Posted on 04/05/2011 6:02:17 AM PDT by silent_jonny
Lauren and Scotty duet from the Todau show.
I heard Scotty’s song on the radio today for the first time. It sounded very radio friendly and should do well for him.
Very nice. I see that Lauren and Scotty will present at the CMT awards.
American Idol Retrospective May 27 2011
The Triumph of American Good Over American Evil
So there we have it, Scottie won, Lauren followed in second place. Both seem to be the epitome of American youth. Good solid, wholesome products of flyover country. .Youth because they are still kids by anybody’s description.
I have watched the process as one who knows nothing about popular music or musicians or the processes involved. I have relied on the good Freepers on the Idol thread for insight and guidance into the various vocal and recordings involved. My observations were thus assisted by a running commentary from knowledgeable folks.
I have written an essay posted on other threads to Freepers who consider Idol and Idol watchers a lower breed of human kind. Idol must be taken as a whole. Idol is a contest, a process that transforms a very nervous singer ,or even non singer, into a polished and experienced performer. Ambition, talent, guts, drive and a host of characteristics must be tightly foscused to succeed and especially to win. This year especially, the winnowed Hollywood group had many very good and capable singers.
All along the way there is fantastic opportunity. The opportunities are without measure and available no where else in any other field of endeavor.
This is Free Republic and it is appropriate to note the top two, both of whom are winners in my book, have a wholesome, conservativeish air about them. Scotty in particular is a North Carolina boy, goes to high school, participated in Baseball I think but most importantly, he sang in a Glee Club. He is a member of what seems to be an all American Nuclear family, church going. He, and also Lauren represent that which is good. He not only represents strong American Values, he is an outstanding example to be observed and followed.
We can thus equate conservativeish with good.
This year especially in the finale, the full spectrum of liberal propaganda and liberal disregard for things that are good and wholesome was blatantly displayed. It was apparent early on when the worn out old Steven Tyler was admitted to the judge’s table. He is an icon, a very knowledgeable person to absorb what is happening and make a judgment. It seemed to me that he was uncomfortable being old and went out of his way to make outrageous remarks. He came off as a rude, crude past his prime buffoon.
The full force of the liberal propaganda weaponry was brought to bear in the finale. Lady Gaga and Beyonce went out of their way to make the most outrageous statements of no boundaries, all is except able, no manners, crude, despicable behavior. Pure evil was on display.
It might be argued that the edge of the entertainment industry is a force of evil. That would certainly be the view of many family values conservatives of the Muslim faith. The Idol finale evil elements are the reason America is the Great Satan. America. Hollywood in particular are is the centroid of the evil there for all to see and idolize.
Although there were others, and some pretenders, It boiled down to James. James represented the liberal evil. James became the evil hope.
Thus as the contest wound down, as hundreds of thousands voted perhaps hundreds or perhaps even thousands of times it became apparent that evil was out. America voted it out. America voted for Scotty and Lauren in mind boggling numbers. The final tally was I believe 120 million votes. We can know with certainty that 120 million souls did not vote. An unknown number of dedicated committed vans voted multiple times to assure the point was made……we like that which is good, that which represents American values, the real values not those constantly hyped by the industry.
So to sum it up, Evil lost. Good won
I worry about Scottie. What were his plans? Did he hope to become a professional singer? Did he plan to go up the road a piece, across town to North Carolina State University. To become an engineer or a scientist and work in the Research Triangle in any one of many solid careers?. He has tough choices to make.
You know, I don’t recall if he ever said what his plans were. He still has another year of high school and I remember him saying he couldn’t wait to get back to baseball. He never thought he would win AI so I guess new avenues for have been presented. We’ll have to see. He’ll have a busy schedule what with the tour and putting out an album, plus his senior year of high school. I hope he keep college in mind a bit, since it wouldn’t hurt to have something to fall back on.
While most 17-year-olds are just trying to get through the last few weeks of their junior year, Scotty McCreery is busy dominating the Billboard and iTunes’ charts.
The “American Idol” Season 10 winner’s coronation single “I Love You This Big” was the highest-charting debut for a new country artist in over two decades. The song hit No. 1 on iTunes, No. 3 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart (171,404 units sold), a compilation album reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Top 200 and reached No. 3 on the country chart. Phew.
“I am humbled and shocked by this news. I can’t tell you what it means to me to be on the same charts as my musical heroes,” Scotty says in a press release. “I want to thank my fans and especially country radio for their support.”
Scotty recently signed with Mercury Nashville and is set to travel to Nashville next week to begin recording his debut album. “I continue to be amazed by everything that has happened to me in such a short time.”
“This is such a special song to me, so I am thrilled that it is getting such a great reception at country radio,” Scotty says of his debut single. “What I love about ‘I Love You This Big’ is that it can mean different things to different people. It could be about the relationship between a couple in love or a parent and child.”
Scotty will be presenting at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday, June 8, along with runner-up Lauren Alaina and will perform on “The Tonight Show with Jay Jeno” on June 15.
“I feel like the words ‘thank you’ aren’t enough,” the country crooner says. “I wish I could find more words to express my gratitude to everyone. I still can’t believe how people are supporting me in so many ways.”
http://www.whnt.com/entertainment/zap-nikki-reed-paul-mcdonald-show-off20110605,0,7936798.story
Ping to the article. Found this surprising in a way....
They were dating during the show, so it really didn’t surprise me.
Evidently they re looking for a house.
http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a323500/nikki-reed-paul-mcdonald-looking-for-house.html
Thanks for all the up dates.
Not a problem. :)
‘American Idol’: Paul McDonald Will Sing to Nikki Reed at Wedding
http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979426767
It has only been three months since Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald announced their relationship after he was eliminated from American Idol. Now the two are engaged and making wedding plans. The couple revealed one of the plans for their big day, and this one is probably no big surprise to fans of the singer.
According to Hollywood Life, Paul’s band, The Grand Magnolias, will perform at the wedding. However, more than just his band might perform. A source said the following: “More than likely The Grand Magnolias will perform. There’s talks of many bands playing and making it a music based event.”
The couple met at the Red Riding Hood premiere earlier this year, and it was love at first sight apparently. Nikki Reed is best known for her role in the Twilight Saga, among others, but now that she is planning to be married, she might be taking some time off to focus on going back to school,and heading to the theater stage.
Nikki Reed engaged: Her ring cost $30K!
http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979412639
Breaking Dawn star Nikki Reed is engaged to her beau, American Idol alum Paul McDonald, and her ring has people talking. She isn’t wearing a huge diamond ring that looks like it costs as much as a car. In fact, there really isn’t even much of a diamond there at all!
“This is a modern version of a platinum and diamond eternity ring that could also work as a stunning wedding band. It features full diamonds surrounded by intertwining platinum, and is a great symbol of two people bonding together for a lifetime. Estimated price tag: $30,000,” reveals jewelry expert Michael O’Connor.
It’s actually kind of refreshing that Reed isn’t displaying her love on her hand. As a society, people are always looking at the size of a diamond—especially in Hollywood—as if that even determines the “realness” of a relationship. Hopefully Reed and McDonald will last longer than some of these other celebs who have 5+ carat rocks!
Awwww...that’s nice. They are a cute couple.
I’m glad some young people still believe in marriage.
“What I love about ‘I Love You This Big’ is that it can mean different things to different people. It could be about the relationship between a couple in love or a parent and child.”
That’s really sweet. I like love songs that can be sung to children. I always sang “You Light Up My Life” to my babies, as well as traditional lullabies.
Taylor Hicks returns to Birmingham for Bama Rising, plus weekend concert in Linn Park
http://blog.al.com/mcolurso/2011/06/taylor_hicks_returns_to_birmin_1.html
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — When trees topple and houses splinter, tornado survivors are slow to forget the damages done to their neighborhoods.
Taylor Hicks says his family members were no different after they experienced a 1973 tornado in Center Point.
“This is not something you get over,” Hicks says. “I’ve heard my family discuss how the landscape where they lived was changed forever.”
The singer, 34, didn’t experience the storms firsthand. But he’s seen the psychological aftermath, and he knows how long it can linger.
That’s partly why Hicks is coming back to his hometown this weekend, performing two shows for tornado relief.
Hicks, a Birmingham native and former “American Idol” winner, is teaming with another “Idol” kingpin, Ruben Studdard, for a 6 p.m. concert on Sunday, June 12, in Birmingham’s Linn Park. Admission is free; those who attend are encouraged to bring canned goods for food banks helping tornado survivors.
On Tuesday, June 14, Hicks is on the lineup for Bama Rising, a 7:30 p.m. benefit at the BJCC Arena. More than a dozen stars will perform at the show, including the country group Alabama, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Sheryl Crow.
Tickets are sold out, except for $1,000 VIP packages, but organizers continue to collect donations for the Bama Rising Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. All proceeds will go to tornado recovery throughout the state.
“I want to do as much as I can to help the victims in my home state,” Hicks says. “I’ve been asked to do numerous (benefits) and I would love to do them all, if possible. With Bama Rising, I thought I could make as much of an impact as possible. When I was asked to be part of it, I was honored. This could be one of the most historic concert benefits Alabama has ever had.”
The Sunday concert, although smaller in scope, appealed to Hicks because it was designed to help tornado survivors with one of their immediate needs.
“We know they’ll have food, and we know it will go straight to the tornado victims,” Hicks says.
On Monday, June 13, he’s planning to meet with tornado survivors in some hard-hit areas near Birmingham, but Hicks says his agenda hasn’t been confirmed yet.
“I plan on visiting people and letting them know we’re thinking of them,” Hicks says. “I’ll do whatever I can to make their lives better. We as Alabamians need to band together and see the recovery effort through.”
Bless you, Netizen, for thinking of me to ping to that article! I appreciate it! The Alabama benefit concerts are certainly for a good cause, and I’m hoping footage will show up on TV or at least on youtube. It would be fun if Taylor and Ruben would do a duet!
Thanks again, and I hope you are well. I do miss the AI thread!
Happy to ping you. I remember that you and I were among the few here that liked Hicks and thought you’d like the article. At the link was a pic and the caption mentioned that he has opened a restaurant.
It would be neat if those that have similar tastes in music would get together for duets to help each other boost their recognition.
Here’s an interview where he mention the tornado fund raising and was asked about his recent signed donations for a Gilda’s Club auction benefit.
Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina made their debut at the Grand Ole Opry Friday night (June 10).
Lauren took the stage first and sang "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes - wow. We wish she had done this song during the season, it sounds absolutely great on her voice. It's also adorable how nervous and excited she is. After "Blue," Lauren sings "Like My Mother Does," her coronation single.
Scotty was next and he sang his coronation single "I Love You This Big" and George Strait's classic "Check Yes or No."
LINK:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/06/lauren-alaina-scotty-mccreery-make-their-grand-ole-opry-debut.html
They are just adorable! I wish them all the luck in the world.
I hear Ruben and Taylor did do a duet. I haven’t seen any clips of it online yet, though.
I’ll have to keep watching for it.
Thought you might like to check this one out.
“Rollin’ In the Deep” by Adele.
RTVM Battle: The Voice’s Vicci Martinez vs. American Idol’s Haley Reinhart!
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