Remember American Idol’s Danny Gokey? The singer placed third in the last season of the hit show. The Idol curse hasn’t run its course on him yet though as Danny has recently signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville. The label he got signed to isn’t that much of a surprise as he sang three country songs on the show. Danny’s album is expected to drop in March of next year but fans can expect a single to hit the radio airwaves in the late fall. While I don’t believe that Danny will have the same amount of success as Kris Allen or Adam Lambert, I’m glad to see that he hasn’t disappeared into obscurity like other Idol alums – yet.
By now, everyone knows that the Adam Lambert song that leaked last week is actually a couple of years old. It turns out that the American Idol runner up was looking for quick money back then and lent his voice to some songs to pay the bills. The singer said “Back in 2005 when I was a struggling artist, I was hired as a studio singer to lend my vocals to tracks written by someone else. I was broke at the time and this was my chance to make a few bucks, so I jumped at the opportunity to record for my first time in a professional studio. The work I did back then in no way reflects the music I am currently in the studio working on. I’m thrilled to be working with some of today’s hottest songwriters and producers and can’t wait for people to hear what my music really sounds like.”
After Adam Lambert’s performance with the rock legends Queen on the American Idol finale last week, Queen guitarist Brian May told Rolling Stone magazine that the band is toying around with the idea of the runner up becoming the band’s permanent front man. May said “”…[Drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with [Lambert] at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there.” It just goes to show that losing American Idol isn’t the end of the world.
While most are calling Kris Allen’s win over Adam Lambert an American Idol upset and some are thinking that Kris was the right choice when it comes to the marketability, some are also saying that Adam was done a big favor by not being named the winner. Adam won’t be stuck singing the song ‘No Boundaries’ for the next six months to a year. Considering that it was co-written by Kara DioGuardi,. It’s pretty much a given that Adam is going to get a record deal. The challenge now is for him to make a great album that not only has his stamp but is also marketable.
Kris Allen was called the dark horse of the competition and was clearly the underdog, but in the greatest upset in American Idol history since Chris Daughtry was eliminated, Kris Allen was named as season 8’s winner. When everyone from the judges to the producers to even Kris Allen himself thought that Adam Lambert was going to win, being announced as the winner was a big shock.
While some people aren’t too happy about Kris Allen winning American Idol over Adam Lambert, experts say that the fans may have gotten it right. If you compare the singing styles of the final two, Kris is clearly a more marketable singer. It’s easier to make a great record out of R&B with a touch of John Mayer and Jason Mraz than an album of rock and roll with a touch of theater. And did you know that with the addition of Kris Allen in the set of winners of American Idol, three quarters of the winners are from the south? Power to the people!
For the second round of last night, Adam Lambert got to sing Sam Cooke’s “A change is gonna come”… a song which offered Adam Lambert the opportunity to catch up with his rival’s performance from round one. As any decent man would do, Adam Lambert seizes the opportunity and he does it with style. Among the many praises from the other judges, Simon Cowell declares the following: “You are 100 percent back in the game. Congratulations.” It must have been a very impressive performance for Simon Cowell… either that or he’s using his influence to keep the competition alive and active. It’s probably working very well on the voters.
The host from American Idol really stunned the audiences with his unique way of announcing the finalists for this season’s show. Ryan Seacrest used the following words: “I can now reveal, after the nationwide vote, the first person competing in next week’s finale … is … Kris!” You gotta’ hand it to Ryan Seacrest… he must know how to make a crowd tingle all over. And of course, the announcement wouldn’t be complete without: “The person competing with Kris Allen in the finale next week is … Adam Lambert.” There you have it… straight from the man with the plan himself. Let’s just see if Ryan Seacrest can use his unique talents to the max next week too.
Usually, we all see the American Idol contestants trying to one up the other with their performances. But last night, it was a war of the judges’ egos as the final 3 performed songs that the judges picked. When Kris Allen performed Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi’s choice of One Republic’s ‘Apologize’, Simon Cowell called Kara on a cop out by picking his song and then ripping into Kris for not performing it a specific way. At one point, Kara even went behind Simon and covered his mouth with her hands. She wasn’t the only judge to get physical though. While it was not shown, Danny Gokey was pointing towards Simon and Paula Abdul as Ryan Seacrest was reciting the numbers that Paula punched Simon. Adam Lambert even pertained to having Paula hit Simon again.
The American Idol contestant blew away with his performance yet again. For last evening he went with “Cryin’” by Aerosmith and his vocal coverage was supposedly excellent… but the band didn’t quite perform up to the singer. Still, the reactions were no less than what was expected. Randy Jackson himself said this about Adam Lambert’s performance: “You should be a rock star! That’s who you are, baby!” It looks like Simon Cowell’s statement is slowly becoming a reality… Adam Lambert has apparently dodged the oncoming bullet once more… gee, what a surprise! Still, there is also tonight to be considered… who knows, the show may yet hold more surprises.
If you watch American Idol and follow the talk online, you have an idea that Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey are the favourites to win. However, iTunes projects a different outcome if some download numbers that weren’t supposed to be shown can be used as a predictor of who gets voted off. According to The New York Post “a glitch in the Apple software allowed fans a glimpse at which contestants are selling the most “Idol” download.” Surprisingly, Danny wasn’t in the top 2. Kris Allen actually tops Danny in the download department and even in the Twitter buzz. It looks like it’s between Allison Iraheta and Matt Giraud on who will be voted off tonight.
What’s the one thing that could really make Simon Cowell leave American Idol? The cynical judge told The Hollywood Reporter that he has no interest in being on the show if it’s not number 1. “Being No. 1 is verging on an obsession with me. I don’t like being No. 2. I don’t mind when you start at No. 10 — people don’t always go on as No. 1 — and you’ve got somewhere to go. But if you’re at the point you’ve reached it, of course you want to stay there.” However, he also insisted that he’s not going to sign a new 5-year contract saying “The idea that for the next five years, I’d be doing exactly what I’ve been doing for the past five years … the thought is just too depressing. I’d go nuts, bored out of my mind. You have to evolve, you have to change. I like the challenge of launching something new.” So what’s the real plan?
The American Idol contestant has once again astounded both the audience and the judges with his performance. For last night, Adam Lambert chose Tears for Fears’ “Mad world” and he supposedly made the best impression. Even the Earl of Exigency, Simon Cowell, showed his appreciation of Adam Lambert’s performance by giving him a standing ovation. Looks like we have a possible winner, that is, if he doesn’t manage to screw it up by the end… still, Adam Lambert can probably pull it off if he keeps coming on with these neat little surprises and impresses the right people. He will be a most valuable asset to the industry.
