American Idol Blog: March 2006

TOP 10 LIVE PERFORMANCES

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 5:24 AM Posted by Night Owl

Ace Young - Drops of Jupiter:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682075/Ace_Young_-_Drops_Of_Jupiter.mp3

Bucky Covington - Real Good Man:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682100/Bucky_Covington_-_Real_Good_Man.mp3

Chris Daughtry - What If:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682129/Chris_Daughtry_-_What_If.mp3

Elliot Yamin - I Don't Wanna Be:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682169/Elliott_Yamin_-_I_Don_t_Wanna_Be.mp3

Katharine Mcphee - The Voice Within:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682196/Katharine_Mcphee_-_The_Voice_Within.mp3

Kellie Pickler - Suds in a Bucket:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682212/Kellie_Pickler_-_Suds_In_A_Bucket.mp3

Lisa Tucker - Because of You:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682274/Lisa_Tucker_-_Because_Of_You.mp3

Mandisa - I Wanna Praise You:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682299/Mandisa_-_I_Wanna_Praise_You.mp3

Paris Benett - Work it Out:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682319/Paris_Benett_-_Work_It_Out.mp3

Taylor Hicks - Trouble:
http://rapidshare.de/files/16682342/Taylor_Hicks_-_Trouble.mp3

I think the top 3 of the night are:
1. Paris Benett
2. Elliot Yamin
3. Mandisa

Although Katharine McPhee got positive feedbacks from the 3 judges including Simon, i don't think she did justice to Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within."

The worst of the night is no other than Lisa Tucker. When season 5 is just beginning, a lot of people is rooting for Lisa to be the next American Idol. But as the show goes on, Lisa is consistently losing her spark.

TOP 12 LIVE PERFORMANCES MP3s

Friday, March 17, 2006 at 10:08 PM Posted by Night Owl

Ayla, Gedeon Discuss Idol Ousters

at 8:41 PM Posted by Night Owl

And then there were 12. As reiterated by the nifty little "countdown" scorecard that Fox sent out to reporters this week, Season 5 of American Idol now is down to its dynamic dozen (my term — use it if you like!) finalists. Joining Kinnik Sky and Will Makar in the quartet cut last Thursday were a pair of 17-year-olds: high-school hoops star Ayla Brown and he of the megawatt smile, Gedeon McKinney, both of whom spoke with reporters the day after their dismissal.

AYLA BROWN ON...

... whether greater Idol success would have sunk her Boston College basketball scholarship:
"[The BC representative's] response to my father was, 'We are so incredibly proud of Ayla and what she's done with her music career. She has put Boston College on the map. If she does make it to the top 10 where she goes on tour, we'll have to red-shirt her for a year, but of course she has her scholarship and spot on the team.'"

... singing the National Anthem — at her own games!
"Yes, I would definitely love to sing at the games because that's where I started out. I wasn't even a performance singer until I tried out for American Idol. I was just doing National Anthems at Red Sox and Patriots games and events like that. It's almost second nature to me."

... pre-ouster suspense:
"During a commercial break, I gave Melissa [McGhee] a hug and said, 'Listen, whatever happens happens, and we're going to get through it no matter what the outcome may be.' And she goes, 'You know what, you're right.' We then said good luck to each other and that was the end of it. I wouldn't want to do it again, I'll tell you that."

... the shock of being sent home:
"It wasn't mostly shock [that I felt], it was more of a disappointment in myself, almost like a sense of failure. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach like something bad was going to happen, and it was lasting all throughout the day and throughout the results show. When [Ryan Seacrest] told me [I was out], that was the hardest part for me, knowing that the silver shiny seat was so close but yet so far away."

... second-guessing her song choice:
"Simon [Cowell] had told all of us young kids, 'Pick something that is age-appropriate,' so I went and researched songs. The first that came to mind was [Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten']. It was one where I could show my personality... where I could have fun and really show that I am 17, not a tall-looking girl who's prete nding to be 30. It was a risk, but I was willing to take that risk. I just didn't know that America would dislike it that much."

... being a "perfect girl" from a "perfect family":
"I think people do think that and assume that but believe me, [my life is] not perfect. My parents worked four jobs to support my sister and me and to enable me to do these sorts of things, so it's definitely hard to see people who don't like this side of me. But I thought this was more of a singing competition, not about what your parents do for a living. I guess I was wrong."

GEDEON MCKINNEY ON...

... raising money to travel to Idol competitions:
"My school let me put on a concert, and the students each paid $2 to get in. People gave me donations and... would bring, like, tips. That was pretty much it."

... why he was booted:
"I don't know why I was , but all I can say is it was God's will. I have to move on, by faith, and keep going. I have to stay focused, determined and disciplined and just move on."

... his megawatt smile:
"It's been with me since I come out of my mother's womb. That's been my trademark. That's the thing that attracts people from miles away. From Memphis to New York City, from Memphis to Los Angeles, they know Gedeon by his smile."

... the power of Randy, Paula and Simon:
"My case showed that the judges' vote didn't really have any [power] over the American vote because on Wednesday night I got all good comments, but [then still] went home. It really didn't matter. Like they say before the show comes on and after the show goes off: 'America, it's up to you.'"

... acting out:
"When I go back to school, I'm going to be in some plays to get my grade. After that, man, I would love to act. You can look at [how I was on TV] and tell I love to act. Anything dealing with entertaining people [and] making them happy."

... not appearing upset by his ejection:
"I was overwhelmed with joy. Over 100,000 people auditioned for the show, and I was one of the top 16. You see what I'm saying? I was thankful... so, so, thankful. They were expecting me to drop that smile and bring some tears, but I couldn't do it. What is there to cry for when I've been watched on television three times a week by 40 million people a night, so somebody had to see me. That's why, at the end of my song, I held out my hand. That was me saying, 'I'm here. Come and get me. I'm ready for the world.'"

Top 16 MP3s

Friday, March 10, 2006 at 8:03 PM Posted by Night Owl

On Sway and Ace

Friday, March 03, 2006 at 7:26 PM Posted by Night Owl

Ace Young is the complete packaging of an American Idol, has the most (as Simon defines it) "likeability factor" among the guys and he can sing. But when it comes to voice , I think Fil-Am Jose "Sway" Penala has the edge over him. Ace Young's rendition of Daniel Beddingfield's "If You're Not the One" was horrendous but he received "mild" criticisms from the judges. He didn't nailed the false part of the song leaving the the audience shortchanged. On the other hand, Sway's rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" was alright. A little lack of confidence but i think he nailed it. Like what the judges said, it wasn't the right song to sing at this moment because you can't help but being compared to the original when doing a song by icons like Stevie Wonder. Same thing happened with Heather Cox by choosing a Mariah Carey piece, remember? She was compared to Mariah.

But i think the result would have been different if Jose "Sway" Penala did the Daniel Beddingfield song instead of Ace. I think Sway can hit the false part of the song and own the song unlike Ace regardless of how he looks. Sway was booted out because of an underrated performance but i certainly think it's not bottom 5 performance of the night. Sway was judged 70% of his looks and only 30% of his talent. I thought they're rooting for talents this season but i guess it has to be total packaging still. Looks + Talent = American Idol packaging. And Sway is lowest in the "looks" category.

Nevertheless, a big congratulations to Sway for making this far as Top 20. I guess he's no. 17 since he was the last to be booted out. Randy Jackson was even shocked on his inclusion in the bottom 3. But hey, this is a reality competition and it's beyond our control. Sway's out. At least it has been a good exposure for him to land a record deal. Good luck Sway. Thanks for making us Filipinos proud. Mabuhay Ka!