StoneRose Valley My Thoughts, Expressions, and Passions

Once again, it’s that time of year. The Finale of finales’ has arrived.

We have Rod Stewart, Black-Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper, Lional Richie, Keith Urban, Queen Latifah, Carlos Santana, Jason Mraz, and David Cook, all gracing the stage tonight (reportedly).

Right now, we have the top thirteen performing Pink’s “So What”; great to see some old faces-Alexis Grace, for example! That was interesting; hearing the last words uttered by these thirteen contestants “I want to start a fight!”, while all decked out in white….yeah, this is american idol.

David Cook is performing “Permament” in honor of his brother, Adam, who passed away a few weeks ago. All the proceeds from the I-tunes sales of this song will go to charity.
It is wonderful to see David on this stage again…this man, is, IMO, hands-down the BEST american idol winner ever. He is the embodiment of everything that an A-I is supposed to be. He was obviously very touched by this song. That was another thing I loved about DC, the emotion he showed during his performances.

Now we get a tribute…Norman Gentle, anyone?
And I was right, Nick Mitchel, aka, Norman Gentle wins the male contestant tribute. And he takes the stage, singing for us one more time…wasn’t that something.

Queen Latifah is singing “Cue the Rain” with Lil Rounds…this is the kind of music Lil should be singing. But I’m tired of it already; can we move on now?

The top thirteen (minus Adam and Kris) are performing “I’m Yours” now with Jason Mraz; love Alexis Grace, as usual. She and Anoop each got their little solo’s.

Now we watch Kris’ journey through A-I…was so proud of him as I watched this.
We get to hear Kris perform with Keith Urban, “Kiss A Girl”.  These guys sound great together! Great choice putting Kris with Keith. Thoroughly enjoyed this performance.

The girls are performing now. Not liking Megan Joy or her outfit. Allison looks nice; Jasmine is darling! And Allison introduces Fergie…not one of my favorite singers out there. Now that number is over; Allison introduces Black-Eyed Peas. A-I blacks out a bit of the number…and when they brought it back, I changed the channel.

Back to the “Golden Idol”; tribute to those with the “best attitude”. Katrina; Tiffany Shedd; another girl in there; are the contenders….but the winner is Katrina. Yeah. Wasn’t a fan of her, either. So, once again, the channel changed.

Allison Iraheta takes the stage with Cyndi Lauper, singing “Time After Time”. Great performance by Allison. There’s something about this night; maybe because it’s no longer a competition, but more a time to have fun. Just much more relaxed.

Ryan talks with both Kris and Adam’s parents.

Back to the stage is Danny Gokey, singing “Hello”. Awesome song-one of my fav’s ever since DC did it last year. Danny’s performance is no David, but still quite enjoyable. Good song for him. Now Danny introduces Lional Richie for their duet; they’re doing a medley of Richie’s songs. Loved this! Also, this was the sort of music Danny said he wanted to do. I would definitely buy his album.

Now we get a glimpse of Adam’s journey….What in the world is he wearing?! That was a boring song….Now he’s singing with Kiss. All I can say is…did we just get transported to the circus?! These people are seriously disturbing. But Adam fits right in. I can’t say anything more about this. The scream in the middle didn’t even sound like it fit in the song, but it was like they said, “oh, we have to put an Adam signature scream in”, and so did. Just weird.

Guitar legend Carlos Santana is performing “Black Magic Woman”….we hear an awesome solo by Matt. Now we get the top thirteen for “Smooth”. Adam heads the group up; Jorge follows with some creepy moves; and then some awesome solo’s by Kris and Danny. Great number! Absolutely loved it!

Ryan promises the results soon. Final Ford Music Video…nice one; featuring clips from all the video’s this season…the song is “I Will Remember You”. David Cook shows up to hand over the keys for the guys new Ford Fusions….man, I need to get on this show.

Steve Martin, Megan Joy, and Michael Sarver are all on-stage singing “Pretty Flowers”…Steve with a banjo. What is this? Hilarious…my fam called it the “Clampett’s”. lol  Enjoyed Micheal…but he and Megan didn’t sound good together…I think that was Megan. Steve slips in a joke; when asked who he hope’s is the winner after tonight, Steve replied “I know it’s kind of a long shot, but I hope I do!”.

The guys from the top thirteen are back singing a pretty cool (and a bit funny) version of “Do You Think I’m Sexy”. Adam introduces Rod Stewart  after the guys are finished. Stewart is singing his “Maggie May”.

Last Golden Idol of the evening we are told…”Outstanding Female”….nominees are Chelsea, Irene, Dana, and Tatiana Del Torro. Tatiana is going to win this one….I was right. Of course, there’s a lot of drama here; Ryan says he’s out of time and has to cut to the commercial…Tatiana forces her way on stage, grabs the trophy and bursts into song…some escorts try to get her off-stage, but we cut to the commercial before anything else….this was so totally staged.

One of the best numbers tonight, Kris and Adam sing “We Are The Champions” together. Queen joins onstage with the guitar. The top thirteen join the chorus. Must be nearing the very end. Love watching the comraderie between the two guys as they share the stage here at the end. These guys sounded great together.

Soon, we will hear the results. My guess is that Kris wins….but it really could be either of them.

Simon said that either one could win and deserve it. 100 million votes…wow.
And the winner is….KRIS ALLEN!!!!! So totally deserved…and he still remains humble.
The judges make me so embarrassed…they really had a look as if to say “this is SO wrong”. I think Kris has shown amazing artistry this season; consistently growing each week, more so than any other contestant.
He sings once more “No Boundaries”…I like him singing this; and despite what others say, calling it a ‘corny’ song-I like it. Afterwards, before the station cuts, we see Kris locked into a hug with his wife. This man is amazing, I’ll say it again.

And so ends another season of american idol. I have to admit, I’m relieved that I don’t have to keep up with this show twice a week anymore. It will be nice to have my Tuesday and Wednesday evenings back.

“American Idol Hall of Fame”

Kelly Clarkson
Reuben Studdard
Fantasia Barrino
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Hicks
Jordan Sparks
David Cook
Kris Allen

“These names will go down in musical history as some of the best. Congratulations to each of you. And welcome to Kris Allen. Sometimes, slow and steady still wins the race.”

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music

Yes, the long-awaited night has finally arrived. We have Adam Lambert and Kris Allen here at the end.

Again, each guy gets to perform three songs; their favorite of the season, Simon Fullers’ pick, and the coronation song written by Kara DioGuardi, “No Boundaries”.
Carrie Underwood is also scheduled to perform tonight; her hit-Idol-boot-off song, “Home Sweet Home”.

I already posted spoilers; check them out.

Adam Lambert is back with “Mad World”. Good choice…creepy entry with all the fog and green glow…Steller vocal-his best to date, IMO.

Randy said, “this is it. We’re down to the wire. You’re showing your sensitive side. That performance…I’m giving you an A+!”
Kara told Adam, “I’m so happy you chose that.  You rocked it again tonight”.
Paula said she was “unbelievably proud. This is your moment. Brilliant job”.
Simon called it all “a little bit over-theatrical, maybe it was the coat. Reminded me of Phantom of the Opera”.

Kris Allen is performing, once more, his incredible hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine”. I absolutely love this song! I’ve said it before, this guy is so moving. I love the ambiance of his voice; the incredible way he has of touching your very soul with his music.
I love this ending! This has got to be among my all-time favorite A-I moments.

Randy loves that he can “tell exactly what kind of artist you are. One of your best ever on this stage!”
Kara said she had “to agree with Randy. If Kris doesn’t move you, there’s gotta be something wrong with you! Kris, you have a way of moving and touching everyone who hears you”.
Paula thinks Kris leaves his “trademark on everything [he does]“.
Simon reminded everyone that “this is a competition. I wasn’t sure when your name was announced. I absolutely take all that back after that performance”.

Simon gave Round One to Kris.

Adam Lambert starts Round Two with Sam Cooke and Patti LaBelle’s “A Change is Gonna Come”. I could envision this being performed at Vegas….maybe a couple years back. Good, but rather old-fashioned in my taste.

Randy called that song “an amazing R&B classic. You showed the real reason you’re here; you can sing your face off; unbelievable!”
Kara declared this Adam’s “best performance and interpretation from the beginning. [That's your strong point], using both sides of yourself”.
Paula was ecstatic; “best I’ve ever heard you sing! Ever, ever, ever! You looked like a superstar up there”.
Simon told Adam “you are 100% back in the game; congratulations”.

Kris Allen is singing Simon Fullers’ choice, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. Great song for Kris. Allows him to show off his individual artistry and phrasing that is so unique to him. Also his instrumental talent-playing his guitar. He accompanied himself on the piano with “Ain’t No Sunshine”.

Randy was excited, “we’ve got ourselves a real live dual competition; I love it! A little lite for this room and competition though”. Come on, Randy! Kris had no say in choosing this song!
Kara told Kris, “you have not wavered. You’re the kind of artist who makes people look, feel, and change!”
Paula declared Kris had “made Marvin Gaye proud!”
Simon said it was somewhat “like three friends in their bedroom, strumming along to Marvin Gaye. Too laid back for a night like this”.

Simon gave Round Two, hands down, to Adam.

Adam Lambert is first up to sing Kara’s new song, “No Boundaries”. I really like the song. Not a great fit for Adam’s voice, though. Well, the verse wasn’t…I was going to say the chorus was a better fit; but there were some off notes there. This really doesn’t sound right. I know that I don’t usually like Adam, so you’ll say ‘no surprise’, but I really don’t like this at all.

Randy said, “Dude, you can sing the phone book….that was not my favorite, just alright. It was a little pitchy”.
Kara told Adam, “I’m moved and proud. Thank you for giving me that moment here at the end”.
Paula was, as usual with Adam, tearing up. “Can’t express what you’ve brought to this show here in season 8. I’ll be a fan forever”.
Simon, choosing to ignore the pitchiness, IMO, said “I’m not going to judge that song, I’m going to judge you. You are one of the best contestants found so far. Congratulations”. What, Simon! You who never fail to mention pitchiness or when an artist is off-key…no mention of it here?!

Have to give Kudos to Randy for speaking the truth. It WAS pitchy. Quite dissapointing; obviously pitching for Adam here…is it just because Simon doesn’t want to lose face after he, once again, declared the winner (Adam) before-hand?

Kris Allen also gets his turn to perform “No Boundaries”. I like the beginning of this one much better. Was a note in there that sounded a bit off to me…nothing like Adam’s though. Did he forget his line? Excepting that, this is really, really good. My sis-in-law liked the musical arrangement of Adam’s song, but agreed with me that Kris was much better.

Randy told Kris “you should be very proud of what you’ve done in this competition. You’re an amazing competitor. I think that song fit your voice better than Adam”.
Kara thought “that song was a bit high”, but wants Kris to be judged on his overall performances throughout the season. “You are an incredible artist”, she commented on how he’s grown better and better from week to week”.
Paula said he did an “amazing job. This has been one of the best show-down’s”.
Simon again, thought that Kris’ “highlight was your first. Watching you tonight has been incredible. You have thoroughly deserved to be standing on this stage tonight”.

Honestly, it almost seemed like they’re were giving Kris the “good job, but you’re going home” speech. I totally call the last round Kris’. Was pimping still going on tonight?
IMO, Kris was the best tonight…we’ll just have to see if the majority of voters agree with me or not.

As the show closes, we get to hear Carrie sing….with the TV cutting out before she’s done. Oh, well. Was great to see Carrie again.

Numbers to call are: 1-866-IDOLS followed by

For Adam Lambert: 01, 03, 05,

Kris Allen: 02, 04, 06

Of course, it being the last voting night of the season, I have to add a poll. What do you think?

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Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music

Here we are; the last chance to perform for the title. Who will win? I think it’s gonna be extremely close (no-duh!).

Some spoilers I gleaned from MJsBigBlog today…..
Performing first, Adam Lambert is said to be singing “Mad World” as his personal choice; while Kris Allen chose “Ain’t No Sunshine”. All I can say is ‘way to go, boys!’ They each chose their best songs of the season…question is, can they top them, or will it be just another re-run?

Both guys will be performing a song chosen by Simon Fuller….and the new coronation song, “No Boundaries” written by judge Kara DioGuardi, and co-written by Cathy Dennis and Mitch Allen. This will be cool.

Carrie Underwood is set to take the stage as well, with her hit “Home Sweet Home”.

Tomorrow night, we will see all of the top thirteen group return, singing (reportedly) Santana’s “Smooth”, and Pink’s “So What”.

Also reported for tomorrow night is Cyndi Lauper (possible duet with Allison), Queen Latifah, Black-Eyed Peas, Lional Richie (possible duet with Danny), Keith Urban (possibly the duet for Kris), Carlos Santana (to perform on his hit with the top thirteen), Jason Mraz, and David Cook (performing “Permanent” in honor of his brother, Adam-all proceeds from I-Tunes sales to go to charity).

That’s all I have for now…come back when the show starts, as I will be blogging live! See you then!

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music

Over 88 million votes were cast we are told….that’s a lot of votes.

Love the dogs on the Ford Music Video; Break My Stride.
Alecia Keyes introduces Noah from Africa…missed where. This kid is so cute, and has a lot of energy.

We are promised a glimpse of the hometown visits after the break.
We will also see Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry tonight.

Danny got to hang out with his friend, Jamar Rogers, when he visited his hometown. He got quite a reception. We are reminded that Simon called one of his performances a “vocal masterclass”. Very impressive.

Kris gets free cheese dip for life…that’s the first time I’ve heard that one. Watching Kris’ homecoming…this guy really is the winner in this competition as far as I’m concerned. The depth, the growth this young man has exhibited during this competition is incredible.

Next, Jordin Sparks and the results.

Who is leaving tonight? I think it will be Danny, unfortunately. He did have the best song of the show last night; maybe just not enough at this point.

Back to Jordin Sparks, singing her new single, “Battlefield”. She looks a lot older, not too surprising since she’s about 19 now, versus the 17 we saw her win season seven. Like the song…but not such a fan of how she looks. Lost a lot of her sweetness, it seems. Just like Kellie Pickler.

Adam Lambert…his visit home was to San Diego. They visited his childhood theatre group; I’m sure he is an inspiration to those children. The judges thought Adam deserves a spot in the finale.

We have to sit through Katy Perry before we can hear the results…she’s doing her latest single; I actually couldn’t stand to watch it.

Kris Allen is competing next week; he made it into the finale! Yeah!
Adam Lambert is also in the finale. I am so very sorry to see Danny go; extremely talented man. We get to hear “You Are So Beautiful” again…he has a really pretty falsetto!

Simon said we might have a big “ding-dong” next week with Kris in the competition. We’ll see.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Music, Quotes, Video's

Early spoilers say that Danny Gokey will be singing “Dance Little Sister” by Terrance Trent D’Arby, and “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker. Adam Lambert is reported to have “One” by U2 and “Cryin” by Aerosmith up his sleeves….and Kris Allen is singing  “Apologize” by OneRepublic, great pick for him, and “Heartless” by Kanye West.
Looks like a pretty good group of songs, playing to each of their strengths quite possible.

Each contestant sings a song chosen for them by one (or two) of the judges. Each picks a song themselves to perform.
We will also see Jordin Sparks return to the A-I stage…tomorrow night. Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Polls

After missing nearly two weeks, I’m back…got caught up listening to last nights performances. Thought Danny was AMAZING!!!!! Except for that last note-that was terrible. But the rest was so-awful good!
Wasn’t feeling Adam…usual for me. He did good though, I guess.
Kris wasn’t spectacular like I’ve come to expect…but still good.
I think Allison is in trouble.
Loved Danny and Kris’ harmonies…spectacular.

On another hand…Have you heard Daughtry’s new single? Check it out while you still can.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Video's

The disco week is here! Still, not really excited about this, contrary to Ryan calling this night a “very exciting week”.

We still have seven contestants due to Matt’s win of the save last week (great performance!), so two will be leaving tomorrow night.

Lil Rounds is singing “I’m Every Woman”. She definitely is getting better at picking her songs. That Lil with the big voice we heard in the beginning of the season is back. I really didn’t have any complaints to make.

Randy said it “sounded so wild; still didn’t show us what kind of artist you are and what you can really do in this competition; or your vocal control”.
Kara told Lil, “we’ve all been waiting to hear you sing Chaka Khan…maybe not worth the wait”.
Paula told us that Lil had “no voice yesterday; I applaud your recovery. You were hot tonight, but maybe not boiling; remarkable recovery though”.
Simon thinks this is the “last week for you. There was no originality; the arrangement, vocals were a mess”.
I think the judges were all way too harsh with Lil tonight. It’s like they’ve made up their minds that she just has to go no matter what.

Kris Allen chose “She Works Hard For The Money” by Donna Summer. Interesting choice; I gotta say I love the stage setup. Reminds me of Katherine McPhee’s “Black Horse and The Cherry Tree” several seasons ago. No one can complain that this isn’t original. Has Kris written all over it. That last phrase was fantastic. Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Polls

Well, here we are again. Another results show. Who’s leaving? I’m going to say either Lil or Matt….I hope it’s not Matt.

The top seven performed ‘She’s A Maniac’ by Hall and Oates. I have to say I LOVED this group number. Especially Kris, Anoop, and Matt’s parts. Have to say I wasn’t a fan of Adam, Danny, or Allison on this one…

I missed the Ford Music Video this week…my TV completely lost the signal. If you missed it like me, catch it here.

Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Quotes

It’s the night: Songs of the Cinema! And we have Quentin Tarantino working with the contestants. I’m not expecting him to be lenient with them.

Missed the intro due to my TV not receiving the channel correctly…same ole’ story.

OK, so same format as always, right? I’ll sum up my thoughts on a contestant, tell you what they’re singing, and what the judges said. After that, I’ll share which were my favorites, and who was a dissapointment. And finally, I’ll include a poll or two at the end…a little interaction, since you all are scared stiff to leave any sort of comment…lol

Allison Iraheta picked, from the movie Armaggedon, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”. My initial thought: Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Music, Polls

Well, wanted to let ya’ll know that I will not be blogging live tonight during the results show. I have been so overwhelmed by what is going on in my life (mostly finishing up this semester of school) that the idea of having to keep up with the live posts is exhausting. I’m also in the process of determining whether the live posts are even worth it. I don’t really get to think about the show and share all my thoughts and expressions about it when posting live…so I’m thinking about returning to last years no-live-blog, at least on the results show. I’d love to hear any feedback you have on this choice! If I don’t hear anything, I’ll assume you don’t care (likely!) and will lean on my own better (hehe) judgement.

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Now, after the results show; here are my thoughts.
Frankie’s appearance was pretty hilarious!

The top eight performed…whatever it was. I didn’t like Matt’s part in the song; but loved Allison. Excepting her, overall, honestly, it was forgettable.
Loved the behind the scenes of the ford Magic Show video. Especially Scott’s imitation of Simon.  The video, featuring the song “Circus” turned out quite well….I’m just getting bored with the whole magic show theme that they come up with every season.

Based on performance, I would have put Scott, Lil, Kris in the bottom three. I expected to see Scott, Kris, and Anoop instead. I was wrong there. Was rather surprised–no, very surprised to see Kris safe.
I could just about slap Ryan for being so mean to Matt. And although I thought deserved, I was surprised to see Lil in the bottom three. Maybe it will be a wake up call for her; she just really needs to make wiser song choices.
I think Scott, based on the performances last night, should have gone, so I can’t say I’m upset. But he is an amazing young man. He mentioned in his farewell video that he hopes he “can be an inspiration to a lot of people”, and I think he has. Paula called him, and I totally agree, “an inspiration to the entire world through his commitment and talent, and one classy gentleman”. And his quick sense of humor each week will be missed.

As far as the guest artists went…

Not a fan of Flo Rida; never been a fan of rap, punk, or hip-hop. Also didn’t like the suggestive dancing. So no surprise that my TV found itself changing the channel during his performance.
Cute and bizarre Kellie Pickler made her way back to the A-I stage. But as I watched, I was quite sorrowful; it didn’t look or sound like Kellie. She reminded me greatly of Dolly Parton. I think the old Kellie I knew and loved is gone. Probably for good.
So nothing remarkable about this week. Except for the fact that the judges very nearly used their save on Scott. Unfortunately for him, nearly wasn’t enough. But maybe he can be comforted by the fact that he came further than anyone else so far.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized, Verses, Video's