 As the eleventh season of FOX’s hit show “American Idol” winds down, the two finalists voted by America gear up to take the stage this Tuesday one last time. Georgia native Phillip Phillips, who has never been in the bottom three, is believed to have one of the strongest fan bases this year. After delivering a few performances that were, to say the least, elimination worthy, Phillips has escaped the clutches by America’s votes.
California native and saved contestant Jessica Sanchez has delivered week-to-week. Some (and to some existent myself) believe that her trip to the bottom three and save of the season was all staged following the disqualification of Jermaine Jones. Would Producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick stage such an event? Who knows but what I do know, if it was, there’s a reason why Jennifer Lopez doesn’t have an Oscar on her mantle. How awkward was that delivery?
Let’s break it down week-to-week and see what may or should have been throughout the competition. Read more on American Idol Season 11 Recap…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Shannon Magrane, skylar laine, television
 Wow, I am speechless. Last night may have been one of the greatest telecasts of American Idol I have ever seen. Every single contestant had the bare minimum of one stellar performance on “Now and Then” theme night. Sure, there’s always the occasional bump or two in the road, but with voices like these, who needs The Voice? I kid, I kid! To top things off, we had a comeback I was not expecting, and I may have just changed favorites in the course of a single evening (I’m forever going to empathize with wishy-washy politicians). Because the Top 7 are singing two songs this week, my breakdown will still be a ranking, but an average between the two performances. Let’s not waste another second! Below is my review session for the Top 7 Redux… Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 7 Redux…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Colton Dixon, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 The American Idol Top 7 attempted to rise to the challenge of showcasing their modern skills, but unfortunately quite a few missed the mark. Other than one special individual’s selection, I wouldn’t call any song choice last night particularly indicative of the the future musical path we’re likely to see from some of these contestants post-Idol. Some choices were bizarre, some I have never even heard of (color me shocked), and one was foolishly rehashed from a golden moment in Season Ten. In all, this was two weeks in a row that I’ve felt pretty disappointed with the performances. It hurt deeper this week knowing that there were some great selections to be made from the past few years, but hardly anyone jumped on the meatier choices that would turn the internet ablaze. So without further ado, I give you my review session that’s just a jump away…
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 7…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol songs from this decade theme, Colton Dixon, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality tv, Ryan Seacrest, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 America’s votes have been decided, forming our official Top 7 on American Idol as a result. This week, the remaining seven contestants will be singing songs from this decade: 2010, 2011, and 2012. I have to admit, I’m slightly worried. Besides a few select records, are there enough great songs out there for our Idols to choose from that would have as powerful a punch on the big Idol stage without the magical force that is auto-tune? On the flip side, we’ve heard enough Adele renditions to last us a lifetime on Idol, so fingers crossed the mentors chuck Adele’s name out the window if some brazen contestants throw her name into the suggestion pile. I love Adele as much as anyone, but we can’t tarnish her special individuality as an artist by letting every contestant turn her into one smelly recycling bin. Mentors, please let the Adele recycling bin odor dissipate for at least a year until it smells brand new. With that piece of advice behind us, let’s jump right into my song suggestions for Idol‘s Top 7! Read more on ‘American Idol’ “Songs From This Decade” Theme Week: Song Suggestions…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol songs from this decade theme, Colton Dixon, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 The Top 8 on American Idol did their best to cover a wacky and wild decade for music, AKA The 80s. While some had hits, there wasn’t a single performance I would rewind for very long. Oh sure, two in particular definitely threw down the gauntlet but in sum, the songs overshadowed the talent many of the contestants have in spades. I even thought the song choices were a bit bizarre, except for my song choice of course. Why, if my ego wasn’t big enough already after having three out of the four performance weeks showcase one of my song suggestions, Hollie has to go out and perform the song I gave her, “Flashdance…What a Feeling.” If Hollie leaves tonight, I’ll have to be sure to never encounter a Hollipop fan on the streets. I’d be a dead man walking, no doubt. Moving away from my banter, let’s jump right into some review sessions, shall we? Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 8…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, american idol recap, American Idol Season 11, American Idol Top 8, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Top 8, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, skylar laine, television, tv
 This week, American Idol’s Top 8 will be covering songs from the 80s! That was a decade of emerging dance beats, pop slowly redefining its sound, and multiple genres equally dominating the charts. For this group of contestants, I couldn’t think of a more appropriately diverse theme for the Top 8 to tackle, with career-defining song choices aplenty. So without further ado, take a look after the jump to see what yours truly has to suggest from one of the most memorable decades in music! Read more on ‘American Idol’ 80s Theme Week: Song Suggestions…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality television, Ryan Seacrest, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 This week on American Idol, the standing ovations were at an all time rise, pun intended. I swear, there were about five standing ovations for the whole performance evening — an Idol record to be sure. These ridiculous moments of praise may be our next big drinking game following Melissa McCarthy’s “Scorsese” drinking game that began at the SAG awards this year. If we had put this game into effect, we’d all be sloshed by the end of the night, and what a pity that would have been as the final performance of the night will probably go down in Idol record books as one of the all time great rock performances this show has seen. I’m so pumped up to begin my review session, so I’m not wasting time and instead jumping right into things. Catch all my thoughts and reviews of this week’s Top 9 below!
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 9…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, american idol recap, American Idol Season 11, american idol top 9, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 This week on American Idol, the top nine finalists will be choosing songs from their own personal idols to sing for America. I want to apologize in advance to all nine contestants if I come across like a stalker with my knowledge of their personal idols. I had to scour the American Idol website and read the Q&A interviews about who each of their favorite artists are, otherwise this article would have been impossible to write up. Again, this is the last time I will stalk investigate the Idols unless it’s pertinent to these types of articles — I promise! Below is my song suggestion list for our Top Nine!
Read more on ‘American Idol’ “Songs From Their Idols” Theme Week: Song Suggestions…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol song suggestions, american idol top 9, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality tv, Ryan Seacrest, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 There were two, count em two, moment-making performances last night on American Idol. I was a bit worried at the beginning of the show, but there were five or so performers who absolutely nailed Billy Joel’s spirit and complex note arrangements by show’s end. “Billy Joel” theme week was a success by all accounts and purposes! And to top it off, one contestant even selected one of my song suggestions. I know it’s past St. Patrick’s Day, but I’m not wearing green right now and still can pinch myself over the excitement that somebody actually took my advice! You will see how it paid off later in my review session. Right now let’s not waste time, and jump straight into the thick of business. I can’t wait, and neither should you! Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 10…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, american idol recap, American Idol Season 11, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, skylar laine
 This Wednesday, the Top 10 on American Idol will be tackling the songs of famed singer-songwriter, Billy Joel. I, for one, am excited about this theme, particularly because Billy Joel’s songs are awesome and incredibly diverse, making for a wide range of unique song choices that could provide a memorable night on Idol. The success of the night, as usual, depends on the wise song selections by our Idols. Like Jimmy Iovine stated during last Thursday’s results show, no matter what song suggestions the mentors try to shove down the contestants’ throats, the decision ultimately lies with our Idols. Last week proved disastrous for some frontrunners (I’m looking at you, Jessica Sanchez), because many were just too ignorant to choose songs they were unfamiliar with, and instead settled on predictable selections that did nothing to show off their artistry or musical creativity. I’m here, once again, crossing my fingers that the Idols take my advice and make the best decisions for themselves if they want a chance of making that all-important finale. I don’t care what Randy Jackson says — song choice is everything on Idol. Check below to see what choices from the Billy Joel songbook I select for our remaining ten contestants. Read more on ‘American Idol’ Billy Joel Theme Week: Song Suggestions…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol song suggestions, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, fox, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality television, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 In many ways, last night’s episode of American Idol felt like the ‘Twilight Zone.’ You had Jessica Sanchez making one of the worst song choices in Idol history for a supposed frontrunner, and Heejun, although vocally mediocre, showcasing some emotion behind that wall of smug humor. I felt like I was on a different planet, and it really didn’t help matters that I actually only enjoyed two performances by the time the show had come to a close (*gulp*). That wasn’t to say every other contestant was awful, merely that they weren’t living up to their potential. On a night that could be considered one of Idol‘s all time worst, two stood above the rest to deliver amazing results. Check below as I count down the remaining eleven contestants (he who shall not be named Jermaine Jones won’t be discussed since I already feel like he stole a spot from worthier opponents).
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 11…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol songs from the year they were born, American Idol Top 11, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, jermaine jones kicked off american idol, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Shannon Magrane, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 Come this Wednesday, the Top 12 on American Idol will be singing “Songs From the Year They Were Born” as this week’s theme. This theme has been done a number of times on Idol, and is an exact repeat theme from last season’s Top 12. Some may call it a lazy theme week, but I find it’s always fun to see how the Idol‘s will come up with songs from their birth year to make them sound as relevant and important as their own birthdays. I’m expecting a lot of flukes this week with song choices, which is why yours truly is here to lend a hand. Take a look after the jump to see what I chose for each of the Top 12 for this week’s “Songs From the Year They Were Born” theme in alphabetical order. Read more on ‘American Idol’ Songs From the Year They Were Born Theme Week: Song Suggestions…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol songs from the year they were born, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, fox, fox network, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jermaine Jones, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality television, Ryan Seacrest, Shannon Magrane, skylar laine, Steven Tyler
 American Idol was a bit of a mixed bag last night as far as performances go, but my god some select individuals really shattered my expectations. After eleven seasons, Idol still manages to surprises us from time to time. Last night was no exception, and I’m not even solely referring to teen prodigy, Jessica Sanchez. There were in fact many out of the gate who were fighting for a spot in the finale, and I could honestly juggle several possible finale outcomes with this crop of talent being thrown at us. In short: the bad tonight were really bad, the good were pleasing but slightly forgettable, and the truly outstanding may have just proven this is Idol‘s most talented season yet. Check out my countdown reviews for each of the Top 13 Contestants on Whitney Houston/Stevie Wonder Week after the jump!
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 13…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, american idol recap, American Idol Season 11, american idol song suggestions, american idol whitney houston stevie wonder theme week, american idol whitney houston theme week, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality television, Shannon Magrane, singing competition shows, skylar laine, Steven Tyler, Whitney Houston
 No more guessing now! The Top 13 has been officially formed on American Idol thanks to your votes, whether you like the end result or not. Let’s take a moment of silence for Creighton Fraker and Hallie Day, two performers who were robbed a spot in the Top 13 by Heejun Han and Erika Van Pelt, and silently wish them luck in all future musical endeavors. In all seriousness, this is a very strong Top 13, and while it’s not as fully satisfying as last season’s perfect lineup, I think we have a real competition about to ensue over the course of the next two months. I look forward to covering it with my Idol partner-in-crime, Editor Clayton Davis.
This week the Top 13 Idols will be covering two of the most legendary singers of all time: Stevie Wonder and the recently departed Whitney Houston. The boys will be covering Stevie’s classic tunes while the girls will take the plunge into tackling one of the greatest voices ever. It’s certainly going to be a must-see show, even if train wrecks are an almost guarantee with such difficult standards to meet. To help prepare the Idol’s for this difficult week, I have decided to give some advice to each Idol by suggesting the songs that would most appropriately suit them on Wednesday’s show. Whether they listen or not remains to be seen, but that’s not stopping me anyway. Don’t say I didn’t warn them! Check out my Song Suggestions for the Top 13 for Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston Week after the jump!
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Whitney Houston/Stevie Wonder Theme Week: Song Suggestions for the Top 13…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, american idol top 13, american idol whitney houston stevie wonder theme week, american idol whitney houston theme week, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, fox, fox network, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jennifer Lopez, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality tv, Ryan Seacrest, Shannon Magrane, singing competition shows, skylar laine, Steven Tyler, stevie wonder, Whitney Houston
 America chose! The results of the Top 25 were revealed on American Idol tonight. Ryan Seacrest reveal the top five boys and girls that would advance to the Top 13. Of the remaining contestants, judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler chose six wildcard contestants to take up the remaining spots in the finals.
Guys That Advanced
- Phillip Phillips
- Heejun Han
- Joshua Ledet
- Colton Dixon
- Jermaine Jones
Girls That Advanced
- Elise Testone
- Skylar Laine
- Jessica Sanchez
- Hollie Cavanaugh
- Shannon McGrane
Read more on American Idol Top 25 Results Recap…
Categories: Editor, TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, elise testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, skylar laine, television, Top 13, tv
Wow…I’m going to have to really take a breather on this one, folks. American Idol last night proved to us that it will definitely be hard to replicate the magic of last season. I know, it really was awful having Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina as the final two standing, but there were so many better performers overall, even in the Top 24! And what the heck is with Jermaine Jones coming back? He may have sounded better than he normally does, but his Luther Vandross impression was underscored by a blatant manipulation on the part of the producers. Seriously, they are pulling a Melanie Amaro situation with Jermaine, guaranteeing him a spot in the Top 13 by pimping out his possible return. How is that fair to the other twelve guys who worked hard to make it, and weren’t given a huge advantage like that on a silver platter? On top of that, how the heck are they not allowing another girl through to balance it out?! Idol voters are known for favoring men over women, so this gender skewing once again proves that the ladies’ best interests aren’t at heart. I have to also agree with my editor, Clayton Davis, in saying that tonight’s performances were by and large mediocre. With the exception of maybe four individuals, I’m not really excited about anyone from the boys’ side. I’m going to be doing things a bit differently in my recap this week since we are now at the live rounds. Instead of delivering a review based on the sequential order of when the Top 13 boys performed, I will be counting down from worst to best. Let’s have at it! Read more on American Idol Recap: Reviewing the Top 13 Boys…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, american idol recap, American Idol Season 11, Chase Likens, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker, Deandre Brackensick, Eben Franckewitz, fox, fox network, Heejun Han, Jennifer Lopez, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Randy Jackson, reality television, reality tv, Reed Grimm, Ryan Seacrest, singing competition shows, Steven Tyler
 American Idol Season 11 is officially kicked off. Staff writer Joseph Braverman and I will be writing up some commentary following each show throughout the season. Look for Joseph’s recap later on.
These are quick reactions to the show this evening which was “Producer’s Choice.” If we were already a bit out of control, the producers set some of the contestants up for failure. I’ve watched the show twice to take all the performances in thoroughly. Initial thoughts about the season and the judges:
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Guys (Editor Recap)…
Categories: Editor, TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Chase Likens, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker, Deandre Brackensick, Eben Francweicz, Heejun Han, Jeremy Rosado, Jermaine Jones, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Reed Grimm
 American Idol Season 11 voting rounds kick off tonight. Joseph and I will be highlighting the season and critiquing the performances throughout the competition.
Here are some song spoilers from The Idol Pad and MJ’s Big Blog
Also Top 12 Rankings and commentary after the jump.
Also note that Jeremy Rosado will probably perform last.
Adam Brock – “Think” by Aretha Franklin
Creighton Fraker – “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
Eben Christian Franckewitz – “Set Fire To The Rain” by Adele
Jeremy Rosado – “Gravity” by John Mayer or Sara Bareilles
Reed Grimm – “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
Read more on American Idol Song Spoilers…
Categories: Editor, TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol Season 11, Chase Likens, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker, Deandre Brackensick, Eben Franckewitz, Heejun Han, Jeremy Rosado, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Reed Grimm, television, tv
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