I can’t even start my column any other way—what are we going to do without Danny Noriega? I’m going to miss him being himself and having the guts to tease Simon. I feel like we lost a fun personality and a decent singer. I really don’t get why Chikezie is still in this, but I think he will go next week. The one thing is clear, there are very few STARS on this show. I don’t know what Paula’s talking about, or if that’s her special drink talking, but not everyone has a “just beginning of the rest of your life”-type moments coming when they are voted off.
The guys did better than the girls this week, which is shocking because I feel that women in the ’80s ruled the scene. Here’s the play-by-play:
– Luke Menard covered Wham (a.k.a. George Michael)’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and maybe it is because it does still get heavy spin on variety and ’80s/’90s radio pop stations, so he thought he’d go for the feel-good work environmental vibe for the viewers. It didn’t click, however, and the only thing he has going for him is the fact he has that odd Orlando Bloom/Justin Timberlake resemblance happening. Still, wasn’t enough to save him.
– The Chosen David sung Phil Collins which shaved off some of his cool points with me. I’m not a big Phil Collins fan… I’m sorry. Even David, who has me by the heartstrings, can’t make me believe that was a four-star choice. David definitely needs to have some fun on stage and never kill me with “Another Day in Paradise” again.
– Danny Noriega did “Tainted Love”, which was actually a good choice for him, and he did pretty good with it. People will remember Danny for his sassyness with Simon, style and being BFF with Ramiele Malubay.
– The Male Stripper David Hernandez did a Celine Dion cover of “All Coming Back to Me” as the entire world is distracted by his stripper/model photos. Granted, I knew David was attractive because I have eyes, but I didn’t realize that he was that hot. I can see why the boys love him. His voice wasn’t bad either, but as I’ve said before, TIRED of Celine Dion covers.
– Michael Johns is Michael Johns, or this season’s version of Chris Daughtry—whichever you prefer. I like Michael, but he’s nothing special; he is not bringing anything extra to this competition, and he’s doing what has worked in the past for Daughtry.
– David Cook, same thing like Michael Johns more or less, with Lionel Richie’s “Hello”.
– My favorite Jason, Jason Castro, is one of the few contestants on this show that is his own person. I hope he makes it to the top three, especially for covering Jeff Buckley’s (or Leonard Cohen’s, You Choose America) “Halleluja” so incredibly well without depending on his guitar.
– Chikezie covered Luther Vandross’ “She Fills Me Up”, and though the song performance wasn’t a bad one and I’m thrilled he was dressed better this week, I still can’t believe he’s gotten this far.
By the way, Blake Lewis stopped by to sing a song off an album he’s not selling.
– Asia’h Epperson was the most ’80s in-tuned woman of the night, including the style, yet she still got voted off for singing Whitney’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. There should be a unspoken rule that no woman should try to do Whitney on this show. Same goes for Celine Dion songs, too. It wasn’t horrible, but there was nothing unique about it. However, I think America sent the wrong girl packin’ and I hate to see her go.
– Lack of Onstage Personality, Kady Malloy, did the unthinkable—she sang Queen, and I instantly wanted her off for it. I’m a hardcore Queen fan and I hated what she did to “Who Wants to Live Forever”. There was no emotion and her trademark ability to not connect with the audience was prevalent here. I like Kady when she’s a goof in the videos, and other than that she has yet to bring likability to her performance. I don’t know what to say to this girl, other than to relax. She has to be one misunderstood girl for sure.
– Rocker Nurse Amanda was next with Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and was one of the best song performances and choices of the night. I like Amanda and want to see her go far, but she has some issues she needs to really address, and I’m amazed that no one pointed this out. For instance, besides her ability to never smile or relax, she doesn’t look at the audience when she performs. She tends to look down the entire time. Amanda, you’re a good singer. I know you are extremely tired of hearing how much you’ve found your niche when maybe you want to explore your niche and wish the judges would stop defining your music. But please, please look up at us, because we like you.
– Carly Smithson, my favorite of the women, sang “I Drove All Night” by Cyndi Lauper and as usual, she makes it work. She’s the main reason I can stand to watch the night the women perform.
– Kristy Lee Cook covered “Faithfully” except made it sound country, which means, Carrie Underwood will take a serious look at the song now as a hit for herself. Kristy’s okay, but she should have been gone, I think, because like Kady, there’s not a lot to remember about her. However, Kristy’s personality is worlds better on stage than Kady’s.
– The Pride of the Philippines and Danny Noriega, Ramiele Malubay, brought it as she always does, singing Phil Collins; however, she has to do something different. I need to be shocked by her because I’m not right now. She needs to do an angry song next week because she’s going to be an absolute mess without Danny.
– Brooke White a.k.a. Happiness is proving to be one of the best of the women because she surprised everyone with a great acoustic interpretation of what is normally a kick ass empowerment song in “Love Is a Battlefield” by the one and only Pat Benetar. Plus, she successfully stripped it down. Carly has some serious competition with wholesome Brooke, I think.
– Finally, the girls closed out with Syesha Mercado‘s “Saving All My Love for You”, made famous by Whitney. It wasn’t memorable, but she’s a good singer. However, again, the main problem this season is that no one is making a solid effort to give us THAT performance that we’ll never forget. Instead, we’re having to depend on a select few and Paula’s odd behavior again.
You Tube Video of the Week
I’d love to show you two clips; one would be amazingly talented, beautiful and intelligent actress Ellen Page‘s lesbian Saturday Night Live skit. But sicne that’s not available, I’ll give you Ellen Page on Barbara Walter’s Oscar special singing the Juno hit, “Anybody Else But You” with Barbara.
And here’s an update on the second annual True Colors tour:
Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell and Special Guests Celebrate the Second Annual True Colors Tour
NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 5, 2008) — The True Colors Tour will hit the road again this summer with an exciting new line-up of legendary and up-and-coming artists including headliners Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell with host Carson Kressley and many more. After receiving rave reviews and a successful debut in 2007, the True Colors Tour is expanding to meet demand in many more cities. The tour will kick off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month on May 31st at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion.
Produced by True Colors Concerts, in partnership once again with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the 24-city North American tour is presented by Logo in support of the newly created True Colors Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation. The concerts feature nearly five hours of nonstop music with exciting special guests appearing on select dates throughout the tour, including Wanda Sykes, Tegan and Sara, Regina Spektor, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joan Armatrading, Indigo Girls, Nona Hendryx, Deborah Cox and The Cliks.
This year’s tour will highlight the need for the LGBT community and their straight allies to get out and make their votes count this fall. HRC and this year’s other non-profit partners—CenterLink (the nation’s LGBT community centers) and Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National—are joining with the True Colors Tour to bring together Americans across the country to voice their solidarity for LGBT equality and raise public awareness about the issues that face the LGBT community.
The True Colors Tour was conceived by Cyndi Lauper, stemming from her desire to give back to this community for the love and support they have given her throughout her career. The True Colors Tour is a celebration of the basic values and freedoms that should be shared by all Americans. Fans will experience these values through the music of both legendary icons and the newest and coolest acts this generation has to offer.
“I’m so excited and honored that we’re taking True Colors out on the road again this year,” said tour producer and creator Cyndi Lauper. “We had a blast last year and we are proud that the tour also brought about visibility and discussions of issues that LGBT citizens face in our country today. This year I am once again joined on the tour by an array of incredibly talented artists. The tour is a non-stop 5-hour music party with a message. This year the party only gets bigger and our message to the fans is to get out and vote in November. The True Colors Tour asks for equality for all, not just for some, that is the principal upon which this country was founded. So let’s celebrate and have fun this summer while we spread the word to get out the vote and all become a part of the changes in this country.”
“True Colors is a good way to get out the vote,” said The B-52s’ Fred Schneider, “and get out of the house and party!”
The True Colors Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation was created this year to generate financial support to directly benefit the tour’s non-profit partners. Funds will be raised through sales of official benefit t-shirts, an eBay auction of tour and music memorabilia, the True Colors Jewelry Collection by Love & Pride, the tour’s official jeweler, as well as individual donations to the fund by visitors to the tour’s website. The True Colors Jewelry Collection, selected by Cyndi Lauper from creations made by renowned designer Udi Behr, is currently in production and will launch this June. In addition, through the True Colors Fund, $1 of every ticket sold will once again be donated to HRC.
The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization with more than 700,000 members and supporters nationwide. HRC works to secure equal rights for LGBT individuals and families at the federal and state levels by lobbying elected officials, mobilizing grassroots supporters, educating Americans, investing strategically to elect fair-minded officials and partnering with other LGBT organizations.
“Thanks to the overwhelming success of the first True Colors tour last year, we were able to send a loud and unmistakable message to all Americans that it is past time our federal hate crimes laws be updated to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This year, we are going to build on the grassroots power of the tour by launching a massive, nonpartisan voter outreach campaign that will educate, engage and organize equality voters in this year’s election,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This year’s True Colors Tour will provide us with an historic opportunity to organize our community to achieve a powerful voice in the 2008 elections.”
Tickets for select cities will go on sale beginning March 15th and will be available at www.ticketmaster.com.
The True Colors Tour is presented by Logo and produced by True Colors Concerts, LLC, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign.
Logo, the leading digital cable channel and online source of entertainment from MTV Networks for the LGBT audience, is now available in 30 million homes and has 130 advertising partners supporting the channel which features a mix of original and acquired shows, movies and news.
“Cyndi Lauper helped make MTV famous 25 years ago and Logo is thrilled to partner with her today to help promote fairness and understanding,” said Lisa Sherman, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Logo.
For the second year, Sirius Satellite Radio is the exclusive national radio partner of The True Colors Tour. Various Sirius talk and music channels will promote True Colors, with flagship station Sirius OutQ—America’s LGBT Radio Station—creating a tour-long campaign spotlighting the True Colors mission. Sirius OutQ will also exclusively air a True Colors concert performance.
Tour dates:
5/31 – Boston @ Bank of America Pavillion
6/01 – Wantagh, N.Y. @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
6/03 – New York @ Radio City Music Hall
6/04 – Toronto @ Molson Amphitheatre
6/06 – Mashantucket, Conn. @ MGM Grand Arena at Foxwoods
6/07 – Washington, D.C. @ DAR Constitution Hall
6/09 – Minneapolis @ US Bank Theatre at Target Center
6/10 – Chicago @ Chicago Theatre
6/11 – Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
6/13 – Atlantic City, N.J. @ Borgata Resort Spa & Casino
6/14 – Bethel, N.Y. @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
6/16 – Atlanta @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
6/17 – Atlanta @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
6/18 – Clearwater, Fla. @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
6/19 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. @ Frank Sinatra Theatre at Bank Atlantic Center
6/21 – Houston @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion
6/22 – Dallas @ The Superpages.com Center
6/25 – Phoenix @ Dodge Theatre
6/27 – Alpine, Calif. @ Viejas Casino (Concerts in the Park)
6/28 – Los Angeles @ Greek Theatre
6/29 – Berkeley, Calif. @ Greek Theatre
7/01 – Seattle @ WaMu Theatre
7/02 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Deer Lake Park
7/04 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
7/05 – Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Check www.truecolorstour.com for ticket information and on-sale times.
Thank you for reading; make your moment your breakthrough.
