American Idol 2008

[*JG* 2]

I actually thought Alaina nailed "Hopelessly Devoted to You".

[Autumnchik 6]

I liked Alaina much more than I like Kady and wish that it was Kady who went home. I liked the idea of Amanda, but the more time that passes, she sounds worse and worse to me.

BTW, I really loved Carly's piece in the song medley last night

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Its like they say, "Its the sizzle not the steak!"

At this early stage, the ones that get booted aren't the worst singers, but they're the ones that don't stand out.

People are voting for their favorites. Contestants have to stand out to get votes. A singer who does a reasonably competent job with a song but doesn't have enough sparkle to be anybody's outright favorite won't get many votes. Danny Noriega, while he certainly isn't a favorite at our house, is sufficiently different from the other guys that he's got a fan base. Ditto Amanda. I don't see either of them winning the competition, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stick it out for a few more weeks.

Now that I think about it, much of the field this year is relatively competent, but without enough sparkle or individual character to stand out. I wonder how the vote totals are this season so far. At our house, nobody's been motivated enough to vote at all.

[Jenn! 918]

EW released their new top 16 rankings:

1. David Archuleta

The American Idol equivalent of a newborn puppy has some fans wondering if season 7 is all wrapped up after his soaring rendition of ''Imagine'' left Paula in tears and the audience in screaming rapture. Still, it's not advantageous to peak too soon in the competition — just ask Melinda Doolittle. (Last week's Power Ranking: No. 1)

2. Jason Castro

Granted, the sweetly befuddled dude fumbled the big note on his cover of ''I Just Want to Be Your Everything,'' but why didn't the judges give him credit for reinventing Andy Gibb's disco-era nugget into a folksy delight? Not a big ''vocalist'' like Idol winners past, but is that necessarily a bad thing? (Last week: No. 2)

3. Carly Smithson

Neutralized bad buzz about her failed 2001 major-label debut with a McGenius interview package showing her pouring a pint of Guinness at her day job. Better still, Irish-born lass nailed the week's biggest song — Heart's ''Crazy on You'' — with awesome vocal control while her female competitors sputtered badly. (Last week: No. 7)

4. David Hernandez

Showcased a strong set of pipes for the second straight week, but unlike his ho-hum, first-round cover of ''In the Midnight Hour,'' his week 2 take on ''Papa Was a Rollin' Stone'' was soulful, sexy, and confident. Hasn't generated scads of buzz so far, but you know the old expression about ''slow and steady.'' (Last week: No. 12)

5. Asia'h Epperson

Insanely gorgeous teenager has star quality in spades — she even shines during those heinous group performances — but was her disastrous cover of ''All by Myself'' (complete with screeching high notes and disappearing lower register) a one-week blip, or the start of a momentum meltdown? (Last week: No. 3)

6. Ramiele Malubay

Technically solid on ''You Don't Have to Say You Love Me'' and ''Don't Leave Me This Way,'' but needs an infusion of passion and originality. Ramiele couldn't match respective Idol covers by Nadia Turner and La Toya London, to say nothing of the Dusty Springfield and Thelma Houston renditions. Week 3 will be crucial. (Last week: No. 6)

7. David Cook

Self-proclaimed ''word nerd'' proved Idol rockers need not be grimly serious with a rollicking, super-fun version of ''All Right Now'' that was far less pitchy than his previous cover of ''Happy Together.'' Still, he should've kept quiet when Simon questioned his charisma level, especially since the British judge had a point. (Last week: No. 15)

8. Michael Johns

Audition-round front-runner has seemed less exciting with each live performance. He repeated his Hollywood-week song choice, the Doors' ''Light My Fire,'' to start the semifinals, then struggled with the upper register of Fleetwood Mac's ''Go Your Own Way.'' Might not be as talented as he is good-looking. (Last week: No. 5)

9. Brooke White

The G-rated nanny's tuneful albeit uninventive take on Carly Simon's ''You're So Vain'' solidified her standing as season 7's folkie, making her one of the few contenders who knows her vibe — and sticks to it. Still, merely offering nice carbon copies of beloved hits never won anyone the Idol crown. (Last week: No. 14)

10. Danny Noriega

Snap-tastic teenager admitted Simon was right(-''ish'') about his week 1 ''Jailhouse Rock'' being a showy disaster, and his follow-up on the Carpenters' ''Superstar'' was far more subdued (although a tad dull). Lacks the big-stage experience of this season's early leaders, but he's a quick study — and an intriguing underdog. (Last week: No. 13)

11. Syesha Mercado

Her week 2 cover of ''Me and Mrs. Jones'' (substituting "Mr." in the lyric) exposed her problems staying on pitch when she's not full-throttle belting, and that interview package about her work in Miami-area ad campaigns suggested she might have a brighter future in acting. She's got talent, but does she have enough to inspire Idol voters? (Last week: No. 11)

12. Kristy Lee Cook

Does a mean ''Amazing Grace,'' but her semifinal performances of ''Rescue Me'' and ''You're No Good'' were about as exciting as a bowl of cold oatmeal, and that bizarre, wide-legged stance of hers is uncomfortably reminiscent of Larry Craig. Still, never underestimate the voter appeal of a pretty face and a low-cut V-neck. (Last week: No. 19)

13. Chikezie

In what had to be the week's weirdest interview package, the uni-monikered contestant admitted he's given up trying to get people to pronounce his name correctly. And while his ''I Believe to My Soul'' was far more in tune than week 1's ''More Today Than Yesterday,'' does anyone look at this dude and see a superstar? (Last week: No. 18)

14. Amanda Overmyer

The emperor may not have been naked on Wednesday, but her shellacked skunk hair and swirly, dated jeans (stolen, perhaps, from Lita Ford's wardrobe in 1988) were nonetheless jaw-dropping. Even worse, Amanda's screeching abomination of a Kansas cover confirmed her fans' worst fears: Girlfriend's not much of a singer. (Last week: No. 4)

15. Luke Menard

His ''Everybody's Talkin''' was a snoozer, while his ''Killer Queen'' was frenetic, but one thing about the Orlando Bloom-Matthew Fox look-alike's performances has been a constant: His thin, nasal instrument has proven to be a rather unpleasant distraction from his handsome visage. He can't really crack the top 12, can he? (Last week: No. 17)

16. Kady Malloy

Perhaps she should sing ''Whipping Post'' for her third semifinal number, considering how brutal the judges were following her performances of ''Groovy Kind of Love'' and ''Magic Man.'' It's not a good sign that her best moments so far have involved her killer Britney Spears impersonation. Maybe it's time to trot out the Shakira or the Cher? (Last week: No. 16)

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007164_2...0181757,00.html

[Mary Lou 681]

Strip Club: 'Idol' Once Danced Here

March 4, 2008, 8:50 AM EST

"American Idol" contestant David Hernandez once entertained audiences by removing his clothes instead of singing tunes, a manager at a male strip club in Phoenix told The Associated Press.

The 24-year-old finalist from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as a stripper at #######'s Cabaret, appearing fully nude and performing lap dances for the club's "mostly male" clientele, club manager Gordy Bryan said Monday.

"He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here," Bryan said.

It's not clear whether a history as a stripper could disqualify Hernandez from the competition. In 2003, finalist Frenchie Davis was dismissed because of her appearance on an adult Web site; but last year, Antonella Barba remained in the competition after racy photos of her surfaced on the Internet.

Fox spokeswomen Jill Hudson did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment Monday.

According to Bryan, Hernandez steadily worked at the club for three years until September 30, 2007.

"He never renewed his licensing with the state, so he hasn't been on my roster since then," Bryan said.

Bryan said he was aware that Hernandez was a vocalist, but that Hernandez never sang at the club. Bryan said he now believes Hernandez stopped working at the club because of his participation in "American Idol." Hernandez has never been referred to as a stripper or former stripper during the Fox singing competition.

Rumors of a stripper past — along with photos of a scantily clad Hernandez working as a bartender at gay nightclub Burn — were first posted last week on VoteForTheWorst.com, a site that encourages "Idol" viewers to vote for "the bad and truly entertaining contestants."

"It was like moths to a flame," said VoteForTheWorst.com founder Dave Della Terza. "As soon as I posted that, we started getting 10, 20 letters every single day from people saying, 'Yeah, he's a stripper in Phoenix.'"

Terza and other members of VoteForTheWorst.com community scoured MySpace, Photobucket and other social networking and photo sharing sites to find information and images of Hernandez. Terza said he contacted the club to confirm the Internet chatter, but they never got back to him.

"They said they couldn't give me a statement before talking to their lawyers," said Terza.

Hernandez, who originally auditioned for "Idol" in San Diego on July 30, 2007, is in the Fox singing competition's top 16 contestants. Last week, he earned rave reviews from the judges after his performance of The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." He is scheduled to perform with the other male contestants on Tuesday's show.

———

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=303884&GT1=7703

[Jenn! 918]

Yeah I had heard about that! Scandalous! And I didn't know you needed a license to be a stripper!

I hope this doesn't disqualify him. I really don't think it should have any bearing.

[Jenn! 918]

Another scandal...

Racy pics of Ramiele surface...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334678,00.html

[Mary Lou 681]

Yeah I had heard about that! Scandalous! And I didn't know you needed a license to be a stripper!

I hope this doesn't disqualify him. I really don't think it should have any bearing.

I agree, he's an awesome singer, one of the best imo.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Ditto and who should care about his past? This is a singing competition. He's not running for public office.

Yeah I had heard about that! Scandalous! And I didn't know you needed a license to be a stripper!

I hope this doesn't disqualify him. I really don't think it should have any bearing.

I agree, he's an awesome singer, one of the best imo.

[Zee Bee 61]

Ditto and who should care about his past? This is a singing competition. He's not running for public office.

Yeah I had heard about that! Scandalous! And I didn't know you needed a license to be a stripper!

I hope this doesn't disqualify him. I really don't think it should have any bearing.

I agree, he's an awesome singer, one of the best imo.

Agreed.

[eau_xplain 2]

Another scandal...

Racy pics of Ramiele surface...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334678,00.html

I was expecting pics showing lots of flesh

Edited March 4, 2008 by eau_xplain

[Jenn! 918]

Another scandal...

Racy pics of Ramiele surface...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334678,00.html

I was expecting pics showing lots of flesh

LOL, I haven't looked at them yet because I'm at work. So...not so "racy", huh?

[eau_xplain 2]

LOL, I haven't looked at them yet because I'm at work. So...not so "racy", huh?

Guess it depends on how someone defines racy. I've always thought of it to mean as something that's very provocative. I only saw one pic and they were all fully clothed. However, Ramiele's hand is on another girl's body part and it wasn't even a provocative pose.

They need to spice it up a bit!

As to David Hernandez, I read about that when I checked out VFTW website last week. Actually, the website not only talked about him working in a strip club, it also talked about David H being bi and having a boyfriend.

I hope that none of that will matter.

[Zee Bee 61]

My picks for tonight:

1. David Cook (I liked what he did with the song)

2. David Hernadez (one of my favorite songs ever and I liked how he sung it)

3. Michael Johns (perfect song for him and he sounded good singing it)

4. David Archuleta (I didn't really think he was good tonight but he is a good singer)

5. Jason Castro (his performance was so-so but I do like him)

6. Chikezie (I think from tonight and last week he has improved a lot, still not as good as the others though)

7. Danny Noriega (with the strange faces and weird hip thrusts....#######?)

8. Luke Menard (he just needs to go home)

[Mary Lou 681]

I loved, loved, loved, David Cook tonight!!! In fact since his audition i have liked him.

Michael John was really good tonight, the song suited him.

David Hernadez was good, but i thought he was better last week.

Luke, singing WHAM, he needs to go like yesterday.

Danny needs to be on his way out as well.