American Idol Review: The Idol Homecoming/Campaign Trail

The big hometown trips were revealed for the remaining top three this week. Each singer was flown to their respective homes and given a proper welcome with loads of screaming, crying fans and a slew of supportive billboards. It was a rewarding and overly emotional experience for the potential idols but unfortunately one of the three was destined to turn back for a second immediate homecoming.

It’s an interesting top three this year as each singer has such an individually unique style so, it truly has become a matter of comparing apples to oranges. Idol upped the ante again this week with three rounds of singing and each song was chosen by a different method each time around. The first round songs were chosen by the Idol judges, the second round by the contestants, and the third round by Jimmy Iovine.

Joshua kicked the first night off with an Etta James number, picked personally for him by the judges who felt it would reflect his classic R&B sound. And as if anyone would be surprised, he earned himself yet another standing ovation from the panel. Before his second round song choice of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, the viewers were treated to a mash up of Josh’s homecoming footage from Louisiana that included shaking hands, kissing babies, and, of course, a good ol’ southern crawfish boil. After naturally acing his second round tune it was on to Jimmy’s personal pick. Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” was the perfect fit for Josh who took it to a mega-drama level in the best way possible. The judges loved his perfect interweaving between poised control and completely losing it at the appropriate moments on stage.

Jessica was given the chance to showcase what she does best and that’s her extraordinary power ballad skills. The judges picked Mariah Carey’s “My All” for the first round hoping for “that tender moment” and that’s just what they got. When Randy Jackson, who has worked with Mariah personally in the past, tells you that your rendition of the major pop star’s  song was one of the best ever performed on television, it’s no doubt one of the biggest compliments you could ever receive in life. Before her second round performance, Idol took us to Jessica’s hometown of sunny San Diego where hoards of supporters were anxiously waiting to scream and cry for her in person. Doing a live performance on the USS Midway ship, the very venue that catapulted Jessica on her journey during the audition process, had to have been a huge honor and a proud moment for her whole family. Taking a huge, risky leap with her second round song choice, Jessica decided taking on Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” was what she needed to do to achieve that “wow factor” that the judges harp on week after week. Steven Tyler, who allegedly tends to be none too impressed with covers of his own band’s songs, found her rendition to be a positive contribution, mentioning that she made a great song even better. Her third round song hand-picked by Jimmy, Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There”, was a direct attempt at drawing in the older Idol audiences while still displaying that young and edgy appeal, much like Michael Jackson did in his earliest days. However, it didn’t come off as brilliantly as Jimmy had hoped since the judges found it to be a “good but not great” performance but, honestly, it’s still a good day in Jessica World because we all know she can sing her face off. It’s just the judges’ jobs to be super nit-picky at this point and I get it.

So, there was only one contestant left to go and that, of course, was Phillip Phillips. The judges wanted to see what he could do with a more upbeat melody so, Madcon’s “Beggin’” it was. Randy and Jennifer loved it and Steven went as far as to say that if Phil continued his musical path he could be the next Springsteen. During the second round, Phillip went for a more comfortable and familiar genre with Matchbox 20’s “Disease” that was declared another good-but-not-great performance that night. During the round, we were taken back to Phil’s hometown of Leesburg, Georgia where the support and love that came his way was so great that he was fully overcome with such genuine gratitude and emotion in a scene that made even me a little weepy. I can’t imagine the horrendous bawling the female fans were doing at home!
For the third round, Jimmy picked out Bob Seger’s “We Got Tonight” with the idea in mind that it would be appealing to both male and female fans out there. What came out of Phil’s performance was a solid melody, a passionate musical display, and a standing ovation from the judging panel. It was the perfect way to end the night.but-not-great performance that night. During the round, we were taken back to Phil’s hometown of Leesburg, Georgia where the support and love that came his way was so great that he was fully overcome with such genuine gratitude and emotion in a scene that made even me a little weepy. I can’t imagine the horrendous bawling the female fans were doing at home!

The judges were handing out massive compliments left and right and you can’t blame them. The playing field has been completely leveled at this juncture and this week’s elimination was by far the hardest one yet. Everyone is so enormously talented that it isn’t even a matter of who performed well and who didn’t. It all comes down to the simple fact that only one person can win so, unfortunately, someone had to go home this week. After an insane amount of votes (something in the ninety-million range, I believe), a final decision was made that put Joshua Ledet on a plane back to Louisiana. It was sad but it would have been just as sad if it had been either of the remaining two. Like I said, they’re all fantastic, but what can you do at this point? Luckily for Jessica and Phillip, their journeys will continue to the big, grand finale next week where we will finally find out who America wants as their next musical idol.

For another take, check out Kelley Lynn’s Hometown Hero Week, and The Final Two Revealed…

 

Season 11, Episode 37 & 38: Top 3 Perform & Results (originally aired May 16 & 17, 2012)

For more American Idol tune in to FOX Wednesdays & Thursdays 8/7 Central.

Images courtesy of American Idol.

 

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Poptimal.com needs Pop Culture Gurus!

Comic-Con, Television, Movies, Pop Culture and Video Games.  Think you know your stuff?   Poptimal.com is a nationally recognized pop culture review website based out of the Washington, DC, metro area.

We are currently looking for writers who are passionate about movies and/or faithfully devoted to their favorite television shows to contribute to our site. Selected candidates will be responsible for writing reviews for current television shows and newly released movies.  We are especially looking for writers in the New York and Los Angeles areas; however all should apply.

Candidates need not be experienced writers, but must have excellent writing skills and strong opinions, as well as be reliable and able to meet pre-established deadlines. Poptimal™ greatly values diversity and candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

You must be 21 years or older and reside in the United States or Canada.

What’s in it for you? If you are chosen to be a Poptimal™ writer, you will receive one or more of the following:

• Advanced screenings of movies and television shows;
• The opportunity to add your voice to the 24-hour pop culture conversation through your own recurring featured writing section(s) on the Poptimal™ website;
• The opportunity to inform or inspire a global audience;
• The chance to be a part of a rapidly-growing company; and
• An opportunity to build your portfolio with published articles in a nationally recognized and industry respected website.

This is a non-paid position. Do not apply if you are requesting a paid position.

If interested, please email the following in Microsoft WORD format or as a .pdf file to: editor@poptimal.com:

1. One sample review of a recent film or television episode (not to exceed 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font);
2. A short bio telling us who you are and where you are from (not to exceed 1/2 page, double-spaced, 12-point font);
3. A list of your top 5 current TV shows and 5 favorite movies released within the last 2 years;
4. Indicate your familiarity with using Word Press or other blogging software; and
5. Be sure to use the following subject line: “I Want To Be A Pop Culture Guru.”

***Special consideration will be given to those writers that can attend celebrity/pop culture events during the work week in New York and Los Angeles.

Following these directions is important and will be used as one of the metrics in evaluating your application.

Application Deadline is March 11, 2012 at 11:59pm.

TVRecaps: The Future of Television

There was a time when people would get upset that they missed their favorite TV show, or had to rush home from work to catch the new episodes of Jersey Shore, but like cable television, that is yesterday’s news since you can watch TV online.

We have launched the site in late 2011, and since then, we have had 5,000 unique visitors per day.  We have been getting positive feedback from users complimenting our service and functionality since inception. In addition, we are implementing a lot of new content that allows users to fully interact with TVRecaps. However, TVRecaps is not just limited to watching TV. Users can read reviews and keep up to date with the news and also watch live streaming TV from around the globe.

With the future of television on the rise, TVRecaps is emerging with the trend. Big name actors such as Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey and Steven Van Zandt are already starting the web TV trend. In fact, Yahoo is partnering with ABC news for web video, and licensing original comedy which too will be featured on our site. YouTube is spending $100 million on original programming.

The rise of TV online is here, with more and more people watching premium content online now than ever (22% of US population watches TV online) and TVRecaps hopes to be the first stop for all media consumption online.

For more information about Tvrecaps.com, or would like to schedule an interview, please call Mike Rehan at (905) 604 4451 or through email at mike@altek.ca

This informational article is an advertisement provided to Poptimal.com by TVRecaps.  All information contained herein is solely the view of TVRecaps.  Poptimal LLC expressly disclaims any facts, assertions, or claims made by the advertiser.  As always check you own facts and do our own research.

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My strength is that I am open and honest with my readers and Jone Dome podcast listeners.  Whether it is reviewing a movie or TV show, or hating on Kanye West & Kim Khardashian.  My tweets are replete with disdain for celebrities pushing a bunch a useless crap on those “As Seen On TV” type ads that they don’t even use.  I would be a hypocrite to do the same.

That is why I was so surprised the “powers at be” asked me to write this article.  What do I say?  What the hell is the  Walgreens Prescription Savings Club  and why do I care?  After some investigation I found out that what it is is a great deal.  Essentially, for a very little annual cost you can get big savings for the entire family.  *Rip . . . Rip* That’s the sound of me tearing up my CVS Card. 

Here is what I learned.

What is the Prescription Savings Club?

The Prescription Savings Club is for those people that lack or have insufficient drug coverage, then join our 2 million members for discount pricing on your medications.  The membership is risk free and better yet, if don’t save more than the cost of your membership during the course of the year of your membership, the Walgreens will refund the difference.

What is the cost?

For a limited time, Walgreens is offering a special discount on annual membership.  For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Individuals may join for $5.

Is this a good deal?

In short, I think so because you get the following benefits without much downside:

• discount prices on your prescriptions.
• Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications
• Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies
• Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services

To find out more about the Prescription Savings Club and this special discount, be sure to visit their website at Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, like Walgreens on Facebook, and follow Walgreens on Twitter.

Review: It’s Baaaack! The Schmaltz! The Drama! The Auditions! THIS…is American Idol!

… and we’re back! It’s season 11 on our favorite cheesefest reality TV contest and the gang is still here and ready to roll!  Yup. It’s time for J.Lo and her endless supply of ridiculous outfits. Time for Steven Tyler and his pervy, nonsense, hilarious comments. Time for Randy “I’m no longer relevant” Jackson to keep reminding us of all the huge musicians and celebrities that he has worked with. Time for the ever-annoying and obnoxious Seacrest to put in that hair gel, spray on that self-tanning crud, and cake up that face with orange foundation. That’s right folks . . . it is time for the crazy, wacky, fun ride that we like to call American Idol. Cue up that theme music. Dim the lights. Let’s go!

On Week One of Season 11, we find ourselves at auditions in two cities: Savannah, Georgia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show begins with its usual self-serving montage of people all over the world opining on the importance and relevance of American Idol, saying things like: “THIS was the original show; this is the one that matters!” Next up, the judges introduce themselves to the TV audience; J.Lo says that Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson are her “family now.” Yes, now that you’ve finally gotten rid of that pointless ragamuffin husband of yours. Good riddance!

As the judges took their seats to begin hearing the auditions, it was obvious within the first few minutes that this would indeed be another lollipops and rainbows season for Idol. The first two episodes showed absolutely zero signs of focusing on the strange, untalented, or overdramatic. In fact, there was almost no drama at all in the opening week. Instead, it was all about the talent. And while there was a LOT of incredible talent, for me, the fun of the auditions  was always seeing the really bad people showcased and then watching the judges’ reactions to them. There was literally NONE of that. It made me really miss Simon Cowell, even two seasons later. Just like last year, they are a new “kinder, gentler” version of the show. Here are some of the most memorable auditions from Week One:

SAVANNA, GEORGIA:

*David Leathers, Jr: a 17 year old kid who honestly looked like he was 10, and sounded very much like a young Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5. What really made me love him, though, is that he was in some local competition years ago with past winner Scotty “Baby Lock Them Doors” McDreary. Country Boy Scotty “Tool on a Stool” came in 2nd, and David won the competition! He also got the very first Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

*Gabi Carrubba: this girl from Connecticutt has been “waiting to audition for the show MY WHOLE LIFE!” How old is she? 16. Oh, you poor thing. Your whole life . . . sigh. Despite this annoying statement, she had a really soulful, sweet sounding vocal and got through to Hollywood.  

*Shawn Keisman: Did not make it through to the next round, but impressed the judges with his very good impression of Ryan Seacrest. He also happens to resemble Seacrest, which makes him twice the amount of irritating. I will bet anyone reading this $100 that we will absolutely see him on the finale; coming out as Seacrest in some lame-ass, unfunny bit. Seriously, just give me $100.

*Shannon Magrane: this 15 year old attractive girl’s audition marked the first of many pervy comments by Steven Tyler. After inviting Shannon’s entire family in to watch as she sang her song, we found out that her father was a star himself. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. After the audition, Tyler purred at the dad: “Mmmmhmm, hot, humid, and happening – just like your daughter!” Ayooooohhh! Awkward silence. Thankfully, Shannon had a beautiful voice and got through to Hollywood. She might want to take her daddy with her so pervy Tyler keeps his manhands off.

*Amy Brumfield:  Homeless girl who lives in a tent in the woods with her boyfriend, and is unemployed. Duh. Very pretty tone in her voice, got through to Hollywood. Just minutes after the episode aired, stories of this girl being arrested possibly six times for drunken behavior and more surfaced on local TV news. Can you say drama? Let’s see what happens.

*Lauren Mink: A definite early favorite for me in the competition. With a pure, silky voice that sounds like a cross between Sugarland’s lead singer and Trisha Yearwood, and a beautiful spirit and persona (she runs a program for kids and awith Down Syndrome. How much more sugary sweet can you get than that?), this creature from heaven had one of the most gorgeous vocals I have heard in some time. Really like her a lot. They did too. Hollywood, baby!

As I mentioned earlier, Season 11 seems to have the judges all hopped up on happy pills. They just loooooved everyone that came through that fake blue door. EVERYONE! Each time someone exited, and the FEW times they said no to someone for Hollywood, you could hear J.Lo purring: “Awwww! I feel so bad! He was so cuuuute!” or other shmaltzy comments. A few of the contestants they put through to Hollywood should not have gone through, like Ashlee Altise, who was strange beyond strange and did not have the vocals to justify putting her into the next round. Then again, who the hell am I? Nobody, that’s who.

The stand-out audition in Savannah was a 20 year old redneck type named, of all things, Phillip Phillips. Now right there, that is a name that is just meant to be famous. It is so damn silly, it just has to be. This kid is just a down-home boy with a kick-ass talent and an acoustic guitar, and music in his soul. With his incredible versions of both “Thriller” and “Superstitious,” this kid had music literally flowing inside every pore of his body. It was as if the song was electricuting him as he sang. Hugely talented. A true natural. Born star.

PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA:

*Heejun Han: Still can’t figure this dude out. His personality was so boring, dull, and bizarre before the audition, it was almost as if the producers told him to try and come across as a weirdo so that people would think he was going to have a terrible voice. (Reality TV? Using manipulation tactics? Naaaahhh!) Then, of course, when he sang, he surprised everyone with his very beautiful tone and gorgeous vocals. J.Lo called him “adorable!” and he got the Golden Ticket.

*Reed Grimm: 26 year old crazy, strange, out of the box wacky guy who came in and sang the theme song to “Family Matters.” Groovy, jazzy, great!

*Samantha Novacek: Weirdest audition ever. Didn’t even make any sense whatsoever. Samantha sang, pretty well, while her younger sister got in front of her and “planked” in order to help her. Um, how exactly does you lying across the floor like a lunatic HELP your sister sing? It was incredibly odd, and the judges pretty much ignored the loony sister and put Samantha through. Tyler wondered if the planking would continue into the next round. ODD.

*Erika Van Pelt: A mobile-DJ and wedding singer with a beautiful alto-rich voice; this girl sounded a lot like Carole King or Karen Carpenter. Loved her tone, and so did they. Excellent job.

*Hallie Day: A great famous name. A great compelling story. A high-school drop-out at age 15, Hallie became parentless and turned to drugs as a way to attempt to take her own life (drank a bottle of pills and ended up in the ER). Met her husband, who saved her, and encouraged her to audition for the show. Singing “I Will Survive” (of course), her incredibly strong and lovely voice belted through the hallways of Idol-land. Wonderful way to end the week of auditions.

There were many other highlights as well, such as Eben Franckowitz, Creighton Fraker, Brittany Kerr, and more. As the auditions continue, and the contestants become less and less in numbers, these reviews will get a lot more interesting and lot more funny (hopefully). Once we get into the Top 12, that is when things really start to get good. Let’s just hope there are some good contestants to mock this season. So far, it all seems very safe and lovey-dovey. I need some more drama in my Idol. If not, I will have to spend most of my time making fun of Seacrest (which is just fine with me).

Who were your favorites this week? Next week, we’ve got a special post-football episode, and then the usual two.  I will cover them all in my next review.  See you then, kids!

Season 11, Episodes 1-2: Savannah & Pittsburgh Auditions (originally aired January 18-19, 2012)

American Idol airs (usually) on Wednesdays/Thursdays at 8pm on FOX.

Follow @poptimal.  Follow @kelleyiskelley.  Read Kelley’s blog here.

For more American Idol coverage, click here.

Photographs courtesy of IMDbPro and FOX.

SAY NO Reveals A Secret Web Page Live

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAY NO. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey Poptimal.com readers, it’s Ference from Poptimal.com’s the Jone Dome Podcast. 

I just heard that the rock band SAY NO has set up a secret website featuring seven tracks off their highly-anticipated album coming out in 2012.  If you haven’t heard of them, then you are missing out! 

They rock out house by mixing pop harmonies with high energy guitar riffs. That description not helpful?  Then think British rock legends like the Sex Pistols, Oasis, and Kasabian.

The great news is that if you follow the link below, like their page, and vote for your favorite song, you will receive a free copy of the initial single before it is officially released. Better yet, by voting you can win an iPad or $50 iTunes gift cards.

Follow this Link to this Secret Page

For more information or to schedule an interview with the band, please contact: theband(at)saynomusic(dot)com.

Morgan Freeman: Bath in a Casket shown on Golden Globes

Ricky Gervais 2012 Golden Globe Monologue

Thanks to Perez!

LG DoublePlay-ing The AMAs by Ference Blackstone

This post brought to you by LG DoublePlay™. All opinions are 100% mine.

As most of you know, hating is what I do; on the Jone Dome Podcast, (available at iTunes) in my articles on Poptimal.com, and of course in the Twitter-sphere.  I consider myself the most uppity pop culture hater east of the Mississippi and love to straddle the line between good taste and good snark. 

That is why I was so surprised Poptimal.com (@Poptimal) asked me to tweet the 2011 American Music Awards using the new LG DoublePlay™.   I must admit that at first I went all “Occupy LG” on Poptimal management.  But much like what even the most steadfast OWS supporter would do, they gave me a job and so I gave up the fight.  (But if I ever sell my soul like Jennifer Lopez did to Fiat, you have my permission to punch big mouth on sight) (Follow me on Twitter)

I use social media constantly and am perpetually texting every minute of the day to keep up with the rest of the Poptimal.com writers all over the country.  I am that relative that will annoy the crap out of you this Thanksgiving because he has a drumstick in one hand and a smart phone in the other, with cranberry sauce smeared across the screen.

Let’s cut to the chase.  Two different things stuck out in my mind about the LG DoublePlay™    from last night’s AMA coverage.

1.     The 2 Screens Made It Easy To Tweet and Find Celebrity Twitter Names At The Same Time

When you slide the phone open you see that the DoublePlay™ has two screens – a 3.5” main screen and at 2” subscreen.  This allowed me to perform two tasks at once.  Because the AMA was fast paced with celebrity presenters and performers running on and off stage, I needed to make sure that I had the celebrity’s twitter name to mention in my tweet.  I was able to go back in forth between each screen with ease.  It is like having two browsers open on a laptop. 

For instance, when Christina Aguilera came on stage, I wanted to tweet using my Hootsuite account:

“What Happened? Someone ate Christina Aguilera & is now performing in her dress. #AMAs @Poptimal”

But, I wanted to make sure that Christina and her fans saw it so was able to quickly text my fellow writer to find her Twitter name on the smaller screen.  That way my post came out:

“What Happened? Someone ate @TheRealXtina & is now performing in her dress. #AMAs @Poptimal” 

The whole thing took 1 min total, and my tweet-hating increased by 10 fold.

2.     My Sausage-Like Phalanges Didn’t Keep Me From Typing

As most of you know from the podcast, I have fatman fingers so thank God for the full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and Swype® for easy text input.  Now, I will complain that the autocorrect feature still sucks, but that is true with all cell phones.  But, it leads to some funny tweets, like this one:

  

In short, if you are as active on social media as I am, the LG DoublePlay™ is a good bet.  Go and check it out.

Now, here is some technical mumbo jumbo for you Frackers!

• The LG DoublePlay™ also comes with a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recorder, allowing users to capture and share pictures and videos via messaging, email or Facebook
• The device also offers multiple messaging options, including Cloud Text™ and Group Text™, giving users the ability to send and receive texts from a PC or tablet or create group chats on-the-go for faster, more efficient content sharing.
• LG DoublePlay™ features Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) with access to Android Market™ and delivers complete user customization with seven home screens and up to nine touchscreen shortcuts for one-touch navigation.

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