Michael Johns, David Cook Thrill The 'American Idol' Judges

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"American Idol's" tour group - the Top 10 - took to the stage last night. But it was rockers David Cook and Michael Johns, whose performances helped them get a leg up on the competition.

The contenders were asked to sing songs from the year of their birth as the evening's theme and competition was kicked of with 1987 baby, Ramiele Malubay, who sang Heart's "Alone," despite being under the weather.
Even though she was sick, judge Randy Jackson cut her little slack.

"It was a little pitchy, all over the place," he commented.
Jason Castro took the stage next, singing Sting's 1987 song, "Fragile."

"Jason, I think you've had two bad weeks and I think it's time that you start taking this a little bit more seriously. That was the equivalent of someone busking outside of a subway station," judge Simon Cowell said, before telling Jason he could win if he mixes things up.

Another 1987 baby, Syesha Mercado, sang "If I Was Your Woman," originally made famous by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

"This is a good moment for you… I think this is the best I've ever heard you sing, including when you auditioned," Randy said. "I think it was stellar. I think it was unbelievable. I was shocked. I'm lovin' it."

Chikezie, a child of 1985, took on the Luther Vandross favorite, "If Only For One Night."

"Chikezie, I think you sang it well, having said that, I thought the performance was actually very cheesy," Simon said.

Brooke White, born in 1983, took on The Police's "Every Breath You Take," stumbling at first and restarting the song.

"I like that you started it and said, 'Maybe this is not right.' A lot of good professionalism there," Randy said, though he admitted not loving the arrangement. "It was just OK for me, it was alright."

One of the oldest competitors in this season of "Idol," Aussie Michael Johns, born in 1978, sang Queen's "We Will Rock You" combined with "We Are The Champions."

One of the more thrilling performances of the night, the stage was littered with audience members beating their fists in the air to the first part of the song. And he wowed the judges.

"Finally you believe in yourself and you use that big old voice you got," Randy said.

"This was your moment, your shining moment and I'm so proud of you," Paula Abdul gushed.

"Michael, this is the first time with you that I saw star potential," Simon said.

Carly Smithson, who was born in 1983, revealed she was actually named, by accident after Carly Simon, whose music played in the car as her mother was driven to the hospital in labor.

Her song choice for the evening? Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

"You can probably take every song that I'm not crazy about and make me a believer," Paula said. "Carly you could do no wrong tonight."

One of the youngest contenders, 1990 born David Archuleta, took the stage next, performing a song which wasn't a stateside hit - the Australian-penned "You're The Voice."

"David you could sing the phone book and we'd all in love with you," Paula said, but Simon didn't agree.

"I actually didn't like your performance at all. I thought it was actually reminiscent of a theme park performance," Simon said. "It's one of those ghastly songs that you sing when you've got animated creatures dancing around you."

1984 baby Kristy Lee Cook sang "God Bless The USA," and she churned out a performance that - for the first time in weeks - found favor with the judges.

"Kristy, your best performance by a mile," Simon said. "That was the most clever song choice I've heard in years… That's going to keep you in the competition."

Rocker David Cook, born in 1983, took on an acoustic version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," thrilling the fans and judges with his emotive performance.

"You might be the one to win," Randy said.

"David, that was great. It could have either been insane or amazing and I have to tell you, it was amazing," Simon said as the crowd and David's family erupted in cheers.

American Idol 7: Michael Johns Was Born to Be My Baby (I Don't Know About the Other Na Na Na Nine)

if only for one night, if i were your woman 1987, if i was your woman 1987, if i was your woman, if i were your woman, luther vandross

As I mentioned yesterday, tonight's theme on AI is "Songs From the Year You Were Born." I keep wishing that I could sing so that my old ass could get on this show and impress everyone with my stirring rendition of "Bad Bad Leroy Brown." Actually, I would probably pick either "Little Willy" or "D'Yer Mak'er." Or maybe I would show some true originality and combine them for something along the lines of Oh, oh oh oh oh oh, Little Willy won't go-ho ho ho ho home. I promise you all now that you haven't heard the last of me! I will make it to the "Best of the Worst" special next year!

Randy and Paula are both sick and hoarse tonight. Hmm. I wonder if they were making out like there's no tomorrow? I bet Paula has hickeys all over her arms, which is why she's wearing those weird leather "arm casts" with the little wrist tiaras. Where is Christian Siriano when I need him? I can't tell if that look is fierce or if it's a hot tranny mess.

Ramiele Malubay is up first and no one seems to notice that she's dressed like Eponine from Les Miserables. The little twit defies me immediately. Remember when I told her not to sing Heart's "Alone?" Yeah, well guess what she's singing. I mean, guess what she's screaming. Er, I mean, guess what she's screaming off-key. Luckily for everyone, the background singers are really drowning her out during the chorus. The judges all look at her as if she just bludgeoned the Wilson sisters right in front of them. Good for her. This is what she gets for disregarding my advice. Randy immediately brings up Carly's superior version of this song earlier in the season but, surprisingly, no one mentions how Carrie Underwood completely kicked that song's ass during her season. Simon doesn't have much to say. Paula tries to force everyone to take pity on Ramiele because she's supposedly sick too. Wow, THIS IS THE SICKEST TOP 10 EVER!!

Go Jason, go Castro, it's your birthday, it's your birthday! The dreadlocked wonder celebrates his b-day by singing that '80s party classic, "Fragile" by Sting. Uh huh. I like Jason because he has a nice voice, and I'll be damned if he doesn't look more and more like Barbarino every day, but this is just so dull. Why would he pick this song?? One alternate that I almost picked for him was Sting's "We'll Be Together," which would have been much more fun. Anything would have been more fun than this. It's not bad, but he's just like some dude playing guitar in the quad in between classes or something. Randy and Paula are appropriately lukewarm about the performance and offer up a few meaningless words. Simon, on the other hand, is actually helpful and tries to impress upon Jason the importance of taking this competition a little more seriously. When Ryan asks Jason if he's taking it seriously, he does that goofy goober smile that everyone loves and is like, "eeeeee...yeeeeeeeah?" Well, I can't fault him for that. This is American Idol, not SxSW.

Syesha Mercado is up next and out come the earplugs. This will be loud. I almost fall off my chair when she doesn't sing a Whitney song, but quickly regain my balance when I find out that she's doing the Stephanie Mills version of a Gladys Knight song, "If I Were Your Woman." Men, if Syesha was your woman you would surely be deaf by now. Look, this is all in key and she has a nice voice, but I could hear this same performance from about 200 other wannabe divas. She bores me. Randy and Paula give her way too much credit, while Simon gives her just about the right amount by letting her know she's the best so far but that "we're only three in." My thoughts exactly.

Chikezie forgets that he developed a personality over the last couple of weeks and trudges through Brenda Russell's "If Only For One Night." Oh, if only for one night, no one was allowed to sing these cookie-cutter ballads. That would be wonderful. Much like Syesha before him, Chikezie's vocals sound perfectly fine but he is putting everyone to sleep. The Dawg opens with a "What's going down," and you know what that means! He did not love it. Paula talks until it's Simon's turn, and he blasts Ka-cheezy's lack of originality.

Someone finally takes my advice! Brooke White picks one of my "alternate" song selections, The Police's "Every Breath You Take." She has a false start, starts again and it sounds really nice with just her and the piano. Then, in the middle, the band comes in and ruins everything. Randy and Simon both feel the same way. They think she would've been better off just keeping it simple. For some reason, all the judges talk about how wonderful she is for flubbing the beginning. Apparently, starting off on the wrong note and correcting yourself is super-professional and ultra-hip.

Let the drooling begin - it's Michael Johns. He's wearing a skull cap in his pre-performance video. Wow, that's so gosh-darn cute. His baby pictures are cute. He also looks like he has some cute brothers. I bask in the glow of all this cuteness until I find out that Michael is going against my advice and taking on Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions." I'm not mad at him though. He knows he can handle it. I was a little concerned that the judges would give him a hard time for doing this after he already did "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Hollywood week, but as he starts rocking it out I can see that no one is going to have anything bad to say about this performance. (No one who doesn't want me to kick their can all over the place, anyway.) Luckily, he gets away from "We Will Rock You" pretty quickly, because it's not really a good vocal showcase. His vocals during "We Are the Champions" are hot. I always warn these Idols against covering Freddie Mercury unless they're sure they can bring even half of Freddie's charisma, and this is a perfect example of someone who has it. All the judges acknowledge Michael's "it factor" and finally stop griping that he never picks the right songs. The crowd goes wild. The Earth moves. The sky comes tumbling down. My heart starts trembling. My ovaries explode.

Since the AI studio is already a powder keg giving off sparks, it's only fitting that Carly Smithson follows Michael's saucy display with Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Carly gets points for sort of listening to me too, as this was one of my alternate picks for her. (This also fulfills my weekly need for a dose of Jim Steinman drama.) Carly sounds great, as usual, but every now and then even the best singers fall apart, and she really jacks up the ending. She conjures up some weird note that I've never heard in my life and shrieks like she's swinging from a vine. That note is enough to sour Randy and Simon on the entire performance, but since Paula has no idea what notes are, she proclaims that Carly can do no wrong.

David Archuleta sings "You're The Voice," a song no one has ever heard by a songwriter no one knows. Way to go, kid! Actually, he sounds good and I'm glad he did something uptempo. Still, it's just kind of "eh" for me. This is one of those annoying "Life is great, so let's all love each other" message songs that make me want to choke someone. Randy also doesn't like the song but praises David's "mad skillz," while Paula says something that sounds like, "zippity glorp glop." Meanwhile, Simon comes up with one of his best critiques in a while. Not content to stop at the "theme park" comparison, he tells David that this is like some "ghastly song" that you would perform with "animated creatures" dancing around. Heh heh. Yeah, Archuleta Enchanted.

Kristy Lee Cook proves that she's smarter than she looks by deciding to sing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." Is there a more hokey song? I think it might be slightly less hokey than the "Hokey Pokey," but not by much. You put your cowgirl boots in, you whip a patriotic song out, you put your blonde hair in barrettes and you shake it all about. You sing about our country to ensure you don't get thrown out. And that's what it's all about. Simon calls Kristy's song choice "clever," adding that it will definitely keep her in the competition for another week. No kidding.

Closing things out is David Cook, who's not my lover. He's just a guy who says that he is the one who will sing a Jacko song. Well, sort of. David chooses to sing the Chris (yum) Cornell version of "Billie Jean," a move that really irks me. He's becoming too one-dimensional and is turning into Daughtry: Part II. (Except that he actually gives the artists he covers proper credit.) He sounds good, as he always does, but it annoys me that the judges praise him so heavily for being "original" when there was nothing original about the performance! David didn't have to come up with a new "rock" arrangement for the song. Chris Cornell already did it for him. The more the judges blather on about how brave and brilliant David is, the more aggravated I get. It's not that brave or difficult to cover a cover of a cover. It is brave, however, to show your baby pictures on national TV, in which you look like that Batman villain, Egghead.

So, Bottom Three this week? It has to be Jason, Chikezie and Ramiele. Jason is too cute and likeable to go, so it's between Chikezie and Ramiele. Since Chikezie had two good weeks in a row before tonight, and Ramiele's just been kind of floundering, I think she will finally make her exit tomorrow night.

Whatever happens tomorrow night, could someone please make sure Michael finally gets around to singing "Kiss You All Over?" Cut out the damn medley and just let him sing.

open hulu, hula

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The Hulu hullabaloo. Network site goes live today.

By the accounts of some you'd think they were giving away free money over at Hulu.com, the new site from NBC and Fox where a ton of their shows and a bevy of clips can be found - though not for free. You still have to watch ads. Sometimes not that many, sometimes way too many. CBS has not joined the party, but still could. ABC is likely to stay out of that particular game because, well, it's Disney, and there's no sense in mixing with the little people.

Why is this important? Good question. With individual network sites, you can already get much of the content on Hulu. But the real attraction is the deep vault stuff the site has put up (or at least promises to keep putting up, which would certainly add value). Hulu was created to steal some of the thunder of YouTube or, in other words, cut down on the copyright problem, the theft, the incessant need to make sure those pesky kids haven't uploaded precious content for the world to see - commercial free. I'm not a believer that Hulu is going to kill that trade, but at least it offers some options. Better yet, the site is clean, it's pretty easy to navigate and it has many useful features. I think one of the best is the little tool that allows you to not just embed video, but to self-edit that video from, say, an entire episode (though it doesn't always work). I loved "The Tick" when it was ever-so-briefly on Fox, back when they made good shows, so I've taken a quick clip from that show for your enjoyment. It only makes me miss the series even more. Except I've got it on DVD. I don't really need to watch commercials on Hulu to see what I've already seen - twice (at least).

There's already been a ton of hype about Hulu. And there will be more. But here's the thing - it's just a clip and show service. No big deal. No revolution. With YouTube, iTunes and the individual network sites, it's not like there's a real lack of access to back content. And maybe you've already got it on video - commercial free. Yes, if the vaults get opened wider (and CBS joins), Hulu might become more of a bigger deal. As it stands, it's a fun diversion like so many millions of other sites on the web. If you haven't already, take a spin and leave your thoughts. Primarily what I'm looking for are thoughts on these issues:
1) Do you like it and intend to check it out regularly?
2) What did they get right and wrong?
3) Best feature?
4) Biggest annoyance.
5) How can they fix it to be better.

I'll resist the urge to get into my regular rant here about how this doesn't completely revolutionize the future of television - it's just another added option. It doesn't in any way signal that Internet content will kill television because, duh, that content was made by television. But I have to say that watching commercials online is annoying. I don't like watching commercials on any network site, either. But sometimes - like when my TiVo didn't tape "Lost" - those sites are handy to have. That's their real value, commercials or not. But I still prefer to record shows on my TiVo and fast-forward the commercials. Call me old school. Anyway, check it out and report back. Pencils down.

dallas cowboys hitler

dallas cowboys hitler, kissy kapri, superbowl logo, dallas cowboy hitler, youtube, you tube

Two bits of good news for fans of America’s Team. First, Hitler gets to wear that TO jersey with pride because the NFL’s most egotistical WR is staying in Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones plans to pay Terrell Owens’ $3 million roster bonus, which means the All-Pro wide receiver will be back for the final season of his three-year, $25 million contract.

“Yes, we are going to have Terrell back,” Jones said Tuesday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

Jones added that a contract extension for Owens is something he would consider “down the line.”

Owens finished with 81 catches for 1,355 yards and a team-record 15 touchdown receptions.

Sorry Cowboy haters. TO seems to have grown up.

Want some more good news (or bad, depending on what you think of the Boys)? Tony Romo has dumped the blonde.

Dallas Cowboys star Tony Romo has reportedly dumped Jessica Simpson, who was widely blamed for costing him a shot at the Super Bowl.

“Tony is now starting to blame her himself,” a pal told OK! magazine. “Before dating Jessica, he was Texas’ golden boy. Now he’s become a joke.”

A few days after the Giants bounced the Cowboys from the playoffs, Romo called the “Dukes of Hazzard” star to tell her their romance was over.

“He said he thought it was better if they went back to being friends,” a pal of hers said.

Why couldn’t they have had this discussion before the Giants debacle?

pangolins

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Kuala Lumpur : More than 300 pangolins waiting to be smuggled to Thailand were seized by the Malaysian police from a mango orchard in northern Perlis state, media reports said Thursday.

A total of 248 adult and 58 young pangolins - worth $20,588 (70,000 ringgit) - were seized by a team of anti-smuggling unit (UPP) of the Malaysian police in Padang Besar, a border town. The pangolins are anteaters. Some people kill them for their meat.

The pangolins were brought from Kulim in northern Kedah state and headed for Thailand.

After a tip-off, the police team led by Ku Yaacob Ku Hamad raided the mango orchard that was being used as a transit point to smuggle the pangolins, an official said.

The pangolins were wrapped in cloths and stacked inside large plastic baskets.

"The team searched the area for several hours but no one was around," New Straits Times quoted Ku Yaacob as saying.

This was the second biggest seizure of pangolins in the state this year, he said. In September, the police seized 330 pangolins, worth $382,353.

"Smugglers have changed their tactics. Now they store these animals in secondary forests or orchards to evade detection," Ku Yaacob said.

William Hung Dead!!!

Las Vegas, NV - Kitschy American Idol Star William Hung, famous for his botching of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs," was found dead yesterday, apparently of an intentional heroin overdose. The announcement of his death sent shockwaves to the tens of people who still found him funny.

Ironically, Mr. Hung was found by a VH1 camera crew sent to begin filing "William Hung: Behind the 'Music.'" Viacom immediately decided to rename the special: "William Hung: fifteen minutes till death."

Friends of Mr. Hung say he had become despondent in recent days. "I don't know, it's just so sad," said Ming Tse, one of Hung's former classmates at Stanford, "I heard him the other day on Snotbubble's Morning Madhouse; he kept trying to make William say things like 'me so horny' and 'hey sailor' while playing the sound of a bomb falling. I just know William was hurting inside when Snotbubble got him to say, 'you wanna some-e egg foo young-e.' It was so sad. I just think he was tired of the commercialization of it all."

Other friends, who had lost contact with him in recent weeks, feared he was becoming too "Hollywood." "I'm not surprised he was on heroin," said Hung's engineering cohort Melvin Samples, "I mean just two months ago we were out at our usual corner table at Smitty's, and William actually went and talked to some girls. The next thing I know he's doing shots with some hipster guys; they were calling him 'Long Duck Dong' and making him say 'au-to-mo-bile.' From what I hear, it's not a long leap from that to heroin addiction."

Stanford's hippy population immediately misconstrued the situation and adopted Hung's death as a pet cause. "He was a victim of the corporate greed-machine, just like Kurt [Cobain] and Eddie [Vedder, who is actually still alive]," said one dreadlocked mourner outside the engineering department at Stanford University, where a makeshift memorial had been set up, "he just wanted to sing, and Fox decided to turn him into this joke, man, this f****** joke. They just ate him up and spit him out. F****** Bill O'Reily. I think it's because he was against the war." The last comment is apparently in reference to the fact that Hung once answered "no, thank you" when asked whether he was "for or against the war in Iraq."

The Las Vegas police released part of his suicide note. It read, "I have no reason of living . . . my art which is my importance to the best everybody laugh to . . . I make end here . . . goodbye world of cruel."

Although Hung's immediate family disowned him seconds after his appearance on American Idol, it is believed he has an aunt in Toledo, Ohio who will take care of funeral arrangements.

William Hung

william hung, boom goes the dynamite, hung, brothers forever american idol, youtube, william hong

William Hung (Traditional Chinese: 孔慶翔, Simplified Chinese: 孔庆翔, Cantonese Yale: Hung2 Hing3 Cheung4, Pinyin: Kǒng Qìngxiáng) (born January 13, 1983) is a student at University of California, Berkeley who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his off-key audition performance of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs" on the third season of the television series American Idol. In the tradition of Florence Foster Jenkins, he is a member of that strange breed of celebrity that has gained fame not from his talent, but from the novelty derived from his lack of talent.

Originally from Sha Tin, Hong Kong, Hung moved to Camden, NJ, United States in 1993 and graduated from the John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles. He attended UC Berkeley, but after starting his record deal, he dropped out from UC Berkeley and was denied readmission. He attended Pasadena City College during the 2006/2007 academic year. He currently attends California State University, Northridge.


There have been far worse singers to audition for “American Idol,” but for some reason Season 3 contestant William Hung is remembered among the masses as the most futile contestant in series history.

Here’s why they’re wrong.

For starters, no one who’s ever been rejected after an initial “Idol” audition has been recalled as often, or perhaps as fondly, as Hung. And although his accent on Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” was as prominent as his notes were clipped, he actually sang on key. (Seriously! Ignore the windshield-wiper arm choreography and listen to it again. The notes were right; the delivery was just… not as right.)

I’d like to think what endears Hung to the audience to this day is his positivity; so often in the “Idol” audition process, we’re confronted with jerks who confront the judges with violent words or motions after a horrendous audition. Without irony, Hung admitted he had “no professional training.” While some critics cried exploitation—and they have their points—it seemed like everyone in the country the next morning was talking about William Hung and attempting his dance moves.

To this day, people who have never seen an episode “American Idol” know who William Hung is, except, evidently, Todd Packer on “The Office.” Other than maybe Kelly Clarkson and Sanjaya Malakar, I’d bet more non-”Idol” fans know William Hung than any other “Idol” contestant.

Now, I’m not sure to what degree Hung is in on the joke these days—I sincerely hope he is—but at one point he laughed all the way to the bank. It’s likely no one in the history of the show’s earned more cash for his/her audition footage alone. He reportedly claimed a $25,000 check from the music video channel Fuse and sold more than 200,000 copies of his album “Inspiration.” Hung also told People he’d earned $1 million since his first “Idol” appearance. I know a lot of professionally trained singers who haven’t made that much money.

There’s only one William Hung. And no matter what you think of him, the money he’s made or the way he’s been treated, I think everyone can agree that that’s a very good thing.

Also see:
– Top 20 ‘Idol’ Contestants of All Time – Epilogue
-No. 1: Kelly Clarkson
-No. 2: Carrie Underwood
-No. 3: Chris Daughtry
-No. 4: Jennifer Hudson
-No. 5: Sanjaya Malakar
-No. 7: Clay Aiken
-No. 8: Fantasia Barrino
-No. 9: Blake Lewis
-No. 10: Tamyra Gray
-No. 11: Jordin Sparks
-No. 12: Melinda Doolittle
-No. 13: Bo Bice
-No. 14: Elliott Yamin
-No. 15: Ruben Studdard
-No. 16: Katharine McPhee
-No. 17: Taylor Hicks
-No. 18: Diana DeGarmo
-No. 19: Frenchie Davis
-No. 20: Lisa Leuschner