American Idol Season 1 finalist Jim Verraros is feeling a bit nostalgic.
In a blog post on his myspace page, Jim, who has released two CDs and appeared in several movies, including the relative DVD hit Eating Out, laments that he has not kept in touch with his fellow finalists from the first year of the show.
Here's what Jim had to say...
I guess for some reason, I've been reminiscing a lot about my former Idol Gang: RJ Helton, Christina Christian, EJay Day, Justin Guarini, Tamyra Gray, Nikki McKibbin, Ryan Starr, AJ Gil, and Kelly Clarkson. Half of these people I haven't spoken to in YEARS. It's been six seasons since we were all the American Idol Top Ten. It's crazy how much we've all grown up, how much we've changed and unfortunately, grown apart.
I remember the last tour stop in Seattle, Washington...how we all promised not to lose touch after it all came to an end...but, things happen. People go off in different directions, tackle different opportunities that come their way, and that's life.
I thanked them all in my album liner notes when my record came out in 2005. And I hope they read what I had to say; because I meant every word. In fact, I still do. Very much.
More than anything, though...I wanted to try and reach out to as many as I could today, browsing through their Myspace Profiles and writing them "I miss you" messages. Whether they'll write back, I don't know. But, I wanted to do something to let them know that they were on my mind, and that no matter where life takes us, we all shared something so amazing together. Something only a handful of people will ever get to experience.
We were the trailblazers. The originals, and guinea pigs. And in my opinion, no matter who goes on to win season 7,8 or 9...there will be only one true Idol. Kelly. And I hope she knows that.
A lot of this has sort of spiraled from American Idol re-airing on the CW network...and I can't tell you how strange it is to actually re-watch some of that footage five years ago.
Even though American Idol has turned into a "ratings juggernaut," I wouldn't trade my season for anyone else's. Being in that group of ten was the best thing that ever happened to me. And no matter what anyone says, that group of nine are the most amazingly talented and good hearted people that will ever appear on Idol. Take my word for it.
We've struggled harder than any other season of competitors have on American Idol. But, when we do achieve success, it tastes so much sweeter than it would have any other way.
I hope everyone's doing well. What has everyone else been up to these days? Fill me in.
Love You Always,
Jim
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Monday, October 01, 2007
American Idol Season 1 Finalist Jim Verraros Reaches Out to Fellow Idols
IDOL MADNESS (Abdul Bracket) Rnd of 64: #2 Jordin Sparks vs. #15 Jim Verraros
Abdul Bracket First Round Match-Ups:
#1 Fantasia vs. #16 EJ Day
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #15 Jim Verraros
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #14 Julia DeMato
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #13 AJ Gil
#5 Blake Lewis vs. #12 Nadia Turner
#6 Nikki McKibbin vs. #11 John Stevens
#7 Anthony Fedorov vs. #10 Carmen Rasmussen
#8 Phil Stacey vs. #9 Ace Young
Abdul Bracket -- Draw, Seedings and First Round Match-Ups
IDOL MADNESS Main Page
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
The Ten Most Shocking Results in American Idol History
Over the years, American Idol has supplied us with many shocking results. Here are my picks for the most surprising.
1. Tamyra Gray's elimination (Season 1)
We didn't even know shocking results were possible at this point in Season 1 -- we just assumed the two best singers (Kelly and Tamyra) would make it to the finals. Boy, were we wrong! I wish I had a photo of my face when the results were announced -- my jaw was literally on the floor.
2. Three Divas/Jennifer Hudson's elimination (Season 3)
No more needs be said about this one -- the looks on the faces of Latoya, Fantasia, and Jennifer said it all.
3. Latoya London's elimination (Season 3)
Jasmine instead of Latoya? Simply insane.
4. Chris Daughtry's elimination (Season 5)
Slightly less surprising than Tamyra and Latoya's ousters, simply because at this point in the show's run we knew surprising results were possible. Also contributing to the exit -- Elliott, who was presumed to be the most vulnerable, came out firing, and Chris suffered from dreaded voter compacency.
5. Ruben Studdard's first Bottom 2 appearance (Season 2)
Ruben's trip to the Bottom 2 caused Oprah to call her friend Gayle and proclaim "Girl, we need to start voting!" When Oprah is shocked, you know it's big.
6. Constantine Maroulis' elimination (Season 4)
Even though he was considered a favorite, his lackluster Nickleback cover made it less than mind boggling why the rocker got the boot.
7. Ruben Studdard winning over Clay Aiken (Season 2)
After "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I thought Clay had it in the bag. I still think if busy signals hadn't been a factor Clay would have been Season 2's champ.
8. Sabrina Sloan not making it into Top 12 (Season 6)
I'm still sore about this one -- the girl could sing! It only make it hurts more that she lost out on a spot due to Haley Scarnato.
9. Jim Verraros making it into Top 10 (Season 1)
Again, we didn't know what to expect back in Season 1, and Jim making into the Top 10 was just the first of several surprises.
10. Vanessa Olivarez' elimination (Season 2)
Vanessa was definitely not the worst during the Top 12 in Season 2 (I'd give that honor to Charles Grigsby or Julia DeMato), so her early ouster was nearly impossible to predict.
What do you think are the most shocking results in Idol history?
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Ranking the 9th Place Finishers
Read Ranking the 10th Place Finishers
Read Top 9 Results - Gina's a Goner
Read Top 9 Performances - Ladies & The Tramp
Read Top 15 Performances of the Season So Far
Read Ten Best Top 9 Performances of All Time
There's been a lot of carping that Season 6 is the weakest talent American Idol has ever had, and while I have a strong hunch that this may actually be true, the best way to figure that out for sure (or as close to "sure" as we can get) is by seeing how the eliminated contestants from each season stack up against each other. Thus, as I did last week (and will continue to do throughout the season), I have ranked each season's finishers, to see how they compare to each other. It's time for the 9th Place Finishers, with, Gina Glocksen, the most recent eliminee, coming in at #2.
Please note, rankings are determined on American Idol performances only, not on what they have accomplished since their time on the show.
1. Mandisa Hundley (Season 5)
Best Performance: "I Don't Hurt Anymore" (Top 11)
Worst Performance: "Wanna Praise You" (Top 10)-- bringing too much of church to Idol may have been responsible for her surprise exit the next round
Post-Idol: Releasing a book called "Idoleyes" next month
2. Gina Glocksen (Season 5)
Best Performance: "I'll Stand By You" (Top 10)
Worst Performance: "Paint it Black" (Top 11)
Post-Idol: Who knows??
3. Nikko Smith (Season 4)
Best Performance: "Georgia on My Mind" (SF #3)
Worst Performance: "Can We Talk" (Top 10) -- although Nikko didn't really have any trainwreck performances
Post-Idol: "Working on a CD" -- uh huh.
4. Corey Clarke (Season 2)
Best Performance: "Drift Away" (Top 10)
Worst Performance: "This Old Heart of Mine" (Top 12)
Post-Idol: I think we all know about Mr. Clarke's allegations about Paula Abdul, and that's just about what he's most famous for at this point (aside from his embarrassing "song" about the incident); he has also spent some time in the clinker. Not the alumni Idol is most proud of.
5. Camille Velasco (Season 3)
Best Performance: "For Once in My Life," (Top 12) I guess, but there really wasn't a standout
Worst Performance: So many to choose from -- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Top 9)?
Post-Idol: "Working on a CD" -- uh huh. Can't wait for that one!
6. Jim Verraros (Season 1)
Best Performance: There wasn't one, really, but I guess "When I Fall in Love"
Worst Performance: "Easy Like Sunday Morning" (Top 10)
Post-Idol: Thus far the most successful of the 9th place finishers, with two dance CDs and a starring role in the gay cult films "Eating Out" and "Eating Out 2"; along with RJ Helton, he is one of the only two openly gay former American Idol finalists.
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