Living like you mean it.

Surfing through the internet, I learned that Kris Allen has finally released his debut single.

Is it just me or does it feel like it’s been ages since Kris actually won American Idol? Maybe I just haven’t been interested in what he’d come up with. I actually thought I had him pegged. I figured him to be the “one hit wonder” kind. He’ll do better than Taylor Hicks but couldn’t possibly be as big as David Cook — or maybe even David Archuleta. As for his songs, I had a feeling it was something I might not be compelled to upload to my Ipod.

Listening now to “Live like we’re dying,” Kris Allen’s debut single, it’s not really half as bad. It’s got a catchy tune and good lyrics. Of course, it’s nowhere near David Cook’s “Light On” but I suppose it’s apples and oranges, right? Although, if it’s good, whether it’s an apple, an orange or even durian (a smelly locally grown fruit which has a large following, despite its popularity for being a cause of increased blood pressure), it’s bound to be a hit, right?

The song seems like it’s headed for the charts. But I still wouldn’t discount the “one hit wonder” thing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Kris Allen. I think he’s an all around OK guy. I just wouldn’t have figured him to be an American Idol is all I’m saying. Well, I guess we’ll just wait and see. For now, though, the future looks bright for Kris Allen.

Anyway, here’s the single, uploaded by zenvirgil on youtube.

Enjoy!

Kris Allen – Live Like We’re Dying

 

On the brighter side of things…

Ellen DeGeneres joins American Idol as the fourth judge.  I totally love Ellen and her sense of humor. I have no doubt that she’ll do well in the show, even as she manages to pull the ratings up. I just hope she doesn’t start talking gibberish like Paula Abdul did. I’m already excited about the new  season, even though it’s still next year.

 

Not another American Idol post!?

You got it! It’s another post on American Idol and about who got kicked out. All I can do is apologize now. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.

Anyway…

Since the four judges had agreed last week to save Matt Giraud from elimination (a very generous save, if I may say so), two idol hopefuls had to be booted from the show tonight. Sadly, those two were Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai.

After being hailed as one of the powerful singers in the contest, Lil Rounds still has not gotten around to showing her true personality. That’s a sad thing since it cost her the chance to become the next American Idol. She could have been a force to reckon with. She truly had a great voice. But lacking in creativity, it was no surprise she received the lowest number of votes. In fact, I had been anticipating early on when she would be leaving the show. Having seen the show since Season 3, I think true artistic sense shows very early on. In Lil’s case, her artistry was not enough, unfortunately. I suppose if she had been part of the earlier seasons of American Idol, perhaps season 1 or 2, her performance would have been acceptable. But the thing is, the show has evolved from just altering portions of a song to show some creativity. American Idol has already seen the likes of David Cook who can change an ordinary pop-ish tune to something even spectacular. That’s what Lil had to compete against. And her struggle against it was quite feeble.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t quite agree with the way America treated Anoop Desai. He has truly been performing well these last few weeks. In fact, even better than Matt Giraud had been, in my opinion. To tell the truth, after last night’s performance, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Ryan Seacrest announced that tonight was the end of the road for Matt. But, as has been observed in previous seasons, America votes in mysterious ways, or rather, for mysterious reasons. Why Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry never even got far (maybe except for Christ Daughtry, he was on the top 3, after all) in  the show is still mind-boggling. But I suppose, Matt has something going for him, even if it’s just a small thing against Anoop. Matt has a little bit more charisma, I would think, than Anoop. I say “a little bit” because if Matt had more than that, he wouldn’t have kept landing in the bottom three for the past weeks, even if he didn’t really perform up to par. But I hope Anoop gets another chance at his chosen career (at least, chosen for now). I really see some good talent in him.

Meanwhile, I hope Matt realizes just how very lucky he is and start to get his act together before it’s too late and Kris Allen or Adam Lambert has already been declared the new American Idol.

*Photos courtesy of americanidol.com

 

Salvation is his

With just one save in this season’s American Idol, is Matt Giraud really worth saving? Can he actually bring it?

I must admit, when I saw the auditions for this season’s Idol, Matt Giraud caught my eye. Aside from his uncanny resemblance to Josh Lucas (which automatically makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama along with Reese Witherspoon), he’s got a Justin Timberlake vibe that has been missing in the history of American Idol. I thought that he could actually be the next winner. After all, the show has spawned pop stars and a rock star. Giraud’s RNB and Soul vibe should be what Idol needs at this point. I mean, how many pop stars can you really stand?

Unfortunately, however, Matt has only shown so much of his artistic talent. Sure he can sing — so could the others who auditioned for the show. Well, most of them, probably. But the point is, at this stage of the show, when we’ve almost seen all, the contestants need to show more than just their voice. They’ve got to show creativity. Matt has, however, almost failed in this aspect. I say ‘almost’ becuase he’s had sporadic magical moments. Like I said, he’s shown just a little of his creativity. He’s not really consistent. So, how can we be sure that he’s really gonna bring it after having been saved by the Idol judges?

I have nothing against Matt. In fact, I actually like him. I know he’s got it in him. But at this point, faith in the unseen is not really enough. This is the time where we say “to see is to believe.” Or in case of American Idol, ‘to hear is to believe.’ I would really love to prove Simon Cowell wrong: that Matt Giraud could possibly be the next American Idol. But with his song choices and performance, the way I see it, Simon Cowell could be right. If Matt doesn’t up his ante, he’s definitely not going to go far with the show.

 

It’s that time of the year again!

“This! is American Idol!” At least, that’s how Ryan Seacrest says it.

The start of every American Idol (since after Carrie Underwood’s time) reminds me of my past, filled with intricate details which I would not freely divulge here, if only for fear that it would incriminate me (hehe). But reminiscence of my past is not the only reason why I patronize the show. It’s reality tv, after all. Who wouldn’t get hooked?

There is something different about American Idol that separates it from the other reality shows. I suppose it speaks to the frustrated singer in all of us. Who hasn’t dreamed of making it big in the music business? I would guess that at least 6 out of 10 people have had aspirations of being in a rock band or something to that effect. I, myself, have had that dream once upon a time in high school — which I’d thought wasn’ too long ago but apparently is that long ago. I wasn’t the lead singer though, god forbid! I merely played the guitar. Our band lived a very short but happy life, limiting our performances to the 4 corners of the canteen and the confines of our bedrooms, often joined by liquor and cigarettes. Ahh, those were good times….

I suppose what really makes American Idol appealing is the fact that we can freely criticize the contestants without fear. After all, our words could not possibly hurt as much as those spoken by Simon Cowell. And whether we like it or not, we — or at least I — would readily admit that he does play a big part in the show. Despite those times when Simon Cowell would have deserved the harshest punishment for his wicked words, he gives the show life. I mean, if all we really heard from the judges were “that wasn’t so good” or “you’re not what we’re looking for” and all sorts of kind rejection, the show would have probably ended by its third season. Admit it, part of the reason people watch the show is to wait for Simon Cowell say something absolutely despicable. Or maybe, despite his character, some people have really gotten around to liking him, even crushing on him. I think he’s funny. He’s really got a strange sense of humor — I suppose it the british in him (hehe).

Now, however, they’ve added a fourth judge. I wonder how that will work out. I would have stopped at three, it is a dynamic number after all. And besides, isn’t it quite late in the day to change something about the show after it’s proven to be a hit, especially now that I’ve heard them say that this might be their last season.

In any case, this season will be exciting, I’m sure. At least, I’ve got something else to keep my mind off that Twilight fever…