It is one of those things which cannot escape you. [ Sort of that song by Kylie Minogue -Can't get you outta my head..for sure] You try and try, not to watch Idol every year, after the gimmicky horrendous weirdos at display year after year after year. But at last, somehow you just tend to give in. This year, I hardly followed Idol. The entire season8 of Idol was almost neglected by me like the children of slums in that Millionaire movie. But I could not help taking notice of some performances -worthy to mention are viz. Adam Lambert’s Crying (Aerosmith), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin), Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf) and Black or White (MJ). Yes, this season has been all about Adam Lambert. His vocals are flying all over the place. Not only is he flamboyant, stylish and has that extra edge of an image to carry the weight of a showbiz icon, he can sing his lungs out. His vocals remind me of Rob Halford (Judas Priest) I swear. And peeps might comment that he overdoes that. Well, lemme just say that you need to sell what you do best, innit! There were other horrors this season like Danny Gokey’s butchering of Dream On (Aerosmith) which might even make Cacophonix deaf. And then there was the Indian connection . But coming back to the final 2- Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, how did they perform at the first part of the Season 8 finale. Here we go:

It is indeed a shame how this entire season (after all the great performances that I recently caught up through the power of the Internet) has to be sucked into an awful finale night of awful songs written by the most awful judge in the American Idol History (including guest judges)-yeah, that Kara lady. Anyway, getting back to the performances; the two contestants were to perform three songs each; 1-Encore from a previously performed song on Idol; 2- Song chosen by Idol honcho Simon Fuller; 3-Winner’s single-Written by Kara.

Adam Lambert goes first with -Mad World (Tears for Fears)

Judges verdict:
Randy: Loved the fog and the long coat
Kara: You are an incredible artist
Paula: You gave us a theatrical taste
Simon: It was a bit over theatrical — it reminded me of Phantom of the Opera

My call: It was a bit OTT theatrical, something on the lines of Dracula meets the musical. Did no justice for Adam’s vocal range and definitely not for his finale showcase. The staging overshadowed the vocals and the performance, and the arrangement wasn’t exciting enough. Too many complaints from this performance but we love Adam anyway!!

First down, it’s Kris Allen – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)

Judges verdict:
Randy: One of your best performances ever.
Kara: You sing to everyone in the audience
Paula: You are an artist
Simon: America made the right choice to put you in the Finale — Round One goes to Kris!

My call: This was genuinely a good performance, original rendition of the unforgettable song by Bill Withers. Also, he is playing the piano and showcasing his musical talents – always a plus on a finale. Deffo, round 1 goes to Kris.

ROUND 2: Adam Lambert-A Change is Gonna come (Sam Cooke)
Judges verdict:
Randy: You can sing your face off
Kara: Your winning combination is using both sides of yourself
Paula: That was the best I’ve heard you sing – You are iconic!
Simon: You are 100% back in the game

My call: Very apt song choice. Indeed very Barack Obama!!(lol) And of course, the best part is he nailed the vocals in this one. The vocals have a very bluesy inclination (unlike most of Adam’s previous performances), and I really loved this performance. And of course, the signature “open-mouth-combat-high-pitch” rampage was indeed shown-off. Way to go Adam. Idol belongs to thee!

Kris Allen- What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Judges Verdict:
Randy: It was just a little light
Kara: You make people change
Paula: You torn that song up
Simon: It was like 3 friends in a bedroom strumming to Marvin Gaye.

My call: Indeed it was more relaxed and a laid back performance. But I would say, it was a good one, especially coz Kris showed confidence, and brought a good feel to this song on-stage. Not a very memorable one though. Round 2-Adam

Final Round: Adam Lambert-Winners Single-No Boundaries

Before I pass on what the judges said, lemme just add in:-Yuck….Yuck!!!
Judges verdict:
Randy: It was pitchy
Kara: I’m moved. Thank you.
Paula: I’m in awe.
Simon: I’m not going to judge that song, I’m going to judge you. You are a worldwide star.

My call: This was a shit of a song. Not only ordinary shit, but the dirtiest, most brown poo that you can ever hear on Idol. I am not holding back anything, neither exaggerating. The song is so bad that it almost drowns Adam Lambert’s performance. Kara is for sure not returning next season.

Kris Allen:Winner’s Single-No Boundaries
Judges Verdict:
Randy: Good luck!
Kara: I don’t want you to be judged on that song (that I composed — LOL)
Paula: You deserve where you are.
Simon: You deserve to be here tonight.

My call: The song still sucks. I think Kara should be fired in public, on the Finale night. As for Kris, I definitely think that he deserves to have made it this far.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Will Adam Lambert win it?
He is showy. As Simon puts it- he has a swagger. And he is everyone’s favourite to win. But will a nation vote someone who is extremely, flamboyantly gay. It is indeed a political issue and the bigger picture is that the show business is ( like it or not) homophobic. The show business and the music industry definitely has its own set of conformity rules – and that questions me if Adam Lambert winning Idol would mean he would have to conform to the many creative restrictions that a record deal would bring with it. Lemme just say this. If Chris Daughtry would have won Idol Season 5 instead of Taylor Hicks, would he be as big as he is today, releasing a self-titled album. I would definitely like Lambert to win this, but not at the cost of his musical talent being compromised. If it takes to lose Idol for Lambert to sustain as a top selling artist, I think losing Idol is actually the better result. What you say? Of course, even if Lambert does lose Idol, I can bet my laptop that Simon Cowell would definitely sign him up with his own label (the one he has with Sony BMG, and its called SyCo..named after his initials, nothing to do with his mental state).

So Cheers to this year’s American Idol. May the best man win!!! Check the liveblogging of the Finale results show on Rickey.org

Yes, it is the season finale. And we have had some disappointments to have finally arrived at this stage where we witness the showdown of the Davids. The second finale to have two males, the only one with both finalists sharing the same first name, and yes, the race seems to be pretty tight. And looking back at the

season, it seems like these two are the only ones who have consistently tried to better every performance and in a way were actually in here to win unlike the others. So enough said, it’s the NOKIA theatre. How many times have to listen that from Randy? I miss the Kodak. Ryan is in make up. Check out his glowing skin and yeah, he plucked his eyebrows. And he welcomes the 7000 members of the crowd, the three judges, and the final Two- Archuleta and Cook. What was so lame about the finale today was the Boxing Metaphor. Oh, that was so much in bad taste, but then, it wouldn’t be Idol otherwise.

So here we go. Round one: Clive Davis: CEO, Sony BMG chooses.
David Cook begins: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – U2
Very good song choice. Loved his performance and he seemed quite confident on this one. Now this is what I’m talking about. Cook is much better of a performer , may be Archuleta is the better singer. But then, I can already say Cook is ready to sell records. He is what actually Idol is all about. And yes he winds up with “rock out” stretching vocals. Yeah!!!.

Archuleta goes in next: “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” – Elton John
Umm hmm. Sir Elton is a brilliant vocalist. To sing this song live is really something. And Archuleta does it. Very smooth and very very Archie. Bravo Clive Davis for the song choice. To me, Cook takes round 1, but then, I knew that Randy is going to love this one more. Paula remains the diplomatic one that she is. And Simon calls this one the best of Archuleta, and also declares round 1 to him. WTF!

Round 2:New Song: Contestant Choice

Yes, one of those cheesy lyrics talking of how great the moment is and how friends and family and all that, have been put to tune.
Cook: “Dream Big” – Emily Shackleton
This is not the typical song that I expected it to be. Very rich chorus and very much like a current track playing on the radio which I want to know. The orchestration got a bit haywire in between but Cook just kept kicking his vocals. In the words of Randy, “You were singing your face off”. Can be a single today. Definitely is gonna be one courtesy iTunes.

Archuleta:”In This Moment” – Ryan Gilmore
Ok, this one is the typical song that I was talking about. Won’t discuss it anymore. Archie sings with the default settings embedded in him. Yeah, this one is that ballad that Archie has to sing. Just a very poor song. Does nothing to me. And no Randy, a song does matter. Archie is no doubt a good singer. But then, Cook swept this round by his rock.

Last round: Contestant’s choice

Cook: “The World I Know” – Collective Soul
Why oh why? Simon is correct. You should’ve done a Billy Jean or a Hello. Why this song? Not suited for the final performance of Idol. Utterly disappointed. But then, Cook says that Idol has always been a progressive process and why do something which he has done before? We will see.

Archuleta: “Imagine”- John Lennon
While Cook went for being progressive, Archie chose to go for the winner. The most downloaded iTunes song of the season arguably. There is no way that can go wrong. It’s Imagine for Pete’s sake. What else is left to be said. I think Cook blew this one away right at the moment. Or it is not still late.

Cook fans go ahead and vote, because you do know who is the REAL DEAL. David Cook embodies the real image of American Idol down to the last inch. And even if all predictions point to the baby face, I’d still go for David Cook and it would be good and very exciting to watch a rocker win. Go Cookies.

The Top 5 have been revealed. And am I happy with it? There has been one major setback/upset which I shall be talking about at length in a while. But first, the Top 5. It comprises of the frontrunners- The Davids -Cook and Archuleta, and the rest- Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro and Brooke White. For one, I do believe that Jason and Brooke just don’t have it in them to be winners and even eventually go ahead and sell records.Firstly Jason, who is just banking on his “blue eyes” and the cute guy smile to woo all those American teen chicks to vote for him. He is just a very repetitive singer, and throughout the competition his performances have all been acoustic.Nothing wrong about that. He even gave some good ones - Hallelujah and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. But the rest of them are just as repetitive. Brooke on the other hand looks like a very weak performer.She messed up onstage twice, has a very vulnerable quality to her vocals, which means her vocals break down too often and they have gone off-pitch at many instances. Add to that I can’t remember a single performance of hers which was remarkable. So I just do not bother if she leaves the competition next week, or even if Jason left. I’d also not be yupset if it was Syesha to leave next week, unless she belts out a killer Neil Diamond song.

As for the major upset of the season- that is Michael Johns. The Dolly Parton week were he performed “It’s so wrong , but it’s alright” was his Idol moment for me. More than his now-famous, Hollywood week “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Michael Johns has a strong and pwerful vocal line and he can surely boast of the sheer quality. Freddie Mercury vocals suits the tag.Inspirational Songs week, when he performed Dream On, it was more of the “first song curse” which made him leave, rather than the weakness of his performance. Of course, Steven Tyler is THE VOCALIST, and no one can do Dream On as Tyler did and does even now. But, Michael Johns version (bit abridged, but he even tried bits of the falsetto in the end and did it successfully) was good and memorable as one of the hot-ones of that night. I really was pissed of thinking what the hell were Kristy Lee Cook, Jason castro, Brooke White and Carly Smithson still doing in the competition, while this Aussie guy who just did an Aerosmith song has to leave. For those who still don’t believe me, believe your ears and watch this remarkable performance of Michael’s It’s so wrong, but it’s alright”. The arrangement is just so RIGHT!

But then, as they say, at the end ther’s only one Idol. who’s it gonna be? Well, looking at the performances so far, the judges comments, the fanb following, the online polls, the iTunes downloads, the sheer talent of the singer and my own gut-feeling, I will go with -David Cook. He has IT. As Simon would put it-the X Factor. As Paula would put it- the whole ‘package’.LOL. And as Randy would say ‘ Dude! You are the one to Be. That’s a Bomb!!”. He is very intelligent with his song choice, the arrangements are done with intense efforts and lastly, he has the looks to carry the title. But then, I could really care less, after we see that Daughtry ruling the charts while Taylor Hicks is….where is he? (Idol publicises more of Daughtry, Katherince McPhee,Elliot Yamin and even Kelly Pickler rather than the season winner Hicks. What a shame!!). As they say, they are all winners. Yeah right! Look at the last season. I couldn’t disagree more. Last Season’s Idol finalists had a bunch of loohoo–saahaars. Jordin Sparks wouldn’t even feature in the Top 10 if it was for this season. The only respected ladies in the last season of Idol were-Melinda and Lakisha. And well, Blake and Chris Richardson were just too forgettably pop.Compared to that, this year the Top 5 looks like a well-deserving one , except for Jason and Brooke. Who could be the right ones,if it was left to me? Well, Michael Johns of course and perhaps Carly, based on her last performance “Jesus christ Superstar”.But then, you can’t be absolutely perfect. Otherwise,it wouldn’t be Idol, right?

Image Courtesy: americanidol.com

There are ways you can avoid wasting your Thursday Nights in India from watching American Idol Results night. There are reasons why you shouldn’t be watching them. For starters, it isn’t live and of course no matter how much you want your favorite to stick around, unfortunately you can’t do anything about it. So it is much better to just go to rickey.org or TVSquad.com for the Results update and switch on to your other favorite shows on Thursday night.Coming back to the topic- The American Idol Season 7 Top 9 has been revealed and Chikezie has been eliminated. His wrong song choice on last night’s show (Luther Vandross – If Only for One Night) showed him the exit door. What was surprising was the Bottom 3. The Bottom 3 consisted of Randy’s fav – Syesha Mercado. C’mon after that stellar performance of “If I were Your Woman” she manages to go into that damned Bottom 3. Personally I felt, Carly and Ramiele should have been in the bottom 3. The girls in this season haven’t been as strong as the boys. Ramiele’s song was as rightly put by Simon, too big for her and Carly, even though I love her tatoo, her run in the end was on the verge of shouting. On the other hand, Jason Castro was the weakest one among the boys. Chikezie’s one bad night made him to go.

Last night’s performances though featured some of the most favorite performances of my entire Idol viewing experience. Michael John’s “We Are the Champions” and Brooke White’s “Every Breathe You Take” were really good. But the show stopper was yet again David Cook with his explosive rendition of “Billy Jean”. Man, that was as good as Constantin’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Daughtry’s “Have You Ever Loved A Woman”. Simply loved it. David Cook just bettered his performance of “Hello”. He is here to Win.I am really really pitching for Mr.Cook, and although the cutie of the lot, young 17-er David Archuleta is getting all the votes, I think America needs to know that cute quotient doesn’t translate to record sales. Go Cook Go!!!

Image Courtesy: Rickey.org

Let me begin with OMFG. The Top 12 are finally performing in front of a huge stage, an enthusiastic mosh pit, the three judges – Simon, Paula and Randy, and of course not only America, but viewers from across the world – thanks to syndicated Television. And what can be bigger than that, it’s Beatles special tonite. The Idol Top 12 performed to the tunes of McCartney and Lennon one after another and blew me away. Some of them not quite there, some of them I hated, but I loved most of them. At this point of them, I am still quite confused to pick my favorite. Talk about last season – I had none. LOL. So, after Ryan Seacrest unveils the Top 12, we get to see a montage on the works of Paul and John, and yes, I love it.The performances:- Syesha goes in first with “Got to Get You into my Life“. What an entry and what an intro to the Top 12 of this season. I am already feeling that this Top 12 rocks more than any previous season. She deserves all the praise she got from the judges and she definitely is one of the strongest voices. Next in-Chikezie with “She’s a Woman”. He nailed it. Randy loved the intro with the Southern groove and what he did with the rock arrangement. “Chikezie smashed it”. Yeah! Ramiele didn’t go very strong with her performance of “In My Life”. Simon and Randy thought it was boring and so did I. C’mon we are talking about Top 12 where you gotta go out there and sing your heart out and bring the house down. Following Chikezie was a mess, especially with that song choice. She might be in danger tomorrow.

Next up:Jason Castro-If I Fell. We saw him make us feel “Hallelujah” last week by going acoustic. However, this is becoming a bit repetitive and this week, it went on the verge of being a bit boring too. Jason needs to put things up and make his presence felt. Carly Smithson rocks the house next with “Come Together“. I expected someone to sing it tonite, and she did a goo..ood job. Probably because the song is wonderful, Carly has nothing more to do than just have her voice be the icing. Loved it. One of my favorites after Chikezie. And next : My favorite contestant so far -David Cook performing “Eleanor Rigby“. I can’t remember when I heard it the last time, but Cook’s rendition is definitely so modern and very rock. I loved the arrangement and this just topped Carly’s performance.

Brooke White is also one of my favorites this season, and she brings in the piano while she simultaneously sings “Let it Be”. It’s a very beautiful song and her vocals are great. But not quite magic yet. She didn’t wear her shoes while she was playing. She is safe this week.David Hernandez isn’t one of my favorites in the final 12. His performance “I saw her standing there” is just filled with his eye brown movements, ridiculous cabaret dancing and a voice that just doesn’t work for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is shown the exit door. Amanda seems to me like a true Rocker Chick (donno what she’s doing here). Every week I look forward to her performance and with “You can’t do that”, she kicks serious buttocks. Though Simon couldn’t understand most of her words, I think Amanda did a great job and she is here to stay.

Michael Johns-“Across the Universe”. Love this song, but didn’t like his performance. A weak one from a strong contender. I wanted him to PERFORM this song and he let me down. *Sob*. Kristy Lee Cook performs on a risky country arrangement of ” 8 days a week”. The risk didn’t pay off. It made Simon swallow his own words, and sorry Kristy, we all know you are cute and that might take you a few more weeks, but tonite yours was the worst. Final performance of the night: the guy overhyped and overtalked about-David Archuleta. He messes up the songs initial lyrics, but moves on with his smile. BTW he performed “We can work it out”- the Stevie Wander version. And well it didn’t work out actually.

Predictions : Tomorrow in the results, one Idol goes home. And to me, that’ll be David Hernandez. Ramiele and Kristy had really bad performances as well, but they are cute enough to stay in the show.

My favorites of the night :
David Cook – Eleanor Rigby
Carly Smithson – Come Together
Chikezie -She’s a Woman

Results night: Guest performance by Katherine McPhee.
Image Courtesy: FOX

Yeah, so my prediction of the Top 6 guys did seem quite accurate, except for it’s Luke Menard who is leaving in place of David Hernandez. Meh! It’s ok. All the other 5 did fit in the Top 6. As for the ladies, I hardly got the time to predict, before the Top 12 results are out. Thanks to the 12 hour delay in broadcast ( I watch American Idol in India, after 12 hours of the original broadcast in the US, and thanks to Rickey, I get all the results as and when it happens).

No surprises with the ladies Top 6 though. All my favorites are very much here. Brooke White, Syesha, pinoy Ramiele Malubay (she’s such a short hottie), Carly Smithson, Amanda Overmyer, Kristy Lee Cook are in. The one’s who were out were quite predictable from Simon’s comments on their performances. Kady Malloy did a very uninspiring version of Queen’s anthemic “Who wants to live forever?”. I can still remember Katherine McPhee perform thatin Season 5 in the Queen special. This wasn’t even close. On the other hand, Asia’h Epperson’s song choice was way too big for her. Whitney Houston- “I wanna dance with Somebody”; the song showed you the exit.

Looking at the Top 12 however, I definitely think, that it’s the gyus who are here to stay, and definitely a guy who is becoming the Idol. I have my bets on David Cook, David Archuleta, and  Jason Castro out of which Archuleta seems to be the favorite of the crowd as well as the judges. But Cook is definitely cooking it up with his rock spices and it sure sounds yummy. Can’t wait to watch the Top 12 perform in front of a larger audience and a huge stage. Woohooo.

Pic courtesy: Rickey.org 

Yeah. Since I was on a hiatus, I managed to miss the Hollywood rounds and two episodes after the Top 24. But this week’s Top 16 with 8 guys competing to make a place in the final 12 (only 6 seats for the Guys) just blew me. I have to say, season 7 looks much better than the dead Season 6 with Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks in the finals ugh! And oh the uproar about Sanjaya Malakar. Sanjaya did sing good in his audition (Stevie Wander-Signed Sealed Delivered) but that was actually his best. Coming back to this season, the guys this year really have some REAL thing going on. And this is not based on just one episode. I have seen some of the recap performances online and here’s my bet on who will finally make it to the Top 6 guys.

Michael Johns: The Aussie from LA , actually brings in the thunder from down under. Look at his playlist till now. Light my Fire -Doors, Go Your Own way -Fleetwood Mac, Don’t You (Forget About Me)-Simple Mind. This guy plays it cool and definitely is Idol Material. He is at ease on the stage, loves to PERFORM, ain’t shy and of course, sings his heart out.

Jason Castro: Okay I have only heard him sing two songs, missed his auditions. I have heard him sing “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb and “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. There is a weird thing about this guy, and Idol loves weird. But yes, his vocals are spot on. The hair is very much Marley and he is actually sure to make it into the Top 12.

David Archuleta: He is the one hyped by all to be the Idol. He performed John Mayers “Waiting on the World to Change “, and his performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” is already on the top 10 downloaded mp3s on iTunes. The kiddish looks and the piano are all set to kill. He performed “Another Day in Paradise ” by Phill Collins and what can I say, he has confirmed his place in the finals. And oh, fans have already picked his nickname -Archies.

David Cook: David Cook’s rendition of Linoel Ritchie’s “Hello” can be sold as a single and can be played in any of those radio channels airing contemporary rock. He is the Daughtry of the year, and doesn’t matter if he’s gonna win or not, but he is defintely star material.

Luke Menard: Why him? Coz he sang Killer Queen. Need any more reasons? C’mon, anyone who can pull off Killer Queen with all those vocal variations deserves to be in the Top 12 of any competition.

Lastly:Chikezie: He has one of the strongest vocals in this competition. Although he didn’t bring the heat with last night’s performance of Whitney Houston’s “All the Man (woman) that I Need”, he still has it. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if he is dropped from the Top 6 for may be, the entertainer Danny Noriega. Well, Idol is known for that.

So what did you think of the Idol Top 12 predictions? Okay, half of the Top 12 predicitions. Did it match yours? I guess Ryan Seacrest will be the only one who can tell if I was wrong or right, this Thursday night. Until then, Adios.All pics and music courtesy Rickey.org
For all latest Idol news and other showbiz stories visit Rickey.org
American Idol 7 page on Rickey.

And so, here we are. Season 7. Another Season filled with weirdos auditioning, the Idol Blue Censor flag shining over the swearing mouths and the essential Beeper, the Simon haters, the Simon Lovers, the Paula Stalkers, and the absolutely unthinkable. Yeah, no one follows Randy. Of course, there are the brilliant singers as well, who manage to shine even in a crowd of a hundred thousand people auditioning. American Idol Season 7 premiered this Jan 15^th, to almost a clean prime time slot, with almost no competition from rival networks, thanks to the Writers Strike. And with the two episodes a week, 2 hr long audition round episodes, it is pretty much clear; here we go for the roller coaster ride of American Weirdos and Dorks-one weirder and geekier than the other, and yeah! worse in singing.

Idol manages to bring in a new sample every season which almost becomes the season’s Mascot. Remember the legend who started it all-Keith who sang Like a Virgin in his audition, or the immortal William Hung’s “She Bangs”. Season 7’s premiere already has a lot going. The guy in the Princess Leia’s Golden Bikini takes “disgusting” to a new level. Not to forget, he wanted to perform “Don’t Cha!” in front of the trio. I wonder how Dr.Ross Geller would feel about it. Things people do to be on TV. And yeah, the glitter clad, foul mouthed lady who thinks her vocals are comparable to Janis Joplin. A first timer this time though is the guy in the Silver Cloak with a White Hat which reads Simon. You should see this clip to believe me, that someone can actually talk GOOD about the Brit.

Well have to admit, they are showing less of the weird stuff this time around, compared to previous seasons. Or probably, Dallas and Philly don’t have enough of those( which is good, I guess). But then, less weird = a bit boring. Sorry. Of course, my early vote goes for the Next Governor of Texas who sang Queen-Somebody to Love. He has no magical vocals to pull it off, but just for Queen. And then you have the usual chorus-anthems edited into single piece montages of the Not-So-Good-Singers ( read Crap!).
Early bets: Kristy Lee Cook from Oregon. She’s got the looks and the style, and yeah, the voice too.And well before concluding, I must mention, Simon has to find new ways to dump these people to make it more cruel , that’s what Reality TV is all about. All those emotions surging, and the tears dripping. SHUT UP Simon, I mean Sujoy.

Also published at :Wordsutra.com