Traffic this week is understandably slower than molasses so I’m sorry myself for posting so late today. (It’s that kind of week, ya know?)
Blake Lewis recently told MTV.com he knew he was screwed when he heard “This Is My Now” and wasn’t allowed to mess with it. I don’t think this is actually fresh news per se but he was fairly blunt:
BW: When you first heard “This Is My Now,” the ballad you had to perform during the finale, did you think you were toast?
BL: Oh, totally. Me and Jordin went in a room with some guy who was producing that song and I was like, what the f— is this? This is a piece of s—. And you’re not going to let me arrange it? OK, cool. Thanks guys. I didn’t want to win American Idol anyway; I wanted to get second. Then we found out we had to learn it in, like, three days or something ridiculous. It was dumb. [Laughs.] It was just like, are you kidding me? It was really a piece of crap song. And the guys who wrote it were like, we’re sorry, dude.
Here is Blake doing the song. He’s offkey a few moments but given his own vocal limitations, he did about as well as he could have under the circumstances:
So which was the worst coronation song so far? I still think “Inside Your Heaven” that Carrie had to do season four was by far the worst, just a pure, leaden turd. Jordin’s “This Is My Now” is a very close second, just annoying to the hilt and proves just how difficult it is to create a song apropos to an “Idol” victory. Sadly, that was what was voted in by the viewers. No accounting for taste there. I have a vague feeling “Idol” won’t be repeating the songwriting contest again this year. In fact, I forgot to ask Nigel about that. We’ll get a chance to ask again I’m sure next month.
Seriously, none of the coronation songs are all that great, but it’s not surprising that Kelly’s “A Moment Like This” became the only hit. For a power ballad, it has a decent hook and worked for Kelly at the time. Ruben’s “Flying Without Wings” and Fantasia’s “I Believe” weren’t half bad either thanks to heartfelt performances though I like “I Believe” a smidge more. Taylor’s “Do I Make You Proud” was treacly pablum but Taylor tried his best to make it tolerable.
So my personal rankings from best to worst:
1- “A Moment Like This”
2- “I Believe”
3- “Flying Without Wings”
4- “Do I Make You Proud”
5- “This Is My Now”
6- “Inside Your Heaven”
(9) Comments
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 1:16PM EST
Rodney did you see my "breaking Idol News" on the previous blog? Wondering if anyone has Jordin's performance at the Kennedy Honors last night posted anywhere...she opened the musical tribute to Diana Ross and was quite good. And she was obviously having a lot of fun. Nice honor for her, i'm thinking.
Blake was fun but.... um .... i don't think i'd go out and spend a lot of money on him ,lol, sorreeee!
Hope your Christmas was good, Rodney...are you back home or still traveling for the holidays?
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 1:18PM EST
regarding the coronation son from the last season... did anyone else feel that the song was sort of chosen based on so MANY people feeling that Melinda was going to win, and that song was sort of tailored for her style? that's what i felt like, anyway... just a thought!
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 1:18PM EST
err and that's "coronation song of course, d'oh!
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 1:19PM EST
ok i give up, there should be a close-quote at the end of song..... can't quite get my act together, it seems, today...
no comments from the peanut gallery necessary, LOL!
Posted by: Justin on December 27, 2007 2:30PM EST
I don't understand why both finalists get to sing the same song but then season 5 Taylor and Katharine had to sing different songs
Posted by: Rodney Ho on December 27, 2007 3:35PM EST
I read that Taylor completely protested singing that other song so they had to dig up another one for him.
Posted by: Deirdre on December 27, 2007 5:11PM EST
Haven't been around today. My son and I have been working on his salt water aquarium, which he left in my care, and is totally messed up now. He doesn't mind and is surprised I haven't taken the whole thing apart and shut it down...but it was great to work with him on it and I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know about running the thing. I've managed to keep it viable for the fish but not much else.
If they had let Blake work his arranging magic on that song, it would have worked a lot better for him. Too bad! His voice is not great but he managed to make everything he sang interesting.
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 7:51PM EST
so far in my opinion EVERY finalist should have protested the songs they gave them, LOL!!!! pablum at best!!! *I* of course wish they'd let them sing some freaking ORIGINAL songs, either written BY them or FOR them, something unheard but NOT dreck!!! even voting for the finale song didn't work, because we only got to hear about what, 10 songs, NONE of which were particularly brilliant!!!
i mean, look what's happened to Daughtry's "Home" or whatever the name of it is! surely some of these singers can also at least write words, or music, if not both!!! ya think? that's ANOTHER reason NGAB was so good...we actually got to hear original stuff, not just covers!
anywho... new season is almost here, hoping for the best, and trying to figure out who to write to at Fox to get the hollywood auditions of the top 24 put on their website BEFORE the next week so we have at LEAST a chance to see them without voice overs and interruptions and goofballs and jerkoffs and such!
ah well...
Posted by: linnykat on December 27, 2007 7:53PM EST
and Rodney, i'd be willing to bet there WERE some good songs in the submissions, but for one reason or another they stuck with the ballad-style and picked songs that were all within a simple, boring, genre musically.... easier, i guess they think, to teach the finalists how to sing in so short a time.... **WRONG** say i, LOL!
