I’ve got to give it to American Idol: They are the masters of hype. “This is the best finale ever,” crowed Simon. I beg to differ; it was long and painful. I have some words of wisdom for this show (no surprise there), but I will hold those words until later. Let me just say that, for me, there were but two highlights during this year’s finale: Melinda’s performance with gospel royalty Bebe and Cece Winans, and Jordin’s duet with Ruben Studdard. Speaking of Ruben, it was great to see all the former winners on the show, except Fantasia, who is, of course, busy with “The Color Purple.”

American Idol on the ropes?

American Idol has closed the door on another season, and ‘The Powers That Be’ know they’re in trouble. Not only are the ratings down, but the talent pool seems to be quickly drying up. Before we look back at this past season, if you haven’t recently visited the American Idol homepage, you should do so soon.

You can participate in a poll, requesting fan feedback on aspects of the show that need to be changed. Of course, the bad voting process is not addressed, which is the major modification the show needs. Not only did American Idol lose out to Dancing With the Stars in ratings, but I would be willing to bet money that their tour sales aren’t going well either. Now, on with the show.

Predictable finish

Jordin and Blake’s sing-off was fairly predictable. Blake started off the show by reprising his performance of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name.” I will agree with the judges that his performance was entertaining; however, beat-boxing is not singing, and it’s not going to sustain a career. Blake’s next performance, Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved,” helps to understand why he employs the beat-box. Can you say “mediocre?” “Mediocre” best describes Blake’s singing ability, and that point really comes home on his performance of the songwriting competition winner, “This Is My Now.”

It was painful. He was off-key for most of the song, and it was just awful. Simon said that if we judge him on only two of his performances, he did well. No, you don’t judge him on only two performances; you judge him as the one-dimensional artist that he is. To bring that point home, let’s look at Jordin’s final performances.

She started the night by covering Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.” Jordin’s performance was both good and bad. It was good because she sounded almost exactly like Christina. Christina is one of the more talented vocalists in the business today, and to be able to emulate her says a lot about Jordin’s abilities; however, because the performance was virtually identical, one would believe that Jordin has yet to find her musical identity, which is no surprise given her age.

Her next song, “Broken Wing” calls for standing behind the mic and belting out the song, which she did without hesitation. Jordin sings “Broken Wing” quite well, though I wouldn’t insult Martina McBride by saying she sang it “better than the original,” as Simon said. Let’s just say she did a great job with the song and leave it at that. Finally, Jordin got her shot at “This Is My Now.” The song suited Jordin better, which was also no surprise. While Jordin sang the heck out of “This Is My Now,” the end result was a very anti-climactic final sing-off and another American Idull finish to the season.

No more Sanjaya’s, please

As for the final show, I am trying to figure out why they felt the need to continue to hype that no-singing Sanjaya and, once again, show us “the American Idol crier.” Sanjaya is a complete joke, but the joke is no longer funny. One would think that if the producers are worried enough about the show to post a survey, they would stop with all the foolishness. I figured Joe Perry was making faces like most artists do when they perform, but in retrospect, he was probably tuning up in response to Sanjaya’s horribly off-key singing and shouting.

Judges, please leave the Sanjaya-type singers out of the competition next year. In fact, leave out ALL the male contestants if they sing no better than this group. The standout among the men, far and away, was Phil Stacey. He shined in the group numbers, and the full-length, studio versions of his performances on the show are very good. I strongly believe that Phil has a future, something I can’t say for sure about the remaining men, including Blake.

Looking forward

Chris might possibly have a career if he takes advantage of the skills he does have. While everyone spent the season comparing Chris to Justin Timberlake, he is really more like Adam Levine of Maroon 5. After seeing Maroon 5 on the show, which is a very good band, I have found Chris Richardson’s vocal double. Instead of giving off the fake R&B vibe, why didn’t Chris sing some Maroon 5 songs? I might have actually liked him. It’s very important for an artist to stick with what works. Adam Levine is not a necessarily strong singer, but he has the “package” and a dynamite band, so the vocals work for him. There you go, Chris. He should be paying me for my advice.

As for the women, I expect both LaKisha and Melinda will have careers. LaKisha still needs to tone down her wardrobe, but she sounded fabulous in the group number with Gladys Knight. Melinda displayed strong gospel ability, but with her talent, she is not limited to that genre. I was almost as shocked to see two incredible gospel singers on this show as I was to see Prince last year, for different reasons. Melinda really sparkled on “Hold Up The Light,” and the reason is obvious. For those who don’t know, Melinda is a devout Christian, and she sings back up on the original version of this song. The show could not have chosen better celebrities for her performance. The Winans are a well-known, incredibly talented gospel family, and Melinda fit right in.

Year-end advice for American Idol

Now, it’s time for my year-end advice for American Idol. First, leave out the canned performances. Unless they want to sign up as mentors, these celebs can and should peddle their wares elsewhere. This show is supposed to be about the young people who are competing, and the show did this group a disservice by removing that focus. Second, make the voting more fair. Stop the unlimited voting, as it really serves no purpose other than to show who is most popular not who is the better vocalist. Thank God that at least one of the better vocalists won this year. Last and most important, stop lying to the American public.

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After more than two hours of Variety acts, singing and celebrity shots, Ryan Seacrest finally annouced that Jordin Sparks is the American Idol Season 6 winner.

Blake Lewis the beat boxer from Seattle Washington came in second place.

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in Rehab again. I suppose it’s true that the more fame you get the more likely you are to think that you are above consequences… but hey - Rehab is cool! You get to do it in Malibu right?

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I’m wondering if he will make enough off this to hire the level of security he probably SHOULD have right now.

It’s probably a valid concern for Sanjaya to have, the question is should he worry?

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It would be great to try and find out what exactly the Judges donated - they get big fat pay checks for being the Idol judges, let’s hope they gave back!

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Dancing with the Stars Vincent Pastore, best known as “Big Pussy” on The Sopranos, has bowed out of Dancing with Stars, just weeks before the premiere of the show’s fourth season.  The 60-year old actor cited the “physical demands of a 10-week season” as one of the reasons for his abrupt departure.  Pastore isn’t the most in shape of people and given his age, I really can’t blame him for his decision.  I was skeptical of his dancing potential from the beginning.

You have to applaud Pastore for giving ABC and Dancing with the Stars enough time to find a reasonable replacement.  For me, I’m not a big fan of the token “older male who is bad at dancing but provides comic relief” contestant.  Like Jerry Springer, I was expecting Pastore to take over this role.  What this does is keep better dancers off the show in favor of these less-talented, yet more entertaining men.  Now, the question is: Who will replace Pastore?
Will Dancing with the Stars look to fill the slot with the a similar personality to Pastore?  I don’t know who that would be, but I’m guessing that ABC will simply be looking for the best contestant available.  I can’t believe that Dancing with the Stars wouldn’t have back ups at the ready to fill in if needed.  Two seasons ago the rapper Romeo had to back out of the competition due to injury and his father (Master P) stepped in to take his place.  I don’t think that solution is an option with Pastore.

Expect an announcement replacement from Dancing with the Stars by the end of the week.  However, I don’t think it matters.  As much as I like Clyde Drexler and think Apolo Ohno may potentially be a good dancer, it’s all going to come down to the one, the only Steve Sanders.  That’s right, my prediction to win Dancing with the Stars this season is Ian Ziering.  You can put it in the bank.

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Tags: Dancing with the Stars, Vincent Pastore

Victoria Beckham has signed a ten million pound deal with NBC for her own reality show, stressing “It’s not just any reality show.” Simon Fuller, manager of Posh and the rest of the Spice Girls, will be the executive producer for the show set to air sometime in the summer.

He claims the selling point is not her star status or good-looks, but her “hilarious sense of humor.” Husband David Beckham and their three sons will not be featured in the show besides small ‘guest’ appearances.

“How a celebrity transfers her support system, including publicist, stylist and personal assistant, to a new town will be a focus of the show, which also is expected to include her shopping for items like a home and car,” Variety reported.

Victoria Beckham expressed enthusiasm for the project and the chance to work with Fuller again. “This show is really something different. It’s pushing the boundaries, and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people,” she said.

Fuller manages both Beckhams and helped negotiate the famed athlete’s lucrative soccer deal.

There is nothing like wasting a nice summer day watching Victoria Beckham yelling in an airport and paying people to move boxes, all while making her customary pouty face. The sad thing is, millions of people will probably tune in.

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Tags: Victoria Beckham, David Beckham

The latest and sixth installment of The Apprentice is The Apprentice LA. This show produced by Mark “Survivor” Burnett has turned more into “Survivor” then a 16 week job interview as advertised.

The premise is the have’s and have nots, where as the winning teams live inside the LA mansion and the losers live in tents in the back yard.

Candidates tasks are more physical them mental than in the past.

To date The Donald Has fired:
Martin Clarke
Carey Sherrell
Marisa DeMato

Michelle Soro took the high road and resigned from the show. She may be considered the Ultimate winner of this reality show, because she didn’t put up with the crap The Donald was slinging.

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Tags: The Apprentice, Marisa Demato, Donald Trump

The Latest Round of American Idol return in January 2007

American Idol has brought fame and fortune to many of todays top music chart performers. From Carrie Underwood, to Taylor Hicks, to Chris Daughtry Idol contestants have held their own in the music industry.  American Idol premiered on American television under the name of American Idol: The Search for a Superstar. It is part of an Idol series which started in the United Kingdom as Pop Idol, and consequently has variation around the world including Australian Idol and Singapore Idol. All shows run under a similar basic format and operate as talent shows meant to find the best undiscovered talent in each country. 

 American Idol has grown into a corporate advertisement and marketing giant that is endorsed by advertisers willing to shell out millions just just 30 second spots. American Idol also utilizes product placement advertisement throughout the show as a revenue producer. Ever notice the Coca-Cola logs all over the place?  American Idol is shown on the Fox network  on US TV and produced by 19 Entertainment. Initially shopped around and rejected by many other networks,American Idol has found its permanent home partly due to the presence of judge Simon Cowell. The sharp and critical, Simon Cowell, was initially a judge on Britain’s Pop Idol, and has since become an American household name due to his blunt and searing critiques of many of the American Idol contestants.

Simon Cowell has since produced ill-faded American Inventor and the latest television talent competition, America’s Got Talent. The success of American Idol is irrefutablehaving won the top spot on Neilson Ratings for  several years and  having more loyal fans watching than the Olympics, The Grammy Awards and the NBA Playoffs.

American Idol is hosted by the affable Ryan Seacrest who we first meet during the audition process. The talent competition holds auditions in several US cities including LA, Memphis. Salt Lake City and Boston.  The competition is so popular with thousands attempting to audition, that associate producers and judges prescreen contestants in the parking lot at many venues. If an audition has the talent, then he or she is passed through to Directors Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller. The contestants must get the green light from the producers to move forward then, the contestant is then allowed a chance to impress the celebrity judges by — meeting Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Once the contestant performs a song or two for Simon, Paula and Randy, the final judgment on whether they will advance to Hollywood is given. Each contestant needs two out of three votes, and if the vote is in the contestant’s favor, he or she gets the famous yellow ticket and they are sent to Hollywood for a week of exhausting performances and tough judging. At the end of Hollywood week, the top 24 have evolved and usually represent a diverse group of males and females of all races and musical genres.

There are several criteria one must meet in order to try out for Idol. All audition hopefuls must be between the ages of 16-29 years of age and not have a recording contract or talent representation. Release forms must be signed by all in order to enable American Idol to use your voice or image during any part of its broadcasts.

American Idol starts another season in January 2007. The  American Idol concept is ingrained into our society and producers will continue to ride the gravy train. American idol is here to stay.

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Yul Kwon won the $1 million prize  on “Survivor: Cook Islands.” Korean-American Yul Kwon is a 31-year-old management consultant with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Yale Law School and was known as the brains of the show.

“The key to winning the game is maximizing the good luck and minimizing the back luck,” Kwon was quoted as saying by AP. Winning in a 5-4 vote, Kwon beat Ozzy Lusth in the 13th season of the reality show. The season began in September. I guess brains won over brawn. I mean, brains and brawn won over less brains and more brawn.

Kwon also managed to find a hidden piece of jewelry that guaranteed him one-time immunity from being voted off the island. “Survivor: Cook Islands” started back in September with tribes based on race: black, Asian, Latino, white (well, Latino is not a race, they’re white, but whatever). What better way of attracting most viewers? “Survivor” producers were even criticized for segregating four, four-person teams along ethnic lines at the game’s start.

His adversary, Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth, who works as a waiter near the surf in Venice, Calif., mastered the tropical game’s physical challenges. He won two very different ones on the show’s final two-hour telecast Sunday: a race to complete a complex puzzle, and showing his endurance by standing on a tiny platform for more than two hours, reports People.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt bad that somebody didn’t win,” host Jeff Probst said. “It was so evenly matched.” For a game that began in racial controversy, it turned into a showcase for the nation’s diversity, according to Kwon, with most viewers probably agreeing now that the show is over.

Yul Kwon should better watch out and pay the taxes on the $1 million prize: “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch, notorious for his refusal to wear clothes on the tropical Malaysian island where the show was set, serves a 51-month term for failing to pay his income taxes. Apparently, Hatch tried to get away with not paying taxes on the $1 million prize of the “Survivor” show and other income.

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Tags: Survivor, Yul Kwon, Ozzy,