Simon Cowell Blasts Prince

I found this bit of news interesting.

AMERICAN IDOL judge SIMON COWELL has turned his famous barbed comments on PRINCE after being appalled by the pop superstar's surprise performance at the show's finale last week (24MAY06). The PURPLE RAIN hitmaker took to the stage at the Kodak Theatre for a quick run through two new songs before dashing off, refusing to meet the Idol contestants or greet the audience. Idol host RYAN SEACREST has since reported that he feared Prince would be a no-show - because he appeared just minutes before he was due to hit the stage. And Cowell insists Prince's attitude isn't one he'd like Idol winners to display at any time in their career. He says, "It just tells you how selfish he is. He comes on, not a word - 'I'm not gonna sing with anybody else, I'm not gonna say goodbye.' Thank you for your generosity, Prince."

Online Spiritual Resource

I am always on the lookout for great online resources for spiritual growth, and one of the most helpful and interactive is mytj.org. This online journaling and Bible study website comes from a great church near Dayton, Ohio, Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church. Check it out by clicking on the title of this post, and let me know what you think.

No More Idol

American Idol has officially finished it's run in the United States this year. It was a great few months, but it had to finish. Taylor Hicks is the portrait of the American dream, and I'm glad I was able to witness it. We don't always get to see positive things on television these days, so it was a refreshing time for me as I hope it was for you. I can't wait for the next season, maybe there will be a U2 episode. :)

So you're probably wondering what this website will contain now that American Idol is over. From the start this blog was created to share things that you normally wouldn't be able to see or hear about on television or radio. Everything from God to politics to technology will be discussed. I hope you continue reading, commenting, and voting in the tommybailey.com polls. Here's to the blogoshpere.

If you want to here the studio version of Taylor's new single (which is not a true representation of the kind of music he will be doing, but I digress) click here.

Worst Idol Moment in History

Soul Patrol

American Idol Finale Here We Come

Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll!!
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Well, tonight was fun. Katharine and Taylor started the show off with some uptempo numbers. Kat didn't choose the best song of the bunch, it was still okay, but didn't show any enthusiasm or greatness. Taylor stole the first part of the show with Living For The City, he can truly sing and perform. Excellent. The second round went well, Talyor's tune Levon was one of my favorite tunes of the season, but I'm not sure it was the best pick for the finale, still great though. Katharine knocked it out the park with Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

The third round was an altogether different affair. Katharine's song My Destiny was possibly the worst song I have ever heard. I think I've heard better songs on the Mickey Mouse club. She was jipped. Taylor's song wasn't good either, but it didn't matter. He made the song his own and really made it shine, he rocked the house. My thoughts going into the third round revolved around the fact that all throughout the season Taylor always took a song and really sang it from deep within, and made the song all his own. That's his gift and he used it tonight. Go Soul Patrol.




In other news...
My girlfriend and I are hosting and American Idol Finale party tomorrow and our local Fox affiliate got wind of it. They are bringing a camera crew to the party tomorrow. Pretty funny. Go Soul Patrol.

Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll!!

Songs for Tonight

I got wind of the performances that Taylor and Katherine will be doing tonight. It's going to be a great night:

Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks will each sing 3 tunes tonight at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Taylor will sing Levon by Elton John and Living for the City by Stevie Wonder. The new song he will sing which will become the Idol single is called Do I Make You Proud written by Tracy Ackerman, Andrew John Watkins and Paul David Wilson. Paul Wilson and Tracy Ackerman have worked with Lisa Stansfield, Al Green, Tina Turner, the Spice Girls, and S Club.

Katharine will sing the two songs she performed, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. The single she will perform is called My Destiny.

King of The Hill---At church?

Some of you may be familiar with the television show "King of The Hill". It's a satirical look at middle America. Typically, the show revolves around the Hill family through typical middle class American issues. I thought this episode had some interesting things to say about the contemporary church and the way the Hill's dealt with it. It's very interesting.

The DaVinci Code

I saw the opening of the DaVinci code last night, and enjoyed it. The film was an adaptation of the DaVinci Code novel by Dan Brown. I've always wondered what the big fuss was over the book due to the fact that it was fiction, and now I understand...somewhat. I can understand how the Catholic church is up in arms over this film, but it's fiction (with some interesting factual historical events). Anyone with a penchant for history will enjoy this movie.

It was also refreshing film to watch. It was a thriller, but with a more melodramatic pace, and no glitz and glamour. I didn't see anything Oscar worthy (other than Screenplay), but it was enjoyable.

This is the theatrical trailer if you wish to view it:

Elliott is Out

Elliott is out.

After watching his homecoming video and his "Bad Day" exit video, I felt a saddness rush over me. But it's gone now, so we can move on to next week. Taylor and Katherine.

With the voting being so close this week, the real question is: Who will get Elliott's votes? Is it Taylor? It could be, Elliott seems to choose songs that have a "soul" vibe in them. Is it Katherine? Although he has a lack of charisma Elliott does have a technically great voice, and so does Katherine (sometimes), would Elliott's fans favor her natural vocal talent? I'm not going to make any predictions just yet, but I would love to hear your opinion.

Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll question: Who will get Elliott's votes?

Oh, and where was Arnold Schwarzenegger for Katherine? All the other contestants had their Governors welcome them. Katherine was stiffed, and so was the TV audience. I was really looking forward to Arnold saying "She'll be back".

Randy Jackson in Journey

It was a revelation to me during last night's AI that Randy Jackson used to be in the band Journey. So with my friend Google I mined the internet to find this most hilarious picture of Randy during his Journey Days. Wow.

Can you pick him out?

Who's Going Home Tonight?

Vote in the new tommybailey.com poll question!

Taylor Steals The Show

I know I'm completely biased being a Soul Patrol fan already, but you have to admit that no one came close to the performanes of Taylor (except for Katherine's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" rendition which was brilliant). Tomorrow Elliott will leave and Katherine and Taylor will be in the finale. It was a fun night, but I missed Chris Daughtry.

Song Choices From The Judges

Each contestant will be doing 3 songs this week. One of the song choices will be from the judges themselves. Here are their selections. What do you think?

Randy Jackson chose for Taylor Hicks: "You are so Beautiful" by Joe Cocker

Paula Abdul chose for Elliott Yamin: "What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell

Simon Cowell chose for Katharine McPhee: "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland.

For All You Mario Bros. Fans

This is simply amazing.

No More Rock and Roll

Chris Daughtry has been voted off American Idol. This is another "Mandisa Moment". He will be sorely missed.

Elvis Was In The Building

Tonight was a good night. It was entertaining, and for the most part, the musical quality was up to par. Like last week, Taylor stole the show. There seems to be an entertainment/musical maturity about him that I really enjoy. Here's a run down of the show from tonight:

• Jailhouse Rocks was another song written for Taylor Hicks. What a performer, and this song did more than just show off his glitzy entertainment, it also showcased a great vocal performance. It "rocked"
• Taylor's second song really showed his musical prowess. He can sing, and sing well. In the Ghetto was the perfect song for him to sing tonight.

• Chris didn't blow a gasket on his first tune Suspicious Minds. It sounded great, I'm just not sure the his rock fan base is going to buy it.

• A Little Less Conversation was great. It showed some versatility in his voice that was previously hidden under his angst-ridden rock songs. Great choice.

• Hound Dog was okay. All Shook Up was a disaster. Overall, it was over the top, and somewhat annoying.
• Can't Help Falling In Love would have been my first choice for Katherine to sing, but after I heard her sing it I realized I had made a bad call. It just wasn't her night, which was to be expected. She can sing incredibly well, but tonight didn't showcase it.

• If I Can Dream was okay. Don't like the vibrato on this one.
• Trouble was awesome. The judges probably had it right with this one being his best performance.

It's hard to suspect who will go home at this point in the competition. But my educated guess, and not necessarily my choice, would be Elliott. We'll see tomorrow, until then vote on the tommybailey.com poll right now.

Misperceptions about Jesus Christ

This past weekend at Northview Community Church we showed a video that showcased the misperceptions associated with Jesus Christ in a very humorous way. Check it out below. If you want to see more of these videos go to vintage21.com.

No More Paris

Paris Bennett has been voted off American Idol.

In my opinion, Paris had the best pure vocal of the whole lot. It's gotten to the point where all the contestants are stand-up artists, so inevitably it's going to be tough competition from here on out. On a positive note, Paris is only 17, it won't be long before she comes out with her first record.

Vote in the latest tommybailey.com poll. Why was Elliott in the bottom 2?

Interesting Night

Who do you think will be the bottom 3? Vote now in the tommybailey.com poll.

This was an interesting night. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't ecstatic either. Taylor stole the show tonight, but every contestant had at least one good tune to perform tonight. It gets tougher every week to guess on who will be asked by America to leave. We'll soon see tomorrow, but until then, you should vote in the tommybailey.com poll and let your voice be heard (you'vde been right every time).


Katherine McPhee:

• Against All Odds, pitchy, and boring.
  
• Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, was odd, but I liked it, I thought it was fun and creative, loved the intimate percussion.

Elliott Yamin: This guy can sing, but not as well tonight.

• On Broadway was done really well, was a little stale to me
  
• Home, there's no place like home, or is it there's no place for Home. Boring.
  

Paris Bennett: Overall, she did well, but I'm afraid not well enough. Even though I hate to say it (I think she has one of the best voices on the show) Paris didn't show us who she really is tonight, and she won't make it past this week.

• Kiss was okay, but not really a stellar moment
• I love Mary J. Blige, and Paris did a great job with her latest tune, but I'm not sure that those who don't know the song are going to like it.
  

Taylor Hicks: Great performances, both of them.

• Play That Funky Music was written for Taylor Hicks. The judges really rattled him on the first tune, but man, he was made for that song, and he executed it brilliantly. It may have been a little over the top towards the end, but Taylor is Taylor. One of my favorite performances this season.
• You have to hand it to Taylor, he found some way to get a 30 year old tune off a current top 10 list, brilliant. The Beatles tune Something was perfect.
  

Chris Daughtry:

• Loved his first performance, Renegade, possibly the best of the night.
  
• I Dare You by Shinedown was terrible. It may have been okay live, but translated to television, it was a shouting match.

Remember to vote in the tommybailey.com poll.

The Top 5

It's down to the top 5 on American Idol. This is going to be a tough competition from here on out. All 5 of these contestants have multitudes of talent in their respective genres. Tonight is going to especially strenuous on these contestants. If we let other seasons of American Idol be our historical guide, this particular theme of Birth Year Top 10/Current Top 10 is a do our die situation. Bo Bice really made a name for himself on this particular theme, and Anthony Federov flopped tremendously on this theme night last year. It will be a tough night.

For Taylor fans in the blogosphere, I purchased a rather cool T-Shirt with the words
"Soul Patrol" plastered on the front. Here's a link if you want to buy one yourself.

Remember to vote tonight! And also remember to come back to tommybailey.com tonight after the show to vote for your bottom 3.

The New Television

ABC just released a new addition to their website that allows you to view the latest episode of some of their flagship TV shows for free. There are commercial breaks (limited though), but the service works extremely well. Is this the way TV will be in the near future, all on demand? With the advent of Tivo, iTunes Music Store selling TV shows, and now online streaming, in the next 5-7 years "television" shows will no longer be at dedicated time slots, but will be on demand, for you to watch when you want to watch it. Isn't technology great?

George W. Bush...The Comedian?

Recently, the President hosted the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, an event hosted by every president as a means to gather together the top media, press, and journalist personnel. This year our President did a comedy routine with a double of himself, and it is quite funny. Maybe he should write for SNL? Let me know what you think. Peace.