Thanks for the backstage info! Keep it coming! :)
Have to differ with you about Manilow. Granted, he has always been a very MOR singer (many would say sappy or worse), but what the man doesn't know about the industry would probably fit in a thimble, and he's one of the all-time best-ever song arrangers. (And arrangments are life's blood to a singer -- a good one can make you sound tremendous and a bad one can make you sound like ****.) They could learn a LOT from him, if they actually get to talk with him, and have the brains to know what to ask.
I'm glad Ace seems to have heard the wakeup call. I actually think he does have *some* talent under that pretty facade. He needs to realize what he can do (straightforward singing like "Father Figure") and what he can't (anything involving vocal agility -- he just doesn't have it) and what he SHOULDN'T do (anything that makes him sound effeminate). I made the comment after he sang "Father Figure" that the contest was his to lose -- and he's been proving me right, steadily losing it! LOL!
Hope Elliot got your message that he needs a showcase song! I'd like to see him continue in the contest as long as possible.
My gaydar definitely does NOT go off at Ace, however, my Liberal Education buzzer goes crazy. This big good-looking guy obviously learned from the get-go that testosterone is bad, that men should not be competitive but should be Milquetoastie nice and harmless instead. What a shame. Someone needs to take him to boot camp to rev him up him to be more manly. Not soldierly, just manly.
I agree. I can't stand Manilow's music, but he's one of the most accessible pros that's ever been involved with Idol. The last time he was a guest on the show (I think) was in 2004, and he wasn't afraid to tell the contestants what they were doing wrong and how they could do it right.
Most of the time, these guest pros (like Stevie Wonder) are like spectators. They don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so they don't offer any constructive criticism. Manilow does.