Rapper and Chicago native, Lupe Fiasco, took part in a very emotional journey to get the word out about the importance of clean drinking water around the world…
Lupe Fiasco takes part in MTV’s ‘Summit on the Summit:Kilimanjaro’
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Mount Prospect, IL native, Lee Dewyze, has made it into American Idol’s Top 12 contestants. During the dramatic final elimination before moving on to the big stage, Lee was the third guy to get the “Congratulations” from Ryan Seacrest…
American Idol’s Lee Dewyze makes it to the big show
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Wow. Did the most of the guys just royally blow it tonight or what? The top ten guys were on tonight because of an illness suffered by one of the top ten girls. Michael Lynche started the show off on a good note, but from there it was mostly a downward spiral.
That was until we got to the last performer of the night: Lee Dewyze. He’s got something and I think he will go far.
Bad comment followed by bad comment was how the jist of the evening went. I wanted to scream at my TV, “Stop changing the songs!” No one sounded especially great and it was just really annoying. Almost everyone was pitchy and it really felt like amateur hour.
Jermaine Sellers is a Chicago guy, which is something I root for, but his attitude has got to go. He’s so ridiculously confident, but doesn’t have the goods so far to back it up. Casey James was okay, but there was nothing memorable about it. I could go on and on about the negative points of tonight’s show. Alex Lambert does have a really good voice, but again with that mullet. Please. Cut. It. Off.
I was happy to see that Ellen was more comfortable over in judge’s row. She gave some good advice and really seemed to know what she was talking about. As for the illness that struck one of the girls, Crystal Bowersox, I’m kind of confused. Of course I hope it’s nothing serious, but since when does someone get to continue on if they get sick? I’m wondering then if it’s something more serious for FOX and Idol to move scheduling around for her.
I’m hoping for some real singing tomorrow night. Please.
I won’t be surprised if I get a lot of flack for what I’m about to say, but I’m okay with that. I like Lady Gaga‘s music, but cannot stand her fashion.
Take this picture taken at the Grammy Awards. She is holding the a death star in one hand, being circled by the rings of Jupiter and I don’t even have words for the shoes. Look, I know I am not the most fashion forward of people, but I just don’t get how these things constitute good fashion choices.
Everyone is praising her for being a beacon of fashion, but why? She wears costumes made out of Kermit the Frog’s puppet heads and large plastic shaped bubbles.
Her image is part of what makes her popular though. In the music industry or any entertainment industry really, you need to stand out. She has taken standing out into a whole new stratosphere. I’ve seen a couple photos of her au naturel and I’ve got to say she looks a thousand times better than the whatever outrageous personality she chooses to take on.
I was listening to the radio yesterday and some DJ was talking about her and her keen fashion sense; I wanted to scream. I understand that some people take fashion as being an expression of art, but what happens when it becomes more laughable than commendable?
Tonight it was time to see if the Top 12 guys had what it took to impress the American Idol viewers.
Overall, I was not thoroughly impressed. However, I will say that I was more entertained and had a better feeling about this group of singers compared to the ladies’ show last night. I will say, like I said about the girls, that I understand it’s the first live week, but c’mon on now.
Idol is now in its ninth season, which means that everyone out there knows what it takes to shine in this world of criticism and glory. The guys tried too hard in my opinion; there were lots of runs and trying to outshine the one before him. I did see a lot of potential though. I definitely didn’t feel that way last night with the Top 12 girls.
As a Chicagoan, I was happy to see that three of the contestants hailed from my area. I’m a fan of Lee Dewyze; he didn’t do exceptionally well tonight, but I love the raspy tone in his voice. I actually like John Park too; he’s got a real richness to his voice. But what the hell was he thinking with his song choice? “God Bless the Child” is a song that should be sung by women with that powerhouse vocal. I have a couple other guys that I will keep in the back of my mind (Casey James, Andrew Garcia) as could-be favorites.
Of course we have to discuss who I didn’t care for too. I can’t jump on the Aaron Kelly train. Sure, he’s got the David Archuletta thing going on, but he’s not a star. Alex Lambert can lose the wanna-be mullet any time now. I am not a fan of Michael Lynche either. While watching his performance, I felt like I was sitting in a hotel listening to the wedding singer.
Usually when the Top 24 gets narrowed down to the Top 12, that’s when things really start heating up. I’m really counting on that. In interviews, Simon Cowell has said he feels like this is the year for a female winner. I’m going to go out on a limb and disagree. I’ve got the next three months to change my mind.
American Idol kicked off the first week of its live episodes tonight. Tonight was all about the Top 12 girls. I was not impressed for the most part.
The majority of the girls were not original and Simon Cowell made sure to let them know it. There were a minimum of three girls who were told they were terrible tonight and not only by Cowell. Randy Jackson was also not afraid to say what he thought of tonight’s performances.
I am mixed on how I thought Ellen DeGeneres did on her first live show. I liked that she remained a positive, upbeat judge for the most part, but she mentioned on more than one occasion that she was unsure of some of the technical aspects of the performances. Nobody thought she’d be able to critique based on a technical level, as she is not a singer, but by stating her inexperience, she made it more visible than it would have been otherwise. I’m a huge DeGeneres fan and I’m sure she had some nerves herself tonight, so I’ll hold off a few weeks in making a final judgment on her addition to the judges panel.
Now on to the contestants. I never understood why they put the 16-year old Haeley Vaughn through to the Top 24. Tonight proved my point; what on earth was she doing up there? Why put her through and get rid of Angela Martin, only to tell her on Ellen’s daytime show that they were going to get her a record deal? Out of the Top 12 girls, I really only liked one or two of them. Katelyn Epperly was good, but I don’t have a good feeling that she will remain consistent. I want to root for Didi Benami, so I hope she starts doing better. Lastly, I want to like Crystal Bowersox, but she really looks like she hates being there and that Idol is below her. Anyone else agree?
Tomorrow the game begins again with the Top 12 guys. I’m hoping I see some potential for a real ‘American Idol.’ I saw Michael Lynche in the boys crew, but had been hearing for weeks that he was being booted for a breach in the confidentiality agreement. Unless they pull a switcheroo between tonight and tomorrow, I guess those sources were way off.
How many people buy movie soundtracks? If you are one of the millions that do, do you do it before the movie even comes out or only after hearing a song you like while watching the movie?
I happen to fall into both categories. I love music. I’m not one of those die-hard music people though who can tell you every detail of an artist or genre of music. Movies and TV are where I can showcase my knowledge.
Movie soundtracks can sometimes be different than other kinds of music. The music is suited (or supposed to be) to the film it is in. Many times, an artist’s song only appears on the soundtrack and not even on one of their own records. I can’t tell you how many new artist’s I’ve found out about simply through hearing their song on a soundtrack.
The most recent examples of my point are the two soundtracks that have accompanied the Twilight Saga films. These soundtracks have sold millions of copies and have a direct impact on the film. I am guilty of owning both and I’m not embarrassed about it either. I’ve always been a Top 40 music person, for the most part. Apart from some other indie musicians, these two soundtracks have opened my eyes to some really great new talent. New to me at least.
Now, I am really into Muse, MuteMath, Death Cab for Cutie, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine among others. Without these soundtracks, I most likely would never have heard their music or payed very much attention if I did.
Certain movies have simple soundtracks and others help in defining the film. Don’t get me wrong though, I buy soundtracks for fun reasons too. Sometimes a soundtrack is just a good time; it happens to be the kind of music you can sing loudly to in your room or car. The music from He’s Just Not That Into You and Valentine’s Day are examples of that.
Musicals and some TV shows have excellent soundtracks as well. (Glee, Scrubs, Wicked, Rent, The O.C., One Tree Hill) Don’t limit yourself to only a record of one artist when you have the opportunity to broaden your musical horizons with a soundtrack like I did.
