American Idol - "Your'e All That I Need" - Pick a Favorite Performance!

Von Smith:



Kelly Clarkson:



Ruben Studdard and Jordin Sparks:



Favorite?

In my opinion the three previous winners performances were FAR superior to Von's. What do you think?

American Idol - Life Changing Moment - Jordin Sparks

In this performance Jordin took it to the next level, IMHO, and grew as a performer, by leaps and bounds. All it takes is one magical performance, for one of our Idols to finally "get it". I think this was Jordin's moment:



These "Life Changing Moments" aren't going to be in any particular order. Keep an eye out every other day or so, for my next "Moment". It's fun traveling down memory lane...isn't it?

American Idol 8 - Ready to Change Some Lives Forever?

This photo brings back some memories, huh? Shot at the the opening of "The American Idol Experience" at Disney World this past week, it showcases the winners of season's 1 through 7.

I am starting to get excited about this season...are you? Who's life will we change forever come May? Arguably, a contestant doesn't have to WIN American Idol, or for that matter, even make the Top 12 to have a life changing experience.

Over the next few weeks I am going to look back over the past 7 seasons and spotlight what I think were some of those life changing moments. Some of them might surprise you!

Stay tuned...

American Idol 8 - Auditions - Phoenix, AZ - Spoilers!

Let's get right too it! I cannot believe it is time for American Idol again! Here are some names to watch for in tonights episode as we visit Phoenix, AZ, home of Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks:

Rumored Top 50 auditioning in Phoenix:

Jakob McKay
Justin Williams
Michael Bartul

Rumored to have made it to Hollywood:

Derek Drake
Emily Wynne-Hughes
Tom and Jenn Korbee
Mishovanna Henson
Natasha Valentine
Perrie Cataldo
Scott Douglas MacIntyre
Genny Gaus
Joy James
Michael Gurr
Randy Madden
Aimee Beren
Allie Nicole
Ashley Robinson
Brooke Sample
Camry Lauren
Candice Guinn
Corri Schembri
Lianna Anduha
Megan Hinz
Nicholas Gallardo
Taylor Graves

I would expect a strong showing in Phoenix. American Idol wants to grab the casual viewer (are there really any of those?) tonight and hook them.

To check out more information about these contestants you can visit joesplaceblog or mjsbigblog.

See you tonight! I CANNOT wait to get some audition videos up!

American Idol Finale - Individual and Duet Performances

I've decided a general post with links to all the videos might be useful? Bookmark this sucker!

I am starting with the individual and duet performances:

David Cook with ZZ Top - "Sharp Dressed Man"
David Archuleta with One Republic - "Apologize"
David Cook and David Archuleta - "Hero"
Syesha Mercado with Seal - "Waiting For You"
Brooke White with Graham Nash - "Teach Your Children"
Jason Castro - "Hallelujah"
Carly Smithson and Michael Johns - "The Letter"
Jordin Sparks - "One Step At A Time"
Carrie Underwood - "Last Name"

American Idol Finale - Jordin Sparks - "One Step at a Time"

I am going to just start throwing videos at ya!

Jordin Sparks Suffering from Acute Vocal Chord Condition

Jordin Sparks has cancelled her appearances the last two days due to a vocal chord condition. There have not been a lot of details released, but votefortheworst is hinting at something more serious than first reported. Jordin was to open for Alicia Keys when her tour started April 19th. It is uncertain at this point when she will be able to return.

Here is an excerpt from realitytvmagazine:

According to a release from the Bryce Jordan Center, Jordin Sparks’ doctor informed them that she has an acute vocal cord hemorrhage condition.

A vocal cord hemorrhage is when a blood vessel on the vocal cord ruptures. It can result in permanent vocal cord damage, so it is important that people suffering from this condition have absolute voice rest.

There has been no formal announcement of how serious Jordin Sparks’ condition is or how long she will be absent from the Alicia Keys tour. Some sources are indicating that Jordin Sparks will not be able to perform again until at least the end of April.

Let's all hoope for the best for Jordin and hope she recovers fully soon.

source:realitytvmag

American Idol - Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown - "No Air"

Jordin Sparks - Music Video Premiere - No Air with Chris Brown

Jordin Sparks - Super Bowl XLII - National Anthem

Another Idol makes us proud!

Jordin Sparks - Fox New Years Eve Performance

I've been lookin for these all day...thanks MJ!


Jordin Sparks 1
Uploaded by mjsbigblog

Top 10 Favorite American Idol Performances of 2007

I am sure I will ruffle some feathers with this one! It's unconventional I admit.

This was really tough. My goal was to find the most memorable performances in a season that was a bit lackluster overall. Maybe it wasn’t the contestants fault? Maybe it was a result of too much focus on the mentors? Either way, here are MY favorite performances...starting it off at 10:

10) Sanjaya Malakar – Audition:
I was a big fan of Sanjayas’ in the beginning. He was the kind of contestant we all love. Big potential, shy, great smile! OK it didn’t work out like we expected, but I still loved his audition!



9) Sundance Head – Audition:
Sundance not making the Top 12 was one of the first things wrong with Season 6. His song selections during the Top 24 weren’t great, and his nerves seemed to get the best of him, but come on America! Big mistake letting him fall away to lesser vocalists. This is a singing competition after all!



8) Blake Lewis – You Give Love a Bad Name:
I was never really a fan of Blake’s vocals, but I loved how he contemporized this song. He took a huge risk on this one and it paid off!



7) Taylor Hicks – Finale – Heaven Knows:
Taylor was an early favorite of mine in AI5, but lost some luster for me during the competition, and in the end was not my favorite to win. However, when he came out during this years finale it occurred to me how mediocre this season had been compared to Season 5. His “whiskey tenor” was in great vocal voice! In my opinion, we did not have one single guy this year whose vocals were even close to the depth of either Taylor or Elliott from Season 5.



6) Jordin Sparks – Final 2 - Broken Wing:
A flawless vocal. This performance during the Final Two was even better than the first time she performed it.



5) Hollywood – Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, Rudy Cardenas, Tom Lowe:
You throw four guys together, a little older than many of the contestants, with professional experience performing in bands and you get THIS in Hollywood. It was a show-stopper!



4) Melinda Doolittle – My Funny Valentine:
I loved this song when Constantine performed it in Season 4. Melinda’s version had a completely different feel. After it was all said and done, this remained my favorite performance of hers.



3) Chris Sligh – Audition – Kiss From a Rose:
I had the same reaction to Chris’ audition as Paula. He gave me goosebumps and he had so much potential, but unfortunately he never quite lived up to it. At least not in the context of this show. He was definitely my favorite going into this year.



2) Jordin Sparks – I Who Have Nothing:
This performance I believe put Jordin in the drivers seat for Season 6. It became her competition to lose. This was the season of the ladies and Jordin showed us the most growth, and this was her turning point for me!



1) Jordin Sparks – This Is My Now:
This is what it’s all about isn’t it? Changing someones life forever? It is for me. I admit it's a bit cheesy. Jordin made it through this song with so much emotion, after winning, it still brings me to tears!



Thoughts?

American Idol - Bowl Performances Schedule

Gator Bowl - January 1, 2008 - Jacksonville, Florida
1:00pm/12:00pm CT CBS
Texas Tech vs. Virginia
- Phil Stacey performs the National Anthem



Orange Bowl - January 3, 2008 - Miami, Florida
8:00pm/7:00pm CT FOX
Kansas vs. Virginia Tech
- Katharine McPhee performs the National Anthem
- Dance Troups from across the US perform Shane Sparks (SYTYCD) choreographed Hip Hop routine at halftime as ZZ Top performs


Super Bowl - February 3, 2008 - Glendale, Arizona
?? vs. ??
Kickoff: 4:18pm/5:18pm CT FOX
- Jordin Sparks performs the National Anthem

If anyone knows of any others please let me know and I will include!

New Years Eve Schedule

There are two shows airing New Years Eve with appearances by some of our favorites from both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Here's the schedule:

Dick Clarks Primetime New Years Rockin' Eve - ABC
10/9c (3 1/2 hours LIVE)
Hosted by Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest
Performances by Carrie Underwood

New Years Eve Live - FOX
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ET/CT/MT/PT
(Live ET, Tape delayed ALL other time zones)
Hosted by Cat Deeley
Performances by Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis and from SYTYCD Sabra, Dominic and Hok

For the local and internet crowd only:
Countdown Chicago - ABC
11:08 - 12:15 CT
Hosted by Janet Davies and Mark Giangreco
Performances by Bucky Covington
COUNTDOWN CHICAGO will be streamed live and available on demand at abc7chicago.com.

If anyone knows of any others please let me know and I will include!

Jordin Sparks - "Tattoo" - Music Video Premiere!

Jordin Sparks - Tattoo
Uploaded by Alisvideo

Jordin Sparks - New Album Cover!

Jordin's album is scheduled to be released November 20th!

source: mjsbigblog

Winner announcement and Jordin singing This Is My Now

Blake and Jordin - Finale Duet

Jordin and Ruben - You're All I Need

These are going to trickle in...

Revisiting Jordin and Blake's audition videos

I love watching these at the end of the season. Don't we all? We watch the auditions in January and wonder if we can picture the auditoner winning it all. Do they have that something special? I will say that neither of these were the best auditions, in my opinion, but they obviously had that special something that carried them all the way to the end. Congratulations to both!

Jordin:



Blake: