Idol Me Blog

If you’re anything like me, you love American Idol. I mean, what’s not to love? You’ve got Idol-hopefuls from every walk of life trying out for the contest, singing their hearts out, with big dreams of one day being a big star.

There are the judges: Randy Jackson - Weight gain, weight loss, his precious “Dawg Pound,” and generally the same comments, “Dude, yo, check it out. For me, the song was a’ight, a little pitchy in the middle, but you worked it out at the end.”; Paula - Is or is she not high or drunk during the show? Who knows? Who cares?! We usually get this from her, “You look beautiful, I think this song catches the essence of you… You know who you are.” What the …???

And who can forget love-him-or-hate-him Simon Cowell - Often scathing, but bluntly true criticisms, “That was Horrid, you sound like any other karaoke singer in any bar in the United States!”

Well, one web site has devoted their whole site to “getting back at Simon.” For free, you can take cyber-punches at Mr. Cowell, for free. Simply go to www.angrysimon.com, and you can get into a boxing ring with the Judge we all love to hate. Hey, I know quite a few people that have had a ball with this game! And if you don’t dislike Simon, you can always imagine it’s your boss or ex’s face when you’re swinging the punches… Enjoy!

Now that season 5 of American Idol is over, now is a good time for season 6 Idol-hopefuls to get themselves prepared for the big competition.

Why do potential contestants need to read this article? It’s simple… As any American Idol aficionado knows, you need to do more than just sing if you want to be the next Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, or Taylor.

From what we have seen this year, the bar has been set high yet again, which means the competition will be stiff for season 6. Contestants need to find a way to stand out beyond just their singing (i.e. Taylor’s dancing, personality, harmonica playing, etc.). Here are some recommendations:

1) Have Some Singing and Performing Talent!

Yes, I realize I just insinuated that being a good singer is not enough, but let’s think for a minute here. You’ve obviously impressed the judges enough to get to the auditions, but now you have to impress the viewers – and you only have a few brief moments to do it. Make sure you practice, practice, practice. Also, it doesn’t hurt if you at least appear to be confident when you are up there on stage. Look like you belong there, like you own that stage! (But don’t overdo it and become overconfident, because then people will turn against you… think Brenna Gethers from this season.)

Also, the biggest thing… BE YOURSELF!!! At the beginning of the season, Simon was confident that Taylor wouldn’t make it, yet look who won. I think that the fact that Taylor was real, and it eminated through the television set, was one of the biggest reasons he won. People could connect with him; they felt like they knew him. That gave him a big edge over Katharine.

2) Song Choice, Song Choice, Song Choice

How many times have we heard this in the first five seasons? Song choice is absolutely key. Several contestants picked songs that they simply could not handle and ended up looking much worse than they really were. You’ve got to find a song within your range and abilities.

Choose carefully, but try to be unique with your choices. Also, if a previous Idol contestant really blew the roof off a song, leave it alone. Trying to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” after Clay did it is just begging for a comparison, and unless you are truly spectacular, you’ll end up on the short end. And while Kelly Clarkson has now allowed American Idol to use her songs, I certainly DO NOT recommend it! Comparing yourself to the first Idol is just asking for trouble. Ditto for any Carrie Underwood song.

Another aspect of song choice is picking something the audience will enjoy. Have fun with it. Pick songs to get the audience on your side. Remember, it is the audience (in the theatre and at home) that picks who stays and who goes. Singing a good, fun song is probably the best advice I can give you. Put out those feel-good vibes; they are contagious.

If you can do these things, and do them well, I predict that you will have the judges, and America, wrapped around your little finger!

Evidently all is not well between brash American Idol judge Simon Cowell and the Artist Formerly Known As Prince, one of the surprise special guest vocalists on the American Idol finale show last week.

So, Simon, what exactly is the big problem? Cowell was reportedly angered by Prince’s refusal to neither sing or even meet with Idol contestants, nor greet the audience. Other guest vocalists, past and present, were more congenial. Prince merely sang two back-to-back songs with his own backup singers (or dancers, whatever they were…), then promptly left the Kodak Theatre, leaving without saying a word to the audience, the contestants, or the Idol staff.

Cowell was quoted as saying, “It just tells you how selfish Prince is. He comes on, not a word — ‘I’m not gonna sing with anybody else, I’m not gonna say good-bye.’ Thank you for your generosity, Prince.” Wow, I can feel the sarcasm dripping off those words!

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest later admitted to the press that he had been worried that Prince would be a no-show, because he did not arrive at the Kodak until just a few minutes prior to his performance.

A word to Prince, if you happen to be reading this somewhere out in LaLa Land: You just got the privilege of being invited to sing on a show that over 30 million viewers tune into each week. You took advantage of that opportunity; can’t you at least pretend to be grateful? I’d even venture to say that a good portion of the viewing audience (the younger viewers) probably had never even heard of you until you performed on American Idol . At the very least, you need to step off your high horse and be gracious for the chance you were given!

Well, well, what do you know!! Remember “Love Song” week with guest vocalist Andrea Bocelli? Apparently Mr. Bocelli was so smitten with Kat McKitten’s voice that he asked her to do a mini-tour with him before she leaves for the Idol Live tour.

The concerts will all be held in California. The first of the three concerts will be in Sacramento on June 9th. The second will be in San Jose on June 10th. The third and last concert is the “Hollywood Bowl” concert, on June 11th. The last concert in Hollywood is already sold out.

I can’t say that Bocelli’s request to sing with Katharine is a total surprise. I remember during a clip of Katharine’s rehearsal during “Love Song” week that Bocelli and McPhee broke out in song together… and sounded amazing! Andrea was full of nothing but praise for Katharine’s vocal talents.

This could prove to be a big opportunity for McPhee. With an amazing falsetto, Katharine has the vocal talent of a seasoned opera/Broadway star. No doubt with backing from Andrea Bocelli, Katharine can go many places. I think these concerts with the opera superstar may be just what the doctor ordered to get her career in first gear!

It may also prove a smart move on McPhee’s part to distance herself from American Idol, Taylor Hicks, and the omnipotent Soul Patrol. She has the potential to be a true star, and I, for one, can’t wait to see how her career progresses!