Idol In A Weird New World

Holy Cow Little Tasters! I thought we were done with Idol and just like in the Godfather, they pull us back in LOL.


Tonight we begin the new incarnation of American Idol with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan. I have to admit, I have no idea who Luke Bryan is, but he's apparently new and big enough to anchor the "country" side of the weird hydra we will se every week along with a solid pop star from maybe five years ago going through a journey of buzz-haired reinvention (Katy) and an old standard to give us sense of pop music royalty I guess (Lionel).

We're not in Kansas anymore as we'll be seeing the ABC logo every 12 seconds this go-round instead of the familiar FOX chyron in the corner. And Fox is pulling a stunt to battle Idol in the ratings tonight, by throwing an old interview with OJ Simpson from the "if" I did it era where he basically confesses to killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, as if we all didn't know it already. I guess if you don't have a DVR you will be in a pickle, so Fox is counting on those over 50+ Trump supporters to go for mayhem over a glorified karaoke competition.

What is even more bizarre about it, speaking of the Trump era we now live in, is that the world is WAY different from those long ago days of 2016 when we were last here with the show. Here in the midst of the #metoo movement we have allegations against La Seacrest, which caused him to get some shade at the Academy Awards red carpet, and Katy Perry apparently killed a nun? We are living in strange times, Little tasters!


http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/03/11/abcs-american-idol-premiere-soured-by-perry-seacrest-scandals.html

So buckle up, and we will try to get in updates when we can. Now that we have Sling we will be watching this on the ABC app, as we cut the cord since Idol was last a thing, in those simpler bygone days. We live in the future LOL! We hope some of you are still out there ready to share your thoughts and occasional snark with us.

THIS is American Idol! (trying to imagine somebody other than Ryan saying it, after he gets kicked to the curb... maybe Dunkleman?)

What Just Happened?

Trent wins? Wtf?!?!

Okay, I apologize for the extreme animation there, but this was the best representation of how I felt when Ryan announced Trent's name.

Did ANYONE see that coming? Not that I don't think he deserved it, but how did that actually happen? I thought the fix was in!

So I'm so stunned now, I don't think I'll try to post about the entire finale as a whole, which I thought was classy and spectacular, the way it should have been all along (but now I know why they were doing double elimination weeks -- they were saving up the scrilla to pay for THIS).

I thought it was a great show, and hopefully the Little Tasters can chime in and help us unpack all the stars, moons and clovers Idol had for us in there.

But the one thing I WILL address, and if you watched the last emotional moment with Ryan you know what I mean, was his comment, as the screen went to black and the familiar 19 Entertainment logo, that it was goodbye… "for now."

What the hell was that? Did we get punked, America?!!! Is Idol coming back in some way shape or form?

Not that I'm surprised in the least. Well played, Seacrest, well played. We'll see what trickery you have up your sleeve and we'll be ready to snark all over it.

I would love to hear what you guys think! "For now", this is Dr L and K OUT!!!

Mississippi Mudslinging! The South Keeps its Streak Going With These Last Two Idols

Little Tasters! It’s down to the last couple of shows. We’re going to see our last three perform — but one of them will only get one song? What a strange season this has been.

So in the intro we see how they all have the Eye of the Tiger I guess? Then all three take the stage (four, considering LaPorsha’s magical Chia Pet fro, which must have its own zip code now.

So tonight and tomorrow will be at the Dolby Theater. What will Ryan do without his chance to be this generation’s Dick Clark on stage any more?

All the judges come out looking delicious. We find out the contestants will sing their “winning” song, a Simon Fuller choice (I guess this is what Clive traditionally did) and then their choice.

We see Trent’s farm to Idol story, and it has to make you think they had visions of Carrie Underwood when they heard that. He sings Falling. I hate it in the first few bars. Do they think he’s Justin Timberlake? Wtf? Dr. L likes it, she thinks it has the R & B he needs in it. You’re telling me he’s going to be singing this while the confetti is streaming down? They must know already he isn’t going to win. There’s no judging in this round, because remember how Simon would slay the shitty songs?

Looking at the Dolby I remember how you just feel like you’re stacked on top of the balconies below you like in the Matrix or something.

Scott Borchetta has on his Nic Cage jacket again, one of two this millionaire owns (other one is the music has value one). He talks about how Idol will OWN the winner forever Mwah ha haaa! Or something like that.

We see Dalton, probably the only camera-ready contestant left. This sounds more like a winner’s song. But in a weird way the cheesiness also brings more of a suck factor. They really want to neuter any kind of punk-rock spirit he has and make it pop.

LaPorsha talks about how she endangered her child and drove 28 hours to the first auditions. She must be confident she’s going to win, so Social Services won’t come after her. Her song is called Battles - of course it is. (Hey, I just saw Blind Guy Contestant from a few years back out in the crowd — what was his name? Rubbertoe, help!) This song is another supposedly another uplifting song, that really feels like it’s ten minutes long. Holy cow, these all sucked. How did Kelly get the best winner song of all?

So Ryan says when we come back from the break, we learn who gets the boot? Doesn’t that seem especially cruel? “Hey, go sing the song you will do if you win. Oh, and then, immediately find out, you won’t.” We line up our Final Three — and we find out LaPorsha is going to make it, no shit. Idol, thanks for keeping up the mind-games like the old days!!

And her number two is Trent, just as we thought. So Dalton is a gentleman and a good sport, and wishes the others well. I wish him well! He’s definitely going to get a record deal or a TV show and he’s going to do well. I dare say better than maybe whoever wins? That’s the Idol way.

So we go back to the South for an Idol winner one more time, folks. Trent takes the stage for a Melvin and the Blue Notes classic. Dr L thinks he could release this version. It is in his wheelhouse for sure. He knocks it out of the park. The judges love it. But does he have a chance?

We’re back, distracted by JLo’s boobs again. WoW! That must be 5 degrees of Wonder in that bra.

LaPorsha is doing A House is Not a Home. She probably looks the prettiest she has all competition, the whole package is great. She does a good enough job singing the song, but man, I can’t get past the fact that it seems kind of like running the scales as far as her emotion level. They just showed Kelly singing Piece by Piece last night, and that is how you should be doing it. But these folks seem to love it. If you listen to the judges’ comments they kind of echo this, it’s all about being “effortless” or how great Ricky Minor is (which he was) but there were plenty of dry eyes in the house.

So we get to see JLo reading the official edict from Simon Fuller that LaPorsha sgould win — notice how sometimes she or Keith will look down at their “notes” during the show? It’s to make sure they stay on-script.

Is it me, or does Scott Borchetta in this pic look like a creeper photo-bombing Ryan? If you ever watch Mecum Auto Auctions, there are a lot of skeezy guys like that hovering around, watching from the sidelines.

Trent comes back for his final song doing Sia’s Chandelier. What’s with the pewter tips on his jacket lapels? Is this some Star Trek version of what “future” people in 2016 would wear? Weird. He does a good job with the vocal gymnastics, but seems to be inhis head, to me. I can’t imagine the stress he must be under, though. The crowd seems to love it. The judges did too. I hope this country boy can pull a hat trick and win.

Back from break — I’ve been typing and haven’t noticed until now, there’s that russian contestant from about 8 years back. And there’s Haley Reinhart! The crowd is chock full of former Idols!

And then we get LaPorsha, doing Rihanna Diamonds. It is very entertaining watching her pull all her crazy faces out for this one song. To me, this was screechy and maybe the wrong choice? But I predict the crowd and judges will be like OMG!!! This F’ing ROCKED!!!! Let’s see: Well, no standing O. But they are all looking down at their notes, Harry JLo and Keith, so the fix is in. Read the words, puppets! Keith pulls out a nice oblique ski metaphor, kudos to you sir. And I would be remiss without saying, I love the leather jacket Captain America star outfit. JLo talks about going to a LaPorsha show, which I predict will be at a small venue near you with Lee DeWyze opening soon. Harry won’t even comment, beyond the scripted plug for her baby. Touche, Mr. Fuller! That was the coup de grace fro America.

So now it’s all over but the crying. We’ve seen better finales. Was it me, or was there a paucity of “moments” this season, this being a good time to bust one out? But it is what it is. I feel like Trent SHOULD win but won’t, as the fix is in. And maybe it would be better for him if he doesn’t. What do you guys think? We have one more show (not counting when Idol comes back for some “special event” sometime a year or two from now). It has been a fun ride! See you tomorrow, Tasters. Dr. L and K OUT!!!

We're down to the last Three, for the last week!

OK guys, it's coming down to the wire. Only a couple of more weeks and we can put a bow on this thing called Idol, stick a fork in it, it will be done.

We had our Final Four make the trip back home, and it was just as sweet as you might expect. To be honest, I just want to hear them sing, so I sped through this section. If I missed some earth-shattering revelation, please tell me, and I will re-watch the DVR. But I feel good about this choice LOL

I just read that Idol is going to keep up the pace of this season and do a THREE NIGHT FINALE next week -- holy crap! They couldn't spread it out two more freakin' weeks? Ah, well.

So then we get to the rest of the first HOUR of the show, which is the contestants singing the first round of songs dedicated to the hometowns. It cracks me up that Trent picked Tennessee Whiskey -- what does that say about them LOL?

MacKenzie did Hallelujah, and while he did a fine job, Idol has beaten any joy that song has for me out a long time ago. Why does everyone want to do that song? Please, God, let this be the end. I haven't heard "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin as much as Hallelujah in my life, and I love that song.

JLo talked about Dalton being "free" on his hometown song choice, but it was just a-iiight for me.

Again, for complete transparency, I sped past LaPorsha's rendition of Glory, because it is another one of those songs that gets rolled out and suddenly you're supposed to get misty eyed. She did fine, but I'm like, I don't want to hear this again.

MacKenzie gets the boot, as we all knew he would, because they have been pimping LaPorsha as the second coming of Aretha all season. Even he knew it, which was hilarious, Ryan almost seemed irritated that he would expose the charade. Goodbye, skinny glasses kid, at least you have a promising career now.

In Round Two, Dalton did a Springsteen song that was half lame and half great. The judges liked it a lot. Looking back, it was Dalton's high point.

LaPorsha gave a powerful but emotionless performance of Stay With Me, but redeemed herself in my eyes by owning up to not feeling the "desperate woman" message of the song. At least she's honest!

These are songs picked by Borchetta, which is beginning to explain a lot. When Trent comes out doing a Timberlake song Drink You Away, it seems like sabotage. The arrangement is wacky as hell, he never seems to build up a head of steam, and it comes off as spastic. I thought it sucked. But people love him and the judges take it easy.

Keith does a song, and it was OK. He's a good performer, so he can make it entertaining. But I wouldn't rush to pull out Soundhound if I heard it while I was walking through a store and think, "I've GOT to know who does that!"

So now the judge's picks (which can be all over the place). They pick Tears For Fears Everybody Wants to Rule The World for Dalton? What? He performs it like he's Brad Pitt in Twelve Monkeys. What's with the faces? He was singing so low you couldn't hear him half the time. It was just bizarre.The judges pull some technical mumbo-jumbo on him rather than say it sucked (I miss Simon for these moments).

Back from break, Harry holds LaPorsha's baby, and Ryan holds Trent's dog? Where is Dalton's pot-smoking cat? I'm just guessing he has one.

LaPorsha's doing Adele, Hello... of course she is. I don't know if she's going to say she doesn't believe in this song's message too, but she's just as robotic in her delivery. Dalton may come across as bat-shit crazy but at least he feels the songs. The judges give it faint praise, but even they know it was whatev.

So for Trent they pick a song I've never heard, from Parson James (is he a character in that Christmas song that marries the people? Sorry, that was Parson Brown). This has the right soul vibe, and he injects the feeling LaPorsha was missing. Other than this being a less-recognizable song, he does a fantastic job with it. At this point he is the one to beat, in my book. Harry delivers the last critique from Idol on Stage 36.So glad we got to see one last show there a couple of weeks back!

Ryan was a bit emotional as he signs off for the last time from the traditional stage over in CBS Television City. I can't even remember how many times I waited outside that gate in the blazing sun to get in to see the show!

But time waits for no one. We are on to the last week of Idol, with Dalton, Trent and LaPorsha. If I had to predict at this point, I think it would be Trent vs LaPorsha. But crazier things have happened. What do you guys think?

I had to watch this one solo as Dr. L is in Dallas at a convention (not the WWE one next door, but she did get some funny pics). So for the next to the last time, this is K OUT!!!

Quick Post about a great trip to Idol last week

Hey Little Tasters,

sorry I haven't written up the details of Dr. L, Rubbertoe and my trip to Idol last week.

We have been super busy and Dr. L and I caught the flu!

But we're recovered now, just in time for the next speed round of Idol Eliminations.

I'll post more about our trip (Idol changed some things up, and this made for a much better vantage point for us!) but for now, I'll just say it was a great experience, so glad we got to see at least one more regular season episode before the end.

I'm still holding out hope for the Finale!

But the short version is, Adam Lambert was phenomenal, and there were no real surprises for us as far as how the Idols sounded, except maybe that MacKenzie has way more power to his voice than you might expect.

I think maybe we were a little shocked that Sonika got the save, because the word was that Scott Borchetta really wanted Tristan to move forward (and he and Nigel both spent a lot of quality time talking to the judges about SOMETHING).

But all in all the Idols sounded as good as they do on TV. The whole Trent performance with Simple Man really did bring the whole house to tears.

So let's see who gets the ax tonight -- is it going to finally be Sonika's turn? The Idol voters seem to be picking off the girls, so it doesn't look good for her!

We'll catch up with you soon.

Dr. L and K OUT!

A sporadically good night, with some definite highs and a lot of "whatevs"

Idol Top 8 — Duets!!!

Dr. L said Jlo looks like she’s wearing a slip! She probably needs Idol to help hype her cop show (which my buddy Adi created, but still looks like a shaky bet).

The Top 8 roll out. Is LaPorscha’s hair 2x as big as at the start? I read a great article on MJ’s Big Blog about how Scott Borchetta is pimping Tristan:

First up, Trent and LaPorcha. I read that the others were afraid to team with her. Doing See You Again. Personally I like the tone of his voice better than hers. She has the power but it’s sometimes boring. They sound good together. Good song for both of them. They both are sweet and classy.

Next up, Avalon and Sonika. We missed the name of the song, is it Rise Up? Move Mountains? The judges look like someone farted onstage. Not a great song but pretty good harmony. Jlo claims nobody has weakness in their voice — we’ll see when Lee Jean is up. Dr. L said that one was just meh for her.

Scott Borchetta comes on wearing Nic Cage’s snakeskin jacket from Wild at Heart.

They announce MacKenzie and Dalton are doing a lame-ass Backstreet Boys song. I hope to God it doesn’t sabotage Dalton. Maybe this is making panties wet across America but it does nothing for me. It’s like Buddy Holly and Green Day forced to do a song for Community Service. The judges hate it.

Tristan and Lee. Notice Scott threw Lee under the bus for being sick, in case they suck. Doing Aerosmith’s worst song in history. He brings zero believability to the lyrics. Tristan blows him off stage immediately. Who picked these songs? Did Steven Tyler get it in his contract to pimp this song? It already made all the money. She goes off the rails a little at the end. Lots of boos on the critique.

So now we get to the solos — and another bottom 3 sing-off? LaPorsche is up first, with a tear-jerking moment with an old teacher (we get to see her with non-stratosphere hair). OMG, why do they bust out this Beatles song every season? Her outfit made me have an acid flashback to 1973 Patti Labelle on Soul Train. They’ll probably love it, but I can’t wait for it to end. She is a good performer. Keith gets in a shout-out to the late great George Martin, RIP.

MacKenzie makes it into the safe zone. Who knew he was a sports freak? He’s doing the classic Joe Cocker You Are So Beautiful — written by the incredible Billy Preston. (Billy is the one on the left here)

He has one of the best male voices left. This is not bad, kind of like the Lite-Rock version of it. That was probably a good song choice, as Harry said. He should be safe — but is he taking votes away from Dalton?

We are tortured by a montage of other Idols doing the Aerosmith song. Thanks! I’m totally doing a screen-cap of Ryan doing sad-emoji!

Nick Fradiani comes on to remind us who he is. We enjoyed him on last year’s tour way more than we expected to. I still hate that he does the “c’mon!” thing when he sings, but he is a pretty decent singer. He won’t drop out of sight as fast as a Lee DeWyze, but he is far from a Daughtry or even a David Cook. It’s like a special Idol Limbo for being famous and forgotten all at once. Dr L said she liked this song.

So we’re back. Up next is Trent! So glad he made it. He’s a country boy who wants to be a horse? He tells a funny story about how he bamboozled his family about being on Idol. Doing Stand By Me. He has that 60s soul-singer vibe going for him, so this is a pretty good choice. He seems to have gotten more comfortable every show. We thought it was great. Harry was making a strange face! But Jlo calls him a bad-ass.

We get a montage of Ain’t No Sunshine (by the incomparable Bill Withers) as done by many Idols. I wonder how many of us old-timers have watched all the Idol seasons?

So who else is safe? Scott’s girl Tristan makes it. She tells a heartwarming story about her Paw-paw. They seem like a sweet family. She’s doing a Martina McBride country tune, but the key is too low for her — what do you bet she’s building to some bug note at the end (but sacrifices 1/2 of the song to do it)? She does have a great voice, but needs some control — they need to stop going for the bomb notes, and stay in the lane. Keith makes a funny Birdman joke. They treat her with kid gloves — she’s probably safe.

So we have the tension of the bottom 4: who makes it out of the B3? Oh, thnk God it was Dalton. He’s a Texas kid, and his mom was a punk rocker LOL. He’s doing a rocked-up version of Eleanor Rigby, sounds a little like Muse. This was more like the Dalton of old. The arrangement was in danger of overpowering him, but he held on. Keith compared him to a waffle iron, which I never considered but it fits. He got great feedback, it should keep him safe for another run.

So this leaves Sonika, Avalon and Lee Jean. The Vegas line was on Lee Jean and Avalon hitting the bricks, let’s see.

Avalon as a kid was pretty much the tomboy she is today. We learn she has OCD — I had noticed the tic thing but I thought it was nerves. Great parents, supportive. Dr L thinks she has the most interesting voice, and I think of all the Idols she sounds like what’s on the radio. She could be the next Ke$ha, right? But she’s better than that. I think maybe her relaxed style makes it seem like she isn’t as into as the others, so maybe voters lost interest? Harry says it, she has no sense of urgency. She has grown on me, but I don’t know if she’s better than Sonika. Does all this judge advice mean they’ll save her?

After 1 million commercials, we hear about how Lee Jean had to move when he was a kid. Music saved him! He’s a good kid, just WAY too young to be here. Doing Let it Be? This is just bad. The song is too old, the meaning too esoteric for him to grasp, and his voice is just too reedy. How can he not hear how off-ket he is — he’s got that earpiece, right? I like his vampire-hunter twill coat though. The judges start off with the “you’re gone” (but not in so many words) speeches. He probably is.

Last up, Sonika and her boobs — who knew? She’s throwing them out there a little too late?

So her family was musical in a very Indian way — stuff like the harmonium. She’s doing Whitney, oh Lord. Did she already pcik the best song for Elimination, you think? Or is this taking too big a bite…She definitely is hitting the big stuff, after slightly rougher beginning. She looks good up there, and I would say of these three she knocked it out of the park. Harry loved it. So did Keith. Jlo sort of dismissed her, provoking a bit of a bitch face from Sonika. Does Jlo remember her from the cold-blooded stuff back in Hollywood? I always think they make up their mind before the show even starts.

So we kill time while they go through the motions. They kick Lee and Avalon to the curb, so the Vegas odds were dead on. Sonika gets to sing one more week! I don’t think we were surprised at all. Lee Jean is a good kid, but now the balance has been restored to some degree.

What did you guys think? One of the things we were excited about was, we get to see ADAM LAMBERT live at Idol next week! We’ll tell you guys all about it.

Dr. L and K OUT!

Just to keep it straight, here's who we have left:

I'm on board with 90% of these, they all have strengths. But it bumfuzzles me how they can say Lee Jean stays on merit? Who is voting for him? This could be some of the famously tone-deaf America voting with regional pride and not their ears.

Or was it Idol shenanigans to get him on the tour? We'll see tonight!

By the way Tasters, Dr. L, K and Rubbertoe will be in the audience next week for the show, so stay tuned for an in-depth report on what these contestants sound like LIVE!!!

-- K