For the record: we don't care about the sexuality of Ryan Seacrest.
As long he continues his witty banter with Simon Cowell, we're pleased.
But some people care about this sort of thing. Such Seacrest himself, evidently. We overheard him whispering to Melinda Doolittle during the results show Wednesday night ...
Verne Gay of New York Newsday thinks so. He's what he has to say about Melinda Doolittle ...
TV critics don't have much else to do they often sit around thinking deep thoughts about Jack Bauer's mental health or that amazing bathing suit Tyra Banks wore on "America's Next Top Model."
But sometimes they get bored and switch disciplines altogether. Forced to watch American Idol every week, they dive really deep and wearily wonder, will a truly great female singer ever emerge from this pleasant little talent contest? (Considering the woeful male turnout this season, they almost never bother with the question about a potential Sinatra.)
I'm not just talking "good" or "terrific" or "swell." I'm talking Judy Garland-great. Lady Day-great. Or ... Dinah Shore ... Peggy Lee ... Barbra Streisand ... Julie London ... Aretha Franklin ... Lena Horne ... Gladys Knight ... Put your own favorite name here.
Or, dare I even think such a blasphemous thought: Could American Idol even turn out another Ella Fitzgerald?
Reflexively, the answer is - no way, dumbkopf. The great ones typically have other means of career advancement beyond Idol. It's called "an agent."
But what if ... what if ...?
This is why one Melinda Doolittle, 29, of Brentwood, Tenn., is the single most electrifying performer on American Idol in six seasons.
That Doolittle has already won American Idol is a foregone conclusion. Everyone knows this, or everyone should know this, or everyone will know this in just about two months' time.
But here's the more remarkable thing to consider. Doolittle is, indeed, the potential Great One. She is not merely the finest singer from this season - there is absolutely no point in debating this - but the finest singer on Idol ever.
There's no debating me on this either. Of course, you won't take my word, nor should you, so go to YouTube and check out some other so-called landmark performances, like Fantasia Barrino's "Summertime" or a couple of standards sung by Jennifer Hudson, both during the show's third season.
In the cold light of YouTube, they are merely OK.
Go back to Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.
Yeah, good. Nice. Fine. Ho-hum. Yaawwwwnnnnn.
Now, go to Melinda Doolittle.
Two weeks ago, she sang Charlie Smalls' "Soon As I Get Home" from "The Wiz." This is a technically difficult song, full of sudden key changes, and tempo breaks, and encompasses pretty much the entire musical scale, while the singer foolish enough to attempt it must maintain absolute command over every single note, or risk demolishing in an instant the spell it casts.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
Standing out among a pack of great singers is nothing new for American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle, who has wowed fellow musicians in the recording studio for years.
Doolittle, who lives in Brentwood, is one of the strongest contestants on this season's Idol, and many believe she will make the top three along with Lakisha Jones and Jordin Sparks, the Arizona teen who sang with Michael W. Smith on two Christmas tours. She has worked as a background singer in Nashville since graduating from Belmont University in 1999, performing with the likes of Anointed and Martha Munizzi.
After years of being in the background, she appears ready to take center stage.
That's exactly what she did during a 2005 recording session for an album benefiting Hurricane Katrina victims. She was one of four background singers enlisted to perform a soulful, prayer-like a cappella version of "When the Saints" for After the Storm: Rebuilding Lives⦠Reclaiming Hope, said Steve Siler, director of Music for the Soul, a Nashville-based, not-for-profit Christian ministry.
"As we did the arrangement, it became clear that somebody should be the soloist, to lead off and close it," he said. "As fate would have it, Melinda sang the first verse and chorus by herself. She was also the lead and the other girls harmonized with her throughout the rest of the song. She ended the song all by herself with no instruments."
Siler is pleased that the rest of America is finally learning what Nashville music insiders have known all along: Doolittle is a true vocal talent.
"The people that are hearing her on American Idol are all freaking out about how much better she is than the other contestants, but she has been a top-quality background singer in Nashville and on the road for a long time," he said. "That gives her an advantage in a situation like American Idol because they ask them to sing so many different songs. She has experience in singing them all."
Doolittle's down-to-earth, decidedly un-diva-like warmth has endeared her to Idol viewers, and Siler said the "shrinking-violet type" singer showed the same likable humility to her colleagues.
"She has a marvelous sense of humor, which was hinted at last week, when they asked her what the hardest thing was and she said, 'Wearing high heels and a dress.' One singer said in all the years she has known Melinda, she never saw her in a dress until American Idol."
FOX is currently not letting Doolittle conduct interviews, but last month she told The Tennessean: "The only thing I can say is, 'I am always in it to win it. I want to succeed at anything I put my hand into. ' "
SOURCE: The Tennessean
Thanks to The Christian Post for this look at three American Idol finalists ...
Several Christians made the big cut to make it as the final 12 competitors in this year's American Idol: Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, and Chris Sligh have all sang their way into America's homes - and each of them share a link to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) to some degree.
The trio stands as an achievement for Christians as they help break stereotypes in mainstream media, which has often looked down upon the Christian genre as lower in quality. Moreover, in addition to proving that people of faith can sing, these contestants are also becoming witnesses for Christ.
âI want them (non-believers) to know that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and that God has a plan for their life,â explained Sparks in her online e-profile at the GMA website. âI want them to see and hear that being a Christian and singing about it isn't weird!â
Each of the three artists has strong Christian accolades backing themselves.
Sparks and Sligh both have roots back to the GMA Music in the Rockies - a showcase event for aspiring, often unsigned, songwriters and artists in the Christian music industry. Today's renowned professional artists also attend to help these amateurs mature.
Sligh took home first place in the Pop-Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Song category during the conference in 2003 for writing "Only You Remain."
Sparks became the Overall Spotlight Winner at the 2004 GMA Academy in Washington, D.C., and grabbed top prize in the Country/Southern Gospel category.
As for Doolittle, she has performed as a backup singer in Nashville, home to most of today's Christian chief artists.
Now that they have all reached the current round, the twelve remaining singers on American Idol will all compete together and be eliminated one by one every week until a winner is crowned.
Last week, Sligh resonated one of Christian music's greatest hits by singing dcTalk's "We Just Wanna Be Loved."
When Melinda Doolittle first appeared before the American Idol judges, she sounded like a lifelong backup singer. There was a good reason for this, however.
Melinda Doolittle has been a lifelong backup singer.
Despite showing little confidence during her audition in Memphis, though, Melinda showed off a great voice. She was unanimously passed through to Hollywood and Simon Cowell called her "one of the best singers we've had."
Such praise shouldn't come as a major surprise to anyone that knows Melinda. She was a music major in college and has taken vocal lessons ever since. In her American Idol profile, Doolittle lists Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight as major influences.We can't argue with those choices; nor can we argue with a contestant that says her pre-singing rituals are just to "pray and warm up."
Based on performances so far, viewers around the country should be prepared for a lot more from Melinda - and Melinda should be prepared to remove the backup label from herself.
