So what does your fav five look like? Don’t even get cute by putting Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade in the mix.
It was a very good show last night, if not the best of the season, with the theme being songs from the Rat Pack era. I thought everyone stepped it up in a big way, including the ever-too-consistent Danny Gokey; he reached new heights this week and it was actually very refreshing to hear.
Let’s hear it for my boy Matt Giraud who managed to stave off elimination last week! I’m not so sure the news will be as good for him this week…. (spoiler alert)
As you could tell from previous weeks, I normally don’t care for the celebrity mentors they bring in to coach these young artists but MAN, Jamie Foxx was on FIRE was he not? I knew he could sing but I underestimated his ability to speak into people and bring out the best in others. I don’t know if it’s because he’s coming off the high of the release of the Soloist but my goodness, I want him to be my vocal coach! He was feeling the music, stared intently into the eyes of the artists, and challenged them to be better singers and at this stage of the game, he was exactly what everyone needed! I feel like I became a better singer by simply watching Jamie coach!
Finally, a little something on Simon Cowell. I have a new nickname for him and it’s “Swing Vote Cowell”. No matter what the other judges say, it’s what Simon says that sways the votes of the American public. The in-studio audience can boo him all they want but America listens to him. This is nothing new, of course, but I’m realizing that this show is very easy to rig because of Simon’s clout with the public. As long as Simon pimps Adam Lambert like he does every week, Adam will win. On the other side of that, because the producers would like to see Allison go next, he unfairly declared that she was in danger last night. Bogus stuff.
In any case, I’m getting excited about the finish line that’s approaching. I think it may be safe to say that this is the best final 5 that Idol has ever had. Would you agree? Now to my rankings…
One of my favorite quotes of all time is mentioned in Coach Carter and Akeelah and the Bee, (both, btw, are good films you should see):
“Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?‘ Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God: Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
–Marianne Williamson
It took me a while to digest this paragraph the first time I read this in its entirety– and if you’re like any normal person, you were also feeling a little unsure of what to make of this upon the first read. For those of you who grew up in the church like me, this quote may even be contrary to what we were taught in our youth groups, Bible studies, and interactions with friends in this subculture.
STAYING ALIVE. Just when I thought it was the end of the line for my boy, Matt Giraud, the judges decide to invest their one and only save on this chosen one and he lives another week! It made for great TV, didn’t it? I loved that the audience and fellow contestants got into it and made sure the judges did the right thing!
But before we go any further, let me say that there is a new #1 on this week’s list (GASP! Can it be?!); not because I don’t believe in Matt but because I believe this person has earned the right to be on top, at least for one week. My choice may surprise you . . .
I had my doubts about disco week because things could get really cheezy but overall, I thought this was a good show and the contest is definitely heating up! I can tell that the candidates are putting in more work and it’s starting to get really serious! What great timing, given that the NBA playoffs started this week and the Lakers have begun their quest towards the championship. It’s game time folks, and if you don’t bring it, you’re going home! and since Matt was spared last week, TWO will be going home this week! Get ready for some drama fo yo mama!
Oh! And let me also add that I think these Idol contestants are reading my blog since they took my advice this week… Matt went with the Fedora, Gokey went back to his glasses, etc. Coincidence? Perhaps, but let’s just imagine they read this blog since that’ll make us all feel better.
This is my buddy Matt. He currently plays electric guitar for our band here at Newsong Irvinebut he is a full-time singer/songwriter and a dang good one at that! You gotta watch his live shows, especially to get a taste of his chops on the guitar and hear some of his unique melodies and sounds! I had the privilege of writing out a new biofor his website recently and thought I’d let you all read it and then encourage you to visit www.mattshockley.com to purchase his music and show your support for another quality artist! This was my first stab at doing an artist’s bio but I had a lot of fun doing it. Hope you like it and I hope it motivates you to give Matt Shockley some love! Check it out:
hey dudes. so check it out! I’m part of this crazy Third CultureMovement and one of my buddies, Vaughn Thompson Jr. recently released his first ever EP. I must say, I was ready to love this albumno matter what, just because he is my friend and friends need to love each other’s albums! BUT, I’m so glad that I can pimp this thing with full integrity and say, this album is the bomb!
Vaughn is at the forefront of trying to define what third culture music/worship is — not just because he happens to be biracial (Korean and German) or because he sings and talks like a black dude — but because he feels that it reflects Kingdom and that’s what he’s about!
Once again, whether you’re a Christian or atheist, my blog is all about spitting truth and I hope you’ll join me in purchasing a good piece of work. 5 bucks, 5 tracks, what a deal! Get it here: www.vaughnthompsonjr.com
Check out this quick interview I did with Vaughn as he talks a little bit about his EP.
I’m baaack! And I’d like to say that I’m better than ever but that’s not true because this week’s show pretty much sucked. My rankings may reflect this sentiment since I’ve had very little material to go off of. I think I could even make everything up without having watched the show because there were no real surprises this week and the way I would’ve ranked everyone last week is pretty much how I’d rank them this week–except for a few minor changes. All in all, this was a very forgettable week and I almost missed Scott MacIntyre since I would have at least had something to be really angry about. Almost.
And what’s up with bringing in Quentin Tarantino as the guest vocal coach? I understand he was focused on bringing the “performance” out of the artists but still! What does he know about singing? It’s like bringing Rosie O’Donnell on as a guest coach on “The Biggest Loser”–just doesn’t make any sense and this type of thing does not help with a contestant’s confidence, especially when the coach’s credibility is highly in doubt!
Please kick off a judge! Preferably Paula. The whole 2-at-a-time judging to save time was completely useless! Contract or no contract, the producers need to restore this to a 3-judge competition next season, if not sooner.
Hope you all had a great easter… I’m gonna take this moment to ask you to log on to global.newsong.net tonight (Wednesday, April 15) at 7 PM PST to see the re-broadcast of our Easter experience at Newsong Irvine this past Sunday. It was truly incredible and you gotta check it out! Look for the John Legend tune, complete with choir! The guy in the plaid button down would be me…
This is something I wrote a couple years ago while I was in Bangkok and it is based on various epiphanic experiences I took part in that changed my life forever. Whether you’re a church goer or not, I hope you read this and feel encouraged and inspired. This is my version of Lennon’s “Imagine”:
Have you heard of the Everyday Church? It does not meet in a building. It does not necessarily have a name. It does not happen solely on Sundays; it happens on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and holidays as well! If you were to look for directions to the Everyday Church, the listing would simply say: “wherever you are, wherever you go, whatever you do.” The Everyday Church meets on the basketball court, the Starbucks down the street, in the office, in the living room, in the middle of the street, the movie theater, the car, the toilet. . .
Every once in a while, I come across a talented and somewhat accomplished musician who proudly proclaims that they hate Coldplay; some of these people are actually my friends. There’s even a scene in the “40 Year Old Virgin” when they imply that anyone who listens to Coldplay is “gay” (their words, not mine!).
I know this is a sorry excuse but due to my busier-than-normal week, I don’t think I’ll be able to spend the time that I normally do on my Idol posts. Just keepin it real! So I decided I will just highlight a couple points, give you my rankings (without much of a blurb) and call it a day! I will return to form next week though, so hang with me on this.
In other news, if you’re in the Orange County, CA area and you would like to check out a church, you’re more than welcome to join our Easter experience at Newsong this Sunday. This is the reason I’m so busy, and quite frankly, this is the reason why I love what I do, so come check it out!
Highlights:
SCOTT MACINTYRE is finally eliminated! HOORAY! Time to pop the bubbly and get crazy! The funny thing is, the day after he is eliminated my first post on Scott has been blowing up! I guess people are googling him like crazy and landing on my site.
Last week, I mentioned how I was going to try out for American Idol in 2010. Sure, it was my attempt at a lame April fools joke but none of you even made a peep about this. This tells me that either you skip over my opening paragraphs every week, OR the very notion of me trying out for Idol is THAT ridiculous so you immediately concluded this was a joke, April fools or no April fools. Either way, I’m deeply insulted!
MATT GIRAUD rocked it this week!
On to my rankings (and again, this is the REALLY short, quick version):
Just letting you know that I intend to update this thing within the next 24 hours. It’s a pretty busy week! In the mean time, would you take this poll and let me know your thoughts on who was the best last night?
You probably heard this song on the Slum Dog Millionaire commercials and felt a sudden desire to watch/buy this film (crank your speakers or headphones up and listen):
you all know how disapproving (to say the least) I am of partially-blind singer Scott MacIntyre’s enduring run in this season’s American Idol competition. He is currently in the top 8 and to my weekly dismay, it seems like he may last in the competition a while longer. I’ve been ripping him in all of my posts, ranked him last in just about every one of my power rankings, and even heartlessly made fun of the way he looks despite his visual disability (totally jacked up, i know). well apparently, he is a piano prodigy and I found this interesting article on him from a few years back. He definitely is a good pianist and I give him props for that but he’s still a very, very below average singer with a very outdated, irrelevant sound. I think he should just focus on piano because a blind person who plays piano at a high level is wayyy more impressive than a blind singer… and that’s a known fact. (btw, who’s been voting “yes” in my poll?!? he has 10 votes so far!)
CRISIS was averted last week. What in the world was America thinking?!? MATT GIRAUD in the bottom 3?!? I just about had a stroke. Let it be known today: if Matt doesn’t make it to the top 4 (ATLEAST) of this competition, I will stop updating my power rankings and I may even stop watching the show altogether… forever. Ok, that’s a lie. New season in ’10, new attitude, I’m there. In any case, I decided I would rock the vote for the first time this season and I texted in my “VOTE” to 5706 and I am also announcing that I am going to be trying out for American Idol in 2010. It’s time to take matters into my own hands…and it’s time you performed your constitutional right by voting for your favorite idol. I hope it’s Matt because he deserves this. The good news in all of this? MICHAEL SARVER has been eliminated! YES!!! Before we move on, let’s take a quick time out for this poll:
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