . like getting KELLY CLARKSON?!?!? To tell the producers to get Kelly Clarkson on to perform on results night, email 'em by clicking HERE.

Carrie Jumps to #3, Wins CMT

2006-04-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

Carrie Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, has now been certified triple platinum, which bumps her up past Ruben Studdard on our Top Ten list (a performance-based list). Carrie now holds the 3rd place on that list, having sold the most records after Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken. Some Hearts, however, is the best selling debut album of any American Idol winner, so look for her to bump Clay down from #2 soon, and start giving Kelly a run for her money! In other news, Carrie won two awards on the 4th Annual CMT awards this week -- best Breakthrough Video, and Female Video. Congratulations!

Queens and Idols; Double eviction on Thursday?

2006-04-11T21:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight's theme on American Idol 5 was the music of Queen, and for the most part, the contestants stepped up to the plate and gave solid performances. Check here for a play by play . . . onto the predictions: Bottom three: Bucky Covington, Ace Young with a third possibility being either Elliot Yamin or Paris Bennett. Bucky is still the worst singer, but somehow he's got some sort of fan base. Most likely to get evicted: Ace Young. Tomorrow night's results show is a surprising ONE HOUR long, and despite the final eight performing a Queen song, we at Idolsrising.com believe that "something's up." Generally, once a year, the producers throw a wrench into their methodical format -- usually, in the form of a double eviction. Less likely -- a surprise "placement" of judges' choices for "second-chance" contestants (remember Clay Aiken, anyone?). Anything could happen, and they don't give us an HOUR LONG results night for nothing! Stay tuned (our dough's on the double eviction)!

Mandisa's Gay-Hating Flip-flopping

2006-04-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

Mandisa insists that reports calling her a gay-hater are totally false. She insists that she hates no one, and that she lets "love be my guide." However, when the interviewer for Advocate magazine asked her if she would be comfortable performing at a gay event, she said, "I would not, no." She continued,

"Based on what I believe, I'm not an advocate for [being gay], so it's nothing I would take part in."

We respect her personal beliefs, but to the millions of gays and lesbians who don't believe their sexual orientation is a choice, at least they now know where she stands: She doesn't advocate them being themselves. She said her beliefs were based on the Bible, but no word on whether or not she believes in the Bible's prescription for homosexuality -- death by stoning. Yeah, that's a bit extreme, but that's also why a lot of people don't take the Bible seriously anymore, and why it's hypocritical (for those who do) to pick and choose what they will take seriously from that same book. Since she's outed herself as a homo-bigot, unlike the Advocate, we don't wish her luck. Cruise ships or choir socials . . . something like that.

Evicting Mandisa -- a Testimony

2006-04-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

TMZ reports backstage buzz regarding Mandisa's vote-off this week: she teed off the gay community with last week's gospel song with the pre-song testimony that included references to overcoming "lifestyles." She credits anti-gay lecturer, Beth Moore, as her "personal American Idol," which not only says alot about her politics, but makes you wonder why the issue is so personal. Repression, anyone? Maybe she was going for the Claymaniac vote -- I hear they're a hero short nowadays. I think Mandisa's days as a disco-diva have just vanished into thin air. Look for her on the gospel circuit -- maybe she'll do better than George Huff or Ruben Studdard.

Mandisa Moves On

2006-04-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

Mandisa was voted off of tonight's result show after a performance by legendary country star, Kenny Rogers. Mandisa shared the "bottom three" stage with Elliot Yamin (both predicted by me), with a shocking third being Paris Bennett. At this stage, everyone currently in the show has the capacity to win, with the notable exception being Bucky Covington. Next week's theme has already been announced -- the music of Queen, a technically difficult rock group. Next week will really sort the rest of 'em.

Mario Music

2006-04-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Mario Vazquez' first single should hit the airways soon -- "Gallery," has been sent to radio stations nationwide. It was produced by legendary producer Clive Davis, who generally gets "first dibs" on signing the finalists of American Idol.

Tuesday's Wrap-up

2006-04-04T20:02:00.000-05:00

Tonight's American Idol was all about country, and who better than Kenny Rogers (albeit mostly unrecognizable from weight loss and plastic surgery) than to help the finalists make it to the next round. Mostly, the songs were boring (as Simon informed us frequently), but for the most part, the performances of most were better than before. Improved from last week's nightmare: Ace Young and Kelly Pickler. Bombs: Mandisa and Taylor Hicks, each giving their worst performance ever (which was a surprise considering Hicks is from the South). Kelly and Rocky Covington were in their element, and Rocky gave his best performance yet -- but, still not good enough for him to not still be the worst over-all singer in this year's competition. Katharine McPhee used her chops like never before, giving us hints of Christina Aguilera, showing us for the first time that she's one of the few that deserve to win. Of course, there were other hints as well, which made me wonder if she wasn't lip-syncing. Eviction Predictions: Don't be surprised to see Mandisa and Taylor in the bottom three. Rocky's got a fifty-fifty chance of being down there -- his core "country" audience will either love or hate his performance, but I've got a sneaky suspicion that the third one will be Elliot Yamin who gave a good, but safe performance.

Lisa Goes Home

2006-03-29T20:02:00.000-06:00

While Nigel predicted an upset as shocking as the Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London final three two years ago, only the bottom three was interesting -- not upsetting. And the result was right on track: America evicted the worst performance of the night (now, they've just got to get rid of the worst singer, Bucky Covington). The Ace Young nomination wasn't a shocker, it was a horrible performance as well. The Katharine McPhee nomination was interesting, but it didn't come across as well as the judges were proposing that it was -- it was kinda pale. It's only shocking that Ace Young and Bucky Covington got more votes. For strategic voting, don't just vote for your favorites . . . vote for everyone you want to stay on . . . everyone except the worst singer. Bucky must go!

Shocker Eliminations!

2006-03-29T19:58:00.000-06:00

According to slimtainment's idol blog, tonight's elimination session will have a shocker elimination. The blog linked to a TVweek.com interview with Nigel Lithgow, who stated just that, adding, "it's important to get a show like this (contemporary song night) under the belt," stating that new music is always trouble on the show, since the participants are always compared to the original.

Kelly Clarkson to Perform on Results Night

2006-03-29T10:20:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't this be the headline to die for: "Kelly Clarkson to perform on tonight's results show!" We'd also love to see it happen, especially since this year's results show is also "performance night" for celeb performers who've become "idols" in their own right. For Kelly fans, let's start getting in touch with the show's producers to see if we can't make it happen! Send your emails to idol.web@fox.com and tell them you want Kelly Clarkson to perform one of the "results shows" this season! Here's my email that I sent (don't copy it word for word -- use your own words)

Dear Producers of American Idol; As an Idol fan and as a fan of Kelly Clarkson, I'm asking you to have her perform on one of the "results shows" on this season of American Idol. I know there was some conflict at the beginning of this season, but she is the "brightest star" to emerge from the show, and having her on would probably create the most-watched episode this season. Her fans are really crazy about her, and the show -- and for her to be on would mean a lot to those of us who love you both. I understand that she's touring right now, and that it might be difficult. However, I ask you to spare no expense in trying to get her on this year. A fan, "my name"

Eviction Predictions

2006-03-29T09:36:00.000-06:00

If you listened to the judges, last night's performances by American Idol's final ten were horrible. And, most of them really were. Randy blurted out the salvos left and right -- blitzkreiging nearly every performance from Kelly Pickler to Ace Young, saving his rare praises for Paris Bennett, Katharine McPhee and Elliot Yamin. Paula, usually evusive with her praise, chimed in behind Randy, and for once, Simon wasn't seen as the attack dog. He rarely disagreed, and had a few negative comments for even Elliot and Paris. His sole praise went to Katharine, dubbing her performance "Best of the Night." Worst performances were Lisa Tucker who unwisely chose to cover Kelly Clarkson's Because of You -- her pitch was off, and she hit a couple of sour notes here and there. Second worst, not surprisingly, was Bucky Covington. It is more than likely that one of these will be removed tonight. Gambling911.com is betting on Bucky. Don't be surprised to see Ace Young or Kelly Pickler in the bottom three -- their songs were really that bad. Kelly can definitely do better, and Ace simply doesn't cut it anymore. Surprises for the bottom three? Elliot Yamin doesn't seem to be catching on, and his "bluesy" rendition of everything he sings is getting a bit tired. Although he was one of the best in the past, again, he's reached his limit. His lack of charisma may send him packing before long. Another surprise could be Chris Daughtry, whose judge panned performance last night was his best rocker lyric yet, although Simon warned him that this was getting a bit tired. Reason he could be in the bottom? His so-called original performance of Walk the Line last week was also a cover of a group called Live's cover of the Johnny Cash tune, and fans of Live have been fuming ever since. Count them out on having voted for Chris last night. Mandisa and Taylor Hicks gave so-so performances -- Simon called hers "indulgent" as she performed the first-ever gospel tune on the show. Gambling911.com reported an error during Mandisa's performance where they put up Taylor's numbers while she was singing, so there could be a bit of vote switching in that instance. The error was corrected by the end, so hopefully, Taylor won't suck up too many votes from Mandisa. If so, she might be in the bottom. I would imagine, though, if the error had created an eviction for her, the producers would have already announced a "redo" show like they did once before when the numbers were scrambled. Gambling911.com is now giving Chris and Katharine the best odds on winning the show, with Chris slightly ahead. We'll see. The sports betters were also giving Brokeback Mountain the best odds at winning Oscar.

Shakira, Wyclef Jean -- Wednesday's Idol

2006-03-28T15:02:00.000-06:00

Shakira and Wyclef Jean will perform on Wednesday night's edition of American Idol, cementing "celeb performances" as a staple on this year's results show. It's a good change, and I'd like to see more of the past years' performers use that spotlight as well.

Chicken Little's Sky has Fallen

2006-03-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

This week on American Idol . . .

Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais gets the boot as the entire cast steals his genre!

Everyone was grooving to 50’s week: an entire night of croonin’ to the oldies. Barry Manilow was on board this week to keep the band in line, and to lend the cast a teaching hand. He treated the show, and the audience, to "Love is a Many Splendored Thing," a track off of his new album, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties.

“50’s Week” was difficult for the Idols, but it really filtered out who will be a star, and who will be nothing more than they were before. Several performers improved their craft, some stayed the same, and a couple proved they didn’t deserve to be among the rest – and America finally give those that truly deserved to be in the bottom three their proper place.

Lisa Tucker ("Why Do Fools Fall in Love"), Rocky Covington ("Oh Boy"), and Kevin Covais ("When I Fall in Love"), and we all know who left. Rocky should be next, and Lisa won’t be far behind – but between the two is the line of demarcation between talent and crap, and for once, America seems to be sifting out the crap early. Would have been nice to do it earlier during the semifinals, but hopefully, we can all avoid another Savolization of the final five or six.

The Best Performances: Mandisa ("I Don't Hurt Anymore"), Chris Daughtry ("Walk the Line"), Kelly Pickler ("Walkin' After Midnight"), Paris Bennett ("Fever"), Katharine McPhee ("Come Rain or Come Shine"). Mandisa perfected her “blossoming (so says Simon)” voice while Chris “refused to compromise (Simon again),” giving the Johnny Cash tune his own interpretation. Kelly wowed audiences with her perfect rendition, reminding us not only of Patsy Cline, but of the raw sexy naïveté of Marilyn Monroe. Paris Bennett once again sang with experience beyond her years, while Katharine “turned into a star (guess who).” The winner of this contest will be one of these five.

The Rest of the Best may do well, and may actually place higher than some of the above, but based on the way the “themes” are shaking the performers down out of their comfort zones, I can now predict that none of the following will win: Taylor Hicks ("Not Fade Away"), Elliot Yamin ("Teach Me Tonight"), and Ace Young ("In the Still of the Night"). Among these performances, Taylor’s was the best, but he clearly failed to rise to the level of the Best 5. Elliot Yamin has peaked and is now faltering as other performers grow.

Ace Young, at least, deserves his own paragraph. Even before the show started, people were embarrassing themselves over the beauty that is Ace Young. For women (and a few men), Ace is the man you want emerging from the shower every morning, toweling his glistening hair, giving you that grin. For other men, most would want him as a friend or at the poker table – but never in the same room with their girl. If everyone could just shut off the imagery for a moment, one could understand why he was in the bottom three last week – he isn’t the best singer in the competition, and doesn’t even come close. There are moments when he sings decently, but for the most part, his voice is like a big amoebic glob – an undifferentiated mass that doesn’t have any unique qualities or characteristics. He can sound good, he can sound sexy – but what is he? Who is he? What does he feel? What are his passions? His voice is like a lounge pianist – he knows a little about all kinds of music (and what people want to hear) to keep the drunks happy, but he isn’t a solid performer. Lucky for him, his looks will keep him from ever being a lounge act. Look for him next year in the cast of Young and the Restless, the new lawn-boy on Desperate Housewives, or maybe even a new intern on Grey’s Anatomy. Top 10 recording artist? Not on your life.

Lisa Tucker will join the Best and the Rest in that each of them will have some sort of career in music or show business – this season will probably launch more careers than any past season. I can definitely see her in Broadway (watch out Frenchie and Diana!). She isn’t the best pop performer, and she has also peaked. She’ll be out week or two.

Melissa McGhee Evicted!

2006-03-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

Well, at least I got that one right . . . Melissa was evicted . . . Ace and Lisa stay.

Your Bottom Three

2006-03-15T20:25:00.000-06:00

Wow! All bets are off. America voted, and Lisa Tucker joins Melissa McGhee and Ace Young for the bottom three. Results after the break. Melissa, I can understand, and Lisa -- one of the better voices, but failing to break out. But, with Melissa, Kevin, and Bucky still in the race . . . these two really don't belong. I predict Melissa to go, but we've got four years of prior upsets with good going home and bad placing well. If anyone can prove to me that Scotty Savol and Anthony Federov were actually better singers than Constantine Maroulis . . . I'll eat crow.

Ace & Kevin: Which in Bottom 3?

2006-03-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it . . . Kevin Covias beats Ace Young? Believe it. Between the two, they just announced Ace Young to be in the bottom three. Covias? Safe for another week. I wonder if he's any relation to the Savol family of Cleveland.

The Beginning of the End

2006-03-14T21:31:00.000-06:00

Tonight, American Idol 5 entered the toughest part of the competition. Not only are the men

and women competing against each other for the first time, they are also going into the “theme” part of the show – where they must choose songs within a certain genre, or by a particular songwriter/performer . . . regardless of whether it’s the best style for their voice or not.

The thematic section of the show is like the “sorting hat” in Harry Potter – the weaker are separated from those who truly have talent. And, what a better way to find out who’s got the chops than by making all twelve perform songs by the extraordinary talent, Stevie Wonder. His songs are magical, but to vocal performance artists – it’s like acrobatics! Don’t try it unless you’ve really got the pipes.

It’s hard to determine who the best were – a handful were really good. Chris Daughtry was the best with his Red Hot Chili Pepper/Stevie Wonder version of “Higher Ground,” but Mandisa was a close second with her rendition of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” Tied for third, in my opinion, were Paris Bennett (“All I do”) and Taylor Hicks (“Livin’ for the City”) who had his best performance of the show. These four should absolutely be safe.

Elliot Yamin did well (“Knocks Me Off My Feet”), but didn’t shine like he often does, and Ace Young really blew his version of “Do I Do.” Both were early favorites in the show, but lately they’ve been passed up by more experienced performers (my top four above all have extensive performance experience).

Kellie Pickler, also an early favorite, really flopped, and Lisa Tucker didn’t do that well either (though the judges seemed to enjoy it). Katharine McPhee’s “Until You Come Back to Me” was pleasant, but didn’t play as well on TV as much as the judges seemed to like it (Simon compared her to Kelly Clarkson).

Melissa McGhee’s “Lately” was decent, despite a few memory problems. But, the worst of the night (or at least the “not good as the rest”) were Bucky Covington and Kevin Covias, who may have lost the granny vote when he rebuked Simon’s “Appalling” with his own sarcasm: “That’s okay, I didn’t expect much from you anyway.” In Granny-ville, that’s called disrespect – but it might earn him a few more votes from the 11-year-old girl faction of voters. Why is this guy reminding me of William Hung? Maybe it was the dancing he treated us to!

Neither he nor Bucky are good enough to remain in this competition, and Melissa is quickly joining their ranks. If anyone goes, it will be between these three. However, we could be surprised by a Lisa Tucker or a Katharine McPhee eviction – they’ve both been good enough to get votes, but haven’t really stood out. Melissa and Kevin seem to get more airtime – although, they’re an inferior talent.

Tune in tomorrow night for results (check listings), and for a performance by the legend himself . . . Stevie Wonder.

Kellie's First Release: Her Dad

2006-03-14T14:32:00.000-06:00

Kellie Pickler may have a surprise guest in the audience if she wins the fifth season of American Idol. Her father, Clyde Pickler, incarcerated for assaulting a first responder, is finishing up his time in the Florida prison system, and will be home by the middle of May. For those wondering what his plans are on return, Clyde says this in a letter he wrote to his hometown newspaper, the Stanly News and Press:

"I am soon to be released and I’m planing to come back to Albemarle, find a church that preaches the gospel and not an itching ear message, and to make amends to those I’ve hurt over the years. I’m praying they will accept me.”

He continued to say that he's proud of his daughter, and thankful for all those who support her.

American Idol "Extra!"

2006-03-09T20:57:00.000-06:00

Fox Reality Channel will start airing "American Idol Extra" starting March 16th, a "backstage" show, airing all the "behind the scenes" drama filmed during the shooting.

Your Final Twelve!!!

2006-03-09T19:52:00.000-06:00

Gedeon McKinney was a surpise elimination tonight, and the last to be eliminated on the close of the semi-finals. I was pretty close this time: one person I predicted (Kinnik) and two wild cards outside of my four pics are leaving as well. Didn't see the Gedeon elimination at all . . . I thought he had the old style R&B vote locked up. Guess that wasn't enough. So, our final twelve have been chosen and the finals will begin next week. Our finalists:

Ace Young Bucky Covington Chris Daughtry Elliot Yamin Katharine McPhee Kelly Pickler Kevin Covias Lisa Tucker Mandisa Melissa McGhee Paris Bennett Taylor Hicks

Ayla Brown . . . Gone

2006-03-09T19:28:00.000-06:00

My "wildcard" pick, Ayla Brown, will be packing her bags for Boston tonight. Melissa McGhee, predicted by me (and Simon) to leave, moves on to the final twelve.

William Makar Evicted!

2006-03-09T19:18:00.000-06:00

William Makar is the second person to be voted off American Idol tonight, and will not be in the final twelve. Will is from The Woodlands, TX, and is one of the several "high school" contestants this year -- performing on the show AND taking tutored school lessons on the side.

Kinnik Sky Ousted!

2006-03-09T18:59:00.000-06:00

After a performance by Bo Bice singing his first single, The Real Thing, Kinnik Sky was the first singer to be evicted in this, the last night of the semi-finals.

The Last Boys

2006-03-08T20:10:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the last of the men's semi-finals in the game that is American Idol. No clear winner this week: Ace, Chris and Elliot didn't give their best performances, but Taylor Hicks did the best for his time on Idol. The others . . . mostly forgetable. Who should go? Bucky Covington and Kevin Covias. Who will go? Depends on how Kevin and William Makar fight over their shared core audience. Who ever wins, the other will lose, so an early save for Kevin could spell curtains for William. Any surprises? Not that I can see. I think the "Best" are safe this week, at least until the final twelve. Anytime they become top heavy (in relation to the rest), their numbers will thin out, and the first to go between the three best will either be Ace or Elliot. Chris, I believe, is safe until the final 2 or three, probably more safe than any of the others at this point. Of course, next week, the men and women are mixed, and we start the "theme" section of the show -- so, anything could happen.

Girls End Semi-finals

2006-03-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

On American Idol tonight, the female faction of the show sang their last performances of the semi-finals, the final week before the final 12 are revealed on Thursday. Of the performances, few stood out, and those who might go home were easily recognized. Mandisa gave a stand out performance, singing "I'm Every Woman" like she owned it, with Kelly Pickler in a distant second with "I'm the Only One," sparking remarks from Simon like, "You're not the best singer here, but I like you. I think I like you better than last year's winner!" Everyone else gave forgettable, unmentionable performances. Melissa McGhee and Kinnik Sky did the worst, leading this critic to take back everything good he said about the latter. If you can't pull through after three weeks -- then, you aren't the best singer, and you aren't part of the best twelve. Don't think there will be any surprises this week, but in case there is, I'm predicting Ayla Brown -- who tried a song beyond her ability and maturity.

How to Win American Idol

2006-03-03T17:47:00.000-06:00

(or, Why Bad Singers Stay on the Show While Good Ones Go Home)

Two years ago, Fantasia nearly got booted off the show before winning that season. She ended up in the bottom three one night, along with Jennifer Hudson and LaToya London, in one of the most controversial elimination shows of the series. Jennifer was sent home, although she would later beat Fantasia for the upcoming role of Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls. Last week, the same cycle presented itself. Jose "Sway" Penala was arguably one of the four or five better male singers, and probably one of the top six or seven regardless of gender. So, why did he leave, and so many second-rate singers stay in the competition? How in the heck did Michael "Chicken Little" Covias get more votes? So, what's up with America? Well, it's not as cut and dry as it seems, and we learned this week that the Diva eviction two years ago couldn't have been the result of racism (with the obvious proof of that being that Diana DeGarmo wasn't the winner of year 3 -- thank GOD!). What's up is that people aren't voting for the best technical singer. Eventually, the better singer might win, but not always (Clay Aiken actually was eliminated during Season Two, but was brought back by the judges). It's merely a popularity contest, and people are voting for the singer that relates to them the most -- especially with music styles. Different people like different music styles, and guess what -- American Idol's voting audience isn't 100% Top 40 lovers. This is how a John Stevens can beat a Jennifer Hudson, or a Anthony Federov can beat a Constantine Maroulis. If it still isn't clear -- focus on the musical styles. During Diva elimination week (Year Three again), how many contestants that week were representing the R&B style of music? FOUR, when you include George Huff, and even he wasn't better than any of the three girls in the bottom three that week. That was the most representation that any one music genre had that week, which means people that love R&B had four people to split their votes with -- and those that prefer female R&B singers had their votes additionally split. George was lucky he was the only male R&B singer represented. After that, it didn't happen again -- Fantasia won, and LaToya came in fourth. It makes more sense when you realize that people that love swing/big band/jazz only had ONE person to choose from that weird week: John "Red" Stevens. Earlier this week, I predicted Sway might go -- my reasoning: there were FOUR male contestants who were strictly Pop/Top 40 singers: Sway, Ace, Elliot, and Chris. All four are the best male singers, but Sway's performance was the worst of those four. Had Ace tanked, or Elliot -- they would have been out the door instead. Chris might have survived a bad night because he also appeals to the "rocker" voters (the Bo Bice voters). All three are a little safer next week, but they could still lose another among them before we get to the Top 12. The other male singers seem to have specialized themselves, which will help them as we approach the final 12. We could possibly see Bucky Covington and/or Michael Covias in the final twelve, but not because they're the best singers -- because they're catering to a niche audience. In fact, Covias' competition will never be any of the remaining Four Bulls -- it will be William Makar until one of them goes (they both cater to Josh Groban fans). Whichever of the two of them survives the other could very well make it to the top three or four before they're eliminated (because neither is good enough to win). Which kind of brings me to a critique of the judges: when they're doing auditions, they often eliminate contestants that can sing decently because they feel they can't compete against Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake. Hello! Singers that good don't need American Idol, and the show has yet to harvest a winner with pipes anywhere near that good. There was one young lady who worked with the elderly whose beautiful voice reminded them of Doris Day, and she was nixed. Somehow, they thought Radford's Sinatra impersonations were something young 14-year-olds with cash would want to buy instead. Throughout the previous four years, the show has changed. The show not only is producing a potential Top 40 star, they're producing niche artists as well -- people who can make a living singing styles of music other than pop. The show ought to recognize this, and start putting through the best vocals from day one -- and not just who they think is the next Kelly Clarkson, and from looking at this bunch, they didn't seem to do a very good job at that! (Either that, or they need to fire Randy and Paula who keep voting in these "lost causes"). So, if you wanna try out for the show -- do a good job of singing your favorite pop song, but have a back up "niche" audience as well. Even if you aren't the best, you could still make it the top three or four -- and that alone can get you a record deal. Even if you sound like Doris Day.

Kimberley Locke at Lane Bryant - Reno

2006-03-03T17:39:00.000-06:00

From the Kimberley Locke Official website: ----------------------------------------- Meet Kimberley in person at LANE BRYANT/The Summit Sierra in Reno, Nevada, March 25th from Noon until 2pm. The first 100 customers in line receive an autographed copy of Kimberley's new single SUPAWOMAN. There will also be gift card giveaways! (www.lanebryant.com) April 10 Kim sings the National Anthem at the Pittsburg Pirates Opening Day. Get ready to request SUAWOMAN. Stay tuned for details on when and what radio stations to call!!! For more information on Kimberley Locke visit www.kimberleylockeweb.com

Ace Young -- Recycled Star

2006-03-02T20:30:00.000-06:00

For a while now, most of us who've followed the show realize that many that go far in the contest aren't what the show makes them out to be -- ordinary people from Timbuktu who step in front of spotlight for the first time during audition week. The Kelly Pickler's of the world are very, very few, and TMZ.com (an AOL site) showed how Ace Young is yet another example of someone in the entertainment business who is using the show to kickstart a career that can't gain traction through the usual routes. Just a young kid from Anywhere, USA? Think again. He guest-starred in an episode of UPN's Half-and-Half last year as a . . . get this . . . a singing athelete. Not only did he get to show whatever acting abilities he may or may not have, he also got to sing. Yeah -- this isn't Ace Young's first time to sing before a national audience. Apparently, no one was interested . . . so, Ace is on American Idol. Check out TMZ for the video evidence. Other "recycled" contestants this year: Jose "Sway" Penala (got a contract with his boyband, didn't make the big time). Kinnik Sky, a working Hollywood actress. Taylor Hicks, the front man for a Southern band . . . that sells out performances locally. Yeah . . . it's still all so sweet and innocent. Whether he wins or not, Ace DID get a consolation prize from his prior TV appearance: he's dating one of the stars of that show, Essence Atkins.

Clay's Career is Officially Over

2006-03-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

Or, at least I think it is. The steadfast "Claymates" are already starting to break up, some of them have sent a complaint to the FTC, claiming "false advertizing, and manipulation" concerning their buying into the image of Clay Aiken as a "wholesome" Christian. One writer surmises that the Gospel Music Association may have to rethink some of their awards scheduled for this April -- Clay was nominated for his Christmas album. Perhaps the worst news to come out against Clay were recent photo's published by Star magazine, allegedly showing Clay chatting online (these are webcam shots) on a gay dating site, with one picture presumabely showing Clay revealing his thickening torso. Jossip.com currently has a copy of these pictures on their site. We have no beef with whether Clay is gay or not, but obviously, many of his fans do (did ya really think North Carolinians would approve?). None of the things he's done are wrong or illegal . . . but, perhaps it was a bit dishonest to sell yourself as a Christian virgin while tramping yourself on the internet . . . allegedly. Currently, Clay is still our number two Idol on our Top Ten list -- he's only behind Kelly Clarkson in record sales.

SWAY EVICTED

2006-03-02T19:57:00.000-06:00

As a wild card, I surmised that Sway Penala was vulnerable for eviction -- not because he was one of the worst singers among the males. Far from it -- he was probably the third or fourth best male vocalist. So, why is he leaving the show? I believe it is because he was splitting the same core audience with Ace Young, Elliot Yamin, and Chris Daughtry -- the Top 40 voters. No other music genre was split four ways, and this is why he left. The other three should be safe through to the Top 12 finals. To understand how this happened, just remember when the "three divas" during season three were in the bottom three. Along with George Huff, those four singers split the R&B vote 3-4 ways. There was no way they could all stay in, and one of them -- Fantasia -- became the eventual winner.

David Radford -- Third Off

2006-03-02T19:53:00.000-06:00

David was the third voted off . . . as I predicted, Sway Penala was one of the "surprise" three lowest, and could still get evicted. It's between him and Kevin Covias.

Heather OFF, Kinnik safe AGAIN

2006-03-02T19:36:00.000-06:00

Heather Cox was the second female off the show tonight, leaving the third lowest vote-getter, Kinnik Sky, to sing another day. Get it together, Kinnik! You got the pipes . . . stop fooling around!

Brenna Gethers First Off!

2006-03-02T19:31:00.000-06:00

Brenna Gethers was the first contestant evicted from tonight's American Idol. She received the lowest votes among the females, and hers was the first eviction tonight following a performance of Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood, winner of season four.

The Five Idols Who Wouldn't Go Away

2006-03-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

TV Squad has a hilarious rip on their five worst offenders on the show -- people without the best talent that kept getting voted through. Here's the best jab they through -- at Nikki McKibbin!

Nikki is the all-time worst offender on American Idol and she made it all the way to the Top 3 in season one. She received more votes than Tamyra Gray and Christina Christian. I remember Simon telling her flat-out that she didn't deserve to be there and wondered who the hell was voting for her.

Sway Could Be in Trouble

2006-03-01T20:32:00.000-06:00

Tonight, a few of the men's performances in the semi-finals of American Idol 5 (final 10 men) were great, and most were good. But, two will go home, and here's how it all breaks down. Best Performance of the Night: Chris Daughtry, hands down -- even the judges agreed. Simon said it was the performance by which all the others would be compared, and Randy said the performance itself could be a hit radio single. Next Best: Elliot Yamin, who sang a difficult song with ease. All the judges agreed, but Simon said the song itself wouldn't win him the competition. Faltering: Ace Young who's falsetto wowwed the judges, but sounded like a whelping dog over the TV screen. Were they on dope? He's a good singer, but it was horrible tonight. Also, Sway's vocals were smooth, but he didn't shine as much this week as last. Surprises: Gedeon McKinney wowwed the judges and the audience with a Sam Cooke number, but he's yet to really belt a number to send tons of kids his age to the telephone to vote. Kevin Covias had his best night, but he still wasn't better than most of his competition. Hanging steady: William Makar sang "Lady," and it was boring. Things going for him: the 11 year olds will love him, and Simon Cowell said as much. Taylor Hicks was . . . well, he was just Taylor Hicks. Decent performance, but he won't win. And neither will Bucky Covington whose performance tonight makes him more vulnerable than last week's. I have noticed this week that some of the weaker performers (those particular that are aware that they aren't the best contestants this season) are getting intimidated by the power singers. Bucky was one of them, and it showed. The other one whose confidence seemed to shrink since last week was David Radford who shrank back to safe Sinatra, glarred at the judges when they offered advice, and for a moment, seemed like he was going to walk off the show (or at least to the green room to bawl). It's pretty obvious he'll be going home tomorrow, and it seemed that he knew it. Whose going home? Two of these three: David Radford, Bucky Covington, and Kevin Covias. Surprise evictions?: Gedeon McKinney (who wouldn't win anyway), Taylor Hicks, or . . . (dum, dum, dum, DUM) . . . Sway Penala? Reasons Sway might go? The show only has four really stand-out male performers, and Sway is one of these Four Bulls (as I call them). However, nearly all the males that remain have their own little "niche" audience, and the voting could actually be very tight. If any of Sway's votes swing to the other three Bulls, he could lose enough to be kicked off the show. He really needs a super-strong performance (which we all know he can do) to stay in at this point -- he's fighting for the same core audience that they are: people that love really good Top 40 music. Core audiences of the singers: Ace, Sway, Elliot, Chris: Top 40 Chris: Rock (got two things for him there!) Gideon McKinney: old-school R&B Kevin Covias, William Makar: the Josh Groban swooners David Radford: Big Band (and we all know far this carried John "Red" Stevens! Ugh!) Bucky Covington: Country Taylor Hicks: Country/Blues Unfortunately, I think those "core audiences" may thin out singers within a certain genre before we see some of the mediocre singers leaving. Remember how the Four Divas faired two years ago? Sway could be counting down his days . . . If you want to vote strategically tonight, vote for Sway. He needs it.

Ayla's Dad Political Aspirations

2006-03-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

Whether or not Ayla Brown will be the next American Idol is still a fate to be decided. Should she need an sympathetic shoulder, her father's in a "most favorite" contest as well -- he's spending this season running for the office of Lieutinant Governor for the state of Massachussetts. In case you're wondering which side of the political bread he butters -- he's a Republican, elected to serve already in that state's Senate.

Carrie on Thursday's Idol

2006-03-01T15:48:00.000-06:00

Newsflash! Carrie Underwood, last year's champ, will perform Jesus Take the Wheel on Thursday's results show. According to the Futon Critic,

"Jesus, Take the Wheel" spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while Underwood's debut album "Some Hearts" is No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart for the 11th straight week.

This will be Carrie's first time back on the hit show since her win last spring, and will probably be her only return visit since the show rarely invites back stars from the previous seasons more than once. Some of us think the former Idols should be showcased more frequently, but we don't make the rules . . . we just report on the show.

Then there were Ten

2006-02-28T21:06:00.000-06:00

Brenna, Ayla, Heather, Katharine, Kelly, Kinnik, Lisa, Mandisa, Melissa, and Paris. All ten sang tonight -- two will go home Thursday. Most of you watched the show, so I won't profile the songs, but here's who I think is safe, and who will go home.

Best performance of the Night: Paris Bennett, who not only had the courage to sing the world's most oversung song, "Wind Beneath My Wings," she made you feel like you did the first time you heard Bette Midler sing it. The judges weren't impressed -- again, telling her (as they slammed Kinnik last week) that the song was too old for her. Didn't get that, but -- hey -- I don't get paid several million dollars a year, either. Madisa is a close second, proving that she can belt out a song better than anyone else. Hampered by song choice and a song she obviously wasn't comfortable singing. A strong third was Kelly Pickler, who sang Bonnie Raitt's "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About," and like Paris' performance, making us feel like we hadn't heard the song before. A little rough, like Simon told her, but she's easily one of the most likeable contestants -- plus, she can sing, too! There won't be a lot to keep these three out of the top 12. The problem with the girls this year is that so many of them are potentially very talented, and one small misstep (such as song choice) can get them knocked out of the competition (ala' Patrick Hall). A few, like Melissa McGhee and Ayla Brown, have given consistently good performances, but they have both about tapped out their talent and will only continue when those who've been better really flub up -- and there's been a lot of that with the girls this year. Case in point: Lisa Tucker, clearly a favorite of the judges, sang a song so safe I can't even remember it, and don't have the motivation to even rewind the DVR to find out what it was. She was perfect, but really didn't connect tonight the way Paris, Mandisa, and Kelly did. Early favorite Katharine McPhee also flopped this week . . . poor song choice robbed us of a week of marveling over her well-groomed voice. The worst: Heather Cox by far. She chose "Hero" by Mariah Carey, and sung it about as well as the maid-of-honor who sung it at your cousin's wedding . . . your cousin's second wedding.

Second worst: Brenna Gethers, who once again failed to deliver, proving that she's more of a balloon with hot air than a rising star. Surprise eviction? It will Kinnik Sky -- who may lose out on Thursday due to a very poor song choice. Those of us who know how well she can sing should vote until the numbers are worn off our phone pads . . . that's the only way this girl will blow her pipes on Idol again. She can blow for sure, but she didn't show it tonight. Okay, the Save Kinnik campaign is TOTALLY on again!

1-866-IDOLS-02

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MTV Interviews the Dearly Departed

2006-02-25T11:09:00.000-06:00

This week's four evictees were interviewed by MTV, and said a little about why they thought they were voted off. Becky O'Donohue is perhaps one of the most straightforward, stating she doesn't know why she was eliminated, and refuses to make excuses (like blaming the Maxim spread -- which we don't believe was responsible for her removal, either). Stevie Scott said she was sick that day, Patrick Hall said he was "handicapped" by his reliance on a piano (I think he's a wedding singer or something), while Bobby Bennett simply acknowledged that his Copacabana performance may have simply not been his best. Hats off to Bobby and Becky! They'll go a lot further acknowledging their own mistakes, and improving on them as they seek out new paths in that business we like to call "show." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

O'Donohue too Hot for Maxim

2006-02-23T22:38:00.000-06:00

This from ZDNet.com:

The steamy, belly-baring photographs of "American Idol" contestant Becky O'Donohue, which have ignited a miniscandal, have also hobbled MaximOnline.com.

So much traffic poured into the online site of the popular men's magazine today that they had to reformat how the pictures were presented . . . the hits were slowing the site, nearly crashing them! Becky may have been booted off the show, but she's already too hot for the internet! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

And the Losers Are . . .

2006-02-23T19:59:00.000-06:00

Becky O'Donohue was first to be evicted in tonights' results show, the first week where American voted their choice. Her performance was aired before the interest surrounding her Maxim spread hit full swing -- had Extra aired their piece a day earlier, she may have received the most votes (considering the overwhelming interest). Following her was the worst male performance of the night -- Bobby Bennett, who was followed by the worst of the females, Stevie Scott. Patrick Hall was a surprise fourth eviction, but he wasn't anywhere near the best of the males. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Maxim's O'Donohue - EVICTED

2006-02-23T19:27:00.000-06:00

Becky O'Donohue, the first semi-finalist to create a media sensation with her prior model work with Maxim magazine (she appeared with her sister, Jessie), is the first of the semifinalists to be voted off the show. This eviction was predicted by sports-betters -- she was the odds on favorite to be voted off tonights' show. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Double Trouble and the Cowell Connection

2006-02-23T16:48:00.000-06:00

This Week's LEAD STORY Move over Brittenum Twins, meet the O’Donohue’s . . . well, at least the one that’s on American Idol. Becky O’Donohue brought some of the “twin” magic to this year’s competition, one of three talented twin sets to make it to Hollywood (though her sister, Jesse, couldn’t participate due to throat problems), leading this season to be dubbed by at least one of the judges as the “Year of the Twins.”

Things haven’t turned out so well for any of them. Joshua and Jarrett Simmons didn’t make it past Hell Week, and the infamous Brittenum twins nearly deconstructed before being hauled off to jail on an identity theft crime.

So, perhaps it was only a matter of time. The day the semi-finals started, Extra revealed that Becky O’Donohue, the last surviving twin on the show, had done a provocative layout in Maxim magazine with her sister, Jessie. Blogs, such as IdolsRising.com, who were fortunate enough to have her name in our tags and keywords, have received unprecedented hits as people tried to discover more information about the O’Donohue’s and their photo shoot.

Rumors of that shoot were old news to O’Donohue fans, and considered scandalous – especially since the pictures contain no nudity, and since former semi-finalist from season two Ashley Hartman had also posed for that same publication in the past.

So, what’s made the story so titillating? Probably the hype from Extra, who dubbed their coverage of this non-event as the “Dirty Little Secret Exposed” – an obvious effort on their part to find anything on any semifinalist to create a ratings boost for their show.

Interestingly, some are wondering if insider information may have been responsible for the leak. Extra correspondent Terri Seymour is seen showing the Maxim video to Idol judge, Simon Cowell. Connection? The two are dating.

In related news, Becky is the odds favorite to be evicted in tonight’s elimination show, according to the sports betting site, Gambling911.com.

Maxim’s O’Donohue “video”

Maxim’s O’Donohue layout

Other coverage O’Donohue’s Sexy Background Revealed

Idol Singer strikes a Sexy Pose with Sister

The Four Bulls

2006-02-23T16:35:00.000-06:00

Last night's boys competition showed the most talent in the men's section of American Idol since the competition began. Even last year's roster full of crooners and divas can't compare. The TOP FOUR from last night (who I've nicknamed "The Four Bulls," because, by talent alone, would seem unbeatable) are: 1) Elliot Yamin ("If You Really Love Me") - best vocals, and according to Simon, the best in five years. 2) Ace Young ("Father Figure") - best performance 3) Chris Daughtry ("Dead or Alive") - safe, but terrific performance 4) Jose' "Sway" Penala ("Reasons"), who showed glimpses of greatness Honorable Mentions go to Patrick Hall ("Come to my Window"), Bucky Covington ("Simple Man"), Gideon McKinney ("Shout"), Taylor Hicks, and William Makar. And the "I'm Not Good Enough to Be in this Competition" Awards go to Kevin Covais ("One Last Cry"), David Radford ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love") . . . with the winner (Worst Performance - Male) being Bobby Bennet, who sang "Copa Cabana" so terribly that Simon compared it to a horror flick. This should be the three America chooses from to evict their two this week. The catch is . . . America's voting. Surprise eviction? Bucky Covington (a good talent, but too raw, and zero charisma) or even Elliot Yamin (who's got the chops, but not the looks). Results . . . tonight. LIVE! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

O'Donohue's in Maxim (and Ashley Hartman, too)

2006-02-22T11:49:00.000-06:00

To answer the question the majority of our viewers today are searching for -- yes, Becky O'Donohue (American Idol season five semi-finalist) and her twin sister Jessie were in a previous edition of MAXIM magazine, a men's publication. Dressed scantly in baseball attire, they made several "sportsmen-like" poses as provocatively as they could, and often with their shirts unbuttoned (although, all points of interest were covered . . . barely). To check out their pictures on MAXIM online, just click HERE (I've already found them for you). To check out the short video they made for the MAXIM website, click HERE. Have fun, and come back and see us! P.S. And here's Ashley Hartman's MAXIM spread as well (second season semi-finalist). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Save Kinnick Sky! (& the rest of the girls' night)

2006-02-21T21:01:00.000-06:00

Twelve girls bore their heart on soul on American Idol tonight, and Idol judges gave their opinions -- and they were mostly on target. Simon said there were "four great performances," and others were just safe. Two weren't very good, and one . . . unbelievable for this season (the show being in its prime) . . . was absolutely awful. However, on performance, Randy and Simon were the ones that were a bit off: they blasted Kinnick Sky's performance of "Get Here," one of the most stirring performances of the night: Randy said "It was a bit sharp," and gave it a six out of ten, while Simon said it sounded "very cabaret," and tore into her about her age (28), and how she compared to the "young pretenders." The hypocrisy was as thick as curdled cream. For starters, this season is backed up behind a season where many of the final twelve were mid to late twenties (being the first year with advanced age limits), and secondly, there were several of the younger singers performing songs much older than themselves. There was a slight moment of sharpness, but she played it off and wrapped the song up beautifully. Randy compared it the original performance by Oleta Adams, but how many of the 16-17 year olds that performed tonight have even heard that performance? I'm twice as old as most of them, and I can only remember Justin Guarini crooning it to Paula, and singing it on the final show. Not only were many of the songs older than the performers, two others blasted the judges into idiotic ooing and ahhing -- with cabaret-style songs (Lisa Tucker, I Am Changing & Katharine McPhee, Since I Fell For You). Apparently, Simon and Randy were salivating all over the young blood, and bombed Kinnick over her most profound quality that set her apart from the rest -- her maturity. If you want to help save Kinnick Sky, dial NOW and dial OFTEN!!!

1-866-IDOLS-11

So, I'm sure you're wanting to know about the others. While I'm currently rooting for Kinnick, she wasn't the best, but was better than half. The following gave average, boring performances, and mostly played it safe. The SAFE Sisters Kelly Pickler (Simon said she had a "potentially" good voice) Ayla Brown (Simon said it was the first time she had used emotion, and that it was less robotic) Brenna Gethers (really blasted by Simon and Randy, who both expected something more "catty") Mandisa (Randy: "sharp", Simon: "wasn't perfect") I think more was expected, since she is presumably one of the better singers. Some weren't very good at all, and here they are . . . Bottom of the Barrel Becky O'Donohue (Simon gave her voice "6.5", while Randy "praised" her by saying that she proved "you don't have to have the best voice!") The truth? She sounded like Cher, and that only proves that the public is willing to buy a sexy woman's album . . . even when she sounds like a drunk cat in heat. All three judges need to have the wax pulled out of their ears! Heather Cox (Randy said "boring," Paula said, "not a great performance," and Simon said it was "forgettable," and that her personality "just evaporated." Melissa McGhee was excited about her first performance on American Idol, and Simon agreed that it was better than a lot, but "lifeless." Stevie Scott may have been classically trained, but her limp falsetto vocals tonight sent Randy daydreaming, and Simon scolded her, telling her that she "messed that up." Worst performance of the night. And, saving the best for last: The Four Divas . . . (in order of their diva-dom) 1) Lisa Tucker (I am Changing) 2) Paris Bennett (Midnight Train) 3) Katharine McPhee (Since I Fell For You) 4) Kinnick Sky (Get Here) Predictions Well, they told us tonight that FOUR people will be sent home Thursday . . . two boys, and two girls. Here are my choices for elimination: 2 of these 3 1) Stevie Scott 2) Heather Cox 3) Melissa McGhee Surprise elimination? If there is one, Thursday it will be Kinnick Sky. The judges really trashed her for no reason at all (other than the fact that she's older and wiser), and that may fixate in minds of viewers who might have otherwise voted for her. Let's see how well they do with old Gray Hair tomorrow night if their age-prejudice continues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Who's Gonna Be the Idol 5 Champ?

2006-02-21T08:14:00.000-06:00

Well, if I knew the answer to that, I'd be worth a million dollars, but that doesn't stop people from making educated guesses. Personally, I won't have a clue until I start seeing some head-to-head competition, but some others are already ahead of me in the game. Yesterday, I wrote about the odds according to how people are placing real-money bets on the competition (Bookies Grade Year 5), but there are a few Idol bloggers out there who've formulated their own ideas on who's going to come out on top. Reality TV Magazine has released their list of predictions for their Top 12 predictions, but don't do much handicapping except for their belief that Ace Young will probably make the top four, Chris Daughtry probably won't win, and that Paris Bennett could prove to be the first "surprise" elimination. Foxes On Idol (put pop-up blocker ON) has also released their handicap list, but instead of providing odds, they provide hypothetical circumstances on how each contestant could possibly win . . . or lose. Paris Bennett, riding on family success in the industry, was wisely made a bit vulnerable due to a bad week during Hell Week, but the other "riding on family success," Ayla Brown (born to a rich Massachussett's family), hasn't had her comeupance yet . . . which might prove unlucky for a girl convincing ordinary Americans that she needs their vote. Predictably, Ace Young will have to fight a pretty-boy image and work just as hard as everyone else -- if it comes too easy, and he doesn't beat his own performances, he could find an early exit, too. Idol is on THREE nights this week: the girls perform tonight, the boys tomorrow, with results on Thursday. Let's see how worth all the "handicapping" is worth after that! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Clarkson's Anorexia

2006-02-20T23:30:00.000-06:00

Kelly Clarkson once fought an eating disorder several years ago, before American Idol brought her to a world of fame, acclaim, and wealth. The first year champion battled her weight after auditioning for record industry officials, and failing to score as she was passed over for more beautiful, less talented singers. "It was only for about six months. I'm a very spiritual person and I believe that God has so much more to offer than that kind of Hollywood life," Breakingnews.ie quotes her as saying. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR! Avon calling! Order Avon products ONLINE and have them shipped DIRECTLY to your home! Check out the ordering site from a preferred representative . . . and tell her "Jay" sent ya!

Bookies Grade Year Five

2006-02-20T21:49:00.000-06:00

No one takes "winning" more seriously than those who bet money on anything (and everything) competitive. Odds-makers everywhere are interested in this season of American Idol, and the betting has already begun! So, how do professional gamblers rate this years crop of contenders? Here's the odds!

Opening Odds To Win American Idol

Ace Young 7/2

Katharine McPhee 4/1

Paris Bennett 5/1

Chris Daughtry 8/1

Kellie Pickler 8/1

Taylor Hicks 10/1

Lisa Tucker 11/1

Heather Cox 22/1

Will Makar 24/1

Stevie Scott 27/1

source: http://www.gambling911.com/022006Fnews.html

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Idol RADIO

2006-02-16T21:43:00.000-06:00

Wanna listen to your favorite past performers sing? Check out Idol Waves, an internet radio station playing singles from each and every former American Idol contestant who's hit the studio -- regardless of whether they "made it" or not. The "station call" sounds a little cheesy, and some of the tracks are low quality, but all in all, it's a good listen. I'm going to be tuned in any time I'm in an Idol mood, for sure! (sure beats the hell out of buying 10 new full length CDs every season, most of which flop and have no airtime otherwise). Kelly Clarkson, William Hung, LaToya London, Jon Peter Lewis, doesn't matter . . . they play it all. Check it out.

Clay-Gate May Delay Album Release

2006-02-16T15:03:00.000-06:00

The scandal surrounding Clay Aiken's alleged homosexuality (according to John Paulus) may delay the release of his album this spring, according to Jossip.com, who reports that (according to his sources) RCA officials are livid at the revelations, and may delay the album until the allegations clear up. Last week, John Paulus, his presumed partner in an North Carolina motel room last holiday season, appeared on Howard Stern's program, and once again detailed the alleged encounter. To listen to the interview, follow this link to Malcontent.biz.

Ashley Hartman in Swimsuit . . . Kind of

2006-02-16T08:44:00.000-06:00

After appearing in such magazines as Maxim and CoverGirl, it was rumored that second season's Ashley Hartman would be appearing in the 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition. Well, she is . . . kind of. She's appearing in an ad in that edition for Ford Motors. Way to go, girl (I guess).

Clarkson Planning Third Album

2006-02-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

MTV.com reports that Kelly Clarkson is anxious to start her third album, with hopes of collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, and more heavily rock oriented than her previous two platters, promising

"This is going to be 10 steps away from Breakaway!"

Your Final 24! (semi-finalists)

2006-02-15T20:04:00.000-06:00

Tonight, the final twenty-four contestants were chosen. Next week, America gets to vote on the girls! Here's how it played out . . . Ladies Lisa Tucker Brenna Gathers Katherine McPhee Mandisa Hundley Heather Cox, Paris Bennett Kelly Pickler Becky O'Donohue Melissa McGee Stephanie Scott Ayla Brown Kinnik Sky Men David Radford Jose "Sway" Penala Elliot Yamin Ace Young Robert Bennett, Jr William "Bucky" Covington Patrick Hall Kevin Covias Taylor Hicks William Makar Gideon McKinney Chris Daughtry And yes, the "hissy" Brittenum twins were arrested and "uninvited" before this episode was shot.

Fourth Batch

2006-02-15T19:52:00.000-06:00

I missed the first one . . . it was one of the twin girls. Anyway, Heather Cox, William "Bucky" Covington Patrick Hall Kevin Covias Paris Bennett