American Idol 2008--Live Thread II

americanidol.com ^ | 3-25-08

[Miss Didi]

He grew up in a very well-to-do family with show-biz connections but his mom made him start out in the record company mail room. Then at 30, his record label failed and he lost everything and had to move back in with his parents. He said he didn't even have money for the cab fare home. His mom is so lovely; he was devastated at the loss of his dad. It happened right when one of his records hit number one and he was calling to tell him about his success. If it ever airs again, I highly recommend it.

[Miss Didi]

I was just telling Peggy about his story from the E! interview. He's a very down-to-earth guy, even though he came from a very upper-class family. In the interview he said he'd remember Hollywood stars at his next door neighbor's house—sitting on Liz Taylor's lap as a kid. And yet he built his success on his own.

[TonyWpi]

I was hoping that Carly would have gotten the boot this week. This is not Irish-Idol! What the heck! She also saved herself by covering up those nasty tats.

I think Brooke’s “mistake” in her performance MAY have cost Kristy this week. Why? Becuase I think Brooke and Kristy have a similar demographic. (2 clean-cut blonde girls who aren’t sleazy and have a nice voice - although I prefer Kristy to Brooke, Brooke has talent as an instrumentalist)

Since Dial Idol had Kristy pretty “safe,” I’ll bet a lot of folks crossed over and voted for Brooke instead to keep her in over Syesha and Carly.

Just my investigative mind working overtime!!

[Miss Didi]

Tony...I’m not following...will you explain that? So now without KLC, will this help Brooke? By the way, I think the one who was hurt last night was Carly by being safe and excitedly screaming for her good fate...while the other gals weren’t in the “cool” group. She also made the show about her again complaining and trying to win over Simon. Watch—next week she’s B-3.

[Wolfstar]

What do you think Wolfstar, any suggestions what they should sing?

I assume the songbook is limited to the works of Andrew Lloyd Weber, which is unfortunate, IMHO. Weber is great, but I'd love to see them do selections from the Great American Songbook. Americans invented the musical theater, after all.

Anyway, if the songs must be only Weber's, then this group of contestants has a problem. Most of his body of work is written for big theatrical voices. He loves sopranos and tenors with voices that can reach the heights of vocal range. So if I could offer advice to this group of contestants, I'd say keep to the following selections. Most of these are more pop and pop-rock. Several have been big commercial hits. A couple have a nice latin beat. Some are beautiful ballads, but less theatrical voices can handle them. I've listed these songs in alphabetical order:

'All I Ask of You' from The Phantom Of The Opera
'Any Dream Will Do' from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
'Buenos Aires' from Evita
'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from Evita
'Evermore Without You' from The Woman In White
'Everything's Alright' from Jesus Christ Superstar
'I Believe My Heart' from The Woman In White
'I Don't Know How To Love Him' from Jesus Christ Superstar
'Love Changes Everything' from Aspects of Love
'Macavity the Mystery Cat' from Cats
'Magical Mr. Mistoffolees' from Cats
'Memory' from Cats
'No Matter What' from Whistle Down the Wind
'Superstar' from Jesus Christ Superstar
'The Music of the Night' from The Phantom Of The Opera
'The Rum Tum Tugger' from Cats
'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' from The Phantom Of The Opera

[kevkrom]

'Everything's Alright' from Jesus Christ Superstar

I forgot about that one... that'd be good for Jason.

[Netizen]

I think if anyone shares Brooke's demographics in voting it is Jason, not Kristy.

Brooke has talent as an instrumentalist

Very true.

I think it just boils down to Brooke's fans knew Brooke had a lousy night and they voted in droves to save her sa. jmo

[Netizen]

Anyway, if the songs must be only Weber's, then this group of contestants has a problem. Most of his body of work is written for big theatrical voices. He loves sopranos and tenors with voices that can reach the heights of vocal range. So if I could offer advice to this group of contestants, I'd say keep to the following selections. Most of these are more pop and pop-rock. Several have been big commercial hits. A couple have a nice latin beat. Some are beautiful ballads, but less theatrical voices can handle them. I've listed these songs in alphabetical order:

Thanks for insight and explanation.

Top 6 Finalists Will Perform Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber Tuesday, April 22, on FOX

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of “The Likes of Us,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “By Jeeves,” “Evita,” “Variations” and “Tell Me On A Sunday” (later combined as “Song & Dance”), “Cats,” “Starlight Express,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Aspects of Love,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Whistle Down the Wind,” “The Beautiful Game” and “The Woman in White.” He composed the film scores of “Gumshoe” and “The Odessa File,” and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass “Requiem.” In 2004, he produced a film version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” and in 2009 will premiere the sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera,” which will be helmed by the award-winning director Jack O’Brien. In 2006, Lloyd Webber won an International Emmy for the hit BBC series “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” He repeated his success with “Any Dream Will Do,” and is currently casting the musical “Oliver!”

Lloyd Webber’s awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys (including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for “Requiem”), seven Oliviers (for achievement in London theatre), a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale (the highest international distinction for achievement in the arts), the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and the Kennedy Center Honor. He was knighted by the Queen of England in 1992.

[Netizen]

I have another question. You said:

Weber is great, but I'd love to see them do selections from the Great American Songbook. Americans invented the musical theater, after all.

I thought the Great American Songbook contained old classics. Are all songs from musicals included in the Great American Songbook and are only songs from musicals contained in this book? I'm a bit confused on this.

A couple year's back they sang from the Great American Songbook, were all those songs from musicals? I think it was Rod Stewart night.

[Netizen]

Ok, now I'm really getting confused. I did some looking around and it seems the Great American Songbook is primarily music from the 1920's to roughly the 1960's and heavily jazz. At least that is what the Great American Songbook website implies.

I'd rather they left the song selections open to all musicals as opposed to just those of ALW and they can keep their jazz. I just don't care for it, Ick!

[Wolfstar]

I thought the Great American Songbook contained old classics. Are all songs from musicals included in the Great American Songbook and are only songs from musicals contained in this book?

The term refers to the huge body of work by American songwriters and composers from about the late 1890's through about 1960. Following is how the term is defined in Wikipedia. I would only add that the advent of commercial radio in the late 1910's and early 1920's led to the growth of popular, i.e., pop, music as we understand it today. Americans invented musical theater, which led to the Hollywood musical. Americans also invented pop music in the post Civil War era when growing middle and upper classes bought sheet music for home entertainment and the musical education of their children.

Great American Songbook is a term referring to the interrelated music of Broadway musical theater, the Hollywood musical, and Tin Pan Alley, in a period that begins roughly in the 1920s and tapers off around 1960 with the coming of rock and roll. Aside from the enduring popularity of this music in its original context, it also became (and remains) the central repertoire of jazz musicians. (In jazz, such tunes are simply referred to as "standards".) For its devotees, the Great American Songbook represents a level of musical and lyrical sophistication that has yet to be equalled.

[Netizen]

Thanks. Pretty close to what I dug up. I’d still rather they allowed songs from any musical and leave it at that and not force them to do ALW.

[Wolfstar]

Ok, now I'm really getting confused.

Don't be confused. Think of it this way. If you are familiar with musicals such as the following (just a handful of examples), you are familiar with many of the most famous songs from The Great American Songbook:

West Side Story
Show Boat
Oklahoma
Carousel
South Pacific
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Meet Me In St. Louis
42nd Street
Hello Dolly
An American In Paris
Singing In The Rain

If you're familiar with any of the songs identifed with people like Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Doris Day, and others of that generation, you know songs from The Great American Songbook. These works are our cultural heritage as Americans. We should celebrate them.

[Wolfstar]

I’d still rather they allowed songs from any musical and leave it at that...

I agree, especially because the vast majority of great musicals (both theatrical and movie) are American works. BTW, rock and roll is an American invention. So is jazz. We Americans have a rich musical heritage.

[Miss Didi]

‘Everything’s Alright’ from Jesus Christ Superstar would be FAB for Jason...love that song.

[Netizen]

I don't think I am going to know very many songs next week.

I wonder which songs they will have to choose from Neil Diamond week. He has a ton of songs and some of them are kind of strange. (his early years - like Porcupine Pie)

With the Beatles they limited them the first time around to the early years.

[kevkrom]

Most of the “popular music” up until the 40’s or so was from Broadway — that was where American music was made. Even into the Big Band and early Rock & Roll eras, Broadway music still made its way fairly regularly to the top of the “pop” charts.

Nowadays, it would be highly unusual, unless it was a song from a movie conversion or a cover by a top-name artist.

[Wolfstar]

I don't think I am going to know very many songs next week.

Unless you've seen some of Weber's musicals, or maybe caught Weber tributes on PBS or something, you're probably right. Also, the vocal abilities of the remaining contestants appear to be limited to modern pop. So a very large amount of Weber's songbook will be out of their vocal reach, which may lead them to do some of his less well-known songs.

[Wolfstar]

Nowadays, it would be highly unusual, unless it was a song from a movie conversion or a cover by a top-name artist.

This is true. I think part of the reason is that today's pop and rock artists want to "write" their own songs, usually with a huge assist from the record producer's stable of house songwriters. Also, Broadway musicals these days are only a shadow of their former selves, and the movie musical is largely moribund.

[Mygirlsmom]

Ooooh, this is not going to be pretty....you just know either Carly or Syesha is bound to screech out “Memory” - like some bad Babs Streisand wannabe. Talk about “nails on a chalkboard”...ugh!