Just because he was the undeniable nice guy of American Idol's eighth season, don't think for a second that Scott MacIntyre hasn't got swagger. Check out the piano man's three-part Idolatry exit interview below, in which Scott theorizes how he won over fans via "clever, diplomatic" banter with the judges, reveals which finalist snatched his original song choice for Grand Ole Opry night, explains why he feels he excelled -- while his competitors struggled -- during "Top Downloads" night, and shares his academic formula for writing "radio-friendly" music.
It's true, y'all! Life.com's Dawnie Walton (voice of Explorita and Rageia on America's Next Top Doll) stopped by EW.com HQ to discuss the week in Idol. On our agenda: The Adam Lambert-Meatloaf connection, the Group 2 contestant who most needs a Wild Card (Mishavonna Henson...heyyyy!), and the judge who gave the week's most ridiculous critique (guess who?). (Programming note: This week's Idolatry is a two-parter, so stick around after Dawnie and I finish dishing Screechy McScreecherson, and Part Deux will automatically begin to play. It's true, y'all!)
It's appropriate that Episode 2 of American Idol's eighth season focused on the 'Show Me' state, since the producers actually focused on Hollywood-bound contestants for a change -- can I get a big, enthusiastic "holla!" up in here? -- and spent a lot less time chasing trainwrecks. During the two hour telecast, we got to see 13 of the 27 Kansas City hopefuls who received Golden Tickets, and while I can't say that any of 'em rocked my world like Paris Bennett's "Take Five" from back in season 5 (yeah, that one tops my list of Idol's 12 Greatest Auditions Ever), there were a lot of solid singers on display, and better still, many appeared to have been plucked from day-job obscurity (i.e. welder Matt Breitzke), rather than pre-selected from lists of artists who've recently been dropped by major labels (not that there's anything wrong with that). Anyhow, weigh in with your thoughts on tonight's episode, then be sure to check back around 6 a.m. for my full TV Watch episode recap. On that note, I'd better start frantically hunting and pecking; it's after 10 p.m., and I don't know where my opening paragraph is.
I have a dream, Idoloonies. And in that dream, the Jan. 16 premiere of Idolatry would feature guest performances by Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Elliott Yamin, and the winners of Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew, as well as a helicopter that would lift me from the roof of EW's office building while I passionately debate the merits of Blake Lewis's "You Give Love a Bad Name" with my colleague Kristen Baldwin. But since we don't have that kind of budget (yet) -- I am counting on you to make it happen, Congress! -- you'll have to settle for some homespun choreography and over-the-cubicle banter when Idolatry's third season kicks off Jan. 16. Dawnie Walton, Annie Barrett, and I have been practicing our moves. In the Time Inc. cafeteria! Ch-ch-check it out!
To paraphrase the young and talented Jordin Sparks, "This is our now." By "this," of course, I refer to American Idol season, which kicks off January 13 on Fox, and will continue till you have turned into a speed-dialing, sleep-deprived, squealing fangirl/boy or till you can't take another second of hearing about the exploits of Simon, Paula, Randy, and a bunch of currently anonymous singing hopefuls. As for the "our," that'd be yours truly, as well as my delightfully twisted, opinionated, earnest, and witty co-hosts. I could list 'em all in alphabetical order, but wouldn't it be more fun to check out their shining-est moments in this all-new trailer for season 3 of Idolatry? Wait! Don't answer that! Just press play, then share your excitement level (or lack thereof) regarding season 8 of Idol in the comments section below.
This is it, fellow Idoloonies! Our final interview series of American Idol's seventh season, featuring Syesha 'Wonder Woman' Mercado! In Part 1, Syesha discusses the weirdness of Top 3 performance night; in Part 2, she rethinks Simon and Randy's 'Broadway' 'compliments'; and in part 3 (after the jump), Syesha reveals her post-Idol game plan. Enjoy!
In the last two parts of the American Idol champ's Idolatry interview, he discusses the "magic rainbow" lyric in his debut single, "The Time of My Life," how he felt about the judges' unrelentingly tough critiques of fellow contestant Syesha Mercado, and his desire for creative control on his upcoming debut album. Ch-ch-check it out for yourself, and this weekend, come back to PopWatch for our Idolatry chat with the aforementioned Ms. Mercado!
David Cook fans, the wait is over! In part 1 of his Idolatry interview with Jessica Shaw and me, the reigning American Idol champ admits he "put a wall up" for the first two weeks of the season 7 semifinals; in part 2, he gives a detailed breakdown of how he came up with his fantastic arrangement of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby"; and in part 3 (after the jump), the rocker dude discusses his transformation from average guy to world-class cougar bait! (Check back tomorrow for two more Cookie interview segments, plus our chat with Syesha Mercado!)
Idol's season 7 runner-up discusses his desire to make a debut album that's a little closer to Sarah Bareilles than, say, Dan Fogelberg, and also reveals his ongoing obsession with Billboard's international charts. Enjoy!
I kid you not...as you'll see in part 1 of our interview with this season's American Idol runner-up, he's still trying to understand why the nation went nuts over his week-two semifinal performance of John Lennon's classic; part 2, meanwhile, finds him discussing the "magic rainbow" found in the lyrics of the season 7 victory anthem, "The Time of My Life." Check back tomorrow for part 3 with Archie (update: click here to see it), as well as our chat with reigning Idol champ David "Happy Trails" Cook. (And look out for Syesha "Wonder Woman" Mercado on Friday!)
