There’s this weird part of the week — from Friday morning till Monday evening — when not a single major TV network airs a reality singing competition. It’s terrible, I know, but it also gives me a lot of time to ponder American Idol history. (Everyone does this in their free time, yes?) And my latest flight of Idol fancy got me mulling this question: Was Season 11′s Top 10 the strongest — top to bottom — in show history? Let’s examine:
For starters, I’d automatically rule out the five seasons with three or more Top 10 contestants who probably wouldn’t have outlasted Season 11′s No.
For starters, I’d automatically rule out the five seasons with three or more Top 10 contestants who probably wouldn’t have outlasted Season 11′s No.
- 3/26/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
Last month, while interviewing executive producer Nigel Lythgoe for a story about possible changes to American Idol for its upcoming eleventh season, I proposed the idea that the show should introduce a list of 11 songs that would be banned from the live performance rounds on the grounds that they’ve been done to death in previous seasons. Lythgoe’s response caught me off guard: “Well, Mike, if you want to write down and send me 11 songs that you don’t want to hear again, I will put them through to the committee.”
Well, sir, you don’t have to ask me twice!
Well, sir, you don’t have to ask me twice!
- 9/4/2011
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
The news of Pia “I Got Voted Off ‘Idol’ Way Early And All I Got Was This Awesome Record Deal” Toscano joining Interscope’s roster surprised no one, except maybe my cat Moo Shu. (Homegirl’s a Voice fan. She thinks Idol is so seven years ago.) Toscano already shattered records by being the lowest-placing Idol also-ran to nab a significant major label deal in the show’s ten year history. (She was ninth! Ninth, I say!)
While we wait to see whether Pia becomes the next Jennifer Hudson or Kristy Lee Cook, let’s look back at the careers of previous ninth-place finishers to see how they’ve fared.
Season One: Jim Verraros
Jim was our inaugural “token sob story” contestant, and he parlayed his name recognition into movie roles in popular gay indie flicks. (Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds might be my fave sequel title since Electric Boogaloo.
While we wait to see whether Pia becomes the next Jennifer Hudson or Kristy Lee Cook, let’s look back at the careers of previous ninth-place finishers to see how they’ve fared.
Season One: Jim Verraros
Jim was our inaugural “token sob story” contestant, and he parlayed his name recognition into movie roles in popular gay indie flicks. (Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds might be my fave sequel title since Electric Boogaloo.
- 7/6/2011
- by Jim Cantiello
- MTV Newsroom
The confetti’s been swept up. The summer tour dates have been announced. And Scotty McCreery’s “I Love You This Big” is headed for a date with country radio. All of which is another way of saying that American Idol‘s 11th season is a mere seven months away.
With that in mind, I sat down and hammered out a list of 10 changes I’d make to the Idol machine to keep it humming along in high-rated, entertaining fashion. Check out my list of proposed tweaks, then hit the comments and suggest your own!
1) Limit the number of votes...
With that in mind, I sat down and hammered out a list of 10 changes I’d make to the Idol machine to keep it humming along in high-rated, entertaining fashion. Check out my list of proposed tweaks, then hit the comments and suggest your own!
1) Limit the number of votes...
- 6/5/2011
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
Moments before the Top 10 took to the "Idol" stage to sing soul and R&B songs, an "Idol" blogger colleague messaged me on Twitter freaking out. "Gahhh! Jim, season nine needs to start getting serious. It's getting out of hand. Maybe tonight will be the night."
My reply?
"Well, it certainly can't get any worse."
On that note, let's get to the performances!
Siobhan Magnus
Song: "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan
Verdict: Through the Ringer
Ever wondered what it would sound like if Marlee Matlin sang in a wind tunnel? You're in luck, because Siobhan Magnus' take on Chaka Khan's classic provided just that! Boys and girls, step right up and see the incredible shrieking shrinking woman! Marvel at how quickly the Queen of Quirk can become as boring and atonal as previous seasons' ear-terrorists Jasmine Trias, Ramiele Malubay and Carmen Rasmusen!
What went wrong here? Well,...
My reply?
"Well, it certainly can't get any worse."
On that note, let's get to the performances!
Siobhan Magnus
Song: "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan
Verdict: Through the Ringer
Ever wondered what it would sound like if Marlee Matlin sang in a wind tunnel? You're in luck, because Siobhan Magnus' take on Chaka Khan's classic provided just that! Boys and girls, step right up and see the incredible shrieking shrinking woman! Marvel at how quickly the Queen of Quirk can become as boring and atonal as previous seasons' ear-terrorists Jasmine Trias, Ramiele Malubay and Carmen Rasmusen!
What went wrong here? Well,...
- 3/31/2010
- by Jim Cantiello
- MTV Newsroom
"Against All Odds" is a popular "American Idol" song choice. Check out these 7 deadly sings of the Phil Collins 1984 hit.
Paige Miles was only the most recent to take on the soaring power ballad from the film of the same name. DId you know it was done six previous times on "American Idol?" Only seasons 1, 6 and 8 were immune.
1. Corey Clark, Season 2
2. George Huff, Season 3
3. Jessica Sierra, Season 4
4. Scott Savol, Season 4
5. Katharine McPhee, Season 5
6. Ramiele Malubay, Season 7
7. Paige Miles, Season 9
Interestingly, Paige was the first person to get eliminated after performing "Against All Odds." It did land Corey Clark in the bottom 2, but he didn't go home. So does that make Paige the worst "Odds"-maker? Color us crazy, but did Jessica Sierra and Ramiele Malubay do the song the best? We think so. Do you agree? Vote now!
Which 'American Idol' was best on 'Against All Odds?...
Paige Miles was only the most recent to take on the soaring power ballad from the film of the same name. DId you know it was done six previous times on "American Idol?" Only seasons 1, 6 and 8 were immune.
1. Corey Clark, Season 2
2. George Huff, Season 3
3. Jessica Sierra, Season 4
4. Scott Savol, Season 4
5. Katharine McPhee, Season 5
6. Ramiele Malubay, Season 7
7. Paige Miles, Season 9
Interestingly, Paige was the first person to get eliminated after performing "Against All Odds." It did land Corey Clark in the bottom 2, but he didn't go home. So does that make Paige the worst "Odds"-maker? Color us crazy, but did Jessica Sierra and Ramiele Malubay do the song the best? We think so. Do you agree? Vote now!
Which 'American Idol' was best on 'Against All Odds?...
- 3/25/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Ok you screaming and adoring fans of Fox's "American Idol" spectacular, check out this David Cook promo clip. Don't miss the seaon premiere on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13th and 14th at 8/7C! Follow the auditions here. Season 7's contestants included Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Chikezie, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado.
- 12/13/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Ok you screaming and adoring fans of Fox's "American Idol" spectacular, check out this David Cook promo clip. Don't miss the seaon premiere on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13th and 14th at 8/7C! Follow the auditions here. Season 7's contestants included Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Chikezie, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado.
- 12/13/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Ok you screaming and adoring fans of Fox's "American Idol" spectacular, check out this David Cook promo clip. Don't miss the seaon premiere on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13th and 14th at 8/7C! Follow the auditions here. Season 7's contestants included Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Chikezie, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado.
- 12/13/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The American Idol Top 10 performed last night, and by the end of the day, it will be a Top 9. Who will be the next contestant to leave us? That is quite a difficult question this week. For the third week in a row, my fellow BuddyTV writer John Kubicek and I sat down and held a long discussion on who will be the next eliminated American Idol singer. This week is so difficult because there's no one that's close to a consensus pick – everyone has vastly different opinions on who will go home and who should go home. While there may be two specific contestants who I think should be eliminated, I'm confident that neither will, for one reason or another. What, then? Well, we have to look at the past couple weeks, analyze the voting patterns and who has previously found themselves in the bottom three. John and I disagree on our predictions,...
- 3/26/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
American Idol's top ten performed tonight and the theme was a massive sham. According to Ryan Seacrest, the theme of the night was “songs from the year you were born.” Every American Idol contestant would perform songs recorded the year they were born. However, almost half of the singers cheated. Apparently, it was Ok for the contestants to do songs that were recorded long before they born (or conceived, or even before their parents met) if those same songs were re-recorded by no-name artists in their year of birth. Just once, I'd like American Idol to say "we cleared a bunch of random songs from all different time periods and the singers chose from the list we gave them." No one really cares about the theme, especially if the various songs are going to span genres anyway. Tonight's episode was better than last week, and I have no real...
- 3/25/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Something very strange is going on with "American Idol" this year. It's way too normal.
As the top 10 contestants take the stage Tuesday (7 p.m., Wfld-Ch. 32 ), there’s barely a ripple of controversy, compared with past seasons. Sure, there was the blip caused by the emergence of former contestant David Hernandez’s past as a stripper. And the talent contest endured a fair amount of criticism for showcasing singers who’ve had record deals in the past. But even those “controversies” didn’t have much staying power.
Where did it all go wrong? Isn’t “American Idol” supposed to be a long festival of outrageousness and scandals? Plus a little singing?
But this is an especially sedate, possibly sedated, “Idol” season. There’s no Sanjaya Malakar – a contestant who compensates for his relative lack of talent by purposely riling up viewers and judges with bizarre song choices and hairstyles. There...
As the top 10 contestants take the stage Tuesday (7 p.m., Wfld-Ch. 32 ), there’s barely a ripple of controversy, compared with past seasons. Sure, there was the blip caused by the emergence of former contestant David Hernandez’s past as a stripper. And the talent contest endured a fair amount of criticism for showcasing singers who’ve had record deals in the past. But even those “controversies” didn’t have much staying power.
Where did it all go wrong? Isn’t “American Idol” supposed to be a long festival of outrageousness and scandals? Plus a little singing?
But this is an especially sedate, possibly sedated, “Idol” season. There’s no Sanjaya Malakar – a contestant who compensates for his relative lack of talent by purposely riling up viewers and judges with bizarre song choices and hairstyles. There...
- 3/24/2008
- by Tempo
- The Watcher
It hurts my brain to do these American Idol rankings. The mere act of placing David Archuleta ahead of so many better and more interesting singers is enough to give me a headache. We can't know exactly who the people are that vote for Little Mr. Archuleta every week, but it stands to reason that the demographic is young and female. The overwhelming screams that rain out from the crowd every time he takes the stage is evidence enough, and historically the teen vote has been about the most important type of vote on American Idol. I hate to say it – but the signs point to Archuleta winning the competition. Anyways, these American Idol rankings are not based on my personal views. They are meant to be objective as possible.
#10 – Kristy Lee Cook
She should have been voted off this week and, while I'd say it's 50/50 that she goes home next week,...
#10 – Kristy Lee Cook
She should have been voted off this week and, while I'd say it's 50/50 that she goes home next week,...
- 3/21/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Now that both Beatles weeks are behind us on American Idol, we can just completely forget that they ever happened. There were a handful of performances from the American Idol Beatles Massacre of 2008 that I wish could be erased from my mind. The two worst were by Oregonian cowgirl Kristy Lee Cook. I didn't think a Beatles song could be arranged worse than her Top 12 rendition of “Eight Days a Week.” That was until last night, when Kristy clubbed America over the head with a horrifying cover of John Lennon's “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.” In our second John vs. Oscar face-off, John Kubicek and I agree on who we believe will go home (can you guess who?), but we discuss far more than just Kristy. Also, for the first time, we have recorded our American Idol discussion. Listen to the mp3 below.
John Kubicek's Bottom Three:...
John Kubicek's Bottom Three:...
- 3/19/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
That was bad. Simon Cowell said was everybody was thinking near the end of tonight's American Idol when he remarked that maybe doing The Beatles two weeks in a row wasn't such a good idea. It's not that there were a lot of poor song choices tonight, it's that the songs weren't utilized properly. The show and the contestants just appeared to run out of steam. If last week saw everyone performing hit singles, tonight everyone was singing B-sides. You won't find better songs in the world than Beatles songs, but they just aren't right for American Idol. After the top two or three performances tonight, the quality dropped off significantly.
1. Syesha Mercado - “Yesterday”
Again, a surprise number one on my list. I always thought that Syesha had potential, and she showed tonight why my colleague John Kubicek once called her a favorite to win it all. Tonight's performance...
1. Syesha Mercado - “Yesterday”
Again, a surprise number one on my list. I always thought that Syesha had potential, and she showed tonight why my colleague John Kubicek once called her a favorite to win it all. Tonight's performance...
- 3/18/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Beatles Week...again! I'll take more Beatles anytime, no complaints. American Idol is down to its Top 11, and the field is still wide open. That is, if you assume (like I optimistically do) that America will eventually come to their senses and stop blindly handing votes to David Archuleta (“Flubbed lines, awkward singing, vacuum-like stage presence – who cares? He's cute!”). It's another historic night for American Idol, what with the second week in a row of legalized Lennon/McCartney song poaching. I'm looking forward to the show and am hoping that some of the singers learn from the mistakes of last week (I'm looking at you Kristy Lee Cook). No more ruined Beatles songs, please. I'll be here throughout the night, giving updates as the episode rolls along. Remember to refresh and comment below to let your opinions be heard.
Randomly bold and unnecessary predictions: Eze will fall back to the pack,...
Randomly bold and unnecessary predictions: Eze will fall back to the pack,...
- 3/18/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
American Idol isn't very easy to predict. All we have to do is take a glance at the results of last season, when both Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis came out of nowhere to finish in first and second place, respectively. Jordin was always a mild favorite, but she really turned it on in the second half of the season and improved considerably as the season moved along. Blake Lewis was almost an afterthought entering the Top 24 – no one expected him to emerge like he did. This season on American Idol, some prohibitive favorites have been identified early in the season. I was thinking about coming up with my own odds to win for each remaining American Idol contestant, but then I realized that I'm no a Vegas handicapper – might as well leave these things up to the experts. So, I took the current Vegas odds for each of the Top 11 (courtesy of Sportsbook.
- 3/14/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
American Idol's Top 12 is about to be reduced to 11. It's the first single elimination Results Show of the season and, really, I'm not looking forward to it. These episodes drag on forever, and will especially do so now that Fox and American Idol decided to extend all Results Shows from a half hour to a full hour. So, to recap, now American Idol will spend an hour doing what could be done in five minutes. Ech. After the mildly impressive Beatles Night yesterday, these are the contenders to go home tonight – Kristy Lee Cook, David Hernandez, Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay. My prediction for the bottom three is this: Kristy Lee Cook, David Hernandez and Syesha Mercado, with Syesha getting the ticket home. I'll be here throughout the episode to give live updates as the show moves along.
I can't even watch these promos for The Moment of Truth.
I can't even watch these promos for The Moment of Truth.
- 3/12/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Beatles Night on American Idol was not a disaster. Great. This marks a victory for this crop of American Idol contestants. I only counted four performances that I would deem “poor” tonight, which was less than I expected. Speaking as a Beatles super-fan, I never understood the uproar regarding American Idol contestants performing songs from the beloved Lennon/McCartney song book. Being allowed to sing great songs is never a bad thing. Sure, there was the possibility that they would butcher these incredible songs, but doesn't that happen all the time with Beatles songs? Regardless, I was more or less pleased with tonight's two-hour episode of American Idol. I'm sure you readers will have some serious qualms with parts of my rankings below – feel free to comment and tell me where I'm wrong. Remember, these rankings are only about my favorites of the night – they aren't about who I think will be going home.
- 3/11/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
It's here: Beatles Night on American Idol. I've been waiting with both excited anticipation and sheer dread for the Top 12 to perform tunes from the legendary Lennon/McCartney songbook (I doubt anyone will do a George Harrison song – maybe “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” or “Taxman”). I have no doubt that at least a couple of The Beatles songs will be butchered tonight, but I also am optimistic that we'll hear a handful or worthy covers. The simple truth is that almost every Beatles song is a great song, which makes it that much easier for the American Idol hopefuls to concoct a good arrangement. Word on the street is that Emi/Capitol/Michael Jackson/Apple/whatever only released 25 Beatles songs for the Idols to choose from tonight. This bothered me at first, but let's be honest – they're all exceptional pieces of music and 25 is more than enough to choose from.
- 3/11/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
The Beatles are, pretty much, my favorite thing ever. As a cultural entity, there has been nothing I have enjoyed more than the music of The Beatles (In fact, if I had to name my Top 5 Cultural Entities Ever, they'd probably be 1) The Beatles 2) The 1996 Seattle Supersonics 3) Bill Murray 4) Tom Robbins 5) The 1995 Seattle Mariners). This being the case, I was a little horrified when American Idol announced that they would be doing Beatles Week for the Top 12. It could either be an absolutely appalling couple hours of television or one of the best American Idol episodes ever. As always, it will come down to song choice. So, as we've begun doing here at BuddyTV, we're going to choose the ideal song choices for each of the Top 12 contestants on American Idol's Beatles Week.
David Archuleta - “Mother Nature's Son”
David seems intent on trying to seem precious to America,...
David Archuleta - “Mother Nature's Son”
David seems intent on trying to seem precious to America,...
- 3/10/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Enjoy tonight's results show, American Idol fans. Seriously, in a couple weeks you'll look back on tonight with fond memories. Starting next week, American Idol's Results Shows will go from sending four singers home to only sending one. From the Top 12 on, it's one at a time. One elimination in one hour. That means an incredible amount of filler, lots of guest performers you don't care about, and group songs we can all do without. Comparatively, tonight will be a breeze. I figure that the four eliminated singers will come from this large pool: Chikezie Eze, Luke Menard, David Hernandez, Danny Noriega, Kady Malloy, Asiah Epperson, Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer. That's right – half of the top 16 appear to be in danger of elimination. It's wide open. I'll be here throughout the hour, giving live updates as Ryan Seacrest ruthlessly, without mercy, kicks four singers to the curb.
- 3/6/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
Brooke White isn't receiving nearly enough love. Last night, for the second week in a row, Brooke gave the best female American Idol performance of the night and it wasn't close. If it wasn't for the buzzsaw that is David Archuleta, Brooke might be the presumptive favorite to win it all. Remember the lesson learned from Blake Lewis – creativity, ingenuity, and adaptability are incredibly important as the season goes on and on. Brooke has proved (like David Cook), in two weeks time, that she can take any genre of song and make it her own. Why am I focusing on Brooke White? Because she was the only interesting part of an otherwise boring broadcast. It's not that the ladies were terrible last night, it's that they chose terrible songs. It's hard to predict which ladies are going home tonight after last week's shocking eliminations. Will this week be more predictable?...
- 3/6/2008
- by BuddyTV
- buddytv.com
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