American Idol Experience!

The end of this season's American Idol has brought back my own "Idol" experience. Well, sort of! :)

In November 2009, we traveled to Orlando, Florida with friends for a vacation. Hollywood Studios is home to the "American Idol Experience" attraction. It was pretty cool walking up to the building with the large television screens displaying then current Idol winner, Kris Allen. We decided to go in and take in the show.

The stage was pretty incredible. It was a mini-replica of the actual Idol stage complete with lighting and the American Idol anthem. All the familiar elements were represented: Ryan Seacrest was "there" via a video, there was an Idol host and a panel of three judges. It was pretty hilarious how one of them took on the "Simon" role of "mean" judge.

Three contestants came out and performed, were judged and then the audience was allowed to vote electronically with a voting pad built into the chairs. It was pretty cool actually. The winner got to perform at the finale performance that evening for a shot at a front of the line audition for the actual show.

Pretty cool concept. We sat there after the show and my husband and friends turned to me and encouraged me to audition.

I was pretty scared actually. I really hadn't thought of singing and my mind went blank on what I could sing but with a little, well a lot of, prodding, my husband and I took the walk down to the audition area.

Audition 1


First off, I had to audition with one of the staff members. Dennis was allowed to hang out with me and actually go with me into the audition. My mind was racing; what do I sing? Would you believe that the only song that came to mind was "Amazing Grace"? Ugh.



I was then asked a few questions about my singing background and asked to try a couple of songs on the list. When I said I was on the worship team, I was asked what my favorite worship band and song was. My mind went BLANK. Gosh, I'd be bad at the real thing! And I had just sang "Word of God Speak" not that long ago.

Lesson: always be prepared! UGH.

Somehow, I made it to the next audition. I was asked what song I would like to sing. To my joy, "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" was on the list! To my dismay, it was taken by someone in an earlier show. UGH again!

Preparing for Audition 2!

I was then taken to a side area, not so subtly decorated by Coca-Cola and given a song list and headphones with background tracks. I had to choose two songs for the next audition. There wasn't a lot of choices left and I opted for Madonna's "Cherish" and Bob Segar's "Old Time Rock n Roll." I hadn't sang Madonna in forever and I knew it wasn't great but I was pretty comfortable with the Segar tune.




Moment of Truth! Audition 2!

This audition was with one of the main producers of the attraction's show. I was told this was pretty big as only about 5% of people who audition make it to audition with him. As I figured, the Madonna tune didn't go very well, but I kicked butt with "Old Time Rock n' Roll". And guess what! I got a Golden Ticket!





Show Time!

I didn't get to see much of Hollywood Studios that day. I had to be back for rehearsal and walk through of how the show was going to go. I then met with a vocal coach to help with performance and get some vocal tips. And then it was off to hair and makeup!

Performing on that stage was really fun and amazingly cool. It is quite the experience being on stage with Idol lights, cameras and backdrop. I can get a VERY small glimpse of the pressure anyone who tries out for these shows would be under.

So how did it go?

Well, I think I sang the song as best I could and I was pretty happy with how things went. Judging was HILARIOUS! The "mean judge" actually said I had the wrong song choice. I almost laughed out loud! If I could have, I would have picked a totally different song.

I didn't win. But the best moment happened when I was standing outside the theatre. This little girl, probably 8 years hold, comes running up to me and says "I voted for you! Our whole family did! We think you're great!"

Out of the mouths of babes. So cute. The whole experience was so much fun. And thanks to our best friends, we got it all on video for me to relive!

Eye on Idol: Results are in; Bye Bye Simon :(

Just finished watching yesterday's performance and tonight's results show. My favorite Idol blogger, Lyndsey Parker, is pretty upset with the final result.

All in all, I'm not that upset with the results. Don't get me wrong - I think Crystal is fantastic and I'll probably run out and get her album when it will definitely be released. Again, I think this is better for Crystal in the long run. Hopefully she will will be allowed to record her kind of album.

Winner aside, I was surprisingly emotional tonight. I really think this is an end of an era with the departure of Simon Cowell. Tonight was really more about Simon than the contestants, which is really too bad for the final two. I actually got a little choked up more than once while watching the who.

American Idol has been a part of my little family from the day my husband and I started dating. My hubby tuned me into this show at the 2nd season and it's been a bonding experience listening, judging and caring about these contestants. Sure, Idol is signed on for a 10th season but I will be really surprised if it goes much past season 10.

Okay, we will still have "Survivor" and "So You Think You Can Dance" to sit and debate and bond while being at home judges. But Idol was the leader in talent competition TV shows. It set the standard.

Tonight had some really cool moments. Hall and Oats were really fantastic where Barry Gibb and Chicago were horrible. I was praying they still sounded good, although we were disappointed that they didn't sing "Private Eyes." It was cool seeing Casey and Bret Michaels on stage. My boy Kris Allen sounded great and reminded us why he won - he comes across authentic and genuine.

And Carrie Underwood looked and sounded fantastic. I really wish I could sing like that one day!

Lyndsey Parker writes that the judges and producers were pushing Lee all the way to the top. Maybe that's true. I'd like to think that the winner is who America wanted.

Check out her thoughts on her latest blog post to find out more on her take on this season's results.

Goodbye Season 9. Goodbye to Simon Cowell. It's been a fun ride!

Eye on Idol: Is American Idol broken?

My favorite American Idol blogger, Lyndsey Parker, wrote a post today about this year’s American Idol saying it was arguably the worst season ever. Personally, I think that is a little harsh but there is definitely some room for improvement.

Then again maybe, just maybe, the show has had its run. I’m not sure. Here are some of the things that Lyndsey had to say that I found interesting:

Get rid of Ellen DeGeneres – You know, I was pretty much against Ellen when it was first announced and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. I had seen her on one of our other favorite shows “So You Think You Can Dance” and I was completely annoyed by her constant jokes. I was afraid she would do the same thing on Idol but it hasn’t turned out that way. I do agree that someone with more music knowledge and industry experience should be sitting in that chair.

Tell Kara DioGuardi to chill out – I’m probably one of the few people who watch the show that actually likes Kara. I have heard some of her song writing and been pretty impressed, last year’s “winning” song aside. “Believe” by Suzie McNeil is a fantastic song and Danny Gokey’s “I still believe” were all penned by Kara. I think she has a lot to offer.

Bring back the Wild Card – I love this suggestion. Like Lyndsey, I think this would correct some of the wrong choices early in the game.

Change the elimination process – This is the best suggestion by far. I’ve always loved how “So You Think You Can Dance” utilizes the judges in the elimination process up until a certain point in the competition. The bottom two or three are chosen by the public, and get one last chance to perform before the judges decide who goes home. Arguably, the judges are supposed to be industry experts and they are experts for a reason. Rock Star:INXS had this system and it worked.

Tonight we hear the top two sing for the chance to be the next American Idol. “Worst season” or not, I think American got the top two right. It will be interesting to see who is crowned the winner tomorrow night!

Check out Lyndsey’s other suggestions on her blog “Reality Rocks.”

American Idol minus Simon equals The End?

With the season finale of "American Idol" next week, there is a lot of buzz on what is going to happen with the show after Simon Cowell’s departure. I had a small heart attack reading Lyndsey Parker’s blog post on the subject.

Lyndsey provided her list of who should take over Simon’s spot. My heart dropped when I saw Kanye West on that list. Just this morning, I was listening to the radio trying to get my butt out of bed to face a dreary, rainy day and some horrible song by Kanye was playing. I wish his 15 minutes of fame was up. It was terrible. The only Kanye West song on my iPod is “Heartless” and it is sung by Kris Allen.

I did laugh out loud at her comments on how great it would be:

“And then on finale night, he could bumrush the stage during the winner's speech and demand a recount. Come on, you know it'd be awesome--as long as Kanye is never allowed to actually SING on the show ever again.”

PHEW! It was a JOKE. Thankgoodness! I'd never watch Idol again! I do agree with Lyndsey that Idol's seasons are numbered.

Not so coincidentally, Simon was on "Oprah" yesterday as well. He made a comment on the speculation who the new “mean” judge will be on American Idol. I really was impressed about his point of view. Idol has become more about the judges than the contestants. He stated that whoever fills the spot should have solid credentials and know the music business. It’s about spotting talent and Idol needs to get back to that.

Being biased with Canadian talent, I could see a Mutt Lange, David Foster or even a talent agent like Bruce Allen filling those shoes. It has to be someone who knows the business well.

I don’t really watch "Oprah" but I wish I had of seen this episode. With all the hype and the Idol persona, Simon seems honest, sincere and actually down to earth. I’m even interested to see his new show "X Factor" when it airs, although I’m not really sure how different it will be from “America’s Got Talent.” I’m thrilled at the removal of the age restriction on the top end of the scale.

Check out the write up on Oprah.com

Eye on Idol: Song choice? Right choice?

Last night saw American Idol down to the final three. I've been checking out the buzz on my favorite Idol blog, Lyndsay Parker, to see what the feeling is about last night show. It seems like the feeling is the show was good but not great. Crystal was pretty strong and I will admit that I got a few goosebumps when Lee was singing "Hallelujah." But overall, the show was just okay last night.

I do have to agree with some of the things that is being said out in cyberland.

One of the issues that did strike me at last night show was the judges choice of "Daughters" by John Mayer for Casey James. The song by nature is very laid back and sleepy. It's being said that the Idol machine may have been setting Casey up to fail last night. Maybe I'm a little naive but I would hope this isn't true. Personally, I don't think so due to the fact that Simon openly criticised Randy and Kara for choosing that song for him.

But it does bring up the issue of song choice. The judges are constantly on the contestants for proper song choice.

So what makes me chose to learn a song and why I want to learn them.

I probably wasn't as deliberate in choosing songs in the past. I think I mostly chose them because they were "fun." Now, I'm trying to chose song that stretch and challenge me vocally and help me to grow. Lately, I think I've done that and I think I have some more tools in my vocal toolkit to draw upon. I find that exciting.

And I've learnt somethings along the way.

I really love Pink's music and voice. I actually brought "So What" as an option to learn for my concert. I think I sang the fist two lines and stopped, looked at Kate and said "I can't sing this." This revelation was huge for me. Does the song fit in with who I am and what I want to say? I think this is really important to take into account.

So I'm left with reserving "So What" as a song I sing into my hairbrush in the morning while I'm getting ready and admiring Pink's attitude to be able to pull off that song. I'm okay with that.

So back to Casey.

Unfortunately, picking the John Mayer song was not his choice to make and I think he'd did the best he could with what he had. Do I think it's enough? I don't think so.

Lyndsay Parker says don't count Casey out. She makes some valid arguments and she may be right. Personally, even without the John Mayer song issue, I'm hoping for a Lee/Crystal finale.

We find out tonight!

AI: Songs of the Cinema. I want to hear from you! What songs should have been sang?

After watching the Tuesday performances and the result show last night, I thought I would do some quick investigation on the song choices the contestants had for this week’s show. I had thought some of the choices were odd and it left me wondering what I would choose.

I found the list of available songs on another American Idol blog, which apparently was posted on iTunes. I tried to locate the list myself and found out it is content not available to the Canadian store, which I don’t really understand. I haven’t been able to find one of these songs that aren’t downloadable on iTunes here in Canada.

If this was the list the contestants were given, it explains about some of the bizarre song choices from this week. It would have been a hard choice for sure.

So given my choice, what would I have sang? Luckily, I would have had a couple of options. As much as I actually know and like “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, I think it would have been too much of an obscure song to sing. It would have been a tossup between “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” by LeAnn Rimes and probably Crystal’s choice of “I’m Alright” by Kenny Loggins, although I doubt I could have been as cool as her. Kenny is the king of movie music after all!

Check out all the choices at:
http://mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-9-top-4-songs-of-the-cinema.htm

There is a lot of great movie music out there.

So, challenge time…let me know - what songs do you think should have been on this list?

Shania Twain Night on Idol!

One of our household’s passions is American Idol and Tuesday night was Shania Twain night. She looked amazing and I have to say, I was very impressed with her as a mentor. She was down to earth, likeable and really focused on connecting with the song and bringing out emotion. I have to say, I’m enjoying the season this year.

Thoughts on Last Night's Show:
Overall, the contestants are pretty good and I do have my favorites. Lee DeWyze is one of them. I really like his raspy, rough tone to his voice. It’s probably pretty consistent with my tastes. I really like Lifehouse, Daughtry, David Cooke and Third Day and they all have the cool tone.

Casey James is another fav. I think he has the whole package – the look, the voice and man, can that guy play an axe! He actually said last night was the first night he actually “sang” which I thought was an interesting comment. What has he been doing up until now? I thought he hit it out of the park and I hope he sticks around for another week.

Crystal Bowersox rounds out my top three and she’s probably on the top of my list. I did not like last night’s performance of “No One Needs to Know Right Now”, which is a first for me. She country-fied Shania way too much and felt a little too bluegrass for my tastes. And I love this song. However, you have to give her kudos for making it her own though. I sure hope she sticks around because I think the show would lose its appeal without her.

On my bottom three are Mike Lynche, Aaron Kelly and Siobhan Magnus. R&B is really not my genre of music and they compared Mike to Luther Vandross., which is probably why he isn’t my favorite. Aaron Kelly is too young for my tastes and I probably wouldn’t buy an album. The kid can sing though.
Shiobhan. I really don’t understand the appeal of this girl. If someone could explain it to me, that would be fantastic. I have to agree with Simon that her shrieking at the end of her songs is getting boring and I find her really robotic in her moments and singing. I didn’t like her arrangement of “Any Man of Mine” and I didn’t think she had the attitude that Shania was asking for in her advice to Shiobhan.

All in all, I thought it was good night. Crossing my fingers that Crystal is still on the show. As good as Aaron sang last night, I think his time might be up.
Kudos again to Shania. I think she makes a great ambassador for Canadian music!