Open thread for the weekend (and up to Tuesday night if you want). Next week on "American Idol" is the show where the contestants sing three songs each: one chosen for them by Clive Davis, one chosen by one of the judges, and one of their own choice. Now imagine you're picking all three songs for each. What would you pick? (And if you're a fan of only, say, Taylor, no fair sticking Elliot with The Best of Mungo Jerry and Katharine with three polkas.)
Give it a whirl.
9 comments:
Hey Allan -
What shows do you think are in the most trouble next year? Is the recent slump of annyoying-ness the future of Grey's Anatomy or a road bump? Can My Name is Earl sustain its premise? Can the Office live on now that Pam and Jim have kissed? Can Prison Break survive as Manhunt? Will Desperate Ho's turn it around or will it get worse? Before we get to pilots, love to get your take on the newer crop of shows (Seasons 1 or 2 this year) and their sustainability...
OK, I'll play....
For Taylor: "Drive South" by John Hiatt, "Hide your Love Away" by the Beatles, and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants.
For Elliott: "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik, "Luck Be a Lady" from the musical Guys and Dolls, and "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding" by Nick Lowe.
For Katherine: "Supernova" by Liz Phair, "Oregon" by Loretta Lynn, and "Colors of the Wind" from the Disney movie Pocahantas.
Can Elliott sing another Donny Hathaway song? I'd like "Someday We'll All Be Free," please.
The rumors are that the judge's choices for the three are:
-Randy for Taylor: "You Are So Beautiful" (because Joe Cocker sang it and Randy has no imagination)
-Simon for Kat: "Over the Rainbow" (which she can do great on if she goes for emotion instead of belting);
-Paula for Elliott: "What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell (a much more interesting choice than Paula usually does)
There are also rumors that Taylor will pick "Try a Little Tenderness," and Kat mentioned "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" in an interview, but it's unclear whether she was joking. (I hope so; there's no upside to that choice.)
Anonymous, when the season's over, I'll do some kind of breakdown of how shows did, whether it's in the column (linked to here) or on the blog. Right now I have to get through Upfront Week and the "Idol" finals before I can think about anything else.
cool. what looks good from the upfronts?
I'll play:
Taylor: "I Drove All Night" by Roy Orbison.
Elliot: "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce.
Kathrine: "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin.
Alan: If you're right, we might as well hand over the AI title to Taylor right now. I can't think of any two better songs to show off his vocals than the ones you mention. Plus, he can't really do his goofy dancing to either one.
I like Paula's pick. I cannot wait to hear Elliott nail the line "In my world, only you..." I mean NAIL it!
Jamie mentioned Jim Croce... and Croce popped to my mind too, but for Taylor. I missed him doing "Something," but based on the sincerity of his "In the Ghetto," I'd like to see Taylor do "Operator." It's not exactly a vocal workout, but a simple, lovely song that tells an honest story. I'd raise the stakes and have Taylor pull a semi-Bo: just Taylor plus one instrument, an acoustic guitar.
For a roof-raiser, I've always wanted to hear Taylor rip Ray Charles's version of "Hey Good Lookin'."
For Elliott, the ultimate White Negro challenge: James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"... politically incorrect, but a showcase for Elliott's swooping, soaring vocal chops. In a poppier vein, how about Carl Carlton's "Everlasting Love"?
Katharine... I want her to do some Gladys. "If I Were Your Woman." And use her magical sex powers to look through the camera lens straight into the face of every male watching in America.
For an uptempo number, Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet." Kat might go all over the place with it, or she might rock the house. I'd also love to hear Katharine sing "We've Only Just Begun," a masterpiece of pop songwriting. It wouldn't afford Kat a big crescendo, in true "AI" style, but this my fantasy, not Clive Davis's.
Taylor:
"Come Down in Time," Elton John
"The Weight," The Band
"Pump It Up," Elvis Costello
Elliott
"Fragile," Sting
"Bridge Over Troubled Water," Paul Simon
"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat," Frank Loesser
Katherine
"Hallelujah," Leonard Cohen
"God Give Me Strength," Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach
"Making Love Alone," Unknown
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