Idol Chit-Chat
This is your place to discuss all things "American Idol." The performances, the judges, the past contestants — it’s all right here.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Lauren Speaks: "I couldn’t pick a better person to finish second to"

The conference call with Lauren today was a little bit strange…

First of all, she got disconnected before the second question. And when they finally came back, somebody (I’m not sure if it was Lauren.) could be heard saying, “Did you hang up on me?” And someone in the room was talking to Lauren through a lot of the call.

Add to that the fact that Lauren had very little to say about anything. And at times she seemed almost irritated by the questions—especially the one she had to know would get asked. But by the end, she had really started to come around and be the girl we had seen on TV…

So are she and Scotty a couple? “No we’re not. We’re just friends.” That was her answer in its entirety. And because reporters were only allowed one question, that’s all we got.

Here is some more of what Lauren had to say…

On dealing with her voice problems: “The show must go on always. The doctor took good care of me. I had to do the best that I could.”

On why she loves country music: “I was raised on country music. It’s in my heart.”

On why she doesn’t use her real last name of Suddeth: “I knew Ryan would have trouble pronouncing it.”

On whether she’ll keep trying to lose weight (She’s lost 16 pounds.): “During the tour I’m going to work out. I’m going to be at the point where I want to be and not where everyone else wants me to be.”

Is she already getting pressure about her weight?...

On whether she wishes she would have waited a few years before trying out for “Idol”: “No. I feel like people misjudge young people because they think they’re not ready. If they have a dream they should go for it.”

On going to the CMA Fan Fest in Nashville: “I believe I’ll be there. It’s gonna be amazing.”

On her confidence level during the season: “I feel like before the show I had a lot of confidence. But seeing myself on TV, it threw me back a couple notches. That was a good thing. It was really helpful to grow as a person and an artist. Each week I learned something new and I put it all together and tried to make the best of it.”

On something we don’t know about her: “I’m not really a blonde. People call me a dumb blonde. I’m actually really smart. I really love to go to school. I’m really good at math.”

On what Scotty whispered to her at the end of Tuesday night’s show: “He told me I was going to win and I said you’re going to win.”

On what was going through her head before Ryan read the results: “I felt like it was going to be Scotty. Everything happens for a reason. God has a different plan for me.”

On finishing second: “There’s hundreds of thousands of people who would like to be number two on ‘Idol’ so I’m fortunate to have made it.”

On her favorite guest last night: “Being able to sing with Carrie Underwood kind of set off the whole night.”

On whether she’s happy for Scotty: “I will be happy for Scotty forever. I’ve been saying all along if it came down to me and Scotty, I’d be happy either way because we’re such great friends. I couldn’t pick a better person to finish second to.”

On her role model, Carrie Underwood: “I could tell when she was talking with me, she genuinely cared I was there. It was amazing to see that someone I had looked up to for so long was exactly how I thought they were. I want to do the same thing and show people I’m not fake…I can be serious too. I cry a lot…I wanna stay true to who I am…I want to let it be available to little girls to look up to me. It would be such a great feeling for a little girl to look up to me like I look up to Carrie.”

A reminder that Lauren will appear tonight (Thursday) on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” which airs at 11:35 on NBC…

Photo Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Some Info on Scotty and Lauren's Contracts

Because Scotty and Lauren are minors, their contracts must be approved by a judge. Which means they’re public record. Which means we can see the details!

The Associated Press is reporting that Scotty will receive $250,000 for winning and for recording his first album. He’ll also receive money for merchandise rights and royalties for his recordings.

Lauren will receive $87,500 for finishing second. That amount will double if she records an album.

By comparison, Jordin Sparks—another minor—received $180,000 upon winning the show and another $180,000 for recording her album. Of course that was four years ago…

What You Might Have Missed This Morning...

If you missed my appearance on "Dave & Tia in the Morning" on WKEE this morning, you can listen to it on the WKEE website.

Even if you did hear it, you can catch bonus audio that there wasn't time to air this morning.

As you can tell, we had a lot of fun!

Scotty Speaks: "We're more like a brother-sister thing"

So the big question remaining after last night’s finale was: Are Scotty and Lauren a couple?

On WKEE this morning, I even tried out a new couple name: Scauren. But alas, it looks like I won’t get to use it…

During his conference call with reporters today, Scotty said the big kiss Lauren gave him was a joke.

“She said before the show she was going to do that for a joke,” he told us. “Me and her we’re more like a brother-sister thing. She’s great but it’s more a brother-sister friendship.”

The highlight of the phone call was when a reporter revealed to Scotty that his song, “I Love You This Big” is #1 on iTunes. Scotty just started laughing. “That is wild. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” Scotty could then be heard talking away from the phone to someone in the room with him. “Sorry, I had to tell my mom,” he said when he came back to the phone. It was really cute.

Here’s some more of what Scotty had to say…

On how he’s handling all the attention: “This is pretty wild. It’s a whole lot more than I bargained for.”

On where he goes from here: “We’ve talked about heading to Nashville. We’re trying to get me and Lauren to Fan Fest this year. They’re working on it.”

On whether he ever thought he was going home at some point: “This week especially. Lauren’s something else. She’s an amazing young lady…Everybody this year from the Top 40 down were so talented…I never really gave myself a chance before the show.”

For the record, yes, he did say young lady. He’s so polite…

On his album: “I’m looking forward to getting my music out there. I recorded two songs this week. I’m really excited about the other one too. It’s gonna be a great album. It’s all about picking good songs. Hopefully Lauren and I can do a duet at some time.”

When someone asked about the other song, he said he couldn’t say…

On what made him break down in the limo during his homecoming: “We were driving to the school and I saw all these familiar faces. And I had the window down and somebody yelled, ‘We miss you and love you.’ That really got me. I miss them so much. They were my friends before the show.”

Scotty also revealed that his basket from the balcony went in on his third attempt…

On whether he thought he would win: “I thought [Lauren] amped it up with her last song. That was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard…She’s been supporting me. We both came out winners last night.

We’ll hear from Lauren in a few hours…

Photo Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Some End of the Season Thank Yous...

I was thinking earlier today what a difference a year makes. This time last year, I was so happy to see the show end, I was practically dancing. Even at the beginning of this year, I was wondering if I could still do this.

And now, I’m a little sad to see the season end. I’m sure it will completely hit me Friday when I sit down to write my final column of the season…

So before I go to bed, because I have a VERY early morning wake-up call tomorrow, let

me do some thank yous…

First of all, thanks to the team at “The Herald-Dispatch”: Andrea Copley-Smith, Robyn Rison, Maureen Johnson and Thom Marsh…

Thanks to the “Idol” publicity team for all of their help this season, especially the fabulous Chloe…

Thanks to Dave and Tia at WKEE for allowing me to come on their show each week…

And last but not least, thanks to all of you. I have enjoyed talking “Idol” with you this season, wherever you are. I could not do it without you…

We’ll do it all again next year beginning Sunday, January 22nd

But of course I’m not done. There’s still plenty of news to report, so be sure to Stay Tuned…

Season 10 Finale: Did America Get It Right?

So yes, I was wrong. I should have gone with what logic and conventional wisdom told me. But in my defense, since when does “Idol” follow logic and conventional wisdom? I think I got manipulated by the emotion of it all and I thought America would too. But clearly the Scotty nation would have none of that…

So for the final time this season, let me ask the question I always ask at this time each week. Did America get it right? Honestly, no, I don’t think they did.

Not that I don’t think Scotty is a great choice, because he is. I just think Lauren more embodied the “American Idol.”

And now that we know the winner, the big question now is: Are Lauren and Scotty a couple? Sure seemed like it, didn’t it?

Don’t forget that you can hear my thoughts tomorrow morning at 6:35 a.m. on 100.5 FM WKEE and my final column of the season will appear Tuesday in “The Herald-Dispatch.”

So now, what do you guys think? Did America get it right? And do you agree that Scotty and Lauren would be a super cute couple?

Let’s discuss! And don’t forget you can hit me up on Facebook or Twitter as well…

Season 10 Finale: And the Winner Is...

Let’s do this!!!

10:01 We’re back…Lauren looks like she’s going to pass out…The official vote counter comes out with the envelope…Scotty and Lauren are teasing each other…Dim the lights…I think Lauren might throw up…The winner is…Scotty McCreery…The judges are on stage to hand him a microphone trophy…Raleigh, not Garner, goes nuts…JLo handed him the trophy while we were seeing Raleigh…The Idols surround him…Lauren has a big smile on her face. It almost looks like relief…Ryan raises Scotty’s arm…Scotty says he and Lauren are going to stay together. Hmmm…Ryan thanks the judges…Scotty gives a hug to Thia…Scotty is not sure what to do with the trophy. Why didn’t we see an actual presentation?…

10:03 Scotty starts his song and goes off toward his parents…He hands the microphone to James…He’s only hitting every other word or so as he hugs everybody in his family…They cut away to Raleigh. Why? This is his moment…He’s just laughing now…He hugs all the contestants now…Apparently no one told him that he’s supposed to stand under the confetti…He tells Lauren, “I love you baby”…He’s still singing while he hugs the judges…He stars laughing again…James brings him back his trophy and puts it on the floor…Scotty collapses onto the floor and cries a little while the Idols surround him…He sticks out his tongue to catch the confetti…Lauren goes over and kisses him several times…Scotty yells, “Thank you so much!” as we go out…

Final thoughts in a moment…

Wait! I just realized something. We didn’t get the annual reunion of “Idol” winners. I wonder why not? And we didn’t get to hear Scotty and Lauren duet. Was that because of her voice? Boo Hiss to both!

And why didn’t Pia get a solo song? Because she has had so many already?

Season 10 Finale: Steven Takes the Stage

Michael Slezak just tweeted that he’s going to have to “rise above” the show not giving some of his faves a solo performance. It’s interesting who they’re not giving one to. I would’ve thought Paul would get one, but I guess there’s still time…

9:53 We’re back…Ryan is sitting at the table with JLo and Randy. Woo-Hoo! Steven Tyler song…Ryan intros Steven…He’s playing the piano to start out “Dream On”…He sounds great, although he’s concentrating pretty hard on the piano…He stands to take his scarfed microphone…Stupid Aerosmith. Do they see what they’re missing?…And the scream is awesome. The crowd is going nuts and so are JLo and Randy…It’s a pretty short version of the song…After the break…

We sat through that whole “Spider-Man” thing and only got one verse of “Dream On”? Stupid Aerosmith…

Season 10 Finale: Time to Plug "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"

9:45 We’re back…Ryan plugs audition cities…Ryan intros “Spider-Man” song,” “Rise Above”…Spider-Man actually swings from the top of the theatre…Reeve Carney the star, however, is on the stage with Bono and The Edge…Bono is singing too…Bono is actually singing more than Reeve Carney. I thought they were trying to promote the musical here…Bono and The Edge are the composers of the Broadway musical, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” by the way…I like this song, but I’d like to hear the actual star of the show sing it…”Spider-Man” drops down in front of JLo. She lifts up his mask like she’s going to do the kiss from the movie, but she bops him on the nose instead…After the break…

Season 10 Finale: Carrie and Beyonce Returns!

9:30 We’re back…It’s Lauren doing “Before He Cheats.” Of course, Carrie’s going to be there…Lauren’s a little hushed…Carrie comes out for the chorus. I’m sure that had to be adjusted for Lauren’s voice…They’re circling each other…Lauren shows some voice now taking the harmony. There you go Lauren…Now Carrie’s doing the harmony…I can’t believe how skinny Carrie is now…Sparks are flying everywhere…Lauren looks like she’s going to cry…Jennifer Love Hewitt…

9:34 Website plug…Video of what their fellow contestants think of Scotty and Lauren…They’re joking about their ages…Ryan intros Beyonce to do her new single, “One Plus One.” Huh? I thought “Run the World” was her new single…She says it’s her favorite song…She’s in the dark with red light behind her…You know just a few years ago we wouldn’t have heard a song with the repeated phrase “make love to me” on the show. Or have seen that dance that Lady Gaga was doing with that guy. Or JLo all over her husband. The show is definitely spicy tonight…That was pretty but such a stall tactic…Still have “Spider-Man” thing to go too…

Season 10 Finale: Gaga Takes "Idol" to the "Edge"

9:18 We’re back…Singles download plug…Ford Music Video…“Whenever You Remember”…Montage of clips from the videos…Scotty and Lauren are in the audience with Ryan…Ford is giving a gift to the teachers that most influenced Scotty and Lauren…It’s a donation up to $10,000…And they’re invited to the finale…It’s Scotty’s music teacher and Lauren’s principal…Miss Vandemer (sp?) and Mrs. Clayton…Scotty and Lauren present them with keys to new cars—the Ford Focus. They’re so surprised…Ryan tells Scotty and Lauren they’re getting any Ford vehicle they want. Now Lauren just needs a license…

9:22 The audience goes nuts before Ryan can even get the intro out…It’s Lady Gaga doing “Edge of Glory”…She’s on top of some mountain thing in a wild headpiece…There are dancers around the bottom of the mountain just sitting there…So I guess she’s officially abandoned “Judas” as a single…The dancers are up dancing now…Gaga is perfectly still while she sings…She flips her cape thing off to reveal some kind of bikini…She throws off her headpiece and starts moving a little bit…She turns to play a keyboard…Now there’s a guy on the top of the mountain dancing with her…Clarence Clemmons on the sax, I think…They’re barely showing him…Considering that dance going on, they probably need to show him more…Now the guy’s on top of Gaga while she’s singing…Now they’re holding hands. And then they jump and land behind some kind of rock thing and smoke flies out. I presume they’re okay…JLo jumps to her feet…I know Gaga’s a little strange, but I still love her…After the break…

Season 10 Finale: JLo and Marc Anthony Get Spicy

8:58 We’re back…Ryan is sitting with Randy and Steven only…Ryan throws it to Big Joe Ripka, the radio DJ contestant…Video of some of the worst moments…The chick who sang “Behold the Lamb”…Video of a girl falling down the stairs…The guy smashing the camera with his backflips…The girl who came out doing her vocal exercises…Montage of the logo censoring contestants…

9:00 Ryan intros Marc Anthony…Clearly JLo is going to sing with him since she wasn’t at the desk…Man, I’m sorry, but he is looking rough…There are dancers with some kind of big fans…Ooh! Sheila E on the drums…JLo emerges from the back with her back turned and then she comes up and dances next to him…Okay, this might be a little too spicy for the “Idol” stage…She’s seriously shaking it with her back turned while he sings…Ryan is still sitting at the table. I think he’s enthralled…JLo dances with the other dancers…Marc gets out of the way and calls out to Sheila E for a drum solo…JLo dances over toward her…JLo dances toward the audience…She ends next to Marc in a sexy pose…Big kiss…Randy blows kisses…

9:05 Video of contestants talking about getting eliminated…Casey is joking that he got eliminated twice…They’re arguing about who was the most shocking—Casey or James…This is funny…Pia walks up wearing a crown and sash that says “Most Shocking”…

9:07 Ryan intros the guys of the Top 13…Stefano starts out “Kiss”…Is Prince actually there? He’s been pretty picky over the years about letting the show have his songs…Oh no, it’s Tom Jones because they’re doing “She’s a Lady.” Boo hiss…Scotty is with them, by the way… “What’s New Pussycat?”…Sorry, I don’t know these other two…Will any of the young fans in the audience know who Tom is when he comes out…The guys are having fun with “Delilah”…They just showed the giant screen with the lyrics on it…Casey intros Tom Jones... “It’s Not Unusual”…Let’s see the Carlton dance…Jack Black is dancing in the audience…The guys think this is a hoot. You can tell…Steven looks bored…Wonder what he has to plug?...Apparently nothing…After the break…

Season 10 Finale: Tony Bennett, TLC and Tim McGraw!

8:38 We’re back…Tour plug…Ryan intros Steven salute…They’re showing all his Tylerisms…Nicely edited…Ryan says we should’ve seen the stuff they couldn’t broadcast…Steven salutes the audience…

8:41 Ryan intros Haley and Tony Bennett…“Steppin’ Out With My Baby”…Haley is good doing this music…By the way, Stevie Nicks reportedly turned “Idol” down. I would guess she was supposed to sing with Haley…Somebody apparently didn’t show Tony how to hold these microphones. You can barely hear him at times…That was good. But I would’ve liked to have seen her rock it out…Judges standing ovation…Ryan plugs Tony’s album and says he’s celebrating his 89th birthday soon…

8:44 JLo tribute video…Showing contestants gushing over JLo…They’ve edited in Marc reacting to the performances…Well done again…JLo waves to the audience…Oh yeah. She’ll be back next year…

8:46 Ryan intros TLC with Lil John and the girls… “Scrubs”…They’re clearly lip synching…The cameras are barely showing close-ups…Why do they keep adjusting the microphones? We know they’re not singing…Naima, Karen, Thia and Ashton come out, but we’re still hearing only the TLC track. What is the point of this one?...We can barely hear Idols singing…I don’t think they worked this one out real well…Now the Idols are riffing over the TLC track…And what was Lil Jon’s purpose other than to do the intro?...THAT was pathetic!...

8:49 Ryan asks to hear from Scotty fans…Ryan intros Scotty and Tim McGraw to do “Live Like You Were Dying”…Tim starts it…Scotty comes out…Man, Scotty just never loses that confidence does he?...They sound good together…Ryan says Tim has been named the most played artist over the last 10 years…And he plugs his tour…Ryan promises a big surprise…After the break…

Season 10 Finale: Jack Black and Beyonce!

8:25 We’re back…Casey is doing “Fat Bottomed Girls” sitting on a couch…He gets up and shoves the couch away to reveal Jack Black lying on the stage…I would like this better if Jack didn’t have a film to promote…They actually harmonize pretty good together…Girls on bicycles come out on the stage and then start dancing. Huh?...Now that I think about it Jack Black has been a part of several finales. I guess every time he has a movie to promote…He and Casey try to outscream and angry eye each other…They end in a staredown…The judges give them a standing ovation…Ryan plugs Jack’s movie…Does everyone have something to sell tonight?...Ryan vamps while the girls of the Top 13 take the stage. Ryan promises to get the results in before DVRs shut off…

8:30 “Single Ladies”…It’s all the girls except Lauren… “Irreplaceable”…It’s a Beyonce medley. That means Beyonce is there…Thia and Karen are taking the lead on this one. I wonder if they’re not getting dream duets?...I don’t know this one… “If I Were a Boy”…They’re struggling with the lower register…Haley takes it and she’s awesome, of course…Where is Beyonce?...Ashthon…She and Haley sound good together…This is a long medley to intro Beyonce if she’s there…Pia takes the lead on “Déjà vu”…There she is from the back of the stage…They’re doing “Crazy In Love” and the girls are dancing with Beyonce…Surely she’ll do “Run the World”…There are extra dancers to help out…Man that chick has got the moves. And in heels!...Where was “Run the World”?...Maybe since she did it on “Oprah” already this week? Or “Crazy” was easier for the girls to learn?...After the break…

Season 10 Finale: James and Jacob Get Their Dream Duets

8:10 We’re back…Ryan intros James Durbin to perform with Judas Priest…They put James first? Huh? I would’ve thought they would’ve saved that one…They’re looking old, but they sound good…The song is “Living After Midnight”…James nailed his scream…James really needs to front a band instead of going solo…Maybe they put them first since there’s so much fire on the stage…Now they’re doing “Breaking the Law”…Now there’s sirens…Man, that Rob Halford can seriously scream…

8:14 Ryan plugs the Judas Priest farewell tour that starts in June...James is still trying to talk to the audience but they turned off his microphone…Ryan intros some sort of tribute to the judges…It’s a video of Randy’s soundbites from the season…They’re making fun of how many times he said, “What is this?” “What kind of show is this?”…Uh-oh. They just showed Allen Lewis and his chocolate comment again. He says that was edited that way…Now they’re making fun of “in it to win it”…Randy stands for the audience…

8:17 Ryan intros Jacob with Kirk Franklin doing “I Smile”…Gladys Knight comes out…She’s always at this thing, isn’t she?...Chris Daughtry just tweeted that he’s watching the finale. I guess that means I won’t get the Santana/Chris performance of “Photograph” I wanted…Kirk talks about the storms while a Red Cross graphic comes on the screen…Gospel choir…That was great…Ryan plugs Gladys’ show in Vegas…After the break…

Season 10 Finale: And We're Off!

Let’s do this!!!

8:00 Dramatic Intro…125,000 to 2…With their dreams on the line, it all comes down to you…THIS is “American Idol”…I’M SO PUMPED!!!...Opening credits…

8:01 Ryan intro…Still don’t like the bowtie…Mark L. Walberg (the game show host)…Michael Johns…Ryan announces the “world record” of over 122 million votes…Over the season, 2 votes per every person living in America…Ryan asks who the audience is for. Lauren seems to get more noise…Judges intro. They’re already seated…Steven always gets the most love. Stupid Aerosmith…

8:03 Ryan intros Scotty and Lauren. They’re both dressed in white, of course…Lori Loughlin…David Cook…Shot of Chattanooga, TN, Lauren’s hometown. I thought she was from Georgia…Garner, NC (Scotty’s) appears to have more people…Ryan doesn’t talk to them. Wonder how Lauren’s voice is?…

8:05 Top 13 doing “Born This Way.” Didn’t they already do this one?...Guys start…Jacob is seriously getting into it…They’re all wearing something white, of course…I have to say that some of these people I actually forgot about. LOL…They’re actually doing some real choreography…I know Robin Antin (Pussycat Dolls) worked with the girls. Don’t know about the guys…Wonder if Lauren is singing?...Scotty and Lauren come to the front…They take turns stepping in front of each other…Harold Perrineau (“Lost”)…There’s always such random celebs in the audience for the finale…After the break…

Are You Ready?

Are we ready to do this?

All the mayhem starts in just 10 minutes. I'll be back then...

Randy Changes His Mind

Last night, Randy seemed to declare Lauren the winner. But this morning on Ryan's radio show, he predicted Scotty will take the title.

Think he knows something we don't? Hmmm...

Interestingly, the media conference call for Scotty is scheduled for 12:15 ET, while Lauren's will not be until 4:30 ET. I'm sure that has some sort of significance as far as winner's obligations, I'm just not sure which would be which.

You could say that Scotty is getting it out of the way so he can fulfill his other winner's interviews or Lauren could be fulfilling all of her winning interviews and will do the call later in the day.

Hmmm...

Why Didn't I Feel Manipulated?

Last night on this blog and this morning on 100.5 FM WKEE, I predicted that Lauren will be crowned our new American Idol tonight.

Today, I scoured the Internet to see if anyone agreed with me. And both EW.com and BuddyTV do agree, but my Idol, Michael Slezak of TVLine.com predicts Scotty will win.

But interestingly, their reasons revolve around the same thing—the show manipulating us into voting for Lauren. EW.com and BuddyTV believe the manipulation worked, while Slezak thinks it rallied the Scotty fans to vote for him.

My question is this: Why didn’t I feel manipulated? Looking back on last night’s show, it’s clear that the judges were pushing Lauren, so why didn’t I say anything about it? You know how I love to point out manipulation…

Maybe I was so busy concentrating on the performances I didn’t notice. Or maybe I was so manipulated I didn’t care. Or maybe I had decided I wanted Lauren to win…

I agree that last night’s show could have caused Scotty fans to rally. But I still believe in my gut that Lauren is going to win this thing…

We shall see...

The Ratings Are In...

So here’s some interesting ratings numbers from last night’s “Idol”…

“The Hollywood Reporter” reports that last night’s performance finale was down seven percent in the key 18-49 demo from last year’s performance finale.

HUH?! Is it because people thought it was a foregone conclusion? This year was definitely a better one to watch…

“Idol” was steady compared to last year in total viewers…

FOX Releases the Vote Totals

FOX announced today that 122.4 million votes were cast last night. It’s the highest number of votes in the show’s history.

The total votes case during Season 10 were over 730 million, the most of any season.

And check out this number. 4.8 billion votes have been case since season one. WOW!

A Music Publishing Company Sings Lauren's Praises

The publishing company behind Lauren’s debut single is already singing her praises…

ole publishing sent out a press release today about “Like My Mother Does,” which is in its publishing catalog.

From the release:

“The Internet was all "a buzz" following last night's soaring rendition by Lauren Alaina of the ole-published "Like My Mother Does", as she wowed the judges and brought the studio audience to its feet. Coming into last night's final performance, the general consensus was that fellow country teen Scotty McCreery all but had American Idol Season 10 in the bag.”

The release reminded us that this is the third release of the song. It previously appeared on Kristy Lee Cook’s album in 2008 and in 2010, it was a single for new artist Jesse Lee.

I guess the song just needed the right singer…

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Top 2 Performance Show: Did Lauren Do Enough?

Last week on 100.5 WKEE on “Dave & Tia in the Morning” and in today’s column, I said I thought Scotty made a mistake by deferring the choice of who should go first or second to Lauren. I thought that he was risking giving her a real moment that could sway undecided voters.

See what I meant?

Lauren’s final song was a true moment. But was it enough to overcome Scotty’s fan base of young girls who do most of the voting?

Before I answer that, let me say a few things about the show itself. The director nearly robbed both Scotty and Lauren of any moment at all during their last song by focusing more on their journey video playing in the background than on them. And how can anyone concentrate on the songs with those people annoyingly swaying back and forth?

Thankfully, the debut singles are actually good songs. It’s nice to see Jimmy Iovine deviate from the rainbow-mountain climbing-destiny songs of the past and just go with two good songs.

And let me also say that I am so glad Lauren was able to go tonight. As much as I love Haley, that would have been wrong. It wouldn’t have been who America voted for.

Now back to the big question…

This finale reminds me so much of Season 7 with the two Davids. Everyone was sure David Archuleta was going to win in a landslide because he had the young girl vote going for him. But David Cook ended up winning by a pretty substantial margin.

So do I think that will happen again? Did Lauren do enough to overcome Scotty’s young girl fan base?

Yes. I think she did. She gave the three best performances. She had a true moment. And quite frankly, I think she just wanted it more tonight. It will be close, but I think America is going to reward her for her efforts. And quite frankly, if you’re going on tonight’s performances, they should.

What do you guys think? Do you agree with me or do you still think Scotty has it sewn up?

Hit me up on Twitter, Facebook or post a comment here…

Just two more hours to go!

Top 2 Performance Show: David Cook Takes the Stage

David sounds so good on this song. I really wish it could’ve done something as a single.

And is it just me or is he getting more camera time than Lauren or Scotty did during their final songs?

Final thoughts in a moment…

Top 2 Performance Show

Lauren Alaina, “Like My Mother Does”: 14

Okay, I admit it. That one got me pretty bad. It’s the perfect song for her and that moment with her mom was incredible. I have no idea how she held it together.

See what I meant about the coin toss?

Round 3 to Lauren by a long shot.

Judges: Randy gives Round 3 to Lauren, JLo gives Round 3 to Lauren even if she wouldn’t say it. Steven gives it to Lauren as well.

Stay tuned for David Cook…

Top 2 Performance Show: Scotty Does His Single

Simon Fuller is looking very dapper in the audience behind Camryn Manheim…

Debut Single

Scotty McCreery, “Love You This Big”: 13

It’s a good song, but it just sounded a little blah to me. Maybe because it sounded so much like the other two. And why did they have to bring back the swaybots?

Top 2 Performance Show: Carrie Picks for Lauren and Then...

Lauren Alaina, “Maybe It Was Memphis”: 14

That was a great choice by Carrie. It was perfect for Lauren’s voice. And a great tempo for the middle round.

And finally judges’ comments. Randy says Round 1 a slight edge to Scotty and Round 2 a slight edge to Lauren. JLo agrees. Steven gives both rounds to Lauren because she’s prettier. Okay, now I see why they didn’t let them talk earlier…

They’re debuting the Coke Perfect Harmony song in the middle of the finale performances? What? Seriously?! This is the song “America helped write.” It’s called “Positive”…

So no videos of George Strait or Carrie Underwood picking those songs so we could get this. Wow…

Round 2 to Lauren easily…

Top 2 Performance Show: George Strait Picks for Scotty

Idol’s Choice: George Strait (Scotty) and Carrie Underwood (Lauren) (My score will be out of 15)

Scotty McCreery, “Check Yes Or No”: 13

It was a good performance but it just came off kind of blah to me.

So why are the judges even there? I know they’re trying to shove all of this into an hour without cutting into “Glee,” but seriously? Is it because they couldn’t compose their comments ahead of time since Lauren didn’t finish rehearsal? Hmmm…

Top 2 Performance Show: Lauren Goes "Flat On the Floor"

Lauren Alaina, “Flat On the Floor”: 18

I think I heard some definite adjustments in the song to compensate for her voice. And I think I saw a little fear in her eyes. But the performance was good. And I like the new rasp her voice has tonight.

So apparently we’re not letting the judges call it, so I will. Round 1 to Lauren by a hair…

Top 2 Performance Show: Lauren is Ready and Scotty is "Gone"

The show begins with a cute video showing Carrie Underwood and David Cook as kids and Scotty and Lauren as kids. I would think that if Lauren is not performing they would have scrapped that…

And what’s up with the bowtie, Seacrest?

Ryan tweeted that he’ll address Lauren’s voice at the beginning of the show. She does come out with Scotty. She says, “I’m here, I’m ready to sing and I’m ready to go.” The doctor comes out and says she strained her vocal cord during rehearsal but she’s had plenty of medicine and she’s going to do great.

Alrighty then. Let’s do it!

Round 1 is contestant’s choice, Round 2 is Idol’s choice and Round 3 is their debut single should they win the competition. That’s different than what had been reported which was that they’d both release singles…

Contestant’s Choice

Scotty McCreery, “Gone”: 18

This would have been my choice too since the rest of the show will most likely be ballads. But it seemed lost in the Nokia Theatre. I think the sound might be off tonight.

Apparently we’re holding judges’ comments until the end, or at least until the end of each round…

Phew! I need the break to catch up…

Breaking News: Will Lauren Alaina Not Perform Tonight? UPDATED

HUGE “Idol” news breaking right now…

TVLine.com is reporting that Haley Reinhart is rehearsing to take over for a sick Lauren Alaina if necessary.

The website is reporting that Lauren lost her voice earlier today and is now receiving medical attention so that she can take the stage.

The show did tweet a picture of Scotty and Lauren in makeup, so it looks like she will take the stage. I would think that wild horses couldn’t tear her away from it tonight, but how will she do?

Stay Tuned! I’ll be back in 10 minutes…

Here’s an update…

TMZ.com is reporting that Lauren lost her voice earlier today and could not finish rehearsing. She was silent in the makeup chair by doctor’s orders in a last minute attempt to save her voice.

According to the report, Haley is in wardrobe and ready to perform three songs if necessary…

More on the Debut Singles...

So what will be the debut singles for Lauren and Scotty?

Stop reading, if you don’t want to know…

“Taste of Country” reports that Scotty’s single is called “Love You This Big,” while Lauren’s is called “Like My Mother Does.” Lauren’s single was previously recorded by Kristy Lee Cook.

We’ll hear both singles on the show tonight and then both will be available on iTunes late tonight. The report says both singles will officially be released Thursday.

What Are Lauren and Scotty Singing Tonight?

In its weekly press release, FOX did not disclose any details about what Lauren and Scotty would be singing tonight. But as usual, details have come out…

If you don't want to know, stop reading now...

“Idol Chatter” on USAToday.com reports that Lauren and Scotty will sing three songs tonight—their favorite song they performed earlier in the season, their debut single and a song chosen by their personal musical idols Carrie Underwood (Lauren) and George Strait (Scotty).

Carrie posted on her fan club page that the song she chose for Lauren is one she wanted to sing on the show, but never got the opportunity…

Photo Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

What Do We Know About the Finale?

So here’s what we think we know about tomorrow night’s star-studded “Idol” finale, courtesy of MJ’s Big Blog

If you want to be surprised, stop reading now…

Casey Abrams will perform with Jack Black. Ellen DeGeneres informed him of that when he appeared on her show following his elimination…

“Good Day NY” reported that Pia Toscano is going to sing with Charice on the finale…

Bono and The Edge will team up with Reeve Carney, the star of “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” to perform a song from the troubled Broadway musical…

Aerosmith will not be performing after the other members of the band turned down the show’s offer. There is a new rumor going around that Steven Tyler will do “Dream On” accompanied by a full orchestra. Man, do those guys want to sell albums or not…

Lady Gaga will sing “Edge of Glory,” accompanied by E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons…

Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe tweeted that there was something special in store for James Durbin. The rumor is that he will perform with Judas Priest…

More as it comes…

Is Haley Getting a Single Too?

Pia Toscano is not the only non-Top 2 finalist getting a single…

Haley Reinhart’s parents revealed during a concert Saturday that Haley will get a single and if it works out, she’ll get an album.

They also said Haley will likely sing the song during Wednesday’s finale and that she rejected two other songs before settling on the one she recorded.

We know that Jimmy Iovine really likes her, so I think he’ll push it as hard as he can. But are there going to be too many singles?

Michael Becker/FOX

More Information on Pia's First Single

Ryan Seacrest revealed more information about Pia Toscano’s first single on his radio show.

According to Ryan, it’s called “Counterfeit.” He said, “Jimmy Iovine is itching to get this track out ASAP.”

It looks like we might have several “Idol” singles coming out this season…

A Kris Allen Song Comes to "Glee"

Tonight on the season finale of “Glee,” Matthew Morrison will sing his new single, “Still Got Tonight.”

The song was co-written by Kris Allen.

“Glee” airs tonight at 9 on FOX, but you can also hear the song here.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Who Won the Coin Toss?

Thursday night after the results show, Ryan Seacrest flipped the coin to determine who would choose the performance order for Tuesday’s show and according to “The Hollywood Reporter,” Scotty won, but…

He gave the choice to Lauren and she wisely chose to go second, meaning she will be the last performer we see Tuesday night.

Could Scotty’s chivalry have cost him the title? I think it could be a problem for him since you know she’s going to have that whole All-American girl in the gorgeous gown singing the beautiful ballad thing going for her.

What do you guys think? Do you think the coin flip really matters?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Top 3 Performance Show: Did America Get It Right?

So at this point, I always ask the question, Did America get it right? I’m a little torn because I don’t think they picked the best singer from this week, but they didn’t pick a bad singer either. And since they gave us the finale we all expected—until last night—I’m okay with it.

And now, we move on to the finale. Some people have said a Lauren-Scotty finale would be boring since they’re both country, but I think they’re so evenly matched it will be fun. And it will be interesting to see who the judges shower with praise…

But after seeing tonight’s Homecoming videos, I believe even more than ever that this thing is Scotty’s to lose.

What do you guys think? Are you okay with the finale? And do you think Scotty’s got this thing wrapped up?

Let’s discuss…


And don't forget that there will be LOTS of news coming out in the next few days, starting with the coin toss, so keep checking back for all the latest...