American Idol Season 2

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 2 kicked off with quite the bang, while still only in the preliminary rounds of the show. After making it through the Hollywood rounds, the Producers kicked off contestant Frenchie Davis after the discovery of topless pictures take of her that were used on some internet websites. Frenchie, a big, black, and beautiful belter had many fans who were not happy, and the talk continued for some time. She spent a few years on Broadway in shows like Rent, and in 2008, toured in a production of Ain't Misbehavin' with Season Two competitors Ruben Studdard and Trenyce. Last year, Frenchie resurfaced on another musical talent show, this time on the inaugural season of The Voice. They made a bit of a deal about finally giving Frenchie the opportunity to be judged by the public, not the producers. However, she was eliminated prior to the finals. Here is a clip of Frenchie singing Ain't Misbehavin' from the show of the same name featuring the music of Fats Waller.



This controversy was pushed to the back later in the season when Corey Clark was dismissed from the show, and stated it was because of a relationship with judge Paula Abdul. Frenchie recovered quickly, and was cast in the Broadway production of Rent. You can learn more about Frenchie Davis on her official website here. You can purchase her collection of dance hits on iTunes and Amazon.



Josh Gracin proved to be the first enlisted man who managed to compete on the show. He was also one of the first to ever have openly argue with the judges, and Simon Cowell in particular. While on the show, Gracin seem to favor soulful Pop, once the season was over, he took Cowell's advice, and started singing Country. It was good advice, for he was signed as a Country singer, and his sales proved it. His first three singles all landed in the Top 5 on the Billboard Country charts. That includes his second single, Nothin To Lose, which also lodged his first (and only) #1 on the Country chart.



Gracin was also the first contestant to miss the finale, and subsequently the tour, when he was called back to his unit after he went out in fourth place. Once he finished his enlistment, he was able to sign with Lyric Street Records. Last year, Lyric Street closed it's doors, and as signed by Average Joe's Entertainment. He has continued to deliver decent sales numbers, and good music. You can learn more about Josh on his official website here. You can purchase his latest album, Redemption, on iTunes and Amazon.



Kimberly Locke was the girl with a bit of sass. She first came to the attention of people during the Hollywood Rounds where she sang Freda Payne's Band Of Gold in a duet with Frenchie Davis. But once in the finals, she made a statement each week with smart and crisp vocals. After claiming third, she went the indie route, and released One Love. That spawned two Top 40 hits, including Eighth World Wonder, which made it to #19.



Locke also made money working as a plus-sized model signed with the Ford Agency. She was also a spokesmodel for Laine Bryant. All the while, she continued to make music. She also joined another reality television show when she went on Celebrity Fit Club, where she argued with Dustin Diamond, AKA Screech from Saved By The Bell. You can learn more about Kimberly on her official website here and on Twitter here. You can purchase her latest EP, Four For The Floor, on iTunes and Amazon.



The final of the show was quite contentious. The battle between the fans of Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard were growing to full-blown wars, all while the boys themselves seem to have nothing but respect for one another. Clay's bright and cheerful Pop was never in competition with Studdard's soulful R&B, except for the fans and for Fox. But both had been in top form all season long, and kept the boys atop the rest. Despite Simon's distaste for the Raleigh-based singer, Clay made it to the finals as the favorite. But in a finals with the closest voice totals of all ten seasons, he ended in the second spot. The wars continued, and both Ruben and Clay had great sales figures for their first singles and albums after the show. Clay's Measure Of A Man landed atop the Billboard Hop 100, selling over 600,000 units the first week. This Is The Night, his single off the show and the first off the album, went to #1 on the Billboard Pop chart.



Clay followed that up with the hits Invisible and Solitaire. Fans were flocking to see him on tour, and his tour with Kelly Clarkson was big. But he was dropped from the label after a few lame attempts, including an album of cover songs. He also made quite the splash on Broadway with a role in Spamalot, which was perfect for him. I saw it, and he was wonderful! He is now signed with Decca albums, and still makes the rounds on tour. Also, Clay came out a few years ago, after years of speculation and rumors. You can learn more about Clay on his official website here and on Twitter here. You can purchase his latest album, Tried & True, on iTunes and Amazon.



The second season was won by the man nicknamed The Velvet Teddybear, after endless comparisons to the great Luther Vandross. After the win, Ruben Studdard was a graceful champion, gladly sharing the spotlight with Clay. His first album, Soulful, also topped the Billboard album chart, proving their was room for both. His winning single was Flying Without Wings, assigned to him by Simon, who was familiar with it after his group Westlife had a huge hit with it in the UK and much of the world. The big single off the album was Sorry 2004, which made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.



While the first album sold well, the numbers went down drastically for the follow-ups. Soon, Studdard was dropped from J Records, a division of Jive. He signed with Hickory Records, only to move on the Shanachie Records, which will soon have a new release from Ruben. Ruben also was part of the touring company of Ain't Misbehavin' in 2008, playing Fats Waller. Throughout the years, it seems as though Clay and Ruben have remained friends, and to the best of my knowledge, neither has had a bad word to say about the other. They also had a successful tour together in 2010, and finally got the fans in one place together. You can learn more about Ruben on his official website. You can purchase his latest single, June 28th (I'm Single) on iTunes and Amazon.

GLEE - Audition - Real Soundtrack

Well, the debut of GLEE is finally here, and it reminded me how much I missed it. In case you missed it, here is the preview for the second season.



There are a thousand sites (at least) that will be recapping the show, so I thought I would try something different. I am thinking I will be offering up the original songs the kids will be covering on the show. The first song was the kids offering up a version of Jay-Z & Alicia Keys singing Empire State of Mind.



If only briefly, new cast member Chord Overstreet, playing football player Sam Evans, sings Poison's Every Rose Has It's Thorn in the shower with Finn overhearing.



Rachel is in the ladies room and overhears a exchange student Sunshine, played by Charice, singing Lady GaGa's duet with Beyoncé, and her competitive nature kicks in as they sing Telephone. OK, the following isn't really Lady GaGa, but it made me laugh.



Sam Evans comes in to sing with the boys at Finn's insistence, and he breaks out the guitar and performs Travie McCoy's Billionaire, featuring Artie instead of Bruno Mars.



Sunshine comes in for an audition, after Rachel sent her to a crack house, and performs Listen from Dreamgirls. All I can say is Beyoncé should be checking Charice's version out!



Rachel is called on her antics by Finn, who tells her to apologize. Before she can face the kids in the choir, she takes a moment by herself to sing What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line. The version below is by Alyson Reed the movie version - I couldn't find a good version by Priscilla Lopez from the Original Broadway Cast.



So, that is the soundtrack for the Season 2 premiere, the duly named Audition.

Being Human Season 2 Final Thoughts & Previews

After the excitement of the finale, I was certainly on the edge of my seat. In yesterday's recap, I left it at George and Mitchell leaving the building, with Kemp and Lucy distraught, for their plans have fallen short, with only Annie being sent away. Three weeks later, Mitchell, George and Nina are in a country cottage, and Nina is trying her best to get inside Lucy's mind, with paper clippings and Lucy's book. George tries to stop her, but Nina explains how she feels it is all her fault Kemp was in their lives. George goes to talk to Mitchell in the kitchen, where he tells him that he doesn't want to know what was up with Mitchell, he needs his friend too much. Mitchell goes outside for a walk, and sees Lucy. She doesn't know what happened to Kemp, and she found them through Nina's research. She came to find a way to soothe her own soul, for the death of the werewolves. Mitchell is angry. Lucy wants to see George and Nina. Nina is unimpressed.





The anger is palpable, and they call the meeting for the night. Nina wants to kill her, but George and Mitchell stop her. Mitchell helps Lucy make a bed on the sofa. He explains to her the reason he is not killing her, if he wants forgiveness, he needs to offer it first. Nina wakes up, and hears a noise. She goes down to investigate, still not ready to think of forgiving Lucy. She goes to through her out, only to find Kemp with her as he puts a stake through Lucy's heart. As Mitchell and George come down the steps, they find Nina held hostage. George offers himself in exchange for Nina, and Kemp tells him he plans to kill them all. Nina escapes and there is a whirl of activity. Annie appears, grabs Kemp and brings him through the door. There is static on the TV. Annie appears on it, and tells of her time in the afterlife. It is not great, and the boys are quite moved.







Annie needs to go, but pleads they don't forget her. The TV goes blank, and Mitchell vows to get her back. The show cuts to a snowy field, where two vampires are over a bloody grave, trying to raise the dead. Mitchell told them the bones were there. Are they going to bring back Annie? No, they aren't. It is Herrick.





So, that marks the end of Season 2, but it has been renewed for next season, and they have already started working on it. Since I was able to find them, I thought now would be a great time to give a bit of a preview for season 3. First up there is a quick bit with Aidan Turner, the very sexy man who plays Mitchell.



And here is a clip of the others behind the scenes. While I do enjoy the entire cast - Lenora Crichlow and Sinead Keenan seem every bit as lovely as they are beautiful, I have to admit I think Russell Tovey just keeps getting better looking each year.



So, until it returns, I hope you have enjoyed the pre-caps of the show. You can find out more about Being Human online at their official website here.

Being Human Season 2 Finale

Well, I knew this was coming, but I can't say I am happy about it. Tonight at 9PM/8PM Central on BBC America, the final episode of the second season of the amazing Being Human takes to the airwaves. When we last left our intrepid trio, they were anything but that. Mitchell was on a bender, killing and drinking, having figured out Lucy's connection to Kemp while trying to figure out who bombed the coven. George had started turning while attending a parent/teacher conference, ending his relationship with Sam. His guilt over turning Nina led him to going to the facility run by Lucy and Kemp. Annie went along, telling them it was to take care of George, but in reality, her fear of losing her friends and spending the rest of eternity alone and invisible to the world brought her to make a deal with Kemp to send her over. When we return to the action, we are in the facility getting ready for the new day, with Kemp and his 'altar boys' prepping to do some street preaching to the sound of John Herald's Saved, a Bluegrass gospel song. While trying to find the song, I could only find John Herald's version that I couldn't embed, but here is a link. However, here is a version of the song by Elvis himself.



Lucy is seeing the bloodied body of a werewolf who had no survived the tests weeks ago, causing her some consternation. Annie chats with George, as well as her spirit guide, who George is annoyed by, as he can see and hear her already. But Annie isn't telling George the real reason she is at the facility. There is an odd shadow on the wall, giving viewers pause. On his way back to his room, George chats with Lucy, who admits she made some mistakes, but with the intention of curing he and Nina. George talks to Nina, who, by the way, is looking gorgeous. But then bodies start showing up dead, and the staff of the facility are taking note. Lucy is sure it is Mitchell, and is sent to the observation room by Kemp.





Of course Mitchell finds Lucy, and they have a confrontation, with Kemp watching from another room. He realizes the jig is up, and makes new plans. George and Nina are lucked up, and Kemp performs and exorcism on Annie and kills the guide, opening the door to the other side. Mitchell confronts Lucy while George and Nina share a tender and loving moment. Annie passes through the door.





As Annie passes through the door, we hear David Holmes' No Man's Land play. And Mitchell doubles over in pain, feeling his friend leave this plane. While Nina tries to lead George away, he returns inside, knowing Mitchell is still inside.



Mitchell caught Kemp when George finds him, and stops Mitchell from killing Kemp, telling him 'they're monsters, not us.' He takes his hand, and they leave Kemp to think about what he had done.





What happens next? Have we seen the last of Annie? What is driving Nina? Can Mitchell recover from all he has done, without Annie to touch his heart? Can George, Mitchell and Nina get beyond the events? Are Lucy and Kemp out of their lives for good? Well, you'll have to watch the last 20 minutes of the show to find out. Or check back in tomorrow, when I might share more thoughts, since it in the last of the season. Or you you can check the official website here.

Being Human Season 2 Episode 7

Being Human returns to BBC America tonight with a new episode, the next to last of the second season tonight at 9PM/8PM Central. When last we left the show, Lucy and Kemp conspired to blow up the funeral parlor with the vampires inside. This episode begins with a flashback to Ivan when he first met Daisy, in a WWI bomb shelter. Next we see George enjoying familial bliss with Sam and her daughter Molly. Cut to Annie receiving a visitor - Nina. She is there to see George. After a warm embrace, Annie must give Nina the news. She still wants to see George. She tells him about 'the cure', and wants him to meet with Kemp.





Mitchell met up with Daisy, and they console one another for the loss of Ivan and the others. They talk, wanting retribution for the bomb. Mitchell is sure it was the police, and but they decide to investigate. He returns home for a quick 'vampire' bath, which was a change of clothes and a magazine ad fragrance wiped where needed. He catches up with George, and we know Kemp is coming to the flat that afternoon. But Mitchell is off to meet with Daisy, leaving George to meet with Nina and Kemp, with Annie observing. Kemp explains he thinks Gorge and Nina are possessed by Satan, and George is skeptical. He leaves unimpressed. But all the talk has given Annie something to think about.




Mitchell and Daisy go to see the coroner, Mitchell convinced it was the police in retaliation for the death of the constable. But they find this is not true, but there is a woman involved. She had gone to the coroner, to ask about the vampires. Her name was Lucy. Mitchell loses it, kills the man and trashes the office. He vows to get revenge on all of mankind. Meanwhile, Kemp returns to the lat, trying to set Annie free from her ghostly life. He brings a psychic, and attempts an exorcism, which doesn't really work. And George is at a Parent-Teacher meeting at Molly's school, and feels that feeling, only it is too early. Until he discovers there was a time change, and he tries to escape.






George runs out of the school, upsetting parents, teachers and children, especially Molly. As he finds his way home, we hear the sound of the band Colourmusic singing their song Yes.



In another part of town, Mitchell and Daisy decide to take public transportation, the subway, to be specific. This was unfortunate for some of the passengers and crew.



For the rest, you will just have to catch the episode tonight. Will Mitchell go on a killing spree, getting drunk from blood? Will George be able to explain his actions to Sam, as well as to Molly, who saw the wolf emerging? Will Annie find her way to the other side, with the help of Kemp? Does Mitchell really go to church? Will George join Nina at the clinic, either out of guilt or does he begin to believe they are the result of Satan? Does anyone look sexier than Mitchell covered in blood? Does Annie peak at George's naked body after the full moon? Will Mitchell lead the remaining vampires on a destructive path through mankind? Where in the last 15 minutes of the show do we hear Jeremy Summerly, Oxford Camerata & Schola Contorum of Oxford on the song, Miserere Mes Deus?



For the answers to those questions, tune in to BBC America tonight. You can find out more about Being Human online at their official website here.