January 18, 2008I have seen it allI was checking out the official Web site for "Idol," and came across this press release, which was announced Thursday. LYRIX, a rock n' roll apparel line designed for girls ages 7-16 and driven by popular song lyrics, will debut the "American Idol" collection, which includes tees, denim skirts, jackets and vests, velour hoodies and sweat pants retailing between $24 and $58. LYRIX t-shirts will draw inspiration from classic pop and R&B hits performed on "American Idol," such as "A Moment Like This," "Respect," "You Had a Bad Day" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." "'American Idol,' which garners 60 million viewers each week, is the most powerful and iconic music brand in popular culture today. Synonymous with great music and great fashion, it's the perfect tie-in for our creative concept," said Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, President of Lyric Culture. "Now, girls worldwide can dress like an Idol and express themselves through their favorite songs with the LYRIX line." That last line kills me. How do you express yourself through songs with clothes? Anything is possible in the "Idol" universe, I guess. Check out the clothes at shoplyrix.com Former finalist will be at local church
Remember Heather Cox? Yeah, I don't really, either, but that's because I didn't watch the fifth season of "Idol." Anyway, it was the one with Kellie Pickler and Katharine McPhee. Heather was one of the top 24 finalists that season. She sang "Hero." Maybe that'll jog your memory. Heather, who is from Jonesville, N.C., will appear at Parkway Wesleyan Church in Roanoke this Sunday. The church has been conducting an "American Idols" series that explores "four things we tend to worship besides the Lord," according to the Web site. Heather will sing and talk about her past experiences. If you're interested, check out the church's Web site at parkwayroanoke.com. January 17, 2008Final thought on season premiereWow, I must've been in a mood last night! Some definite weirdos came out of the woodwork for the Texas auditions. The one who stands out? And not for his talent, either. Brandon "Fingernail Guy" Green. Keeping your clipped fingernails in a bag is just weird behavior. And now 30 million people know this about him. But, whatever. He made it through. Wednesday's show did provide more entertainment than Tuesday's premiere, I must admit. But overall it just seems like something is lacking. (According to the ratings, I'm not the only who thinks that. Preliminary numbers show viewership was down 11 percent compared to last season.) Maybe it's the lack of talent. Maybe it's the fact that we know only a certain few go on to actually become big stars and usually they aren't the winners. (Remember Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard? Yeah, me neither.) Or it could just be that the format is getting old. Sure, it's fun to watch the freak show. Somehow I take comfort in the fact that those people are out there -- it makes me feel kinda normal. But the shock value has played out. Just like a recycled soap opera plot. Let's just get to the competition and hope some true talent comes out of it. January 16, 2008OK, so I was harshTwenty-four made it Hollywood from Texas. I was feeling jaded the entire show. I have a lot of notes, but I'll refer to them later...except for some opinions about tonight's show: Here we go: Everyone in the Texas auditions tried to be Kelly Clarkson. You know, Kelly wasn't that great in the beginning. And is she really a "star" now?? Be yourself. Alaina Whitaker, a 16-year-old, said "Carrie Underwood looks like me." OK, you're cute Alaina, and O.K., you made it to Hollywood. But, again, be yourself. Seriously? Quick thought...I still have 15 minutes to go. And I took a lot of notes about this show. But, you know what? This show is kind of lame. Reality shows are getting old. Shows like "Dallas" and "Knot's Landing" made it longer than "American Idol." There's something to be said about that. It's easy to get over reality programs. We live there. It gets old and not very shocking after a while. That's where this "Idol" is going. Quick thoughtIt really doesn't matter about the talent; as long as you're hot you have a case with Paula. He's proved himself .... that SimonOK, so Kady is good-looking, but come on Simon. She was imitating the entire time. She first pulled off some bad Britney Spears. Then ... it didn't matter. Simon was so into the hottie blonde that she made it through. I hate this show. I'm a Kelly Clarkson wanna-be"You were singing at a restaurant?" asked Simon. She compared herself to Kelly Clarkson. Why? "Because we're at the Texas try outs!" Beth Maddocks compares herself to Kelly Clarkson. She's a singing waitress at a fondue restaurant. (are we talking about the Melting Pot)?? From an expertSusan Braden, a veteran voice coach in Roanoke, sent me her thoughts on the premiere last night. I'll include comments from Susan from time to time, to add a little street cred to this thing. (In case you missed it, we recently interviewed Susan for a story in the Extra section. You can read it here.) From Susan: January 15, 2008Can we just say ... "actressing"?The two-hour premier just wrapped up and I have to say, it sure took Simon a while to get mean. It took 45 minutes for Simon to let go of one of his mean-spirited quotes. "Nothing about that was right. You've got zero chance of winning," he told Udgeet "Udi" Sampeet after his rendition of a Barry Manilow song. From that point on, Simon's mean spirit stuck around. He likened one female competitor to Willem Dafoe as the Joker. Another as "possessed," and a few dudes were just "creepy" and one girl was "identical to a nightmare." Are these insults tamer than usual? Or is it just that we're used to them? Maybe it's just me, but there was no real "wow" factor here. Perhaps I'm just desensitized to this stuff by the 7th season, but I just didn't feel blown away by anyone -- good or bad. Let the judging begin ...It's hard to believe that "American Idol" is already back. Part of me is glad considering the slim programming options right about now. And I guess if you're forced to invest your precious time into watching a reality show, it may as well be a talker like "Idol." (Although I sometimes dig those out-of-left-field reality programs like "Make Me a Supermodel" on Bravo.) Anyway, I'll begin posting to this blog tonight, during and after the deliciously bad auditions. And then I'll continue to blog regularly throughout the season. I'll even ask readers to help out and occasionally invite a guest blogger to share his/her thoughts on the show. So, stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for the Sanjaya of season 7. |
.....Advertisement.....
|
...Advertisement...
...Advertisement...
