American Idol 7 - Top 10

Here we go with the full performance review, a little bit later than usual. Last night the contestants sang songs from the year they were born. Seeing that most of the performers were born in the 1980's, it was basically '80's night all over again. Probably not the most stellar theme night in the history of the show (I know they've done it before), but it's better than a third week of Beatles songs (not that I'm bashing the Beatles now - it's just that I don't want to see the contestants mess up those classics anymore). Overall, I thought tonight's show averaged about a six out of ten for greatness. I thought there were really only two or three great performances while the rest were fairly mediocre. Results night will be very interesting as always because the least favorite and/or worst contestant hasn't been sent home the past two weeks. And that probably won't change this week, either. On with the review!

Ramiele Malubay - singing "Alone" by Heart (1987). I think when anyone picks this song, whether it's in the auditions, Hollywood Week, or during the Top 12; it'll always be compared to Carrie Underwood's amazing rendition in season four. After hearing Ramiele's version, she is definitely not in the same league as Miss Underwood. It's funny, I heard the exact same arrangement of the song that Carrie Underwood sang and everything seemed so familiar about the performance except the singer. She was pitchy in certain areas of the song and she seemed to struggle with some of the higher notes. It would've been a good song choice for her if Carrie Underwood didn't completely hit a home run with it a few years back. Gina Glocksen made the same mistake last year; although I think she did a better job with the song than Ramiele. Now mind you, I didn't think Ramiele did terribly bad, but it still was not her best. And yes, nobody can truly do as well as possible when under the weather - as Ramiele was.

Jason Castro - singing "Fragile" by Sting (1987). So Jason is back on the guitar; usually when he does his best. He's not doing anything particularly special with the song. I still think it was a good song choice for him although I think he would bump himself up in the competition if he started taking a few small risks and took a detour off the beaten path. It's a nice mid-tempo song; more upbeat than "Hallelujiah" but less so than "Michelle" last week. But Jason did not wow too many with his performance and he got blasted by the judges for it. For me, it was better than last week. He stays original, consistent and true to himself. Yes, I think it was a particularly safe performance as Paula put it but usually it works for Jason (and most of the time gets props from the judges for it). But now I think they are beginning to find Jason a little stale when he does the same thing week in and week out.

Syesha Mercado - singing "If I Were Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills (1987). Forgive me for saying this, but Syesha is one of those contestants that seems forgettable. I have just not been able to jump on the Syesha bandwagon and I probably never will because she lacks a certain spark about her. Yes, she is a good singer but I think she only has a few weeks left in this. As for this performance, she goes the route of singing a ballad. I thought it was a decent song choice but I was not wowed by the performance again. Yes, she sang it well and she can hit the high notes with such relative ease. The ending was definitely good but I don't think it was as great as the judges said (this won't be the first time I disagreed with the judges tonight). Is she truly the dark-horse that could win the competition, as Paula put it? Absolutely not.

Chikezie - singing "If Only for One Night" by Luther Vandross (1985). The first time I heard Chikezie's performance, I thought it was really good and not as boring as the judges seemed to say. But after re-watching it again, it definitely was a touch on the boring side as my thoughts began to wonder to something else as the song neared completion. I completely agreed with Simon when he felt that it was cheezy, especially when Chikezie held the hands of audience members and sang passionately to them. This isn't a personal concert, now. I really do like him as a performer and he has grown on me in the past few weeks. He has an incredible range; from going really low to hitting some of those high notes. He's a singer with such a soulful vibe and he can really get into the heart and emotion of the song with such relative ease. The judges don't seem to think Chikezie is very interesting when he sings ballads which I tend to agree. But at least he's trying to diversify his song choices week after week.

Brooke White - singing "Every Breath You Take" by the Police (1983). Brooke starts off the song playing exclusively on the piano with no band accompaniment. She starts with a mistake and re-groups. It was a bit awkward but she regained her composure really well. I don't think this little hiccup will cost her. I still think Brooke is an amazing musician because she has to concentrate playing the piano and making sure she plays the right notes while focusing on the singing and not trying to screw that up, either. It's a risk she takes most of the time and usually excels at. I definitely thought it was better than last week as she's better being in a static position and not moving around all over the stage. I enjoyed it when the band came; but I too thought it could've been as good as "Let it Be" if she would've played the piano the whole time without the band. But I still found the performance to be quite enjoyable; the arrangement and all.

Michael Johns - singing "We are the Champions" by Queen (1978). Michael starts off the performance going all-rocker on us and not actually with "We are the Champions," but with "We Will Rock You." I wasn't exactly crazy about the whole rock bit as I don't believe that style suits Michael. But I did love when the performance transitioned into a slower tempo and "We are the Champions" started. He didn't attempt to hit the high note at one point in the song and dropped down an octave instead which was really smart. That could've been a disaster if he tried going falsetto at that moment. Definitely Micheal's best performance on the show for me in awhile, probably since Hollywood week where he sang another Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody." He really seemed confident this week and in the moment. The audience definitely approved with all the screams. Wow.

Carly Smithson - singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonne Tyler (1983). This is a big song for Carly to sing but I definitely think she can do it. I had wondered if being in last week's bottom three was going to motivate Carly, but I didn't sense any dramatic changes in her overall style. I think at the song's peak, she probably was trying a bit too much to nail the song and over-shouted. But she was still quite as consistent as she's been for weeks. Was it her best? Probably not; as certain parts of the song were better than others. But was it as bad as the judges felt? I didn't think so. They seemed to be all over the place with their comments tonight. I had to laugh to myself when Paula made the back-handed comment that she wasn't a particular fan of this song. And now it appears that it's Carly's turn to be scrutinized in the media as one website questioned if she was pregnant. We'll see if the rumors escalate any further than that.

David Archuleta - singing "You're the Voice" by David Foster with Jeff Pescetto (1990). Okay, so this is a song I was completely unfamiliar with so I did some searching and found a version of it on YouTube. From the very start, I thought it was a strange song and I questioned David's decision at choosing it. But seeing how exceptional of a singer David is, I thought he could do quite well with it regardless of how weird it sounded. After David's performance, I still thought it was an odd song choice. He did quite well singing it as I didn't notice any glaring flaws. He did mess up on one note towards the end of the song and it may have been too big of a song for David to sing. But I think the one thing that hurts him this week is the song choice because it's very unfamiliar to the general public and he didn't seem to nail the song as he could've. Now 1990 wasn't exactly a stellar year for hit songs, but personally, I thought he could've chose something better. Was it David's dad that chose the song for him instead, as Simon and the media have alluded to? More than likely a yes to that. Like I said, his singing was still on-par and pretty consistent to what he's been doing except for that blip in the radar a few weeks ago.

Kristy Lee Cook - singing "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood (1984). Alright, so Kristy Lee may not be the best singer left standing in the competition, but she is a very, VERY smart person when selecting a song like this one. Simon was 100% correct in his assessment and Kristy will win over the American pride vote this week which will keep her around until next week at least. I really loved this song choice for her not only because it's a song she can sing well, but for one that I've always enjoyed hearing. She definitely did encounter a few pitch problems here and there throughout the song, especially on the higher notes. But I don't think that is going to hurt her at all. This is probably her best performance so far in the entire competition, but there is still room for improvement in her vocal skills. Let's see how she can step it up even further next week.

David Cook - singing "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson (1983). The song starts off very slowly; like a ballad. I thought it was a very strange arrangement and it sounded odd hearing it sung in this manner. But the tempo does start to pick up and David starts showing off his rocker skills. I tend to question the arrangement of the song when judging David's overall performance because I personally did not love it like the judges. Boy, they are really drinking the Kool-Aid regarding David Cook. Yes, he is an original artist when it comes to American Idol, but these are not original arrangements as other musicians have already done it first. The vocals were still very good and David remains consistent as he's done so since being crowned a spot in the top 12. But I just don't agree that he was as good as the judges said he was this week. I definitely was not sold.

With all that being said, here is this week's performance rankings. This is nothing official, as it's only my opinion as to how I thought the contestants performed this week. This is the updated rankings as I did make a few minor changes after listening to some of the contestants again a second time. So who will end up in this week's bottom three? Who is definitely safe? Here is what I thought:

#1: Michael Johns
#2: Carly Smithson
#3: David Archuleta
#4: David Cook
#5: Kristy Lee Cook
#6: Syesha Mercado (actual bottom three - 3/26/08)
#7: Brooke White
#8: Jason Castro - bottom three (actual bottom three - 3/26/08)
#9: Chikezie - bottom three (eliminated - 3/26/08)
#10: Ramiele Malubay - eliminated

So there you have it; my opinion on who may be sent home this week. So far I've been wrong every time on who goes home on results night so don't be surprised if it happens again (I wouldn't be shocked if Chikezie packs his bags). A couple of other minor comments before I officially log off the blog today. First of all, it makes me feel rather old when most of the contestants (all except one) are younger than me! There are a lot of younger contestants in American Idol this season, more so than ever before in the top 12, I think. Plus I am not getting any younger, either. Secondly, usually I post my review immediately after the show has concluded and most of the time what I write down as notes is usually how I ended up feeling about everyone's performance. It was rather different this week as I had to re-watch several of the performances to get a handle on my initial comments. So the late review this week wasn't necessarily a bad thing in that regard. And finally, if you want a good laugh, be sure to check the David Archuleta forums on the web. All of the young girls are heartbroken that young David "might" be taking the girl that was seated next to David's dad to his prom, if he even has a chance to attend his prom. My goodness, young hearts broke all across the world when she was shown and Ryan made that very subtle hint. And the thought that some young fans didn't vote for David just because this girl was shown in the audience is completely ludicrous. Honestly, what kind of fans are they? Those two are probably just friends more than anything else.

Those are my comments on American Idol for this week. Have a good one.

Winter Remains

The month of March is usually a transition month between bouts of spring-like weather with temperatures slowly rising and spring rains. But it can also lead to some of the worst winter storms and blizzard conditions. It is now officially spring according to the calendar and we have also experienced Daylight Savings Time a few weekends back. We just surpassed the Easter holiday yesterday - which are all typical spring events. With all that is happening, the weather SHOULD turn warmer and more people will be able to enjoy the warmth in the great outdoors. But around these parts, the transition to spring is going pretty slowly thus far. We've had very few days above 40 degrees so far this month and the snowpack has been slow to retreat. The weather has actually been pretty tranquil with plenty of sunny days and calm conditions. We've had a few snow events; but they've only produced minor accumulations of one to four inches with most of the new snow melting soon afterwards. So I guess we can't really complain because it could be a lot worse. But still, people are starting to get pretty anxious for spring weather around these parts. And things don't look to be changing very quickly for a little while.

Like I said before, March is really a wild weather month. I can recall certain March months being really mild and all of the snow melting within a couple of weeks. But in other years, it can end up being our most snowy month. Although we haven't picked up a lot of snow this month, it has been particularly cold. Just last night, in fact, temperatures bottomed out below zero in many locations. This whole winter has been pretty chilly overall. We may not have seen the snow like in years past, but the cold has definitely stuck with us. For those who may have followed the weather headlines this winter across the U.S., you may have heard that many locations to our south in Wisconsin, lower Michigan and Illinois have picked up record amounts of snowfall for the year. The storm track for much of the winter was to our south which is pretty unusual. Typically we're the ones to get blasted by these storms, but yet it's not like we're well below normal in snow totals. Thanks to Lake Superior, we're actually right around average for a typical winter snowfall. It definitely still looks and feels like winter around these parts, that is for sure!

So what is in the forecast for the rest of this month? Well it looks like much of the same kind of weather. Pretty blahzay for the Upper Peninsula's standards with temperatures above freezing, but not much above. Also, the weather conditions will be fairly tranquil with no major storms. Not bad overall, but it would be nice if things could start warming up and we could begin to melt the snowpack. There's no better feeling when you hear the water start running down the streets from the melting snow and the first visible signs of grass starting to show from under the snow banks. And the wonderful smells and sounds of spring; the world beginning to awake from the slumber of winter. It's an amazing experience and I hope to enjoy it here soon.

Songs I Dig - 6

It's back! After a roughly three-month hiatus, the "Songs I Dig" blog has returned for its sixth edition. It's been a slow period for me lately in regards to new music. There really hasn't been much that has tickled my fancy. Lately, though, that has changed and I am happy to bring to you the latest five songs that I dig. I have also realized that in order to create these blogs that feature new music, I need to be less picky at which songs are mediocre and which ones will be bonafide hits. True, the songs that are pure stink-o's (at least in my opinion) will never be featured, but then there are songs that should be categorized as being "in the middle of the road." And those shouldn't be ignored, either. So even if I like the songs somewhat, chances are you'll probably begin to see them here. It's an effort on my part for this feature to appear more frequently as part of "Luke's Ponderings." So let's get this show on the road!

"Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg - There is something about this song that makes me mellow out and relax because it's just so soothing. It reminds me of songs written by the legendary duo Simon and Garfunkel; which is probably why it's so appealing to me. Landon was born in Nashville, Tennessee and was no doubt influenced by that city's rich music history. His first album was released in 2002 but it's his most recent songs that have been most noticed by the music industry. Plus, it doesn't hurt having a song being played during Grey's Anatomy, which is one of the most popular TV shows on the air right now. "...Coffee Shop" is a song I'll definitely be playing a lot more of in the days to come.

"Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace - I've heard this song off and on the radio for the past couple of weeks and although it hasn't quite reached the heights of popularity yet, I think it has potential. Three Days Grace, whom also goes by TDG or 3DG, is classified as being alternative metal and post-grunge. "Never Too Late" is a great tune because it starts off soft and then slowly builds into a rock song. It also has a great message because it talks about people ending their lives but that it's "never too late" to turn things around. So the song tries to convey the message that even in the worst of times, things do often rebound. This song is slowly creeping up the charts so be sure and check it out.

"Whatever it Takes" by Lifehouse - This song has been on the radio for a little while now and gets frequent play. And it's no wonder because this is such a great song to listen to. The group Lifehouse has been no stranger to success. In 2001, their debut album scored an award with the song "Hanging by a Moment" winning as the Hot 100 single of the year during the Billboard Music Awards. The band's fourth album is titled "Who We Are" and already produced the hit "First Time." "Whatever it Takes" is slower than "First Time" and has a gentler tone. I particularly like the transitions from the chorus to the next verses when "Ba ba bum bum ba" is sang. It sounds almost angelic in a way.

"Say" by John Mayer - Have I ever admitted to being a fan of John Mayer's music? Okay, I'm bringing forth that information right now. He's an amazing song writer and has produced many hits in his short recording career. His latest hit song titled "Say" displays his musical genius once again. How can anyone not like what this guy sings (okay, so maybe the tune "Daughters" was a touch on the corny side)? "Say" is a song featured in the movie "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Mayer's hit song "Waiting on the World to Change" won a couple of Grammy awards in 2007. He's definitely no stranger to the music industry and I believe he'll be around for a long time.

"Realize" by Colbie Caillat - Colbie is an up-and-coming musician who first received fame from myspace. Her hit song "Bubbly" recieved major radio airplay and has gained popularity throughout the world. She has since released her debut album titled "Coco" in which "Realize" is part of. Music is in her blood as her father, Ken, was involved with the group Fleetwood Mac. She definitely has a unique sound to her songs and brings a pure, wholesome vibe to her music. And there is a rumor out there that she once tried out for American Idol but was turned down. If that is indeed true, I am happy to hear she has found success on her own. It just goes to show you that even American Idol isn't always the way to go for some people.

That wraps up this edition of the "Songs I Dig" for this time. Please be sure to watch out for the latest "Songs I Dig" blog coming very soon. Before I sign off, there's one song from last year that never wound up in my blogs that at least deserves some mention. It's called "Ruby" by the Kaiser Chiefs and I almost considered putting it in as one of the five songs I dig in this edition. But seeing that it's already old and I ended up finding five decent songs that were recent, it's relegated to the concluding paragraph. Hey, at least I mentioned it, right?

American Idol 7 - Top 11

It's a new week which brings us to the latest American Idol recap from me! It's another week of songs by the Beatles (but it appears they expanded the songbook to include Ringo and George this week). So there's definitely some good songs left for the contestants to choose from in the vast array of #1's the Beatles had. I will say this, though; even though I absolutely love the songs by the Beatles, maybe two weeks in a row is a bit much. I don't care how much positive feedback they've heard from the fans of the show about it. It's just something that can get stale fast. We'll see how the contestants handle another week of songs by the Beatles. Let's get this show on the road!

Amanda Overmyer - singing "Back in the USSR": Amanda's up first tonight - usually not the place any contestant wants to be placed in. Another rock song for Amanda (yawn). Okay, so it's not that bad, but as Simon mentioned tonight, it was pretty predictable. She keeps doing the same rock performance week in and week out and it's beginning to seem like a broken record. She's a good performer and is very consistent. She knows how to pick songs that fit her mold but it may be starting to get a bit old for the fans. You can definitely say one thing about Amanda, however; she knows how to have a good time on stage.

Kristy Lee Cook - singing "You've got to Hide Your Love Away": This is such a great Beatles tune; one of my favorites, in fact. I did not care for the arrangement with Kristy's version, however. It was actually really odd and seemed to have more of a rock-edge with it. Eddie Vedder re-made the song and knew enough not to mess with something great. Kristy tried messing with the arrangement and it just didn't work. Overall I thought she did a decent job with the song but the problem I am having with her is that she's rather forgettable. The last note of the song that Kristy sang was nice, but that was about all that was memorable with it. She could've done a lot better with the song, that's for sure.

David Archuleta - singing "The Long and Winding Road": With last weeks performance clearly in the back of my mind, I was pretty nervous for David A. I really wanted him to have a great week. And I am happy to say, he delivered. Now this is the David we all remember from week's past. This was a great song choice for him as I believe he does his best when singing the slower tempo songs which allows him to concetrate on the lyrics better. He remembered his lyrics this time around, he was on pitch the whole time and it was very enjoyable to listen to. He even received across-the-board praise from the judges with Simon even calling it "master class." Clearly it was the best performance of the night out of all the contestants. If he stays consistent with performances like tonight, he'll definitely be one of the final two contestants left standing when all is said and done (if not the eventual American Idol winner).

Michael Johns - singing "A Day in the Life": I don't know what's going on with Michael as of late, but he definitely hasn't been living up to the expectations that he brought with him during Hollywood week. His version of Bohemian Rhapsody was so great that I often look it up on YouTube just to hear it again. Tonight's peformance was very lackluster right from the start. With his first attempt at a higher note, he went way off pitch. After that, he really couldn't recover. I thought he performed the song like the Beatles sang it and didn't really do much different with it. The pace of the song was pretty slow, then picked up briefly, but went back to being slow. I thought the song was going to suit him well but it certainly ended up being not his best. There were definite arrangement issues with the song and he really needs to start raising his game up pretty fast.

Brooke White - singing "Here Comes the Sun": Another performance where Brooke doesn't perform an instrument. It worked the other time when she just sang; will it work this time? Well, not as well, according to the judges. She probably wasn't quite as connected with the song as she was with "Let it Be." It appeared she was having the time of her life up on stage; moving and dancing around pretty freely. Certainly a very upbeat song for Brooke; something we hadn't yet seen from her (something like tonight's performance, anyways). Yet, she seemed out of her element in some way. Overall it was rather safe, vocally; but performance-wise she did try some new things. I have a pretty good suspicion that'll she'll go back to being behind a guitar or piano next week.

David Cook - singing "Day Tripper": And here we have David going back to what he does best; playing the guitar. He stays true to his roots which is rather nice. And unlike Amanda, David isn't afraid to try different things even though he's mainly a rocker. All of the risks that David has taken thus far have paid off. I did like the Peter Frampton-esque use of the voice box; it was certainly different and the first time used in an "Idol" performance. He did a great job with the song that had the audience into it and even Paula up on her feet. I like the fact that each and every single week, he seems to try something different and it hasn't yet hurt him. I had to disagree with Simon when he said it was predictable. Now Amanda, yes; she was predictable. David Cook was not.

Carly Smithson - singing "Blackbird": A much slower paced song for Carly; going in a different direction tonight. I didn't think it was her best as I perfer the more up-beat songs from her. But the vocals were spot-on as usual. I liked the performance the best when she started hitting the higher notes which showed off her vocal skills. I wouldn't say it was my favorite of hers in the competition but it was still an enjoyable performance. I thought it was definitely better in the end than it was in the beginning. It was a very controlled song for Carly with superb vocals and a deep connection with the song. Carly definitely knows what she's doing and I believe she'll be around for a long time.

Jason Castro - singing "Michelle": So Jason goes without the guitar tonight which worked before when he sang "Halleljah." He seemed to do a fairly decent job with the song, but he appeared out of touch at times. I have a feeling, though, that he wasn't really taking the performance all that seriously. In fact, I thought at one point he almost lost control and started laughing. Maybe it was the audience that threw him off but he certainly did not seem as connected to the song. I thought it was a good song choice for him if only he took the performance seriously. I hope he didn't think it was a big joke because his fans could turn on him pretty fast. I don't really believe that's going to happen, but he really needs to be more careful in the future.

Syesha Mercado - singing "Yesterday": Out of all the Beatles songs, this is probably one of my all-time favorites (including Let it Be, Hey Jude, Penny Lane, and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away). Syesha starts things off kind of boring and I am beginning to question whether this is really a good choice of song for her, whether or not she had a connection with it in the past. But she definitely worked it out in the end and think she did an admiral job with it. The problem with Syesha, however, is that she's a pretty forgettable performer. Yes, this week was much better than last, but I just don't see her sticking around for very long. She just doesn't appear to be all that interesting and that is what really hurts her. She's got to do something that's going to wow the audience and make us remember her for a very long time. So far, that has yet to happen.

Chikezie - singing "I've Just Seen a Face": This is an unfamiliar Beatle tune for me. It appears that Chikezie turns back to performing a ballad which tends to suit him more. The pace starts off rather slow but then really picks up. In fact, I thought the pace was much too fast and it reminded me a lot of Kristy Lee's version of "Eight Days a Week" from last week. The last part of the song had that country/blue grass feel to it which wasn't necessarily a good thing, in my opinion. I thought Chikezie tried capitalizing on last week's success and it didn't quite work as well. It was still a decent performance yet it wasn't as good as last week. It was sort of all over the place like the judges mentioned, harmonica and all.

Ramiele Malubay - singing "I Should've Known Better": The performance started off pretty weak and somewhat pitchy for me. I do think this is a great song choice for Ramiele, however. It doesn't start off all that great, though and she seems to be having some difficulty projecting her voice. She has a great voice and can hit some pretty incredible notes. We haven't seen anything like that in awhile from her, though. She did finally hit a couple of high notes towards the end of the performance but it wasn't enough for me. She did have better vocals tonight but I definitely think she needs to be more assertive and confident with her songs. Ramiele has been lacking consistency for some time and pretty soon it will end up hurting her.

Now it's time for this week's Idol Rankings. Remember, these are based on tonight's performances and they are not cumulative from week to week. I think most of the contestants will be relieved to see the songs of the Beatles go away next week. In addition, Simon only gave favorable reviews to David Archuleta and Syesha (even though he told Syesha that Brooke should've sang "Yesterday"). And did anyone else notice how some of the contestants were wearing ear pieces while others didn't? This probably helped David A. out quite considerably compared to last week where he didn't wear one. I think with the audience standing up and cheering like in a concert setting, it tends to throw the contestants off especially for those not used to concerts. So this is probably a good thing for everyone involved. Anyways, here are the rankings from tonight:

#1: David Archuleta
#2: David Cook
#3: Carly Smithson (actual bottom three - 3/19/08)
#4: Syesha Mercado - bottom three
#5: Jason Castro
#6: Brooke White
#7: Amanda Overmyer (officially eliminated - 3/19/08)
#8: Ramiele Malubay
#9: Chikezie
#10: Michael Johns - bottom three
#11: Kristy Lee Cook - eliminated (actual bottom three - 3/19/08)

All in all, I still believe it's Kristy Lee's time to go. Even though this week was better than last, it still doesn't compare with the rest of the group. I thought she was pretty fortunate to stick around instead of David Hernandez because she was really awful last week. We'll see if she maintains the same luck this time around. I also believe that Syesha remains a pretty forgettable figure on the show and despite a decent performance this week; she'll wind up in this week's bottom three again. It just doesn't seem like she has an avid fanbase like the rest of the contestants and one of these weeks, it's going to cost her.

A Surprising Wake-Up Song

About an average of seven days a month, I have to get up early in the mornings for work. Let me just say, I am not a morning person. I love being able to sleep in on afternoon shift or on my days off until about 10 AM. So during the days I have to get up early for work, I have to set my alarm clock - actually two alarm clocks, in case one of them mysteriously doesn't go off. It's happened twice to me before where I actually overslept and been late for work. One of the alarm clocks is a standard digital clock with the iconic beeper for an alarm. I have that one set on my dresser across the room so it forces me to get up. The other one is a better model, still digital, but it's a clock radio/alarm that's on my night stand near my bed. The beeper on this alarm clock is EXTREMELY loud. I've accidentally set it to the beeper a few times and it scared me awake. So this clock I always used the radio option to wake me up. I have it set to one of the most reliable radio stations around these parts - 97.1 FM, with a fantastic morning show. But at 5:45 AM when I have to get up, usually the morning show isn't quite yet on the air (it starts at 6). So when the clock radio goes off, a song is playing. Most of the time it's a song that's been on the air for awhile. And the funny thing is, even when I hear maybe only ten seconds of the song, it gets stuck in my head the rest of the day! Well on a couple of occasions, a new song played while the radio turned on. Now mind you, this song didn't play during consecutive days but more like on a Tuesday and Thursday morning, for example. So the airings of this song were fairly close together - just being a few days apart. The second time I heard it, I had to listen to it for a little bit longer because I thought it was a really good song. Now came the task of actually finding out WHO sang it.

I don't remember exactly how I came to find out who the actual singer of this song was. I think I heard it again during one morning but when a dee jay was on the radio and he said the singer of the song after it was over. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard who it was by. Let me give you some hints. She's the daughter of a country singer who had a hit song in 1992. She's the star of a kids television channel with a hit show. She's a singer herself (duh) who's had an amazing stretch of sold out concerts across the country. She's been tabbed as one of the biggest and brightest new up-and-coming stars. She stars with her dad on her hit television show. Do you have a guess by now? If you don't have the faintest idea yet, maybe you don't follow the Hollywood scene or don't have any kids. The singer of the song I heard on the radio is the one and only Miley Cyrus. Yes, her dad is Billy Ray who had the hit song "Achy Breaky Heart" in 1992. He also stars with her on the Disney Channel's #1 show "Hannah Montana." And she has earned some pretty good cash going on a sold-out concert tour. Now I don't know A LOT about her but how could you not if you follow the Hollywood/Entertainment scene like I do. She's got so much going for her and she's only 15! I just hope she's level headed and doesn't let Hollywood get to her head. I just pray she doesn't turn into another Britney Spears! But so far, she is handling herself pretty well.

As for the song, it's titled "See You Again." For a 15-year-old, I must admit she is a REALLY good singer. If I heard this song for the first time and if someone were to ask me how old the singer of this song was, I probably would've guessed someone in their 20's, at least. She sounds really mature for her age (but I guess hearing her name in the song would've been an eventual give-away, too). She doesn't sound like some air-headed teeny-bopper singer that have popped up in the past. If she keeps this up, she could become the next Madonna! Okay, so that may be exaggerating things some. But just look at how popular she is right now with the tweens and early-teenage crowd right now. It's the same generation that will follow her as she ages and matures. She has the potential to be very popular for a long time if she doesn't drop off the face of the earth. And "See You Again" is catchy as heck and something that can get stuck in your head for days. I can't believe I'm actually admitting that I like a song from a 15-year-old girl. But it's true! It's a really good song. And it must be good if Adult Contemporary/Pop radio stations are even playing it. An average, everyday singer would never see their tunes on a radio station.

So if you haven't yet heard it for yourself, maybe you should go to Miley's myspace page and listen to it yourself. And if you find yourself bobbing along to the song, don't say I didn't warn ya!


Oh, by the way. For those American Idol viewers who were rather surprised and disappointed at how David Archuleta performed during this week's show where he sang "We Can Work it Out," maybe you should listen to David's version of the song that was recently recorded in studio. It is 100 times better than his performance during the show. I still can't honestly figure out what happened. Was it David's aggressive "stage dad" that had him stressed out or the huge new American Idol stage that freaked him out? Or was it a conspiracy brought on by the people who manage David that wanted him to fail purposely so that it wouldn't appear like he was the "front runner" anymore? That way, he could work himself back up to the top and re-emerge as the favorite as the finals come closer. That way, the Melinda Doolittle-effect wouldn't take place this season as well. Yes - those are the rumors that are circulating on the web about David's surprising stumble on Tuesday night. Could it just simply be that the song was just too big for him to pull off? He even said in the taped interview that he was unsure about the song. So there you have it, the REAL reason why David flubbed this week. It was purely the song. Anyways, take a listen to the studio version of "We Can Work it Out," done in the same fashion that Stevie Wonder did years back. Like I said, it is much better and it's a recording from the REAL David Archuleta that all of his fans know well.

American Idol (Season Seven) - Top 12

Welcome one and all to the start of my American Idol 2008 review blogs! Last year was the first time I regularly did a feature blog week after week and it worked perfectly on a show like American Idol. I had a blast last year, but I'll admit it did kind of burn me out at the end (which is why I probably never did a review during finale week). But nontheless, these are always fun and I am looking forward to doing it again starting this week! I will say this, though; I am probably amped up over this season than any other since I've been watching the show because the finalists as so talented. I have my favorites and I'm sure you'll pick up on which ones I like as we move along in the weeks ahead. So let's get this review blog off to a bang! It's the top 12 of American Idol 2008 singing the songbook of Lennon and McCartney. So the start of the show was spent on showcasing the new Idol stage and opening - which was very nice and quite extravagant. In fact, I'd probably be pretty intimidated singing on a stage of that caliber. The question I have is; why did it take six previous seasons before deciding that they needed a stage like that? It's about time! Let's get to the reviews.

Syesha Mercado - singing "Got to Get You Into My Life": It was a very fun and upbeat song for her; the kind of songs she's been sticking with week after week. The beginning of the song wasn't great for me. I didn't think she shouted as much as she has in some of her previous performances, however, and tonight she seemed a lot more controlled. I thought she did a decent job with this song but I don't know if it's one that America is really going to remember. It seemed to stick in the middle of all the other performances from tonight. She it definitely trying to improve week after week, though.

Chikezie - singing "She's a Woman": The award for the most surprising performance of the night goes to Chikezie. I was a little concerned at the way he started the song but he really impressed me overall. I think he definitely tried showing a different side of him in his performance and I believe it worked for him. He took a risk jazzing things up and rocking out and it couldn't have gone any better for him. I always pictured him as more of a ballad singer like we've seen from previous preformances. So this was really a breath of fresh air and he was very enthusiastic. I don't think he's going anywhere yet, America.

Ramiele Malubay - singing "In my Life": This is probably one of the more recognizable songs from the Beatles that were sung tonight and I thought it was a decent choice for Ramiele. However, it did not work to her favor and just as the judges said, it was rather safe and boring. I thought this would be a song that would help to show off her strong voice, but she really didn't do anything special with it. The final note she sang was really the highlight of the whole performance. I'm really waiting to see when she'll live up to the hype that has followed her around for several weeks now. I think she can do much, much better than this.

Jason Castro - singing "If I Fell": Jason goes back to his guitar, which he really does a good job with. I really didn't understand the praise he received last week - partially because I'm not all that familiar with that song. But I thought it was fairly similar to last week, except he didn't have his guitar a week ago. I really liked it when he showed off his falsetto range because we hadn't yet seen that so far in this competition. I thought he was in tune for the whole song and seemed very focused on his singing. He played the song straight with very little changes to the arrangement. So overall, I thought it was decent but not spectacular.

David Cook - singing "Eleanor Rigby": I was quite surprised to see David without his guitar! I didn't think he could perform without it but he really did an admiral job tonight. He puts a rocker-twist on this Beatles classic. For me, it seemed very odd not hearing the orchestral sound to it but I found myself enjoying it more and more. I thought he really amped things up once he reached the chorus of the song where he really rocked out and stayed true to his rocker-roots. Just as Simon commented, however, I didn't quite think it was as good as last week's performance where he took on "Hello" by Lionel Richie. But still, a very solid performance from David.

Brooke White - singing "Let it Be": Okay, I'll admit it. Brooke is one of my favorites. She just has this innocent quality that I really enjoy about her. She seems to be very good at playing instruments; first playing the piano during Hollywood week, then the guitar during semi-finals, and now back to the piano. I think whenever anyone plays the piano during a live broadcast, it shows tremendous guts doing so. Brooke is a very artistic musician and I thought she really connected with the song. "Let it Be" is one of my favorites and it was nice to see how she didn't change much with the overall style that the whole world has grown to love. She definitely made this peformance believable.

David Hernandez - singing "I Saw Her Standing There": The upbeat songs have been doing very well so far for the contestants, so will David have the same luck? Well, not really. I thought he had a few pitch problems here and there. It was a fun song but I didn't believe he did enough with the song. I thought his running around the stage and into the audience didn't make it any better, either. I thought it was just an okay performance; nothing great by no means. Maybe ballads suit him better like last week? It was a performance that tended to lack any kind of charisma, really.

Amanda Overmyer - singing "You Can't Do That": Here's a song I was completely unfamiliar with. And I can't believe that because I assumed I knew every Beatles song ever written. Nevertheless, Amanda does a decent job with this song. Again, she stays with her true rocker-roots (as if we'll ever see her sing a ballad) and definitely seems more comfortable up on that large stage tonight. Amanda definitely has a unique style of her own and it was clearly evident tonight. I don't think it was quite as good as last week, but she made it enjoyable to listen to. Seems like she's taking in all of the criticism she's received and is trying to improve where ever she can (i.e. looking at the audience instead of the ground, smiling, etc).

Michael Johns - singing "Across the Universe": Another Beatles song I'm not that familiar with (what is this world coming to!) but I thought Michael did a decent job with it. Certainly not his best and I think he's fallen back some since his performances during Hollywood week. With that being said, however, I still think these kinds of songs suit Michael better than trying to go the rocker-route. Yes, I too was waiting for something bigger to come out of Michael's performance, but it is what it is. I still believe he did a nice job with the song and should be sticking around this competition for a long time to come.

Kristy Lee Cook - singing "Eight Days a Week": Kristy held on by the seat of her pants last week and made it into the top 12. However, after tonight's performance, America REALLY got it wrong. Her country style version of this Beatles classic was pretty dreadful. I thought it was going way too fast in the beginning and it seemed to throw her off. She seemed out of sync at times and I thought it didn't sound all that good. I don't believe this song is ready to be turned into anything remotely country-sounding. She took a risk and tried capitalizing on the judges comments about going country, but it's a risk that failed miserably this time around.

David Archuleta - singing "We Can Work it Out": Last but not least is David Archuleta, another one of my favorites. He is such an amazing talent for being 17 years old. He's bashful, innocent, and just plain smiley. But tonight was clearly an off-night for David. Once he forgot the lyrics, my jaw dropped to the floor. Maybe this song was too big for him? I was critical on a couple of contestants last year who forgot the lyrics to their songs and I believe at this stage of the game, you can't do that. I also believe that David was particularly nervous and he just didn't feel all that comfortable being on that enormous stage. I will say this, however, once he got to the middle of the song, I thought he was really starting to get his emotions in check and did a decent job of closing the song. But again, not his strongest performance so far for David.

So there you have it, my reviews of the contestants performances. And something new I am doing this year, I am doing a power-ranking of sorts (like you'd see in sports columns), rating the contestants performances on a week-by-week basis. These are not going to be cumulative, so keep that in mind. The contestants you see in the last three positions did the poorest of the evening in my view but it does not necessarily mean they'll end up being in America's bottom three (David A. may in fact receive the MOST votes). So here are this week's Idol Rankings:

#1: Chikezie
#2: Carly Smithson
#3: Brooke White
#4: David Cook
#5: Amanda Overmyer
#6: Jason Castro
#7: Michael Johns
#8: Syesha Mercado (actual bottom three - 3/12/08)
#9: Ramiele Malubay - bottom three
#10: David Archuleta
#11: David Hernandez - bottom three (eliminated - 3/12/08)
#12: Kristy Lee Cook - eliminated (actual bottom three - 3/12/08)

Again, these are just my opinions based on tonight's performances. Kirsty's messed up country-version of "Eight Days a Week" gets the nod of being the worst of the evening. I wonder what Paul McCartney would say if he saw it (and not to say that he WON'T, either)? She may be pretty, but her song renditions have not.

High School Basketball

It had been awhile since I stepped foot inside my old high school; at least three years, anyways. For me, there's always that nervousness of encountering someone I hadn't seen in some time and drumming up a conversation with them and having them ask a million questions about what I'm up to these days. Thankfully that did not happen once I ventured back into those hallowed hallways of the high school and attended the boys district basketball final game. Our school was not only hosting the tournament but also playing in the final game with a chance to win a trophy and advance to the next round of the tournament. Seeing that I was off from work this weekend and both my dad and I were available to attend the game, we figured we'd check the action out and see just how good this year's boys basketball team was. Despite some generally sloppy play at first, it was an enjoyable game which saw the home team win. It did not disappoint.

I must admit, it was a little bit odd entering the old school once I first stepped inside. With one quick glance around, things did not look much different at all. Upon entering the main entrance to the high school, the gymnasium is just right off to the left. So needless to say, I did not get an opporunity to take a walk down the hallways of the old school but that's alright; save that for another time. The gymnasium did not look very different, overall. It's still the same building with the same features of seven/eight years ago. The walls were painted brighter, though. Instead of an ugly green stripe that lined the perimeter of the gym wall; it was now painted a dark blue - more fitting of one of our school's colors. The gym floor was painted in a much more colorful pattern. The out-of-bounds area on each end of the floor was painted blue with the school name stenciled out of the blue. The free throw lane was pained a solid blue color and "Cougars" was lettered along the sidelines near the bleachers. A beautiful cougar icon was painted on center court. Now this is the kind of gym floor our school should've had when it was originally build in the early 1990's. The floor very drab and plain up until a few years ago. They've made great progress in making the gym look more like cougar-country.

Many familiar faces graced the bleachers of the gymnasium; and although many were familiar, I did not know a lot of them personally. It was still nice to see the school spirit in full force that night. But somehow the majesty of Cougar playoff basketball just didn't seem to be the same as it used to be for me. I remember the stands of the gym being completely packed when the hometeam was playing back when I was a student. There was also a lack of a true cheerleading squad, as well. It looked as if a cheer squad was assembled, but I don't know if they had been together all season or if the switch from having the girls basketball teams play in the winter time instead of the fall as what was the case for years had a negative effect on having a regular cheerleading squad. They didn't even have the usual cheerleading uniforms on - just short-shorts and a regular top. Whatever the case, they made a nice effort, but they did not have the full enthusiasm like the old cheer squads of old. But there has to be a reason why this years squad was lacking.

All in all, it was a fun reunion-of-sorts at the old high school. Even though I hadn't been to a high school basketball game in a few years, the old school spirit came back in full force. It proved to me that it was alive and well, but just secretly tucked away inside for whenever I needed it again. I may not know many of the faces on the basketball teams anymore, but no matter what, whenever my school plays in an important game, they still have my support. And it's nice to know that no matter how long you've been away, for the most part, things pretty much stay the same. From the people, the school spirit, to the asthetics of the game and the buildings themselves - you can stay away from the place for two to three years and find things relatively unchanged. It's nice that a little part of your past still stays with you even into the present.

David Archuleta - Part 2

The media-swell of David Archuleta's top 20 performance singing John Lennon's "Imagine" has slowed down some since late last week, but the fan support continues in earnest for season seven's most promising contestant yet. Several myspace "fansites" created by many different users have popped up in support of David; not to mention the plethora of myspace groups devoted to David that have also appeared out of thin air. Hundreds of David's performances on Idol have appeared on YouTube with some of the most popular videos registering over two millions views and thousands of comments. The viewer ratings on almost all of the videos are at four in a half stars, with a couple more at a perfect five stars. The majority of the users who leave comments are mostly positive - but there are a few who love to wreck the spirit of the comment posting section by saying negative things about David; things they have no proof are true and draw the ire of all David fans. The minority group who leaves the negative comments tends to leave notes questioning David's sexuality. These people honestly make no sense to me.

Does David even remotely seem gay? Not in the least for me. He's a 17 year old kid, for god's sake. Now fellow Idol contestant Danny Noriega is openly gay. I mean, how could anyone not tell? He flaunts it everytime he's up on stage. David does nothing of the sort. He's a cool, calm, collected individual who's always pleasant and smiling when up on stage. He generally seems a little shy once his performance is over (as Ryan Seacrest pointed out after David's "Shop Around" performance), but being gay is not a word I'd describe him. One user's comment on YouTube stated that his "gaydar is going off" (supposedly an expert when telling when a person is gay or not - probably because he himself is gay) at watching David onstage and that he's clearly gay. Obviously his "gaydar" needs fine-tuning then, because David is nothing of the sort. I generally take these comments as being offensive against David's character - even though some of the people leaving the comments are still supportive of David even though, "he's obviously gay" as some put it. You know, just leave the homosexuality accusations out of it and root for someone who's actually an exceptional singer and performer. What his orientation is should have nothing to with the overall outcome of the show (even though I think David isn't gay in the least). It's his right to keep that part of his life personal, anyways.

I really have no idea why I'm bringing these morons comments to the spotlight in this blog, but I feel as if I need to get my message out in some way. Replying to each and every negative comment on YouTube within David's videos is just a lot of work and I think it would more or less be trying to fight a losing battle. I will say this though, I am a supporter of David Archuleta purely because of his singing abilities. He's been a singing prodigy every since he was nine or ten years old. Singing is his nature. He's a good guy; he's nice, it seems he doesn't have a mean bone in his body and he's a hell of a good singer. I can somehow relate to the kid, too. Although I didn't start singing at a young age like him, I joined my high school's chorus when I was a freshman and discovered the joys of singing that can bring to not just me individually, but also to those in the audience listening. He's a nice guy, like me; he's shy like me (but he has a lot more courage to get up on that stage and sing in front of millions of people more than I ever could), and he's destined for big things. Who says nice guys finish last, because I sure don't think he'll be last in this competition.

The fan support for David Archuleta will likely continue for some time. Some of the YouTube comments were from people who generally hated American Idol but heard the hype that David was all about and checked out his videos and enjoyed what they saw. That is the beauty of YouTube, as well. It gives the opportunity for people who don't normally watch the show a chance to witness the better singers of the group. And I don't believe for one second that the competition is already over. As much as I want David to win this year's American Idol crown, it wouldn't be much fun of a season if all of the other contestants just rolled over and let David have it. I don't think that is going to happen and David will have his off-weeks, just like Jordin Sparks and Taylor Hicks did in years past. So if you are checking this blog out for the first time and aren't ordinarily an avid American Idol watcher, at least check David out on YouTube and see for yourself what all of the hype is all about. You will not only see his videos from American Idol, but also his performances form Star Search (when he was about ten or 11), high school concerts, an appearance (singing "Imagine" then, as well) on a Utah television morning program, and much, much more. Being a big fan as I am of David, there just isn't enough of his performances on there to satisfy me. That's pretty much why I play his Idol performances over and over again. I never get tired of watching them either. He's such a likable guy that it's just too difficult to root against him. It's his title to win.