American Idol Season 7

[maricorgi]

I watched GoodMorning Utah streaming this am and loved it all. Then Rickey.org had all the songs etc and you can still see the good interview w/ Jeff and David on the Fox link on fanblast. I am thrilled with both his songs this morning.. I had been dying to hear Crazy. I have to say David is growing up at warp speed right before our eyes. He's so comfortable now on camera, expresses himself so much better and exudes that joy and positive attitude that I find endearing and uplifting. As David Cook said, "he knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do"... there is no doubt in my mind that he is a prodigy and I'm so excited to be watching him grow as an artist. John Mayer should be thrilled with his cover of WFTWTC and how neat to hear Dean Kaelin too.

[lilyover76]

Jul 14, 2008 19:38:56 GMT -5 maricorgi said:

I watched GoodMorning Utah streaming this am and loved it all. Then Rickey.org had all the songs etc and you can still see the good interview w/ Jeff and David on the Fox link on fanblast. I am thrilled with both his songs this morning.. I had been dying to hear Crazy. I have to say David is growing up at warp speed right before our eyes. He's so comfortable now on camera, expresses himself so much better and exudes that joy and positive attitude that I find endearing and uplifting. As David Cook said, "he knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do"... there is no doubt in my mind that he is a prodigy and I'm so excited to be watching him grow as an artist. John Mayer should be thrilled with his cover of WFTWTC and how neat to hear Dean Kaelin too.

Hear, Hear, Mari - I'm glad you got to watch it too! As for the interview, I'm glad to read that it's STILL up b/c I couldn't get to it this afternoon. I was just getting ready to open up the Rickey.org site... just so I can hear the *garbled* live sounds from the concerts... LOL..!! Again, any little bit is better than nothing! As they say in Archie fandom... it's O.D.D ...LOL

Now... if only we could hear some 'live' news about Apolo from the SLC stations...

[linmiste]

I just have to say thank you to Lily for keeping us posted on David A. news. I really like that kid! I've now book-marked davidarchuletafanblast.com so I can drop over there and catch the latest news. They have some great stories and pics of David on tour, as well as links to all kinds of concert footage and interview videos.

I totally agree with Mari above, that David is growing quickly and handling the interviews and the pressures much better. His answers are more thoughtful and coherent, without losing that eager charm. In watching the interview with David on Fox 13 Utah (I was only able to catch part of the show live yesterday, so thank you for the video link!), I have to say that I understand why people think ill of Jeff. If I were to give the worst spin on it, I'd say he has beady eyes partially hidden by a cap at all times, and an evil-looking goatee. He also doesn't exude much warmth, even towards David, and David's clasp on his Dad's shoulder and saying "He's a good guy" is a little less than enthusiastic compared to an earlier interview where he exclaimed "I love my Mom!" with a big grin.

Now, that's a negative view and I don't believe Jeff is denying David water or yelling at him for forgetting lyrics. I think David respects his Dad; I'm less sure that there's a love of being with his dad. Jeff did give good, measured answers in the interview, and did not demonstrate any kind of temper, so I have to respect him for that, and I think he looked at David several times with a lot of pride. Anyway, there's not much use in speculating, I suppose, but I do think if Jeff shaved his goatee and stopped wearing hats over his eyes, that his public image would much improve.

Like Lexi, I'm a little concerned about David's voice as the tour continues. He was on vocal rest (in Tacoma?) but perhaps that should be more the norm for him, at least after he gets past all the Salt Lake interviews. I'd hate for him to hurt his voice at this point. He has such a great career ahead of him! I liked both Crazy (of which I hadn't heard the original until I found it on You Tube after David sang yesterday) and Waiting on the World. I thought the flub was cute. I also watched Jason's version of Crazy on youtube. His vibe has such a strong Island flair, that it's almost like the guys are singing two different songs. I think that's pretty neat.

ETA: What does Jeff do for a living that allows him to be on the road with David and still earn a living?

[A.O.Freak]

i just visited "davidarchuletafanblast.com" and it such a awesome website . The pics of David A. are all beautiful

[lilyover76]

Linmiste said: "I just have to say thank you to Lily for keeping us posted on David A. news. I really like that kid! I've now book-marked davidarchuletafanblast.com so I can drop over there and catch the latest news. They have some great stories and pics of David on tour, as well as links to all kinds of concert footage and interview videos."

I'm glad to see that David A fans here are going over to the FanBlast website... it's the best and they try to be as current as possible. As I said (in an earlier post) I took my grandson to the San Diego Shout-Out. Just to let you know, they are doing this at most of the cities on the tour, if not all of them.

Linmiste said: "What does Jeff do for a living that allows him to be on the road with David and still earn a living?"

Several weeks ago, I read online that Jeff has some type of "computer resources" (if memory serves me correctly) company; that covers a lot of territory. He was asked the same question as you... and he said that his staff is able to keep things going for the business.

Linmiste said: "Like Lexi, I'm a little concerned about David's voice as the tour continues. He was on vocal rest (in Tacoma?)"

Yes, Linmiste and Lexi... I, too, am concerned about David's voice, b/c of his earlier partial vocal chord paralysis. But as far as the 'vocal rest' goes, David said that the others also follow the regimen of vocal rest... so it's not only David.

Lexi said: "It was reported that a lady crapped on Carly for spending too much time with David and being a 'bad influence' on him. Can you even imagine?"

That's too bad, Lexi... I think Carly does NOT deserve that type of criticism. The older Idols are looking out for David A and I commend them for that!
Too bad, what the Jason fans are saying about David singing "Crazy". David and Jason have been hanging out together... bonding and developing a friendship, so this type of cr*p from the fans is certainly out of order.

There has been much said about Jeff. I'm glad that David Cook spoke up for Jeff in Las Vegas on THE VIEW. I hope all the comments, the press reports, etc., doesn't hurt David's career... and more importantly, I hope it doesn't hurt his family. I'd hate to find out (in the future) that the negativity has damaged 'the family'. JMHO.

Let's all just enjoy David Archuleta's magical music and show him love and support! ;D

[maricorgi]

Jeff Archuleta has a website for his business which I believe buys and restores computer systems for businesses. He must have a very good staff. Dean Kaelin did a nice online interview taking questions and he still warms david up before he goes on stage, by phone, and says his voice is in great shape. He does better singing than talking which does tire his voice. He's very aware of how to handle things. Dean is there for David at any time and he's thrilled with the way he is performing and growing. They are so determined to do a quality album so that fans don't think DA is a flash in the pan. He also mentioned that Josh Groban studies the same vocal techniques and that he (Dean)has also helped Julianne and other artists. In watching the most recent performance Youtubes I can see that David is LOVING performing and keeps letting go more often. I think Jason and Cooke have really helped him in this regard. His vidblog attempt is hilarious but he "took a shot at it"... it's on his myspace page.

[lilyover76]

Jul 21, 2008 17:17:58 GMT -5 maricorgi said:

Jeff Archuleta has a website for his business which I believe buys and restores computer systems for businesses. He must have a very good staff. Dean Kaelin did a nice online interview taking questions and he still warms david up before he goes on stage, by phone, and says his voice is in great shape. He does better singing than talking which does tire his voice. He's very aware of how to handle things. Dean is there for David at any time and he's thrilled with the way he is performing and growing. They are so determined to do a quality album so that fans don't think DA is a flash in the pan. He also mentioned that Josh Groban studies the same vocal techniques and that he (Dean)has also helped Julianne and other artists. In watching the most recent performance Youtubes I can see that David is LOVING performing and keeps letting go more often. I think Jason and Cooke have really helped him in this regard. His vidblog attempt is hilarious but he "took a shot at it"... it's on his myspace page.

Mari - David's vidblog was fun to watch, so typically 'the humble David'! I'm sure he'll get better (and comfortable) with his v-blogs as time goes on. Dean's online interview was great, with lots of info on David's musicality, etc.! Anyone interested can read it at:

www.davidarchuletafanblast.com

Today, I purchased Dean's e-book, about his experiences with David (and Jeff)! ;D

[jennaceeta25]

I just saw Micheal John's on Ellen, Butterfly and Lisam.
I hope you girls saw him. I think he was singing "I'm a soul man."

[butterfly]

Jul 24, 2008 14:58:38 GMT -5 jennaceeta25 said:

I just saw Micheal John's on Ellen, Butterfly and Lisam.
I hope you girls saw him. I think he was singing "I'm a soul man."

Hi Jenn
I didn't see Ellen today but I think it was a rerun and I saw it the first time it was on. Was it the show that Michael & Carly did two songs together? They sang 'One' and 'Hold On I'm Coming'. Michael sounded great and he looked super sexy with his wind-blown hair.

[jennaceeta25]

Jul 24, 2008 21:17:06 GMT -5 butterfly said:

Jul 24, 2008 14:58:38 GMT -5 jennaceeta25 said:

I just saw Micheal John's on Ellen, Butterfly and Lisam.
I hope you girls saw him. I think he was singing "I'm a soul man."

Hi Jenn
I didn't see Ellen today but I think it was a rerun and I saw it the first time it was on. Was it the show that Michael & Carly did two songs together? They sang 'One' and 'Hold On I'm Coming'. Michael sounded great and he looked super sexy with his wind-blown hair.

Yea, they were outside.
It was probably a rerun cause arn't they still on the AI tour?

[linmiste]

If anyone is interested, apparently Z100 out of New York will be playing David Archuleta's new single, Crush, at 7:40am on Friday, August 1st. Guess it will get airtime after that. His album (due early Nov.) is supposed to be more pop -- he's hoping to appeal to his younger fan base -- but I sure hope that some day he records When You Say You Love Me. I can't stop watching this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7lvRPSWW8&feature=related

[lexi]

Hi everybody - Though my concert was last Saturday, I didn’t return from Toronto until today.

Where to begin…..I still can’t quite grasp last Saturday happened. After all the anticipation, it’s sad that it’s now behind me. My sister and I had awesome seats - 6th row on the right side of the floor. Just prior to the start of the show, I looked around the Air Canada Centre and even the nosebleed sections were jam packed. I had been a bit concerned about the reception they’d all receive considering we can be a bit reserved here, but I needn’t have worried. Every Idol was welcomed to Canada.

Not too long into the show I saw David Achuleta’s father, Jeff, standing side stage near me, watching the first act, Chikeze. Jeff was very attentive with all of the performances and cheered and clapped along with the audience. I even caught him singing along a couple of times. Chikeze knows how to get a party started. He left the show much too soon. Ramielle was next and I thought she performed better than I’d heard in reviews of her. Unfortunately her mic didn’t work going into her second song and so they ran another one out to her and it didn’t work either. It turned out it was her pack. Michael Johns was next and this is where the crowd really started to come alive. The man is gorgeous! He wouldn’t even have to sing at all and he’d still leave me in a trance. I call him “The Pretty” now. Fortunately he’s also talented and his We Are the Champions mix brought the house to its feet. Kristy Lee was surprisingly good. She sang “Anyway” instead of “God Bless the USA” for obvious reasons and she did a great job. Carly was fantastic and much tinier than I expected, considering how the media (and Simon) took their shots at her during AI. Brooke was one of my favorites of the night. During the show, she mentioned that her husband is from my city in Nova Scotia and that she had a lot of family from there at the concert. “Let It Be” was beautiful as was her Feist number. At this point there was an intermission and suddenly Jeff Archuleta was standing to my immediate right along the sideboards. (I was at the end of my aisle). People were asking for his picture and autograph and he seemed genuinely surprised that anyone would care for either. In a matter of seconds, the crowd around him became huge. A man behind me asked what was up with the guy with all the women around him. I decided to stand up and shake his hand. Everyone was gushing to him about David and Jeff was saying thank you and being very modest about everything. He said David’s still a pretty typical teenager despite all that's happend to him. Let me just say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I didn’t believe the rumors about Jeff to begin with, but having met him, I know what the media tried to portray him as just doesn’t come anywhere near the man he truly is – a real sweetheart. After intermission, Jason was up next and though he didn’t do a lot for me on the show, I have to admit I loved his set. He has a much bigger fan base than I expected. Toronto adored him. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Syesha was one of the strongest of the night. She had an amazing reception in Toronto - probably her strongest anywhere. Her last song by Beyonce had people cheering long before she’d finished it and I have to admit I was one of them. I completely went from feeling nothing for her during the show to deciding she deserved to end up 3rd. As Syesha headed into the end of her song, I started to get excited knowing my favorite – Archie – was up next. As his face appeared on the board up top, I thought the roof was going to explode. He was obviously who people were waiting for. People jumped to their feet and all hell broke loose. The screaming throughout the arena was unreal. I’ve never heard screaming like that before. When he rose from the floor, GAH! I couldn’t believe how clearly I could see every expression and hear every note. Apologize was amazing and his ‘hunkerdown’ near the end nearly brought people over the edge. You just know he’s putting everything into every syllable. Stand by Me showed a very confident David literally strutting from one side of the stage to the other. I think he's discovered that he can flirt pretty well too. I'm not so sure I'm buying that shy demeanor anymore. He really kicked it up a notch on the dancing during the ‘beautiful girls’ segment. After a two-minute standing ovation following Stand by Me he bantered with the audience about it being his first time in Toronto and how incredibly friendly we all were here………then, out of nowhere, he started to sing ”Oh Canada". That brought even more applause as you can imagine. When You Say You Love Me was simply breathtaking. The passion he puts into that song is amazing. Again, another long standing ovation. As quick as that, he was gone. I’m sorry we didn’t see a lot more of David’s personality on AI because in the short time since the end of the show, his confidence has multiplied exponentially…..or maybe AI was holding him back. Regardless, this boy is a major star. Next up was Cook. More thunderous applause. This guy was born to be on stage. I loved his set. My only criticism was that he seemed to have a lot more angst in Toronto. As a matter of fact, several people had noticed and commented on how angry he appeared. Someone had thrown up a button with his picture on it and he looked at it and made a snarky remark about what he was supposed to do with a button with his face on it…then he threw it to the side. And so it went on from there….there just wasn’t that warmth that we’ve been used to. I chalked it up to him trying to establish that rock star persona, but he almost seemed a bit pre-occupied. Still…..he was amazing and though Archie’s still my favorite by a mile, I’d buy Cook’s music.

After the show, I joined the other 400 or so people downstairs in the arena, hoping the Idols would make an appearance for autographs and pictures. I was waaayyy down at the far end, sure that everyone would start at the other end. After waiting no more than 10 minutes, Kristy Lee and Chikeze came out and sure enough started at the other end. I expected it to be a very long night of waiting to see Archie because I knew they had meet and greets that were at least an hour long. Also, my sister didn't want to stay long and I feared I was going to miss my opportunity. No sooner was I thinking that when lo and behold hysteria starts from the other end. I couldn’t see yet what was going on, but I suspected Archie had to be there. No one else could produce those blood curdling screams. Sure enough, there he was…..running down to my end, jumping here and there, giggling and hitting high fives along the way. I was lucky enough to get one. He seemed different with this crowd - almost giddy and playful. He absolutely loves Toronto and wants to live here. ;D He said he didn’t even know we really watched AI in Canada since we couldn’t vote and so they didn’t expect to be welcomed like they were. I gave him my picture to sign which he did as “Dav Arc” ;D and when he handed it back to me, he looked me straight in the eyes and smiled that beautiful smile. All I could muster out was a “thank you” and he replied his usual ‘Awww you’re welcome!”. It’s very interesting to stand back and watch this kid in action. He is so incredibly sweet and patient with his fans. Some people were handing him two or three things to sign, constantly shoving things in his face and he never complained. The heat in the arena was unbearable and he never complained. People were calling after him from all directions and he kept smiling, promising to get to everyone….and he did. Kids were screeching and some women were on top of their husbands shoulders trying to catch a glimpse and steal a photo, still he never complained about the mayhem. And that’s just what it was – mayhem. I do think that Toronto had the least organized after-concert signings. There was construction going on outside and so we all had to wait inside. The ‘barriers’ were pretty lame and things could get a bit unruly. No one was rude…just excited. There was no rhyme or reason to the line ups. Everybody was on top of everybody and it got frustrating trying to get other autographs. I only ended up with Archie’s. Michael Johns, Brooke, Carly and Jason Castro had just started way down the other end and I couldn’t possibly get near them as I was being pushed further back. I decided to give up and stand back against the wall with some others and take it all in for a brief moment. I could no longer see Archie, but I could certainly tell where he was. The hysteria followed him along the way, as did one handler and two security guards. Ah the price of fame. The only ones left to appear were Ramielle and Cook, but neither ever came. This caused some Cook fans to start chanting his name and then boo. I only learned later that he’d been out with the fans for about an hour prior to the concert and Archie hadn’t been due to press commitments. For those who didn’t know that, I’m sure his not appearing after the show only added to the furor that something was up with him that night. Archie wasn’t able to see the fans prior to the show due to press commitments, but many of you probably heard that he was speaking with the press in the windows above where the crowd was inside the ACC. The crowd started to chant his name and so he came to the window and acted like he wanted to escape.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng17js03bcg

I had to thank my sister profusely for coming with me considering she’d never seen one episode of the show and had no idea who these people were. From her objective point of view, she thought Syesha was the best of the night followed by the two Davids. Apologies for the length of this review. I wanted to hit everyone as I know we’re all fans of several.

[number1fan]

well it's about time lexi! i've been waiting and waiting for your review of the toronto show...
and guess what? ...wait one sec while i get up from my chair.



;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
that was one heck of a review...one well worth waiting for!!!

karma to you for sharing your fantastic experience with us

[lilyover76]

Lexi - thanks for wonderful review from Canada... fantastic! And David loved Toronto and the "Ooh Canada" was such a great touch! (My own concert experience seems 'months' ago...LOL)

Also, 'Masterclass Lady', Roseanne Simunovic had a 'Live Q and A' and her review of the Toronto show at:
davidarchuletafanblast.com

Plus, David is now doing Video Blogs; this last one is from Pittsburgh and it's priceless... he doesn't even know he has this great sense of humor and timing! He is so much fun to watch; he is funny and lovable (watch his expressions, his eyes...), plus he able to laugh at himself! It's amazing to see David, the shy, sweet teen guy and then see his transformation to David, the consummate performer on stage!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnxD4zi-_7o

Hmm, I wonder what David 'dreams' about... (watch the blog), many new songs, we hope! ;D
(David says he 'sleep-sings'... LOL..!!)

[number1fan]

Jul 30, 2008 13:39:46 GMT -5 linmiste said:

If anyone is interested apparently Z100 out of New York will be playing David Archuleta's new single, Crush, at 7:40am on Friday, August 1st. Guess it will get airtime after that. His album (due early Nov.) is supposed to be more pop -- he's hoping to appeal to his younger fan base -- but I sure hope that some day he records When You Say You Love Me. I can't stop watching this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7lvRPSWW8&feature=related

to elaborate on linmiste's post above...i found this ad at david's fanblast site...