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MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2005
American Idol from
the perspective of someone who's booked artists at the national-level: who we like in the
competition, what works, what doesn't work, what contestants can do to improve
their chances of success, and advice you can apply to your own performances.
Week Three:
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 (Guest
Judge: Brandy: San Francisco, CA)
Guys: Best bet from tonight's male contestants: Justin Clark.
Beautiful tone & control, but work on stage presence, because we couldn't
remember your name after viewing the tape twice.
Tips for success: Justin sings Stevie Wonder beautifully, but sounds so
much like Stevie, that can work against him (we have a Stevie Wonder
already), so choosing material that compliments his voice without sounding
like an imitation will be key. Justin seems to have a great personality and
we'd like to see him bring
more of it out by working on his stage presence.
Girls: Best bet from tonight's female contestants: Nadia Turner,
because she sings with conviction and has great style, both vocally &
visually. And, she's unique.
Tips for success: Knock 'em dead material could put Nadia in the top 5.
"________________sounded great, so why didn't he/she make it to the next
round?": Didn't see anyone.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: "Good to know." (After a
successful contestant's mother announced, "I done peed my pants!") But guest
judge Brandy nearly made us spit out our Coca Cola when she deadpanned "Please
abandon me as well" after Paula said to Simon, "I'm going to abandon you for
a minute & go to Brandy" (for an opinion on a less than stellar
contestant).
Tuesday, February 1, 2005 (Guest Judge: LL
Cool J City: Cleveland, OH and Orlando, FL )
Guys: Best bet from tonight's male contestants: Anthony Fedorov. While there
may have been technically better voices tonight, Anthony has more presence than
anyone we've seen on the show thus far this season. He also seems like an
"old soul," which should bring something extra to his lyrical
interpretation. Also interesting: Scott Savol. (See "Extra Note" below.)
Tips for success: 1. Both guys should keep training the vocals (but don't
lose focus of the emotion of the lyrics!). 2.We suspect that under Anthony's
specs lies one very cute guy. Contacts will bring him out.
Girls: Best bet from tonight's female contestants: It's a controversial
decision, but Briana Davis. Pat Benatar parlayed her operatic voice into a
very successful rock career, and it will be cool to see what Briana does
with hers. Also interesting: Jaclyn Crum, because we want to see what she
does with this excellent opportunity to grow. (See "Extra Note" below)
Tips for success: 1. Material selection will be key for Briana. Get ideas
from other opera-turned pop singers to choose similar, but not identical
songs. 2. We like Briana's style, but a little less of it will make us notice
Briana and not just the clothes without sacrificing her personal style--and
will get more votes from more conservative viewers. (Think two or three
fashion ideas, not ten.) We especially love the hair. 4. Working on stage
presence and confidence will be key for Jaclyn. Watching live performance
DVDs of people who have it, first with the sound on, then without it, will help a lot.
(We recommend Shania Twain, Jon Bon Jovi, and Celine Dion '96--stage
presence with no dancing required.) Singing in front of people at any
opportunity--without overtiring the voice--will help even more.
Special note about tonight's guys and girls: There were better singers than
the ones we chose, such as Patrick Norman and Vonzell Solomon, but their
vocal style and range was so similar to other contestants thus far in the
competition, they just weren't as memorable. Working on stage presence and
material selection in order to stand out will be key, because we couldn't
remember their names after viewing the show twice. It's not about having
technically perfect vocals; it's about being talented and memorable.
(Examples of talented artists who don't have technically perfect vocals, but
who have personality: Beyonce, Green Day vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong, Elton John,
Billy Joel, Elvis, Janis Joplin. All successful, all unique.)
"________________sounded great, so why didn't he/she make it to the next
round?": We concur with the judges this time but strongly encourage Sarah
Sue Kelly to work toward a career in voiceovers. Despite Simon's mocking of
the profession in Week One, it's extremely lucrative, and a couple of years
of good training could set her toward that path.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: Few things on television are funnier
than hearing the ultra-whitebread Seacrest exclaim a well-timed, hip-hop
style "Yeeah!"
American Idol
Armchair Quarterback
The MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback is intended as commentary and
is not affiliated with Fox Television, American Idol, or its producers or
judges in any way. Tips should be taken as a suggestion only and are not
intended as a substitute for qualified vocal coaching or artist management.
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