Idol Stalker » American Idol Season 8

American Idol 8 Finale Red Carpet Pictures

Jeanne — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:05:32 +0000

There were so many stars on the red carpet last night for the American Idol season 8 finale that I wouldn’t even dream of trying to list them here.

Of course, there were the finalists, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, along with the rest of the Top 13 and judges but the celebrities (and former contestants) came out in droves to see who would win the singing competition.

It looks like season four winner, Carrie Underwood, hurt her knee somehow since she’s got her “owie” all covered up with four Hello Kitty bandaids. She still managed to look absolutely fabulous!

SEE MORE GREAT RED CARPET PICS AFTER THE JUMP!

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American Idol 8 Kris Allen “No Boundaries”

Jeanne — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:58:20 +0000

Kris Allen took a crack at singing the winner’s song “No Boundaries” and he seemed almost as uncomfortable as Adam was at first. He seemed to stumble with the lyrics a little bit I think his performance of the single was the better of the two. He also had some microphone handling issues.

Randy said that Kris should be very proud of what he’s done in this competition and that the song fit his voice better than Adam’s. Kara said that she wants him to be judged on the fact that he’s an incredible artist. Paula said that Kris has done an amazing job and that it’s been one of the most compelling finales. Simon said that watching him tonight has been incredible to think about how far he’s come and that Kris thoroughly deserved to be standing on the stage tonight.

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American Idol 8 Kris Allen “What’s Going On”

Jeanne — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:39:40 +0000

Simon Fuller chose “What’s Going On” for Kris Allen and it he chose start it off with just the guitar and it was really nice. It’s one of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs and I’m happy with what he did with it.

Randy said that they’ve got themselves a real competition right now but felt that the song was a little light for him. Kara said that Kris has been true to himself since day one and she likes that Fuller picked a socially conscious song for someone like him. Paula said that Kris tore the song up and made Marvin Gaye proud. Simon said that the performance was too laid back for a night like this.

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American Idol 8 Adam Lambert “A Change is Gonna Come”

Jeanne — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:32:42 +0000

The second song that Adam Lambert performed was “A Change is Gonna Come” and I think it was a decent choice by creator, Simon Fuller, and he definitely performed it in his signature way. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit when he sang “my change is gonna come.” No further comment

Randy said that the song is an amazing R&B classic by Sam Cooke but Adam showed that he can sing his face off. Kara said that it might have been his best interpretation of a song so far in this competition. Paula said that it was the best she’s ever heard him sing. Simon said that Adam is 100% back in the game.

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American Idol 8 Kris Allen “Ain’t No Sunshine”

Jeanne — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:31:42 +0000

Kris Allen surprised me by choosing “Ain’t No Sunshine” but as soon as he started singing, I remembered how much I had loved the performance. He really is a great singer and artist but I think he should have done “Falling Slowly” (he did “Heartless” too recently, in my opinion). It was a very strong performance but I don’t know if it packed the punch that he needed for tonight.

Randy said that it was one of his best performances on this stage and said that he can already tell what kind of artist Kris is going to be. Kara said that Kris has a way of creating an intimate bond with his audience. Paula said that he has a unique way of performing every song that he sings. Simon said that he wasn’t sure if America had made the right choice when his name was announced last week but that, after tonight’s performance, he took it all back.

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American Idol 8 Adam Lambert “Mad World”

Jeanne — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:20:16 +0000

Adam Lambert kicked off the evening and performed “Mad World” for the second time this season. He came down the stairs looking very vampirish in a long coat and ending in a sea of fog on the stage. It was really effective and I loved every second of it. It was a lot more subdued than the first time he sang the song and I appreciated that change-up.

Randy said that it was great that he showed his sensitive style and gave him an A+ for his effort. Kara said that Adam changed this competition and is a real artist. Paula said he looks astonishingly handsome and that it was a great song for him. Simon said he thought that the first time he did the song, it was his best performance of the season but he thought the coat was overly theatrical and reminiscent of The Phantom of the Opera (Randy said “no, Twilight!).

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David Cook Weighs In On Allen vs. Lambert

Jeanne — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:18:54 +0000

In a very short video, American Idol season 7 winner, David Cook, talked a bit about this year’s finalists, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. I get the impression that David realizes that Adam likely has the upper-hand in this battle and he said that, in order to be in the running, Kris needs to really focus on putting his own signature on the songs he performs. I think that, going into the finale last year, many felt that David Archuleta was a shoo-in but Cook really was a dark horse for most of the competition and then he just came surging towards the finish line. I am trying to remain objective. It’s possible that Kris stands a real chance.

He also said that he and Kimberly Caldwell remain good friends but then the interviewer said that she heard he was asking for Bikini Girl’s phone number and he told her that it’s dangerous to spread rumors like that. No kidding! Bikini Girl might take that seriously and show up on his doorstep!

Would you like to see more? Check out this video of Zack Taylor talking to David Cook, Nigel Lythgoe and Michael Johns about their predictions!

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Conference Call With American Idol Producer, Ken Warwick

Jeanne — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:54:21 +0000

This afternoon, I was able to participate in a conference call with American Idol executive producer, Ken Warwick. I did my best to type out his answers to most of the questions. Here’s what he had to say:

On the reinstatement of the wild card system: Ken says that he feels it will be less boring to go back to using the Wild Card system which allows the judges more freedom to put someone back in the show who maybe picked the wrong song or had an off day during the Hollywood round.

He also said that auditioners are more savvy than they used to be since they know the show so well now. He feels that some people try to "play the game" rather than be genuine during their try-out. Those people turn him off and they try to be careful about weeding those folks out.

Someone asked "is there a change in tone this season?" since there have been rumors that this year will be more "inspirational." Ken said that there will probably be fewer horrible singers shown on television but added that places like Puerto Rico will show that there are still some really bad auditions.

When asked about the new judge, Ken said that Kara is "probably the best qualified person to know what we’re looking for." He praised her for her youth, songwriting skills and singing abilities saying it has added another dimension to the judging this year.

Someone (don’t we all?) wanted to know if the Paula situation has changed their process for letting people through to the judges? They’ve stopped people in the past who seemed like a threat so the actual process hasn’t changed. Ken said he wasn’t "aware that this person [Paula Goodspeed] was a little more than a fan." He said the obsessed fan’s death is unfortunate but it hasn’t changed how they operate the auditions.

He also said that he was in the room when Goodspeed auditioned and does not remember thinking there was a problem. Ken was adamant that Paula Abdul did not ever tell him anything about Goodspeed and how dangerous she could be. He also was very clear that there has never been a discussion about Paula not being a part of Idol and even went as far as to say that he hopes she’s on the show until it goes off the air.

Ken mentioned that they might start doing Idol Gives Back every second year since it’s very difficult to keep the main show’s standards up and prepare for a finale right after the special.

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American Idol Season 8 Schedule Announced

Jeanne — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:30:35 +0000

We are just a few mere weeks away from the American Idol season 8 premiere and I’m pretty excited. As you’ve heard, in addition to adding fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, other changes will be taking place. On Tuesday, January 13 and Wednesday, January 14 on FOX it all begins:

February 11 – Top 36 Semi-Finalists revealed
February 17 – Voting Begins (Tuesday)
March 5 – Top 12 Singers Revealed After Judges’ Wild Card Round (Thursday)
March 10 – Top 12 Finalists Perform for First Time (Tuesday)

The "Hollywood Round" will be extended for an extra week and reintroduces the "Wild Card" episode where the judges will pick three contestants who will round out the Top 12.

Are you getting excited?! I’m really interested to see how all of the changes get implemented

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Awesome American Idol Season 8 Commercial with David Cook!

Jeanne — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:47:14 +0000

Have you seen any of the new ads for the 8th season of American Idol? They feature last year’s winner, David Cook, and it shows him enjoying fame today and then rewinds to the moment he walked through the door to audition for the show. Very sweet!

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