popular thinking

If your show goes long by nine minutes, and you devote 11 minutes to your so-called "Golden Idol" awards that only encourage more freaks to audition next year, then...wait. That may have been a rhetorical question. As everyone knows, Jordin Sparks officially won. Blake Lewis proved he'll be just fine. Bette Midler did not prove likewise. Gwen Stefani probably did not appear live from Boston, because otherwise, you'd think they'd mention that, although really, why was she on the program again so soon? Tony Bennett made up for lost time. Kelly Clarkson can growl. Taylor Hicks isn't selling any more records. Neither is Ruben. Although we remembered why we liked him the first time we saw him. Joe Perry sold out. Sanjaya couldn't even pick his best song for his big return to the big stage. Clive Davis reminded everyone that the real winners sell records. Did I mention the "Golden Idols" were not only a waste of time, but also further damaged whatever credibility American Idol has? At least it clears up Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. And gives us some time away from Ryan Seacrest. We need it.

Labels: American Idol, TV

Blake or Jordin? Jordin or Blake? Let your friends debate that obvious question before Wednesday night's American Idol reveals its finale results. You can counter with an even better question: Who really wins Idol? (Last night, Paula Abdul tried to convince Ryan Seacrest that they're all winners) In the long-run, the champ isn't always the one singing the last song under fireworks and confetti.
To wit...

Season 5
Who won? Taylor Hicks
Runner-up? Katharine McPhee
Who really won? Chris Daughtry. Heck...the show last night even went long by three minutes just to feature Daughtry and his band's live performance. Only Daughtry got the offer to front an existing rock band (Fuel). He also got his hit song ("Home") on every episode of this season's Idol. And after 25 weeks, his debut CD remains near the top of the Billboard charts. Anyone heard from Hicks recently? Anyone want to?

Season 4
Who won? Carrie Underwood
Runner-up? Bo Bice
Who really won? Underwood. "Some Hearts" has sold six million copies. Has an NFL quarterback boyfriend (Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys). Slew of awards. Simon Cowell said she'd outsell all the previous Idol winners. So far, she's on the right track.

Season 3
Who won? Fantasia Barrino
Runner-up? Diana DeGarmo
Who really won? Jennifer Hudson. Barrino and DeGarmo have both made it to Broadway, but Hudson was this winter's golden girl, winning the Oscar and Golden Globe for her applause-breaking turn in the movie, Dreamgirls. Hudson beat out Barrino for the role. Barrino did win the part of playing herself in a Lifetime TV movie, though.

Season 2
Who won? Ruben Studdard
Runner-up? Clay Aiken
Who really won? Um...TBD? Studdard and Aiken both had hit debuts after the show, but since then, Studdard's popularity has waned, and no amount of "Claymates" could stop Aiken from one controversy after another (and let's not get started on last year's surprise Idol duet with his auditioning doppleganger, Michael Sandecki).

Season 1
Who won? Kelly Clarkson
Runner-up? Justin Guarini
Who really won? Clarkson. Hard to believe it now, but back then, just as many people thought that either Guarini would win, or that ousted contestant Tamyra Gray should have won. No one is saying that now.

Labels: American Idol, TV

Sure, Melinda Doolittle was the best singer week-in, week-out throughout this season's American Idol. You'd think she was a lock to win. But that in itself guaranteed she wouldn't win. So please, please don't be surprised by last night's results show -- which sent Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks into the finale. Don't be shocked. Because this happens seemingly every other season.

Season 5: Chris Daughtry, fourth place (but best on the charts, and singer of this season's closing theme song)
Season 3: Jennifer Hudson, seventh place (but Oscar and Golden Globes winner, beating out that season's winner, Fantasia, for the award-winning role in Dreamgirls)
Season 1: Tamyra Gray, fourth place (no disrespect to Kelly Clarkson, who has gone on to have a great career, but at the time, everyone -- and I mean everyone -- thought Tamyra Gray was going to win, and so did FOX, which started plugging her in as a singing student on Boston Public, then brought her back on Season 3 to sing several times)

That said, expect to see Melinda, Blake and Jordin all release their own CDs by the time next year's Idol rolls around.

Labels: American Idol, TV

Media reports today about Sanjaya Malakar and his non-homecoming to Federal Way, Wash., prompted more than a couple of chuckles out of me (read the NY Post's take here, or a more local version out of the Tacoma News-Tribune here) because I worked in Federal Way for the Federal Way News from 1996-1998 (shut down by the Seattle Times Co. in 1998, and later revived by its original owners), covering City Hall, cops and the utility district, among other things. So I know the political players involved, as well as the quirky place this suburb holds (or doesn't) in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area. Somehow, this kind of minor melodrama makes perfect sense there.

By the way, Olympic speedskater and darling Dancing With The Stars hoofer Apollo Anton Ohno also spent his teen years in Federal Way.

Labels: American Idol, media, newspapers, TV

Yeah, I typed it. Nary 24 hours after Simon Cowell said we'd had our fun with Sanjaya Malakar, guess who got voted out in seventh place on American Idol tonight? Sanjaya. Coincidence? Methinks not. Especially since Sanjaya remained the darling anti-candidate of both Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern's radio fans. Of course, we never heard the vote results tonight. We never do. That's convenient, isn't it?

Labels: American Idol, TV

So it's another results night tonight for the final 8 on American Idol, and everyone with a case of real and/or mock outrage about Sanjaya Malakar and his continued presence on the show needs to get a grip. No. Really. You act as if this has never happened before! You need to take a trip with me in the Not So Way Back Machine for some Idol reminiscing...

2006: Season 5
Remember Kevin Covais? He of the "Chicken Little" nickname? He made it to 11th on the show, despite having precious "little" vocal range -- actually, it was probably how precious he looked that kept him around that far, but really, why Simon, Paula and Randy let him advance as far as he did must make you wonder. But then again, Bucky Covington? Bucky couldn't sing anything outside of the country music genre. His official bio admitted he lacked any vocal training. He had a twin brother who got almost as much air time by the end. And that end was 8th place. Eighth. Just as long as Malakar so far.

2005: Season 4
This was the year that Vote for the Worst really got its groove going, trumpeting Scott Savol -- a guy who looked like he was more than one woman's baby daddy on his bad days (and had a criminal record for domestic abuse) -- and getting him through to May sweeps, where he finished in 5th place. When Savol advanced ahead of Constantine Maroulis, fans launched an online petition demanding a recount. Runner-up Bo Bice also had a criminal record. Earlier that season, Idol producers rebroadcast an entire show and held a new vote after botching the phone numbers for three of its then-11 finalists. Executive producer Ken Warwick told reporters (including me) in a conference call: "After four years of everything being perfect, you just take your eye off the ball for a second.'' Um, not quite perfect. Considering finalist Mario Vasquez mysteriously left the show (he has recently been accused of sexually harrassing a male Idol employee!) before that revote, we're not buying it. Plus Warwick glosses over and pretends past imperfections never happened. Which leads us to...

2004: Season 3
A power outage in contestant Jennifer Hudson's hometown of Chicago may have cost her last year's Idol. No revote occurred. Hudson gets the boot (later gets an Oscar!), while Elton John accused Idol's voting methods of being racist, and Fox confirmed it had a policy to combat so-called power-dialers from stuffing the ballot box. Nevertheless, 17-year-old Jasmine Trias lasts all the way to third place -- THIRD! -- thanks not to her sweetheart smile but (if you're to believe the story) most of Hawaii voting for her en masse. Hudson finished in seventh. Sixth place that year went to 16-year-old red-head John Stevens, who, much like Sanjaya, had a similar slight crooner singing voice. In fact, that's all Stevens really had. Crooning. Gentle crooning. So if Sanjaya beats out LaKisha this week or next, it'll be just like 2004 all over again. Don't say you weren't warned.

2003: Season 2
Before he was claiming an affair with Paula Abdul, finalist Corey Clark was busy getting disqualified in ninth place because he faced assault charges. Idol gave the other eight singers a pass to the next week, despite some questionable singing. Fellow finalist Trenyce also got a free pass then, even though her previous theft conviction never came up when she told Idol she couldn't think of a most embarrassing moment. She still finished fifth. Two other semifinalists that year got the boot. Frenchie Davis could have won if not for topless photos she posed for years beforehand, while semifinalist Jaered Andrews was knocked out for his involvement in a fatal fight. And then, of course, there was the famous finale in which host Ryan Seacrest jumbled up the still-unknown vote totals, prompting fans to whisper and form conspiracy theories about who really won: Ruben Studdard or Clay Aiken?

2002: Season 1
If you've caught any episodes of American Idol Rewind, the syndicated do-over of the original season, then you probably wonder how in the heck we got the finalists we got. And you saw that Tamyra Gray pulled off the "And I'm Telling You, I'm Not Going" cover trick long before Hudson or LaKisha or any of the other wannabes. And then you remember how you voiced a certain outrage when she went from frontrunner to fourth place in an instant. Kelly Clarkson has managed to have a great post-Idol career. But that original season also brought us the less-than-perfect, wholly forgettable movie, From Justin to Kelly.

Now you're all caught up. Try not to be too shocked tonight, no matter what happens.

Labels: American Idol, TV

I've had to catch up on my Idol watching these past couple of weeks, but thanks to my DVR, it's all been there waiting for me (and not in a Richard Marx way, thank you very much, Mr. Phil Stacey). Anyhow. That's not the point. The point is, most people in the mainstream media are paying way too much attention to Sanjaya Malakar and wondering aloud if he'll ruin the show along with the folks from Vote for the Worst. EW even has a chat with VFTW's creator online. Hello?! Have you looked at the VFTW site ever before this season? They "won" last season by getting Taylor Hicks selected as last year's Idol, even though Chris Daughtry and even Katharine McPhee or Elliott Yamin deserved it more. And did the world end? Not quite. Did Idol's producers change the voting procedure? Not one bit. Although the vote results still and always have been kept a privately private secret...which is my No. 1 pet peeve (on a long list of peeves) about the show that I and everyone else continues to watch. That, and, well, we want to see who's going to win.

So who will become the next American Idol?

My thoughts...I've ranked them here, although any of these first four singers has what it takes.
1. Melinda Doolittle: Undeniably the best singer of the bunch. She knocks every song out of the proverbial park. If only she'd stop with the looks of shock at every compliment. This woman has backed up superstars and knows she should be one, too. Maybe someone told her that if she looked surprised at her success, it'd keep the votes coming.
2. Blake Lewis: Undeniably the most creative of the bunch. Overcame (or has made solid use of) his beat-boxing auditions to show he'll make any song sound current. Pretty much the best guy in the final 8. Could sneak past Doolittle if she fails to keep fans power-dialing for her.
3. Jordin Sparks: Undeniably the most energetic and happiest to be in the running, which makes sense since, at 17, she's also the youngest contestant left (along with Sanjaya). Unlike past teens, she hasn't shirked from the spotlight and actually seems to get better each week. If Doolittle weren't so good, Sparks would be the one getting all the kudos.
4. Chris Richardson: This guy acts like he is doing his homework. In the early weeks, he cribbed from the Yamin playbook. Now he's also showing he can do anything Lewis can do in turning old classics into new hip tunes. All of which means he could go much farther if he keeps this up.

Close, but no No. 1 single
5. LaKisha Jones: Very good in her zone, anything powerful and R&B. But you don't get the sense that she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeves, so to speak. One of these themed weeks is bound to trip her up before the finale. Think of her as this year's Mandisa.
6. Sanjaya Malakar: Yeah, I wrote it. Sanjaya will stick around for a couple of weeks, perhaps, but he ain't going to be around at the end, and if he is, well, you get what you vote for, right? The kid is 17 and acts it. He did have a good initial audition with a sweet singing voice. But he's lapping all of this attention up. The hair. The antics. Did you see him welcome Simon to his universe this week? Well, you couldn't hear him because Seacrest kept yapping over him. But the thing is, he's entertaining to watch, for better or worse. If only his sister had made the final 12! Then we'd really have a national conversation.

Ain't gonna happen
7 (tie). Haley Scarnato: She looked hot and sang well in her initial audition, then became forgettable, then tried to adopt the McPheever fan-base with revealing outfits and flirty-girl performances. It's kept her in the game this long. But not much longer.
7 (tie). Phil Stacey: Hits the big notes. Needs a stylist. Not much more to say, really. Which is why he's on his way out. Unless he outlasts Scarnato. Hence the tie.

Labels: American Idol, TV

OK. So the live shows finally begin next week for American Idol. I think we can mostly all agree that Idol's producers gave short shrift this year to Hollywood week, essentially reducing it to only one hour, and not even giving us any sort of update on dozens of singers profiled during the audition specials...from Sanjaya's sweet sister to the opera singer, the girl with the little girl voice, the carhop girls, the guy who looked like Tyson Beckford's little brother, the guy who sang Christian tunes with a Fidel Castro hairdo, Tami Gosnell (we only saw her saying she didn't make the final cut, without learning why), and the same went for the guy who looked like "a little fun Ruben." What gives, Idol?

At the same time, we also discovered that of the Top 24, we had barely even seen seven of them before the final cut episode. So it'll be up to next week's live shows to prove whether Amy Krebs, AJ Tabaldo, Jared Cotter, Leslie Hunt, Nicole Tranquillo, Sabrina Sloan and Stephanie Edwards have what it takes. Not that it cannot be done. Two years ago, Bo Bice emerged from out of nowhere (OK, so it was Constantine's shadow) to become the runner-up. But usually, the show lets us see its favorites right from the get-go. So these contestants have their work cut out from them, particularly because they haven't gotten an equal chance to build the popularity required to burn up those phone lines on show nights.

As for the rest?

My initial gut instinct is to say that Chris Sligh and Melinda Doolittle are the first-week frontrunners. They've got the singing chops. They're different from past champs. And they've both showcased winning personalities. They should launch successful careers no matter how they fare from here on out.

But I reserve the right to modify my stance on the eventual finalists as I review the tapes myself. You can catch up, too, by clicking on the show's Top 24 page here.

Labels: American Idol, TV

Last year, I said on live TV that I thought the two American Idols to watch in 2006 were Katharine McPhee and Chris Daughtry. That seemed to work out OK. So...who am I keeping an eye on this year as Idol's Hollywood Week starts tonight? There are 172 contestants. We've seen barely half of them so far. But of those, keep track of these 20 tonight and tomorrow and see if they make the final 24 on American Idol.

Guys
Rudy Cardenas, 28, Los Angeles
Tommy Daniels, 21, Troutdale, Ore.
Sundance Head, 27, Porter, Texas
Blake Lewis, 25, Bothell, Wash.
Sanjaya Malakar, 17, Lacey, Wash.
Jimmy McNeal, 23, Waxahachie, Texas
Chris Richardson, 22, Chesapeake, Va.
Brandon Rogers, 28, N. Hollywood, Calif.
Chris Sligh, 28, Greenville, SC

Gals
Alaina Alexander, 24, W. Hollywood, Calif.
Antonella Barba, 19, Point Pleasant, NJ
Baylie Brown, 16, Krum, Texas
Melinda Doolittle, 28, Brentwood, Tenn.
Tami Gosnell, 29, Lafayette, Colo.
Ebony Jointer, 23, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
Shyamali Malakar, 19, Lacey, Wash.
Haley Scarnato, 24, San Antonio
Jordin Sparks, 16, Glendale, Ariz.
Jory Steinberg, 25, Santa Monica, Calif.
Kia Thornton, 27, Englewood, NJ

You can also compare my list with EW's power rankings.

Labels: American Idol, TV