Vote in the Abdul Bracket First Round Match-Ups and see the results of the Cowell and Seacrest Bracket First Round Match-Ups
Jackson Bracket First Round Match-Ups:
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #16 Brandon Rodgers
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. #15 Camile Velasco
#3 Latoya London vs. #14 Corey Clark
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #13 Jon Peter Lewis
#5 Justin Guarini vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#6 Paris Bennett vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
#7 Josh Gracin vs. #10 Nikko Smith
#8 Christina Christian vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Visit IDOL MADNESS Main Page
The top 2 seeds of the Jackson bracket were two of the hottest pop stars in 2007. #1seed Carrie Underwood picked up 3 Grammys (and countless other awards) and released a sophomore album on her way to selling several million records last year. #2 seed Chris Daughtry picked up 3 American Music Awards and 4 Grammy nominations on his way to selling 3 million records.
Trying to keep those two seeds from reaching the Final Four will be a pair of runners-up (#5 seed Justin Guarini and #4 seed Katherine McPhee) and a trio of divas (#9 Mandisa Hundley, #6 Paris Bennett, and #3 Latoya London). Overall, Season 5 contestants could overpower this bracket with strong 2, 4, 6, and 9 seeds. Anyone dare call for the sweep??
1 Carrie Underwood
2 Chris Daughtry
3 LaToya London
4 Katharine McPhee
5 Justin Guarini
6 Paris Bennett
7 Josh Gracin
8 Christina Christian
9 Mandisa Hundley
10 Nikko Smith
11 Anwar Robinson
12 Gina Glockson
13 Jon Peter Lewis
14 Corey Clark
15 Camile Velasco
16 Brandon Rodgers
Sunday, January 20, 2008
IDOL MADNESS Jackson Bracket -- Draw, Seeds and First Round Match-Ups
Thursday, November 01, 2007
IDOL MADNESS (Jackson Bracket) Rnd of 64: #6 Paris Bennett vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Jackson Bracket First Round Match-Ups:
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #16 Brandon Rodgers
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. #15 Camile Velasco
#3 Latoya London vs. #14 Corey Clark
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #13 Jon Peter Lewis
#5 Justin Guarini vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#6 Paris Bennett vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
#7 Josh Gracin vs. #10 Nikko Smith
#8 Christina Christian vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Visit IDOL MADNESS Main Page
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Yep - Carrie and Chris Are Still in the Top 10
Carrie Underwood and Daughtry are, you guessed it, still in the Top 10 this week on the Album charts. These two just won't quit!
Daughtry sold 67K albums for the #6 spot, while Carrie moved 57K albums for the #8 spot. While Bucky Covington drops 4 spots to #32 (with sales of about 17K ), he still outsold both Kimberley Locke and Paris Bennett. K-Lo and Paris' albums, both released in the last two weeks, failed to make the Top 50.
Michael Buble tops the chart with 143K sold in it's second week of release, with newcomers Bone Thugs & Harmony and Bobby Valentino taking the #2 and 3 spots.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Whaddaya Know? Daughtry and Underwood Still in Top 10
Blah blah blah, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood are still in the Top 10 on the album charts. You think people like buying their records?
Daughtry slips one spot to #6 but actually increased his sales by 4% to just over 50K, while Underwood slips two spots to #10, with sales of about 43K.
Bucky Covington, meanwhile, drops 25% to finish at #38 with about 17K albums sold.
Kimberley Locke's sophomore album failed to crack the Top 50. We'll see if Paris Bennett does any better next week (her album is in stores today).
The top two spots this week are held by chart newcomers Ne-Yo (featuring a track by Jennifer Hudson) and Idol guest star Michael Buble, both of whom moved over 200K albums. Nashville Star finalist Miranda Lambert (whose CD I hear is very good) also landed a Top 5 debut.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Ranking the 5th Place Finishers
Please note, rankings are determined on American Idol performances only, not on what they have accomplished since their time on the show.
In addition, since we don't know whether Phil Stacey or Chris Richardson finished at #5 for Season 6, I have (possibly incorrectly) put Phil on the list of 6th place finishers, and Chris appears on this list
1. Paris Bennett(Season 5)
Best Known For: Strong jazzy voice; uncannily mature performance style
Best Performance: "Fever," "The Show Must Go On"
Worst Performance: Not a terrible performance in the bunch, but if I had to name one I'd go with "How Do I Live"
Post-AI: Debut CD, "Princess P," released later this month
2. Trenyce (Season 2)
Best Known For: Sadly, her shoplifiting arrest (that mug shot is pretty memorable)
Best Performance: "Proud Mary," "Love Will Keep Us Together"
Worst Performance: "I Need You"
Post AI: Busy acting and singing in stage productions around the country, but has yet to make it to Broadway
3. George Huff (Season 3)
Best Known For: Lovable personality, and "bopping" dance style
Best Performance: "Take Me to the Pilot"
Worst Performance: "I Can Love You Like That"
Post AI: Released an album in late '05 called "Miracles"
4. Chris Richardson(Season 6)
Best Known For: Being a Justin Timberlake look-and-sound-alike (and, in my opinion, the cutest male contestant the show has ever had)
Best Performance: "Geek in the Pink," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
Worst Performance: "The Boss"
Post AI: We'll see...
5. RJ Helton(Season 1)
Best Known For: Being called a "loser" by Simon, resulting in the famous Season 1 fight between Simon and Randy
Best Performance: "Lately"
Worst Performance: "I Won't Dance"
Post AI: Released an album of Christian music (which is actually pretty good); recently publicly came out of the closet; quoted in a recent article about "American Idol's Gay Secret" in Advocate magazine
6. Scott Savol(Season 4)
Best Known For: Probably the least charming contestant American Idol has ever had
Best Performance: "Never Too Much"
Worst Performance: Even though his voice isn't really that bad, I'd have to say...the rest
Post AI: Shockingly, he's "working on a CD"
Friday, April 06, 2007
Ten Best Top 8 Performances of All Time
Yep, it's time again to take a glance backward into Idol history, to choose the Ten Best Top 8 performances of all time. The list is topped by two former winners, and features the most heated battle for the #1 spot yet. In the past the Top 8 round has provided us with some classic performances, including two songs from musicals, four Queen songs, and two songs that have been reprised during the current season of Idol. (As a reminder, performances from the current season are not eligible for on any of these Ten Best lists)
Without further ado...
Ranking the 9th Place Finishers
Ten Best Top 9 Performances of All Time
Ranking the 10th Place Finishers
Ten Best Top 10 Performances of All Time
Ten Best Top 11 Performances of All Time
Ten Best First Finals Performances
Ten Best Semifinals Performances of All Time
1. Fantasia, "Summertime" (Season 3)
This is probably the most acclaimed Idol performance of all time, and with good reason -- it is simply stunning. 'Tasia had already proven by this point in the competition that she had undeniable vocal chops, but when she sat on the stage, singing and feeling the classic Porgy & Bess song like her life depended on it, she took herself and the viewers to another level. Idol has often been criticized for being a glorified karaoke competition, but Fantasia transcended that notion by miles, providing the kind of breathtaking experience only a true artist can. Simply magnificent.
2. Kelly Clarkson, "Natural Woman"
In any other week this performance would have easily grabbed the #1 spot -- this week, however, she just misses out on that top spot thanks to Fantasia's brilliant "Summertime." If Kelly had announced her arrival with "Respect" and continued to impress with "You're All I Need," it was this spectacular showing that she really displayed how much talent there was underneath that endearingly dorky persona. Dressed to kill in a tie and hat, Kelly handled the vocal demands of this song flawlessly, even hitting a Mariah Carey-esque whistle note in the middle, a vocal feat that hasn't been duplicated on the show (or by Kelly) since. Sheer brilliance.
3. Latoya London, "Somewhere"
'Tasia may have stole the show during the Top 8 week in Season 3, but Latoya also showed off some serious chops on this classic from the musical West Side Story. Effortlessly scaling the vocal demands of the song, Latoya soared as she sang "Somehow....some day...somewheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere." It gives me chills to even think about.
4. Paris Bennett, "The Show Must Go On"
With Mandisa having been given the boot the week before, Paris stepped up to fill in the void as the resident diva of Season 5, bringing drama and stellar vocals to this Queen song (which I had never heard before this performance). In so doing, she revealed she was capable of much more than just singing jazzy standards. Hopefully we'll see a little bit of Paris' rocker side on her upcoming album.
5. Constantine Maroulis, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Yes, here's Constantine again -- at this point I guess I really can't deny that he did provide some memorable performances during his tenure on the show. On paper this performance should have been a disaster -- but somehow, Constantine pulled it off, transcending kitsch to give a bonafide showstopping performance. I still don't really want to buy the guy's CD (if he ever releases one), but I've gotta give him his due for this undeniably entertaining performance.
6. Rickey Smith, "Endless Love"
Compare Chris Sligh's massacre of the Lionel Ritchie/Diana Ross duet to Rickey's incredible vocal performance of the song, and there is no question who comes out on top. Rickey scaled the high notes of this song (both Ritchie and Ross') magnificently. While I wasn't Rickey's #1 fan during his time on the show, there is no denying that the tone of his voice, coupled with the beautiful melody of this song, was a match made in heaven. Well, maybe there is denying it, since Rickey was voted off after this performance!
7. Jennifer Hudson, "I Have Nothing"
In a week when Fantasia and Latoya both tore the house down, the third diva, Ms. Hudson, was not far behind, taking a Whitney Houston song and hitting it right out of the park. Momentum was building for the girl, after her astounding "Circle of Life" the week before, and she did not disappoint with this stirring rendition. LaKisha sang the song well this year, but her rendtion doesn't hold a candle to this Oscar winner's.
8. Elliott Yamin, "Somebody to Love"
By this point in the competition Elliott was really starting to find his footing, and he continued to show his funkiness by bringing a soulful, smoky flavor to this Queen song. Not Elliott's strongest of the competition, but an excellent showing nonetheless.
9. Katharine McPhee, "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Season 5)
Supposedly this was the song Mandisa was supposed to sing had she not been kicked off the previous round, but it's hard to imagine anyone else other than Katharine wrapping her golden vocals around the soaring Queen tune. Again, not Katharine's best of the competition, but certainly worthy of a spot on this list.
10. Josh Gracin, "Amazed" (Season 2)
I've become a much bigger fan of Josh Gracin since he left the show than I was when he was on it, but this performance of the Lonestar hit allowed Josh to perform well within his pop/country comfort zone, and, for once, he scored a slam dunk.
Ranking the 9th Place Finishers
Ten Best Top 9 Performances of All Time
Ranking the 10th Place Finishers
Ten Best Top 10 Performances of All Time
Ten Best Top 11 Performances of All Time
Ten Best First Finals Performances
Ten Best Semifinals Performances of All Time
Monday, March 19, 2007
Available For Pre-Order: Elliott, Paris, Bucky and Mandisa
Not to be outdone by fellow Season 5 contenders Taylor, Katharine, and Chris, Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, Mandisa Hundley, and Elliott Yamin are storming onto the scene as part of a slew of Idol-related releases.
Paris is releasing her first CD, called "Princess P," on May 7, 2007. The CD is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com by clicking the link below.
Bucky Covington, whose song "A Different World" is heating up the Country charts, also has an album coming out, on April 17.
Mandisa Hundley doesn't have an album coming out, but she does have a book! It's called "Idol Eyes: My New Perspective on Faith, Fat and Fame," and will be released May 9, 2007.
And don't forget, Elliott Yamin's CD comes out tomorrow!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Ten Best Top 11 Performances of All Time
Last week, prior to the start of the Top 12, I came up with my list of the Ten Best First Finals Performances over the years. Aside from the fact that it's always fun to make an Idol-related list, I think it's interesting to see how this year's crop matches up against the best performances from the past. Now that the first week of this year's performances have been completed, I would probably include LaKisha and Melinda's debut Top 12 performances on this list.
So, I'm going to continue this exercise with a list of the Ten Best Top 11 Performances of all time. This is a slight change from last week's list, as I have left off Season 1 contenders (since there was only a Top 10 that year). Kelly C. and company will return to the list once we get into the Top 8.
(I should also note that while I consider myself a pretty solid Idol historian, I did have to do a bit of research to find out which songs were sung which week...I've only got so much room in my head!)
1. Carrie Underwood, "Alone"
She may be a country singer through and through, but there's got to be a little bit of 80's rocker lingering inside Carrie Underwood. If not, how to explain this transcendent performance of the great Heart song -- big hair, even bigger voice. Sure, she basically just stood in the middle of the stage and sang, but she sounded so fantastic (blending gorgeously with the very talented back-up singer) nobody would dare complain. This is one of my top 3 favorite Idol performances of all time.
2. Clay Aiken, "Somewhere Out There"
Yes, that last note was a little wonky, but Clay showing his sensitive side on this tune from the beloved film An American Tale only further endeared him to the growing minion of Claymates. This, I believe, was also the debut of Clay's trademarked batting of the eyes...as he crooned and gazed into the camera, you could almost hear 50-year old women across the country shrieking. A Clay classic.
3. Kimberley Locke, "Home"
Kimberley had fumbled big time in the Top 12 and found herself in the Bottom 3 the first week out, so she needed a strong performance to rebound and make herself a contender. And did she ever deliver with this fantastic performance of the Diana Ross song from the musical The Wiz, producing a rich and soulful sound (as well as showing off her newly straightened hair) and holding the final note for what seemed like an eternity. As much as I love Melinda, this, to me, is the definitive Idol version of "Home."
4. Paris Bennett, "Fever"
When we first saw Paris in her initial audition she showed off a preternaturally sophisticated performance style and an impossibly souful, old-school flavor. She brought that back in this spectactular, jazzy performance, effortlessly evoking Billie Holiday and Ella Fitgerald. Paris' strongest performance by a mile.
5. Fantasia, "You Were Always on my Mind"
At this point in the competition during Season 3 people were starting to wonder if Fantasia was a one-trick pony, but this performance shot that notion down right-quick. Feeling every moment of the Willie Nelson classic, this was the first glimpse of the "Summertime" that was soon to come.
6. Katharine McPhee, "Come Rain or Come Shine"
Now that her CD has been released and she is trying to establish herself as a current pop artist she seems to be modeling herself after, of all artists, the Pussycat Dolls, but as far as I'm concerned Katharine is never more of a star than when she is singing old school torch songs, like this Judy Garland gem. Looking sensational and sounding as good as she ever did, Katharine was truly glorious in this performance. Perhaps on her next CD she'll realize where her strengths lie and return to this kind of music.
7. Chris Daughtry, "Walk the Line"
How was Chris going to handle country? That was the question coming into Season 5's Top 11, but he tore into this Johnny Cash tune in a way that seemed modern, relevant, and, most importantly, authentic. Yes, it turns out he was using an arrangement previously recorded by the group Live, but in this performance Chris showed how a real rocker performs on American Idol and still holds on to their musical integrity.
8. Amy Adams, "Sin Wagon"
I had dismissed Amy Adams as a nonentity by the time she came out to close the show in Season 2's Top 11, but she brought the house down with a rousing version of the Dixie Chick's song. Playful and well-sung, I actually prefer Amy's version to the rendition Carrie gave in Season 4.
9. Elliott Yamin, "Teach Me Tonight"
We knew Elliott had a great voice coming into the Top 11 of Season 5, but he really connected with this little-know 60's song, jazzing up his performance style and really connecting with the audience for the first time. As the skillfullness of his vocal runs became abundantly clear, he announced himself as a real contender for the title.
10. Latoya London, "Ain't Going Down"
Josh Gracin had butchered this Garth Brook's mouthful of a song in Season 2, but Latoya redeemed it, giving a sassy and soulful spin to the country tune. At this point in the competition you had to wonder -- is there anything Latoya can't sing?
Ten Best First Finals Performances
Top Semifinal Performances Ever
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Notes on Chris Sligh, Carrie Underwood, Elliott Yamin, Paris Bennett, and Jennifer Hudson
Chris Sligh
Chris' band, Half Past Forever, has released their debut CD (made before Sligh was on Idol), called "Take a Chance on Something Beautiful." The CD is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. As far as I know, this is the first time an Idol album has been available for sale while the contestant is still in the competition.
Carrie Underwood
Carrie will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live (following in the footsteps of former guests and Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken) on March 24. Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning will host the show.
Elliott Yamin
As we get closer to the release of Elliott's debut album (just six days away!), Elliott's publicity machine is really starting to heat up. His first single "Wait For You" impacted radio as of yesterday, and is now available for purchase on itunes. In addition, according to Elliott's myspace blog he will be appearing on "Live with Regis and Kelly," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and MTV's "TRL" in the coming weeks.
Paris Bennett
While Paris' CD is still not available for pre-sale on Amazon yet, her first single is very slowly starting to gain some radio play, as two Urban Mainstream stations have started spinning her debut single, "Ordinary Love." Stay tuned for details on her album release.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson took to her myspace blog to try to clear up a few rumors that have been floating around about her in the last couple of weeks. She says she has not committed to any movie projects at the moment (despite the hubbub about her having signed on to play Aretha Franklin in a bigscreen version of Franklin's life), and is focused, for the moment, on her music. In addition, she says that because she is new to this kind of industry exposure, it caught her off guard that people are gossiping about her and that they think she is a diva. While she admits to calling American Idol a "stepping stone," she explains, "as I said in my previous interviews American Idol is a stepping stone because had it not been for them no one would of knew (sic) of a Jennifer Hudson to call to audition for Dreamgirls!
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