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Posts Tagged “idolator's american idolatry”

idolator's american idolatry

The Season Doesn't Start For Another Few Days, But I Already Have My Favorite "American Idol" Contestant


Meet Adam Lambert, a Los Angeles-based singer who the judges' panel apparently liked enough to make him go through to the top 50. (Recall that this year, the 36 top candidates will make it to the big stage in Hollywood, as opposed to the 24-member semifinalist casts of previous years.) Lambert's Jake Shears-meets-Frank N. Furtery version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" is above, and while I am kinda bowled over by its over-the-top, er craziness, I should note that I was one of those people who thought "Take Your Mama" was going to be a massive crossover hit a few years back. Apply your grains of salt accordingly, but do note that he at least isn't trying to win peoples' hearts by doing dopey Britney impressions. [YouTube / VFTW; MJ's Big Blog]

11:00 AM on Thu Jan 8 2009
By Maura Johnston
128 views, 5 comments

Latest by Lucas Jensen: @bbernardini: Off-topic. Do you remember Will To Power's "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird"? So good. more »

idolator's american idolatry

Are There A Few Pitchy Canaries Singing In The "American Idol" Coal Mine?

Earlier this week, American Idol announced a few format changes for the upcoming season: the "Idol Gives Back" charity show is off this year; 36 hopefuls will be in the semifinals instead of 24; the judges will hand-pick three candidates who were overlooked by text-happy kids in a "wild card" round to help determine the top 12 (the top nine vote-getters will make it through to the finals regardless); that top 12 won't necessarily be split down the middle, gender-wise. Idol watcher MJ notes that ratings for the past three years have started to drop around the time the field of contestants was reduced to nine, and that perhaps these changes will help invigorate interest for people who really liked, say, that one chick who had a knack for putting her own spin on '70s lite-rock and were crushed when she got eliminated in favor of vocally challenged Britney Spears knockoffs. And both Davids Cook and Archuleta are transitioning into the pop world better than Idol winners from previous years. But what if the economy gets in the way of the show's rebound? More »

9:30 AM on Wed Dec 17 2008
By Maura Johnston
357 views, 4 comments

Latest by LeBron: From my own experience, I can attest that American Idol is certainly not DVR-proof. I consider myself to be the biggest Idol apologist in the country these past three years, and in that time frame, I've watched precisely one episode more »

idolator's american idolatry

"American Idol" Is Playing Ringer Toss Again

In preparation for giving my weeknights over to yet another season of American Idol, I've been reading up on the rumored contestants for the coming season, and how many of their names will be vaguely familiar. Rumor has it that we'll be seeing a Castro (Jason's brother), an Osmond (Donny & Marie's nephew), and a former Miss New York crossing our TVs during the early episodes of Season Eight. But one name that probably won't stick out to a lot of people is Joanna—as in Joanna Pacitti, a singer who was outed by The New York Post as a formerly frustrated Annie who had an ill-fated dalliance with Geffen not even two years ago. More »

3:00 PM on Thu Dec 4 2008
By Maura Johnston
746 views, 5 comments

Latest by doyathinkso: I think her beauty will have nothing to do with it really. She has had chances, but so has Brittney and many others. I think after hearing her voice,she will be ok. She seems to be a fighter. I am more »

idolator's american idolatry

"American Idol": The Anemic Audition Turnout Takes Its Toll


The American Idol franchise has been flailing, with gently deflating ratings and fewer people showing up for the audition cattle calls, so the powers that be over at 19 Entertainment have decided to go the "sexy" route in their first round of ads for Season Eight, with a tone-deaf girl who's apparently making up for her bikini's lack of coverage with extra attitude. And yes, she emerges from the audition room with a golden ticket, although it's unclear whether or not she's being invited to the Hollywood round or to a job fair held by a nearby Hooters. This ad, which should blend in with the beer commercials during Fox's NFL games nicely, is being paired with a spot glorifying David Cook's victory in May—the first time an Idol winner has been featured in ads for an upcoming season, and a study in how one's image can be whipped into shape during the course of a few months. (Although dude seriously needs to tone down the eyeliner.) Maybe there's hope (and some clothes) for you yet, Bikini Girl! [YouTube]

9:45 AM on Mon Dec 1 2008
By Maura Johnston
808 views, 1 comment

Latest by G3K: I could've sworn I saw Ruben/Clay ads in the wake of that awful, awful year. How far we've come. more »

idolator's american idolatry

How Are The "American Idol" Producers Going To React To Paula Goodspeed?

One thing the people behind American Idol have counted on in the past is the ratings racked up by the early-in-the-season audition episodes, which devote just as much airtime to the biggest sets of pipes as they do to those hopeless hopefuls who seem to aspire to become nothing more than the next William Hung. But one wonders if the news that a former contestant on the show—one who had three minutes of airtime during Season Five devoted to her slightly manic Paula Abdul fandom and her not-all-that-great rendition of "Proud Mary"—committed suicide outside Abdul's home yesterday isn't going to give the producers at least a little bit of a pause when they start editing the audition episodes for next season's first episodes, which start back up on Jan. 13. More »

3:00 PM on Wed Nov 12 2008
By Maura Johnston
1,682 views, 7 comments

Latest by Skwerl: here's some insight: "Shocked family members denied Goodspeed was obsessed with Abdul, although cops found a photo of Abdul hanging from the rearview mirror of the car, which had a vanity plate that read ABL LV." i think if my own goddamn more »

Here We Go Again Season eight of American Idol opens in two months! Mark your calendars for Jan. 13 and 14, and wonder how the producers are going to spin the low turnout at a lot of the auditions this summer. [USA Today]

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idolator's american idolatry

What Your "American Idol" Also-Rans Are Up To: A Guide

Sure, this weekend saw reigning American Idol champ continue Saturday Night Live's run of making even the most technically proficient musicians sound like they were plucked from some third-tier cover band night right before they went onstage. And the whole Jennifer Hudson tragedy is stomach-churningly sad, although Hudson herself is apparently "staying very, very strong." With that in mind, here's what other members of the Idol extended family are up to these days...

• Season Three runner-up Diana DeGarmo is "now involved" with the wrestling outfit TNA, and making awkward appearances on Howard Stern's Sirius show that involve her being asked out by midgets. [ProWrestling.Net]
• Season Six runner-up Blake Lewis is recording covers of A Flock Of Seagulls that are subsequently mixed very awkwardly. (There's no beatboxing, either, although the cover is so bad that I'm starting to think the beatboxing might have helped.) [rickey.org]
• Season Six third-place finisher Melinda Doolittle finally has an album coming out, and it's apparently pretty good! [Idol Chatter]
• Season Five runner-up Chris Daughtry is going to be on Oprah tomorrow. In honor of Election Day... even though he's a prime example of someone not winning an election, yet going on to become a preferred candidate. Yeah, I don't know, either. [Daughtry Official]
• The liner notes appended to David Archuleta's forthcoming album clock in at 3,500 words. Maybe he's gearing up for NaNoWriMo? [PopWatch]

12:45 PM on Mon Nov 3 2008
By Maura Johnston
940 views, 7 comments

idolator's american idolatry

Is America Experiencing "American Idol" Fatigue?

Yesterday's report that only 300 people showed up to American Idol tryouts in San Juan was explained in part by the fact that Puerto Rico already has its own version of the show. But as it turns out, the San Juan experience may have been an outsized indicator of a greater trend. Eagle-eyed Idol observer MJ, of MJ's Big Blog, crunched the numbers on this year's audition turnouts so far and found out that the number of hopefuls in attendance was down across the board, with only one set of tryouts brushing the five-figure mark and the others attracting audiences in the 5,500-7,000-hopeful range. Compare that to last year, when the lowest-attended audition brought in only 9,000 people, and you'll wonder just what is going on. Full set of numbers, which MJ gleaned from newspaper accounts, after the jump. More »

3:45 PM on Wed Aug 6 2008
By Maura Johnston
487 views, 1 comment

Latest by LeBron: All this downward trend means to me is that there's a far greater chance of me making it through in East Rutherford, which is five minutes from where I live. Get ready, America. This is my now. more »

idolator's american idolatry

"American Idol" Experiencing A Tempest In A Coke Cup?

The last season of American Idol closed out with the usual pomp and confetti, sure, but it also came with promises of changes; because ratings all season were lower than pretty much ever, Fox told television beat writers that certain aspects of the show would be different for season eight. Change No. 1 was allowing more people who made it through to last season's Hollywood Week to re-audition than in previous seasons. And now, it looks like another big shake-up has come to pass: Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is leaving the show in order to focus on So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe, who has been with the Idol stable since its days as a much more rinky-dink UK production, will embark on a new partnership with Idol creator Simon Fuller. (Perhaps it's finally time for America's Next Baby That's Most Likely To Burp On Cue!) Meanwhile, the audition phase for next season has begun, and apparently taking the whole party down to Puerto Rico wasn't exactly the best idea. More »

9:30 AM on Tue Aug 5 2008
By Maura Johnston
1,176 views, 1 comment

Latest by brasstax: lol 300 people. more »

idolator's american idolatry

Is "American Idol" Regretting Its Errors?

Auditions for season eight of American Idol kick off next week, and a slight alteration to the rules means that we may see some of the faces from last year again come January. The only people from last year's show who are barred from trying out again, aside from those who have signed to a record label like car-dwelling hopeful Josiah Leming, are those who made the top 24—a change from previous years, which barred people who placed as low as 44th. Does this mean that the Idol producers are so scared of the unplumbed talent reserves out there, they're looking to go back to the well of people who were OK, but not as charismatic as Ramiele Malubay? Is Paula getting tired of having to remember so many new people? Or do the powers that be really want to play up Kyle Ensley's political leanings in the wake of the Presidential inauguration? More »

11:30 AM on Mon Jul 7 2008
By Maura Johnston
884 views, 1 comment

Latest by rina: Can we PULEEEEZ start voting people off instead of voting for them to stay? Way more fun. more »