March 2007 News Archive

American Idol fans are familiar with Simon, Randy and Paula.

But what about Rickey Minor? As the show's music director, Minor made a major change in the show when he took over in 2005, ditching the karaoke-style canned tunes in favor of a live band. Here's an Associated Press interview with him:

AP: Why does live music make a difference on American Idol?
Minor: The ability to change on a dime is priceless. You can't do that (on tape). And the credibility. We have people like Chris Daughtry who could have never come on this show and been impactful doing rock. It's karaoke. Still some of the kids sound karaoke, but at least with the live band, it gives them what the top professionals in the world not only expect but get when they work with me. They're getting what Stevie Wonder gets. They're getting what Whitney and Beyonce get. This is what Aretha Franklin sings to. It's like a high school basketball team getting Phil Jackson to coach them, and Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are all on your team.

AP: How does working on American Idol compare to the Grammys?
Minor: Working on Idol, we have the kids and the experience varies. Some are musicians, like Taylor Hicks had his own band already, so he had experience working with a band. Kellie Pickler had never sang with a band in her life. Carrie Underwood lived on a farm, so she just sang at home walking around with the cows. As far as the musicians, I have a core rhythm section and I change the strings and horns every week, just to spread the work around and let other musicians experience the show.

Having that kind of energy around you is great and hopefully it's contagious to the kids. The pros get the same thing. So (I) get people like Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera on top of their game. I can go on the awards shows with them and they want to go on with me because they know that I'm going to raise the level. They want to bring in some heavy hitters, and I'll bring in the best arrangers, the best musicians that are available.

AP: What is it about Idol that connects with so many people?
Minor: It's taking an average, ordinary person and changing the course of their life. It shows that whatever you want out of your life, you can actually do it. People become entrenched in the stories and they're pulling for these people — it's personal now, it's not even about the singing. And it's one of the few shows on television that the whole family can sit and watch. The grandmothers love it because Tony Bennett is going to be on the show or they're going to sing Moon River. So it sparks conversation with the family.

AP: What's on your iPod?
Minor: Everything that I work on. In my car I listen to satellite and I listen to pretty much jazz because I'm a jazz head. I'm a jazzer. It's the thing I love because there are no boundaries. You can play one note a million times and approach it differently every time, and no two solos are the same. It's cerebral for me yet I can enjoy it. People send me demos but I don't listen to them. There's only so much you can listen to. It's like smelling perfume: how much can you smell before you're numb?

Jordin Sparks is only 17 years old. But she sings like she's been in the business for years.

Maybe that's because the daughter of a former NFL star has been dancing and carrying a tune since she was a tyke. Here Jordin is at three years old ... and on the American Idol stage.

Meanwhile, Gina Glocksen is gaining momentum in the competition, as well. Here are side-by-side photos of this rocker gal as a child and an adult:

As hopefuls such as Melinda Doolittle yearn to land on this list in the future, let's take a look at past American Idol contestants and their current radio popularity:

• Daughtry: It's Not Over is hanging in there at 8 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, the overall multi-format grab-bag. It was No. 8 last week and has no bullet, exactly the same story as on the similar national radio airplay audience chart USA TODAY uses.

• Carrie Underwood: Before He Cheats is still moving up on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, 34-30, after 29 weeks (it's been as high as 23), while the newer Wasted is up 36-34. On the Pop 100, Cheats is up 29-26, and it moves 18-15 on Adult Top 40. Meanwhile, Wasted goes 3-3 with a bullet on the Country chart.

• Katharine McPhee: still can't crack the Hot 100 Airplay chart with Over It, but she's up 28-27 (bullet) on the Pop 100 and regains a bullet with a 37-37 move on the Adult Top 40 chart after falling from 32 the previous week.

• Jennifer Hudson: Sashays sideways 58-58 (no bullet) on the Hot 100 Airplay chart with And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. The Dreamgirls song is down 17-19 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it peaked at No. 14, but it's 3-3 with a bullet on the Adult R&B list.

• Fantasia Barrino: Her new one, When I See U, is up 31-27 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and 17-16 (bullet) on the Adult R&B chart.

• Ruben Studdard: Change Me is still on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart (36-43 after 34 weeks) and the Adult R&B chart (7-8 after 35 weeks and a previous residency at No. 1). The newer Make Ya Feel Beautiful is up 48-45 on the R&B/Hip-Hop listing and 12-12 (bullet) on Adult R&B.

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As is a weekly tradition, the latest American Idol victim recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly. Here's some of what Chris Sligh had to say ...

Have you rewatched the performance?
I went back and watched it like 15 times on YouTube and I was like, ''I really don't think it was off.'' But I had packed my bags Wednesday morning because I know enough about the show to know that you don't get horrible comments like that and get to stay.

Well, maybe you get to bottom three, but were you shocked you were the one going home?
I knew [Phil Stacey] wasn't going home because he did really well. He and I are really close and we're roommates now. And Haley Scarnato has had two or three weeks where she's been on the rise because of her hot pants. With her rising and because of my last few weeks, I knew I was falling, so I was about 99.5 percent sure I was going home.

I hear you made a bet with Phil...
Yeah, I made a bet during the day with Phil Stacey that I was going home so I got $50. But it was good because I went around to Dean and Miles, the hair stylist and clothing stylist, and said, ''I really appreciate everything you've done.'' They were like, ''Why are you saying that? You're not going home.'' And I was like, ''Yes, I am.''

I was so surprised how apologetic you were to the judges because throughout the season you've really spoken your mind to them. Why so meek this week?
I have kept my mouth shut since the whole comment I made to Simon Cowell about ''Just because I don't sound like Il Divo or the Teletubbies....'' I had a blog up before the show that they had me take down, but the comments people leave go right to my email account. I got hate mail from people saying they hoped I would die or get kicked off the show. People took what I said to Simon as disrespectful but it wasn't. It freaked me out. I went, ''Holy crap.'' There are people who are literally crazy over American Idol. So I just really bit my tongue for the past few weeks.

Tell me more about your fondness for crocheting, knitting, and bongo drums. And did you get that fan question from Ryan ahead of time or was that a spur-of-the-moment response?
No, we got the question ahead of time. I came up with something funny but then people took it as being sarcastic. I was like, ''I'm just being silly!'' When did America stop having a sense of humor? But you know the thing that's great is I'm number 10 on this show. It's given me and my band much more exposure than I ever could have imagined without a major-label deal. Yeah, there are people I would have liked to have made it further than, but if I'm smart and make the right choices I won't ever have to work a real job. I'll just be able to do what I love doing.

What were you going to sing during Tony Bennett week?
I was gonna sing, ''Give Me a Kiss to Build a Dream On.'' I was really excited. I thought that might be my comeback.

What was your take on the comment that a Bob Jones University spokesman made about being disappointed with the musical direction you went in?
I'm trying to think of how to put this in a way that's nice... It's a sect of Christianity that puts their heads in the sand and doesn't want to engage the world around them. I've talked about it on the show, that I was not able to listen to pop music growing up. To them, it's literally a sin for me to sing pop or rock music. I almost feel sorry for them because life is so much bigger than what they're seeing but at the same time I can respect their beliefs and say, ''God bless you.''

That's very turn-the-other-cheek of you. On another deep topic, do you think taking your glasses off a few weeks ago did you in?
Glasses off was a bad choice. But I didn't want to be against trying new things and trying to improve upon my look. There were several people on the show who were like, ''Yeah! Try it without glasses!'' At least if you look at the songs I did, I took a lot of chances. That was the way I wanted to go out. I would have rather done ''Every Little Thing'' than ''Give a Little Bit.''

The following represent standings on the Billboard album chart ...

• Elliott Yamin actually beat Daughtry this week, finishing at number-three. But Chris' solid sales continue: 76,000, down from 80,000 the previous week, and he tops the 2 million mark at 2.04 million. He stays at No. 4 on the chart.

• Carrie Underwood drops out of the top 10 again, pushed out by four debuts. She drops from No. 10 to No. 15, selling 38,000 (down 11% from 42,000 rounded), and her total is 5.12 million.

• Katharine McPhee has her first good sales news in a while: She sellx 11,000 (up from 10,000). Small step, but if the airplay on the single continues to kick in, it could be the first harbinger of a resurgence. Total: 270,000.

• Kellie Pickler is down substantially, 109-131, selling 6,700, compared to 7,500 the previous week. Total's 478,000.

• Fantasia Barrino also falls, 125-139, selling 6,200, down from 6,800. Total is 330,000.

• Off the chart, Taylor Hicks  joins the ranks of the intrepid, but modestly selling Idol crew. Taylor sold 3,400 - the No. 200 album sold a bit less than 4,100, which was what Taylor sold last week. His total is 661,000.

It wasn't a huge shock last night when Chris Sligh was given the boost on the American Idol results show. The 'Fro Patrol had lost a lot of momentum over the last few weeks.

Still, we think Phil Stacey - despite his solid performance Tuesday night - shows less charisma and has less of a future in the business than Sligh does.

But it doesn't matter how we feel. Chris is gone. And, as you can see below, Haley Scarnato is quite relieved it wasn't her.

Here's what Debra Byrd, vocal coach and arranger for American Idol, had to say about some show-related topics:

LaKisha Jones: "I think she's a wonderfully humble young lady. She carries herself very well, but quietly. They're all excited. She's excited, too.

My first encounter was she has to learn to speak less. I say that to all of them. This is more singing than they will do in their entire lives. We women can be very chatty.

You have to learn to be on vocal silence and rest your voice, so I told her to use voice mail and text messaging. Unless it's your mom and daughter, you don't have to speak to a lot of people.

The hardest thing for her to learn is how to conserve her voice. ... Kelly Clarkson had the exact same problem. You'd be in a room full of people and I could hear Kelly yelling over people. LaKisha has that same thing. She's learning to conserve and I applaud her. She's just great. Everybody's crazy about her."

Jennifer Hudson: "I used to say to Jennifer Hudson all that time that I knew she'd be perfect for that role (Effie in Dreamgirls, for which she won an Academy Award). Everything she did was loud and big.

The word I used with her was restraint. You don't have to sing to the top of the balcony every time you sing a song. You can pull it back. That's something Jennifer Hudson had to learn. LaKisha is learning that as well."

Gina Glocksen: "She has come into her own so magnificently. I love that girl for her perseverance alone. This is her fourth time trying out for American Idol. I love that girl so much. She works hard and it pays off. That girl has a big heart."

Sanjaya Malakar: "Sanjaya won't practice in front of his mom, which drives her crazy. She knows what her son is not; she knows how he won't present himself.

He says, 'I'm OK, I'll be fine.' He's not fine. We're watching him not be fine. I feel for her. These kids are not prepared. They think they are. They are not, but they don't get it."

A bold stance, indeed. But this is how Edna Gundersen of USA Today sees it ...

The question tantalizes and terrorizes American Idol viewers: What if Sanjaya Malakar wins?

The toothy teen with the big hair — crafted into a fauxhawk Tuesday night — and minimal voice sailed into the top 10 last week, ensuring a spot on this summer's Idol tour. If he skates through tonight's elimination round (Fox, 9 ET/PT), the fuss over his confounding staying power is bound to intensify.

In the short run, his presence makes for spirited debate, but if Sanjaya is standing in the winner's circle, "it would destroy credibility the show's built up in the past five seasons," music consultant Tom Vickers says. "Instead of 30 million viewers a week, it might draw 20 million."

A Sanjaya victory "will ruin the show," says fan Catherine Schloss of Folsom, Calif. "If he wins, I really don't think American Idol will be back."

Says Bryce Smart of Seattle, "The franchise would be cheapened greatly, perhaps beyond repair." He says Idol's integrity would be shattered if Sanjaya wins or even outlasts a superior talent such as LaKisha Jones.

Radio host Howard Stern and votefortheworst.com have rallied Sanjaya support, but they "have very little influence when you're talking about 30 million votes," says Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. "People with talent have always won it. We've lost really good people a little too early, and sometimes the Sanjayas, Chicken Littles and John Stevens have lasted a little longer perhaps."

An upset isn't unprecedented. The Eurovision song contest that launched ABBA globally in 1974 shocked many when voters gave the 2006 prize to Finnish horror metal group Lordi.

So, could Malakar record a marketable album? Possibly, says USA TODAY's Idol coach Don Waller, suggesting the enlistment of Swedish pop maestro Max Martin, who propelled 'N Sync and Britney Spears.

"I see Sanjaya as a Leif Garrett or Shaun Cassidy. He can talk-sing light ballads and uptempo kid-friendly pop. Since looks are a big part of the sales job, they've got to take pages out of bubblegum. He has to do wistful puppy love stuff, no double entendres. Crotch-grabbing is a disconnect.

"I'm sure (BMG chief) Clive Davis can throw an army of producers at the kid. The guy can't sing? What's new? This archetype keeps coming back."

Forget Blake Lewis as a baby for a moment.

And remember back to an episode of American Idol when the singer alluded to his white trash alter-ego "Jimmie Walker Blue."

In this new video, Blake is in full-on hick disguise, walking through the Summer Meltdown Music Festival in his home state of Washington. It's a bit scary ...

Pop songs? Gwen Stefani? Let's just say we're a bit more excited for this night than last week's British invastion theme ...

- Lakisha Jones wants to dance the "Last Dance" to start things off. The judges are positive, but we're feeling as though this great crooner has limited song range.

- It's rare when Chris Sligh admits that he's having difficulty - but that happens here after his rendition of a classic by The Police. Simon is especially displeased. The 'Fro Patrol will have to step up voting this week.

- Nothing too special about the next performance by Gina Glocksen in our eyes. But, wow, the judges all love it. Maybe it's just the Pretenders song that got us down.

- Supposely, Sanjaya Malakar is singing right now. But we can't really tell. Far too distratced by that hair. If you can call it that. Anyway ... poor performance as usual. We're out of things to say about this guy.

- Maybe we're alone in this, but Haley Scarnato is making progress every week. This wasn't one of the best performances of the night, but it's good to see improvement from an artists on a weekly basis.

- Phil Stacey is great with his Police song ... but that doesn't mean he has any future as an Idol. With limited voice range, Stacey shouldn't remain in the competition much longer, tonight's solid singing be damned.

- While the crowd, Paula and Randy are in heaven over the job done by Melinda Doolittle, Simon correctly comments on her outfit choice. Sure, he's just trying to find something to criticize, but doesn't mean he's wrong in this case.

- Blake Lewis is in the finals, according to Paula. Simon says he's the best guy on the show. We can't argue with either statements.

- Hey Baby, Jordin Sparks chooses a No Doubt song. A fun one, too. The judges reward her for the risky pick, although it wasn't the easiest to pull off on Idol.

- We'll close the night with Chris Richardson. Who sings well. But he doesn't stand out too much and we fear he may end up back in the bottom two on the results show.