AI9 Idol Give Back & Sends One Home

In what will surely amount to a over two hours of quasi-entertainment, as well as a results show, and I will try to hit some highlights, as well as the results.

Crusty welcomes us there and introduces the President and First Lady. They are completely charming, both complementing the effort of the show and encouraging people to give. Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Queen Latifah looks fantastic. I am a fan. What a bright light she is.

Music:
The top 12 is back together, and all in white. Crystal, Tim and Lee come out first, joined by the others. They are decked out in white. I missed the song completely, fascinated by the costumes. Sorry. Black Eyed Peas singing Rock That Body. OGM, this is terrible. Jeff Beck and Joss Stone with the Jubilation Choir. They perform I Put A Spell On You. It is an interesting cover, although I think the sound mixing was not the best. Would have liked a little more of Beck's guitar. Alicia Keys comes out to sing Unthinkable. After a rough start, she makes it to the ned of the song with minimal problems. There is Empire State of Mind Part 2. There were some rough moments here, too. More bad comedy involving Crusty, and then Carrie Underwood sings her song Change. She was exceptional, and schooled everyone else. Wow. Annie Lennox had a tape segment prepared, by the Icelandic volcano and the ash has prevented her from being at the show in person. Her video performance is brilliant, as always. Mary J Blige and her All Star Band step up to perform Stairway To Heaven. I was relatively unimpressed with this, which is strange, since I usually love Mary J. Elton John comes out to the stage with Queen Latifah, He talks about the increase of AIDS infections, and does a quick discussion of protection, including the mention of condoms on TV. Nicely done. Elton sings My Song, and does a nice job with it.

Video Rolls:
Jennifer Gardner visited a family to talk about a reading program, and Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham brought some kids out to discuss how programs supported by IGB has changed their lives. Ryan chats with the kids just 20 minutes into the show, giving Mike, Tim and Lee a little extra screen time. They are back with the results, and Crusty talks about the auction to host the show, and George Lopez, and he tells the kids to relax, he is judging the judges. The bit was not nearly as funny as they all thought it was. Randy and Morgan Freeman make a trip to Mississippi to talk about the Save The Children charity. Ellen and David Arquette, who remain serious until the end. They visit a food bank, doing vital work. Nice segment. Crusty sits with Bill & Melinda Gates about their concentration on Global healthcare. Turns out, Crusty can earnestly nod his head. Wanda Sykes comes out and does a few funny bits. David Cook is on now, and does a decent job with his report. Simon has a nice piece, announces they have raised $15 million in 2 hours, and still counting.

The Actual Point:
Crystal and Casey in the center of the stage. One is safe, and the other is in the bottom three. And Casey is in the bottom three, leaving Crystal safe. Now Aaron and Lee are out center, getting the Crusty recap. The person safe is Lee, and Aaron is in the bottom three. Wow, Lee took off for the seats , didn't he? But then it is time for more results. Big Mike, Tim and Siobhan are left. Crusty recaps as always. Siobhan is safe, leaving Tim and Mike center stage. Big Mike is safe, and Tim is in the bottom 3 with Casey and Aaron. There is a commercial break, and we come back for the results, running about 25 minutes late. The person safe is Aaron, leaving Casey and Tim in the bottom. The person leaving tonight is Tim Urban. The credits roll over the video of his journey, and he doesn't get the chance to sing out. Too bad. Again, the contestants are the least important factor in a show about them. Hmmmm.

New Video - Derek & the Darling

With less than a week from the official drop date of Rockface, the debut release from Derek & the Darling, Derek Nicoletto and Sammi Garett unveiled the video for Hustler With A Rescue Plan. The bold and striking imagery of the video were shot by Julian Rad of Works Productions in Chinatown, NYC and Port Washington, Long Island. With imaginative use of paint, paper mache, costuming and the workroom of an artist, the video stands out like few could. Sammi looks gorgeous, ready for a photoshoot, a wind-blown model with a serious guitar habit. Derek look ranges from stunningly handsome to somewhat-disturbed-on-the-brink-of-serial-killer, sometimes within frames of one another. The songs glistens with life and vitality, begging anyone listening to dance, or, more to the point, daring them not to.



Rockface is released on April 27th, and I will be back with a review. I can already tell you I am enjoying all the tracks, and it will be a must-have collection for your summer listening. You can check out more about Derek & the Darling at their official website here.

Worth Another Listen - The Specials

Formed in Coventry, England, in 1977, The Specials were a band like few others. Born out of the post-punk, pre-New Wave era of music, they joined the ska beats with the drive of punk to make a dance music that swept the world. Formed by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, vocalist Terry Hall and guitarist Lynval Golding, the put together a big rhythm section and The Specials were born. Part of my unnatural fascination with all things Terry Hall, I was crazy about this music back in the day. And 33 years later, they appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 13th of this year. The song they performed in a private show was Little Bitch from their self-titled first album, released in 1979. This is the performance on the Jools Holland show.



But back in 1979, the band was working on their first album, and it also included that amazing song A Message To You, Rudy. Originally written by Dandy Livingstone in 1967, it scored #10 on the UK pop chart. Singing background vocals was an amazing singing, Chrissie Hynde.



Then in 1980, the band released the single Rat Race. The song, included in import versions of the sophomore effort, More Specials, but not the UK version, climbed to #5 on the UK charts and made the Top 100 of US Dance music.



The first cut off the second album was the 1949 song Enjoy Yourself, best known when performed by Guy Lombardi and the Royal Canadians. On the album version, the background vocals were offered up by the ladies of The Go-Gos. Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey could be heard on the album, but here in this live version, it is the boys in the band.



In 1981, they released Ghost Town, another single that wasn't on a album at first. That, however, did not stop it from heading all the way to #1 on the UK Pop chart, and securing more fame for the band.



Not long following this success, Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding broke away from the band to start their own group, Fun Boy Three. In this group, Terry had much more control, both musically and artistically, giving him much more room to experiment. Jerry Dammers continued on, sometimes using the moniker The Specials, other times using Specials AKA, until 1984, when he dissolved the band to move into political activism. The band reunited in 2007 for a 30th anniversary celebration, and have been together since, touring and working on some new music. For more about The Specials, check out their website here.

AI9 An Hour To Inspire

Idol Gives Back puts the Top 7 at the microphone to sings Songs of Inspiration, which is a far-ranging theme to say the least. What is inspiring to some is not so for others. That is the thing about inspiration - you never know from where it might come.

"Your vote saves lives this week, and it is time 'we' give back. This is American Idol." It is a busy night, according to Crusty, who introduces the judges. Tomorrow night is a two-hour show, with a separate venue for some big musical acts. The mentor is Alicia Keys is the 'Empress of Soul' who has changed R & B forever, and named Billboard's #1 artist of the first decade of the millennium.

Casey is up first, singing Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac. Alicia pushes him to put more of himself in the song. He sounds great on the first verse, and takes a moment for a guitar solo. He is really putting the blues in the song, doing his thing. Randy thinks it was good, but could be better. Ellen thought there was nothing special, and Kara agrees, saying he frustrates her. Simon thought the song choice was back, and lazy. Lee is up, singing Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer. Lee seems pretty tense for the interview segment of the show, and tells of listening to Simon & Garfunkel with his parents, and it inspired him to play the guitar. Alicia reminds him he is the boxer, and to bring people on the journey with him. OK, he doesn't start out so well for me, with the shouting out of nowhere, something he repeats during the song. An odd performance for me. Randy loved it, and considers Lee an artist. Ellen sees better and better from him, and I am confused. Kara thinks he had a moment with that performance. Simon thinks it was the best of the night, it was brilliant. That leaves me confused. And here is a commercial break.

There is a slight panic, as during the break, the screen goes blank for a minute or two. When it comes back, we still get some commercials, so they didn't

Tim is up next, with Better Days by Goo-Goo Dolls. Alicia likes the song on him, and thinks it feels really good. Wow, he is really being good. This is a perfect choice for Tim. He is on point the entire time, connected to the song, and I was impressed. The judges are not liking it very much, and I am at a loss. The are unanimously negative, and after listening to Lee and his commentary, I am summarily lost. Aaron is up next, singing R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly Alicia thinks if Aaron can connect, he can take it to "a whole 'nother place." Aaron starts off a little off, sounding like nerves are hitting him a bit. This is not getting better, he starts rushing the song, getting a bit ahead of the band. Surprisingly, he ends the song well, pulling it back together. The judges, on the other hand, didn't see what I was seeing, as Ellen and Randy thinks he has a big voice. Kara acknowledged the stops and starts, but thought he delivered. Simon likes Aaron, but would have turned off the song in the first 10 seconds. Not only did I listen to a different performance, did the judges?


Siobhan sings When You Believe. Alicia is impressed, and thinks she can take it to somewhere very special. On stage, Siobhan has an odd flapper outfit with butterflies on her shoulders. She is singing well, but the overall feeling is a bit muddled for me. The arrangement isn't very good, and too short for the song to really build. Randy thought it was just OK, but Ellen disagrees, thought it was great. Kara thought it was too theatrical, although well sung. Simon agreed with Randy, and found the butterflies distracted. Siobhan is given a long chance to explain why she chose the song, which is unusual. Big Mike is on deck ready to take his time in the spotlight. The song really speaks to him, for all of us to step up and be a hero. He will be singing the Chad Kroeger song Hero from the movie Spider-Man. Both Alicia and Mike know the song has to really take flight. The first verse wasn't bad, but it completely falls apart in the chorus. Randy feels like he held his own, worked it out. Ellen thought it was great. Kara disliked it. Simon liked it, but thought it never gelled, but Mike will be safe. I am not so sure.

Crusty teases that Crystal is up next, and will be instrument-free. There are several commercials for GLEE, featuring the Madonna songbook in an hour-long episode tonight. Jane Lynch, Sue Sylvester will be on the Fox morning show tomorrow!

Crystal is singing People Get Ready, and Crystal speaks to how grateful she is about everything in her life right now. Alicia loves Crystal best of all, and can't wait to hear her sing. Crystal is front and center, and is singing the bejeezus out of the song. At the end, Crystal breaks down into tears. Randy gives her 'The Standing.' Ellen loved it, and thinks she is beautiful. Kara thought she schooled the rest of the contestants, and Simon thought it was in a completely different class than the rest. She explains she saw her dad, and it brought the tears. And clearly they are correct, she was the class of the field tonight.

The recap reminds us what an uninspired night it was, although for me, there is something different than what the judges saw. Crystal topped the night, and the next two for me were Casey and Tim, the two the judges dismissed entirely. My bottom three would be Big Mike, Lee and Aaron. Crusty reminds us that tomorrow night will be an evening of performances and will more than likely run long, so set your DVR to catch the results accordingly.

Then And Now - Hanson

Top Photo Left to Right: Issac, Zac and Taylor.
Bottom Photo L to R: Isaac, Taylor and Zac.

Thirteen years ago, three teen brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, took the music charts by storm with their third album, the first on a major label. The first single, released on April 15, 1997, was MMMBop, which soared up the charts to claim #1 on the US Pop and Top 40 charts, as well as charts across the world. When they hit with the public, there was much screaming to be had, from teen girls and boys, as well as some folk beyond their teen years. Frankly, I have no real proof to back this up, but I think cougars started here. I'll be honest, and say I kinda enjoyed their music, it was fun Pop-Rock. And at ages 17, 14 and 12, the boys enjoyed making music and were also writing their own stuff. That included the big hit, MMMBop.



Fast forward to 2010, and the boys, having taken some time to hone their craft, are ready to release their new album, Shout It Out.


Left to Right: Zac, Taylor and Isaac.

For starters, the boys have grown up, and are handsome men. They've also all have been married, and have children - seven of them, between the three. Sweet Jesus, that makes me feel old, but I shall cope. And I haven't heard anything from the new album, save what I heard on the video from MySpace, Thinking Bout Somethin. And you know, I am liking the song! Those boys are still rocking, and adding a bit of blues to the songs. I like the song, and am willing to ignore Weird Al playing the tambourine and say the boys are looking good, even if they are offering up a nod to the Blues Brothers.



For more on Hanson, check out their official website here.You can also check out their MySpace page here. And their music to date is available on iTunes. Shout It Out is due out on June 8, 2010.

Dark Monday - Bye Bye Birdie Pt 2

In a brief recap, the Broadway version of 'Bye, Bye Birdie' opened in 1960, and the film followed in 1963. Both were big hits with the public, who lined up for tickets for both. Conrad Birdie, loosely based on Elvis Presley, visits a small town prior to enlisting in the army. Kim and Hugo, high school sweethearts, become entwined in his appearance. After a first meeting of Kim and Birdie, Kim tries to reassure Hugo it is he she cares for, not the teen idol. They sing "One Boy".



Albert and Rosie, adults who are part of Birdie's team, have a long-term relationship that begins to have problems when Albert doesn't marry Rosie, a Latina (at least in the theoretical sense), because of issues with the nationality of the woman. When this upsets Rosie, Albert tells her to lighten up, and "Put On A Happy Face".



As the entire town goes crazy with Birdie's arrival and concert, Kim's father, played by the hilarious Paul Lynde, seriously contemplates what it means that parents have lost control of their children. He wonders aloud, "Kids Today"?



Birdie, Kim and Hugo end up together with many of the other kids in the town, expressing their relationship needs via song. The all agree they have a "Lot of Livin' To Do". But between Birdie just wanting to have a good time, and Hugo and Kim trying to make the other jealous, we just have a great song high on drama.



Soon Birdie was playing his song on the Sullivan show, which was to end with a kiss for Kim. This never set well with Hugo, who rushes on stage to stop the kiss, and ends up punching Birdie, who is hits the floor in front of the cameras. Kim is impressed, and Hugo wins back his girlfriend. Embarrassed, Birdie runs off to the Army, ready to put the whole episode behind him. And Albert and Rosie finally get engaged, complete with the blessings of his mother. And they all live happily ever after.

Monday Wake Up Call - Ricky Martin

This clip was originally released in 2007, but somehow I managed to miss it then. Not the case at the moment... It is an interesting video, with 2 minutes of clothing-challenged Ricky Martin showing off his tattoos. Bless his heart.