April 2008 News Archive

After a rushed night of American Idol - during which the contestant each sang two Neil Diamond songs - the performance that stood out the most was that of Paula Abdul.

In mangling her critique of Jason Castro, and actually focusing on a rendition that hadn't taken place on the show yet, Abdul set a new, low standard, even for herself. (Watch the debacle now).

Anyway, Entertainment Weekly was on the scene last night. On reporter recounted the situation from her eat in the audience:

Ryan invited all the Idol contestants on stage and then had the judges run through their thoughts on the first half of the show. (Stage manager Debbie Williams had to step on stage herself to motion the Idols to come out to the stage, as if, perhaps, this half-way check-in wasn't entirely planned.)... then, with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and Debbie watching from the wings, it was Paula's turn.

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If you aren't familiar with Neil Diamond, folks, you will be after this night. The finalists are singing two of his songs each, while the judges won't critique them until after the first performance. Can Simon Cowell hold his tongue that long?

Jason Castro gets us started with "Forever in Blue Jeans." Tempo and song-type fits Castro's style, but we're not fans of the lack of immediate judging. Who will even remember this rendition in an hour?

Up next? David Cook. He responds to Ryan's question about preparing for Neil Diamond week by asking Ryan how he prepared for it. Seems like a prepared segment, as Ryan went right into an attempt at humor by describing how he used to sing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush.

Cook sings "I'm Alive." He's wearing a coat that reads "AC" in the top left; David's initials are "DC." Get it?, rock fans!?

Now Brooke White is singing "I'm a Believer." She's strumming a guitar, she's got a smile plastered on her face, she's trying to bop up and down. We're not buying it. Especially after the "whooo!" she just tossed in. That was really bad.

Back from commercial and Ryan casually strolls down the aisle, talking about how fans can own a piece of every performance, thanks to iTunes. And, wouldn't you know it, he walks right by Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson! No way that was planned. (Don't ask how we knew it was her, please.)

Diamond refers to David Archuleta as "kind of a prodigy." Well, this quasi prodigy sings "Sweet Caroline," causing a certain Yankee fan we know to think even less of him.

It's time for "Hello Again" from Syesha Mercado. Is it just us, or does she look different every week?!? Must be the hair or something.

Quick judge thoughts on round one:

- Simon didn't like any of the performances; Randy referred to Archuleta as the "bomb" and, well, Paula critiqued Jason's second song, even though he's only sang one so far. Ummm.. check it out NOW.

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There's only an hour-plus until show time, but here's a look at tonight's song list for American Idol, Neil Diamond style (each contestant will sing two songs):

• Brooke White -- "I Am ... I Said" and "I'm a Believer"
• Jason Castro -- "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "September Morn"
• David Archuleta -- "Sweet Caroline" and "America"
• Syesha Mercado -- "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" and "Hello Again"
• David Cook -- "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need Is You"

WRITE IN AFTER THE SHOW ENDS AND LET US KNOW YOUR FAVORITE PERFORMANCE!

American Idol is still the number-one rated show on TV. But it's ratings have decreased throughout season seven.

According to Broadcasting & Cable, Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman acknowledges the slide, stating: "We're not in denial. It's still the biggest show on TV, but that doesn't mean there are things we can't do. The feedback from this year, you'll probably see on the show next year."

Such as?

A market research survey that surfaced last week asks for a broad range of information, but fundamentally tries to discover what's working, what's not and who/what audiences want more (or less) of in future seasons.

Questions that focus on the judges ask respondents to say how much each panelist contributes to their "overall enjoyment of American Idol," on a scale from "very important" to "not important at all."

Perhaps the most telling of the questions, however, is an agreement-rating statement that has nothing to do with the judges, Ryan or auditions. It reads: "I care who wins American Idol."

How would you rate the statement? Do you actually care about the champion? What would you suggest to keep or ditch for next year and beyond?

American Idol finalists Jason Castro, David Archuleta, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado were all smiles at the launch of BritWeek 2008 in Los Angeles last week.

The event, which is the brainchild of American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, celebrates British contributions to the world of entertainment.

Kristy Lee Cook was on MTV's Total Request Live this week (alongside Fergie, apparently) and she showed off the engagement ring given to her last week by boyfriend Andrew Dobner.

Very good to see Kristy Lee doing so well after her American Idol elimination.

Carly Smithson recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss her experience on American Idol. Here are excerpts:

Entertainment Weekly: You were fantastic on Tuesday. What happened?
Carly Smithson: I have no idea. Who knows? It's American Idol, so I think I just have to kind of move on and have a good attitude about it. Everybody's going to leave at any time.

Entertainment Weekly: You seem to be taking it really well. You appeared to be in high spirits last night after being eliminated.
Carly Smithson: Obviously, I would have loved to go further. People are thinking this morning that I'm stoked to go home. That's not the case. I just feel like, what's the point in going out all upset and pissed off? There's no point. What happens happens. Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe when it's your time, it's your time, and I'm just excited now that I'm free to make a record. The show's only got a few weeks left.

It's not like I went out top 100 or whatever. I made the top 6. That's huge! I'm really, really pleased and very satisfied with that. I definitely think that's a huge achievement, and it's more than I ever thought I would get. So I'm stoked. I was stoked top 8, 7, whatever.

Read the full article now.

The most recent American Idol blog entry in The Los Angeles Times expresses shock and dismay over the elimination of Carly Smithson this week. Its general message:

It seems as though weekly performances don't matter at all. How else to explain Brooke White remaining on the show... despite having forgot the lyrics the night before? Here are excerpts from the insightful piece:

What we learned from this week’s results show isn’t pretty. The performances of any given week don’t matter on this season’s “Idol.” This is not, at this juncture, a singing competition. Nor does this season reward the virtues usually associated with champions -- courage, determination, a strong sense of self.

Carly Smithson’s booting is not simply unjust; it threatens to undermine the very premise of “American Idol.”

If this show is now officially about well-marketed personalities rather than vocal charisma or even dynamic performance skills, then why not make it a chronicle of the packaging of a pop star, more like MTV’s “Making the Band” or even (though I dread it) “The Search for the Next Doll”?

Read the complete article now - and let us know if you agree with it.

We still can't believe Carly Smithson got eliminated last night. Can you?

Sadly, though, the following American Idol video is proof of this shocking result. Check it out now:

It wasn't as shocking as the elimination of Michael Johns, but we didn't imagine anyone except Brooke White would get ousted from American Idol this week.

Instead, Carly Smithson was shown the door.

We're flabbergasted. It's nice viewers felt bad for Brooke after she forgot the lyrics Tuesday night and all, but come on - it was her time to go. Smithson's performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar" was inspired in our view.

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It was the end of the line for Carly Smithson tonight. Do you think she deserved to go?