American Idol and the Winner is……

Tonight was the first installment in the two-part Idol finale. Was it a knockout drag out fight to the finish? Hardly, in fact it was a lukewarm show, much like the rest of this seasons shows-post Sanjaya’s exist. Not to digress too much, but I did not particularly like Mr. Malakar, but he did add some much needed spice to this season’s idol. Now, back to the point of this blog; who will win; who will our next American idol be? Honestly, of course you expect nothing less from me, right? To digress one more time, saying “honestly” is like saying “hopefully” both are over used nonsense adverbs. Check out Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, you’ll catch my drift. Back to idol, well once again much like this season’s idol, distractions are not easily avoided sense the show can’t keep my attention very successfully; why should this blog be different?

I really can’t say with any certainty whom will win this year’s idol; it is a toss up. Both Jordin and Blake have a lot of things working in their favor. First, Blake may not have the vocal ability of his competitor, but he has got the performance in the bag. He knows how to effectively work the crowd. On the other hand, Jordin has that great showstopper voice that Idol loves. She is a younger Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, or Carrie Underwood. So who will take the prize? Let’s face it; Idol needs a real winner in the pop scene after Taylor Hicks. Runners-up Katherine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, and Elliot Yamin are all making more of an impression on the pop music scene than Taylor. Reuben Studdard comes to mind when I think of Hicks. Now, with that in mind, I’ll try to pick the winner. If Idol wants another clone of former successful female pop singers, then Jordin is your winner. Yet, if they want something a little different, something not so typical, then I believe Blake is the man. Although his beat boxing is played out, Blake is the “it” man, in terms of image and style. He is a cross between what is really hot in pop music right now, blue-eyed-pop/soul artist. Blake is somewhere between Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Robin Thicke, Usher, and Neyo rolled all into one. Idol needs a male artist that can nail a hit album unlike the two predecessors, Studdard and Hicks. Blake has the superficial teenage bopper image to do it. But, on that same note, so does Jordin; the difference is that Idol has produced female singers like Jordin; Blake would be in a class to himself.

Finally, I have always wondered what it would be like to hear Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera sing the same song, tonight on the overly cheesy original song; I found out. Jordin did a wonderful job; Blake..umm not so good, but in his defense the song is so much more suited for a young vibrant female such as Sparks. Again, who will win? JORDIN, her vocal ability will seal the deal. Blake will be successful without Idol, and if he’s smart; he wants it that way.

American Idol's Blake & Chris

Tonight American bid adieu or good-bye to two American Idols. I must admit; I was not disappointed to see Phil go. He was never a standout, and lets face it in a sea of mediocrity standing out should have been easy, right? Actually, this season has not been too awful, I mean there was Sanjaya. Now it looks like we are down to the final four with Chris taking his final salute in song. It was good to see all the contestants hug and show there love and support for each other as Chris belted out "Wanted Dead or Alive." With only four left I see it coming down to either Blake vs. Melinda or Jordin vs. Blake. I believe all those girls and guys voting for Chris will now turn their attention towards Blake. Unless Lakisha can pull a rabbit out of her breast, I don't see her sticking around past next week. Although Melinda has been pretty consistent, she has gotten quite boring. She's good but Idol tends to like contestants that evolve. Jordin has an energy and spark that I think a lot of voters can connect with, plus she is young. A would prefer to see a Blake vs Jordin showdown; I think it would be a lot more spicy, exciting, and riveting. Besides with a third place finish Melinda is a shoe in for a record deal.

Amy Winehouse vs Lily Allen

AMY VS. LILY, THE BRIT BABES BATTLE!

These two women's seemingly overnight success in the United States has sparked some dialogue; who's the best; aka, performer, singer, overall entertainer? Actually I listened to OutQ in the morning the other day and they were discussing this very topic. I must admit, I am a fan of both women. Nonetheless, I do have a favorite. My favorite was not Larry and his gangs. They preferred Lily to Amy. Hmmm....I begin to wonder. Does that sound familiar? Well, like I said I like both women, but honestly comparing Lily to Amy is almost like comparing Danni Minogue to Kylie Minogue and then trying to establish who is the most authentic performer. They, Lily and Amy, are essentially two peas from the same pod. Both are young British darlings; they are erratic, dysfunctional, and often outrageously over the top. The one big difference that I can really see is Amy's voice is a knockout. You immediately notice it; she is recognizable. Yes, it may be slightly course, but that is what makes her sound greatly nuanced. Lily's voice is too breathy and soft. Of course, I enjoy female artist with voices ranging from a power house Whitney to a soft whispering Janet. Yet, Amy's style and sound is so raw and authentic. She may be a loose cannon in her personal life, but I think this girl has got the goods.

Best Early 90s songs 1990-1994

I'm sitting here watching Vh-1 Soul and Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam's son "Let the Beat hit'em" is playing. I begin to reminisce and I am reminded of all those early 90s songs I love so much. So goes the topic for this post. Some of my favorite club songs from 90s were:

Tara Kemp: "Just want to hold you tight"

Robin S: "Show me Love"

Madonna: "Vogue"

House of Pain "Jump Around"

Marky Mark "Good Vibrations"

Vanessa Williams: "Running Back to You"

I can't think of anymore; feel free to add to the list..

Summer Music Predictions

Summer is almost here, well we still have about two months until the official June 21st date, but I thought I would make a prediction for what, I hope, will be this summer's hottest songs


"Summer Love" Justin Timberlake- When I heard this song last fall,I knew it would be a single. "Summer Love" hit radio about two weeks ago and I predict by mid-summer we will have a love/hate relationship with this song. But,it is so hot,it will defiantly be a club favorite.

"Umbrella" Rhianna- Watch out Miss B, Rhianna is slowly gaining a rather large fan base, I think she is after your crown and maybe man, too. No, seriously Rhianna had three top ten hits from her "Girl Like Me" album, I predict the new one will be just as hot. "Umbrella" is the first single and it is sure to be one of this summer's hits. It is a mid tempo song, but it has a great hook, I believe the repetition of "ay, ay, ay, ay" will ring in our ears for months, trust, summer hit.


"Makes Me Wonder" Maroon 5- With the release of their much anticipated sophomore album, lead single "Makes Me Wonder" is a sure fire hit. The song has catchy beat and the arrangement is stellar. The song will make any 80s music buff nostalgic for the sound, again. Why will it be a huge summer hit? It is a nice summer jam, one you listen to with the top down, or on the beach, or just sitting at home relaxing. It is a fun-feel good song, perfect for the summer.

Well, summer is almost here, so I guess we'll shall soon see.

Sanjaya, Gone, but not Forgotten

Well it finally happened, the day we all knew would come, Sanjaya has been eliminated from American Idol. I will have to admit, Sanjaya was not may favorite contestant, but out of the six seasons that I've watched AI; he was not the worst either. That boyish smile, those cutesy looks at the camera, and his at times outrageous hairstyles; he really gave us all something to talk about-hence this blog post. Nonetheless I don't think we have seen the last of Mr. Malakar. Although he doesn't have the greatest voice, he won't need it to be a pop star, note Britney Spears and the flood of teenyboppers that followed in her footsteps. No, what Sanjaya needs are great producers that will mold him into a perfect cookie cutter pop heartthrob. Five year old girls everywhere will rush out to buy his music, and rejoice over the boy who gave AI season six some much needed PIZAZZ.

Virginia Tech Shooting

It's unfortunate in this country that it takes random acts of violence to really make us all take a step back from our self-absorbed lives to realize what's important. Okay, well maybe we are not all so self-absorbed and narcissistic, but my point here is that when tragedy strikes our nation, our level of shock and dissolution seems heightened. Americans begin to wonder; how could this happen; why would someone do such a terrible thing? Honestly, we may never know with any certainty the answer to those questions. What I do believe is that we need to take this opportunity and discuss what, and how, as a nation, are we going to proceed? Is this a gun control issue; does this fall back on family and creating a sense of community within our nation? Is this event one of the downfalls of living in a free society? What are your thoughts?