American Idol Top 7 week recap

Every year I look forward to rock week on American Idol. You never know how things might turn out. For some contestants, rock is certainly in their wheelhouse. For others, not so much. But all in all, it’s always interesting and entertaining.

Angie Miller singing “Bring Me To Life” during the Top 8 week on American Idol. Photo Courtesy of Hollywoodreporter.com

Here’s how I rank last night’s performances:

1. Angie - Perfect song choice, great fit for her. The singing was amazing and she continues to improve each and every week.

2. Amber - She shocked me last night. She showed off some excellent vocals and was really dead on. Almost definitely her best showing yet.

3. Candice - Powerful as always. This song was also a perfect fit. It seems like she can sing any genre.

4. Kree - Good song choice. Her power vocals and country sound meshed well with the rock style of Janis Joplin.

5. Lazaro - He also pleasantly surprised me. It was a tough song to sing but he got off to a good start and maintained that momentum throughout.

6. Janelle - Another good song choice. It was a nice vocal overall and brought out the fun and confidence in her.

7. Brunell - Good song but he was way out of his comfort zone. Not good but it could have been way worse.

Group Performances:

1. Amber, Janelle and Kree - Simple and not flashy but not too bad overall.

2. Angie and Lazaro - Interesting pairing. I sort of expected a disaster but it turned out to be sort of OK.

3. Burnell and Candice - Candice did well with her bluesy, soulful side and Burnell was rather awkward when they sang the solo parts. It was really bad when they sang together.

Final thoughts:

Once again the ladies dominated the night. While I still find it hard to believe that all the guys will leave before a single girl, in all honesty that is probably what should happen. Before last night, I would have thought the girl in the most jeopardy would be Amber. And based on her entire body of work, that probably still holds true. But, based on last night alone, that certainly would not be the case.

All in all, the solo performances worked out well. The group ones are a different story. None of those came across as particularly impressive.

With only a few more weeks that the save is in play, I’m about 90% sure that the judges may use it tonight. I’m almost certain they will save any girl if one somehow happens to be at the bottom. They may also possibly save a guy if one lands in the bottom so as to keep the gender balance at least somewhat even.

Five songs to make you happy

If has been well documented that music can effect the way people think and feel. With that in mind, I know that from time to time, we can all use a little pick me up. These five songs are a few of the many that do the trick for me, maybe they’ll be good for you as well.

Taylor Swift “22″

Skye Sweetnam “(Let’s Get Movin) Into Action”

Michael Franti & Spearhead “Say Hey (I Love You)”

Jessie J – “Domino”

Coblie Caillat “Brighter than the Sun”

American Idol Top 10 for 2013

This season of American Idol

has featured quite a few new twists. But now we’re down to the Top 1o and I suspect their won’t be to many such surprises left, at least when it comes to the rules of the game if you will. That’s not to say that there won’t be any shocking eliminations. That’s almost a given to some extent.

But now that the Top 10 is in place, here’s my quick analysis of how the voting public fared in choosing the best of the best.

The Girls:

Even though Kree was the last one announced, it seemed to me that she and Angie would be pretty much a sure thing. I love the fact that Janelle also made it through despite the fact that that puts two female country vocalists head to head to go after that particular voting block. Candace was a solid addition. With the competition among the girls so high, Amber was one of the many that could have easily filled the final spot.

The Guys: 

The only real “must have” in my opinion is the heartwarming Lazaro. Devin has been steeping up his game in recent weeks and seems to be a good selection. I’m not a huge fan of Curtis but I fully anticipated he’d be there as well.  Burnell and Paul probably squeaked through, most likely at the expense of Vincent and/or Nick.

Can’t wait to see what happens next week.

 

 

American Idol “Sudden Death” round 2

Better late than never…

The second sudden death show took place Thursday night. This time, it was the guy’s turn. The judges chose the following men to move on to the round in which the fans will be the deciding factor:

Elijah Liu

Paul Jolley

Charlie Askew

Devin Velez

Curtis Finch

MY THOUGHTS:

Unlike with the ladies in the first sudden death show, the guys didn’t really impress me all that much. That being the case, for the most part, it seemed like the judges probably had an easier time choosing between who to send through and who to send home.

The big winner of the nice, in my opinion, was young Charlie Askew. The talented  Elijah Liu came across strong as well. I’m really not that big on Curtis Finch at all and I think Devin Velez is a bit over rated too. Paul Jolley seems to fit somewhere in the middle.

American Idol “Sudden Death” round 1

This year, American Idol is trying yet another new tactic to draw in audiences – the “sudden death” rounds.

Here’s how it works…

Of the remaining 20 male and 20 female contestants, the judges are having groups of 10 perform battle things out for the next four shows. For each of those 10, on five will survive the cut and five will go home that same night. Needless to say, this equals lots of drama and the potential for a lot of shockers.

The first such show took place last night. And all in all, I think the judges did a pretty good job. They chose the following ladies to move on to the round in which the fans will be the deciding factor:

Teena Torres

Adriana Latonio

Kree Harrison

Angela Miller

Amber Holcomb

My thoughts:

All in all, the judges made a pretty good call. Angela Miller and Kree Harrison where basically a lock for one of the top five slots. Adriana Latonio was a fairly safe bet as well. However, Teena Torres was something of a surprise. In my opinion, it is doubtful that she should have made it through at the expense of Isabelle going home. Another one that could have been in the mix was Shubha Vedula. But of course, when only five spots are open, sadly some talented people will have to be left out.

Grammy predictions

Just for fun, I thought I’d try my hand at predicting the outcome on the 2013 Grammy Awards which will air this Sunday evening on CBS.

Of course, I’m only going to delve into a few of the dozens of categories that I feel like I know something about.

So without further ado, here goes.

And the Grammy goes to…

Best New Artist

Fun

Song Of The Year

We Are Young

Best Pop Solo Performance 

Adele – “Set Fire To The Rain”

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Maroon 5 – “Payphone”

Best Alternative Music Album

Gotye – “Making Mirrors”

Best Country Solo Performance 

Carrie Underwood – “Blown Away”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance 

Little Big Town – “Pontoon”

Record Of The Year

Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Creative Dreamers honoring top blogs – “best blog awards”

As the blogger behind Creative Dreamers, I only think it is right to acknowledge and showcase some of the best blogs out there. So, based on the opinions of CD readers, and the wonderful work of others out there contributing to the ever growing blogisphere, I’m announcing the first ever Creative Dreamers Blog Awards.

Here’s how it’s all going to come together

Blog Awards will be given based on the categories below:

Favorite Photography Blog

Favorite Poetry Blog

Favorite Visual Design or Layout on a Blog

Favorite General Arts Blog

Favorite Drawing Blog

Favorite Subculure and Body Art Blog

Favorite Music or Video Blog

The categories should probably be pretty self explanatory but if you’re not sure where a blog might fit in, just ask.

Readers can nominate any blog of their choice by:

1. Liking this post.

2. Sending the URL of your nomination, along with the category you are nominating the blog for, to trcapromo@gmail.com.

You can nominate a blog up until March 1, 2013. Results will be posted by mid-March.

Winning blogs will receive free promotion on this blog as well as bragging rights they can include on their own.

American Idol Charlotte and Baton Rouge audition recaps

Well, the second week of American Idol auditions seemed to provide a little more consistency in talent than did the first week showcasing contenders from New York and Chicago.

It seems that the southern states and cities always bring it when it comes to AI.

Here’s how I see things breaking down.

Charlotte auditions:

The real top notch contenders from Charlotte seem to be the wonderful Summer Cunningham, Seretha Guinn and Brian Rittenberry. Others that have potential to go deep into the competition include the following:

Isabel Gonzalez

Janelle Arthur

Ja’Bria Barber

Candice Glover

Brandy Hamilton

Ashley Smith

Rodney Barber

Taisha Bethea

Jimmy Smith

Haley Davis

Baton Rouge auditions:

In Cajun country Megan Miller, Burnell Taylor and Maddie Assel seemed to be the cream of the crop. Of course, several others could make a run too, including talents like:

Dustin Watts

Calvin Peters

Charlie Askew

Paul Jolley

Breanna Steer

I wonder what AI will have in store for us next week.

Completed Taylor Swift project

As mentioned in my earlier blog post “Taylor Swift Project” I have now completed my video message for Taylor. You can check it out on Youtube under the title “Taylor Swift – Would you please meet me?” or just by watching the video below.

In order to complete this project I:

1. Re-wrote the lyrics to one of Taylor’s favorite among her own songs – “Love Story.”

2. Got a karoke version of the music to use to go with the lyrics.

3. Hired an anwesome semi-professional singer through Fiverr.com.

4. Sought out public domain photos and art of Taylor.

All in all, I think it turned out pretty good.

Taylor Swift poject

As you may know…

I’m something of a Taylor Swift Superfan. After all, what’s not to like – she’s smart, talented, driven, beautiful and down to earth.

So recently, I came up with the highly ambitious idea that some how, some way, maybe I could get her to meet me in person. And what other tool will I use but Youtube of course. Hey, while it is probably a million to one (or even less likely) shot that it will work, it has worked for others who put out messages to their favorite singers of actors.

Anyway, as part of the effort I reworded her song “Love Story” and wanted to share it below. When the video is up, it will be featured on my Youtube channel and you can feel free to check it out.

Dream Story

————————-

You were so young when the world first saw you.

I heard your voice it was the perfect art

I was sitting there relaxing in the living room chair

——————————————————————————-

I saw you sing, saw you dance, heard your sounds

As you made you way across cities and towns

I thought “whoa,”

But little did I know…

———————————————–

That you’d be a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

I’d even sneak in to the show to see you,

And keep quiet, just to enjoy the view

But for now, I close my eyes just imagine your smile

Oh, oh

——————————————

You’re now a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————

Taylor save me, I don’t know how to feel

This may be difficult, but you could make it real

Don’t be afraid, no need to have any stress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

Oh, oh.

——————————-

I’ll never tire of waiting

Hoping that you might come around

Maybe your heart needs persuading

Like mine until I first heard your sounds

And I said…

——————————-

Taylor save me, from wondering what could be known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

Could you have heard what I said? Maybe seen my Youtube link

When you come back to my town maybe we could meet

Listen to me Taylor, I’ve always loved your sweet, sweet tone

I feel new, every time your soft tones flow
I really want to meet you bad – but I don’t mean to press

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

———————————–

You were so young when the world first saw you