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I’m not complaining, but the opening to “American Idol’s” Hollywood rounds was like an episode of speed-dating, speed reading, or, well, it was just plain fast. There were 172 contestants from the seven opening auditions, and by the end of last night they had narrowed the field down to 40. It wasn’t that the usual format was different, with solo auditions in front of the judges again, and the group round, but they just showed less of it. Hey, that’s fine by me. The girls went first and this season there were twice as many chicks that made it to Hollywood as there were dudes. Jory Steinberg was dressed EXACTLY like Paula, trying to earn points of some kind. But she didn’t quite sing that well. In fact, the first six they showed all got sent home. Then there was Colombian semi-bombshell Perla, who did her Shakira impression again. She was just okay, but Randy and Paula thought she had just enough personality to advance. Very young Baylie Brown, a blue-eyed blonde cutie, was awesome in the first Hollywood round, just as she was in her initial audition. In all, the judges sent 56 of the 114 girls home. Then the guys went….Jarrod, the dude who won “Reagan Idol” on his Navy ship, didn’t quite cut it this time around. Then there was Matt Sato, who made a spectacle in his opening round audition, saying his parents didn’t approve of him auditioning. This dude called his mom in tears again when he made it through to the second Hollywood round. They simply showed way too much of this kid. Then there were the groups. This is always entertaining because inevitably there is bickering when kids with large egos are forced to perform together. Best friends Amanda and Antonella were paired with Baylie Brown. This was like mixing salsa and cookie dough. They appeared to respect each other, but you could tell the friends didn’t like Baylie and she didn’t like them. Ultimately, two of the girls forgot their lyrics badly, including Baylie. What a shame, because she had the voice to go far. Antonella advanced to the final 40 but her friend Amanda was sent home. Same thing happened to the Indian brother and sister…the brother made it, she did not. They were shown hugging at the end. Also a shame…I thought she was great but didn’t quite have enough. The dude, though, he’s going to make it far. Finally Matt Sato got sent home….I don’t think America could handle another phone call to his mom. Perla’s inability to sing on key finally got her booted out, because the three other chicks in her group were awesome and it made Perla’s flaws stand out. The guy’s group of Blake, Rudy, Chris (and I can’t remember the fourth guy…hey, when I say they blazed through this, they really did!) was incredible. They did the Bee Gees’ “How Deep is Your Love” and I’m telling you, these kids could go on tour tomorrow and become mega-stars. All four are going to go deep in this competition. It was by far the best group performance ever on the show, and I am not exaggerating. Also watch for my boy Brandon Rogers…he made the final cut too and I am picking him as top 12 material, maybe top 5. So I guess tonight they will get from 40 down to 24….the final 12 guys and 12 girls. Hey, again, this is okay by me. This is when the show really gets fun to watch. Yes America, admit it, this show is fun to watch. See you all tomorrow…. |
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Quick show of hands: does anyone really like Valentine’s Day? For single people, it’s an unpleasant reminder that you’re single (and therefore, in the eyes of the good people at Hallmark Cards, a loser). For couples, it’s yet another obligation to go out and do something special for your sweetie, despite the fact that you’ve already done that at Christmas, your anniversary, Mother’s/Father’s Day, his or her birthday and, if you really go overboard, your date-iversary as well. Enough already. While everyone at Bullz-Eye is either happily married or happily involved (except for our fearless leader, who is happily neither), we see both sides of this dilemma, and have assembled a mix disc for the lovers and another for the fighters. There’s plenty of joy and pain (but not sunshine and rain) to go around. Dig in. Mix One: Ain’t Love Grand Ah, love. Love rules. It’s a scientific fact that when you’re in love, the sun shines a little bit brighter, people are nicer, and your car gets better gas mileage. People in love, according to a song by the Feeling, get special treatment. They know of what they speak. And yet, so few truly great songs have been written about the subject. For every “We’ve Only Just Begun,” there are ten songs like “Everything I Do (I Do It for You).” Because of that, this is officially declared a Bryan Adams-free zone. Feel better already, don’t you? “You’re the Best Thing,” The Style Council (My Ever Changing Moods) “La La Love You,” The Pixies (Doolittle) “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” The Carpenters (Close to You) “Here, There and Everywhere,” The Beatles (Revolver) To see the rest of Mix One, click here. Mix Two: Love Bites If love is supposedly the most wonderful thing in the world, then why the hell does it hurt so much? There’s an old saying that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Try telling that to someone who has just loved and lost. From invincible to unlovable in seconds flat, nothing will make you feel as unworthy as a failed relationship, especially when it’s capped with a crushing one-liner like “I like everything about my life except my relationship with you.” My college girlfriend actually said that to me, no joke. And in return, I sang a number of these songs to her. “House of Love,” Squeeze (Play) “I Believe She’s Lying,” Jon Brion (Meaningless) “Say Anything,” Aimee Mann (Whatever) “Good Luck,” Basement Jaxx w/ Lisa Kekaula (Kish Kash) To see the rest of Mix Two, click here. Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Songs and Lists and Playlists and Mix Disc Monday Comments: None |
Few bands in history have enjoyed the impact the Police created when they started up in the late seventies. Nobody knew who they were, but when Sting began belting out “Roxanne” over the radio airwaves, it was the beginning of an era. Through five studio albums – and God willing, perhaps the recently reunited band will provide us with a sixth album in the not too distant future – the band had its share of hit singles, in particular “Every Breath You Take,” which was a global #1. But many less acclaimed songs on each record were works of art in their own way, and a sampling follows after you click here. |
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I’m not even going to pretend that I watched the whole thing; it’s not an elitist thing, but the reality is that I don’t really tend to listen to a lot of albums that end up being nominated for Grammys, which means that I mostly watch to see older artists popping up. That’s why the highlights of what I saw were threefold: 1. The Police doing a quite acceptable job on “Roxanne.” C’mon, baby, let the world tour stop in Hampton Roads! Yeah, that’s pretty much all I can say I full-on loved…but something I legitimately disliked was the fact that when Tony Bennett won his award for Best Pop Collaboration (with Stevie Wonder), he thanked Target for being the best sponsor he’s ever had…and you could hear people booing him! Are you kidding me? The guy’s 80 years old, he’s a legend, and thanks to the sponsorship of Target, he got major publicity for his album of duets AND a prime-time special to celebrate his 80th birthday. So what if he thanked them? |
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They never were the same without Bon, I don’t care what ya might say. Enjoy “Jailbreak.”
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OK GO meets LEGO.
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I love Lily Allen. Her debut album Alright, Still is already earmarked for my Best Album of 2007. We’ll see if anything manages to top it or be half as original by the time the end of this year arrives. It’s definitely a very British sounding album, which is all part of its charm, along with Lily’s own personal take on life and her lyrics which draw on her own experiences. Here’s the clip for her latest taste, “LDN.” Enjoy.
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 Road Warriors
Welcome to a new weekly column where you can track some of your favorite artists’ tour announcements, as well as artists you want to avoid like the plague…..
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Contestant Akron Watson dazzled “American Idol” judges and all of America this past Tuesday with renditions of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.” This was the guy who auditioned with his cousin, but obviously had all the singing genes in the family. But just reported on People.com is the fact that the producers called Watson back in November and told him he was no longer welcome to the Hollywood round. Worse, they gave him no reason. Apparently Watson has a marijuana possession blemish from 2003, but claims he divulged this to the Idol producers before auditioning. This seems extremely unfair, because not only did Watson disclose his past in full as required, but he had rightfully earned his golden ticket to Hollywood only to have it stripped away. So the dude made a mistake a few years ago……give him a break! Watson is also asking for a break, as he has set up a MySpace page for fan support. If you saw this guy perform, you know he’s worthy of going really far. So help the cause. For you Idol producers, a big thumbs down to you. First, you waste an hour of my time last night…now this. |
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Leave it to Fox. Just when they were being nice enough to cut the audition episodes of “American Idol” from two hours to one, they decided to throw a filler at us. Last season, there were seven episodes of audition rounds, and on the eighth, Hollywood week. This time, the eighth was a recap of some of the best and worst contestants, with a few new ones we haven’t seen yet peppered in. Hey Fox, did you just see me open my mouth for a BIG FREAKING YAWN? Anyway, since they aired it, I’m gonna write about it. First, there were a few entrants who made it to Hollywood that we hadn’t seen yet, most notably Tami, who looked like a rocker chick from the sixties. They also showed how various contestants tried to dress different to impress the judges, and that usually backfired. The first chick they showed, Christa, dressed, as Simon put it “like the inside of a dust bin.” There were these three girls who dressed as waitresses on roller skates…I’m not sure if this is how they really earn their living or if they just rented the outfits….but the bummer of it was that only two of them made it to Hollywood. Ebony was the best, followed by Ashley, followed by Heather. I’m really not sure what the judges saw in Ashley, but they voted her through. Other moments from last night were Brandon, who did a singing meets beat-box thing that was really good, but not good enough to advance him; Wes, a “composer” who had a huge gap in his teeth and did this stomping thing when he sang, most likely to cover up the fact that he couldn’t sing; and this dude Alexander, who professed his love for Paula. Simon added that if Paula had a mustache, the two could have been separated at birth. Are you bored yet? Becuase I sure was last night. Next week is Hollywood week….let the catfighting, the drama, and the real competition begin. And someone please pour Paula Abdul another drink…I mean, I wanna get my money’s worth! |
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Last night was the final stop on the “American Idol” audition tour–in San Antonio, Texas. Mercifully, we have reached the end of the portion of this season where they weed out the really bad singers and show us a few good ones that get to advance to Hollywood. Some of the highlights of last night’s auditions included Bailey Brown, a 16-year-old cute blonde chick (is it just me or is America producing chicks like this who can actually sing at an alarming rate?). Bailey sang Faith Hill pretty flawlessly. Then there were the cousins, Akron and William. William went first and was awful, singing “Amazing Grace” like an off-key Fat Albert. But Akron fared much better, and even though Simon said his performance was boring, he sang good enough to advance. 18-year-old Ashley didn’t make it through the first time, because she sang really well but was one of those singers who puts more effort into technique and facial expression than actual vocals and melody. For a change, Randy and Paula said no, and Simon actually liked her. So what did they do? They gave her a second chance. This time, her facial expressions were even more pronounced. The judges agreed that Ashley has some bad habits, but they also agreed to let her fix those habits in Hollywood. Finally, there was Jimmy McNeal, who closed out the show with “Cupid” and Randy called him a “little Ruben,” referring to Season 2’s enormous champ. This guy was really good and he had a charisma that could take him far. Then, of course, we had the duds…. First, there was Bryan, who sang Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and pretty much yelled the whole song. Look, Bryan, you can fool a drunk Paula Abdul some of the time…. Jasmine Holland was a terrible singer and the judges were kind of snickering as she sang. She said this was “rude,” and really, it kind of was. But then it got comical when she said to Randy Jackson: “Who are YOU anyway? What have you ever done besides this show?” Sandie sang “Black Velvet” from the back of her throat like she had Cher stuck in there. Simon said it was almost like a language he couldn’t recognize, and that was pretty accurate. Finally there was Jake Tudor, who Simon said should be singing in a dark bedroom somewhere. Jake accepted the judges’ comments, then proceeded to bleepity bleep them all on the way out. A fitting end to the horror that made up a lot of this season’s primary auditions. But wait, there’s more. Just when you thought the show was ready to move on to Hollywood, they gave us a glimpse of tonight’s show. They are going to show us all the bad auditions from the seven cities that they haven’t yet shown us. Ugg. Hey Fox, what did I do to deserve this? I’ll do anything…even go buy your sponsors’ stupid products. Okay, okay, if it’s only for one more night. See you all tomorrow. And after that, it’s welcome to Hollywood BAY-BEE. |
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Oh my, we have a real battle here. In this corner, we have Peter Cetera belting out “Stay The Night” with Chicago, trying to woo a woman getting away from the dirtbag in her fast car. And in the other corner, we have Bruce Springsteen playing up his usual grease monkey role adding a touch of the stalker inside him in “I’m On Fire.” My vote already goes to Cetera and his gang, just because peter tans a whole lot better and did us all a favor from breaking up from the band shortly after the release of Chicago 17. Unfortunately, the rest of the band played on. Ditto The Boss. |
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No pun intended! But, it seems that some viewers saw Prince’s silhouetted performance during Super Bowl XLI to have phallic overtones. I’m one of those people, actually, but only becuase I saw it as good ol’ Prince doing what he does best. So he stroked his guitar off - did you expect anything less? Of course, I was also screaming things like “Play ‘Soft And Wet’!” and “Play ‘Cream’ or ‘Scarlet Pussy’, goddammit!” at the screen the whole time. A medley of his “dirty” tunes would’ve rocked. Nice do-rag, by the way, Mr. Nelson. |
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It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a new episode of VH-1’s “Bands Reunited” - though the old episodes still pop up on VH-1 Classic once in awhile - and while that might be because lots of artists were inspired by the show, cut to the chase, and got themselves back together, it’s equally possible that this story got around. Surely, no one’s naive enough to believe that you’re seeing everything that happened, as it happened, on an episode of “Bands Reunited,” but this decidedly-detailed discussion of Information Society lead singer Kurt Harland’s experiences with Aamer Haleem and company is enough to make anyone gun-shy about reuniting their band. Two highlights to entice you to click and read the whole thing: Voice-Talent guy asks me a series of run-of-the-mill interview questions, nothing too interesting. Someone had, however, provided him with a great deal of random and extremely obscure trivia. He asked about “Bug Summer,” which was a humorous term Paul and I gave to the summer of ‘84 when we were living together in Minneapolis. Why? It was as though they had received a grab-bag of factoids with no way to interpret them. (And, of course, I expect this was, in fact, the case.) Eventually, he focused on Amanda, which was kind of odd, since she was only in the band for 2 of InSoc’s 16 years. Whatever. He began to pick and pick and pick on the question of why Amanda left. I felt it was too personal for public consumption and I declined to answer. First nicely, then firmly. Eventually he says, smugly: “Well, we already talked to Amanda and she told us it was because she was addicted to heroin.” I found this very annoying and said “Then why are you asking me?” I guess that, during that conference call, they had gotten the impression that I wanted to get paid. I think I said something like, “Taking time off work to drive to L.A. to do a free show and be on TV so that Viacom Inc. can enhance shareholder value just isn’t something I want to do.” Somehow, they took that to mean that I was asking for money. So one of them offers to pay me. I pointed out that, since I didn’t want to do it, my price would be higher than I’m worth, and that when they multiply that by 4, it would just break their budget. The guy points out that he’s only extending this offer to me, and not the other bandmembers. I was stunned. Can you believe that? They thought that I would take money, knowing that my bandmates were not getting paid. It is unbelievable! This is when I began to feel that they really had no respect for me at all. |
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Apple Inc. (the guys who invented the iPod) and Apple Corps (the guys who invented Revolver) announced Monday that they’ve agreed to settle out of court. The two companies have been at odds for years over Apple Inc.’s use of an apple as its logo. Apple Corps was founded in 1968 by the Fab Four to oversee their business interests, using a green apple as its logo.
Now if we can just get that AC/DC catalog on iTunes, we’ll be good to go. |
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