Movie Trailer • Sparkle

The movie trailer for Sparkle has hit the internet, four months before the movie is set to hit the theaters. To be sure, much of the buzz about the film will be that is is the last performance of the late Whitney Houston, but it is also the first big screen starring turn for American Idol Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks. This is a remake of the 1976 film starring Irene Cara, Lonette McKee and Phillip Michael Thomas. The story spins a tale of a trip who form a girlgroup in the late 1950s and early 1960s, much like Motown legends The Supremes. Of course, that is pretty much where the diverge, as the trio in this story are sisters. Watch this trailer.



Jordin is looking fantastic, and still sounds great. I am also impressed that Whitney looks good, yet also was willing to take on the matriarchal look for the film. Sparkle will feature new music from Houston, Sparks, and Cee Lo Green. For more about the movie, visit the official website.

American Idol Season 6

As we approach the competition starting up on the most recent season of American Idol, it allows me to do something the other similar shows can't do. That is to look back over the last decade of the show, and visit with the performers I really thought were due another look and listen. Hard to believe it has been a decade, but this summer, it will be 10 years since Fox aired the show that caught the imagination of the viewers.

Season 6 came to life just as we were starting to get the music of Season 5 out there, so the flood of songs by Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, and Bucky Covington was playing on the radio around the country, we were getting to know this group. And speaking of getting to know the group, the first name on my list is a name you had to learn fast, for he was a surprise elimination and not around for the finals.



Handsome Jared Cotter came to the attention of everyone pretty quickly, when he auditioned singing Stevie Wonder's Lately. Immediately fans were lining up, enamored by his dashing good looks. So when it was time to name the Top 12, many were stunned when other made it through, and Jared did not. And it was rather ironic that his Stevie audition got him on the show, and his performance of If You Really Love Me got him voted off. And while this might have sent some off into oblivion, it was not the case for Jared. He rebounded with a job on TV, hosting The Sauce on Fuse TV. He wasn't stepping away from music, and had, in fact, written some songs for artists, including for Jay Sean. He wrote Jay Sean's Down, a huge hit, the 9th best-selling song of 2009.



Yes, in this case, you are watching the video to a song he wrote, not that he recorded. Jared has continued to host for Fuse TV, and write music. In 2010, he wrote Do You Remember, which went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. To learn more about Jared, check him out on Facebook or Twitter. You can download Jay Sean's album All Or Nothing on iTunes or Amazon. And Jared was not the only writer on the show. Chris Sligh, who finished in tenth place, co-wrote Here Comes Goodbye, which made it to #1 on the Billboard Country chart with Rascal Flatts.



I am not exactly sure where to begin talking about Sanjaya Malakar. I think the jury is still out as to whether he was picked as cannon fodder, or if he was cast as the whipping boy, for they always manage to put both on there after seeing it work so well in the early seasons. No matter which, that child was certainly not prepared for what he was getting into, nor for flack that would be coming his way. That said, none of it, not the constant criticism from the people who picked him as one of 12 out of thousands, the mocking from online communities. But none of that seemed to get Sanjaya down, nor his rampant group of Fanjaya. It seems it was time for Sanjaya to go home in seventh place, assuring him a spot on the tour. He released an EP in 2009, Dancing To The Music In My Head. Last year, he released the single Tempted, a cover of the great song by the band Squeeze, in preparation for his album Life - Love - Music. This is a clip of him singing the song live.



To the best of my research, I can see no proof the album actually followed. In 2009, he was a contestant on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Outta Here. In early 2011, he joined the off-Broadway musical Freckleface Strawberry at New World Stages. Later in the year, he toured with the band, The Brave Chandeliers. To find out what Sanjaya has been up to, check out his official website here. You can also find his latest single, Tempted, on iTunes and Amazon.



Many remember Melinda Doolittle as one of the best voices of Season 6, and were stunned when she went home in third place. Melinda, who had made her living singing background vocals prior to the show, was looking to step into spotlight. Her performances all had a wonderful depth, and she never seemed to let a note get away from her. After Idol, she continued to work, touring with Michael W. Smith and others, and in 2009, released Coming Back To You, an album with a retro-soul feel perfectly suited to Melinda's voice. Not only does she recall some of the great voices of Motown, but there is also a taste of Memphis soul, and a dash of Nashville, too. Check out the video for her single, It's Your Love.



In April 2010, Melinda's autobiography, Beyond Me: Finding Your Way to Life's Next Level, was published. She has also continued her work for various charities, including Malaria No More. For more about Melinda and when you could catch her singing live, check out her official website here. You can find her album Come Back To Me on iTunes and Amazon.



When it comes to breaking the mold, few have done it quite like Blake Lewis did. A beatboxer from the Pacific Northwest, the diminutive young man had a look that was more Carnaby Street than flannel, and his sound fairly eclectic, blending the sounds of the Seattle streets with the British New Wave and the sound of alternative rock spreading on the radio. Blake sailed through the competition, only hitting the bottom three once, during Country week. Two weeks later, Blake delivered an unconventional and some say brilliant performance with his beatbox interpretation of Bon Jovi's You Give Love A Bad Name. He went to the finals with Jordin Sparks, and finished in second place. After the tour, he went in to the studio and the result was A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream). The album went to #10 on the Billboard album chart. The first single, Break Another, went to #85 on the Pop charts, and the second single, How Many Words, went to #8 on the Billboard Dance chart. Late in 2009, he released his second album, Heartbreak on Vinyl. The second single was the title cut, and it reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Give a listen to Heartbreak On Vinyl.



Since coming off Idol, Blake has been a strong supporter of Seattle Children's Hospital, and their cancer research efforts. For more about Blake, check out his official website here. You can find his album Heartbreak On Vinyl on iTunes, Amazon and on BeatPort.



The amazing thing about 16-year-old Jordin Sparks was that she spent much of the season flying under the radar. But not too far, for she never hit the bottom three all season long. After being crowned the winner, she released a self-titled debut, which sold over two million worldwide. The first two singles off the album, Tattoo and No Air, both sold like crazy, and were certified Platinum. The album went to #10 on the Billboard album chart. Here she sings No Air, a duet with Chris Brown.



That was followed by Battlefield album in 2009, which went to #7 on the charts. The title song went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also in 2009, she had a beautiful duet with Australian star Guy Sebastian on Art Of Love, which was certified Platinum. While it appeared on Guy's album, the song is an amazing blend of two very talented singers.



Jordin spent a bit of time on Broadway, in the hit musical In The Heights. That seems to have prepared her well, for in August, the film Sparkle will premiere. Jordin plays the lead role, and early buzz has been great for her performance. Her mother will be played by Whitney Houston, in her final movie appearance, so this movie will definitely be looked at. For more about Jordin, check out her official website here. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter. You can find her single The World I Knew, the theme from Disney's African Cats, on iTunes and Amazon.

Guy Sebastian & Jordin Sparks • Art Of Love

Well, I have been waiting and waiting until I could To have a good video for Guy Sebastian & Jordin Sparks singing Art Of Love. The song was written by Sebastian and Adam Reilly for Guy's album Like It Like That. It is a beautiful R&B ballad that makes exceptional use of the voices of Sebastian and Sparks, who show perfect technique while delivering the emotion of the song. They manages to show both strength and vulnerability.



Both Guy & Jordin have more in common than just this song. Guy won the very first season of Australian Idol in 2003, while Jordin posted her win in season 6 of American Idol in 2007. And both have voices that can be haunting one song, and defiant on the next. You can purchase Guy Sebastian's Like It Like That on iTunes or Amazon. You can find out more about Guy Sebastian on his official website here. You can learn more about Jordin Sparks on her website here.

X-Factor Results • Silver Screen Swansong

Left to right: Simon Cowell, Paul Abdul, L.A. Reid, and Nicole Scherzinger.

After the show last night, I picked Stacy Francis and Lakota Rayne to be in the bottom, with Stereo Hogzz close behind. There were also a couple of groups in the middle, which is never a safe spot this early on. Keep in mind, however, that neither of my pick for the bottom two was in the bottom last week. LOL! The show kicks off with a recap of last night, and then the Top 11 performed Save The World by the Swedish House Mafia. Nice song, could have done without this group cover.



After show performance, LA Reid speaks up that he was too harsh on Melanie Amaro, which is true. No one apologizes for being too easy on some of those acts last night... Soon, though, we see a recap of the performances, and it certainly reminds me that the judges should spend less time coming up with trite lines for Simon, and more time working with their acts... After a discussion of some convoluted contest I completely ignored, Willow Smith comes out to perform here latest single, Fireball. The single features Nicki Minaj, although she wasn't there performing.



Although Steve Jones teases about finding out which 9 acts are safe this week, we find out British singer Jessie J will be performing her latest single, Domino. It is actually quite a catchy tune, and unlike Katy Perry, she can really sing.



After some feeble flirting by Steve stiff-as-a-board (and not in a good way) Jones and humorous Jessie J, who brought an extra outfit for the announcer, it was time for a commercial break before the safe contestants are announced. Remember, they will put 9 through as safe, and the bottom two will perform for the judges, who will then make a choice. After the commercial, Paula comes out with the Groups, Nicole is with the Over 30s, L.A. is with the Boys, and Simon escorts the Girls. In no particular order, the Top 9 begin with Stacy Francis, followed quickly by Astro. Melanie Amaro is also safe, as is Marcus Canty. The next in safety is LeRoy Bell, and adorable Rachel Crow. Josh Krajcik is safe, making all the Over 30s through. Drew is also safe, making all the Girls through. The final entry making it through is Chris Rene, and leaves the two groups in the bottom yet again. For the second week in a row, The Stereo Hogzz are singing for survival, joined by another group, Lakota Rayne. One was in my bottom, the other a close runner-up. Once again, Paula has the privilege of introducing both acts. The first is Lakota Rayne, singing Jordin Spark's gorgeous No Air.



Well, that was somewhat unimpressive. The vocals were at times breathy and weak. Paula quickly introduces The Stereo Hogzz, who will perform Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone.



Somehow, they manage to make it sound older than it really is. And I still find the voice of the lead singer to be really nasal, and a bit sharp. This puts it in the hands of the judges, and I don't know what they will do. I think ultimately, neither is particularly strong nor marketable, but I might keep the Country singers around just to have the genre represented. But I would have sent The Stereo Hogzz home last week, too... After a break, Steve Jones polls the judges one at a time, on who will go home. LA is up first, and Nicole votes to send the Hogzz as well. Paula abstains, and then chooses to send home Lakota Rayne. If Simon picks the Hogzz, they leave. If he picks Lakota Rayne, the group with the lowest number of votes will leave. Simon chooses to send home The Stereo Hogzz, and all we know about next week is that for the first time, an act not from Paula's category will be in the bottom. See you next week for the Top 10!

AI10 Today & Yesterday

For the tenth time in it's illustrious history, American Idol offers up a top five to the audience to enjoy, and then take an active role in their careers. James, Lauren, Jacob, Haley and Scotty will all be performing two songs this evening, one from our modern times, and one from the 60s. If there is a greater philosophy behind this, other than filling 90 minutes of airtime so Fox can charge a bun of money for commercials, it is lost on me. And since they decidedly left up without a clue as to the identity of the bottom 3 last week, all five of the remaining contestants are on equal footing, or at least that is the impression the producers want to give us. After all, until last week, we knew that Lauren, Scotty and James had not been in the bottom 3. Did that change last week, and they just didn't tell us? Or did Haley and Jacob complete the bottom 3, still leaving the record of the others unblemished? I doubt we'll ever know, but soon, we will know who was in good form, and who wasn't.

Everyone is introduced, and we find out that tonight is important, cause, as Randy says, America and the Judges want to know who is in it to win it. This tells me that I will soon be tiring of this statement, for Randy will be going there time after time. James starts out the evening with the contemporary entry, as he performs Closer To The Edge by 30 Seconds To Mars. He does a nice job, although there are times when he really drifts off the notes. I just find his technique to be really lacking at times, he can get pretty sloppy with his notes, and his breath control is lacking. Of course, the judges all love him, and see none of that. In fact, Randy calls 30 Seconds To Mars a great band, which is somewhat surprising...



Jacob is up next, and he picks No Air, by Jordin Sparks and features Chris Brown. Jacob goes it alone on the duet song, which was a beautiful one perfectly suited to the former AI champions voice. Not so perfect for Jacob. He is incredibly sharp and shrill, and makes a wonderful song and makes it a muddied mess. Jennifer seems to appreciate he has defined himself as the next Chris Brown, and ignores the bad performance. Surprisingly, Randy agrees with me, and he and J-Lo argue about who is right, rather than about the guy in front of them. Steven agrees, but with what, I am not sure.



Lauren is up next, and she is going to sing Flat On My Feet by Carrie Underwood, a true vocal powerhouse and winner of the fourth season of Idol. Cheryl Crow offers the useful advice that Lauren plant herself and sing the damn song, and when Lauren takes the stage, she really takes control of the stage. She owns it, and does a great job. The judges agree.



Scotty is next, singing Gone by Montgomery Gentry. Cheryl loves it, and thinks he sounds great. Frankly, I thought the song showed a certain thinness in his voice, a bit of a hole in his range. But it was certainly more energetic than I thought Scotty capable of being, at least on stage. Apparently, once again, I listen alone, as the judges drool over the performance, and is the 3rd outta four who is in it to win it. Sorry Jacob.



Haley is up next, and we are told she is singing an unreleased song by Lady GaGa, which fascinates me. How does Haley get to sing a song like that? Apparently, Jimmy Iovine suggested this song, which GaGa did at concerts, but not recorded yet. Haley got permission from GaGa herself to sing You And I. Cheryl Crow promises an elusive 'moment' on the show, and I think she sang it well, with perhaps the best vocals of the night. OF course, the judges see it differently. Jennifer thinks it was silly to sing a song no one knows, the audience isn't smart enough to see the singer. She Randy agrees, and even insults the song and Lady GaGa. Steven, as is often the case, says nothing.



James comes back to lead off the 'Songs of the 60s' portion of the night, and sings Harry Nilsson's Without You. That is a great song, and right up his alley. There is all kinds of slippage going on, moving from on key to sharp, and he loses his emotions, as well as a bit of vocal control. Again, he highlights his weaknesses. For the judges, however, not so much. Randy considers it his to lose at this point. Sure there were some bad notes, but that is OK. After all, it's not a singing competition, right? Steven also acknowledges the bum notes, but chooses to ignore them. Jennifer does the same, emphasizing the emotional mess of the situation. Got it.



Jacob sings Nazareth. Go figure. He sings Love Hurts, and hits some notes that are not anywhere on the paper, nor should they. He plows through much of the song, and then pulls out his bag of tricks at the end. What a steaming pot of mess. Shockingly, the judges see it differently, as an amazing performance that put him back in the competition.



Lauren is up next, and is singing Simon Cowell's favorite songs, Unchained Melody. It is a favorite of her parents, sung by the Righteous Brothers. She does a lovely job with it, but is a bit too tentative to me. No bad notes, but a bit hollow. However, the judges think it was beautiful, with nary a bad thought allowed.



Scotty sings Always On My Mind, by Elvis Presley. I think of it as a Willie Nelsen song, but hey, it is a great song. It is kinda sweet, and a bit vapid. A little weak at moments, but no bad notes. The judges love it, and think there is nothing to criticize. I cringe a bit when Crusty starts talking about there being some Puerto Rican in Scotty...



Haley will close out the show with some great 60s rock by The Animals. She will sing House Of The Rising Sun, a brilliant piece, to be sure. Cheryl convinces her to come out singing a cappella, and she just tears the house down. She sings the crap outta this song. Surprisingly enough, the judges agree, and call her the performance of the night. I just don't follow them.



The recap goes on, and it is very obvious that Jacob is the weak link of the night. I thought both performances went way outta control. But it also featured some wonky notes from James, and how Scotty was carried by the back up singers in his first song. The ladies had good edits on their songs, but who knows what America will do.... Guess we will learn tomorrow.

You Might Have Noticed

There is a chance you might have noticed I am working a bit on the look of the blog. Starting this morning you will have seen a new header, comprised of photographs I have taken when attending live performances I have enjoyed. I have been trying to work out how I was going to get this done, and I finally did.



Appearing in the banner are: Tom Goss, Bucky Covington, Stewart Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Eric Himan, Ace Young, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Aiden James, and Chris Daughtry. So I will be trying to think of some ways to upgrade the blog, which will more than likely be small things, such as the header. Just thought I'd let you know. Thanks!